Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 364, Section 111: The Fox Is Not Here

"It's like finding a needle in a haystack."

Higashiyama Shinichi sat on the ghost ship speeding beneath the sea surface, as if the surrounding seawater did not exist, his eyes revealing a hint of speechlessness.

He had spent almost a whole day on this ghost ship that had sunk into the sea.

The knight's initial display of intent led Higashiyama Shin to believe he was confident and knew the exact location of the Golden Trident. Or at the very least, he knew exactly who possessed the Golden Trident.

After following him all day, Shinichi Higashiyama realized that the knight's actions were essentially a needle in a haystack.

His actions were like those of a tireless sweeping machine, sometimes from left to right, sometimes from right to left, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, persistently conducting a carpet-like exploration of the vast and boundless seabed.

The so-called strong sense of purpose probably lies in his seemingly unwavering belief that this thorough search would lead him to the golden trident.

The knight's true form was an obsession long tainted by the golden trident; he wasn't even a soul. Higashiyama Shin performed several divinations for him, but couldn't deduce any clues about his fortune, since even his soul had been annihilated.

The only certainty is that the energy contained in this obsession has an upper limit. According to Higashiyama Shin's deduction, this obsession will automatically disintegrate and dissipate within a few months due to the depletion of energy.

It's a pity. Originally, Shinichi Higashiyama was full of expectations, thinking that since it was an obsession born from the influence of the trident, he should be able to sense the location of the trident through some mysterious connection.

It seems that the only way to obtain this Gluttony artifact is through a sequel to The Lonely Boat.

He came here specifically hoping to exploit a bug and get his hands on the trident before the sequel is released. Then he'd see what the consequences would be.

If everything goes smoothly and no unexpected situations arise, that trident will undoubtedly be the platinum reward in the sequel to *The Lonely Boat*. If he manages to get his hands on it ahead of time, that would be interesting.

However, judging from the current situation, this route has clearly been blocked.

Higashiyama Shin was not discouraged; he refused to believe that the game would be free of bugs in the future.

He left quietly, just as he came quietly.

And that ghost ship continues its tireless patrols on the seabed.

NATO's extensive network of underwater surveillance cameras in the Baltic Sea had already detected the ghost ship's appearance and quickly mapped out its approximate course.

However, even with such a comprehensive monitoring system, no one dared to rashly stop the ghost ship, and because of its speed, it was even difficult to track it.

Once the ghost ship leaves the Baltic Sea, it will likely disappear completely beneath the ocean and never be found again.

The Grand Commander didn't press the issue too much, since based on what he had observed so far, this mysterious knight was most likely on the side of humanity.

This is undoubtedly a fortunate thing for humanity. As for the utterly unlucky Estonia, who can they blame?
The news of Tallinn being flooded stayed on the front page for a day, prompting netizens around the world to exclaim: What kind of place is Tallinn?
Then a local introduced it as Estonia, which made netizens even more surprised: Where is Estonia?

Upon learning that it was merely a tiny, insignificant dot on the map, their interest vanished instantly, finding it far inferior to Japan and London.

It's not even as bad as the disaster in Florida.

Instead, they focused more attention on the mysterious ghost ship and the knights on board.

Although they didn't know what kind of supernatural system this suddenly appeared knight belonged to, this didn't stop them from ranking his combat strength based on the limited information they had. Immediately, debates erupted online.

"How can this newly emerged knight be ranked directly above us Red Scarf Knights? Do they really think all of us Red Scarf Knights fans are dead?"

"Come on, to be fair, I'm just a bystander. Look at the fighting power the Ghost Ship Knights have shown. It's not just a little bit stronger than the Red Scarf Knights, it's several orders of magnitude stronger. Stop trying to cause trouble here. I think the Red Scarf Knights should stop using the title of 'knight' and just call themselves soldiers from now on."

"Another four thousand more!"

"Japanese? Hehe, is Black Rain good?"

