Chapter 277, Seventy-Third Cycle (107)
In the quiet room, the cell phone suddenly rang.
The blue-eyed man sitting in front of the computer answered the phone: "BOSS?"
"Scotland! Is this how you do missions?!" Karasuma Renya yelled. "Hurry up! Stop playing around!"
Scotland blinked, closed the chat window monitoring Bourbon without changing his expression, and said, "Okay, I'll have them speed things up and finish this mission."
Karasuma Renya gasped for breath, so angry that he saw stars.
"Time is life! Time is power!! Time is everything!!!" he said bitterly, his tone gradually becoming frantic.
“Yes, boss,” Scotland said.
He hung up the phone, sighed, and connected to Gin's channel.
"Gin, how's it going on your end? How did Gil get hurt?" He asked calmly. "The boss thinks we're too inefficient. If you can't handle it, I can take over?"
Gin's face darkened: "It was just an accident. You don't need to come in. We can handle it right away."
Scotland sighed regretfully, "It's all so late, can't I come in and play too?"
"Heh." Gin only gave a cold laugh.
After the call ended, he chased away the injured Gil and led the rest of his men to deal with another target—the spider.
This guy, known as the Illusionist, is indeed quite skilled in the virtual world.
His plans were interrupted by a phone call from Vodka.
"Boss! We think we've found Sherry!!!" Vodka shouted.
Gin suddenly stood up: "What did you say?!"
Vodka was also excited, explaining rapidly, "It's like this, weren't we planning to tamper with that facial recognition system in the Pacific buoy, so that when it activated, it would instantly reveal the true faces of all the players outside of us? Then, some players thought it was the core objective of the dungeon and secretly went to study it too. When we captured the technician, we accidentally broke the most crucial [key], so now we can't achieve that goal—but!"
He stared at the chestnut-haired girl on the screen and slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "But coincidentally! That beam of light struck a player on a nearby whale-watching ship! Her true identity was revealed to be Sherry, who was supposed to be dead!"
Gin looked at the pictures and videos he sent, remained silent for a few seconds, and then smiled.
It was a shark-like smile, both extremely excited and bloodthirsty.
"Bourbon and Vermouth, didn't they say they killed Sherry? What happened to them?"
He muttered to himself, his smile widening.
"Never mind that, it's not important right now. I'm coming right now. You guys grab that Sherry right now and I'll interrogate her when I get back!"
"This is really interesting, this is really interesting..."
*
“That’s right, Brother Gin has already arrived in his private jet.” Vodka finished speaking, then asked, “Scotland, should we report this to the boss? That gentleman is also concerned about Sherry, isn’t he?”
“Let’s not bother the boss for now; that gentleman is still angry,” Scotland said. “Shirley’s situation has gone on and on too many times. Let’s wait until we have a clearer picture before telling the boss. Otherwise, what if it turns out to be another false alarm…”
He chuckled lightly: "That sir will probably say we're making a fuss over nothing and are incompetent."
Vodka thought about it and agreed, then added, "By the way, Bourbon and Vermouth don't want to get involved. They said they saw Sherry blown up with their own eyes, which must be some kind of game bug. They're too lazy to get involved and refused to go with me to catch Sherry. Vermouth even left right after completing her personal mission; she's already logged off the game, and I don't know what she's doing now."
"They've always been like that."
Even Scotland sighed helplessly at the sight of two hyperegocentric mystics within the organization.
"Forget it, Gin has already gone there, and the few of you are enough. Binga is more familiar with that area, so I'll send Binga to arrest him. You just wait for him in the submarine."
"So, are we not going to catch that spider anymore?" Vodka hadn't dared to ask Gin this question before, but he was still a little concerned.
“The spider is just a minor character, something that comes along and can be set aside for now,” Scotland said.
"Oh." Vodka glanced at his phone and said, "Huh? It seems like Chianti and Cohen are having some trouble and can't make it over."
"Hmm?" Scotland hesitated for a moment. "I'll go take a look."
