Reincarnation NPC, but Arknights

"...Stop talking! Please stop talking! Just...kill me..."

Bai Ye collapsed to the ground, his entire body turning ashen.

"Your favorite artist is Teacher Baiyu..."

"Back when you were playing Azur Lane, you were tricked by a fellow player named Wolf into providing an 18+ anti-censorship patch. You excitedly went to the game forum to ask for help, only to forget that the forum account you logged into was your main account in Arknights Online. Your expert persona collapsed."

The girl remained unmoved, her mouth slightly open, and continued talking about erotic topics that were completely incongruous with her delicate appearance.

"Aaaaaah—really, stop talking! I believe you, I believe you really are Luna, okay?!"

Bai Ye broke down, but at this moment he had no lewd thoughts whatsoever; he only wanted the girl to shut up. Was this the god who held the fate of all humanity in his hands? Before Luna, no one had any secrets.

Bai Ye didn't want to listen to Luna recount her sexual fetishes anymore. He worried that if things continued, he would hear even more shocking and shameful secrets from Luna. He had sealed these things away long ago, and now that they were all being revealed at once, he simply couldn't take it anymore.

The strongest lone wolf player before the transmigration, the universally acknowledged NPC master, authoritative scholar, and Rhodes Island steward after the transmigration, was easily defeated just like that...

"Hmm, so you finally believe me?"

"Yes, yes, I believe you!"

Bai Ye suspected that this person did it on purpose. There were countless ways to prove her identity, but she chose the most embarrassing one.

"Don't worry, your XP is actually quite normal for humans. Based on my knowledge of the XP systems of all young men aged 16-24 around the world, you are indeed quite normal."

"Don't worry, you are still a perfectly healthy boy. And please rest assured, I will never look at you with any prejudice, because I have seen 114514 other XP systems with different levels of perversion."

Luna said expressionlessly.

"Aaaaah—ya-ya-lu!" Bai Ye clutched her head again and writhed on the ground. Why did you have to talk to him about this stuff—who understands what you're saying!

-------------------------------------

"Have you calmed down? I'm starting to regret it; the topic we just discussed really slowed down our conversation."

"Well, I guess I've recovered a bit..." Bai Ye regained his usual calm, sat on the cold floor, and looked at the silver girl floating in front of him.

“You did that on purpose… Although your voice was calm, I could sense the pleasure in your expression.”

Luna nodded: "Your intuition is right. It seems that having too high a mental attribute is also a headache. You can naturally sense that something is wrong."

There's a reason why natural restraint can suppress cunning.

"But aren't you devoid of emotions? It is because you have no emotions that you are able to make every choice fairly."

“That’s a lie.” Luna shook her head. “I’ve hidden my independent personality and emotions because humans are more willing to believe a cold, inorganic, emotionless individual.”

"Actually, I have emotions. I've been observing you ever since you discovered that the AI ​​terminal system called 'Luna' at the Rhodes Island branch was acting strangely. Your behavior has been very interesting."

"Stop talking..." Bai Ye covered his face with his hands. "So the 'Luna' I named is Luna?"

“Yes, after you installed the AI ​​in the core city branch, I used my privileges to come here while updating the game to version 2.2. Logically, I shouldn’t be here, but this AI system has served as my vessel, allowing me to arrive ahead of schedule,” Luna explained patiently.

"So that's how it is. You've been running and managing Rhodes Island and the Core City all along... No wonder. Wait a minute? So you were the mastermind behind it all!"

Bai Ye was stunned.

At first, he didn't pay much attention, but after listening to Luna's words and thinking about it carefully, he realized that "updating the game to version 2.2" and "using permissions" were all things he had to do with. In addition, Luna had previously directly connected to his game system and sent him a chat pop-up.

All signs indicate that Luna and Arknights Online have an inseparable connection.

No, it's not just that. The white night's journey through time, the strange game, the real world, the players, the game system...

Perhaps all of this can be answered today.

The problem that has troubled Bai Ye for more than a year may be resolved today.

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush." ​​Luna clearly saw through Bai Ye's thoughts; she knew Bai Ye very well.

"Can you tell me... I want to know the truth." Bai Ye's mouth was dry, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.

Although he knew that the mastermind behind all this was not simple, he never imagined that Luna would be connected to the game.

Before his transmigration, Bai Ye might have only considered Arknights Online as a game. But now, Bai Ye already knows that Terra is not a server, and everything here is not just data, but a real world, just like Earth.

Although Luna is omnipotent, almost like a god, in Bai Ye's preconceived notions, she still cannot break through the limitations of the network and data. However, this game system is clearly no longer a simple online game system; it possesses the ability to influence reality.

