Ark Simulator, Aren't I Supposed to Be Incorporeal?

Franka's voice followed immediately. "If you don't open the door, I'm using the spare key!"

Jessica's tail bristled instantly. She frantically tried to stand up, but didn't want to wake Su Rui, so she could only whisper towards the door, "Please, please wait a moment!"

As she looked down, she met Su Rui's hazy, open eyes. The boy, just awakened, had wet, somewhat confused eyes, and his shirt collar was askew from his sleeping position, revealing a small patch of skin around his collarbone.

"Good morning." His voice was hoarse, and he instinctively buried himself deeper into her arms.

The sight made Jessica's nose sting. She quickly covered Su Rui's eyes with her palms. "Don't, don't look at people like that!"

The sound of the door lock turning suddenly rang out.

"Excuse me--" The moment Franka pushed the door open, Jessica pulled the down comforter over with astonishing speed, wrapping Su Rui up so tightly that only her head was sticking out.

The air froze.

The Liskarm's lenses reflected a cold glint. "Explanation."

"This... this is—" Jessica stammered, spreading her arms wide like a mother cat protecting her kittens, "It's my distant cousin! He's here to stay!"

Wrapped up like a dumpling, Su Rui blinked and obediently replied, "Cousin."

Franka squinted, then suddenly darted to the bedside. "Oh my~ my cousin is so handsome~" She reached out to touch Su Rui's hair, "This rare breed with black hair and black ears--"

"No!" Jessica slapped Franka's hand away abruptly, not expecting herself to be so loud.

The room fell silent again.

Su Rui gently tugged at Jessica's sleeve, only then realizing that she was baring her non-existent little tiger teeth like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"I'm... sorry..." She blushed and loosened her defensive stance, but still stubbornly stood in front of Su Rui. "He was a little shy when he first woke up..."

Franka gave a mischievous smile, "Oh~ Is it that my 'cousin' is shy, or is it just that a certain little kitten's possessiveness acting up?"

Liskarm suddenly bent down and picked up a black shirt from the ground—the very one Su Rui had worn the night before. She shook it by the collar; a few strands of blue cat hair were still stuck to it.

"Cousin," she pushed up her glasses, "Wearing your clothes and sleeping in Jessica's bed?"

Jessica blushed instantly from head to toe.

Suddenly, Su Rui pulled a hand out from under the covers and gently grasped Jessica's trembling fingertips. "Not my cousin." He looked up at Liskarm, his tone calm, "It's my lover."

"Su Rui!" Jessica exclaimed.

Franka whistled. "Finally admitting it?"

Liskarm sighed and tossed her shirt back onto the bed. "The meeting's postponed by two hours." A barely perceptible smile played on her lips as she turned away. "If we're going to work together, remember to prepare the formal onboarding paperwork for your 'lover'."

Once the door closed, Jessica's legs went weak as she sat back down on the edge of the bed. "I'm doomed... they're going to laugh at me for the rest of my life..."

Su Rui wrapped her arms around her waist from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder. "Are you unhappy?"

"It's not that..." she clutched at the hem of her skirt, her voice trailing off, "It's just... I don't want anyone to see you looking like you've just woken up."

"Why?"

"Because!" Jessica turned and poked his chest, "Su Rui was so unguarded back then! Her eyes were wet, her voice was soft, and her shirt was all messed up..." Her face grew redder as she spoke, "Only I could see her like that!"

Su Rui paused, then suddenly chuckled softly. He took Jessica's hand and pressed it to his chest. "Okay."

"Huh?"

"From now on, I'll only show it to you," he whispered, pressing his lips to her flushed earlobe, "In exchange..."

"I want to have Jessica all to myself when she's half-asleep."

Jessica buried her burning face in Su Rui's arms, but her tail honestly wrapped around his wrist.

Jessica blushed as she straightened her collar, her tail still trembling slightly from the awkward moment. Su Rui, on the other hand, remained calm, slowly and methodically buttoning her shirt cuffs and smoothing down the stray ends of her hair.

"... Are you really going to see them now?" Jessica asked softly, her fingers nervously twisting together.

"Hmm." Su Rui nodded, her tone calm. "Now that we've been discovered, why don't we get to know each other formally?"

He paused, then added, "And they don't seem to mind."

Jessica's ears burned again as she recalled Franka's mischievous smile and Liskarm's meaningful glance, "They just haven't had a chance to tease me yet..."

