My game, you have no right to award

Chapter 195 Prologue
Old Chen shook his head, said nothing, and sat down cross-legged on the spot.

He took out his pipe from his pocket, lit it, and started smoking.

Zhou Kuang could even smell the aroma emanating from the other man's pipe. It was an extremely unique aroma, completely different from the modern filtered cigarettes he usually smelled.

In addition to the strong, almost pungent, tobacco aroma, there was also a burnt smell.

All these changes were too sudden, so after he regained consciousness he was thinking of a solution and couldn't pay attention to the atmosphere on the ship.

At that moment, realizing the smell of tobacco seemed to sharpen his sense of smell several times over.

The most noticeable smell he detected was the earthy, fishy smell coming from the water, along with the stench of rotting aquatic plants.

Another thing is the smell of sweat on the crew members.

Although he didn't know what had happened, Zhou Kuang felt a little relieved.

He could figure out one thing: he woke up here after using the item.

There is a high probability that all these changes were caused by the system.

Moreover, he is currently unable to control "his" body. Rather than being the master of this body, he is more like watching the other person from a first-person perspective.

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he became a camera attached to the other person.

However, he still dared not let his guard down. What if he was wrong? What if it wasn't what he thought?
Zhou Kuang was able to deduce several things from his conversation with Lao Chen.

First, they mentioned escorting goods, canal transport, and embezzlement multiple times, so their identities should be those of embezzlers.

Moreover, Old Chen had a long knife hanging on his back and a long spear lying horizontally beside him, very close enough to be picked up at any time.

These things further confirmed Zhou Kuang's conjecture.

This is armed escort.

Second, since Old Chen calls himself "Young Master," his identity is clearly not simple.

Based on the first guess, my most likely identity is that of the young master of a caravan or escort agency.

Third, the sentence that Zhou Kuang cared about most was what Old Chen said about "Westerners' gadgets".

Iron pipes?
Was it a musket? Or a cannon?

Zhou Kuang couldn't control his perspective, so he couldn't see the size and contents of the goods, and naturally couldn't find out the answer.

IV. Qi Family Army refers to Qi Jiguang's troops.
Although Zhou Kuang's history was not good, he had still heard of famous troops like Qi Jiguang's army.

The Qi Family Army was supposedly an army formed by Qi Jiguang to fight against Japanese pirates, right?

And the historical context...

It was during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty!
Zhou Kuang suddenly remembered.

As he was thinking, Old Chen seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to him.

"The Japanese pirates have been causing a lot of trouble lately; I heard that the Ningbo garrison has been bombed..."

"Hopefully, this won't affect us."

Sure enough it is!
Zhou Kuang was excited that the other person's words confirmed his thoughts, but he was stunned when he heard the second sentence.

Isn't this setting a flag for the future?
Zhou Kuang had a strange feeling from the very beginning, a sense of unease...

He kept explaining why things weren't going well.

But now he suddenly realized something, all because of what Old Chen said!
Every word the other person uttered sounded more like lines from a script than a conversation in real life!
It's not that there was anything wrong with what Lao Chen said, or that there was anything wrong with what he said.

Instead, the gaps between each of the other person's sentences are quite large, as if they are trying to provide more information in a very short time.

Sure enough, Old Chen's body suddenly stiffened, and all his muscles tensed up.

His change was very noticeable and abrupt on a boat that bobbed up and down with the water.

Old Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his hand resting on the hilt of the long sword behind his back.

"Wait, there's movement underwater..."

Before Zhou Kuang could react to those words, the other party had already drawn his long sword and shouted loudly.

"Thief underwater!!!"

Zhou Kuang's perspective immediately began to shake, and "himself" picked up the spear without hesitation.

Because Zhou Kuang couldn't predict his own movements, the first-person perspective started to shake due to the violent motion, making him feel dizzy immediately.

As soon as Old Chen finished speaking, several people dressed in black and wearing Prajna masks jumped from underwater onto the deck.

As these clearly ill-intentioned people jumped up, before Zhou Kuang could even observe them carefully, a sudden change occurred!

His perspective suddenly changed from first person to third person!
This change almost blinded him.

This isn't a typical third-person perspective, or the kind of camera setup you see in movies; it's an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective!
Yes, it's that over-the-shoulder perspective from third-person games!
Zhou Kuang seemed to have a sudden realization.

Now he is 100% certain that this is the mutation caused by the system!
He appeared here after using the Brocade Painting Record.

Then there's his ability to perceive his own inner thoughts, the incongruity in Lao Chen's words, and the change in perspective.

All of this demonstrates that I am not in reality.

