Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

Felix's main force had departed.

Degenbrecher and Carnelian returned to Columbia with the girls, now a year older. For them, a period of relentless busyness was about to begin.

Beforehand, Felix had already shared the Emperor's message with Degenbrecher. Soon, Degenbrecher and Emperor would head for Lungmen, where they needed to secure territory, build connections, and gather intelligence. On this front, Degenbrecher would have to rely heavily on the Emperor's network of contacts.

Felix had also told her who the Emperor truly was. Knowing that he was one of Tomorrow's Development's shareholders, Degenbrecher treated him with utmost respect and courtesy—far different from her casual ease when dealing with Felix. After all, Felix had hinted that the Emperor was very likely one of the immortal.

Loughshinny had voiced her wish to accompany Degenbrecher to Lungmen as well. She hoped to stay close to her "teacher," Felix, and if possible, receive his guidance at every step.

Degenbrecher understood Loughshinny's background and kept a guarded, noncommittal attitude. The girl's identity was far too sensitive, and Lungmen, as part of Yan's territory, was politically volatile. Degenbrecher couldn't guarantee that Loughshinny's origins wouldn't be exploited by Yan's higher-ups—or by Lungmen's own leadership.

The Emperor merely snorted. To him, bringing Loughshinny along was no real risk. They were conducting legitimate business. Wei Yenwu, Lungmen's governor, wasn't reckless enough to act so brazenly. Otherwise, Yan itself would have crushed Lungmen long ago.

With preparations complete, Degenbrecher, the Emperor, and Loughshinny set off on their journey toward Yan.

---

Meanwhile, in Columbia, several players from Trimount were making their own moves. Dandao Dantart followed a group of high-level players toward Yan as well. During the mid-season tournament, thanks to his solid gear and stats, he had been recruited into a newly formed mid-tier team: Hongtu Squad.

Many other skilled players were also leaving, including members of the Strategy Division such as YangyanXF. Left behind in Trimount were only three: MagicZX, Qiu Muyu, and Xiao Xuegao. The latter two were production-focused players, and they had accepted a long-term quest in the city. For them, leveling and progression were much easier within a resource-rich city than out in the barren wilderness.

As for Dandao Dantart, Felix was confident that, if he ever called, the player would return immediately. But he had no intention of doing so. Right now, Dandao Dantart was in intense training, preparing for the upcoming Challenger Series. Only by succeeding there would he earn a chance to compete for a slot in the World Championship.

MagicZX, however, was another matter. With YangyanXF gone, he had become the only reliable voice Felix could use to communicate with the wider player base. There was no way Felix would let him go.

Degenbrecher also carried another task on Felix's behalf: to quietly ask those three remaining players if they would be willing to travel to Lungmen with her, and to discreetly hint at Felix's plans to establish a company. For eager players, such news was irresistible—it felt like uncovering a hidden secret.

When MagicZX heard this from Degenbrecher, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for YangyanXF's departure. Still, he wasn't too far behind. Yangyan had strong ties with the Pioneer, so returning to the fold later would be easy. But more importantly—this was it. The day had finally come.

A thrill coursed through MagicZX. He immediately shared the news with Qiu Muyu and Xiao Xuegao, but told no one else. He didn't want to leak such an explosive secret too early. Better to be among the first "founding retainers" of the Pioneer—offering support in the snow rather than congratulating in sunshine. By the time everyone else rushed in, Felix himself might not even take notice.

This might only count as a small bit of scheming. Or maybe it was just the natural instinct of every player—when a chance to quietly profit came along, you grabbed it and held tight.

Meanwhile, Carnelian was in charge of maintaining Columbia and Laterano's information networks, probing both nations for intel while awaiting good news from Degenbrecher and her group.

For now, all eyes were fixed on Felix. Everyone was simply waiting for his next move.

---

"Good work, Captain."

