Luo Jie shot her a sidelong glance. Like I could tell you I'm a Reincarnator (someone who's been reborn, gotten a second chance).
Instead, he fished for a plausible excuse. "The open database from the Chinese military—besides info on the Illusion, it also has dossiers they've compiled on other countries' player squads… Players aren't gonna get along forever; there's bound to be friction, competition. Getting a head start on intel, even if it's not 'know thy enemy, know thyself,' at least if things kick off, we won't be flying blind."
Wu Niang's expression cleared instantly, a newfound respect dawning in her eyes as she chuckled sheepishly. "You think way ahead… I could never handle this kind of brainy stuff."
Luo Jie shrugged it off with a smile, his gaze drifting back to the Japanese teams across the way, hardening into a frown.
Top-tier squads all start as second or third-rate, and among the Japanese here today were three he knew all too well from his past life—genuine heavyweights.
Gokudo Iron Fist Team – all ex-yakuza muscle. Their style was brute force, no finesse, preferring to steamroll problems rather than outthink them.
Edo Ronin Team – bankrolled by some rich kid. Small in number, but each member was a standout expert in their field. They excelled at navigating complex scenarios, a truly versatile, all-around force.
Evil Eye Otaku Kings – Just the cringy name screamed "shut-ins." Their combat power barely justified their top-tier status, but those otakus? Geniuses at brainstorming to unearth hidden quests. They'd even pioneered methods to break the plotline to force changes in hidden missions. They had a huge rep in the explorer community for that.
Looking at his own side, though… things were underwhelming, to say the least.
Aside from himself, that walking cheat code of a Reincarnator, only Jia Shuai's squad had even a whiff of top-tier potential. The others? In his past life, they'd been nobodies, some not even memorable enough to be a blip on the radar.
So Chinese players are at a disadvantage in this mission, huh.
"Thank you all for coming!" boomed a slightly balding Defense Ministry official from the hastily erected stage, bowing deeply to the assembled players. No more pleasantries—he got straight to business. "Allow me to outline the strategic objectives for this mission…"
As he spoke, full-color character portraits appeared one by one on the projection screen behind him.
"Oh! Never-before-seen color art! The style… it looks like the original author's work!"
"Did Satou-sensei come out of retirement?"
"Hold my stuff! I gotta take pics of these new designs!"
The Evil Eye Otaku Kings were geeking out, turning the pre-mission tension—usually thick enough to cut with a knife—into something more like a comic con. The Chinese players couldn't help but stare.
"BAKA! SHUT UP! You fat losers are disgracing Great Japan!"
A member of the Gokudo Iron Fist Team roared, his overstretched shirt splitting at the seams across his bulging muscles. He ripped it off entirely, revealing a sprawling black and blue yakuza tattoo covering his back and arms.
Even among players, ex-yakuza had a primal intimidation factor over NEETs. The bespectacled, chubby otakus immediately shrank back, trembling.
The Defense Ministry official looked profoundly awkward but coughed and soldiered on, pretending not to notice the ruckus. "The primary mission targets are seven individuals: Komuro Takashi, Miyamoto Rei, Takagi Saya, Hirano Akira, Busujima Saeko, Marikawa Shizuka, and Kiri Alice."
"Among these seven, Komuro Takashi and Busujima Saeko possess the strongest wills and finest combat skills, making them the easiest to protect. Next are Hirano Akira and Miyamoto Rei; their abilities are somewhat lower, but they can handle basic self-defense. Then there's Takagi Saya and Marikawa Shizuka—pure support, no combat capability, but their skills offer some utility to the team. Finally, Kiri Alice presents the highest protection difficulty."
"Based on the research conducted by the Defense Ministry's Illusion Countermeasures Unit, we recommend you split into groups upon entering the Illusion, each tasked with escorting one of these seven targets out of Bed Town…"
At this, Chief froze, leaning over to Luo Jie in a hushed voice. "Why split us up? Wouldn't it be easier to gather all the targets in one place for protection?"
Luo Jie lowered his voice to explain. "Ever heard the saying—'don't put all your eggs in one basket'? And don't forget—if these NPCs die, they turn into bosses. If we bunch 'em all together, any single one biting it would mean all those bosses spawning at once. Forget clearing the mission; we'd be lucky if any of us here made it out alive."
Chief wiped cold sweat from his brow, more convinced than ever that recruiting Luo Jie was the smartest move he'd ever made. He'd never have pieced that together on his own.
"Solid plan, but I'm wondering—how do we decide the groups?"
A hand shot up from the Chinese contingent. Luo Jie glanced back, not surprised to see it was Jia Shuai again.
Guy's really milking every chance to boost his presence.
Still, whatever Jia Shuai's motives, it was a valid question. The protection difficulty varied wildly; without some incentive, no one would volunteer for the dead weight.
"The grouping will be based on your own preferences," the balding official replied smoothly, as if he'd anticipated the query. "Each target has a points multiplier. Upon mission completion, your total points will be multiplied by this factor. The higher the protection difficulty, the higher the multiplier… Of course, choose wisely, based on your capabilities."
…
Night fell quickly.
To prevent the telltale purple mist of the Illusion's onset from being noticed by civilians, the Japanese had imposed a blackout on the surrounding blocks, citing "transport of classified materials." Armed soldiers went door-to-door, warning residents to stay indoors.
Before long, a faint, otherworldly fog began to seep across the empty parade ground. Every so often, the telltale blue-white wireframes—hallmarks of digital constructs—flickered over the players' bodies.
The signs were clear: the Illusion's start was imminent.
"Kessen o kachimashou!" (May you achieve victory in battle! / Good luck in the fight!)
The balding Defense Ministry official approached the hundred-odd players, bowing deeply with obvious reverence, before quickly retreating beyond the yellow caution tape with the rest of his men.