Rather, it exists within the system's world or space.

In the item description of "The Splendid Chronicles", one of the effects is: "Using this item will greatly enhance the host's understanding of Chinese culture."

Now it seems that everything before him is helping Zhou Kuang improve his understanding of Chinese culture.
Although not being able to instantly "level up" would have required a lot more effort from Zhou Kuang, he was finally relieved to know that everything before him was not reality but the effect of the system.

After all, he had been somewhat worried that he might have time-traveled again.

If he was able to travel back in time to become the owner of a game company, then suddenly traveling back to the Ming Dynasty isn't entirely unimaginable.

But thankfully it wasn't; I haven't finished my mission in the game yet!

After "The Lost Mountains and Seas", he still has many game ideas that have not been realized.

Although traveling back to the Ming Dynasty to fight against Japanese pirates was quite interesting, he didn't think he had any professional skills to support such a "delusion."

Unless the system can give itself extra points.

Upon realizing that everything before him was merely the system's effect, Zhou Kuang's mindset instantly shifted, and he even began to appreciate what was happening before him.

He suddenly noticed that the men in black who had just jumped up seemed to have something written on their heads.

After careful observation, Zhou Kuang discovered that the names were written on the heads of these people!

He was shocked to find that he could actually see the other person's name.

One of the men in black had "Oni Yamaru" written on his head, while the other four had "Elite Japanese Pirates" written on their heads.

It's the Japanese pirates!

Sure enough, Old Chen's prediction came at just the right time; speak of the devil, and he appears.

These Japanese pirates who jumped aboard the ship were clearly not there for sightseeing. Their intentions were clearly hostile.

"Ma Zi, Er Hu! Prepare to engage the enemy!" Old Chen, while drawing his knife in readiness, quickly issued the order, "Shi Tou, watch the stern!"

The ship wasn't very big; aside from the cargo space, there wasn't much room left.

There were five bodyguards on the ship, including Zhou Kuang ("himself"), and five Japanese pirates jumped onto the bow, making them evenly matched in number.

Old Chen quickly walked to Zhou Kuang's side.

"Young Master, you should go to the middle and take refuge for a while. I'll go and deal with these Japanese pirates!" Old Chen's expression was solemn. He didn't look at Zhou Kuang at all when he spoke, but stared intently at the few men in black at the bow of the ship.

Shouts of battle could be heard from other ships around, indicating that it wasn't just their ship that was under attack.

Although he didn't have Zhou Kuang's ability to see the enemy's name above their head, he could recognize the Prajna mask on the enemy's face.

What else could this be but Japanese pirates?
For him, it was like facing a formidable enemy.

The Japanese pirates were brutal and ruthless, never hesitant to kill, and were clearly not people to be negotiated with.

Zhou Kuang nodded, took a few steps back, and had Old Chen and the other two bodyguards, each carrying their own weapons, protect him.

Suddenly, the Japanese pirate with "Oni-Yamaru" written on his forehead laughed and shouted in a strange accent.

"Remnants of the Yan family! Hand over the Qi family army's belongings, and I might spare your life!"

As he spoke, he swung his knife at the nearest bodyguard.

The bodyguard quickly stepped back to dodge, and the other man's knife struck the cargo box, leaving a mark.

Remnants of the Yan family?

Before Zhou Kuang could think too much, "himself" spoke.

"You think you, a mere Japanese dog, can rob Lord Qi's convoy? Bah!"

(You bastard, do I look like you?)
Zhou Kuang almost lost his composure when he saw his own inner thoughts.

When the provocation failed, the Japanese pirate named "Oni-Yamaru" said something in Japanese and then charged forward with the remaining Japanese pirates, shouting as they attacked.

The bodyguard who had dodged earlier saw several people charging towards him, shouted loudly, and slashed at the nearest Japanese pirate with his knife.

Another bodyguard beside him also stepped forward to separate the other Japanese pirates, ensuring that no one could get close to their flanks.

In the blink of an eye, the bodyguard's sword clashed with the sword of the first Japanese pirate who charged forward, sparks flew, and the sound of metal colliding reached Zhou Kuang's ears.

Old Chen also shouted and rushed forward to lend a hand.

(Damn, I can't take it anymore)
Zhou Kuangzhen never expected that the guy he possessed would have such a fiery temper. Just now, Old Chen clearly told him to "take a break," but as soon as the fighting started, he ignored everything and followed Old Chen, charging into the battle with a gun.

Old Chen caught a glimpse of his young master joining the battle, but he didn't have time to say anything. He just wanted to quickly kill all the enemies in front of him and ensure his young master's safety.