Federico handed him a cup of water and a clean towel. Felix thanked him, leaned against a boulder, and let out a breath. A short distance away, several Sarkaz mercenaries lay sprawled unconscious on the ground. A few stragglers were still barely holding out under Patia and Plume's assault, but from the look of it, the fight would be over soon.

"No more hostiles detected, Captain."

Spuria's voice came through as she maneuvered her drone. Mechanical engineering was her specialty, and she wasn't bad with firearms either. But for the sake of the team, her primary role was scouting and providing support. When it came to direct combat, Plume and Patia could usually handle things on their own.

"That makes three mercenary groups crossing into Laterano already. Honestly... these people never learn."

Spuria glanced at the unconscious Sarkaz mercs and sighed. "Is Kazdel's situation really that desperate?"

"After years of war? Even the richest lands end up torn to shreds."

Felix wiped the dust off his face. He had taken advantage of his high stats to try close combat for the first time in a while. Without weapons, he was no match for seasoned mercenaries in technique, but raw numbers were on his side. Sometimes brute force was enough to crush finesse.

It wasn't just on a whim, either. He remembered he had a Lance staff sitting in his arsenal—same type as the one Margaret Nearl used. Maybe he should ask her about it later.

As for other weapons, he'd think about it in time. For a Support-type, there weren't many damage-dealing options anyway. Machines were still his best weapons.

"Yeah. Mission accomplished."

Plume and Patia came back, laughing as they rejoined the group. Felix stretched and got to his feet.

"What do we do with the mercs?"

"Same as always. The stubborn ones—kill them. The ones who talk—give them some food and water. They'll leave on their own once they wake up."

A prototype drone carried over a small bag, dropping supplies onto the body of the Sarkaz leader who had remained conscious.

He spat, blood mixing with saliva. "Who... who wants your pity?"

"Don't want it? Fine, take it back."

Felix shrugged. He had offered supplies out of principle, to keep them from dying on the road. But if they insisted on courting death, he wasn't going to stop them.

Once the five of them climbed into the truck, the Sarkaz captain staggered to his feet, hatred burning in his eyes.

Felix ignored him. The man wouldn't live long anyway. Not worth getting angry over a walking corpse.

Back at the Notarial Hall, the team submitted their mission and finally allowed themselves to relax. A few days of rest lay ahead.

Felix, however, barely reacted. The work of the Hall wasn't all that different from how player guilds had operated in his previous life. The "expel the Sarkaz" missions were basically just extermination quests under a new name. Who would've thought that in this life they'd show up in his task log the same way?

When he got home, he immediately set about maintaining his firearms.

It had been nearly a month since Felix received his Guardian Gun. He'd already tested it in battle, and had begun to understand why it was called a "Guardian Gun." What set it apart from other firearms? Was it higher damage output?

No. More than anything, it simply felt natural in his hands.

The first time he held Lumen, it was as if the weapon itself had a will. It didn't feel like just another gun—it felt alive, almost as though it had been crafted just for him. Wielding it was effortless, without the slightest awkwardness or resistance.

Just as the Black Swordsman's trademark was dual blades—and his unique skill was Dual Wield—Felix now had his own exclusive weapon. His sidearm, Lumen: Nightfall.

By the looks of it, every Laterano carried some unique "skill" tied to their Guardian Gun. Still, for most citizens who never set foot on the battlefield, the only time they drew those weapons was during the frequent shooting tournaments inside the holy city.

Mostima still hadn't returned from her assignment. Felix had checked into it before she left, and seeing it wasn't the mission he feared, he felt relieved enough to let her go.

With rare time alone, he began managing his schedule properly. Lately, he hadn't appeared much in front of the players, which meant his income had dipped. Or more accurately, their little personal stashes hadn't been raided by him in a while.

The Ursus players, in particular, were poor. And when Felix dealt with them, it wasn't even in Ursus rubles.

