Player Reload

"Alright, please place your hand on this device."

Killing Field Players often change their appearance, so the receptionist uses the neutral "you" instead of "sir."

As for the so-called device, it’s actually a portable soul detection device that can query a player’s unique Summoner code through soul encoding,

and simultaneously check if the person has been subjected to spiritual control, brainwashing, or possession.

"Alright, I’ve reported to Director Xing, please proceed to the innermost office on the left of the 262nd floor. Here’s your pass,"

the receptionist glanced at the device’s display with a tone of surprise and reverence, "Honorable Bounty Hunter 00791."

At the dawn of the Killing Field, there were no rules in the Extraordinary World.

Corporations and gangs formed teams to hunt players, state machines hunted players, players hunted players, and everyone on the chain feared for their lives, dreading and loathing each other.

Guilds had not yet formed, and the chaotic battles not only caused heavy casualties but also severely disrupted social order.

In a certain school, over a hundred teachers and students collectively reported seeing a red-clad female ghost drifting outside an eighth-floor window, and fearfully called the police,

while official media dispelled the rumor, stating that it was an inflatable doll purchased online by a single young man outside the school, blown away by the wind,

when in fact, it really was a vengeance-seeking Fierce Ghost released by a Black Magic Master;

In a village full of electricity, measurements showed that houses, trees, windows, and lakes all carried an electrical charge,

official media dispelled the rumor, suggesting that the test pen was broken and recommending buying a new one,

when in fact, a Thunder Ability User lived in the village, unconsciously spreading the aftermath of their practice;

A left-behind child claimed to be possessed by his grandfather’s ghost, calling his parents working outside to come home,

official media dispelled the rumor, saying that the child just wanted his parents’ attention,

when in fact, the long-deceased grandfather had indeed been chosen by the Killing Field and, in ghost form, became a player. By leveraging the astounding exchange rate of Game Coin to RMB, the son and daughter-in-law no longer had to work and could come home to live off him.

In short, during that time, there were no rules, no law, just pure barbaric times.

The emergence of the Bounty Hunter system unified low-level players who were like scattered soldiers and lone troops, allowing them to resist against forces like corporations, gangs, and warlords,

paving the way for the later emergence of official guilds.

And the three-digit UID indirectly proved the deep experience of the unassuming man before them.

Wanli Sealed Blade took the pass card, crossed the hall, and walked straight into the elevator cabin.

The cabin only had an LCD panel and no floor buttons.

He swiped the pass, thought of the floor he needed to go to, and when he opened his eyes again, the number on the panel had jumped to 262.

’Luckily there’s a Teleportation Array, otherwise, the elevator ride would really be dizzying.’

He muttered to himself as he strolled down the corridor.

The entire floor was elegantly and simply decorated, quite quiet and spacious. Occasionally, one or two clerical staff would pass by pushing a small cart full of paper documents,

or assistant robots shaped like trash cans would glide along the marble floor’s yellow tape, delivering documents.

This wasn’t because Yin City Special Affairs Bureau didn’t have enough staff, but simply because the headquarters building was constructed too large—

Special Affairs Bureau, with deep pockets, used quite advanced Space Folding Technology, making the building’s actual volume much larger than it appeared,

with over a thousand floors, theoretically accommodating over a million personnel.

Such a terrifying number of redundant officials and staff is enough to make Wang Anshi weep, Zhang Juzheng collapse, and Dai Ying Affairs Officer cheer long live,

of course, this is just theoretical, the million personnel capacity is mainly to prevent any eventuality—should Earth’s ecosystem break down one day,

universities, research institutes, and development and production bases can all be moved into the building at the first moment.

"Old Xing? Busy?"

He knocked on the door with his knuckles, and inside the office behind the door, two subordinates were reporting to Xing Hechou, "Hey, isn’t this the dropout duo?"

The two wearing Mobile Task Force uniforms, a man and a woman named [Chuyin] and [Ashes], were old acquaintances of Wanli Sealed Blade, having previously teamed up to hunt demons and ghosts roaming the mortal world.

"The basic situation of this year’s Yin City Special Affairs Bureau campus recruitment is like this; we’re planning to recruit 400 people across various departments.

If there’s nothing else, Director, we’ll be off first."

Chuyin, who appeared like an ordinary female high school student, stood up, with Ashes, who looked like a male university student, leaving the room, giving Brother Blade an eye roll along the way.

The two of them were chosen to become Players nearly four years ago, and their studies couldn’t continue because of it.

Once settled, going back to school would also be somewhat difficult—the Mobile Task Force must always be ready to eliminate anomalies in the real world; they can’t just raise their hand mid-class to tell the teacher they’re off to save the world, can they?

They would absolutely be considered severely delusional.

"Remember to update your Bilibili cover videos often, my daughter is a fan of yours."

Wanli Sealed Blade’s mischievous words nearly made Chuyin stumble, standing up and flipping Brother Blade the bird in a surveillance dead corner.

Chuyin, before becoming a Summoner, was an amateur music/drawing blogger, and now... a salted fish blogger struggling against AI competition.

"Aren’t you the one who doesn’t like coming to the headquarters building?"

With work pressing him to the point where his temples were slightly graying, Xing Hechou rose to make Wanli Sealed Blade a pot of goji tea,

the two were old friends for many years (extra lifespan counted in the Script World), no need for formalities, "Is there something urgent?"

"Yes."

Wanli Sealed Blade took a sip of tea, placing a sports camera on the table with a serious expression, and concisely related the course of this mission,

"This time the [Ready Player One] mission involves the Level 40 Transcendent [God of Mankind] from the Otherworld. If it wasn’t for Pifu and the others being strong enough, we would’ve really been in trouble."

He paused, adding, "But that’s not the point, the point is the name mentioned by those NPCs during the mission, [Li Risheng],

I’ve a strange sense of familiarity with it.

I checked the GOC database and reviewed my own memory, confirming I’ve never encountered this name before."

If something seems off, there’s usually some mystery involved, and whether some say his strength doesn’t match his experience or that he’s a disgrace to old players, Wanli Sealed Blade is indeed a Level 35 top expert,

with strength surpassing Xing Hechou, who due to his high position and infrequent exercise, has been outpaced.

Messing with his mind...would be difficult for even the final bosses of some scripts to achieve.

Hearing this, Xing Hechou straightened his back, frowning in seriousness, "So you want..."

"To have the Special Affairs Bureau’s analysis department test it,"

Wanli Sealed Blade said sternly, "No brainwashing, no thought implant, no spiritual control; why do I feel that the name [Li Risheng] is both unfamiliar and familiar.

It might be making a mountain out of a molehill, but as you know, I’ve survived this long purely through careful caution."

"...Alright."

Xing Hechou picked up the internal phone on the table, "This is Xing Hechou of Yin City, have the analysis department prepare the [Brain Terminal Operation] program, yes, memetic detection, consciousness scan, soul anchoring, divination and calculation, all of that."