Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 297: Kasamoto Eri’s Roleplaying Game

Jessica—daughter of Mayor Mike Haggar, and also the childhood sweetheart and fiancée of The King of Fighters character Cody. Unlike her demon-muscled father and her battle-loving fiancé, Jessica was a scholar—an extremely intelligent one at that.

She believed that problems should be solved with wisdom, that brains were far more useful than fists.

However, reality had proven that this theory didn't always hold up.

...

Inside the room, Jessica, now tied to a chair, sat with her legs pressed tightly together before hesitantly speaking in a soft, reserved voice. "Um... excuse me, sir... I'd like some water."

Hearing this, Qin Ming, who was lounging nearby eating pizza, rolled his eyes. Without even looking, he grabbed a bottle of cola and tossed it over.

Jessica stared at the bottle on the table in front of her, her expression deadpan. "My hands are tied. I can't open it."

PFFFT!

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Ming had already stood up, walked over, and—with a casual flick of his finger—stabbed a hole through the bottle cap. Then, without another word, he shoved a straw into it and turned to leave.

Jessica stared wide-eyed at the scene, completely speechless. Seeing him about to walk away, she hurriedly spoke again in a small voice. "Um... I also need to use the bathroom. Could you untie me?"

Hearing this, Qin Ming silently turned his head, locking eyes with Jessica with an expressionless gaze. Looking at this woman who was clearly treating him like an idiot, he sighed helplessly before walking over, grabbing the cola bottle, and twisting it in half with one hand, ripping off the top portion entirely.

"Use this," he said indifferently.

"WHAT?! You expect a lady to use this?! Where's your gentlemanly manners?!"

"My gentlemanly manners?" Qin Ming smirked coldly. "I promise you, that's not something you'd want to see. This is your last chance. Use. This."

"I refuse!"

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"Alright then." Qin Ming shrugged. "You brought this on yourself."

Without another word, he drew his revolver and fired a shot into the air.

BANG!

In the next instant, a figure rushed into the room—Kasamoto Eri, Qin Ming's ever-present sidekick.

"Boss, what's up?" she asked eagerly.

"Watch over this woman. We're playing kidnappers this time." Qin Ming said this without looking back, already walking away.

Eri, however, perked up in excitement. Turning to look at Jessica, who was staring at her with wide, terrified eyes, she suddenly grinned. Then, she tossed off her military coat, ripped a leather jacket from the wall, and threw it on. Next, she pulled out a military knife from her belt—then, with a devilish smirk, slowly licked the blade.

"Well, well, well..." she sneered. "Looks like you had some real bad luck today, little missy! Now, smile for me!"

Having spent so much time roaming different worlds with Qin Ming, Kasamoto Eri had long since adapted to playing various roles—and clearly, she was enjoying this one...

One hour later, the sound of a door opening echoed through the room. Still lounging on the couch, Qin Ming glanced sideways. Seeing Eri walk out, he raised an eyebrow. "So? The girl didn't try to escape?"

Eri adjusted her belt, shook out her messy hair, and snorted. "Don't worry. For the next few hours, escaping won't even cross her mind."

"Oh... Eri."

"Hmm?"

"Don't pick up bad habits from Sun Ji. You're a modern, professional soldier, while she's just a warlord's little sister from a feudal era. You need to be mindful of your image and behavior."

Qin Ming sighed helplessly as he looked at Eri, whose flushed cheeks clearly indicated that she had taken the opportunity to do something questionable. Ever since she started hanging around with Sun Ji, the two troublemakers had become increasingly inseparable, and Eri's behavior had grown bolder and more reckless. This was not a good sign.

Eri walked right up to Qin Ming and plopped down beside him on the couch. Without hesitation, she snatched the cigarette from his hand and took a long, satisfying drag. Exhaling a puff of smoke toward Qin Ming's face, she smirked.

"Boss, what makes you think I picked up bad habits from her?"

"Hmm?"

"A little girl from ancient times? Like hell she'd know more than me!"

"...Hmm?!"

Seeing Qin Ming's eyes gradually widen, Eri grinned mischievously and elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Boss, gotta say, you've got great taste as always. This hostage—top quality. That body, that face... it'd be a real shame to just kill her off after the ransom is paid. Why not keep her around for a while?"

"Eri! You're really getting into this kidnapper act, huh? Watch yourself!"

Seeing that Eri had completely immersed herself in the role, Qin Ming finally lost patience. He grabbed her by the jacket and yanked her up, shaking her violently. The force of his movements made her head whip back and forth uncontrollably.

Just as Qin Ming was physically persuading Eri to behave, a sudden loud noise erupted from the entrance.

Both of their expressions immediately changed. Qin Ming, who had been scolding Eri, and Eri, who had been reveling in her bandit persona, both tensed up, their pupils shrinking in an instant.

Qin Ming instantly let go of Eri, lunging forward to shield her with his massive frame.

Eri reacted just as quickly, whipping out the revolver at her waist. She positioned herself slightly behind Qin Ming, using his broad body as cover while aiming toward the source of the sound.

Their reflexes were instantaneous, their teamwork seamless.

Within the very next second, they had already assumed a defensive stance.

At that moment, the door—kicked open with brute force—revealed a man standing at the entrance.

Without hesitation, he raised his shotgun and fired!

A hail of pellets sprayed across the room, sending gang members screaming as blood splattered everywhere.

Qin Ming, who took the blast head-on, was struck so hard that sparks flew off his body.

Before the attacker could cycle the pump for a second shot, Eri, still hiding behind Qin Ming, pulled the trigger.

Her bullet hit the man's wrist dead on, making him scream in agony as the shotgun clattered to the ground. Cursing, he quickly retreated out of the room.

"Charge!" Eri shouted. She smacked Qin Ming hard on the back, and without a word, he bolted toward the doorway. Eri followed right behind him.

One in the frontline, one for fire support—this was the exact reason why Qin Ming had chosen to bring Eri along as a summoned ally. She compensated for his lack of ranged firepower, making their combat coordination incredibly efficient.

After so much time fighting together, their teamwork had reached a level where their movements were as fluid as muscle memory.

With a thunderous crash, Qin Ming shoulder-bashed through the wall, bursting out of the building and into the street!

Following right behind him, Eri had already drawn her machine gun, raising it and unleashing a storm of bullets, providing immediate suppressive fire.

(End of Chapter)