Chapter 976 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 976: These Days, Even NPCs Compete with Players for Quests As Fang Chang and Miss Dolly basked in their moment of intimacy, Gui Gui, sitting on the other side of the tavern, covered her mouth and nose, making exaggerated faces as she quietly complained to the person across from her, Feng Qing. "This is bad... I smell the stench of the Death Potion!" Feng Qing, sipping her coffee calmly, tilted her head, looking puzzled at Gui Gui's exaggerated expressions. "Death Potions don't have any smell." "I mean that kind of Death Potion, you know, the... oh, never mind," Gui Gui blushed and fumbled with her words before finally giving up, resting her chin in her hands. "But isn't it strange to date an NPC? Especially if you have a family in real life. Wouldn't that be considered cheating?" "Hmmm..." Feng Qing thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I really don't know about that." Whether in real life or inside the game, she had no interest in romance. But such matters would probably fall under personal affairs, right? Yet, Gui Gui remained troubled, so much so that she absent-mindedly gnawed on her fingers. "Ugh, every time I think of the adorable Miss Dolly possibly sitting in front of a guy with five or six kids in real life, I just can't ship them anymore! Damn you, Fang Chang, just explode already." Ah, so it was about Dolly... Feng Qing gave a helpless look, set down her coffee cup, and said, "If it bothers you so much what they're like in real life, why not just ask them directly? Spreading rumors about a stranger's private life is quite rude, you know." "Eep... my bad." Realizing the boundaries she had overstepped, Gui Gui sheepishly raised her hands in surrender. With a gentle smile, Feng Qing assured her distraught friend, "I didn't mean to blame you. Think of it as a bit of comfort. There are plenty of lovely NPCs; maybe you should discover one for yourself. Besides, I doubt those two lovebirds enjoy being in the spotlight. It's really only because of all the fuss on the forums created by Fang Chang's Burning Legion friends that it’s become such a big deal." "True," Gui Gui sighed, stretching her arms out in defeat, her expression as if she'd experienced heartbreak. But she quickly perked up again. "Speaking of which, is Kanji in middle school now?" Kanji was the girl Feng Qing had rescued from an orphanage run by a gang outside Old Boulder City. That incident had also sparked the Alliance's efforts to purge gang activity outside Boulder City. Afterward, those children, who had been raised as commodities, were moved to a proper welfare institution. The Alliance had a comprehensive social support system to care for those orphans, including raising them to 18 and covering their compulsory education expenses. So, they didn't need to pay for their upbringing. However, they would occasionally visit her, taking her for cotton candy and buying her pretty new dresses—treating her like their own daughter. Thinking of Kanji, Feng Qing couldn't help but display a nostalgic smile. "The last time I checked, she was preparing for her entry exams. She’ll likely have exams by mid-year." Gui Gui sighed wistfully, resting her chin on her hand. "She's going to be in middle school? Time really flies." Players' bodies didn't change much over time. Of course, perhaps that was because they often died and got revived, resetting everything. It's said there are hardcore players who have never died a single time since leaving the novice village. Their bodies apparently do change with age. Seeing her sentimental friend, Feng Qing pondered momentarily before saying, "Though it feels that way, it's only been a couple of years since we met her." Gui Gui scratched her head. "Uh, I guess you're right." It felt like these few years had been longer than decades. Perhaps that's the feeling of fulfillment. Putting away her coffee cup and used utensils, Feng Qing looked across the table at Gui Gui. "I'm rested. Shall we continue with our quests?" Gui Gui jumped up like a spring. "Oh right! The quests... I almost forgot about the quests. We need to catch that little rat from the Enlightenment Society." Feng Qing, opening her VM interface, reminded her, "There’s also the package delivery to City Hall and clearing the mutant rat nests in the sewers." "Eh?! I took on a sewer quest?" Noticing Gui Gui's look of horror, Feng Qing tilted her head. "I took it... But the reward is pretty good, 1,000 silver coins. The mission is short, so just bear with it." ... As Gui Gui, on the brink of tears, was ushered out of the tavern by Feng Qing's arm over her shoulder, a pair of squabbling foes were having a heated argument on another street not far from the talent market. One of them was Ye Shi from the Burning Legion, and the other was Jiang Xuezhou, a C-level researcher from the Academy. Both had been operating in the southern quarantine zone of the Wilante Province, but with the focus now shifted from control to vaccine and antidote development, the two, lacking the appropriate expertise, found themselves of little use. Moreover, a significant event pushed Jiang