Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

Seeing that penguin in Columbia, Felix couldn't help but feel that his SenomiMandragora luck had hit an all-time high.

He didn't need to investigate. Didn't need to think. He already knew exactly who the penguin was.

In his previous life, he'd seen countless threads on the forums about Penguin Logistics. Sure, players obsessed over Exusiai and Texas, but it wasn't hard to uncover who was really pulling the strings—no hacking required.

The Big E, or just The Emperor. Real name unknown. No human traits whatsoever. A 100% penguin. And the future boss of Penguin Logistics.

But right now, in this timeline... Penguin Logistics hadn't been founded yet. The Emperor was still focused on his rap career.

Seeing him here in Colombia wasn't strange at all. The Emperor had always been closely tied to the local rap scene, touring various cities and performing with serious success. He was a recognized artist in his own right.

Felix froze when he saw him—just for a second. Then a subtle smile crept across his face. Stepping over the sorry-looking man who'd just been thrown out of the bar, Felix pushed the door open and casually took a seat at the bar.

Inside, two groups of people were still on edge, clearly mid-conflict. When they saw a stranger walk in, their eyes narrowed. But Felix, even in his research uniform, wasn't exactly harmless. He shifted slightly, revealing the pistol holstered at his thigh.

That was all it took. Both groups, who'd been ready to fight, turned tail and scattered without another word.

"Bourbon," Felix said calmly to the bartender.

"Coming right up."

He rested his cheek on one hand and listened to the Emperor's rap performance from behind the bar. Honestly? It was impressive. And for someone like Felix—who didn't even like rap—that was saying something.

"Hey," the Emperor said, hopping down from the bar and adjusting his sunglasses. "You got a problem, chasing off my fans like that?"

"I didn't touch anyone," Felix replied with a shrug. "Just showed them my sidearm. That's all."

He patted the seat beside him. "I thought it was just a couple of thugs stirring trouble. But since it bothered you, let me make it up to you. Drinks on me."

The Emperor tilted his head. "Boss, gimme the priciest bottle you've got!"

"Got it," the bartender said with a smirk, already reaching for the top shelf.

The Emperor hopped up onto the stool beside Felix, who studied him for a moment.

"What's with the look?" the Emperor asked. "First time seeing a living legend?"

"I've heard the name 'Emperor' before," Felix replied, "but I didn't think the real deal would match the myth so perfectly."

He chuckled. "Guess I'm lucky today. Came out to run errands, and ran into a celebrity instead."

"Hmph. Compliments won't get you out of buying me that drink," the Emperor said, smirking.

"It's my honor either way."

"You're not actually a fan, are you?"

Felix laughed quietly. When the bartender set down two glasses, he raised his and clinked it gently against the Emperor's.

Then he downed it in one go.

"You're generous... Doesn't act like a typical researcher."

"Researcher's just a title," Felix replied casually. "It just happens to be the role I'm playing right now."

"You the one leading those so-called adventurers?"

Felix set his empty glass on the counter and glanced at the Emperor. The penguin smirked.

"I've got my own intel network, kid."

"Then you probably know I'm a shareholder at Rhine Lab—not just some researcher playing with tools," Felix said, leaning back. "As for that title... leader of the adventurers? I don't really deserve it. Not yet."

"Where'd they come from? What's their purpose?" the Emperor asked, swirling the drink in his flipper. "You know how long the higher-ups in Columbia have been losing sleep over this?"

Felix stayed quiet.

"Plenty of adventurers tried sneaking into the central districts. Most were kicked out. Some got grabbed by Columbia's so-called medical institutes. Know anything about that?"

"Human experimentation?"

"What else would they do?" the Emperor replied flatly. "They die, they respawn, not a scratch left on them. You think our scientists could ignore that?"

His tone was nonchalant, almost bored.

"But to me, it's just a bad joke."

"A joke?"

"An immortal Originium Arts? Sure, it sounds scary. But in reality? Not so much."

He snorted, shaking his head.

"Those adventurers they caught—heavily monitored, locked down. No chance of escape. Their bodies can't be studied like normal people. You trap 'em in a cage, and they stay there. Can't grind levels, can't get gear. They try to off themselves, and they just respawn back in the cell, weaker than before."

