S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
"So what exactly is going on with these Rider Player Gashats? Can anyone really use them directly?"
Nick Fury asked while looking at the head researcher responsible for studying the Player Gashats.
Since it was impossible to completely stop the spread of Player Gashats across New York, S.H.I.E.L.D. had naturally collected a considerable number of them for research.
The research director's expression shifted uncertainly. After carefully choosing his words, he replied:
"We're not completely certain yet. Based on the current testing results, these Player Gashats cannot be activated directly."
"What do you mean by that?"
Nick Fury frowned and stared sharply at him.
The research director shivered under the pressure and quickly explained:
"According to the instructions released by Genm, combined with our experimental analysis, we believe these Rider Player Gashats can only be activated when certain conditions are met."
"That condition appears to be the outbreak of the Bugster virus—that is, when Bugster monsters appear, as Genm described. Only then can users transform using the Gashats."
"So in other words, these Gashats can only be used under special circumstances?" Nick Fury said thoughtfully, his expression somewhere between disappointment and relief.
When he first learned that Player Rider Gashats might have no usage restrictions, Fury had immediately considered another possibility.
Even though it might lead to an uncontrollable spread of superhuman abilities, he had wondered whether S.H.I.E.L.D. could gather enough Gashats to create a special unit far stronger than ordinary agents.
But now it seemed that the Rider Player Gashats created by Genm could only function when the holder encountered Bugster monsters, temporarily granting them superhuman power.
This greatly reduced the potential social impact of the Gashats—but at the same time, it severely limited their usefulness.
In fact, it wasn't just S.H.I.E.L.D.
The U.S. military and other intelligence agencies had entertained similar ideas. But after discovering that Rider Player Gashats could only activate when facing Bugster monsters, they also abandoned those plans.
Underground Base — Holy City Hospital
A flash of light appeared from the teleportation array.
Elena, Gwen, Li Hua, and Victor returned to the underground base after going out to eliminate a Bugster monster.
All four of them looked somewhat disheveled.
"What kind of nonsense was that?" Elena complained irritably as she cancelled her transformation.
Hearing her words, Gwen, Li Hua, and Victor also looked displeased.
Earlier, the base had detected the appearance of a Bugster monster, and they had immediately rushed to the scene.
However, when they arrived, they encountered a large group of civilians who possessed Rider Player Gashats.
These people had gathered together to "clear" the Bugster monster like a game raid.
Worse still, they seemed to treat Li Hua and the others as special in-game characters—like the type that dropped rare items.
They enthusiastically launched attacks at them.
Since Li Hua's group couldn't seriously harm ordinary civilians, they had no choice but to defend themselves and dodge attacks.
Naturally, the situation left them in a rather embarrassing state.
"I'm telling you, we should've just beaten those troublemakers from the start," Victor snorted.
"Otherwise the Bugster wouldn't have escaped."
Li Hua shook his head with a serious expression.
"According to what Genm said, anyone who uses the Rider Player Gashats to participate in the game will be devoured by the Bugster virus if they fail the game."
Victor opened his mouth to argue, but swallowed his words at the last moment.
If clearing the game could revive everyone who had disappeared during it, then even if some people were devoured by the Bugster virus during the process, it would still be an acceptable price—since they could eventually be revived.
"But those people didn't listen to our explanation at all," he muttered.
"They just treated us as enemies…"
"They probably saw us as special characters that drop rare equipment," Elena interrupted thoughtfully.
"But our goals should actually be the same," Gwen said with frustration.
"We're all trying to eliminate Bugster monsters, clear the game, and revive the victims who were turned into data."
"We can't possibly fight both the monsters and these players every single time a Bugster appears."
"That part doesn't worry me too much," Li Hua replied.
"Our actions during future battles against Bugsters will definitely prove our position to those players."
He paused, concern showing in his eyes.
"What I'm more worried about is the principle behind the Player Gashats created by Genm. Could there be hidden risks for the users?"
"Wasn't it said that humans must possess Bugster virus antibodies and undergo compatibility surgery before they can use the Player Driver to harness the power of the game Gashats?" Li Hua asked.
He turned to look at Dan, who was communicating with the base through the screen.
"Yeah," Gwen nodded repeatedly.
"How did Genm manage to make it possible for any ordinary person to use the power of these Gashats?"
Dan revealed a subtle expression.
"I actually found this strange when Genm first released information about the Gashats on news and social media platforms. But I couldn't figure it out at the time."
"Now that I've analyzed the Rider Player Gashats, I think I've more or less understood the principle."
"What exactly is the secret behind it?" Li Hua asked seriously.
Tan Dao-yi thought for a few seconds before explaining:
"I'll explain using a game analogy."
"If transforming with a Gashat is equivalent to entering a game, then the Gashat itself is your character. Having Bugster virus antibodies would be like owning your own game account."
"But the people using Rider Player Gashats only have temporary access to an account. These accounts—and characters—are basically rented. They don't actually belong to them."
"That's why they can transform even without Bugster virus antibodies."
"And because of that, they also lack the ability to level up. They're like default beginner characters in a game."
"You, on the other hand, would be considered rare special characters."
Elena suddenly nodded in realization.
"Now I get it."
"They're basically soldier units… and we're hero units."
A very concise summary.
"In that case," Li Hua said thoughtfully, "these people's game 'accounts' probably all belong to Genm in reality."
Dan nodded.
"Most likely. After all, he's essentially the administrator of this entire game."