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

[The question is, does this count as something I discovered myself?]

[This is something Uncle Su discovered himself, okay? Hey... I won!]

[You damned beast, what cursed you?]

"Damn it...isn't this the plot of 'Hands Up'?" Solin said in annoyance, and then began to complain about the viewers in his live stream who were not doing anything at all. "WTF, you didn't even tell me, you were just planning to watch them mess with me, right...Shino, when did you get on our car?"

"A long time ago, probably when you and Kirito went offline. And... just now, a few of your viewers came to my live stream and started a guessing game, the topic of which was when you would find me."

Shino calmly answered Sorin's question, and of course, she never took off the Kar98K that she had been pressing against the back of Sorin's head.

"If you wanted to get kills, you could have just killed me when I disconnected. There was no need to wait until now." Sorin's tone was similar to Shino's, indifferent yet with a hint of threat. "I think if there's anything to say, we can say it properly. There's no need to act like this."

"What if I don't want to talk things out properly?" Sinon looked at Sorin, who was still being stubborn even in this state, and suddenly found it a little funny. "Why do you have this illusion that you can still negotiate with me, Mr. Elegant Sorin?"

“It’s simple. Kirito and I each have a fragmentation grenade in our hands, and it’s unlikely that you can fire at the same time and kill both of us.” Sorin slowly revealed his reliance or bargaining chip, word by word. “If you fire, we’ll blow up the car with grenades and take you with us. None of the three of us will win.”

After he finished speaking, not only Sinon but also Kirito was stunned. Because Kirito had not had any private conversations with him, and did not have the lightning that Sinon considered "non-existent," he was not quite sure how to cooperate with Sorin.

"...Sorin, do we really have to go this far? Besides, I also..."

"Keep your mouth shut and hold your grenade. So, Sinon, I'm not asking for anything more. I think we can have a calm and rational discussion instead of this confrontation. After all, I have my own mission to complete. How about this, let's both turn off our microphones in the live stream. You can feel more at ease communicating this way."

Sorin parked the car near their target location, a small two-story building, covered Kirito's mouth, and then made this suggestion to Sinon.

"……Can."

Chapter 258. "Kirito, go scout ahead."

The three reached an agreement in the car regarding the upcoming discussions, but some specific details would need to be explained later, and also... whether there was anyone inside the two-story building was still a question.

"Even though the three of us are essentially allies now, the BoB finals are still basically a solo queue event. So even if someone gets there first, it can only be one person."

After getting out of the car, Suolin seriously analyzed the situation for a long time. Then, seeing that the door to the two-story building was tightly closed and it seemed that no one had ever entered, he felt a little relieved.

Of course, this only brought him a slight sense of relief. In fact, even after Solin went inside and found the doors closed and medicines and various spare parts scattered on the floor, he couldn't be sure that no one was inside. After all, he had done this kind of thing more than once or twice: locking the door on the first floor, leaving supplies, and then lying in wait on the second floor to ambush someone.

"What do you mean now?" Sinon looked around the house, equally wary. "It looks like no one's here, but I feel like something's off."

“To put it simply, Sinon, if this were Rainbow Six Siege, we could usually solve this simple problem with a drone. While we don’t have a drone right now, we can still consider a relatively similar solution.”

Sorin shrugged, proposed a solution that sounded quite bizarre at first glance, and then grabbed Kirito by the collar and led him to the front.

"Now let our super brave little brother Kirito scout ahead and check out the situation inside."

"...Why me?" Kirito turned around in confusion and protested, "What if there are people inside? Wouldn't I be the first one to get killed?"

"Think of it this way: firstly, you're the quickest to react among the three of us, so if we encounter someone, you won't get shot down immediately. Besides, Shino and I are right behind you, so even if you can't beat him, we'll help you, right?"

Sorin patted Kirito's shoulder forcefully, revealing a knowing smile that suggested he was betraying his teammate. Kirito, while feeling a little uneasy at Sorin's strange smile, thought about it carefully. Since they met in SAO, Sorin had never actually said anything about betraying his teammate, whether in the game or in real life. So after a brief hesitation, he finally agreed.

"Then... I'll go in?"

Kirito gripped his MP7 tightly, glanced back at Sorin, and then, with Sorin's encouraging gaze, slowly pushed open the small door to the second floor. The scene inside could only be described as "utterly destitute." All the doors on the first floor were tightly shut, and the hall was completely empty of anything of value.

Sorin waited a moment before going through the small door that Kirito had just opened with Sinon. After seeing what was inside, he gave a very concise assessment.

"Even a fool could guess that someone is squatting on the second floor. This floor is way too clean."

“Same here, but let’s still check the first floor a bit more, maybe we missed something?” Sinon said, taking out her melee weapon, the “Bison,” and starting to search room by room from the right. Seeing Sinon choose the right side, Sorin and Kirito also began searching the rooms on the left without hesitation. This whole process took less than a minute, and after spending that time, they confirmed the conclusion that “there’s nothing on the first floor.”