Su Rui gently squeezed her fingertips. "Then I'll be your shield."

In the living room, Liskarm was sitting on the sofa flipping through documents, while Franka leaned lazily against the window, toying with a tactical knife in her hand. Seeing the two come downstairs, Franka immediately flashed a sly smile, "Oh, finally decided to come out?"

Jessica almost tripped on the steps, Su Rui calmly supported her waist and led her to sit down on the opposite side of the sofa.

"Nice to meet you." Su Rui looked directly at Liskarm and Franka, his voice steady. "I'm Su Rui."

Liskarm adjusted his glasses, scrutinizing him sharply. "Jessica's 'cousin'?"

Franka chuckled. "Or rather, 'lovers'?"

Jessica wanted to bury her face in the cushion, but Su Rui remained calm. "It's all of them." It could be either.

Franka raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Theoretically, I am indeed a distant relative of hers," Su Rui explained, "But emotionally, we are lovers."

Liskarm closed the file. "So, who exactly are you?"

Su Rui didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised his hand, and a pale blue halo appeared in his palm. The next second, a finely crafted sniper rifle appeared out of thin air in his hand.

Franka whistled. "Originium Arts?"

"Not entirely." Su Rui placed the sniper rifle on the coffee table. "This is my 'storage space,' which can hold a lot of supplies."

Liskarm's gaze lingered on the sniper rifle for a moment. "Sankta's rifle, but modified."

"Hmm." Su Rui nodded. "I'm skilled in sniping and rapid-fire guns; long-range fire support is my specialty."

Franka leaned in with interest. "Could you demonstrate?"

Su Rui glanced at Jessica, who nodded slightly. He stood up, walked to the window, and glanced at the training ground behind the villa.

"Are there targets?"

"Yes," Liskarm replied, "Both moving and stationary targets."

Without a word, Su Rui raised his hand and a rapid-fire pistol appeared in his grasp. He didn't even aim; he simply turned slightly and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three gunshots rang out almost in a single line, and three moving targets in the distance were simultaneously and accurately hit the bullseye.

Franka's eyes widened. "... You don't even need to aim?"

"I've gotten used to it." Su Rui put away his rapid-fire gun, his tone calm. "Sniper rifles are more accurate, but rapid-fire guns are better suited for close-range suppression."

A hint of admiration flashed in Liskarm's eyes. "You have a wealth of practical experience."

Volume 14, Chapter 770: It's that simple.

Since we're going to form a team, we naturally need to address the issue of Su Rui's identity.

Franka tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her eyes slightly narrowed as she stared at Su Rui's terminal screen.

"So, it's that simple?" She tilted her head, a hint of mockery in her voice. "Blacksteel's security system didn't even trigger an alarm?"

Su Rui's fingers made one last keystroke on the keyboard, the data stream on the screen froze instantly, and then a brand new Blacksteel Worldwide employee ID card popped up—with a photo, number, permission level, and even past virtual task records perfectly intact.

"Hmm," he replied briefly, closing the terminal.

Liskarm stood to the side, arms crossed, her gaze behind her glasses calm and scrutinizing. She reached for the terminal, quickly flipped through a few pages of data, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Level A clearance, sniper specialization, past mission records..." She paused, "... even the equipment application record is complete?"

Su Rui nodded. "That's more convenient."

Jessica stood beside Su Rui, her tail wagging slightly unconsciously, her eyes sparkling with admiration. She whispered, "Su Rui's hacking skills... are really amazing."

Franka suddenly laughed and patted Su Rui on the shoulder, "Alright, newbie! Looks like I can leave all the logistics issues to you from now on."

Su Rui glanced at her sideways, her tone still calm. "Okay, but I'm not responsible for fixing printers."

Franka was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Good! You have principles!"

Liskarm shook her head, but a slight smile played on her lips. "Now that the identity issue is resolved, let's prepare tomorrow's mission briefing." She looked at Su Rui, "Your sniping skills have passed the test, but real combat is another matter."

"Understood," Su Rui replied briefly.

The next morning, a squad had already assembled at Blacksteel's training ground. In addition to Liskarm, Franka, and Jessica, there were several veteran Blacksteel operators. Su Rui stood in the ranks, his equipment already adjusted—a rapid-fire pistol hung at his waist, while his primary weapon, a modified sniper rifle, was steadily slung over his back.