That made him nostalgic. Back then, he could settle in one place, shear the flock, and walk away with hundreds of thousands of currency and mountains of experience. By comparison, his current funds were still healthy, and he'd stockpiled some EXP from dungeons. But nowhere near enough to pour into all his skills.

Which meant it was time to put some of those EXP manuals he'd hoarded into circulation through his shop. With the company finally on its feet, of course there needed to be loyalty points and an exchange system to go with it.

Thinking it through, Felix began categorizing his inventory. For new recruits joining the company, most of what they could buy early on would be basic melee weapons and standard armor. Only after their loyalty ranked up would they unlock better gear.

He decided there was no harm in listing handguns too. Even if some players picked up the Gunsmith subclass, not many would manage to max out firearm damage. Still, in a world dominated by blades and axes, simply having a gun in hand would give them a sense of security.

Just look at Blacksteel International—every senior operator carried a sidearm. If Felix wanted Tomorrow's Development to compete on equal footing, he couldn't afford to lag behind in that department.

But to support such a wide player economy, he'd need his own factories. Outsourcing orders would always carry the risk of leaks, and he didn't want his blueprints falling into anyone else's hands—unless he chose to sell them himself.

Raytheon Industries was trustworthy, yes. But Felix couldn't rule out the possibility that they'd set their sights on his designs. You could never be too cautious.

Better to acquire factories inside Lungmen itself. He'd have to ask the Emperor to scout some options.

Once Tomorrow's Development ran smoothly, the benefits would be substantial. And Felix already had plans to ensure players' freedom. After all, no one wanted to be treated like a pet.

He would do what most major factions did—create his own terminal system, post missions there, and let players form squads to take them on. Beyond that, he wouldn't chain them to Lungmen. The Fourth Calamity aka players should leave its footprints on every corner of Terra. They would roam the land under the banner of Tomorrow's Development.

Of course, where there were neutral or good players, there would also be chaotic and evil ones—those who enjoyed pillaging, killing, and burning. Their actions wouldn't just cost them reputation points; they'd drag down Tomorrow's Development's name with them.

To handle that, Felix had devised two measures. First, criminals would lose loyalty points until their balance went negative—at which point they'd be expelled from the faction. Second, for the simpler solution, he'd just let justice-obsessed players deal with the troublemakers themselves.

By then, once missions were posted and bounties were handed out, you could be sure of one thing: the same "brothers" calling each other family on day one would be stabbing each other in the back by day two.

Among the four major divisions planned for Tomorrow's Development, the Industrial R&D and Engineering Initiatives and the Scientific Consulting and Experimental Commissions were the two that required real education and technical training. Those sectors could be staffed by well-educated Terrans or graduates from Columbia's tech universities. After all, Felix imagined putting players in those roles—and the thought of logging in only to be forced to write research reports nearly made him faint.

I'm here to play the game, not be played by it!

The other two divisions—Security, Guard, and Mercenary Contracts and Exploration, Logistics, and Transport Services—would no doubt be far more popular with players. The reason was obvious: they loved adventure. They loved wandering across massive open maps. Whether guarding, fighting, exploring, or hauling goods, there was always some excuse for them to roam the land.

Players liked to keep moving. Players liked to dance.

Felix put down his pen and closed the last page of the planning book. Everything was in place. The only real weakness left was his own faction's lack of manpower in combat. Lungmen was a city with a ruthless commercial underbelly, where "black eating black" schemes were common. Even with Degenbrecher and Carnelian as reliable allies, Felix still felt the shortage of capable hands.

Recruit. Recruit, and recruit hard.

His current mindset was like drafting a proclamation to recruit talent—any and all kinds. If you had a unique gift, he wanted you. If you could move mountains or stop rivers, he wanted you. If you could cook, farm, paint, drink, or forge iron, he wanted you. Development meant growth on every front.

For now, personnel selection would be overseen by the Emperor and Degenbrecher. Whatever kind of people the company needed, Felix trusted those two completely. There was no need for them to report back—just execute faithfully.