Infinity, The Arcade Age

Qin Ming's thoughts were rudely interrupted, and his expression darkened as he slowly stood up.

The officer facing him remained arrogant, hands clasped behind his back, and barked out, "Soldier! Report your identity!"

"…Private First Class, Hyena."

"Ah, a mere private. Well then, congratulations! You've been promoted to Corporal!"

The officer smiled slyly and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "But remember, when we file our report about this battle, you'll need to say the right things. You understand me, don't you?"

"Oh, I understand perfectly. By the way, what's your rank, officer?"

"Sergeant! Sergeant Bruce! And these two are my subordinates: Corporal Antonio and Corporal Clune."

"Ah, Sergeant…"

Qin Ming tilted his head slightly, appearing deep in thought as he recalled some of the information he'd gathered earlier.

If he remembered correctly, his summoned ally, Eri Kasamoto, had ultimately achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant in the original story.

He wasn't sure what her rank was at this stage of the narrative, but it was certainly higher than Sergeant Bruce's.

With a faint glint in his eyes, Qin Ming decided to call in his ally. He reached for the revolver holstered at his waist, pointed it skyward, and fired.

The sudden gunshot startled the three officers, causing them to flinch.

But instead of summoning Eri as expected, Qin Ming heard the mechanical voice of the Nightmare Space echo in his ears.

"Ding! Detected overlap between summoned entity Eri Kasamoto and a primary narrative character. The two identities have been merged. Summoned entity Eri Kasamoto will now appear as part of the narrative."

Qin Ming froze, momentarily stunned by this unexpected development.

He'd been wondering how the Nightmare Space would handle the existence of two Eris in this world. Could he use his summoned version to impersonate the real one and manipulate the storyline to his advantage?

He hadn't expected the Nightmare Space to simply merge the two, effectively turning his ally into a full-fledged plot character. This unexpected boon left him momentarily delighted.

Still, there was a new problem: he had no idea where Eri Kasamoto was now or what role she was playing in the story.

Frowning slightly, Qin Ming rubbed his temples in frustration.

The plan to leverage Eri's rank to put these arrogant officers in their place was now a non-starter. He'd have to resort to more direct methods.

With a wave of his hand, Qin Ming gestured to a nearby soldier.

The soldier hesitated but then approached cautiously. "Uh, sir? What can I do for you?"

"Lend me your weapon."

The soldier blinked in confusion but handed over his sidearm without question.

Qin Ming grabbed the pistol, and in one fluid motion, aimed it at the lead officer's forehead and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Sergeant Bruce's smug expression froze as a bullet tore through his skull, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

The other two officers scrambled to draw their weapons, but Qin Ming was faster. He fired two more shots, killing both of them before they could react.

The three corpses lay sprawled on the ground, their blood pooling beneath them.

A stunned silence fell over the remaining soldiers. They stared at Qin Ming, some raising their weapons in alarm, unsure whether to treat him as an ally or a threat.

Unperturbed, Qin Ming calmly returned the pistol to its original owner, patting the soldier on the shoulder as if to thank him.

Then, addressing the group, he spoke in a low, authoritative tone.

"What do you think you're doing? Planning a mutiny? You want to start shooting at me? Do you think following those three cowards will give you a better chance of survival than sticking with me? Or do you honestly believe you can take me down?"

His words sent a shiver through the soldiers.

They exchanged uneasy glances, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.

Finally, the soldier who had lent Qin Ming his weapon stepped forward. Having processed the shocking turn of events, he ran off briefly and returned with a Rebel Army pistol, holding it out to Qin Ming.

"Enemy ambush, sir. The officers were targeted and killed. It's the only logical explanation, isn't it, Temporary Commander?"

Qin Ming raised an eyebrow, then smirked.

He accepted the pistol and fired two more shots into the already dead officers for good measure. Dropping the weapon to the ground, he turned back to the soldier, clapping him on the shoulder once again.

"Well said. What's your name?"

"Beta, sir! Corporal Beta!"

"Good. Corporal Beta, congratulations on your promotion. You're now my Temporary Vice Commander."

"Thank you, sir! I'll do my best!"

Beta saluted with enthusiasm, his expression full of pride.

"Alright, alright, enough standing around. Get back to work! Gather up weapons and supplies. We've got plenty of fighting ahead of us!"

Qin Ming waved dismissively as he strode back toward his tent, leaving the soldiers to their tasks.

The remaining troops, while initially hesitant, soon lowered their weapons and returned to their duties.

Their officers had been worthless, and if this new leader—who could take down tanks with his bare hands—wanted to take charge, they wouldn't object.

As long as Qin Ming could lead them to safety, the details hardly mattered.

Back in the tent, Qin Ming unfurled a salvaged map and began studying the surrounding terrain.

Beside him stood Beta, now acting as his loyal aide. Though Beta wasn't particularly skilled in strategy, he had the sense to gather intelligence.

Soon, a team of scouts arrived to provide a clearer picture of their situation.

Qin Ming quickly pieced together the puzzle.

Their group was part of a Regular Army reinforcement unit en route to the frontlines to confront the Rebel Army. Originally, the unit had consisted of 100 soldiers.

However, the recent ambush had devastated their numbers, leaving fewer than 50 survivors.

Of the four light tanks assigned to their unit, only one remained operational.

With their equipment destroyed and their manpower halved, this battered company was little more than a skeleton force.

The map indicated that the frontline was still 50 kilometers away—a daunting journey through hostile territory, where enemy ambushes could be lurking at every turn.

Qin Ming frowned, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the table as he considered his options.

The road ahead would be fraught with danger.

(End of Chapter)