I am a reincarnation player.

He struggled to raise his head and saw a huge machine in the center of the room with countless flashing electronic lights.

Central database...

The good news is that he came in, and so many sacrifices, including a general insect, finally paid off.

The bad news was that he opened his mouth and just as he spat out a blood-stained spore, a shadow enlarged in his field of vision.

Paji.

Without a word, Yuki crushed its head with one foot. As the red and white liquid splashed, the man looked down and rubbed the sole of his foot on the red military uniform, just like—

Stomped a cockroach.

Chapter 5: Devil, Curse Spirit and Night Rabbit (K)

Out of respect for his profession, Yuki also tried his best. When he was crushed by his superior rank, it was just wishful thinking to delay time.

Saito died quickly, and the two insects were crushed to pieces, without causing any ripples in Yuki's mind. The key to this battle was not fighting, but breaking through the blockade and finding the real target of the insect swarm.

What a coincidence! If I hadn't also wanted the central database, I would have been fooled by you.

Yuki looked at the giant server in front of him, which was the size of several floors, and felt like he was being spied on. He turned his head and looked around, finally stopping at the densely packed probes.

Electronic life?

There was only curiosity in Yuki's eyes. It would be a big loss if he was exposed at this point. The door was already opened, and the next task would be completed by Hiyori. No matter how intelligent the electronic life inside was, no one would come to help even if he shouted at the top of his lungs.

It might be able to detect the Void Puppet, but it's impossible for this thing to find out any results. Shiina Hiyori is just a bookworm who loves reasoning. What does the Void Puppet have to do with her?

"Since it's an electronic life form, then the next battlefield is Johnny Silverhand, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Yuki cannot participate in the battle in the online world. If it were other players, they would probably be full of doubts, but Yuki is not worried at all.

That's Johnny Silverhand, the ghost of Night City. If he can't even do this after becoming a player, he's too lame.

What happens in the future is none of my business. I just want to be loyal.

Yuki knew very well when to play dumb. Even though he could feel a spirit passing by him, he pretended not to see anything and picked up the spore from the disgusting brain matter.

[Special Item: Electronic Bug Spores]

[Able to invade computers of technological civilization, read data, tamper with permissions, or destroy them. One-time use prop]

Good stuff, but how to use it?

Yuki decisively collected the bodies, even if it was recorded, it didn't matter. As a player, fighting is all about profit, and not looting the bodies would arouse suspicion.

Then, he carefully examined Saito's body again and found that the insect armor could not be taken off. It should not be a prop or something like that. It was said that the hardness was quite impressive and could save his life in a battle with extraordinary players.

What the samurai left behind were two swords. Yuki took them in his hands and took a look at them, and found that they were a pair of special level 4 items.

[Phantom Dual Blades (Extraordinary Grade) Three Forgings]

[Allows players to create their own phantom effects, which are beneficial when paired with related supernatural skills. Forging effect: Increases the number of phantoms.]

Side Effects: Temporary Disorientation

[Description: The world is like a dream, a true sword dancer must combine the real and the imaginary.]

"It's a pity that I don't have a matching supernatural skill. Although this fancy swordsmanship is fine for bullying weaklings, it's useless against a truly powerful opponent who has both strength and speed."

Yuki threw the two swords back into the storage space. He could sell them if he didn't need them. He picked up the Demon Breaker's long sword and looked at the burn marks on it, thinking deeply.

This knife can no longer keep up with the pace. It is a level 3 weapon, known for its hardness and defensive energy, but he has no plans to upgrade it. In terms of defense against energy, the special items exchanged from the copy are no less than this knife.

Is the battle almost over?

He sheathed his sword and raised his head. He could hear the sounds of fighting outside gradually stagnating. After all, it was just a feint attack. The force of the swarm of insects could not be sustained. After swinging their three axes, they could only wait for death.

[Player Yuki, you performed exceptionally well in the 'Command Battle', with a participation rate of 90%. You will be awarded 2 Specialization Points.]

[Player Yuki, you killed the puppet bug Jacobson, and are rewarded with 1 reinforcement point]

[Player Yuuki, your Zerg reputation has reached 'hatred'.]

[Player Yuki, your reputation with humans has reached 'revered'.]

The continuous murmurs sounded, and it seemed a bit overwhelming.

A sudden encounter came to an abrupt end, and Yuki even felt a little unsatisfied.

"Is this the end? What the hell is this participation rate?"

He glanced at his player panel. He had already accumulated 2 specialization points and 6 enhancement points. Although his progress was not yet complete, his gains were comparable to those of the "Devil's Hospital".

But Yuki felt that it was natural. Every point was earned by fighting in the sea of ​​insects. Although there were some coincidences, he was not present in this battle. The insect swarm had corroded the central database and obtained all the information.

There are also a pair of swords, a spore, and it opens the door for Johnny Silverhand, allowing the player's strategy progress to take a big step forward...