Felix nodded slowly. Everything the Emperor said checked out. In fact, he remembered a case like this in Yan Country—some player locked up, streaming their prison life as content. The guy even got out early on good behavior.

It was oddly entertaining.

Back in his previous life, he'd read that several nations had snatched up players at the end of version 1.0. The plan was to use them for high-level biological research in 2.0, but nothing came of it. Eventually, the players were let go—with some compensation, no less.

After all, these weren't true Terran bodies in the first place. More like projected vessels. No matter how deep the NPC scientists dug, there was nothing real to find.

"Emperor," Felix asked quietly, "what's your take on adventurers?"

"Me?" The penguin adjusted his sunglasses and took another sip. "I'm just a rapper."

He flashed a sharp grin.

"But when I meet a rare Sankta, I always like to share a drink."

"Because I'm interesting? Or because I'm buying?"

"Hey now, don't cheapen it," the Emperor said, wings raised. "You have no idea how long my fans line up just for a photo. From Wrankwood all the way to Lungmen."

"Guess that makes this my lucky day," Felix muttered with a faint smile—one that slowly faded.

"I heard you're more than just a rapper. You're an entrepreneur too."

The Emperor's sunglasses tilted ever so slightly. "What, you want me to invest in Rhine Lab? Yara send you as her new lobbyist?"

Felix didn't answer right away.

The Emperor leaned back with a scoff, waving his wing dismissively. "Forget it. I've never been into tech companies. Yara's a rising star, sure—smart, sharp, built her name from nothing—but I've got zero interest. Not my thing."

"Recently? Yara's been out of the spotlight for decades."

"Kid," the Emperor said, wings raised in mock disbelief, "don't you know there are people on this land who've lived a long, long time?"

"You… have a crush on her?"

Pfft!

The Emperor sprayed a mouthful of wine, coughing and wiping his beak with a wing. His eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses as he stared at Felix, half amused, half pitying.

"You know anything about immortal species? Clearly not. And you—of all people, a Sankta—daring to ask that kind of question?"

He shook his head in disbelief.

"You Sankta can live three, maybe four hundred years, five if you're lucky. And why do you all drop off early? Because you can't stand being bored. You hit two hundred, don't want to go out anymore. Start hoarding sweets. Then your teeth fall out, and when you can't eat sugar anymore, you lose the will to live."

…Honestly? That explanation weirdly made sense.

Given how addicted his people were to sweets, Felix found himself reluctantly agreeing with the Emperor's logic.

"Hmph. Got me off track." The Emperor huffed and waved at the bartender. "Another round."

Felix waited until the penguin finished ordering, then spoke up again, quieter this time.

"What if I wanted to start a company of my own?"

The Emperor froze mid-pour. He turned, slowly, sunglasses catching the light.

"What kind of company? Don't tell me it's another subsidiary of Rhine Lab."

"As if," Felix said with a small laugh. "I only invested in Rhine Lab. Kristen's never once asked me to set up anything under their umbrella."

"So what's the angle, then?"

Truthfully, Felix had been turning this idea over in his head for a while. Originally, he just wanted a structure that could activate the players—a loose group, something like a mercenary outfit. Looking at the way commissions and orders flowed, it wouldn't be that different from Blacksteel International.

But competing with Blacksteel? That was a tall order.

Not because he looked down on "Clip" Cliff, the founder. Far from it. But he knew what kind of incentives he'd need to offer to draw players away from an established juggernaut like Blacksteel.

He couldn't rely on popularity alone. Even with his presence among the players, there was no guarantee they'd align themselves with his vision.

"I want to build a comprehensive service-oriented enterprise," Felix said clearly, calmly, like he'd already rehearsed it a hundred times. "Who do we serve? Everyone. Every person, every business on Terra. We want to serve science, and exploration. Support knowledge, employment, transportation. We'll be everywhere. A network, a backbone. A platform."

The Emperor tapped his glass, eyes narrowing behind his shades.

"You've got a big appetite."

"Of course," Felix replied smoothly. "Did you forget what I am?"

He leaned in slightly, voice low but steady.

"We Sankta are the most romantic, most imaginative race on this planet."