Xuezhou to Avent City. The Academy had lost a research vessel and an entire Beacon Squad there recently, so she was dispatched to investigate. As for Ye Shi, part of it was being forcibly brought along, the other part was his concern for Jiang potentially running into danger on her own. The Academy upper echelon didn't hold much hope for the missing Beacon Squad's alive return, but they insisted on recovering the lost research vessel. There were too many things floating in outer space that could easily slip through grasp if not careful. Having someone unfit handle those objects would spell catastrophe. Knowing the importance of this mission, upon her arrival in Avent City, Jiang Xuezhou earnestly searched for clues to locate the missing research vessel. But after nearly two weeks, they turned up empty-handed. The longer they dragged on, the lower the survival chance for any missing members, and the fainter the hope of retrieving the vessel. Growing anxious, Jiang Xuezhou couldn't help but vent her frustration on Ye Shi, who seemed to leisurely stroll through life. "Don't you have that sixth sense of yours? Can't you use it to find that guy?" Caught off guard, Ye Shi rolled his eyes, retorting without restraint. "The sixth sense doesn’t work like that. What do you think I am, a magician?" If the target were scoping them from a distance, maybe—but attempting remote targeting from who knows where, that would be akin to cheating! Jiang Xuezhou furrowed her brows in annoyance. "Tch, you're useless." Ye Shi didn't take kindly to her words. "How am I useless? Back when I carried the team, you were still a small D-level! By the way, aren't you from the Academy? Don't you have any tech to identify our target among the crowd?" Jiang Xuezhou flushed, glaring at him. "Carried? I don't get it... That's nonsense. Organize your thoughts before you speak." "Carry means being the MVP... never mind. What's past is past. I used to be a big shot, now I'm not even that," he lamented, resting his arms behind his head and looking skyward. "Though I wonder... The Academy, being one of the three major factions, could have just sent Alpha Rapid Response to retrieve your research vessel. Even if you search Avent City high and low and find the culprit, the Enlightenment Society wouldn't easily agree to a hostage exchange, right?" The Alliance had captured Enlightenment Society prisoners before, and the Thorn Brigade in Pioneer City regularly apprehended one or two. But it never yielded much. What they could do was merely reform those misled shelter dwellers through labor camps, show them Alliance achievements, and persuade them to rethink their paths. As for locating the Enlightenment Society headquarters or extracting intelligence from prisoners, those hoodwinked shelter residents themselves were clueless. An exchange of hostages was out of the question; those sneaky individuals lacked any sense of kinship. Jiang Xuezhou, hearing Ye Shi criticize her organization once more, looked complexly at him. Normally, she'd rebuke him, even argue fiercely, but this time she was genuinely at a loss. "I don't know... but I'm sure the leadership has their reasons. Seeking the only clue we have is the only thing we can do now." Ye Shi glanced at Jiang, then cast his gaze upon the street ahead. "I believe the Academy's multiple clandestine operations across the wasteland are no secret... I just worry, you might not be within the scope of their considerations." Being C-level meant little. Seedlings only need one to survive to be deemed a success; the others are merely nutrients in the soil. The Academy's disregard extends far beyond just C-Level researchers; they hardly seem to care about the A-Level and even the sole S-Level personnel. They are the true Leviathan. Unlike the deceptive Enlightenment Society, which uses ideals as a mere façade, the Academy is genuinely united by belief—a body born for knowledge and entirely in service of it. Beyond their singular goal, everything else is expendable. Even the Chief Technology Officer. Even the esteemed Doctor Conclusion. In the grand narrative built upon civilization, a C-Level researcher is too insignificant to matter. Ye Shi's initial intention was only to advise her not to overexert herself—to remind her that risking her life wasn’t worth it. But to his surprise, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly fell silent. Confused, Ye Shi turned to look at her, only to find Jiang Xuezhou's expression becoming uncharacteristically bashful. Just as he was about to ask, "What's gotten into you?" a barely audible voice reached his ears. "...Were you worried about me just now?" Worried? "Not really—" "Hey there, Ye Shi, out on a date?" An ill-timed voice interrupted Ye Shi, cutting off what he was about to say. What the—? Ye Shi quickly turned toward the source of the voice, spotting Big Eye and Construction Guy grinning and winking at him. "Such a loving couple." "Indeed. Unlike you, who enter the body but don't integrate into the family." "Get lost! Get the hell out, you bast—!" Big Eye's cheerful demeanor shifted abruptly, yet unbeknownst to them, echoed Ye Shi’s thoughts he