The ninja's normally impassive face finally twisted into a mask of terror.
He never could have imagined that this Asian youth would resort to such a suicidal, desperate tactic at the end.
Boom——!
In the brilliant flash of fire, two bodies flew apart like broken sacks—one slamming into the corridor wall, the other tumbling over the railing to crash onto the floor of the lower shopping street.
The faint gunpowder smoke cleared, and all fell silent.
After more than ten seconds, the "corpse" slumped against the wall suddenly opened its eyes. It reflexively patted itself down, then suddenly collapsed onto its back, laughing uproariously.
"I did it... I actually did it..."
Back before his rebirth, Luo Jie would never have dared to imagine a day when he could single-handedly take down an entire squad of Balancers.
[Player "Nightmare" has completely eliminated the USS squad. Early settlement and return are now permitted.]
[Would you like to settle early and return?]
"Settle early, but do not return yet."
Are you kidding? Now that the only obstacle, the "Balancers," were gone, not taking advantage of this golden opportunity to loot thoroughly would mean Luo Jie had truly lost his mind.
[Codename: Nightmare]
[Normal Kills: 144,520 points]
[Objective Achieved "Annihilate USS Squad": 20,000 points awarded. Hidden Title Unlocked – Umbrella Enemy.]
[Total Accumulated Points: 164,520 points. Current Remaining Points: 44,270 points]
[Ranking: 1st]
[Gold Chest from the Scoreboard has been distributed. Please check your digital storage space.]
[Detected that player's total points have broken the current session record. Gold Chest rewards doubled. You may choose one of the following rewards:
[1 – 10,000 Points]
[2 – Desert Eagle Pistol (F Purple)]
[3 – Random Active Skill (F Purple)]
[4 – Limited-Time Universal Certification Card]
When Luo Jie saw the last reward option, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he could no longer contain the ecstatic surge in his heart, springing up from the ground in a single bound.
"I choose option 4, the Limited-Time Universal Certification Card."
In an instant, a golden card the size of a business card was extracted from Luo Jie's storage space.
Universal Certification Card.
As the name suggested, using this card could freely convert any item, piece of equipment, or skill from an uncertified state to a certified state.
The so-called "limited-time" was merely an expiration date-like usage restriction and did not affect the card's effectiveness.
Normally, this Limited-Time Universal Certification Card was actually the least valuable among the four options.
After all, if a player found purple equipment in the Illusion, most would certify it immediately; few would carry it until the final settlement.
But Luo Jie was different. Don't forget, he still had an E-Gold weapon worth 100,000 points.
This card was an absolute unexpected boon for him.
...
After certifying [Meido: Ume-ougi Doku], less than half an hour remained until the Illusion's conclusion.
With such bountiful spoils, Luo Jie had no desire to dig for trivial trinkets. He spent 10,000 points to clear out the pharmacy's stock of 20 [Z-Virus Antidotes], then exchanged for a large quantity of various ammunition types at the gun shop before selecting to exit the Illusion early.
The bustling yet desolate doomsday scene of Raccoon City rapidly dissolved into countless blue and white wireframe 3D models, shrinking backward until becoming a single point of light. What remained in Luo Jie's vision was only an almost impenetrable purple mist.
"Home at last..."
Luo Jie spread his arms and took a deep breath. The faint smell of smog in the air surprisingly felt reassuringly familiar.
Choosing a random direction, he walked a few dozen meters, and the dense fog before him suddenly dissipated.
Bright sunlight shone on Luo Jie's face, making him squint involuntarily as he raised a hand to shield his eyes.
Clatter——!
A squad of fully armed soldiers raised their weapons, dozens of black muzzles aiming in unison at Luo Jie as he emerged from the mist.
"Hey, easy there, fellas. I'm in my right mind, can tell the difference between illusion and reality."
Luo Jie immediately raised his hands in a cooperative gesture to signal he meant no harm.
The leading officer clearly hesitated, presumably the first time he'd encountered such a calm player. He observed cautiously for a moment, then gestured for the soldiers to lower their weapons and stepped forward, saluting: "Hello, comrade. Are you a registered player?"
Under China's special official legislation, all players were required to register with specialized agencies for management. Unregistered players weren't exactly considered illegal, but they couldn't enjoy the various conveniences afforded to registered ones.
"No, I'm just a newbie."
Luo Jie wasn't sure if that counted as a lie. At least in this life, he was truly a fresh-faced rookie.
Hearing he was a newbie, the officer's tone softened noticeably, saying with a smile: "Oh, then you're very lucky. Not many newbies survive their first Illusion."
"Yeah, I happened to meet a veteran player in the Illusion who taught me a lot." Luo Jie began spinning a tale, three parts truth to seven parts fiction.
"I see... Well, do you have any questions?"
"Uh, I don't think so for now."
While Luo Jie was pretending to be a newbie, he really didn't want to sit through another explanation of the basics, so he attributed everything to the non-existent "veteran player."
Thankfully, the officer didn't doubt him, nodding: "Very well. I'll have someone take you to register now... Don't be nervous, it's just basic information registration. Once registered, your personal information will be classified. It's a form of protection the state provides for Illusion players like yourselves."
As he spoke, a female soldier in standard uniform approached and led Luo Jie into a military tent beyond the cordon.
The registration process was uncomplicated. All that was needed was to provide his ID number, after which all information would be automatically encrypted and transmitted to the relevant department's database.
Upon completing registration, the young female soldier closed her laptop, let out a long breath, and said: "Thank you for your cooperation... Honestly, you're the most hassle-free new player I've ever met."
"Oh? What are other new players like?"
"Most are pretty mentally unstable, get agitated easily, and violent outbursts are common... That's why we usually offer free psychological counseling, but I don't think you'll need it."
"Guess I'm just naturally thick-skinned."
Luo Jie couldn't very well explain the truth, so he just laughed it off.
"Right," the female soldier suddenly remembered something, pulling a card from a file folder and handing it to Luo Jie. "This is your Player ID Card. If you have any difficulties or needs, you can call the hotline number on there. We have 24-hour customer service... Uh, would you like me to explain it?"