He wasn't saying this to the system; he said it aloud.
The air seemed to freeze. Although there was still a lot of noise around, this place felt like an isolated space with only the two of them.
Until the arrival of another person.
"Castin!"
The man in police uniform had just put several injured people into an ambulance when he noticed that his new colleague had been standing in front of the ambulance for a long time. Curious, he went over and patted the other man on the shoulder.
"What happened?"
His gaze naturally turned to the inside of the car.
"Vili?"
He called out the car owner's name, subconsciously glanced around the car, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he didn't see a certain tall figure. His tone relaxed.
"Why did you leave the farm? Did you come out to buy groceries?"
Vili blinked.
"I'm out having fun."
As he spoke, he glanced casually at Castin, who seemed to be deep in thought, and a smile appeared on his lips.
“I heard that a group of tourists from out of town have arrived… I’m very curious.”
"You mean them..." The NPC policeman's face remained unchanged, but his eyes seemed to flicker. "They are indeed a very interesting group of people."
Then he changed the subject:
"After all, they are the ones who caused this chaos."
He seemed impatient as he rubbed his shoes on the ground, as if trying to remove some dirt.
"Thanks to them, the police station hasn't been this lively in a long time."
As he spoke, the communicator on his waist beeped twice.
After reading the above, he frowned.
"I'm in a hurry to catch someone. Vili, be careful. If things get too bad, just go back to the farm."
After saying that, he finally looked at Castin beside him and patted his shoulder a little harder.
“Newbie, you’re new to our town and don’t know. Willie is a student working on the farm and grew up in our town. There won’t be any problems.”
"Don't let her good looks fool you into pestering her, you hear me?"
He narrowed his eyes warningly at the end.
What seemed like a heartwarming scene of a senior teaching a junior, however, gave Castin a hunch that if he persisted, the person in front of him would be pointing a gun at his heart the next second.
He nodded obediently.
"I understand, senior."
As he spoke, he looked at Vili again, his expression unchanged.
"Sir, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
He took two steps back, watching the car start. The hem of his trench coat billowed in the wind, and mud splattered onto his shiny leather shoes, but he seemed oblivious, lost in thought.
A moment later, he sent a message in the player communication group.
[Plan suspended. All personnel assemble.]
-
According to the storyline, although players are travelers, they find themselves in the town's only hotel the moment they open their eyes at the start of the game.
The broken-down bus and the forest surrounding the town are merely background elements of the game. Some players have tried walking outwards from the town, and while they didn't encounter any invisible walls, they simply found themselves inexplicably wandering around the town.
That vast expanse of green in the distance was like a mirage in the desert; they could never reach it, let alone find the bus they had arrived in.
The game's official explanation is reasonable: it's a cursed town, and the players are the final piece of the puzzle.
Their arrival opened the gates of hell.
Therefore, these players trapped in the game never considered leaving the town through normal means from the very beginning.
Most people are thinking about following the game's walkthrough to solve the source of the curse, hoping that they can return to the real world afterward.
Those among these people who were willing to take action formed a strategy team under Castin's leadership.
When he pushed open the door, all the players looked over, and the lively atmosphere quieted down for a moment before someone spoke up to ease the tension.
"You're really no different from those NPCs."
"Yeah," another person said, patting their chest as if still shaken. "I thought it was nighttime. I was so scared."
Castin nodded good-naturedly to the crowd, then walked over to the group of oddly dressed players without changing his expression and sat down in the only empty chair in the middle.
For players, the appearance of their clothing is not important; the added protective attributes are what matter most. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see burly men wearing old-fashioned shirts under floral cotton-padded jackets and plaid skirts.
Although the game has now become a reality, it's only the first day. Compared to those who just wait for the official rescue, those who are willing to take action first are already quite nervous.
"Tell me, why did you gather us up so early? Didn't we say we'd meet at 5 p.m.?" one of the impatient people asked first.
Castin didn't answer him. Instead, he looked around to make sure everyone was there before slowly speaking.
“Things have changed; I suspect the NPCs might launch an attack ahead of schedule.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the time on the system panel.
14:51.
His tone was calm, yet his words stirred up a storm.
"Really?! What do we do then?"
"Are we going to die here? I want to go home..."
"Damn it, why did I have to encounter this kind of crap? I just opened a game!"
In an instant, the small room became a mess, filled with cries and curses.
Castin made no attempt to stop them, instead placing his hands on his knees and watching quietly with his sharp eyes, letting them vent their emotions.
Among them were those who managed to remain somewhat calm, who questioned:
What is your basis for this claim?
Castin shook his head.
"It's just a guess."
Seeing that someone was about to vent their anger on him, he spoke again.
"—Based on my ten years of experience in solving cases."
Upon hearing this, the noise in the room immediately subsided. Apart from the person who was still sobbing with their head down, all the other players had their eyes on Castin.
Yes, the reason they nominated this person to be the captain is simply because he is a detective in real life.
In just one morning, the other party took advantage of the outdated loopholes in the town's police department system to create a perfect resume for himself and become a newly recruited police officer.
After receiving his sidearm, probably to reassure them, he showed off his skills in front of everyone—disassembling and reassembling the gun in half a minute.
In addition, given his distinctly foreign appearance, no one questioned his identity anymore.
"...Then tell me, what should we do?"
After a moment, someone finally asked the question in a trembling voice.
Castin remained in the same position, still relaxed and slightly leaning back in his chair, and gently raised his eyes, revealing the first smile he had shown since entering the room.
"Don't worry, as long as you do as I say, everything will be fine."
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