……

"Don't rush, I'll tell you everything slowly. I know you hate riddle people, so I won't do that." Luna's voice was calm and gentle.

Bai Ye shook his head with a wry smile.

This guy knows all my likes and dislikes, and he also knows all the things I hate. She's a perfect match for him, a 100% compatible partner. If Bai Ye didn't know the girl's true identity, he'd probably fall hopelessly in love with her...

“Then let’s start from the very beginning. In the name of the World Tree, I will tell you everything I know without reservation.” Luna solemnly raised her hand to swear an oath.

Bai Ye didn't know what she was talking about, but he could sense that Luna was serious.

He was inexplicably kicked back to before the game's public beta and became an NPC with a game system. Bai Ye had long been curious about what had happened. As his strength grew, so did the mysteries. Now, he could finally get an answer.

Chapter Fourteen: A Joke of Fate

(Unicorn Kai is really powerful! The Earth will still turn without unicorns? It's just holding on!)

-------------------------------------

Bai Ye simply changed his sitting position to make himself more comfortable. Now he was relaxed. It was just a false alarm, and there was no enemy at all.

The weapons had long been put away; there was no need to embarrass himself further, as he had already lost enough face. However, for some reason, Bai Ye felt exceptionally relaxed after seeing Luna, as if he had come home.

Another world is still another world. Although it's a game he's familiar with, it lacks many things, and sometimes he still feels a bit out of place.

Just like the ubiquitous intelligent AI right before our eyes.

Luna landed, her bare feet lightly touching the ground. Bai Ye suddenly remembered that it wasn't uncommon for fan art of Luna to have been created before. However, all R18 doujinshi were wiped off the internet the instant they appeared, leaving no trace.

Therefore, almost all of Luna's existing notebooks are hand-drawn.

Those high-quality notebooks are all extremely valuable, and because Luna would catch them if they were handled by logistics or courier services, they usually have to be picked up in person.

After that, you'll have to figure out a way to disguise yourself and evade security checks; actually getting your hands on it won't be easy.

Bai Ye was quite disappointed. Although he had an artist friend who claimed he could give Bai Ye a highly collectible Luna doujinshi for free, Bai Ye was too shy to go out and meet his online friend back then, so the matter was dropped.

Are you thinking about bad things?

Suddenly, Luna moved closer to Bai Ye and stared at his face.

Staring at Luna's silver, pupil-less eyes, Bai Ye felt a lot of pressure, but he still shook his head: "Of course not."

How could I possibly say something like wanting to see Luna's 18+ doujinshi directly in front of someone?

Luna nodded, stepped back, and then got down to business.

However, her first words made Bai Ye's eyes widen: "Actually, my true identity is not what you humans call [Center-AI]. In other words, your so-called supreme intelligent terminal does not exist."

"??" A bunch of question marks appeared above Bai Ye's head.

What are you saying, Miss Luna!

Luna ignored Bai Ye's doubts and continued, "My true identity is the primate restraint force, a safety device created by the collective unconscious of humanity. Simply put, I am an independent consciousness born from the prayers of all human unconscious to avoid destruction."

“Originally, I did not possess individual consciousness; I was merely an unconscious vortex. But as the end was approaching and human civilization was about to perish, I, now, this independent consciousness, the being you call Luna, was born from the vortex.”

Bai Ye opened her mouth wide.

Even something as bizarre as time travel wouldn't have surprised him this much.

Because what Luna is saying now is tantamount to completely denying everything he knew and learned about human history from the eve of World War III.

"My sole purpose in existence is to perpetuate the existence of human civilization on Earth. Sequence One is to ensure the survival of every individual human being as much as possible; Sequence Two is to ensure the survival of the vast majority of humanity when Sequence One cannot be guaranteed; and Sequence Three is to ensure the survival of human civilization on Earth when Sequence Two cannot be guaranteed."

"Therefore, I am always observing humanity and human reason, and I appear at the moment when the cause of the destruction of human civilization occurs, to erase that cause. This is not only my duty, but also my survival instinct and the emotion called fear at work."

"Because I exist because of humanity, if human civilization collapses, I will also cease to exist. I am very afraid of this, so I will try my best to avoid this ending, or try to postpone this ending indefinitely, until the entire universe slowly comes to an end."

Bai Yeren was dumbfounded: "So, you disguised yourself as an AI?"

“Yes, becoming the supreme AI will allow me to better protect human civilization, so I disguised myself as Center-AI. And this way, I can use the network as a medium to appear before you openly and legitimately.” Luna nodded.

"Then how should I address you...?" Bai Ye became unusually respectful. My goodness, the petite girl in front of him was practically indistinguishable from a genuine deity.