*
The eight-foot-long Mount Fuji.
White Dove Pharmaceutical Research Institute.
Rumi Wakasa snapped the neck of a guard NPC and quickly ran away.
This research institute is a trap!
Fortunately, she was prepared and didn't fall completely into the trap.
She was quite familiar with the research on that drug within the organization.
Ever since discovering that the drug that killed Koji Haneda was aptx4869, developed by the Miyano family, she has been investigating the matter in depth.
This naturally includes the Miyano family.
Baijiu Pharmaceutical...
The image of the blonde woman reappeared in her mind.
The woman who disrupted her life, the one who remained optimistic and lively even among a flock of crows...
It's a pity that the peaceful person, who was like a white dove, was ultimately dragged into hell by the crow.
However, it seems she has found that man's daughter...
"who?!"
Rumi Wakasa suddenly stopped, nimbly retreating and leaping into the darkness. She quietly hid behind the experimental subject, watching the NPCs patrolling below with guns and flashlights.
We're already very close to the exit; we can't alert them.
Not only players, but there must be members of the organization nearby as well.
She slowly retreated into the darkness, and just as she was about to turn around and change direction, she suddenly met the gaze of a blonde woman who jumped up from the opposite side.
The two men tensed up instantly, their eyes locked in a sharp, wary stare. Within moments, they realized that the other man was not part of the organization and was a formidable fighter.
After weighing her options, Rumi Wakasa abandoned the idea of direct combat.
Cooperation seems unlikely, but it carries a certain risk of revealing one's identity.
Mary Akai and the black-haired woman stood silently facing each other in the darkness.
She happened to run into someone from the organization before she arrived; the person named Chianti was on the phone with Scotland, and she needed to leave the research institute as soon as possible.
After a moment, she spoke up, "I know how to open the door. Shall we work together to get out?"
*
"Yes, it was just an accident, a program bug that caused damage during a collision with a player in combat."
Scotland reported the situation to Karasuma Renya bit by bit.
"Later, Vodka and the others experimented, and now no matter who you shoot, it will show Sherry's face. Our previous integration of the process was affected and cannot be restored for a while, so this function is now useless."
"Vermouth even discovered from outside investigations that the Pacific buoy system itself had problems, so it's not surprising that our template had issues."
"Chianti and Cohen had a little problem; they let two players escape, and Chianti was injured."
"Although there wasn't much important research data inside, it wouldn't have mattered even if they saw it, but the two of them were quite angry and took it upon themselves to detonate Mount Hachijo Fuji."
"The eruption of Mount Hachijo-Fuji has wiped out all the NPCs and players on the island. Only Cohen and Chianti, who left earlier, are now safe on the submarine."
"The surrounding sea was also affected by the volcanic eruption. Several ships that were returning after watching whales capsized, and there were no survivors."
"The distance to the Pacific buoy is still relatively safe and it has not been greatly affected. It's just that the people inside were frightened and caused some disturbance."
"There's one more thing that's regrettable... After Binga's identity was exposed, he inexplicably deviated from the original plan and was shot and killed by Gin. Gin said that he had exposed too much, not only verbally provoking you but also disrespecting you and the organization, and that his actions were suspicious, so he killed him."
"Yes, it was the Raven's Spear used. Brain dead, cannot be resurrected."
"Well, it's alright. Bourbon is guiding things from inside the Pacific buoy, so the plot is still proceeding according to plan, just a bit faster."
*
The Pacific Ocean buoy is in complete chaos.
"Why did Mount Fuji erupt?!"
"No! We can't see anything outside! The sky is completely dark due to the volcanic ash cloud that blots out the sun! We can't see anything at all!"
"And the signal is down! We can't contact the outside world!"
"The nearby seas were also affected! A tsunami several meters high was triggered around the Pacific buoy!"
"Are there any signs of an earthquake?!"
"We should retreat as soon as possible! Before the volcanic eruption affects this area!"
"There are simply not enough routes to get everyone to safety immediately! The surrounding area has been affected by the volcanic eruption! We can't even contact the outside world!"
