Sun Ning’s smile was a little forced.
The two stared at each other, and Bai Lixin saw Sun Ning’s mouth opening and closing silently, as if she wanted to say something but held back due to good manners.
Bai Lixin tilted his head just enough to see Sun Ning’s nameplate.
“Order Zone, Section A-3, Operator 7, Miss Ning”
Sun Ning took off her headset. “It’s time for me to hand over.”
She pointed to the bottom right corner of the semi-transparent display screen in front of her. “The prompt here indicates that I can leave my workstation to hand over.”
Bai Lixin glanced at the display screen in front of Sun Ning, but all he could see was a black screen.
However, according to Sun Ning, she could see the content on the display screen. It seemed that each workstation corresponded to specific personnel, and individuals not assigned to that workstation had no right to view its contents.
Bai Lixin asked, “When did you wake up?”
Sun Ning: “An hour ago. I woke up here, and during that time, I received a call. It was from a robot, with a voice sounding like electrical static. The robot called for help, saying its owner’s physical functions were abnormal, and they suddenly fainted. I helped them contact the emergency rescue center.”
She glanced at the display screen again, furrowing her brows slightly. “I really should go now. This display screen has been urging me to leave work quickly.”
“When you’re on duty, I’m off duty. It seems our work hours don’t synchronize.”
“How should I contact you now that the private chat windows are closed?”
Bai Lixin tried to take out a pen and paper from his backpack to write down the address to give to Sun Ning, but he realized he couldn’t retrieve anything from his backpack.
He had no choice but to verbally provide an address, “This is the ‘home’ I woke up to. If you need to find me, you can go there.”
Sun Ning memorized the address in her mind, then stood up from her workstation, closed the display screen, and left.
Not long after she left, a stranger whom Bai Lixin didn’t recognize replaced her at her workstation.
As soon as the man sat down, he skillfully turned on the computer, put on the headset, and entered work mode with a cheerful and enthusiastic smile on his face.
Bai Lixin shifted his gaze to the screen in front of him.
The monotonous blue color seemed somewhat hollow. Apart from the time display in the bottom right corner and the personnel information in the top right corner, the entire screen only had an icon of a headset in the top left corner.
There were two time displays in the bottom right corner: one showing the current time and the other counting down.
As soon as he opened the display screen, the countdown began to gradually decrease from 08:00:00.
In the next hour, he didn’t receive a single phone call.
During this time, he started to check his backpack and task information.
He attempted to retrieve a few props from his backpack again, but the result was the same—he couldn’t retrieve anything.
[Sister System,] he called out the escape system in his mind, [is the inability to retrieve props from the backpack considered a bug in the copy?]
The escape system took two seconds to respond to Bai Lixin. [Master Bai Lixin, the inability to retrieve props from the backpack is due to the unique nature of the copy and is not considered a system bug.]
Bai Lixin: [Is it affecting all players or only some players?]
Escape System: [At present, only some players have reported the issue of being unable to retrieve props from their backpacks. After investigation, this phenomenon is not considered a bug.]
S419M: [Some can retrieve props, while others cannot. Isn’t this still a bug? This is a game, and props are crucial. Even a seemingly insignificant prop could determine life or death. How is this not a bug? Could it be they are targeting the host?]
The escape system was also puzzled. [I find it strange too, but after checking, I found that not only Master Bai Lixin encountered this issue, but many players also reported it. The inability to open the backpack may be related to the region. Players in this area where Master Bai Lixin is located have generally reported being unable to open the backpack to retrieve props.]
Bai Lixin decided not to dwell on the issue. [I see.]
While one person and two systems were communicating internally, the phone icon on the blue screen, which had been silent, flickered twice.
Bai Lixin put on his headset and clicked on the icon. A somewhat harsh electrical buzzing sound began to penetrate his ears.
“Zzzt”
“Zzzt”
“Dzzz”
“Zzzt”
“Beep beep…”
From the headset came the fuzzy sound of electricity and an incomprehensible “beep”, followed by a sudden stop, and then a busy tone of “beep beep beep.”
Bai Lixin looked at the now calm phone icon in confusion. Just then, a somewhat weak female voice came from the phone, “Hello, is anyone there?”
The background on the phone seemed noisy, and Bai Lixin could even faintly hear explosions and screams.
The woman’s voice trembled as she said, “Help me, anyone, please help me. I’ve been attacked, and I’m lost here. Can someone help me?”
[Ding!] A sudden system prompt rang out in Bai Lixin’s mind.
[Congratulations, player, you’ve triggered a random task: Emergency Rescue!]
[Please assist the caller in escaping safely and rendezvous with the arriving rescue personnel.]
[After completing the task, you will receive point rewards.]
[Failure to complete the task will result in a punishment for work failure, the punishment method is random.]
[Due to the special nature of the ‘rescue call,’ this task is mandatory and cannot be refused.]