was too hesitant to say. Watching Big Eye, who was now chasing Construction Guy with raised fists, Ye Shi swallowed back the retort on the tip of his tongue. Jiang Xuezhou, watching the two run off in awe, then tilted her head toward Ye Shi. "What were they talking about?" Ye Shi wanted to explain but found himself tongue-tied, his face turning red from embarrassment, so he mumbled, "Those idiots were just mocking me." "Oh, really?" Misinterpreting his words, Jiang Xuezhou wore a mischievous smile, lightly covering her mouth with her left hand while playfully poking him with her right. "Seems like you're not so popular in the Alliance. How about joining the Academy with me? Free Ark tickets included." Ye Shi rolled his eyes. "No thanks." Jiang Xuezhou raised an eyebrow, baring her teeth playfully. "Why not? Haven't I been kind to you?" "Well, not exactly... Wait, why should your kindness mean I have to go with you? I'm quite happy with the Alliance, thank you very much!" Ye Shi retorted, halfway through realizing he was being led into a logical trap. Jiang Xuezhou glared at him, biting back her frustration, "Ungrateful jerk." For the rest of the journey, they traveled in silence. Ye Shi was baffled by her sudden anger. Why was she so intent on dragging him into the Academy anyway? Isn’t things going pretty well as they are now? Such loyalty, really! Just then, the VM strapped to Ye Shi’s arm vibrated. Lifting it, he glanced at the screen to see a message. [Edge Surfer: New lead on the Enlightenment Society's disciples. The guard booth on 17th Street received a report that there are suspicious activities between house numbers 203 and 202. The individuals don’t seem local or like our personnel. If you're interested, you might want to check it out. If it's a misunderstanding, it'll at least help the community sleep easier.] Ye Shi's eyes lit up, and he immediately typed a response. [Haha! Thanks, mate!] Seconds later, another message popped up. [Edge Surfer: No problem! If you catch a big one, remember to share the spoils! (grin)] Ye Shi replied, [Tch! Do I look like a selfish pig? Hang tight! I’ll be back soon.] Peeking over at Ye Shi typing earnestly on the screen, Jiang Xuezhou couldn't resist leaning in, curious about his activity. As she did, Ye Shi suddenly seized her wrist. "What are you doing?!" Jiang Xuezhou froze, stunned by the sudden contact. But without waiting for her to compose herself, Ye Shi opened the navigation on his VM and started pulling her along. "Stop asking questions and come with me." "???" Baffled, Jiang Xuezhou allowed herself to be led, the two of them weaving through streets until they stood before an unremarkable alleyway. This seemed to be an old district, with many houses now vacant. Their residents either relocated or had perished during the war, leaving behind a few elderly inhabitants. Jiang Xuezhou, her face flushed, pulled her arm free and glared at Ye Shi, who had finally come to a stop. "Why did you bring me here?" Grinning smugly, Ye Shi directed his gaze toward the alleyway ahead. "Weren't you accusing me of slacking? I'll prove I'm not." Jiang Xuezhou: "...?" Seeing Jiang Xuezhou's blank look, Ye Shi patiently shared the lead he’d just acquired. In essence, tasks like searching for a needle in the haystack were best handed over to the Death Corps' "Beggar Brotherhood." Those guys wandered everywhere, and Big Eye and his friends especially loved engaging deeply with local NPCs, making discovering leads remarkably easy. Upon his arrival in Avent City, Ye Shi had greeted Edge, who promptly notified him upon finding any clues. Staring blankly at Ye Shi for a long moment, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly lowered her head and softly murmured, "Thank you." Caught off guard by her sudden sincerity, Ye Shi's first instinct wasn't joy, but wariness. "...Why the sudden thanks?" Jiang Xuezhou hesitated, uncomfortable, but eventually admitted, "…I shouldn't have thought you weren't contributing." Ye Shi looked at her, exasperated. "Wow, is that really how you saw me?" Is digging through walls with a magnifying glass the only way to show effort? Damn! She's becoming more like his meddlesome old mother every day. Turning away with a flushed face, Jiang Xuezhou snorted softly through her nose. "You're always acting as if nothing concerns you." "It's just that I find your higher-ups' antics baffling and would rather not mingle with your mess, but it's not like I don't care about you..." Ye Shi replied helplessly, watching Jiang Xuezhou's face turn crimson from her ears down her neck. He sighed, scratching his head, "Wait here; I'll go check inside." As Ye Shi proceeded towards the alley, Jiang Xuezhou snapped back to her senses and quickly followed him. "Ah, I'll help too!" Ye Shi rolled his eyes. "Just don't mess things up, okay?" Jiang Xuezhou shot him a defiant glare. "I will! Wait, when do I ever mess up anyway? This is my mission!" "Yes, yes, your mission." Ye Shi sighed, a playful mood gradually replaced by a growing seriousness. The world now even had NPCs competing with players for quests. This game was getting too real! To be continued...