"You have been added to a subgroup created by Mentor Chen Wei."
The QQ notification popped up. Zhang Xiaofan glanced at it—he had just been pulled into a smaller group by a member whose ID was Chen Wei (Newcomer Mentor). The group had only a dozen or so people. Chen Wei was the leader, the rest seemed like newcomers just like Xiaofan, all still using online nicknames.
"Welcome, new member!""Welcome, welcome!"
Unlike the main group, the subgroup's rules weren't strict. Being mostly newcomers, the members warmly greeted Zhang Xiaofan.
"I'm Chen Wei, a director at Panic Studio, currently serving as your group's mentor. My role is to help you newcomers get familiar with how the studio operates and the basics of the game." Chen Wei introduced himself.
"You've all scored 3A or higher in Beihu Province's potential rating test, which makes you priority trainees. The boss has arranged free housing and meals for everyone—specifically at the Azure Garden villa community in Huanghe City."
It seemed that without cheats, getting an SSS rating in the evaluation—especially in the maze section—was nearly impossible. Most could only reach 3A.
"Azure Garden? Damn! That's one of the most luxurious villa communities in Huanghe City!" one member, Zimu Twelve Points, exclaimed.
"Hah… is this really not a scam? I've heard that community is full of rich people, and the security guards are actually undercover police." another member, Feng Tianxin, spoke up.
"Two hundred yuan daily wage, recruiting so many people, all housed in Azure Garden, just to play mobile games? How does the company even make money? Do the other groups all live there too?" asked Battle Never Ends, clearly one of the 3A members who only got 200 yuan daily—far less than Xiaofan's 500.
"In Azure Garden? What a coincidence—I live there myself! I'll head over to Building 16 later and take a look. I don't care about wages, I just want to see how scary this game really is." said COUSKY.
"I've been inside that community before. Green spaces, plazas… the environment's even better than most parks!" added Nero Festival.
"Who's the boss anyway? Aside from this game, what else does he do? Must be insanely rich to pay people just to play games, plus cover food and housing in luxury villas." Tianyuan Flying Feather asked curiously.
"Acting! Keep acting!" Xiaofan sneered silently. To him, these people were clearly shills, trying to lower his guard. Maybe they were all just alts controlled by one person. The lengths these scammers went to—ever since that 500 yuan landed in his account, they'd been working nonstop to lure him to Azure Garden.
"When I first joined, I was as curious as you all. Why so many people? Why such benefits? Who's the boss? How does the studio make money? But now… I don't care anymore. My salary and commissions arrive on time, I enjoy all the benefits, and all I have to do is play the game. My advice—don't ask what you shouldn't. Don't dig into what doesn't concern you. Just do your part." Mentor Chen Wei replied smoothly.
"Classic brainwashing," Xiaofan thought coldly. "Dodging questions he can't answer, deflecting with clichés."
"Fine. Then what exactly do we do now?" Zimu Twelve Points asked.
"My suggestion—those who haven't been here before, come to Azure Garden and see for yourselves. I'm at Villa 16 right now, the doors stay open until midnight. I want you to see with your own eyes that this isn't a scam. Your safety and freedom are guaranteed. If you move in, you'll enjoy company benefits and be under unified management. But you have only until tomorrow midnight to decide. If you don't report in by then, your spot will be given to someone else. You'll lose your chance to rise in rank, earn higher wages, and receive better perks." Chen Wei replied.
If Panic Studio really was a pyramid scheme, then all of this was nothing more than a desperate push to lure newcomers into their net.
But Azure Garden… Xiaofan had heard of it. It was indeed one of the top luxury villa communities in Huanghe City. Could a scam really afford to operate there? Or maybe pyramid schemes had leveled up—using high-end communities as their bases now?
Still, because of that mysterious Xiaomi phone—found in Xue's swaddling—he had stumbled into Panic Studio and this strange game. And Xue's origins might be tied to them. No matter what, Xiaofan felt compelled to go to Azure Garden and see for himself.
The group chat went on with questions, Chen Wei kept brushing them off—or perhaps he truly didn't know. Xiaofan lost interest. He had more pressing matters.
He checked the time. 7:40. Twenty minutes left before his meeting with Luo Ye.
He wondered how her talk with her family was going. If she didn't call by 8:00, as they agreed, he would have to leave with Xue.
He packed up some things, ready to go at a moment's notice. Just waiting for her word.
At 7:50, a knock came at the door.
Cautiously, Xiaofan peered through the peephole. Outside stood a tall, broad-shouldered man in a suit, his expression stern, his build imposing. A stranger.
"Who are you looking for?" Xiaofan slid open the small viewing panel in the steel door and asked.
"Are you Zhang Xiaofan?" the stranger asked politely. His tone was courteous, his demeanor refined.
"I am. What do you want with me?" Xiaofan asked warily.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luo Yi, Luo Ye's elder brother. I'd like to talk to you about her… and about Xue. May I come in?" the man replied calmly.