"In Siracusa," Felix began, voice steady, "there was once an elder who dreamed of a nation built on guns and order—one where everyone could live in peace."

"In Columbia, another elder believed war could only be stopped by war. That by wielding overwhelming force, peace could be forced into being."

"These two left their marks on history," he said, taking a slow sip from his glass. "And because of them, I aim higher."

He stared at the wine rack behind the bar, his tone growing distant.

"On this land… the only sanctuary for Terrans—no, for the Laterans—is that so-called holy place."

"Yes, laws let us coexist," he continued, his words turning sharper. "But, Mr. Emperor, I have a question that's haunted me."

"Why can't Lateran's laws save everyone on Terra?"

"Is it a divine test? The so-called 'uniqueness' of the Sankta? I don't buy it. I don't believe in destiny—I believe in people."

"I could take a group of like-minded Sankta and leave Laterano, carve out a future on our own... but that wouldn't be enough. Not on this continent. Not for real change."

"I'm not interested in rewriting history, or asking why the Sankta were born at all. That's not what I care about."

"I care about what's next. About tomorrow."

The Emperor was quiet for a long moment. Then he exhaled softly and said, "So, you want to gather strength—real, tangible strength—and use it to shape the future."

"Exactly," Felix nodded. "I've lived in Laterano for years, but my memories of it are faint. The moments that stayed with me were from my travels—what I saw on the roads. The pain. The people."

"Terra is full of suffering. And me? I can only save a handful."

The Emperor scoffed. "You Sankta really are dreamers. Imaginative to a fault. There are maybe—what—five Sankta in all of Laterano who think like you?"

"Interested?"

"You trying to recruit me?"

The Emperor swirled his glass and made an exaggerated attempt to lift his stubby penguin legs, then waddled to the nearby sofa with a snort. He pushed his sunglasses higher and sipped his drink.

"It's good to have ambition, Felix. But yours? It's fluff."

"You have no money, no manpower, no structure. Right now, it's just you and a pipe dream. I don't join sandbox games."

"Let's talk substance, then." The Emperor leaned forward, tone cutting. "What are your goals? Your model? How much are you charging to 'help people'? They're poor—what, you doing charity? How do you keep the lights on? What's your monetization model?"

Felix steepled his fingers calmly.

"Industrial research and engineering innovation. Safety and employment commissions. Scientific consulting and experimental research. Exploration, logistics, and delivery services."

He held up four fingers.

"My current framework includes four major departments. Two internal, two external. That's just the beginning."

"Each will target a different pillar of society. The internal branches focus on engineering and research—improving infrastructure, simplifying lives, raising living standards. Medical innovation falls under that too."

"The external side—one division functions like Blacksteel International. We take on armed commissions, offer protection, and provide security services."

"The second handles logistics. Delivery, order fulfillment, large-scale transport."

The Emperor tilted his head, glass paused mid-air. "And?"

"I have money."

"I've got money too."

"No… Emperor, I don't think you understand. You're not familiar with Rhine Lab, so you probably don't realize how popular my drones are on the market."

The Emperor paused, his expression briefly puzzled. "Drones? You mean the ones the record companies use to film my concerts… those are yours?"

"I designed them."

Felix smiled with quiet pride. It was the first time in this conversation that he felt he'd scored a real point.

"They're not just for shooting promo videos. They're already being used in medicine, exploration, and the military. Quietly, they've become a backbone in multiple industries."

He leaned back into the sofa for the first time, one leg crossing over the other, utterly at ease. "So… can we talk now?"

The Emperor sipped his drink, eyes hidden behind his shades, pretending not to hear.

"If you're interested, you can invest. Just like I did with Rhine Lab. And—Emperor—what do you think about the logistics and transport division? If it suits you, I'd like to hand that department over to you."

"I haven't agreed yet, Kora!"

The Emperor suddenly let out an indignant squawk—an unmistakably penguin-like screech—and then after a beat, grunted, sitting upright.

"…It's interesting. I'll admit that."

He swirled his drink. "What about the company's name? You've thought of one already? If not, let's just call it… Penguin Company."

"I've already decided."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Tomorrow's Development"

Creating tomorrow through the guardians, creators, and pioneers of tomorrow.

"That's our motto. And the other name for our company is… Arknights."