"I'll go first, Kirito behind me, and Sinon third." Sorin held a stun grenade in his hand, with two more stun grenades strapped to his belt. He stood at the top of the stairs, pointed to the wall in front of him, and continued, "Kirito, stick close to me. I'll go up, and you follow me. Once we're up, I'll look left, and you look right, understand?"

"Okay. I understand..." Kirito subconsciously replied, watching as Sorin threw two stun grenades against the wall in front of him, reflecting them to the second floor. Then, he threw a third stun grenades towards the stairwell and dashed up. The three stun grenades exploded, emitting ear-piercing sounds and blinding flashes, but none of this affected the well-prepared Sorin in the slightest.

Upon reaching the second floor, he immediately shifted his gun to the left and saw a man wearing a homemade, knock-off ghillie suit, one hand covering his eye, crouching beside a bookshelf. He fired half a magazine of .45 ammunition, knocking the man to the ground. Kirito, looking to his right, spotted another figure lurking on the second floor. He instinctively fired again, but his aim was poor, and he didn't immediately eliminate the other man. It was Sinon, who had run up the stairs, who finished him off with two more shots, thus safely eliminating all the enemies on the second floor.

"I don't know why, but it seems they've chosen to team up," Solin sighed softly. "Only one person can win in the end... I just don't understand."

"Heh, you know that only one person can win in the end, Solin. Besides, when did I agree to team up with the two of you? I just said we could have a calm discussion, but that doesn't mean I'm going to team up with you to share the chicken dinner."

Sinon responded coldly, then sat down to the side, still holding the bison. Sorin looked at Sinon and sighed helplessly, then sat down as well, staring directly at the still wary girl.

"Okay, let's start with you. You can ask me a question, and if I give you a positive response, then I'll ask you a question, and so on, until you feel you know everything you want to know. I think that's a pretty scientific approach."

Sorin suggested this, and Shino hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding, as if she had made a great decision. She still found her own hesitation strange, because no matter what, she was the one who wanted to ask Sorin that question, while Sorin didn't seem to need to ask her anything. But thinking of this, she suddenly remembered Sorin's warning to her before logging off yesterday, the part about Death Gun.

"Then I'll ask the first question. You said you once personally experienced a bank robbery. Could you describe the details?"

259. A Gradually Clarifying Goal

"The details... well, it's like this: 20 years ago, I went to the bank to withdraw money and encountered a really amateurish guy robbing the bank. I then treated him, it's that simple... so what?"

Sorin briefly described what had happened, though he still couldn't reconcile the image of Shino with the little girl he had protected earlier. He just felt that Shino's gaze towards him at this moment was clearly strange.

"Your identity must be more than just a Chinese game streamer.

Shino's thoughts were quite complex. On one hand, she genuinely felt grateful to the person who had saved her and her mother from the robbers. However, it was also undeniable that certain organizations or individuals, whose true identities remained unclear, had gone so far as to use psychological manipulation to pull him out of the incident while she was in a state of mental confusion, causing her to live in the shadows for so many years. That was why she tentatively asked this question after turning off the microphone in the live stream.

“I work for an organization that needs to keep things confidential from the public, and right now I’m investigating this game. That guy who calls himself ‘Death Gun’ is all I can tell you. Now for my question: Why are you so fixated on that heist? I remember I only mentioned it to explain your problem.”

Sorin vaguely realized something at this moment, but he didn't really remember what the little girl looked like back then. It was just that Shino's urgent feeling made him feel that she was related to that little girl.

“Because I was involved too…and I was the one you protected back then.” Sinon sighed, looked up at Sorin again, her tone still carrying a subtle hint of resentment. “But later your existence was hidden away, and the psychologist who treated me repeatedly used psychological suggestion to tell me that you didn’t exist, that I killed that guy in self-defense, which is why I was curious about your identity. If it weren’t for this morning’s consultation, I would still be in the dark.”

Upon hearing what Shino said, Sorin showed a look of realization, which then turned into one of deep apology.

"Although I don't think this has anything to do with me, I still feel I should apologize to you. I'm sorry."

"Apologize and all that... there's no need. You're not some great hero who only knows how to apologize all day long. Besides, the impact of this incident on me is almost over. I just have one more question: are you really not troubled by the fact that you killed someone...?"

Sinon remained intently focused on Sorin, asking each question carefully. Their current communication style had long since moved beyond the "one question per person" approach Sorin had described; Sinon was now constantly asking questions, while Sorin continued to answer.

