NFBE Chapter 53 The Incompetent Agent
Chapter 53 The Incompetent Agent
In the real world, on the official forum of MapleStory.
At 3 PM, a post with the tags "BUG Feedback" and "HOT" shot up to the top of the homepage at an incredible speed.
Posted by: Czech public security agent.
Title: [Strong Protest! Unreasonable Settings Regarding the Game's Abnormal Stamina Loss and Forced Logout Mechanism!]
Agent: "Brothers, I'm seriously impressed by this game's simulation engine. Just now, I was on a core infiltration mission deep behind enemy lines in Pearl Harbor! I had completely broken down the boss's psychological defenses and was about to get the crucial clue! But then the system detected that my stamina had reached zero and forcibly kicked me offline! Just a little bit more, just a little bit more! I was so close to getting that crucial information out of him!"
Since this was a peak time for players, the post was met with an immediate explosion of replies.
Floor 1 (Infinite Resurrection): "??? You went to infiltrate and kidnap a fat guy, and you used up all your stamina? Did you carry that 200-pound fat guy and do 300 squats?"
Floor 12 (Iron Pot Stewed Big Ne): "Something's not right. As a biochemical consultant, I must point out that the mushroom spores I gave you are a potent nerve anesthetic. Logically, you should only need to spray it once to end the mission; there shouldn't be any need for intense combat. How did you lose your stamina?"
Floor 35 (Xiaoyu): "@Czech Public Agent. I checked your team status in the background for the 30 minutes before you logged off. Your heart rate was consistently above 140, and your adrenaline was surging. If I'm not mistaken, you were probably doing some particularly strenuous aerobic exercise... Wait, the map you infiltrated seems to be the red-light district of Pearl Harbor?"
The floor was quiet for about half a minute.
Subsequently, the tone of the replies on the entire forum completely went astray.
Floor 88 (Roasted Whole Lamb Ahm): "Holy crap! ...Heart rate 140...Intense aerobic exercise...Stamina to zero and kicked offline...Case solved, brothers!"
Floor 91 (Climbing Snail): "Were you put in line by General Yuwen and his men?"
Floor 100 (Happy Brand Blade): "Bro, this is a great tonic!"
120th floor (running away with a bucket): "I suspect you're driving, and the wheel has already run over my face, but I just don't have any proof (doge.jpg)"
Floor 123 (Wangliang): "Talking in detail about driving (winking.jpg)"
Floor 135 (Jinling Xiaodaibi): "Bro, I feel like you're playing a really new game!"
Floor 152 (Professional front-row spectator): "You guys still have the nerve to start this spiel? Didn't you see the epic disaster of the official Classic server's first test livestream last night? It was hilarious! Compared to our agent brothers' infiltration behind enemy lines, those two official planners were completely humiliated!"
Post #160 (Infinite Resurrection): "Tell me more! I was so busy reading the agent brothers' posts, what big scoop did I miss?"
Floor 168 (Professional front-row gossip): "The male planner's ID is Gooo, and the female planner's ID is Xiaoxue. They were constantly being attacked from the moment the server opened, which really broke them. So they decided to create a new account with the ID 'Xiaoxue.' But the very first frame of the game, there was someone outside the respawn point with the ID 'Xiaoxue is very slick,' and they just stepped right in front of them and unleashed their ultimate skill, hahaha!"
Floor 175 (Iron Pot Stew Big Ne): "Holy crap! This ID is incredibly powerful! That female planner must be completely devastated on the spot!"
180th floor (professional front-row spectator): "Absolutely! The female planner was so angry she cried, and she had to forcefully hold back her sobs."
Floor 185 (Jinling Xiaodaibi): "No comparison, no harm! The official planners got humiliated in Rainbow Village, while our agent brothers slept with the madam in Pearl Harbor. This is a complete victory for us hardcore players with high freedom of choice!"
