Am I the only one streaming Sword Art Online on the entire internet?

He brandished his pistol, keeping the others inside the post office occupied. Mo Yulan suddenly recalled a classic question: why can a shepherd herd hundreds of sheep with a whip, a soldier keep watch over dozens of slaves with a sword, and a bank robber keep an entire bank in check with a single HG pistol? They understood the logic; he could only eliminate a limited number of people, but no one dared to be the first to act.

However, Mo Yulan was not the kind of person who liked to sit idly by and wait for death, especially since he had a very reliable solution to the current situation.

"Hurry up and put the money in! Put in all the money you have! Be quick about it!"

The male clerk at the window, though with a stern face, still handed over a stack of banknotes about five centimeters thick with his right hand. But in that instant, the man pulled the trigger directly at the clerk, proving that what he held in his hand was not a toy. The male clerk's eyes widened, his hands pressed against his chest, and a slight red stain was visible on his white shirt below his tie.

"Didn't I tell you not to ring the alarm? Hey, you! Come over here and put the money in!"

After recognizing that the gun in his hand was real, Mo Yulan began to make plans in her mind, even though she couldn't do anything but crouch down and cover her head. She could actually deal with this amateur bank robber to some extent, even if he didn't have any weapons.

"If we calculate based on its full ammo, it still has seven rounds left. I'm in a position where I can't directly engage it from its front. Let's see what other tricks it pulls... This bank robbery is really amateurish."

This bank robbery was indeed quite amateurish. If nothing unexpected happens, the police will surround the place in a while, and the desperate robbers will use the seven bullets they have left to threaten the police outside. Finally, they will be forced to break through by tear gas and stun grenades.

The man kicked the area under the counter several times in agitation, then, perhaps intending to shoot another clerk, he raised his right hand, which was gripping Tokarev, again. The two female clerks screamed and crouched down.

Taking advantage of the brief moment he turned around, Mo Yulan moved forward a few squares, getting closer to the man. This bank robber had clearly used drugs before entering; his mental state was unstable, and he was physically weak. Mo Yulan's plan was to continue quietly approaching them and then use the method Glazkov had taught him to disarm him directly. However, he turned back a moment later, forcing Mo Yulan to stop.

"If you keep dragging this out, I'll kill another person... I'll shoot!"

The man aimed at the woman who had been standing behind the counter but was now lying on the floor. She seemed utterly terrified by what had just happened, unable to move. But at that moment, the little girl who had stood up suddenly rushed forward, grabbed the man's right hand holding the pistol, and bit down hard. The man gasped in shock, then flung his entire right hand, along with the little girl, into the air, causing Natokarev to slip from his grasp.

"Now!" Seeing this, Mo Yulan leaped up and tackled the man, the two wrestling on the ground. After the little girl slowly got up, she immediately noticed the HG and picked it up without thinking.

"It's so heavy... but as long as I use this, I can stop that horrible man, right..."

The thought crossed her mind, and she raised her pistol, mimicking the posture she had just seen, but hesitated for a moment as she aimed at the two people wrestling.

"Anyone will do, go pick up the gun... WDNMD, where are you aiming? Bullshit... CCCCNMD!"

When the man saw the little girl raise the gun, he struggled to break free from Mo Yulan and lunged at her, trying to snatch the gun away. However, this action seemed to help her aim; she had been hesitant, but now she reflexively pulled the trigger.

The man made a hiccup-like sound and released the little girl's wrist, then took two steps back. At that moment, Mo Yulan ran around him to the little girl's side, patted her hand, and before she could fully tense up, grabbed the gun.

"Tokarev... It's a familiar model. Don't be afraid, I'm here."

He blocked the little girl's view with his body, then turned his head away and fired the remaining six 7.62mm rounds.

235. Infiltration Operations

"So, Arashi's first murder didn't happen in SAO? But from your description, that little girl was quite remarkable."

Sitting on the sofa, You Na listened to Mo Yu Lan's story and asked this question with some curiosity. She was dressed in a very modern Brotherhood-style outfit, with a hidden blade strapped to her wrist, a small katana hanging on her back, and a silenced Sima Guang sword hanging at her waist. She was fully armed.

"Yes, I just hadn't told you before, since it's not a big deal. By the way, Ivy just messaged me saying that [Death Gun] landed at a place called Amherst Biopharmaceuticals, and they're there now."

Mo Yulan checked her weapons and equipment one last time to make sure they were all ready, then opened her system, where she saw things like ammunition reserves and skills displayed in front of her.

“Maybe it’s just my gut feeling, but the children need our help, and it’s just in time to get there.” He bent down, ruffled Yuna’s long hair, and kissed her forehead lightly. “It’s been a long time since we’ve fought side by side like this, though I would rather you never be in danger.”