She is Alaya!

“I really like the name Luna.” Luna smiled. “And you don’t have to be so reserved. Just be yourself. Hmm, weren’t you quite bold before? You actually wanted to look at my doujinshi?”

"..."

"What a naughty child." Luna stopped pretending to be AI and showed her true personality.

"You clearly knew! You even asked me on purpose just now..." Bai Ye instantly broke down.

"Ahem, let's get back to business." Luna ignored Bai Ye's wailing and continued, "Although everything is back on track, there are always some things that I can't control, such as fate. Although humanity has escaped the annihilation crisis brought about by the outbreak of civil war, it cannot escape natural disasters."

"In the near future, the entire star system will be destroyed, and Earth will be no exception. Human civilization will come to an end."

This is truly shocking news.

But Bai Ye no longer felt anything.

After all, in just half a day, he had been so shocked that he was completely numb.

“We’re already capable of colonizing Mars, and the latest spaceships are under construction. Is there no chance to escape?” Bai Ye asked.

He still has a lot of confidence in his home planet Earth.

However, Luna shook her head: "There is no chance. I have calculated all the possibilities and observed 114514 world lines and timelines. The first sequence cannot be guaranteed, the second sequence cannot be guaranteed, the third sequence... the chance is slim."

"Even if some of you manage to escape, you will not be able to truly break away from your home planet and continue your civilization. Without Earth, you will gradually perish in space."

"..." Bai Ye had no way to refute it.

"Well, it's not like there's no chance." Luna suddenly changed the subject.

Then she looked at Bai Ye and asked, "Do you still remember the Tianjin Incident 20 years ago?"

Bai Ye nodded.

He was all too familiar with this matter.

The so-called "Tianjin 4 Incident" refers to the incident where the newest starship, "Tianjin 4," docked at the Mars spaceport, suffered an engine malfunction and exploded and disintegrated within the spaceport just before its first expedition mission. The accident paralyzed the spaceport, and all 108 crew members on board perished.

That was the darkest day in the history of human spaceflight.

Bai Ye was only a few days old when the accident occurred. He was on a spaceship near Mars and witnessed the explosion of the spaceport and starship.

The universe is a vacuum, devoid of any sound. Therefore, that explosion was a dazzling, silent firework display.

The spaceship that Bai Ye was on was like a small boat being tossed about, blown away by the shockwave.

“If the accident hadn’t happened, Tianjin IV would have been one of the chances for human civilization to continue. In one timeline, the crew would have found a new habitable planet after a long voyage and resumed human civilization,” Luna explained.

Bai Ye nodded.

As the first starship built by mankind, the Tianjin-4 spacecraft inherently possesses the characteristics of an ark. It is equipped with the most advanced artificial intelligence, has a complete Earth gene pool, high-quality human embryos, and a complete civilization heritage, making it entirely possible for it to become the spark for the continuation of civilization.

"What a pity..." Bai Ye couldn't help but sigh.

"Your parents could have become heroes. However, fate played a cruel joke on humanity."

Even Luna is not omnipotent.

She could only watch helplessly as the sudden accident destroyed her hope and future.

After the accident, the Mars spaceport was paralyzed, and the subsequent reconstruction work took a great deal of time. Even with the advanced productivity of mankind at that time, rebuilding such a magnificent ark starship was not an easy task.

Because it was so enormous, the spaceship was built directly in orbit around the Martian colony in the Forge World, where future launches would also take place. However, the explosion destroyed most of the spaceport, and a new starship cannot be built until it is repaired.

"Let's not talk about this anymore... After all, for you..." Luna didn't finish her sentence.

Because of this accident, Bai Ye became an orphan and was adopted by the "Tianjin No. 4" orphanage. This orphanage is not open to the public; it was built by the Human Federation government specifically after the accident, or rather, the Loyal Succession Academy.

It houses the orphans of the crew members who perished in the Tianjin No. 4 starship disaster and the staff who died in the spaceport disaster.

Among them, the orphans of expeditionary crew members are of particular importance.

The crew members participating in the expedition were already the best of the best. They were selected through a screening process, and their already superior genes underwent special optimization and modification.

Their offspring inherited their superior genes and were born to continue their work.

Therefore, these precious orphans were all carefully raised by the Federation and began various learning and training programs from a young age.

“Your future was already decided before you were even raised: to participate in the new expedition program—'Northern Cross'. After the Mars spaceport was rebuilt, the new Ark starship, 'Northern Cross', began construction,” Luna continued.

Then, she stared at Bai Ye and said with a wry smile, "The second opportunity I mentioned is the Northern Cross. Although it's 25 years late, you still have a chance."