"They've seen it! They must have already sent out a search and rescue team! We should pack up our research data and leave as soon as possible!"
"This place is unusable! Even if the volcano subsides, the thick volcanic cloud, the subsequent toxic gases and acid rain will make it impossible to conduct research here normally... We have no choice but to abandon it!"
Amidst the panic of police, engineers, and other staff from various countries, Conan Edogawa and Shuichi Akai quietly assemble.
"How are they?" Shuichi Akai asked.
"Ran and Haibara were safely back on the yacht, but they all lost contact just before they were about to go ashore. It was right when I heard the thunderous explosion... It's possible that all the players and NPCs over there have died in the volcanic eruption." Conan Edogawa's expression was grave.
He frowned: "This volcanic eruption was massive; Hachijojima and the surrounding waters are likely doomed. As for their safety after death... I don't know. Do you still have contact with the outside world?"
Shuichi Akai shook his head: "Not long after Camel left, the organization fixed the game's program, and I lost contact with them."
Conan Edogawa couldn't help but rest his chin on his hand and begin to think.
While players who don't die from Raven's Spear shouldn't be in real danger, what if they are?
“Just in case, it’s best to finish the game as soon as possible.” He looked up at Shuichi Akai and said.
Hideaki Akai nodded.
Conan Edogawa looked at him for a few seconds, then hesitated.
Originally, after Binga learned of his identity, he intended to tell Shuichi Akai and ask Shuichi Akai to help keep quiet.
Actually, he would prefer to ask Mr. Amuro, who is now Bourbon, for help, but Mr. Amuro in the game is too elusive, and he can't be sure if the other party is really Mr. Amuro, so he doesn't dare to act rashly.
Fortunately, he didn't hesitate for long.
Mr. Amuro somehow found out about his phone in the game and called him not long ago, telling him that Binga was dead and that he could rest assured that his identity had not been exposed.
Mr. Amuro also said that there was no need to worry about Sherry's appearance, as Vermouth had been a great help outside, and the organization no longer had any doubts, treating the matter as a program bug.
So Conan Edogawa silently swallowed back the words he originally wanted to say about revealing his identity.
Hmm, let's clear the level and get out first.
“I’m pretty sure who the protagonist, Kudo Huai, is now.” Conan Edogawa looked at the group of engineers over there. “But I’m not 100% sure. We can wait for him to come over at the most crucial spot so we can act together. If it’s Kudo Huai, then he will definitely go to that place.”
Shuichi Akai naturally knew what he was talking about: "The current chaos is perfect for our operation. Now we can also find an opportunity to sneak into the deepest laboratory."
After spending two hours inside the Pacific buoy, he had a general understanding of the copy.
In the original storyline, the Pacific buoy was supposed to be a massive maritime structure built under the auspices of a villainous organization. Ostensibly, it was a facility researching things that would benefit the whole world, but in reality, it was an experiment conducted by an evil organization and mad scientists on immortality and time travel.
Those experiments were incredibly terrifying. Putting aside the frequent human experiments, if they were to succeed, they might even be able to manipulate this power beyond time and space to rule the world.
Because it was at sea, isolated from the world, and the organization was incredibly powerful, no one discovered it.
The players then become the "only" heroes who can sabotage the experiment and save the world.
Originally, the plan was to cooperate with the main characters of the game to sabotage the experiments and destroy the organization.
However, the volcanic eruption doesn't seem to be part of the game's programming, so the final mission issued by the system becomes a battle royale after the experiment is destroyed.
[Breaking News!]
[The sudden eruption of Mount Hachijo has severely impacted Pacific buoys.]
You have triggered the final mission!
The organization plans to withdraw with the research institute's data, and the police are currently unable to intervene.
Your mission is to prevent the organization from taking away the research data before the police arrive, and at the same time destroy the research institute, thus thwarting the organization's plans.
[Please escape the Black Iron Undersea Research Institute within one hour.]
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