"@#%#￥"

Various chaotic comments kept popping up on the social media platforms of superhuman enthusiasts, and the entire network became extremely lively because of this debate about the ranking of knights' combat power.

With the stunning image of breaking through the tsunami with a single blow, this mysterious knight quickly rose to the top tier of the power rankings, causing a bloodbath on the leaderboard and further intensifying the conflicts between various factions and fans.

But that's not surprising; it always happens when extraordinary disasters occur. They care more about the strong than the victims.

Of course, Muramasa Takii has the most exaggerated number of fans. She is a beautiful girl who appeals to both men and women, and no one else is a threat to her.

She registered a social media account with only a few photos, and after becoming a superhuman, she only posted one piece of content in cooperation with the Japanese official. Even so, her number of fans has already exceeded 100 million.

"Speaking of which, neither of the two games seems to have gained any new players recently, which doesn't fit the previous pattern. Or is it that Anatomy of Britain actually has new players? But that doesn't make sense. If they don't appear, they probably won't be able to get any rewards."

Sitting on the plane back to Japan, Kurosaki, feeling utterly bored, suddenly spoke up.

"Regarding information such as the players' identities and numbers, Taki and the others will not proactively disclose it to outsiders. This should be considered an unspoken understanding among the players," Taira no Ryu replied calmly.

Upon hearing this, Kurosaki casually took out a pen and started scribbling in his notebook: "Of course I know that, but we can analyze it through various details. Take the current situation of the players, for example. I'm sure there are at least two factions among them."

"Taki and Nobita often work together on missions, so they're definitely on the same side. Speaking of that red-armored samurai, he's really become much more low-key; I suspect he's already left Japan."

Kurosaki muttered to himself as he analyzed the situation methodically.

In fact, both the US and Japan have been conducting similar analyses and speculations about player factions and numbers on the ground. However, Kurosaki firmly believes that his reasoning is more accurate and closer to the truth than others.

“If the number of players doesn’t increase, those big shots who are eyeing the game slots behind the scenes will probably get restless. They’re dreaming of participating in the game and hoping to be lucky enough to get a precious slot and become an extraordinary player,” Kurosaki said, frowning as he continued his analysis.

Ping Shenglong nodded slightly: "But even if they are extremely anxious, they don't dare to take any substantial action. Players can communicate with each other at any time. From all aspects, even if players belong to different factions, they can still cooperate in certain situations. If all else fails, they can trade with the Demon Mist. And if the Demon Mist wants someone to die, no one in this world can stop it."

Kurosaki pursed his lips upon hearing this, about to retort that the white-clad mask would definitely be able to block the demonic mist.

After all, he had personally experienced the suffocating oppression of the white-clad mask up close; in that feeling, even breathing became a luxury. However, when the mysterious image of the white-clad mask appeared in his mind, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Because they usually don't simply categorize the white-clad masked person as a general superhuman for statistical purposes, but rather treat him as an additional important variable.

The white-clad mask is like a deus ex machina in a game; the moment he appears, the situation often turns completely one-sided, shattering the original balance.

More importantly, it seems that no one is qualified to have the white-clad masked man step forward to protect them.

"If you have time, please analyze the situation in Japan more."

"Does this mess even need analysis? Muramasa Taki has already told us how to eliminate the black rain, it's just that we can't do it. But as long as Ishijizo exists, Japan can continue to eke out a living, and to minimize the damage, the whole of Japan needs to unite. The Self-Defense Forces need to be fearless, the people need to help each other, and the officials need to do their duty—but do you think that's possible?"

Kurosaki's words were not meant to satirize anyone; they were simply stating an objective fact.

Upon hearing this, Ping Shenglong fell into a long silence before finally speaking slowly, "Perhaps."

Kurosaki's eyes widened instantly, truly not expecting that Heimori Ryu would show such confidence.

"Tell me, what if Muramasa Taki became prime minister?" Taira no Tatsumi dropped a bombshell, startling everyone. He turned his head, stared into Kurosaki's eyes, and asked solemnly, "What do you think?"