“That’s not very realistic, after all, we no longer live in a world that is only seen from the perspective of ordinary people.” You Na shook her head slightly, grasped Mo Yu Lan’s outstretched left hand, and said with unusual firmness, “If there is any need, I will always stand by your side.”

"That's good, let's go." Mo Yulan nodded, feeling the soft touch and slight warmth from her left hand, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.

It was still that same AE86 that had been used for a long time, but it had been modified countless times by him and the Rainbow Team. The only thing it had in common with the original 86 was that it was a manual transmission. It was late at night, and there weren't many cars on the road, so their journey was relatively easy. However, Vector and his companion on the other side weren't having such an easy time; they seemed to have encountered some problems.

——————Tokyo, Amherst Biopharmaceuticals——————

"Try to avoid direct conflict. Our goal is to investigate, not to infiltrate in the true sense. There is no need to fight them to the death."

Vector gave these instructions. In this mission, she was actually a support role, while the main intelligence gathering would be done by Ivy. The two of them were currently in a bush in the company's green area, only about four meters above their designated infiltration route—the ventilation duct on the side of the main building.

"Understood. Ivy is hacking the camera. The hacking operation is expected to be completed in thirty seconds... Done."

Aiweixin squatted on the ground with her head down for a moment, her eyes flashing with streams of emerald green data, a few white mists rising from her head, and her originally fair cheeks tinged with a few streaks of rosy blush.

"What happened? Did you just overload?" Vector frowned slightly, placed the back of his right hand on Ivy's forehead, and then quickly withdrew it after feeling the burning heat. "Do you want to rest for a bit?"

“No need, time is limited. Hug me—Vivi!” Ivy said, feigning composure, as she stood up and swept Vector into her arms. Then, she closed her eyes slightly and spread the wings on her back. “MOD: Electronic-Angel, active!”

This time, under her deliberate control, it didn't emit a dazzling golden light the moment it unfolded. Instead, a layer of persistent gray mist condensed around the wings. This gray mist seemed capable of blocking any line of sight, but its true function was actually to shield the thermal imaging capabilities of most cameras.

She didn't fly too high, hovering just before reaching the landing site. Once Vector sensed she had stopped, he extended his right hand and attached a specially made exothermic explosive to it.

“Stay a little further away, then go in,” Vector instructed. “I’ll go in first, then you hold onto me and fold your wings, and I’ll pull you up.”

"Okay, Vivi."

Ivy nodded, flew a short distance away, and stood quietly waiting for it to create a "really fxcking big hole." The explosion wasn't very loud; it was just the hissing sound of burning metal falling onto a flat, metallic surface. She first sent Vector inside, then, holding Vector's hands, deactivated the electronic angel mode.

The wings shrouded in gray mist were quickly retracted to her back. Ivy felt a familiar sense of gravity surrounding her, and then the feeling of falling instantly lessened considerably. She also felt a warm and soft touch in her palms.

With a little effort, Ivy used Vector's hands to squeeze into the ventilation duct from mid-air, and then breathed a sigh of relief inside. Once again, the emerald green data stream flashed in her eyes.

“Ivy is analyzing the internal structural diagrams of this building. Give me some more time.” Ivy said, her expression suddenly becoming tense, and the tension was conveyed through her words the next moment, “…Damn it, Ivy has been discovered, but the target doesn’t seem to care about her at all.”

"We've been discovered? What happened?" Vector tensed up and asked cautiously.

“It’s not the kind of discovery you usually think of. To put it more simply, it means the other side has discovered that the building is being infiltrated, but they don’t know exactly where Ivy and Vivi are.” Ivy shook her head and explained softly, “But that means that once Ivy and Vivi show themselves, they will be completely exposed, and the only option left will be to retreat.”

“But retreating is impossible now, after all, we still only have a superficial understanding of this company. After this infiltration, their level of vigilance will definitely be much higher next time, making it even more difficult to obtain any intelligence.” Vector shook her head; she certainly didn’t approve of retreating. However, it seemed that if this operation wanted to continue, Ivyson was their only hope. “Send me the detailed information about the Amherst Corporation building, let me think about what to do next.”

236. The Bewildered Girl

With trembling hands, the girl removed AmuSphere from her head, breathing softly. She recalled the last words spoken by the unforgettable man, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“How…how did he know? He said he was there, but…”

Shino sat on the bed, hugging her knees and resting her head on them. Then, she pulled out a newspaper from the deepest part of another drawer, which contained a record of the incident. Strangely enough, she had two versions of the events in her mind: one was that she had taken the man's gun and shot him three times in quick succession, killing him; the other was that someone had stood in front of her and protected her at that moment.

