Translator: AnubisTL
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang paused, momentarily taken aback. In this virtual game called New Universe, his human civilization was the villain?
He didn't particularly care about being the villain.
What concerned him was...
How quickly the enemy had obtained this information.
Just yesterday, when he broke through to Eighth-Tier Civilization, he triggered the God-Tier Civilization human civilization's Cosmic Landmine. The detection lasted only a split second before he upgraded his Radar Jammer to full tier, rendering him undetectable thereafter.
Yet in that fleeting moment, the enemy had captured his civilization's basic information and incorporated it into this newly released virtual online game?
"..."
Chen Mang's expression turned slightly strange. Something felt off about this. If the God-Tier Civilization "human civilization" harbored such deep hostility toward him and sought to destroy his civilization, shouldn't they have kept this military intelligence secret?
How could something like this be so easily revealed in a game?
"Does it contain any other information?"
"No."
Xiao Ai shook his head. "There's only a rough background story. The rest needs to be discovered within the game."
"One question: human civilization and other civilizations should be hostile to each other, right? Are the other God-Tier Civilizations also portrayed as villains in this game?"
"No. The game features various relationships between civilizations, including hostility and alliances. The God-Tier Civilization 'human civilization' has many hostile civilizations, but in this game, there's only one villainous civilization: our own."
"..."
Chen Mang's lips twitched slightly. "So, it sounds like the 27 God-Tier Civilizations have united to create a game that tarnishes my civilization's reputation?"
He knew this was absurd.
Such a thing was utterly impossible.
Why would all the God-Tier Civilizations unite, even deploying a Full-Tier AI, merely to defame one civilization's reputation?
If they had that kind of effort to spare, it would be far more practical to simply unite and physically eliminate us.
The truly surreal part of this situation was that, despite knowing it was impossible and unrealistic, it was actually happening. This was utterly absurd. Otherwise, why would his civilization be the only one portrayed as the villain in this game?
He glanced at the advertisement screen on the outer wall. The public beta had just launched five minutes ago.
After a moment of contemplation, Chen Mang murmured, "If I enter this game, will my information be compromised, or will I be trapped inside?"
"Of course not," Xiao Ai replied confidently. "As a Full-Tier AI, I'll ensure your safety, Train Conductor. In fact, if we can locate the AI terminal for this 'New Universe' Virtual Online Game, I could completely infiltrate it and bring the entire game under our control."
"Purchase several terminals."
"Understood."
Three minutes later, a drone flew around the corner and gently landed before Chen Mang and his companions. As the drone's compartment opened, a box revealed ten pairs of sunglasses—the Game Terminals required to enter the game.
He decided to enter the game and investigate the situation firsthand.
To see what was really going on.
In the God-Tier Civilization of the human civilization, online shopping could deliver orders in just three minutes to any relatively prosperous planet. Even on more remote planets, deliveries took no more than ten minutes.
Online shopping was incredibly convenient.
With flash delivery, orders could arrive in as little as thirty seconds.
Military-grade deliveries were even more extreme, achieving delivery times of just three seconds. Of course, this required using wormholes and other advanced methods, making transportation costs far exceed the value of the goods themselves.
In reality—
Chen Mang had another, perhaps the best, way to uncover the secrets hidden within this "New Universe": travel directly to the Zerg Civilization. By leveraging his connection to the Zerg Civilization Princess, he might be able to extract information from the Queen Mother herself.
Of course, this was only theoretical.
He hadn't pursued this approach because he knew it was impractical. No leader of a God-Tier Civilization would ever leak classified intelligence to a friend of their daughter—it was simply unrealistic.
Xiao Ai booked them a high-end hotel nearby.
Chen Mang and his group arrived at the hotel, settled onto the suite's sofa, and slowly donned their sunglasses to enter the virtual online game called "New Universe."
[Ding! You have entered the "New Universe" Virtual Online Game.]
[This Virtual Online Game differs from others by providing a 100% realistic experience with no in-game purchases.]
[Please set a "Safety Word."]
