NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Are you out of your mind?!" Kouran yelled, while waving her hands. "You're not planning on ending your life and leaving these problems to us now, are you?"

I shook my head and replied, "I still have a sister. Why on Earth would I do that? Like I've said earlier. We can't infiltrate the base by bringing a large number inside. We have to choose who to bring and what to do once we breach that building. And the only one capable of doing that is the three of us."

"We've worked together for weeks, struggling to survive. By this time, we could have each other's backs and know what we could do with our powers. Including someone in our team would just make it harder for everyone. And if the time comes, I can't save everyone when we reach the base," I continued, and gave Kouran a nod. 

As soon as Kouran heard my plea, she gave me permission and accepted my plot. She had no choice but to let me free, since it was the most efficient way to win this battle. If our team engages in war, we would lose that clash. We also had a back up plan if my team didn't return to our headquarters or notify Kouran.

"If Match and Ryoshi rescued Red from the base, I want your troops ready for battle. Those soldiers would come to them as soon as they left the premises," I continued, while tapping Kouran's shoulders. "Protect these two while I grab the bigger fish."

After ending our conversation, Match, Ryoshi, and I rested for the meantime. Upon rejuvenating back our strength, we prepared our things and hurriedly left the forest. Those elves and other NPCs watched us exit the shelter, knowing the dangers ahead of us. It was up to my team to save the NPCs' freedom and bring back Red alive in our hands.

While travelling through the sea of trees, I explained to everyone what we needed to do upon entering the base. "Ryoshi and Match, your job is to get Red out of her prison. The two of you need to save Red while I take Clement and the Obelisks. As soon as you rescued Red, I want you two to leave the place and take Red to our shetler. Those NPCs would be waiting for you at the end line."

"Ryoshi, I want you to protect at all costs using your shield arrows. If the situation goes south, exit the place and leave me behind. I can escape, since I have [Wolf Walk]. But none of you have any of the abilities that I have, okay?" I instructed, and directed my gaze at Match. "I want you to burst your flames in the hallway and scare the soldiers off. Make a pillar of flames so powerful that it could melt other elements, except for the two of you. Just remember that generating fire inside a constricted hallway could suffocate you. And that's when Ryoshi or you could create a barrier to maintain our oxygen level."

"But what if we kill someone using our spells? I don't want to kill someone….But I don't want them to hurt any of us!" Match voiced her concerns, as she looked me in the eye. "I may have killed someone from the past. But I want to avoid that."

I flashed Match a smile and replied, "It's okay, Match. We are not trying to kill anyone here. All you gotta do is put them to sleep. Just let Ryoshi do that work and focus on obstructing the soldier's bullets and abilities, okay?"

Match gave me a nod and accepted my proposal. She was just a kid, despite seeing life on the other side. That girl didn't want to ruin this world tainted with violence and war. 

However, I couldn't promise that to myself. If I ended up facing a swarm of people before getting the obelisk, I would kill them all.

Match and Ryoshi listened to my words as we headed out to our destination. Ryoshi kept his mouth silent and digested the instructions. He knew what to do since we had already gone on this mission. Some games had these side quests and required the players to infiltrate a building. 

But instead of losing the game, all of us could die if the soldiers caught us. And that was the risk we were all willing to take.

"How are we going to do it if we don't have a map?" Match said, asking the important questions. "And what will I do if I…..if Red is going?"

"The map part is easy. You just need to open your system and keep the map view that way….As for Red's situation, I can't say anything about it….Let's just hope for the best."

After our exchange, we finally arrived near the base. I commanded everyone to prepare everything we needed to do before breaching the place. But despite these preparations, I told everyone that we didn't need any magic ability to shield ourselves. 

"Why don't we use our fire shields and wind propellers? Wouldn't that help us travel faster inside the base's hallways?" Ryoshi asked.

I shook my head and answered, "It could happen if it weren't for the arcane detectors spread around the building. You may not see it, but there are a lot of them scattered at the entrance. And if I have to guess it right, there are tons of machine detectors waiting for us out there."

Since this place belonged to the game developers, they may have placed some traps around the vicinity. And our modern world could provide bountiful security detectors that could protect them, including the guards roaming around. 

And we still hadn't seen Clement in our vicinity. The last time we fought was around the Mainland's village, outside the kingdom's heart.

"We need to go now….Judging from the map, there's a room at the far end of the tunnel. And that's the only place that corresponds with Clement's claims. I will go to the opposite side, since I sense a swarm of soldiers surrounded by four obelisks inside a room. And I'd bet those soldiers are guarding the game developers."

Clement told me that he had stored Red in a container and used her as her price. He also told me that he was the game developer's son, Warner Asimov. And the only place that would ring a bell was inside this base.

Ryoshi and Match suggested that we could traverse through the pipes on the base's ceiling. Ryoshi also mentioned that those tubes would lead straight inside, which would attract less attention from the guards.

But I refused that judgment and told them that the guards would have expected that place. Since those players were up against me, they would have initially thought to breach the building through those lines.

I was a fool but not a stupid person. It didn't take a genius to realise that those players prepared some traps on our plates. As soon as we entered those pipes, those soldiers would blast us off using their bullets. And that would be the end of our stories. 

After saying my instructions, those two leapt off from the ground. I led the charge and went to the side, concealing our presence from the patrolling guards. As soon as two soldiers entered my vicinity, I choked them and rendered them immobile. We also trapped them inside a locker room and tied them up so they won't escape. 

Match gasped after witnessing what I did to the two players. But I assured her that I didn't kill these two guards and just caged them inside the dream world. 

As soon as I cleared the path, we entered the gate undetected. Ryoshi effortlessly hacked the card system from the door. That lock meant to shut every uninvited guest off from the inside. However, Ryoshi was an expert on passing through the security lines.

When we entered the place, a group of soldiers checked the vicinity. But they couldn't confirm if someone had entered the room. Those players also didn't notice the two guards we seized before entering the premises.

And if those soldiers would recognize the disappearance of those two guards, they would alert everyone. And that was the only timer we had before cleaning up everything inside the building.

But before the soldiers could notice our figures, I snatched Match and Ryoshi and climbed the ceiling. Thanks to my [Wolf Walk] I could stick through walls, which avoided contact with the players. I latched my arms around my two companions and waited for the group of soldiers to pass by. 

When the players left our vision, the three of us headed to the centre. 

"You take the left part and I will take the right one. Red is at the bottom part of this floor, as shown on our map. You need to return at the entrance and wait for me in the forest. It's the same spot we had when we thought of our plan…."

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