Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The female officer from the Lungmen Guard Bureau spoke through clenched teeth, her voice strained from the pain as she tried to bandage her wound. Her piercing blue eyes locked onto Felix, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"I'm just a tourist, here to celebrate the New Year. I came to visit the university town today, and on my way home… well, I didn't expect to run into something like this."

Felix glanced at her injuries. At least the bleeding had stopped. Though not a medical professional, he thought he'd done a decent job.

"What exactly happened up there? Did someone really fire a crossbow and attack Lungmen Guard Department?"

After giving her a once-over, he stood and began heading toward the stairs—only to feel a sudden grip on his wrist.

"Don't go. Some of them are infected," the woman said firmly.

Felix paused and turned back toward her. She took a breath and added, "As a member of the Lungmen Guard Bureau, my advice to you is to leave immediately."

"What's your codename?" he asked, crouching beside her. His tone was casual as he looked at the woman in her Guard Bureau uniform, her beauty slightly dulled by her pain and fatigue.

"...Nine. I don't want to repeat myself."

"Why would infected people be robbing alongside ordinary citizens?" Felix murmured, puzzled. "Did someone make them a deal? Promise them something in return?"

"You..." Nine looked at the angelic young man, now resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought. She sighed helplessly.

"How about this: lend me your crossbow, and I'll help you take care of this mess," Felix offered with a smile, extending a hand to her. "You can trust me. I'm a messenger from Laterano. I've always respected and admired Yan Country. I'm only here to celebrate the New Year. Need me to show you my pass?"

"This is a matter for the Lungmen Guard Bureau..." Nine replied weakly.

"Of course, but surely a case this serious in Lungmen deserves a few concerned citizens willing to help, right?"

Felix gently took her hand—she had no strength left to resist—and easily took the crossbow from her grip.

"You can trust me," Felix said as he inspected the weapon. "Or, if you prefer, you can trust in the Sankta race's expertise with crossbows. Oh, by the way, my codename is Pioneer. Nice to meet you."

Nine's lips moved slightly, but no words came out. She simply watched as Felix walked away. Once he was gone, she finally let out a soft cough.

Felix continued upward, soon reaching the overpass. Both sides of the road were blocked off by Lungmen Guard Bureau vehicles. In the center, several ordinary cars were parked, with people inside holding crossbows. It seemed the earlier attack had only been a warning shot.

"Listen up! Everyone inside the vehicles—put down your weapons, exit the cars, and surrender! This is your final warning. Lay down your arms and come out! There is no escape!"

On the other hand, the people inside the car remained confident. The man in the driver's seat wore a ferocious expression as he placed a bomb, wrapped in grease, on the dashboard in front of the windshield. A cold grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"It's a bomb."

"Could it be a Originium Bomb? Confirm it."

"Captain, we can't get a clear view from this angle."

The guards of the Lungmen Guard Bureau hesitated. What had initially seemed like a simple robbery had escalated dangerously—now involving a potential Originium Bomb. A detonation would not only cause destruction but also risk infecting nearby personnel. Anyone affected would be quarantined and likely forced to live out their days in the slums.

Felix remained calm. He wasn't a sniper by trade, but that didn't mean he couldn't act as a technician. While he wouldn't benefit from the specialized bonuses tied to standard crossbows, he didn't need them—after all, no one chose a crossbow over a pistol unless they knew how to use it. He crouched beside a police vehicle, just as the commanding officer was still attempting to negotiate with the infected inside. In addition to the loaded bolt in his crossbow, Felix held four more bolts in his hand, ready.

"Yanwei, it looks like they've only got one bomb. Should we let the sniper take him out?"

"He's infected. If he dies, we'll need to disinfect the area for days. And this is one of the busiest districts in the city—it's not suitable for lethal action. Notify them first. If possible, aim to disable—shoot the hand or shoulder. Let the shield guards subdue the rest."

But before Yanwei could finish his sentence, a crossbow bolt shot through the hood of the car and struck the engine. Another pierced the window, embedding into the infected driver's shoulder and pinning him to his seat. The remaining three bolts took out all three tires in quick succession, effectively disabling the vehicle and eliminating the threat of a suicide attack.