[Players can exit the Virtual Online Game by silently reciting their "Safety Word." No other method of exiting the Game is available.]
"Chen Mang."
Chen Mang casually set a logout phrase, his eyes narrowing slightly as his confusion deepened. For such a massively resource-intensive online game, how could it possibly be profitable without any recharge portals?
Just then, Xiao Ai's voice rang in his ear.
"Train Conductor, the Game Terminal attempted a covert operation without player consent, trying to implant an Iris Chip. I intercepted it and severed its feedback loop."
"But..."
"This step is unavoidable. Without it, the game cannot be launched?"
"Iris Chip?"
Chen Mang frowned slightly, removing the sunglasses he was holding. These glasses had just attempted to implant an Iris Chip into him without permission—and secretly, at that?
"Yes. Generally, virtual online games don't require Iris Chips. I've analyzed this chip, and it contains no explosives or other foreign substances. Its sole function is to project a panel onto the surface of the pupil."
"This technology is extremely outdated. It was common in the early days of virtual online games, but it's practically extinct now, let alone in a God-Tier Civilization."
"..."
After a long silence, Chen Mang put his sunglasses back on. "Have him implant it, maintain contact with me, and block any unauthorized actions within the game."
"Yes, sir!"
A white light flashed before his eyes, placing him in a blank, empty space—much like the starting point of a game.
He had successfully entered the game.
"Implantation complete?"
"Yes, sir. Elapsed time: 0.029 milliseconds."
"Why didn't I feel any pain? I remember Iris Chip implantation causing a slight stinging sensation."
"For a God-Tier Civilization human civilization, achieving painless and imperceptible implantation is quite simple."
"Can it be removed?"
"At any time."
Only then did Chen Mang relax, turning his attention to the panel floating before him.
["Please set your player name."]
"Chen Mang."
Chen Mang had no intention of concealing his identity. Even if the God-Tier Civilization human civilization knew he had entered the game, so what?
Immediately, another panel popped up before him.
["Welcome, Chen Mang."]
["As the 39,230,923,082nd player of 'New Universe,' we first thank you for your contribution to cosmic exploration. You will become a part of civilization's milestones. Thank you again for your dedication."]
["Secondly, a friendly reminder:"]
["In the event of a life-threatening or insurmountable crisis, please immediately recite the 'Safety Word' to exit the game. We reiterate: there is no other way to exit this game except by reciting the Safety Word."]
["Furthermore, if you fail to recite the Safety Word in time and die in the game, you will also die in the real world (marked in bold red)."]
["This is not April Fool's Day, and this is not a joke."]
["As a 100% realistic Virtual Online Game, we must allow for the possibility of true death."]
["However, if you recite the Safety Word in time, you will not die. Your game account will be permanently deleted, and you will need to register a new account to begin your cosmic exploration journey anew."]
["We wish you a pleasant journey."]
["Thank you again for your dedication."]
In the next instant—
A flash of white light streaked across his vision, and the scene before him rapidly transformed. When it stabilized, he found himself in the heart of a bustling, crowded marketplace, surrounded by chattering pedestrians.
Many of them were game players, excitedly marveling at the game's realism.
Chen Mang surveyed his surroundings.
It was indeed remarkably realistic, almost indistinguishable from reality. He could even feel the dampness in the air and discern the various smells—body odor and greasy hair among them.
The sensory immersion was astonishingly lifelike.
He stomped his foot on the ground and then reached down to adjust himself.
A puddle nearby reflected his game avatar's face, which was an exact replica of his own. The entire avatar's body and features were a perfect one-to-one match with his real physique.
"Xiao Ai, can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can hear you."
Xiao Ai's voice quickly materialized in his ear. In a sense, if he wanted to play this game, Xiao Ai would be his personal cheat code, helping him quickly rise to a high-ranking position within the game.
"Telling people about the risk of death only after they've entered the game? What's going on?"
"I only just received this information myself," Xiao Ai explained. "The New Universe Mainframe had hidden it very deeply. I didn't detect it before entering the game. Normally, virtual online games with real-world death consequences are strictly prohibited."