Liskarm stood at the front of the team, projecting a holographic map onto his tactical tablet.

"Mission objective: Clear the mercenary stronghold in the abandoned industrial area." Her voice was calm and clear. "According to intelligence, the enemy mainly uses crossbows and melee weapons, numbering approximately fifteen to twenty, occupying advantageous terrain, and at least two crossbowmen are lying in ambush on higher ground."

Franka whistled. "Crossbows? People still use such antiques these days?"

Liskarm glanced at her. "Don't underestimate them. Crossbows are not to be underestimated in close combat, and without the sound and flash of gunfire, they are more suitable for covert operations."

Su Rui's gaze swept across the map, then suddenly pointed to a spot. "This place, the intersection of the ventilation ducts, is the ideal ambush point for crossbowmen."

Liskarm nodded. "That's right. You and Jessica need to prioritize dealing with these two threats."

Jessica gripped the gun tighter and whispered, "I... I'll be careful to stay hidden."

Franka grinned and leaned closer. "Oh, little Jessica, you don't have to fight alone anymore?"

Jessica's face flushed slightly, but this time she didn't back down. Instead, she nodded seriously. "With Su Rui around, I feel more at ease."

Su Rui glanced at her, his gaze softening for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He turned to Liskarm: "The crossbowmen have limited range; we can take them out from a safe distance."

Liskarm nodded. "Let's move out."

In the abandoned industrial area, the rusted metal structures creaked slightly in the wind. Su Rui and Jessica silently climbed a water tower, where they could see a wide view overlooking the entire battlefield.

Su Rui crouched on the ground, his sniper rifle steadily mounted. His gaze, through the scope, slowly swept across every shadowy spot. Suddenly, his finger paused slightly.

"Target spotted." His voice was extremely low. "Two o'clock, behind the concrete debris."

Jessica looked in the direction he indicated and saw a mercenary crouching behind cover, his crossbow cocked and watching the area below warily.

"Should we shoot?" she asked softly.

Su Rui shook her head. "Wait until Liskarm and the others are in position."

A few seconds later, Liskarm's calm voice came through the communicator. "Ready."

Su Rui's finger was on the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet struck the crossbowman precisely in the shoulder; he groaned, and the bolt flew from his hand. Almost simultaneously, another crossbowman on a higher vantage point looked up alertly, but before he could find his target, Jessica's bullet whistled through the air—

Bang!

The second bullet grazed the man's arm; although it didn't hit him directly, it was enough to force him to abandon his ambush position and scramble to avoid it.

"Target suppressed," Su Rui reported briefly.

Franka's laughter came through the communicator. "Well done~ Now it's our turn!"

--

With the threat from above gone, Liskarm and Franka moved swiftly. Franka moved like a silver lightning bolt, her dagger flashing in her hand as she instantly closed in on a mercenary wielding a battle axe. Before he could even swing his axe, her blade had already sliced across his wrist, forcing him to drop his weapon.

"Give up," she said with a smile, "I don't want to get my new clothes dirty."

Meanwhile, Liskarm advanced steadily, each bullet accurately hitting the mercenaries' non-lethal areas—shoulders and legs—incapacitating them without killing them.

Su Rui and Jessica continued to provide cover from their high vantage point, and any enemies attempting to ambush or escape were precisely intercepted by their bullets.

The battle ended within ten minutes.

While clearing the battlefield, Franka kicked a crossbow bolt on the ground, raised an eyebrow at Su Rui, and said, "Seriously, how did you find those two guys? They were well hidden."

Su Rui was inspecting the magazines when he heard this, and without looking up, replied, "Reflective."

"Reflective?" Franka was taken aback. "Crossbow bolts can reflect light?"

"The metal parts on the crossbow," Su Rui explained briefly, "You can see them if you look at the right angle."

Jessica added in a low voice, "Su Rui's observation skills are really amazing..." After all, it's not something you can just casually mention about Scanning Vision.

Liskarm approached, holding a communications log seized from the enemy base. She looked at Su Rui: "Mission accomplished smoothly. Your sniping skills are truly impeccable."

Su Rui nodded. "Of course."

Franka chimed in with a grin, "So, we'll take him on all the missions from now on? His identity issue is resolved, he's incredibly capable, and he can even help us hack the system—it's perfect!"