It all happened in just three seconds.

The thug had barely finished shouting threats about blowing everyone up before his shoulder was pierced. Now, his hands couldn't even reach the bomb.

The Lungmen guards hadn't expected such aggressive precision. The captain, codenamed Yanwei, immediately barked orders, "Teams B and C, target the remaining suspects! Team A, disarm the bomb!"

The shield guards, armed with reinforced shields, charged forward. With the threat of an explosion neutralized, the infected thugs' resistance crumbled. Their crossbows couldn't penetrate the shields, and soon they surrendered, wailing in defeat.

The thug struck by Felix's bolt was roughly dragged from the car. The bomb disposal unit from Team A approached with thick gloves and examined the device.

"Boss, it's not a Originium Bomb."

Yanwei exhaled in relief. Looking toward the direction from which the bolts had come, he spotted a Sankta figure casually wiping down his crossbow. Stunned, Yanwei called out, "You're not with the Guard Bureau. Who are you?"

"I'm a messenger, codename Pioneer," Felix replied, presenting his credentials and identification. "I came to Lungmen on assignment and to celebrate the New Year. I didn't expect to get caught up in something this dangerous. As a law-abiding citizen acting out of righteous duty, I borrowed the crossbow from your team member, Nine. As you know, we Sankta are quite skilled with crossbows."

"Where's Nine? I remember she was injured. Where's the medical team? Find her on the stairs!"

Yanwei shouted urgently for the medics to move, then turned to quickly verify Felix's ID. Finding nothing suspicious, he nodded in gratitude and said, "Your credentials are in order. Thank you, Mr. Pioneer, for your assistance. If you have the time… please accompany us to the Guard Bureau to give a statement."

"I'm fine with that," Felix replied with a smile.

He recalled seeing the codename "Nine" in the Guard Bureau files that players had previously uncovered. Though he wasn't clear on her full storyline, he made a mental note to interact with any NPC that appeared in the mission.

Nine was already being helped up by a team of medics. Her legs were unharmed, and Felix had previously bandaged her wounds. Though the blood loss had left her a little dizzy, she was able to sit down and rest with assistance.

"Nine, thank you for your hard work. This will be treated as a work-related injury. Take a break and temporarily switch to clerical duties. You can rejoin the execution team once you've fully recovered."

Yanwei exhaled in relief as he spoke, giving Nine a reassuring pat on the shoulder before nodding once more to Felix and returning to the front line to deal with the arrested infected.

"I heard your crossbow skills are quite accurate."

Nine's voice was soft. Though still unsteady, she accepted the necessity of rest. Like Yanwei had said, a temporary clerical role wasn't ideal, but it was necessary.

Felix took a seat beside her and stretched casually. The Sankta who had just taken down five enemies with five precise bolts looked entirely at ease—his clothes weren't even wrinkled.

"Well, I am Sankta. Mastery of the crossbow comes naturally to us."

"Would you have time to give me a few pointers?"

Nine asked, looking at him earnestly.

Felix glanced at her and asked bluntly, "Nine, how old are you?"

"Isn't it rude to ask a woman that sort of question?" Nine snorted, though she seemed to understand the implication behind his words. "In Yan Country, the wisest becomes the teacher. That's always been true."

"Alright then. I'll be staying in Lungmen until early January next year. During that time, I can train you."

A system prompt appeared before Felix: [C-level Task: Special Training Time]. The objective was to train Nine. The experience reward was modest—not high, not low.

Compared to tasks assigned by players, most missions from other NPCs no longer attracted much of his attention.

Still, completing this one would help improve favorability.

The infected thugs were escorted into the transport vehicles. Yanwei invited Felix to ride in his own car, while Nine was taken in a medical vehicle. Once she returned to the Guard Bureau, she would still need to undergo additional treatment, including a change of gauze for her wounds.

During the drive, Yanwei's walkie-talkie buzzed incessantly. One call after another came in—disputes and incidents reported all over Lungmen. As the New Year approached, the influx of tourists surged, and the captains of the Guard Bureau found themselves on the front lines daily, with no holidays in sight.

