You tell me, this is called daily youth?

"Do you know why the Defense Force doesn't have ranks written on their uniforms?" Subimendi said slowly, then suddenly glared at the girl. "Lieutenant, go copy the confidentiality agreement ten times and give it to Captain Kudus by tomorrow morning. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Brigadier General."

"Copy it twenty times."

The girl's green eyes widened slightly, and then she walked away dejectedly. Yuki couldn't bear to watch this, and just as he opened his mouth, the brigadier general raised his hand to stop him.

"There's no need to plead for her. To combat the Zerg, all the warriors have poured their energies into the war, so they all appear innocent. I know exactly what kind of people you are, and I've seen too many lurkers with ulterior motives."

"Then what kind of person do you think I am?" Yuki's face also darkened. He didn't want to be rejected.

"Honestly, I don't know. Judging from your current performance, you are a useful person. The command will reward you, and you will be rewarded with the corpses of the Zerg in exchange. This simple relationship is enough."

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Yuki's reply, he gestured to Kudus beside him, turned around and stepped into the gravity beam. The downward nozzle of the fighter plane slowly rose up, and disappeared with a "whoosh".

The strong wind blew the corners of his clothes. Yuki stared blankly and pointed to the sky after a long time.

"Lieutenant Chris is his daughter? Is he afraid that I'll kidnap her?"

"They are not related."

"Then why is he so hostile towards me?"

"Because something similar happened to the Commodore's daughter. A sleeper tricked her, used her authority to do something, and ultimately killed her." Kudus replied coldly, causing Yuuki to look away.

This makes sense. Those soldiers, both men and women, really have no good consciences. If he wants, he can cheat them of their money, their bodies, and then their intelligence. Even if they are defenders, even if it is a sincere relationship, what can it do?

This is just a copy. Players either die in it or leave. There will never be any result.

"Captain, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

Kudus's life experience was clearly far greater than Chris's. Facing the question, he didn't look away. Instead, he answered frankly, "The puppet worm has been dealt with. We've been keeping an eye on it for a long time."

Well, it’s fishing after all.

"You can test me if you want, but aren't you afraid that the situation will get out of control and destroy this Lancui City?"

"This is a necessary price to pay, and it's more than just a test for you. We need evidence to deal with the reinforcements, so it's best for you to handle it yourselves." The captain paused and said meaningfully, "As for why, you can probably guess."

Yuki nodded. The lurkers didn't have their identities written on their foreheads. What would the defense forces think if they arbitrarily tried other players? But it was a different story if they caught the person red-handed. It couldn't be said that it was an internal fight between the two teams of lurkers.

"What was the result of the test?"

The captain said nothing, but turned and walked towards the gravity beam.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the headquarters."

Finally got to this point!

Yuuki didn't show any excitement, but his heartbeat quickened for a moment.

Cities, armies and so on are just superficial, and no matter how hard you try, you can't find any key information. The mysterious headquarters is the key to the dungeon, and given the attitude of the defense forces, it is not so easy for players to access it.

So their fate is to pledge their allegiance. This defense force is quite powerful and has secretly determined the identities of a team of players.

He was somewhat thankful for his patience and for having been loyal during this period.

After boarding the fighter plane, Yuki flew with a slight push on his back. Since there were no windows, he didn't know where to go, but it didn't take long before he started to hover.

Is this it?

Judging from the physical sensation, we flew only about ten kilometers. When the cabin door opened, a familiar scene appeared before our eyes.

He went back to the airport.

"The headquarters is underground?"

The captain said nothing, quickly left the fighter plane, stood in the open space at the airport, turned around and waved for him to follow him.

what the hell?

Yuki was full of questions. This open terrain didn't look like a place where swordsmen could be ambushed.

He walked with the sword in hand, stepping on the hard ground, and stopped suddenly after taking a few steps.

I saw a beam of blue light falling from the sky, just covering Kudus.

Tractor beam?

Yuki looked up and saw a huge, hazy shadow where the beam of light came from. There was something moving in the night sky, completely invisible using some kind of technology.

It looked like a giant beast, its shadow area was as large as a city, and the triangular shape of the hull could barely be seen.

High Command...in the sky?

Chapter 4 Denise and Johnny Silverhand (K)

The Defense Forces Headquarters is a huge aerial battleship.

Cutting-edge technology allows it to remain invisible, hovering like a ghost above the Emerald Plains.

This is the hope of mankind and also the capital of mankind. In Yuki's eyes, it is more like a floating city with thousands of divisions.