"Are you fucking serious?!"

Kurosaki gasped, frowning as his mind began to involuntarily consider the possibility of what Taira no Ryu had said, and the various consequences that this action might bring.

Think about it carefully, and believe it or not, you really shouldn't say it.
It seems that, to some extent, this matter can indeed be inspiring.

However, the current difficult situation will not be completely changed by this change, and people's dissatisfaction will continue to accumulate over time.

After all, the reason why Takii is now being elevated to a divine status is mainly because of her extraordinary identity, outstanding beauty, and good reputation.

But once you become prime minister, you will face a completely different evaluation system.

In this system, only by looking to the future can one judge the past. People in the present cannot make any accurate judgments; emotions outweigh facts.

In his opinion, it wasn't worth the risk. If this made Takii dislike ordinary people, it would be a huge problem. Besides, Taki might not even be willing to take on this mess.

Meanwhile, in Taoyuan Village, Muramasa Taki, who was completely unaware that he was being considered for the position of the new prime minister, was focused on working in the fields.

Thanks to her previous contributions, she finally succeeded in cultivating another piece of land.

Moreover, her recent points earnings have been quite good, enough for her to buy higher-level seeds to plant.

"Haha, that thief fox village chief isn't here!" Hayato's joyful shout echoed through the village.

Hayato noticed something was wrong as soon as he entered the village. His vegetables were just seconds away from being cooked, but the fox village chief wasn't there to wait for him. How rare!

That scoundrel always waits for the food when it's only a few minutes before it's cooked.

I don't know how it remembers it so clearly.

If a player hesitates for even two seconds, then sorry, they'll definitely have a piece of their food stolen.

Given the amount of farmland most players currently have in Peach Blossom Village, the income from growing vegetables is not high to begin with, and it can only be considered a small bonus for points. If the village chief, Fox, steals some of the farmland, in the end, players will only have enough points to barely break even, and they will have wasted a lot of time, which is not worth it.

So, after harvesting his vegetables, Hayato quickly activated his abilities, driving his motorcycle, whose power had been somewhat weakened in the village, and rushed to the lighthouse.

Upon arriving at the lighthouse, he saw a transparent slime leisurely sunbathing at the entrance, a sight that almost made him think that monsters had suddenly spawned in Peach Blossom Village.

Unlike the fox village chief who can only make "whimpering" sounds, this slime can actually speak, and in Japanese at that!

However, it doesn't seem out of place for a slime to speak Japanese.

The slime informed Hayato that the fox village chief needed to leave for a few days, and it had come to temporarily take over the fox village chief's work.

From Hayato's brief observation, this slime didn't seem particularly interested in stealing crops, only caring about its own little plot of land. This was undoubtedly great news for players who had long suffered from the fox village chief stealing their crops.

So Hayato immediately drove around the village announcing the good news.

I really hope that fox never comes back.

"Slime?" Taki was increasingly confused about what kind of place this Peach Blossom Village was.

It's like a part of reality, for example, fatigue accumulates, and you can't enter the player lobby to rest like you would in the player lobby. It also has sunrise and sunset, but it's like a game, for example, the mechanism of Peach Blossom Village, the fox who is the village chief, and now slimes appear.

Suppress these doubts and speed up the process of managing your own land.

She didn't stay in Peach Blossom Village for long; the giant's remains in reality were waiting for her to forge them into bullets.

Hopefully, the next game won't be a time killer; ideally, it would be like Silver Cup Manor, where one round of the game lasts only one second in real life.

At the very least, it could be something like the Pact of the Underworld, where each game session only passes one hour in real life.

This gave her time to deal with the various things that had piled up in reality.

Not long after Takii left, Ludu logged on. She yawned absentmindedly, then tended to the fields before quickly returning to the player lobby and logging off.

Even Hayato, who had discovered the wonderful news that the fox wasn't there, couldn't catch up with her.

"Why has Ludu suddenly become so energetic?" Hayato scratched his head.

(End of this chapter)