"Moreover—"
"I couldn't find any mention of this on the Player Forum for the God-Tier Civilization, the human civilization. The authorities must have suppressed the information temporarily to prevent it from leaking. But it won't stay hidden for long; it'll inevitably surface eventually."
"By then, we'll have enough players."
Chen Mang said nothing.
He walked silently through the streets, a growing suspicion forming in his mind. Most of the people here were players, occasionally interspersed with NPCs whose expressions seemed strangely unnatural. There were no exclamation marks or question marks anywhere.
This was essentially a Newbie Village.
A rather large Newbie Village.
Except there were no tutorial quests or guidance for new players. Everything was left to individual initiative.
As he passed a shop, he noticed a long-forgotten item for sale:
[Train Token].
Price: 100 Merit Points.
Just then—
A hurried middle-aged man bumped into Chen Mang, then apologized anxiously, "I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't see you there. I'm just so worried—my son is missing. We got separated just now."
"Have you seen him?"
"He's wearing a pink dress and a black hair clip. He's a very cute little boy."
"If you can help me find him, I'll reward you with 100 Merit Points."
"..."
Chen Mang stared expressionlessly at the man before him, then at the small boy clinging to his back, his pink dress and black hair clip somehow sinister even under the blazing sun. A chill washed over him.
The boy on the man's back then flashed a malevolent grin.
Chen Mang glanced around.
This bizarre scene should have drawn attention, but no one seemed to notice. It appeared he was the only one who could see the middle-aged man—a unique, special mission just for him?
Xiao Ai's voice chimed in his ear, "Train Conductor, you've likely triggered a beginner mission. Early in the game, they'll give new players small tasks to earn 100 Merit Points, enough to buy a train token and officially start the game."
"Wait, let me check the strategy guide."
"Found it."
"Some players have encountered this special mission and posted guides. All you need to do is tell the NPC that your child is behind you. A middle-aged woman will then rush out, her face full of apologies, explaining that her husband has a mental illness and offering you 100 Merit Points as compensation."
"The player also mentioned that they suspect there's a follow-up mission here and are currently investigating."
"Based on what we know so far, it seems the father desperately wanted a daughter and dressed his son as one. But the child couldn't accept this twisted affection and chose death. Now, his spirit has possessed his father's body."
"If that's the case, this game isn't just science fiction; it also incorporates elements of the supernatural."
"Honestly,"
"I don't think these two genres blend well. It feels a bit disjointed."
Xiao Ai continued chattering incessantly in Chen Mang's ear.
Chen Mang spoke calmly, his expression serene, "I've kidnapped your child. Pay me 10,000 Merit Points immediately, or I'll kill them."
The middle-aged man froze for a moment, then grabbed Chen Mang by the collar, his face contorted with rage. "What have you done to him?!"
Chen Mang, unfazed by the man's grip, merely glanced at his wrist-mounted Game Terminal.
"You have three minutes. After that, the time bomb on your child will detonate."
Immediately afterward, the middle-aged man, his mood shifting unpredictably, released Chen Mang's collar and aligned his wristwatch with Chen Mang's. In the next moment, Chen Mang received a notification: 10,000 Merit Points had been credited to his account.
"..."
Chen Mang silently glanced down at the transaction notification.
The freedom here is quite high.
He then surveyed his surroundings, took a deep breath, stepped forward, and, without any hesitation, grabbed the middle-aged man's throat with both hands.
In less than a minute, the man was dead.
Murder in broad daylight.
Chen Mang stood his ground, observing the reactions of nearby players. Strangely, many had witnessed the scene and were staring at him with confusion and bewilderment. Three minutes later, the urgent wail of police sirens echoed from the end of the street.
"The sensation is remarkably realistic, but it's missing something..."
"It lacks the true scent of death."
Chen Mang murmured to himself, staring down at his hands. Everything can be perfectly simulated, except for that unique aroma of death—it's impossible to replicate.
(End of the Chapter)
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