As for Kirito… he'd been sidelined for a long time because he felt he couldn't get a word in edgewise. He'd sensed countless times that Sorin was doing something, but he'd been kept in the dark, even when he was trying to help him. He disliked this feeling, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

“If the killing was to save an innocent life from the clutches of a sinner, I wouldn’t feel any guilt. But in reality… there’s only one person I killed who wasn’t killed for that reason.” Sorin pondered seriously for a long time before giving his answer. “Well… you should know that I was once trapped in SAO, the game where the death of a character leads to the player’s own death. I was once ambushed by a group of red-named players during a mission, and to protect my fiancée, I killed several of them. And later, again to protect her, I led a team to wipe out an entire red-named guild.”

Shino's eyes were filled with shock. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. The person in front of her hadn't been defeated by that past like she had; it was as if she had never cared about those things at all. She envied such a strong heart, but she still couldn't understand this way of thinking.

“But… can the sin of killing be ignored simply because of this?” she murmured to herself, seemingly doubting the truth of what Sorin said, but there was really nothing to doubt. “Why were you able to overcome those past experiences? Why were you able to become so strong now?”

"I'm just used to not showing my vulnerable side to others. Because in front of others, I'm always the decisive, invincible, and always at the forefront president. If even I hesitate in such a battle, I can't expect my team members to continue fighting. As for ignoring the sin of killing... maybe it's because I've never considered it a sin."

Sorin glanced at the time and felt he still had time to continue the topic, so he skipped over some minor details. In fact, the person still troubled by this matter wasn't Sinon, but Kirito, who had been listening silently. He had been in a daze ever since the bug-related incident, though he hadn't explicitly said so, Sorin had noticed. In other words, his explanation wasn't just to answer Sinon's questions, but also to provide psychological support to Kirito.

"Perhaps it's because our ways of thinking are different. I grew up in a military family, and when I was very young, my father told me that if I ever had the chance to take up arms and go to the battlefield, it would be to fight to protect the people or things I cherish. Even if my hands were stained with blood in the process, as long as the innocent people behind me are safe and sound, it's not a big deal. I must say that violence is not something to be encouraged, but it is a necessary means in critical moments."

"Is that so...? Thank you, Sorin. If you want to investigate Death Gun in this place, I'll help you. It's just a chance to win the BoB championship, so you can just take it or leave it."

Sinon nodded seriously, then placed her right hand on top of Sorin's outstretched right hand. Kirito, who was still in a daze, was noticeably better than before. He stood up and placed his right hand on Sorin's as well.

"Just think of it as fighting to protect other players from Death Gun damage, please."

261. Division of Loot and Evacuation

With three minutes remaining before the safe zone shrank again, Sorin used those three minutes to briefly explain his findings to the Rainbow Team. After he finished speaking, the chat fell silent for a moment before responding.

[Your intelligence is crucial. I'll immediately begin deploying the action team and continue the operation. If all goes well, let your little angel rest at home; she shouldn't need to lift a finger this time.]

"Yes." Sorin nodded, walked out from the corner, took his 98K in his hand, waved to Sinon, and then said, "Sinon, do you have any more high-powered scope parts? Give me some."

"Hmm... You must have come from Building C, right? How come you don't have any ACOG parts?" Although Sinon found Sorin's request a bit strange, she still obediently took a bunch of parts out of her backpack and threw them on the floor. "There's still a minute and a half left, we need to hurry."

"I know, but if we don't get this sorted out now, we won't even be able to fight later." As Sorin spoke, he squatted down and formed hand seals over the parts, casting a spell in the air for a long time before finally producing two exquisitely designed scopes. "Kirito, find one to put on your gun... You don't even have an RF rifle right now, do you?"

"Anyway, I'm not necessarily good at hitting long-range targets, so I might as well not equip it with an RF. That's what I was thinking just now." Kirito shrugged, pointed to the MP7 and AR-15 behind him, and answered very decisively, "Let me put it this way, the Kar98K is a deadly weapon in your hands, but in my hands it's just a deterrent weapon at most. I'd better just stick to being an assault soldier."

“Then you can use this. I’ll make you a 4x scope.” Sorin thought about it carefully and felt that Kirito’s words made sense. So he selected a bunch of parts from his backpack and crafted an MDR assault rifle. This City MDR is generally one of the exclusive weapons of the Sentry Call set, and it is also the only assault rifle in The Division series that only has a semi-automatic firing mode. Under normal circumstances, it can be used as a semi-automatic sniper rifle.

Of course, this thing has two major advantages compared to a semi-automatic sniper rifle. One is that the recoil is relatively small, making it easier to control the gun. The other is that it has more bullets, so even if the first few shots don't hit, it can still provide suppressive fire. It is the first choice for FPS newbies like Kirito.

"All done. Take this and swap your AR-15 for mine, then give me the AR-15. Report your ammo and supplies, then we're off." Sorin stood up, handed Kirito a brand-new City MDR assault rifle with a 4x scope, and then opened his backpack. "I currently have 50 rounds of 7.62 ammo, 200 rounds of .45 ammo, but I probably won't need the .45 anymore. Two painkillers, four energy drinks, one adrenaline shot, and three first-aid kits."