"I've made a lot of money. Now it depends on whether Johnny Silverhand has the decency to tell me the information he has gathered."

Yuki knew nothing about hacking, but he knew that this would most likely succeed, and the reason was very simple.

Ta da da da...

With the sound of heavy footsteps, dozens of tin cans were rushing towards them. No team of players could resist so many psychic warriors.

Yuki, with his feet on the insect corpses, held a long sword in his hand and looked at them expressionlessly. His eyes fell on the girl in the front, who had white flowers painted on her shoulders and a broken helmet, revealing a small face.

Every soldier was covered in wounds, and the air was filled with the smell of iron and blood, enough to scare people. However, this stream of iron rolled into the hall and stopped ten meters away from Yuki.

Dada—bang.

As if they were one person, they glanced at the messy Area B and saw Yuki standing at the door of the top-secret room, looking a little at a loss.

Players are not allowed to set foot here, but the insect corpses under the man's feet tell another truth:

This man turned the tide of the war and saved humanity.

thump.

After a few seconds of silence, Chris was the first to raise her right hand and hit her left chest, standing straight.

thump.

All the soldiers woke up as if from a dream, raised their right arms in unison, opened their helmets and revealed their faces.

There were men and women, young and old, but their expressions were so similar, all showing determination and admiration.

Yuki's bravery and loyalty were transmitted to every soldier in the battle via data link, and his deeds would surely be recorded in the archives, comparable to legendary heroes.

"Because Johnny Silverhand doesn't dare to lie to me, he still has to rely on me to conquer the dungeon."

As this thought flashed through his mind, Yuki smiled. Just like a chain of iron chains, one link after another, a true conspirator should hold the overall situation in his own hands, and every swing of the sword will not be in vain.

Yuki smiled and glanced at the golden can who walked in from the hole. The man's power armor was more gorgeous and taller. He must be a real high-ranking official of the defense force.

This person looked at Yuki, then quietly retreated and gave up the stage.

The trend is unstoppable, and he must pay his respects.

Yuki withdrew his gaze and looked at the steel forest in front of him. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind:

There is still a long way to go from monster to epic. The scene before him made him smell an opportunity. Can he prepare for the future and solve the bottleneck of "epic" in advance?

......

Beyond the mountain lies an endless plain, the ground covered with a dark purple fungal carpet. Humans used to be able to come and go, come up with all sorts of ingenious strategies, and occasionally launch a successful surprise attack.

But when the Zerg evolved into a fungal blanket, humans were basically in a passive position. Looking down from the sky, this fungal blanket full of capillaries covered the entire planet except the Emerald Basin, and they spewed invisible spores into the air.

These spores are highly poisonous, and more importantly, they form a fog of war, blocking all optical, infrared and other means of detection. As for sending soldiers for physical reconnaissance?

Anyone other than the players who set foot there will be like prey caught in a trap, attracting countless hunters, so the defense forces know almost nothing about the world outside the Wall of Sighs.

A war of attrition is not scary; what is scary is a war of attrition where you cannot fight back.

One hundred kilometers west of the Boundless Fortress is the ruins of a huge city. It was once the capital of mankind and is dotted with densely packed skyscrapers.

But now these buildings are either covered with disgusting flesh granulations, swaying like seaweed in the breeze; or they are crowded with tumor-like flesh balls, which beat like hearts and occasionally spray out foul-smelling liquid.

"It's so beautiful."

The young man with long gray hair and stitches all over his body admired the beautiful scenery in front of him. He reached out and touched the insect that looked like a snail's head next to him. With a little force, the latter sprayed out a milky white liquid.

All sorts of strange bugs would walk past the real person, occasionally stopping to stare at him emotionlessly, but in the end they would still walk away obediently.

"Even those humans who chose the Lurker camp wouldn't be able to accept this scene. Humph, they're obsessed with boring aesthetics." Akaza swung his legs beside him and asked with a slightly bored look:

"There shouldn't be many Lurkers left. Most of them wouldn't dare to face the test of the Zerg swarm, so they'll have to be wiped out by both sides."

The test of the Zerg is very troublesome. First, the player must find the puppet worm contact hidden among humans before he is eligible to accept tasks and gain reputation.

This first step stumped most players. There was no chance of success in an airborne battlefield like Yuki. Even if they landed in the city, they would still have to face the Ministry of Internal Affairs' pervasive investigation.

Successfully hiding is just the beginning. Without some special skills, you can't find the puppet worm at all. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will also use various fishing methods. You will either face encirclement and suppression or fight with the players.

Only after completing these tasks can you truly begin your mission, which is mostly reconnaissance or assassination. Only when you have gained the Zerg's reputation to 'Trust' will you have the opportunity to come here and enjoy the various rewards of the Zerg.

Strength, wisdom and means are all indispensable. It is more difficult for an undercover agent to return to the organization than to play Infernal Affairs like Yuki.

