Chapter 36 - Vtuber Allegedly Transmigrated Local Paladin to Sci-fi World, Claimed Truck-kun Was Busy. ’Prosperity. Liberty. Democracy.’ "What is that place?" Appendix was invested in the narrative. He gazed at the organized town and its unique people. Lupus and Rubella were astonished. They admired the architecture of the urban town, clean roads, and the strange vehicles. A blond man greeted his neighbor and puffed his chest with pride. He also waved at the patrolling militia and smiled at his wife and kid, who were playing in the front yard. "...Wow." Rubella couldn’t look away. She was captivated by the civilization and the narration. The keywords, such as prosperity, resonated with her ideal and dream life. She was envious of the wife. Everything was perfect. However, the narrator revealed the twist. ’But freedom doesn’t come free.’ A giant bug-like monster entered the scene and mauled the man’s wife and kid. Rubella was horrified and covered her mouth. Lupus and Appendix drew their weapons and tried to enter the screen to help, but they couldn’t enter the cube. They punched the monitor in desperation. Unfortunately, they were too late. Their blood splashed onto the father. As the men went crazy, the cinema screen froze and a massive yellowish ’INVASION’ text was splashed across it. The same man entered the scene from the side and snickered at the audience. Lupus and Appendix stopped attacking the cube. He stared at the man, baffled. ’Scenes are happening all over the galaxy right now.’ "Galaxy? What’s that?" Lupus and Appendix looked at each other for a moment and asked Rubella with their gaze. The receptionist shook her head as she had no idea either. The men panicked. They thought the man in the cinema was warning them of a new monster invasion. ’Unless you make the most important decision of your life.’ The man snapped his fingers, and his appearance changed. His suit became strange black armor, and his hair was shaved clean. He received a helmet from someone outside the camera. ’Prove that you have the strength and courage to be free. Join... the H*lldivers.’ The movie soundtrack started. Soldiers in the same armor, carrying tube-like weapons, walked in a wasteland and gunned down giant bugs. They showed off their firepower and advertised their army. Lupus and Appendix dropped their jaws. Although they were curious about what the monsters were, the weapons of the soldiers piqued their curiosity. As men, those good-looking combat uniforms, helmets, and weapons looked cool. The background music stirred their hearts. As they watched the soldiers annihilate the giant insects, they pictured themselves battling alongside the heroes. The glory, the comradeship, and the promises in the movie convinced them. The introduction cinema ended. The audience stared at the screens in a daze, bewitched by the propaganda. When Parita’s avatar returned, they came back to their senses. A game screen returned. Parita bitterly sighed. ’I watched this before, but it never gets old. It’s a pity that my save files are gone. Anyway, it’s going to be a hell of a grind since I have to start over.’ Appendix, Lupus, and Rubella came back to their senses. Only Neutrophils observed the entire movie without showing any emotion. The retired paladin crossed his arms and asked Parita. "You said that everything was a fictional story, right?" Parita grinned and replied. ’That’s right.’ "And why does it look so realistic?" "Tec-ka...what?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝔫𝔢𝔱 "...What does that mean?" ’Ahem. I mean, illusions are made to be convincing, right? For a role-playing game to fully immerse the player, the graphics must be realistic. I meant that the illusion magic has to be convincing. Get it? Techanologia!’ "...Fair enough. Illusion, it is." Neutrophils nodded in agreement. A faint smile emerged on his face as he was eager to see what Parita would show him next. Parita then skimmed through the chat but chose not to reply. She began the tutorial. However, the system had another idea for the audience. While Parita controlled her character and went through the tutorial course, the cube began its advertisement. System screens appeared in front of every audience, including Rubella, Neutrophils, Appendix, and Lupus. Invitation to Membership! We would like to invite you to join our monthly subscription program. Since this is the first time we’re inviting new members, we will grant you an extra perk that no Vtubers could offer. By throwing 10 gold coins into the donation box, you can enjoy the following privileges: - Unique colored name in chat. - Special flares with your name. - A chance to play the same game that your OSHI is playing! - Access the game that your OSHI has played anytime and anywhere! Please note that the perks last for the subscribed month. All deaths that occur in games will not affect your daily life. Lupus and others flinched at the appearance of a floating screen. Like everybody who had seen a real system panel for the first time, they tried to touch it, but their hands phased through it. Neutrophils acted the fastest. He fetched ten gold coins and tossed them into the basket under the cube. Instantly, the semi-transparent blue screen in front of Neutrophils turned green. ’Welcome to the washroom, Porcelain Disciple! Let’s have a good shit today!’ The face of Neutrophils turned dark because of the cringe welcome message. He scoffed and asked the floating screen. "What about the game?" The green message panel brightened, shooting a small beam into the forehead of Neutrophils. His entire body shuddered, and he fainted. However, the green screen in front of Neutrophils remained. It displayed a new H*lldiver in the bootcamp. Inside the game character’s body, the soul of Neutrophils was inside. Lupus and Appendix rushed over to check on the veteran. They checked his pulse and neck. Upon sensing the Neutrophils’ peaceful breathing, both individuals were relieved. They turned to the game screen of Neutrophils next. Meanwhile, Neutrophils was confused. He looked around himself and his body. He stood in the middle of a wasteland, wearing the same black armor and helmet in the cinema earlier. Looking around him, Neutrophils spotted the advertisement board. "Where is this place?" Neutrophils walked around the place and realized that he was trapped in the middle of a basin, surrounded by tall cliffs and steel fences. He frowned and tried to take his helmet off. Unfortunately, the helmet and his suit were sealed together. They didn’t budge when Neutrophils put his force to it. Without a choice, he left it on even though it felt uncomfortable. Following the only path, Neutrophils found an entrance to a strange encampment, but it was sealed shut. He tried knocking on it, but it didn’t move. "Hello? Anybody there?!" Neutrophils tried asking for help. As if the camp responded to his call, a coarse voice of a man echoed. "This is odd. I thought we’d launched the last rocket pods. A straggler or not, it doesn’t matter. Welcome, aspiring warrior! I’m General Brasch, the toughest H*lldivers you have ever heard." Neutrophils was relieved that he got someone to talk to. He tried asking. "Sir! I’m Paladin of the Ikol Church, Neutrophils! Where is this place?!" "It seems you have had too many stims before you arrived here. That’s even better. Open the gate, and let this promising recruit in!" The gate automatically opened, and the general’s voice resounded. "Paladin or not, I don’t give a flying f-ck. Run through the obstacle course first and prove that you are not one of those self-proclaimed level 89 paladins from a shut-in colony!" Neutrophils had a hundred questions to ask the mysterious speaker, but he cooperated. Rushing through the passage, he found a simple obstacle course. After crawling under a series of wired obstacles, he moved through the other sections with ease. Then, he came across a bloody field. In front of him was a red sign spelling DANGER. The general warned him. "Do you know what skills a h*lldiver needs? DIVE! DIVE, LAY PRONE, AND CRAWL TO THE OTHER SIDE! Raise your head if you’re stupid!" Neutrophils crouched as his sixth sense also detected a hidden mechanism in the field. He inhaled deeply and dove onto the field, lying prone on his stomach. A second later, two gun sentries rose up from the ground and unleashed a barrage of bullets over his head. Although Neutrophils had never seen them before, the loud noise and the bullet speed were enough to hint that he could die if he were to raise his head. He crawled across the field and passed through the obstacle, yet his heart rate spiked. After crossing to the other side, he panted because of mental exhaustion. He looked back and noticed dents in the metal wall on the other side. He glanced at the puddles of blood on the field and realized that people had died there. The general’s haughty voice returned. "Well, well. It seems you deserve it. Head to the Battle Injury Simulator next and enjoy your stims! Haha!" "What are you waiting for? Go stand in front of the simulator machine and press the button!" Neutrophils had a bad feeling about this, but he followed the instructions. He pressed the button. A sharp metal object emerged and stabbed his chest, leaving behind a deep wound. Neutrophils staggered backward and looked ahead in resentment. He had a thousand words to cuss at the general, but the machine in front of him unlocked a drawer, revealing a large syringe. "Go on. Enjoy your meal." "What else? The stims, you buffoon!" Neutrophils approached the machine and picked up the syringe. He thought about it for a moment, as it wasn’t hard to guess what it was for. Neutrophils stabbed himself with the syringe’s needle. He let the mysterious medicine course through his veins. A new experience occurred to him. His vision got blurry, yet more colorful. His five senses were heightened, and his wounds were healed. "Getting high, are we?" the general mocked Neutrophils. "Move on to the next station. We’ll shoot some guns!"