Chapter 98: The strange object that caused the explosion? [VIP]

Just as the player was left speechless by Oda's stubbornness and was considering how to force him to "publish" the book through physical means (such as having Xiaobai scan his notebook and print it into a book), a gentle voice with a hint of resignation sounded beside him:

"Alice, stop it. This kind of competition isn't for little girls. Look at that little brother (referring to Nakadashi), he's having a hard time eating."

The player looked in the direction of the sound.

Not far away, a black-haired doctor wearing a neat white coat and with a gentle and elegant temperament was squatting, patiently coaxing a little girl who was wearing an exquisite red dress and had long golden curly hair, like a doll.

The little girl, Alice I think?, was pouting and pointing angrily at the noodle war still going on on the stage (Chūya's face was pale but he was still holding on, while Dazai was elegantly... poking noodles with a fork?), and yelling:

"No! Rintaro is such an idiot! That competition looks like so much fun! Alice wants to join in too! Alice will definitely eat faster than these people!"

"Oh my, Alice-chan, eating too much of that greasy food will give you a stomachache and make you fat, right? It's not elegant at all." The doctor known as "Rintaro" looked embarrassed, but his eyes were full of doting. "How about this? We'll go buy your favorite strawberry cake and that new pink dress in the window later?"

"Straight?!" Alice's eyes lit up instantly, and her pout curved into a happy arc. "Rintaro, don't lie!"

"Of course, when have I ever lied to the lovely Alice?" The doctor smiled and ruffled Alice's blonde hair, then stood up and took her hand. Then, as if just noticing the player and Oda Sakunosuke, he approached with a gentle, apologetic smile.

"I'm very sorry to bother you two. Children are ignorant, so please forgive me for making fun of you." The doctor bowed slightly, his attitude humble and polite. His eyes lingered on the player for a moment, then turned to Oda Sakunosuke. "This gentleman looks familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"

When the player walked over to Moriogai, the [Insight] skill that was habitually turned on showed her everything about the NPC in front of her.

Mori Ogai's panel doesn't look normal.

His profession is the exclusive doctor for the □□ leader. His intelligence and charm are much higher than other attributes. His skill points include medicine, fighting, bewitchment, etc.

So why would a doctor resort to deception? To trick a patient into believing they have a terminal illness and then profit from it?

The player's gaze flickered around him before landing on Alice. A message popped up on the interface, causing her brows to twitch:

Alice (a creature with supernatural powers), created by Mori Ogai. Status: lively, stable energy.

"Huh?" the players were shocked.

It turns out that the cute little girl was created by this doctor using his own supernatural powers?

Hmm... The player had no prejudice against this situation. After all, she respected everyone's XP. But then she thought about how Mori Ogai's "good father" coaxing his "rebellious daughter" was all self-directed and self-acted...

I have the illusion that I'm forced to participate in the NPC's weird play. Are players also part of their interests?

When Lin Chen looked at Mori Ougai, his eyes couldn't help but carry a hint of understanding and subtle teasing as if to say, "So you are this kind of person."

Everyone has their own little quirks. I understand. It's just that her mood is a little subtle right now.

Mori Ogai keenly caught the player's eyes that suddenly became strange.

His mind raced - as expected, this "Player" did have eyes that could see through everything, and Alice's secrets were exposed in front of her.

However, this is also expected, and even... maybe it can be exploited?

The smile on his face remained unchanged, as if he didn't see the player's gaze, and he just chatted with Oda Sakunosuke naturally.

"Speaking of which, I'm a doctor with a small clinic nearby." Moriou's tone was gentle, with a hint of the resignation typical of an intellectual. "However... Yokohama has been quite unstable lately. Although large organizations like the Port Mafia have been somewhat restrained thanks to that mysterious 'Player', there are still some scoundrels who refuse to be left out."

He sighed in distress, his eyes sweeping over Chuuya (Chuuya: his eyes were dead), who had just finished his round of noodles and was struggling to face the next round of giant burgers. He lowered his voice slightly, as if just chatting casually, "Take that GSS, for example. They used to be just a small-time character. But recently, I heard they got a 'good thing' from somewhere..."

Mori Ogai paused deliberately, observing Oda Sakunosuke's reaction. Oda just listened quietly, with no expression.

, looking at him with sparkling eyes, as if looking forward to the subsequent plot.

Mori Ogai calmed down and continued, "It's said that this item... according to the few survivors, it doesn't require any charging and is unlike all weapons on the market. Just use it to trigger the rules. The GSS has been making moves recently, and their actions are becoming more and more unscrupulous. Sigh, Naosaku, my little clinic is feeling a little unsafe."

After he finished speaking, he gave another gentle but slightly worried smile, as if he was just an ordinary doctor who cared about the safety of the community.

The player blinked, feeling a bit bored. Was causing an explosion some rare, difficult ability? It wasn't interesting at all...

Turn your gaze back to the stage.

Chuuya was facing the burger in agony, his face scrunched up and his eyes filled with despair. Dazai Osamu was delicately prodding the burger bun with his fork, studying the texture of the lettuce inside, shaking his head with that "participation is what matters" attitude.

It's even better to watch these two painfully eat giant burgers. It's incredible that Dazai can still advance after such a terrible performance... Is he secretly eating when the players aren't paying attention? He's just trying to save face...

Just as she was about to continue enjoying Chuuya's "suffering performance", the familiar mechanical voice in her mind suddenly rang out:

[It should be a rare item.]

"Huh?" the player mumbled in his head, only realizing what the system was saying a moment later.