Yanwei once again expressed his gratitude to Felix for not directly killing the infected thug. After all, the death of an infected person would release Originium dust, and the subsequent cleanup required numerous procedures and considerable time. It was a major hassle for both the Guard Bureau and Lungmen's civil administration.

"Is the conflict between the infected and ordinary people in Lungmen really that severe?" Felix asked.

Yanwei shook his head. "These are likely just radicals among the infected. They try to gain more status and power through extreme means, but most of the time, they only end up creating more problems for the Guard Bureau."

The Guard Bureau was located in the central office district of Lungmen City. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary commercial office building. Yanwei led Felix to his office, and it took only ten minutes to complete the formal statement.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Pioneer. The Lungmen Guard Bureau will always remember your help."

Yanwei saluted in the traditional Yan style and politely saw Felix out of the office—he had pressing matters to attend to.

Felix had half-expected the Lungmen Guard Bureau to hand him a banner or some other token of appreciation, as a gesture for being a good citizen. But when he saw that his relationship with the Lungmen Guard Bureau had reached 10, with Lungmen itself at 3, and Great Yan at 1, he had no complaints.

Before leaving, he made his way to the infirmary to check in on Nine, who was lying on a hospital bed. Technically, as an ordinary tourist, he wasn't supposed to wander freely, but the team members who had just returned from the operation all knew about what he'd done—especially the part where he helped stabilize Nine's injuries—so no one stopped him.

Felix figured this was the benefit of having a relationship level of 10.

"How's your rest?" he asked.

"I'm not dead yet," Nine replied with a grin. She looked much livelier than before.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "The doctor told me that if you hadn't stopped the bleeding, I might've been bedridden a lot longer."

"I just did what any concerned citizen should do."

"If all the good citizens of Lungmen knew how to use crossbows," Nine chuckled, "the Guard Bureau probably wouldn't have to work overtime."

Felix stood up and asked, "I'll come find you later. Where will the training be? Here at the Guard Bureau?"

"Yeah. I'll reserve a training room in advance. Here—this is my contact info."

"Alright. See you in a few days."

After saying goodbye to the woman code-named Nine, Felix left the Guard Bureau. As he exited, he saw another team leaving the building in a police vehicle at dusk. It looked like another mission was underway.

Civil servants really had it rough.

Players who joined the Guard Bureau in the mid to late stages of the game spent most of their time working and doing overtime. But they didn't mind—it was part of the fun. They enjoyed roleplaying their jobs and even engaging in PVP against players who occasionally caused chaos in Lungmen. In the end, those saboteurs had to pay heavy bail fees and complete Lungmen loyalty missions just to return. If a player's relationship level dropped below zero, a "wanted" star would light up the moment they stepped onto the streets.

Some wealthy but bored players would form teams, treating the game like GTA 6 online—robbing banks in sports cars, using crossbows to shoot at Guard Bureau players, and turning Lungmen's traffic into a disaster zone. The thrill of chase and escape made it all quite entertaining.

As an NPC, Felix knew he had to tread carefully—after all, he only had one life to clear this level.

At Dagu Square, Felix met up with Muelsyse, Degenbrecher, and Senomi.

Degenbrecher raised an eyebrow slightly. "Boss, did you get into a fight?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You've got that murderous aura between your brows. That only shows up after a fight. But more importantly—your clothes smell like disinfectant."

Felix was genuinely surprised this time. Was there such a thing as murderous aura in Arknights?

To players, it would probably be called "momentum." After all, in the crystal he had copied, it was the aura of the Black Knight—Degenbrecher—that had made many players who chose the assassin route feel real fear.

The year 1089 was fast approaching. Without realizing it, he had already spent three years on this land. He had more or less planned the major goals for the upcoming year, but there were still several key principles to consider. First, he needed to appear more often in front of players. Second, he should begin gathering NPCs who had briefly appeared in past plotlines or played a meaningful role. Ideally, he could turn them into companions.

At present, it seemed Muelsyse—though affiliated with Rhine Lab and on good terms with him—would not abandon Kristen or her ecological park to travel across every inch of the land with Felix. Her body simply couldn't withstand the pollution of this world.

For now, his core team consisted only of Degenbrecher and Senomi—and he was already quite satisfied with this pace of growth.

'If there's a chance next year, I'll look for a few more.'