Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Chapter 117: Practical Interests

The amount of items redeemed wasn't actually that much.

It is mainly divided into elixirs and props.

Elixirs cannot be used in the game, unless it is a game that directly records the player's data.

Items, such as paper dolls, can be used in both the game and in reality. In the game, they should significantly reduce the difficulty in certain areas, but they may also be wasted unless you are confident that you can achieve a perfect ending with just this one item.

After looking around, Iwasaki only spent 20 points to buy a small longevity pill.

The last game cost him at least ten years of his lifespan, so it's best to make up for it as soon as possible.

For the rest, you can check the difficulty of the next game and then decide whether you need to buy items.

He personally prefers not to buy it, because he might feel like he's losing out if he does, and it could easily lead to dependency.

After closing the laptop, the other players had also completed their purchases. The three exchanged glances, but no one spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat silent.

“My score is 50,” Iwasaki said proactively.

Considering that [Zhi]'s abilities should be quite good, he was willing to take the initiative to ease the awkwardness of refusing to help yesterday.

As timelines continue to extend, there will always be times when mutual transactions are necessary.

"I'm 30."

Nobita seemed a bit tired, and you could tell from his voice that he was trying to keep up.

"I'm 20."

Uesugi sighed.

So it seems that the gradient of this integral is not particularly large.

The best strategy for players to gain an edge is to achieve the highest possible score for the first completion and to reach the perfect ending.

When do you think the next game will be released?

To cover up the embarrassment of his low score, Uesugi changed the subject.

“A week, half a month, three months.” Nobi glanced at Iwasaki, who hadn’t spoken, and picked up where Uesugi left off. “I estimate it’s within these timeframes. A week has already passed, and half a month would be too short of time. The most likely timeframe is a month.”

Uesugi nodded in agreement: "That means there are still about two weeks until the next game."

"Maybe I'm being too optimistic, because none of this was mentioned in the information. We might not even be qualified to participate in the next game." Nobi thought a lot today, with many pessimistic thoughts in his mind.

Iwasaki then spoke up: "This is an 'unknowable' game. New games don't necessarily follow a time pattern. It's possible that after completing one game, we'll take a few days off and then release a new game."

Iwasaki's statement is reasonable from their perspective, but they cannot make a judgment before the game develops a pattern.

Uesugi is more concerned about how many new players will join the next game and how fierce the competition for rankings will become. If there are many new players, small factions may gradually form among them based on their personalities and interests.

And will this have any unpredictable impact on me?

"I've been thinking, since this game depicts real history, could we collaborate on an exploration of the locations where the game takes place, and see if we can find anything?"

This was a sudden inspiration that Nobita had when he was thinking about how to get stronger quickly, but he later gave up the idea for various reasons. Now, seeing Iwasaki, a player who has achieved a perfect clear, he couldn't help but bring it up again.

As for improving his strength, Nobi, who felt that his own crisis was gradually approaching, was even more eager than Iwasaki.

"Great idea. Could you tell me what new intelligence you've obtained today?"

If future games are all based on historical realities, then finding a long-term partner now and starting to build a foundation of mutual trust is indeed a good choice.

Iwasaki is certainly capable of exploring on his own, but if someone can share the risks, he wouldn't mind giving up half of the profits.

Nobi concealed his abilities, obscured the exact time and train number, and shared the things Zhu Hai had muttered to himself and his guesses.

Uesugi had already heard most of it, and she didn't want to get involved in reality. Before she could switch to cat form, her abilities would be easily exposed if they appeared. So she sat down and continued to read through the player's notes.

"So, the biggest challenge now is that Hibiya Station has been jointly sealed off by the Self-Defense Forces and the US military. They will probably dig deep to find anything unusual, making it very difficult for us to infiltrate."

"And what about the cave master who destroyed Zhu Hai? If he truly is the master of that space, what if we trespass?"

Nobita gave up the idea because he thought of all this.

These things are difficult for Nobita, but they are acceptable for Iwasaki.

There is no wall that cannot be opened, nor is there a crack that air cannot penetrate.

The only difficulty lies in the mysterious "Cave Master," but since the other party only appeared after Zhu Hai caused a great disturbance, it is highly likely that he did not care much about that space.

“I can find the entrance first. If you are willing to take the risk, I can attract their attention after I find the entrance, making it easier for you to enter. However, if there is any profit, I need to take 70%.”

Iwasaki's words put Nobita in a dilemma.

He desperately needed to improve his strength to deal with the possible arrival of the authorities, but he and Iwasaki had almost no basis for trust, only their shared identity as players in an unknown game.

It would be great if this player lobby had a way to enter into contracts.

"You don't need to reply now. Everything depends on whether I can find the entry point in the next two days."

Iwasaki noticed Nobi's concerns; it seemed that his ability to save his life was limited, and he could probably only use it once in a short period of time.

Based on Nobita's performance, Iwasaki has almost figured out his "save point" ability.

Nobita nodded; he did need to consider it.

With that, there was nothing to do in the player lobby for the time being, so Iwasaki left to prepare to take the Small Longevity Pill.

"I always felt that he carried a legendary murderous aura. If you want to cooperate, be careful."

After watching the black mist around Iwasaki disappear and the nickname fade away, Uesugi gave a reminder.

This is—a cat's keen senses!

Uesugi doesn't want to be a good person, but she also doesn't want all the good people to die, so that only neutral people like her will be left to face evil directly.

True neutrality should lean more towards the good and lawful side; otherwise, chaos and evil won't follow any rules.

Nobita fits the definition of a good person perfectly; he has a sense of justice and is willing to take risks for strangers.

Being with him means you're less likely to get stabbed in the back.