However, the psychological trauma she suffered at the time was so severe that the specific details were quite blurry in her mind. In addition, after the incident, the first few psychologists who came into contact with her all conveyed the feeling that "that person did not exist, it was just a manifestation of your self-protection mechanism taking effect." So she still believes that she killed that man.

“I still felt like something was off. It wouldn’t be surprising if he said he’d heard about what happened to me, but he said he was there… something just didn’t feel right. I’ll have to ask him about it when I have time. So I decided on the day of the final.”

Shino shook her head, struggled to get out of bed, washed her face, and after managing to clear her head a bit, decided to go out for a nice meal tonight to soothe her bad mood caused by the final draw.

She likes to cover herself up as much as possible with accessories like large scarves and non-prescription glasses to block the gaze of those around her, which makes her feel more at ease. She likes to stand up straight and tilt her eyes downwards at a 45-degree angle when walking, which helps her avoid eye contact with others. It's not that she dislikes interacting with others, but she's afraid of being hurt again like she was with those delinquent girls.

She turned the handle and gently pushed the door open. She was slightly startled when she saw the figure at the door, but she felt relieved after seeing who it was.

"Shinkawa-kun... why are you here?" Shino asked hesitantly, looking Shino up and down. She noticed he seemed to have come out in a hurry; his shirt and jacket were quite disheveled. "What happened?"

"Ugh... don't even mention it. I was helping out in my brother's lab when he suddenly told me to leave." Shinkawa looked completely bewildered as he said this, because he genuinely didn't know what had happened. "But I heard that the research institute seems to have been hacked by something mysterious."

"Um, you should be alright, right?" Shino looked up, her eyes filled with concern as she gazed at Shinkawa.

"Of course I'm fine. Do I look like the kind of kid who would give up at the slightest trouble?" Shinkawa smiled brightly, then turned around and pointed in the direction of the commercial district. "How about we grab a drink? It's on me."

“Okay.” Shino readily agreed. In fact, this boy named Shinkawa Kyoji was one of her few friends at school—if you exclude those delinquent girls, he was probably the only one.

------

Her first meeting with Shinkawa actually stemmed from a misunderstanding at a nearby library. At the time, Shino was reading a magazine called "Military Sub-Dimension" on the second floor. She had managed to avoid triggering her phobia by looking at photos, but when she saw the review about Tokarev, she was still somewhat dazed and seemed unable to hold back.

Just as she hurriedly closed the book, someone spoke to her from behind: "Do you like guns too?"

This person was none other than Shinkawa Kyoji, her classmate whom she still couldn't remember. Shino immediately wanted to deny it, but explaining it would be too complicated, so she tried to gloss over the topic. Now Shinkawa knew Shino was afraid of these things, but he hadn't known then. He pointed to the contents and explained them to Shino for a long time, inadvertently mentioning the "other world."

Sinon knew that full-dive-style game consoles had existed for several years, but she had never been particularly interested in the world of swords and magic. However, the virtual worlds that Shinkawa mentioned to her had neither swords nor magic; instead, they contained all sorts of firearms, the battle of wits between counter-terrorism elites and terrorists, and strange things like "9418, just one shot, tactical lean back, shall I shoot you?"

After hesitating for a long time, Shino clenched her sweaty hands and asked Shinkawa again in a hoarse voice—how much would it cost to play those games?

"CS:GO has been free for a long time; you should say you only need to pay for the equipment. As for Rainbow Six Siege... I still recommend buying the Gold Edition, which unlocks all the DLC operators."

This was Shinkawa's answer at the time. The next day, on the battlefield where counter-terrorism elites and terrorists fought endlessly, another "freebie girl" appeared. Six months later, the "freebie girl" had become a global elite (i.e., a member of the global elite), while the "freebie boy" was still stuck in the Gold III rank. Unfortunately, neither CS:GO nor Rainbow Six Siege has released the Tokarev, an extremely outdated pistol, so Sinon has no way to verify the effectiveness of this treatment.

------

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the cafe and sat down in a secluded spot. A cup of milk tea sat in front of Shino, and she wrapped her hands in the warm teacup, calming herself slightly.

"I was watching the match live just now, and you played really well." Shinkawa looked at Shino and praised her excitedly, "But it was quite unexpected that you switched with that guy in the end."

“That was definitely a mistake on my part. Otherwise, I don’t know how I would have lost to an opponent like Dual-wielding Cassidy and Lone Star using Demon and Heel.” Sinon was clearly still very resentful when she said this. She clenched her hands slightly, then raised her cup and took a sip of tea. Suddenly, she noticed that Shinkawa looked absent-minded. “What are you thinking about? You seem to be deep in thought.”