The system calmly added, "The thing the doctor just mentioned, the thing in GSS's hand, is a special item that doesn't require charging, isn't a commercially available weapon, and explodes upon use. Its characteristics closely match the "Unusual Item" classification in the database."

[A strange item?!] A light bulb suddenly lit up in the player's mind. Oh, so this is it!

She was not interested in the "explosion" itself, but the word "strange object" had its own aura.

Players have a clear attitude towards rare items: collect them when you come across them, play with them when you get them. While the effects of this rare item might sound a bit boring (explosions, players can just make them themselves), since it's a system-approved "rare item," does that mean it must have some unique, potentially fun mechanic? After all, rare items never disappoint.

Her interest was slightly lifted. She was no longer completely "bored", but had a casual attitude of "since I heard it on the way, I might as well go and take a look".

The player turns to Mori Ogai again.

This black-hearted doctor (the player inexplicably had this impression of him) was still maintaining the image of an ordinary, worried doctor, and lamented to Oda Sakunosuke: "...Alas, the situation has been very complicated recently. The GSS is using this to constantly clash with other organizations. I'm worried that after a while, Yokohama will return to the time before Player came."

"Hello, Doctor Quack," the player said politely, his voice lazy, and directly asked for information. "You said the GSS guys were hanging around Warehouse No. 3 in the Old Port area recently?"

She nicknamed Mori Ogai "Doctor Quack." This nickname was based on his profession (doctor), the player's subtle impression of him using his supernatural powers to coax his "daughter" (feeling a bit funny, like a quack), and the inexplicable feeling in their heads that he was not a good person.

But it's not insulting, it's more like a label that allows players to remember and recognize him.

This sudden question, especially the teasing nickname, caused the perfectly balanced worry on Mori Ogai's face to falter slightly. A gleam of light flashed in his eyes behind his glasses.

The player's reaction was... a little strange? Not eager, nor fearful, but more like... a casual confirmation of the information?

"Uh... Miss, are you talking about the GSS?" The quack doctor quickly adjusted himself, his expression even more worried. "Why do you ask that? Those thugs are very dangerous! I did hear someone mention that they have a base in the old port area, I think it's near the abandoned Warehouse No. 3... But I absolutely don't recommend it..."

"I understand." The player interrupted his "advice" swiftly and got the information he wanted (Warehouse No. 3 in the Old Port Area), and then he was too lazy to listen to him anymore.

She turned around and grabbed the arm of Oda Sakunosuke, who was still confused, and said, "Oda, let's go. I'll take you out to play today."

"Okay." Oda Sakunosuke responded without any questions, and was obediently pulled out by the player.

He glanced calmly at Mori Ogai. The mixture of worry and deep thought on the latter's face made him feel a little... complicated? But he was too lazy to delve into it.

"Wait! Lin Chen! Where are you going?!" Nakaya, who was on the stage, had just swallowed a mouthful of his burger when he saw Player dragging Oda away and immediately shouted. He knew too well what Player's sudden action meant - it was definitely not good!

"Let me take care of a small matter! You guys continue!" The player shouted without looking back, dragging Oda Sakunosuke into the noisy crowd.

On the stage, Dazai Osamu stopped poking the bread, and his iris-colored eyes followed the direction where the player disappeared with interest.

He slowly put down his fork, wiped his fingers with his napkin (even though he hadn't eaten much), and then, looking at Chuuya, who was still struggling with his burger, with a look of despair written all over his face, he sighed in a voice just loud enough for Chuuya to hear:

"Hey, Chuuya-kun, Miss Player seems to have discovered something interesting. I'm curious what made her give up watching our game."

"Shut up! Eat your...air!" Chuuya glared at Dazai fiercely, but he couldn't help but wonder in his heart, where on earth was Player?

Mori Ogai stood there, looking at the direction where the player disappeared. He pushed his glasses, and the lenses reflected an ambiguous light.

Player's attitude was... too calm. There was no alertness for danger, nor any enthusiasm for an item suspected to be hers. It was more like she was picking up a pre-ordered package. This calmness made him feel a little... unpredictable.

"I hope GSS can make you have fun." He whispered to himself, and his tone was not fake. Then he took Alice's hand and his tone became gentle again. "Let's go, Alice, let's go buy a cake and a new dress."

On the other side, the player pulled Oda Sakunosuke out of the hustle and bustle of the food court.

"System, navigate to abandoned warehouse number three in the old port area." The player ordered in his mind, and the tone was as if he was saying "go to the convenience store."

[Coordinates locked. Route planning...] The system responded.

"Oda, it's too boring to teleport there. Let's run over there! It's a good opportunity to move around!" The player suggested in a not very enthusiastic but not too bad mood, just as a walk before dinner.

"...Okay." Oda Sakunosuke didn't object. He stretched out his long legs, easily keeping up with the cub player's short steps.

The player was not in a hurry and was jumping around on the street with interest, not avoiding anyone or anything, and walking straight forward.

The two ran at a leisurely pace on the streets of Yokohama. The player even had the leisure to appreciate the scenery along the road. When passing by a bakery with a fragrant aroma, he bought two freshly baked cream buns and gave one to Oda.

"Hmm... the cream is delicious." The player said vaguely while biting his own bread.

To her, GSS was a little Camilla, she had never heard of it.

Oda Sakunosuke silently took the bread and took a bite.

The warm butter melted in his mouth, a sweet aroma. He glanced at the player beside him, nibbling on bread with a calm expression. She didn't look like she was about to face some dangerous organization or syndicate. More like... taking an after-dinner stroll and picking up a package?

He still had a very righteous attitude of considering the thing in GSS's hand as his own toy, without any guilt at all, it was all purely natural.