No wonder they asked me to prove my loyalty. You can't just come here casually.

Yuki walked in the steel passage, surrounded by soldiers wearing various uniforms. He had never seen such a population density since he came to this copy.

He was the only one in casual clothes, and passersby looked at him warily.

It is extremely difficult to cause trouble here. Everyone will keep a close eye on the players, but if the players are really determined to cause trouble, it is impossible to keep an eye on them.

This ship blocks all signals, even the devil's eye is restricted, but the player has a variety of skills, and there must be props that can communicate inside and outside.

Hidden gazes follow him like a shadow, and God knows how many detectors are monitoring him. Yuki is like a mouse in a cat's nest. Once his identity is exposed, there is no way he can survive.

But he had a very good attitude. After seeing how the defense forces used soul energy, he even put away his lepton communicator and looked around with interest.

It is indeed a city flying in the sky, with passages extending in all directions and different floor heights in each area. There are also gardens, entertainment facilities and other areas on the ship. In terms of area, there is no problem in accommodating tens of thousands of people for a long time.

He even saw more than one cabin through the glass. The black fighter plane he had seen before was towed in, and the maintenance divisions that had been waiting for a long time rushed in.

It probably weighs a million tons. Where does the energy come from?

Yuki wasn't very good at high technology, but he needed to understand, so he casually asked, "Are the other 'reinforcements' who passed the test here too?"

"I'm taking you to see them." Kudus walked ahead without looking back. "And by the way, I'll give you a mission. Capture any lurkers who might be hiding there."

It was a very direct order, which was not unexpected by Yuki.

Players have all sorts of abilities, most of which have nothing to do with technology. The best way to deal with players is, of course, to deal with them. While the defense forces don't know what a "faction" is, they've experienced infighting among players.

"Give this task to each group of players."

"Yes, there are huge rewards for those who complete it." The captain was too lazy to lie, and it was a bit too direct.

"Is there no one in the defense force who can directly see through my identity?"

"Yes, but we need evidence. If I say you are a lurker and then get rid of you, is that okay?" The captain repeated what he said last night.

Of course not. No player will play with you if you do that. Players seem to be at loggerheads with each other, but sometimes they are very united. No one wants to become a victim for no reason.

Yuki felt a little calmer and continued to follow Kudus inside.

After walking around in the complex ship for more than ten minutes, the two finally arrived at a new area.

The automatic door opened, and there looked like a garden in front. Even the steel walls were covered with vines. Yuki could see the other players from a distance.

This is easy. Among the military uniforms everywhere, a few people in strange costumes do attract attention.

It's them.

Among the six figures, Yuuki saw Johnny Silverhand smoking a cigar, a smiling lady swinging on a swing, and a man wearing a gray kendo uniform and a samurai bun.

A young man wearing a crimson coat, quite gorgeously dressed; a bald middle-aged man with a pale face, like a walking corpse.

Finally, there was the quiet girl who was reading a book in the corner, out of tune with the others.

Shiina Hiyori, huh, they are fine after all.

With his fingertips trembling slightly, Yuki suppressed his excitement. According to the setting, he didn't know the senior and the others, and they were not even in the same camp. Under strict surveillance, he must not reveal any clues.

He looked at everyone equally, and gave a gentle smile to every player he saw, without any discrimination.

Hiyori was a good actress, and fearing she couldn't contain her excitement, she focused all her attention on the novel and didn't even use the spirit particle communicator.

The young man in the purple coat was full of enthusiasm, the bald middle-aged man had an indifferent expression, but the warrior sat upright like a stone Buddha, raised his eyelids and nothing else happened.

No, there are fewer players. For example, only Johnny Silverhand came among the Mechanical Believer, and the sadness of the teammate's death was not noticed.

Yuki's heart moved, and he asked, "Are these all the reinforcements?"

"No, we're just representatives. How can we possibly ask all of you to come to the headquarters?" The captain replied coldly. He walked him to the courtyard gate and turned around. "Go to the assembly. Someone from the headquarters will take you to redeem your rewards later."

He just left like that, leaving Yuki alone to face the scrutiny, which was a bit awkward.

This means that seven teams have passed the test. Those on the Monster Front are definitely not interested in seeking death, so there are still many remaining player teams.

Seven days was enough to eliminate a large group of people, and he only knew three of the seven representatives, which suddenly felt a bit ironic.

In the past, old players would meet at the beginning of the dungeon, but this time it was the first time they met after a week.