"Forty rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 236 rounds of 9mm ammunition, one painkiller, two injections of adrenaline, one first-aid kit, and one medical kit." The second to report was Sinon, who had a considerable stockpile. "What about Kirito?"

"I... five bandages, two first-aid kits, 150 5.56 ammo, 4.6... I guess I won't need this anymore," Kirito weakly replied. To use a common phrase in PUBG, he was broke—so broke he was practically pawning his pants. You could say that if Kirito got killed in the wild, the person who killed him would probably curse him out when they saw his loot box.

"...Let's divide it up. Kirito, you keep 70 rounds of 5.56 ammo, and give the rest to me. Sinon, give Kirito one bottle of adrenaline, and I'll give him two drinks and a painkiller. That should be enough to get to the second-to-last circle." Sorin took two cans of Red Bull and a bottle of painkillers out of his backpack and tossed them to Kirito. He took two boxes of ammo from him, quickly switched to the map, glanced at it, and continued, "There's no time to block the people coming out of Pochinki anymore. Let's head towards the school and set up camp in the residential building behind the school."

"The terrain around the apartment building is a bit complicated, is it really okay?" Sinon asked hesitantly. "If we want to find a place to hold our ground, the garage to the north of the school should be fine, and it's easier to defend than the apartment building."

“But you have to consider the vast plains nearby. If the final safe zone changes drastically, we'll be at a disadvantage there.” Sorin spoke quickly, then jumped out of the window. “Come with me, let’s go now, quick!”

Sinon jumped out second, following Sorin, while Kirito, though seemingly flustered, kept up with Sorin and closely followed Sinon into the SUV they had arrived in. The seating arrangement was pre-arranged: Kirito sat in the back, while Sinon sat in the front passenger seat. Sorin hadn't dared to let Kirito and Sinon sit together, fearing that if they encountered enemies, Kirito might panic and fire, accidentally injuring Sinon before taking down the enemy. This seating arrangement ensured that no matter which side they encountered, there was an experienced driver to help Kirito with his gun. It was quite a clever arrangement.

"Actually, the best outcome right now would be for Dead Gun to be ambushed and killed by some old fox outside the circle, which would save us trouble. But no matter how you look at it, that's unlikely. He's the most cunning old fox, so it's unrealistic to expect someone else to ambush him."

Sorin marked a location on the map and drove towards it at the fastest speed the jeep could reach. But just then, the sharp-eyed Sinon suddenly spotted a parachute slowly descending in the distance. A heavy, red and blue metal box was suspended beneath the parachute, and it slowly landed, releasing a large amount of red smoke the instant it touched down.

This thing is perceived differently by everyone. Some see it as a dream, something they'll strive to pursue even if it's a thousand feet away; others, the weak, avoid it like the plague, because fierce battles often erupt near it. Although Solin and his two companions weren't weak, when the box appeared directly in front of them, he still stopped the car, got out, and found nearby cover.

"Listen to me, I have a bold idea. Would you like to give it a try?"

262. It's better to catch the ball steadily than to hit it accurately.

"You want to chase your dreams? Don't be ridiculous, we have other missions to take care of right now."

Sinon immediately understood Sorin's meaning and objected without hesitation. Kirito, while not entirely sure what the red and blue box emitting red smoke represented, had an intuition that "there's danger around that thing."

"Don't rush. If we want to find an opportunity to confront Death Gun head-on, then we need to reduce the number of players currently alive as much as possible. And right now, the players we kill are just characters who die and enter the observer's view to watch the game, but if they are executed by Death Gun... you should understand what they will face."

Sorin wagged his index finger at Shino, then lay down next to the nearest cover, took out his Kar98k from his back, aimed it at the airdrop crate, and continued explaining.

"And who said I was going to steal the airdrop crates? I just wanted to make things more chaotic. As the saying goes, you can only fish in troubled waters."

"I don't know if the water's murky or not, but I have a feeling you're going to slack off." Kirito casually mocked from the side, then imitated him by lying down on the side, setting up the City MDR in front of him, and observing the situation on the other side through the 4x scope. "Should we fire or not?"

“Don’t fire. If we shoot now, our positions will be exposed.” Solin shook his head and then pointed to a large tree about thirty meters away. “Pull the line of fire. Don’t lie down next to me. You’re too big a target.”

"Where am I going?" Kirito struggled to lift his head, looking at Sorin who had somehow gotten up from lying down, and then asked in confusion, "Wait... where are you going?"

"Pull out firing lines... never mind, you've never played PUBG, so you probably won't understand. Just remember to keep a relatively large distance apart in these kinds of open-world battles so that you can support each other."