Infiltration means entering covertly.
Since it’s often associated with assassinations, gathering secret intelligence, and other major events, the term carries a certain sophisticated allure. It sounds much more impressive than merely sneaking in.
If you hear about a lady sneaking into a market to buy groceries, you might think she’s doing it for some unspeakable sad reason. But if you hear about a lady infiltrating the market to buy groceries, you might think she’s someone significant, perhaps an undercover journalist or spy, and the market could be a mysterious hideout. It instantly sounds more glamorous.
Many games feature various infiltration scenarios to satisfy people’s fantastical desires. Yang Yu had long familiarized himself with such scenarios.
First, the most common type of infiltration is disguising oneself as part of the enemy. The enemy might find you a bit unfamiliar, but they won’t suspect you, nor will they notice that someone is missing from their ranks.
Then, there’s the most common real-world infiltration method: posing as someone needed by an organization, passing an interview to become a member, gaining trust, and turning the infiltration into an undercover operation, waiting for the right moment to act. This kind of role has a specific name: undercover agent.
Finally, there’s the assassin-style infiltration beloved by many players, where you sneak into a location undetected, kill the target, or obtain special intelligence.
Since this type of infiltration can lead to discovery, even if you don’t want to be, you must eliminate anyone who sees you to prevent exposure, making it thrilling and dangerous.
Among these, there’s also the extreme infiltrator.
“If I kill them all, there’ll be no one left to discover I infiltrated. I’m such a genius.”
Unfortunately, Yang Yu couldn’t perform such a massacre-style infiltration.
Massacre-style infiltration could solve problems, but it would also diminish the fun.
Well, it’s not that Yang Yu didn’t want to do it, but his civilian attributes were too weak to cut through hordes. He had to resort to traditional infiltration methods.
Of course, these methods are not mutually exclusive; you can switch between them depending on the situation.
Although Yang Yu initially took the undercover route, he had no patience for working ten or fifteen days to gain trust.
While Yang Yu pondered which infiltration method to switch to, a familiar figure approached the warehouse.
Slarat had styled his hair into elegant curls and changed his robe to a refined blue suit, with his sword still at his waist.
He looked serious, surveying the surroundings as if on patrol, but he gradually moved towards the empty warehouse.
Though Yang Yu and Bai Jin were the only ones on duty, Slarat approached them earnestly.
Unsure of Slarat’s intentions, Yang Yu continued to act as if he were charmed by Asuna, saying, “Good evening, Deputy Minister Slarat. Is there something important?”
Slarat cleared his throat. “Thank you for your hard work tonight!”
Yang Yu gave Bai Jin a look, and she immediately said, “Not hard at all, it’s all for Lady Asuna! For Lady Asuna, we’d go through fire and water without hesitation.”
“You are truly loyal. That’s good. By the way, I have something for you.” Slarat smiled slyly and gestured for Yang Yu to come closer, taking something out of his pocket.
Yang Yu cooperated, extending his hand to receive five gold coins.
“Deputy Minister Slarat, what is this for?”
Slarat smiled and said, “Gifts are necessary if you want to get closer to Asuna. You’ll receive your wages after completing the job, but if you do as I say, these five hundred coins are yours now.
“You can use this money to buy gifts to please Asuna, gaining an advantage. Even if your job ends, Asuna will still favor you, allowing you to stay by her side.”
Yang Yu clenched the coins tightly, smiling. “What do you need us to do, Deputy Minister?”
Slarat cleared his throat and said softly, “Lady Asuna takes the morning shift, and I take the night shift. Long night shifts are bad for my health, so I want to rest in the warehouse at night. Don’t worry about my work; I’ve arranged for someone to cover it. You don’t need to worry about who.”
“Oh,” Yang Yu replied with a smile, “Has Lady Asuna approved this?”
Slarat’s smile froze, indicating it wasn’t approved.
“She tacitly agreed. Where I rest is my business. If you don’t believe me, return the money, and I’ll find others who want to get close to Asuna. I’m sure they’ll agree.”
Hearing the weight in Slarat’s voice, Yang Yu decided to seize the opportunity.
“I didn’t say I disagreed.” He quickly pocketed the coins. “Since it’s a chance to get close to Asuna, we won’t miss it. As long as the Deputy Minister has arranged everything, we won’t question it.”
Yang Yu gestured towards the warehouse.
Slarat’s confidence grew. “Remember our agreement. Unless something special happens, don’t wake me. You know what I mean by special, right?”
“Of course, if anything happens, I’ll notify you immediately, Deputy Minister.”
With Yang Yu’s assurance, Slarat happily entered the warehouse. His presence there was no coincidence.
As a member of the Licorice family, Slarat hated being overshadowed, especially by a woman.
Although Asuna was also from the Licorice family, and the research facility couldn’t run smoothly without her, Slarat couldn’t swallow his pride.
Outwardly, he flattered Asuna, but secretly, he vowed to surpass her.
It wasn’t just because he did most of the recruiting work; it was mainly because she avoided night shifts, claiming they were bad for her skin, leaving all night duties to him.
Night shifts are bad for health, yet she made me stay up all night while she slept soundly. I’m not that stupid! I work my ass off, but she gets all the credit.
So, every night, Slarat would sneak into the empty warehouse to slack off, a small act of defiance against Asuna’s tyranny.