"No... I wasn't thinking about too much, I was just worried about what was happening over there..."

237. Infiltration Operation in Progress

The detailed information Vector referred to was actually a diagram of the internal structure of the Amherst Corporation building. She needed to analyze this map and plan multiple infiltration routes and evacuation methods within a very short time, and then convey these to Ivy, who would carry out most of the tasks.

“We need to bypass the patrol officers, sneak into the server room that we can access from the outside, and then download the server data. We need to find a terminal and hack into their cameras, then enter the corridor through the B1 passage. The room at the end of that corridor is a server room.”

Vector watched as Ivy used her left eye to project a map of the floor onto the lower part of the ventilation ducts, then pointed to the path above and explained. Ivy stared at the spot Vector was pointing at for a moment, then shook her head and lightly tapped the hall outside the B1 passage with her index finger.

"This is their office. If Vivi and Ivy choose this infiltration route, it will be a one-sided affair. Ivy has optical cloaking and could try to sneak in, but Vivi, you probably don't have that."

"Try to take down a couple of researchers on the perimeter and hide them, then change their clothes. You should disguise the camera situation beforehand," Vector said without hesitation. "Sometimes, using technology to replace some human labor can easily lead to loopholes, like in this situation."

“But that’s because of Ivy…” Ivy thought to herself. However, if it was really described as Vector did, then the things she had just worried about were obviously not problems. “Wait a minute, and… can you really pretend to be an adult, Vivi?”

“Stop kidding, you can’t do it either. Just grab a couple of masks and everything will be fine. Height isn’t an issue.” Vector remained quite calm, but there was a hint of danger in his voice. “In one minute and thirteen seconds, two patrolmen will pass directly below us. Their weapons are just simple taser and batons… It doesn’t seem to be the kind of equipment we expected from a military-affiliated company.”

“Give Ivy Xin another thirty seconds. Wait a minute.” Ivy Xin’s tone was flat, but judging from the blush on her face, the girl must have overloaded again. “Also, don’t judge this company’s situation simply from the equipment carried by the patrol personnel. Their defenses in information and networks are quite tight. If my machine is not electronic warfare specialized, I estimate it will be difficult to break through their defenses.”

“Actually, your machine… never mind, I’m ready. Switch to tranquilizer grenades, try to avoid any fatalities.” Vector seemed to want to explain something but then suddenly stopped. She installed the silencer on her Vector, adjusted the holographic sight, confirmed the fire selector position, and then replaced it with a magazine loaded with special tranquilizer grenades.

"Why? Ivy doesn't quite understand." Ivy tilted her head in confusion, looking at Vector, but still obediently took several 5.7 caliber tranquilizer darts from her hand and loaded them into her FN-57. "Is there any special purpose behind this?"

"It's just to avoid forces that are not yet known to be friends or foes directly becoming our enemies. For example, the intelligence we have now is that there is a dead gun hidden in this company, but we don't know if that person is a researcher, security guard, cleaner or just a temporary worker. It would be difficult to deal with if we used live ammunition directly."

After Vector explained it this way, he suddenly remembered that Chu Ziyu had mentioned that the girl in front of him had experience in infiltration operations, so he looked at Aiweixin with a look of surprise and suspicion.

"Wait, would you mind telling me the details of your last infiltration operation?"

"I just went stealthily upstairs, sneaked into the server room, took out all four guards, planted the bombs, and then went on a rampage, making a complete mess of their territory before jumping out the window and escaping. Thinking about it, it was actually pretty easy." Ivy calmly replied to Vector's bewildered words, then reopened her eyes. "All done. How far is that patrol team from here?"

“Twenty seconds. You can close this cover now.” Vector said, placing his hands on a cover under the ventilation duct and applying slight pressure. “Try to be as quiet as possible when you jump down. After knocking those two out, come with me to the nearest storage room, change your clothes, and then we’ll continue with the next step.”

“Understood.” Ivy nodded, gripped the FN-57 tightly, watched Vector lift the entire cover, and then jumped down after her.

"A male ghost suddenly appeared...rua!"

Aiweixin suddenly thought that if it were Mo Yulan, there should be the sound effects she was imagining. However, she didn't feel anything about these things. She saw the two inspectors approaching; they looked particularly burly, and the shirts they wore could have been used as dresses by Vector.

Of course, even the most robust physique couldn't withstand the sudden arrival of these soldiers and their tranquilizer darts. Vector fired two bursts of fire at the man on the left after landing, while Ivy, seeing this, used a dart on the man on the right to send him to sleep. The whole process was clean and efficient, taking less than two seconds; the two men lost consciousness without even uttering a sound.