"I see."

Nobita has his own methods for identification.

Once he enters Hero mode, evil beings that are hostile to him will reveal their health bars.

Moreover, because his life force is represented by a health bar, he is difficult to kill in a single sneak attack.

However, this also means that he will find it difficult to defeat his opponent in one fell swoop.

After gathering his thoughts, he didn't exchange anything and left the player lobby, exhausted from the day.

Chapter 118: The Mysterious Passage

After exiting the player lobby, Iwasaki immediately took a small pill.

The effect was immediate; he could feel a life force that had been lost slowly returning, allowing him to regain the physical condition of a thirty-year-old.

"Investigate the possible mysterious entrance to Hibiya Station, sacrifice the remaining family members, and celebrate the grand birthday on the 25th."

He hadn't felt so fulfilled in a long time.

And it's not for any job; it's simply for myself.

He just didn't know what his life goals would be after he had completed his revenge.

However, not letting oneself destroy one's life for the sake of revenge is also part of the content of revenge.

He transformed into a cloud of black mist, took out a stack of banknotes worth several hundred thousand yen from his suitcase, and brought them back to an address left by Goto in Shibuya Ward, which was an old apartment.

He couldn't even open the old windows without making a noise to bring the banknotes in; the old windows creaked loudly when pulled, a noise that was quite noticeable in the dark.

Fortunately, there was no one in the room at the moment. Goto had told him that her mother was often not at home, but at the "brothers' and sisters' lodging" of the church she followed.

This is a typical studio apartment, with a cramped space crammed full of various items.

The first thing that catches the eye is the huge cross pattern on the wall.

Then there were angel statues that filled almost every counter.

There was also a bunch of materials with phrases like, "Have you ever felt disappointed in life?" and "I was lost until I met..."

This doesn't look like a proper church.

It is probably another small church that has sprung up in the name of Christ.

This kind of thing is very common in both Japan and the Southern Dynasties.

After placing the money on top of the wardrobe that Goto had mentioned, Iwasaki left immediately, heading towards Hibiya.

It's true that the money needs to be laundered before it can be used, but if it's only a few hundred thousand, Goto can still find a way to take it out openly, which can be considered as a way to reassure her first.

After taking a short break, he could already see the brightly lit area in the night sky.

Although it was early morning, there were still many people moving around in the chaotic ruins and openings of Hibiya Station.

Among them were soldiers armed with real guns and experts carrying various instruments to conduct tests.

Unlike the censored images on television, only by seeing it in person can one truly grasp the vast area affected by that turmoil.

Especially from his vantage point overlooking the area, he saw that large areas of the surrounding population had been cleared, and the white light spread out in concentric circles.

The most obvious damage was to the large hole and the gardens of the Imperial Palace, which were smashed to pieces.

"Hmm? Hank, shine the searchlight at one o'clock."

The pilot of an Apache helicopter circling overhead seemed to have spotted something and immediately spoke to his co-pilot.

"Received. I asked to see if there were any big treasures. Unfortunately, there's nothing there. It just looks like a little bit of mist."

"Alright, the replacement squad has arrived. Let's go back to sleep."

The driver didn't dwell on it too much, simply assuming it was a hallucination, and circled away from the place.

Iwasaki, who had blended into the clouds, silently peered out. Because the surrounding area was too bright, the clouds were reflecting light, and his black mist would be very conspicuous if he got close. Therefore, the best way was to approach and infiltrate from the edge of the land.

There will always be shadows on the ground.

"Today's trending topics are all dominated by Tokyo Monsters. Do we really have to deal with this kind of thing?"

"At least you won't be sent into the subway to pick up parts. I heard that forensic doctors come out vomiting; they say it's hell. You might slip not because of the water, but because someone's intestines have spilled out."

"Thank you so much for your comforting words. I feel much better now."

Two police officers sighed as they stood guard near a building that had once been infected with a hematoma, carrying out their strict duty to protect the scene.

Currently, all police officers in Tokyo have been mobilized, and many police officers from other prefectures have been transferred overnight, along with the Self-Defense Forces, to participate in various tasks.

Following the corner, Iwasaki quickly found the on-site command center based on his observations from above and his conversations with the people there.

"The initial clearing work has been completed, and surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the Hibiya line."

Today, the entire official team displayed an unusually high level of efficiency, resolving many tasks that would normally take a month to complete in just one afternoon.

"Don't tell me that. I've heard you found something at Hibiya Station. Now, I need your original report."

Commander McCullough interrupted the reporter's rambling, glanced at his watch, and continued.

“I’ve been waiting for you to search through the documents for six hours. Do you expect me to wait until dawn? I need to tell you that the President is also waiting for this report.”

Faced with McCullough's pressure, the Japanese officials present exchanged glances and lowered their heads.

The Minister of Defense coughed twice and looked at the head of Section 11 of the Public Security Bureau.

"Section Chief Kawamura, how's the data finding going?"

Kawamura nodded helplessly: "It's all ready. We can explain now."

Public Security Section 11 is the occult investigation agency directly under the Prime Minister.

Despite these titles, they are not actually under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Public Security and the Superintendent General of Police.

However, the Superintendent General of Police knew more or less about this department; it wasn't particularly mysterious. Otherwise, Takahashi wouldn't have needed to ask the Prime Minister if there were any more secretive departments dealing with unusual situations.

After adjusting the translation headset, McCullough gestured for him to proceed.

Kawamura projected the information onto the screen, took a deep breath, and then recounted all the information they knew.

In the 1960s and 70s, the first to discover the anomalies near Hibiya and start spreading on a small scale were the workers of the Eidan subway. Among them, there was a legend about a man-eating tunnel.