When Oni-Yama saw Zhou Kuang, his eyes lit up and he immediately wanted to kill him, but Old Chen was no fool either, and he immediately stepped forward and fought with him.

The bodyguards named Ma Zi and Er Hu were finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the coordinated attack from the Japanese pirates.

Finally, Ma Zi was momentarily distracted and was slashed hard on the back by a Japanese pirate. He screamed and fell forward to the ground.

"Stone!"

Old Chen shouted, and the last bodyguard at the stern, wielding two axes, roared "Kill!" and charged forward.

This guy is burly and doesn't look like a pushover. If he were in a game, he'd be a mini-boss at least.

A Japanese pirate swung his sword at him, but Stone ignored it and first chopped the sword away with an axe, then used the axe in his other hand to chop the pirate in the neck.

The opponent didn't utter a sound and was sent flying by the cleavage.

What headless warrior...?

Zhou Kuang exclaimed in shock.

Before he could be happy for long, another Japanese pirate took advantage of Shi Tou's inattention and slashed his leg with a knife. Shi Tou couldn't dodge in time and fell to his knees in pain.

Fortunately, at that moment, Zhou Kuang pierced the chest of the Japanese pirate who was launching a sneak attack with his spear, leaving a hole after he pulled it out.

On the other side, Old Chen and Guiye Maru had already fought more than a dozen rounds, with sparks flying from the metal clashing and the clanging of metal echoing incessantly.

Old Chen's knife skills are simple yet profound, and every strike is a deadly move.

On the other side, Oniyamaru looked rather disheveled, mostly dodging and weaving.

Even so, Oniyamaru was still able to dodge Old Chen's attacks by the narrowest of margins every time, and then take advantage of Old Chen's momentary stiffness due to the recoil after his attack to change the rhythm and keep launching sneak attacks.

Old Chen was inwardly groaning. He seemed to have the upper hand, but only he knew how difficult the enemy in front of him was.

Finally, he seized the opportunity, took a risky step forward, raised his sword with both hands, and slashed fiercely at Oniyamaru.

However, Oni-Yama reacted extremely quickly, instinctively bending over and then rolling to the side to dodge Old Chen's attack.

Before he could even stand up, Oniyamaru swung his knife back and slashed at Old Chen's abdomen.

Old Chen groaned, and blood gushed from his abdomen.

However, Old Chen didn't even blink, and continued his pursuit while bleeding.

The sword flashes continued unabated. Kiyomaru had clearly not anticipated that his enemy would be so tough and difficult to deal with, and could only retreat step by step.

On the other side, with the addition of Shi Tou, who had a leg injury, and Zhou Kuang, Er Hu also stabilized.

The man with pockmarks, who had been slashed earlier, lay on the ground, covered in blood, and clearly not going to live.

The three men faced two elite Japanese pirates, cooperating to pressure them. Because one of them could always attack the enemy's flank, the Japanese pirates didn't even dare to fight back.

If they retaliate, the bodyguards on the flanks will definitely find an opening, and their own attacks may not even succeed.

So they could only dodge.

Amidst the flashing blades and flying blood, the two Japanese pirates ultimately fell to the ground without inflicting any damage on them.

Of the five Japanese pirates, four have already been beheaded, leaving only Oniyamaru to put up a stubborn resistance.

Several people surrounded Guiye Maru, and Old Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. His adrenaline subsided, and he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

Oniyamaru was also in bad shape, with multiple knife wounds and blood all over his body.

Seeing that all was lost, he looked up to the sky and laughed loudly.

"Hahahahaha..."

Then, out of the blue, he threw a hidden weapon at Zhou Kuang, aiming for his throat.

Fortunately, Old Chen was focused and blocked the attack with a single strike, preventing his opponent from succeeding.

Seeing that his final attack had missed, Oniyamaru revealed a venomous look in his eyes.

At this point, half of his mask had been cut off, revealing his ugly face with burn scars on the back.

He spoke with hatred, his mouth filled with blood.

"Remnants of the Yan family! I may die first, but you won't be far behind!"

He coughed up blood, and his eyes gradually went mad.

"You Ming people are always so foolish!"

"Unable to distinguish right from wrong, or friend from foe..."

(What's the meaning?)

Before he could react, Oniyamaru's body suddenly stiffened, and his eyes went limp.

Two seconds later, Oniyamaru collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

Old Chen cautiously approached with his knife, observed for a moment, then turned to "Zhou Kuang" and said.

"Young master, he had a poison sac in his mouth and is dead."

(End of this chapter)