Chapter 459: A Truly Perfect Assassination (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

On September 5th, “Assassin's Creed” officially launched.

Many players who had already experienced the demo immediately jumped into the game.

The forums were filled with a chorus of “It's so good!”

Moreover, if players had completed the demo content previously, their game save data was preserved, meaning they didn’t have to start from scratch again.

Stepping back into the game, Song Ren felt a thrill of excitement. After all, he was finally about to undertake his first assassination in the game.

Controlling Ezio, Song Ren cautiously mingled within the crowd, slowly moving with the surrounding throng towards the Basilica di Santa Croce.

The soldiers standing at the entrance were not overly vigilant; they appeared quite relaxed. Clearly, they didn't anticipate anyone causing trouble here.

In “Assassin's Creed”, Chen Xu had made enhancements and modifications to some of the levels and gameplay compared to previous iterations. First and foremost was the game's AI.

In the original version, there was already, for instance, the coin-tossing gameplay where regular guards would run to pick up ten Yuan dropped on the ground, but elite soldiers wouldn't even glance at it.

He also enhanced the performance of guards in the game. For example, ordinary guards wouldn't have very keen observation skills.

High-level guards, however, would be far more observant, constantly looking around.

And besides the guards at the gate, they weren't all just stuck in place like wooden poles; they would patrol around.

Of course, this was mainly to enhance the in-game experience and player immersion, while also providing a reason for a successful assassination without others noticing.

This is a necessary feature for games with stealth gameplay.

After all, if characters don't move, a very awkward situation arises:

Two enemies stand with their backs to the player, the player assassinates one, but the other remains oblivious. From an immersive experience perspective, this is illogical and often questioned by players. Are all enemies deaf and blind, for goodness sake? You kill their comrade right in front of them, and they know nothing?

But making enemies too smart wouldn't work either. If they discovered you right after an assassination, what would be the point of stealth?

Too foolish, players feel it’s unrealistic; too smart, and players lose the fun of the game.

So, typically, these types of games specifically find corresponding excuses for players.

For instance, players might possess high-tech equipment or superpowers, or, more simply, enemies patrol, creating blind spots where players can assassinate them without alerting others.

In “Assassin's Creed”, Chen Xu also implemented some optimizations.

In the original game, although the Basilica di Santa Croce was built, the actual playable area was just a small room.

To describe it in a word, it was palm-sized.

This assassination level, in total, had two guards at the door and two on the rafters. Players either climbed the wall to get in or paid 150 Yuan to hire fallen women to distract the guards and sneak in.

However, the real Basilica di Santa Croce is not that small.

The interior of the entire church is divided into three naves, with a real-world length of 114 meters, a sanctuary, and ten chapels.

Chen Xu also set up the game's mission requirements. Players are not forced to follow specific conditions, such as failing the mission and losing synchronization if discovered, which would necessitate restarting.

Players can choose their desired mode to carry out assassination missions.

Song Ren didn't immediately approach the cathedral. After arriving at the mission location, he observed for a while.

Soon, he found a small path, climbed directly onto the roof, and then air-dropped into the church.

He seized the opportunity to sneak into the plaza when no guards were looking. In the plaza, he heard people who had attended the art exhibition speaking ill of the deceased Auditore family and Ezio's father in their conversations.

Looking at the vast crowd, Song Ren activated Eagle Vision as prompted, located his target, Uberto, and slowly approached him.

Song Ren took a deep breath, cautiously closing in on Uberto, who was the center of attention.

At this moment, he felt a surge of excitement, like a hunter hidden in the dark.

His enemy didn’t even know that disaster was impending.

One hit, one kill, then vanish into the darkness.

Staring at Uberto, Song Ren controlled Ezio in the game, inching closer, while already mentally picturing the scene that would unfold.

Upon getting close, Song Ren saw the assassination interaction prompt appear on his screen.

He decisively pressed the interaction button, and in the game, Ezio lunged forward, stabbing Uberto five times in the chest with the Hidden Blade repaired by Leonardo da Vinci.

Time seemed to freeze, and the surrounding space turned white, resembling a code-like Animus environment.

The dying Uberto looked at Ezio with a hint of confusion, uttering his final words.

“You would do the same to save the ones you love.”

However, Ezio scoffed at Uberto's so-called last words, responding coldly,

“Yes! I would, and I already have.”

Clearly, this was a spiritual communication between the two.

Song Ren paused slightly, a little taken aback by this setting.

Is this… spiritual communication?!

As the white, code-like Animus space disappeared, screams of terror erupted from the crowd.

Looking at the people who had previously slandered his family and father, Ezio shouted loudly, letting them know that the Auditore bloodline was not broken.

'The Auditore family has not perished!'

'I am still here, I! Ezio! Ezio Auditore!'

As Ezio loudly declared this, guards swarmed in from outside. However, Song Ren had already controlled Ezio to climb onto the roof and make his escape.

Hidden in darkness, one-hit kill! Absolutely epic!

Feeling his heart pounding, Song Ren savored the memory of his assassination performance.

“This truly was a perfect assassination!” Song Ren exclaimed, looking at the mission summary.

At this very moment, his good friend Zhang Yi was also playing the game.

Even though the only weapon currently available was the Hidden Blade, and even though various assassin techniques, including the Kill Streak System and Air Assassination System, were still locked, what did it matter? Having the Counter with the Hidden Blade was enough.

As a veteran Souls-like game player, the Counter timing in “Assassin's Creed” wasn't difficult, and after a successful Counter, enemies could be directly executed.

So, after taking down Uberto and seeing the guards swarming in, he didn't immediately leave. Instead, he positioned himself at the doorway against the wall and eliminated every single guard who came as reinforcements.

“Truly a perfect assassination!” Zhang Yi exclaimed with the same sentiment, looking at the piles of bodies on the ground.

(End of Chapter) <>