Floor 188 (Climbing Snail): "Don't laugh! Everyone, keep your composure! This agent brother is bearing a burden far beyond his years for the sake of our Pearl Harbor's military budget and the faction's tech tree! Let us pay tribute to this great comrade who has sold his body and soul! @Czech Public Agent, I'll slaughter a whole roasted lamb and give you the kidneys to nourish yourself."
Floor 195 (Elliott): "This is truly an excellent game with a very high degree of freedom. Could you please tell me the exact coordinates of the Red Light District? I'm researching the local customs and culture, as this is important for my map-making."
Looking at the precise reading comprehension of a bunch of silly netizens on the forum, and then at the posts below that were frantically using official plans to belittle their own glorious achievements, the agent lying on his own sofa had his eyes twitching wildly.
Not only could he not explain it, he was even grateful that the system had kicked him offline. He didn't know if, had he actually stayed up all night in the game, his body would have triggered the "sudden death" achievement.
He took a deep breath and replied to the post with grief and indignation:
"Stop talking nonsense, meet me at the camp first thing tomorrow morning in the game."
…………
The next morning.
The agent who reconnected to the game had never felt so tired. His back was sore, and his thighs ached as if he had just run a half marathon.
He turned his head and looked around; the private room in his line of sight was in complete disarray.
Pearl's tear tracks had dried, but her eyes were now burning with an unprecedented vitality and passion.
She had even dragged a suitcase out from under the bed and haphazardly stuffed it with jewelry: "Take me with you. Once you've robbed that fatso's vault, we'll leave this godforsaken place."
Wait, what the heck? The agents were completely bewildered. They were supposed to be trying to get information out of the other side, but somehow they had blurted out the whole plan in a daze last night.
Memories flooded back like a tide.
Last night, when he was exhausted and delirious, he seemed to be trying to soothe the emotionally unstable woman in his arms, so he casually recited a scumbag line: "After we finish this job, I'll take you away."
I blame myself for not being skilled enough; I only learned the form of spy movies, not the spirit. Actors like Bond and Hunter wouldn't make such a foolish mistake.
Just as Pearl was about to close the suitcase, the agent's hand landed on the lid.
"If you leave now, you'll just be a fugitive wanted by the entire city."
The agent put on his uniform, his eyes deep and melancholy: "Before Bolton fell, that fat pig could easily use his connections to make us die without a burial place in Pearl Harbor."
Pearl froze for half a second, the light in her eyes dimming slightly.
"I don't want you to run away with me. I want you to stay and tour your territory as queen." The agent pressed down on her shoulder, speaking slowly and gently. "I want you to stay and pretend nothing happened. When he wearily pushes open this door tonight, you must greet him as before. But this time, you are no longer his plaything, but a knife we've plunged into his heart."
"Keep him calm and keep an eye on him. The day we empty the vault, I want you to see him kneeling before you, penniless. That will be true freedom."
The thrill of revenge and the grand narrative instantly ignited a morbid excitement within Pearl.
"As a knife plunged into his heart..." she murmured repeatedly, then took a deep breath, kicked the suitcase back under the bed, her eyes resolute. "I understand. I'll make him believe he's still the master of this place."
…………
An hour later, the agent, supporting his aching back and yawning incompletely, walked out of the pink neon lights.
The streets were damp and misty in the early morning. The agent wrapped himself tightly in the thin coat he had taken from Pearl and followed the edge of the sewers back to the shipwreck area.
He didn't dare to run at all along the way. As soon as his stamina dropped a little, his thighs started to tremble uncontrollably.
"Holy crap, the fact that this game doesn't have a recall scroll is just ridiculous!"
After walking back to the camp, he found a random spot, lay down, and went back to sleep.
Go to the forum and post!
The accompanying text consisted of only two extremely arrogant paragraphs:
"Brothers, key in hand. Not only did we get the intelligence, but we also managed to plant a permanent ward in the BOSS's lair."
"This is what you call sustainable development—draining the pond to catch all the fish. My damned charm is so heavy!"