But these are not difficult for players. Some "Guardians" even play more fancy and try to reverse the Infernal Affairs. However, these astute people made a mistake:

The Zerg will not be as cautious as the Defense Forces, needing to use evidence to silence others, and will not deceive themselves.

"Without special items, the 'Queen' can see through the player's identity. Tsk, tsk, that blessing is not easy to receive." The real person curled his lips and asked playfully, "Have you noticed that those players who have been 'blessed' are different from these bugs?"

"It's more like parasitism, right? It doesn't need some kind of jade stone as a carrier." Akaza thought for a moment and scratched his head. "But all the humans we captured were killed directly. How come they weren't parasitized?"

They captured many people as experimental subjects, including civilians, soldiers, and psychic warriors. They implanted soul wedges in them to observe their reactions before death.

Almost everyone is very manly and would rather die than surrender, and the handling of the Zerg is simple and rough.

"Not all of them were killed. Some were left behind to be used as material for puppet worms. This thing is related to the soul." The real person picked up an emerald green stone and pinched it between his fingers. "I saw that the souls of those people were transported away when they died. Some of them wavered in their will and were buried in this stone, becoming puppet worms."

"You mean, a soul is needed to activate this stone? The souls of the natives were sent away, so they can only be used as food? And the player's soul exists, so it is parasitized? Then where do the souls of ordinary insects come from?"

"Haha, that's about right. As for the energy source of ordinary insects, they have evolved a unique way of reproduction." The real person looked at the giant worm as big as a mountain in the distance and smiled without saying a word.

The evil ghost covered with tattoos has no interest in researching the dungeon. From the current exploration, the insects are strong and the humans are weak, and the lurker players have no advantage.

The sending away of human souls is probably related to that "spark". Souls are needed to activate the emerald stone, so the swarm will definitely not destroy the spark.

"They want that thing too. Doesn't this conflict with our main storyline? I guess it's the same with the Guardians." The real person laughed happily, and his laughter was creepy.

He was right. The Lurkers' mission was to seize or destroy the Spark. Whether the Zerg won or humanity was destroyed had nothing to do with them.

"But the main quest doesn't matter at all. I just want to see rivers of blood flow, and to see fear and despair fill this planet."

"Killing those humans is pointless. I really want to reshape their souls, but the defense force dares not give me that opportunity."

Akaza remained silent. The reincarnation game also left a way for the madmen. It never said that they would be eliminated if they did not complete the main task. So they could completely ignore the contradictions and become accomplices, doing things that would harm others and benefit themselves.

Just as the companion said, the humans on Emerald Star are completely unable to satisfy their desire to kill. The moment they are killed, they turn into a bag of skin. The torture and reconstruction of the soul is the real meal.

"I can barely satisfy myself by tearing flesh into pieces. Besides, there are a lot of good players on the Guardian's side, and I can also make money from them." Akaza shook his head and saw a man walking towards him from a distance, raising his finger.

He was a handsome young man with long red hair tied into a braid. He was holding a heavy purple umbrella, smiling with squinting eyes, and looked approachable.

"No, just like him."

"I'm different from you, Lord Akaza." The young man held up his umbrella and spoke the most cruel words in the lightest tone: "I kill people not for profit, but just to make myself happy. For example, after I kill those who I want to kill, I will come to fight you."

"Okay, I'll wait." Akaza wasn't afraid. Instead, he asked with interest, "Why is the camp of people like you called the Samurai Nation? It sounds very respectable."

"Haha, this was obtained by our pioneer. It doesn't matter. I will kill him sooner or later and change the name."

"What are you going to call?"

"Uh...Yato, what do you think?"

Akaza didn't understand what 'Yatosa' meant, but he knew that this young man named Kamui was extremely dangerous. He was a war ghost, just like the cursed spirit beside him.

Including myself, they have no interest in destroying the fire. Since the people here are humans, they should be hunted, killed, and used as tools to please themselves.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I just learned that the Zerg's big plan has failed, and they lost several puppet worms and a general worm." Shenwei squatted on the steps covered with granulation, looking indifferent.

Indeed, no one cares about the Zerg's plan. If the main plot is to destroy humanity, they will still help for the sake of the reward.

"No, you helped a lot. Saito is dead, right?" The real person also showed a harmless smile and ruthlessly exposed the other party.

"That's because he's too weak. As for why I'm helping him, it's simple. We need to know who to kill. I'm very interested in their idea of ​​hacking into the central database."

"Who to kill? Just those hunters, such as Ms. Smile and Captain Levi." Akaza interrupted. It had been targeting these people for a long time.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong. Every dungeon has unexpected surprises, just like this time." The red-haired boy smiled and shook his head, then snapped his fingers. "There's someone else who killed Saito. Hey, this person is quite well hidden. I almost got tricked by him."