"Hello, what's your name?" A soft female voice came, and a blonde beauty suddenly appeared in front of him. Her gentle smile formed a sharp contrast with the big sword behind her.

A monster-level player, coming right up to me and trying to intimidate me?

"Hello, Sky Island Yuuki, Ms. Smile." Yuuki nodded in greeting and added, "I participated in the dungeon alone, so it took me longer than you all."

Every player has a Loyal Guard Medal on his chest. Needless to say, this is because he has raised the team's reputation to the friendly level.

"I know. We've seen it on the spaceship. There are very few players traveling alone now, and each one of them is very capable." Denise spoke softly, and it didn't seem like she was deliberately flattering.

"The time doesn't matter. I've had to wait until now to max out my reputation on the first day." Johnny Silverhand, who was not far away, snorted and blew out a puff of smoke. "What kind of a bullshit observation period is this? Damn it! If it weren't for getting intel on the Zerg, I wouldn't want to help these bastards."

As expected of a cyberpunk hero, he even dares to swear while being monitored.

"Don't look at me with such a cowardly look. These bastards are smart. Do you know what this is?" Johnny Silverhand patted the badge on his chest with disdain and said simply, "We bought our tickets with the corpses of the Zerg. Whether we live or die, they won't lose anything."

The words are rough but the truth is there, it really hits the point, the defense forces treat players with courtesy because they are useful.

Yuki glanced at him and silently walked to the corner to sit down. He didn't fully understand the main plot of the "Guardians", such as their attitude towards the "Spark", so it was best to remain silent at this time.

"Mr. Silverhand, it's best to keep a low profile when you're on someone else's territory," Ms. Smile reminded.

"Tsk, these people have bad intentions. It's just a deal, we just need to get what we want." Johnny Silver stamped out his cigarette and raised his voice: "If you can't stand this and kill me, what will you think?"

"Of course, kill them." The young man in purple clothes responded immediately.

"Yeah, two people from our team were killed. We worked so hard to gain enough reputation, but these bastards are not only ungrateful, but they are also on guard against us all day long." The bald middle-aged man cursed, but there was no expression on his face, which looked very strange.

"More than that, they just want us to fight each other so they can completely control us and use us as cannon fodder."

"Why should we be blamed for past mistakes? We earned this reputation with our swords and guns!"

"They really pissed us off. I'll use the Shadow Field to ambush their transport convoy. It's still unclear who will win or lose."

......

The young man and the bald man seemed to hit it off right away, their sarcastic remarks coming one after another, while the others were much calmer.

The warrior was still meditating, and Hiyori observed with interest, while the smiling lady was still smiling.

Yuki looked at Johnny Silverhand with a strange look, thinking that this man was indeed a natural agitator.

He seemed honest and loyal enough, and did not need to be investigated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The attitude of the Defense Force was ambiguous and distorted. After being instigated by those two people, Yuki felt a little annoyed.

In the squad battle to seal the wormhole, the player's strength is indispensable and can greatly reduce casualties, which is very important for the defense force with depleted manpower.

But due to historical reasons, they are on guard everywhere, monitoring, testing, instigating, using all means, even the representatives here are more like hostages.

Yuki suddenly missed the simple and honest people of Xueguang City. The people there were not so cunning.

"So we must unite. No matter whether there are any 'lurkers' among you, at least we should have the same attitude towards the natives here." Johnny Silverhand saw that the time was almost right and clapped his hands lightly.

"The mission must be completed, but the natives cannot be used as cannon fodder. We have seen all kinds of situations. How can we let a group of natives take the lead? I mean, none of you are too immersed in the role."

There was a burst of laughter at the scene. They were all veteran players and were used to pulling out the rope and leaving.

It seems that this arrogance is widespread, and that's right, players are creatures of a higher dimension.

Yuki observed silently and never expressed his opinions casually. According to his understanding of the players, this kind of common hatred against a common enemy was only a surface phenomenon, and everyone had their own ulterior motives.

"There must be some Infernal Affairs lurkers inside, most of whom are trying to take advantage of this opportunity to gather intelligence on the Defense Forces, especially this Johnny Silverhand. He's a digital lifeform, and he's probably looking for a chance to hack into the central database."

Yuuki knew clearly in his heart that the players were not interested in protecting humans at all. Their first goal was survival, and their second was gain. Most of them were greedy, and the rewards from the headquarters could not satisfy their appetite at all.

What they want is the biological binding technology, the surgical data of the psychic warriors, and if possible, they even want to drive this floating battleship back.