After the system prompt ended, a new sub-task appeared in Bai Lixin’s task list.
At the same time, a large three-dimensional hollow transparent map suddenly appeared on the previously only blue screen, with a red inverted triangle appearing in the middle of the map.
The map appeared to be within a city, with crisscrossing roads and towering skyscrapers almost engulfing the inverted triangle.
The Inverted triangle stood at a crossroads, swaying left and right, as if unsure which direction to move in.
At the edge of the map, several green dots were slowly moving towards the position of the inverted triangle.
Behind the inverted triangle, a square object shook for a moment, then burst open, causing the inverted triangle to shrink downwards.
At the same time, Bai Lixin heard screams and explosions from the woman in the phone, “The car exploded! Smoke is everywhere! Please help me!”
It seemed that the inverted triangle represented the woman who was calling.
Bai Lixin quickly adjusted his voice and said soothingly, “Madam, please calm down. Rescue personnel are already converging towards your location. Are you injured?”
The woman sobbed, “I’m fine, but I’m so scared. There’s thick smoke all around, and I can’t see anything.”
Bai Lixin continued, “Please follow my guidance and move forward. I will safely guide you out of here and help you meet with the rescue personnel. Now, please stand up and proceed straight ahead…”
Although the woman was panicked, she remained relatively calm.
With Bai Lixin’s step-by-step guidance, she quickly navigated through the maze-like streets and successfully met up with the arriving emergency personnel.
At the moment when the inverted triangle and the green dots converged, the woman burst into tears, “Thank you, I’m saved! Thank you all so much. I knew the Black Bronze Legion would always protect us.”
[Ding! Congratulations, player, the task is successfully completed. The points you have obtained for this task will be settled after leaving the copy.]
At this moment, Bai Lixin’s attention was not on the task or the woman who had been rescued, but on the map still visible on the blue screen.
[S419M, can you lock down the specific location of this area?] Bai Lixin asked.
S419M: [Please wait a moment, Lord Host. Let me check.]
After a few seconds, S419M’s voice sounded somewhat weak. [I’m sorry, Lord Host, I couldn’t match it successfully. However, I have saved the map on the computer. This place may be beyond my sensing range. If I have the opportunity to sense the entire map, I can definitely complete the matching.]
The map on the screen slowly disappeared, and Bai Lixin just said “mmm,” as the blue screen once again fell silent.
In the following time, he received several more phone calls.
He found that the operators in the Order Zone could receive all sorts of calls, not just rescues, but also various other calls such as emotional issues, decision-making difficulties, confessions, and so on.
It wasn’t until the countdown ended that he considered the first day’s work over.
He counted and realized that the operator’s work wasn’t particularly busy.
Except for the initial “emergency rescue” call, he felt that the other calls were somewhat meaningless.
One of the calls lasted nearly half an hour, with the caller chatting with him as if they were talking about daily life, even mentioning how many eyelashes their cat had.
Bai Lixin really couldn’t understand it, but could only passively accept such absurd calls.
Fortunately, the first day wasn’t entirely fruitless. During his break, he wandered around the Communication Department in the Order Zone.
Of course, as the lowest-ranked “call operator,” the only places he could go were either the general area or the rest area.
This building, which appeared cold and frozen from the outside, was equally strict internally.
For an ordinary operator like him, the areas he could enter were only the first three floors. Access to higher floors required higher permissions, which he couldn’t obtain.
So, the first day’s work ended somewhat muddled.
—————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[It seems like I’ve witnessed the birth of a corporate slave.]
[No matter what, even if he’s a corporate slave, God Xin is the most handsome one.]
[But this copy actually lasts for sixty days… with such a long duration and 10,000 people, the homepage of the live broadcast will be dominated by the “Dark Steel City.”]
[10,000 live broadcasts simultaneously playing the same copy, an unprecedented era.]
[This copy doesn’t seem very dangerous now. The first day is about to end, and there are still 10,000 survivors.]
[Maybe it’s a welfare benefit since it’s a trial period? The task said that even as a “resident,” enduring for sixty days could complete the task. If there are no major actions from the Rebel Army later, continuing like this would be a safe and prudent way to clear the copy.]
[But…God Xin is in this copy, could it really be that simple?]
[…]
[…]
[Uh, good question. Next.]
————————
[Lord Host, what are you thinking about? You’ve been lost in thought since you got off work.] When Bai Lixin was close to home, S419M couldn’t help but speak, [Why do you go straight home after work? You weren’t like this before. Aren’t you going to explore other places, especially as you’ve only been away from home for eight hours? Or have you started thinking about “Xiao Yi,” the green tea AI?]
Bai Lixin’s head buzzed from S419M’s nagging, [It’s too fast.]
S419M: [What’s too fast?]
Bai Lixin: [The rescue team’s speed this morning was too fast. It’s like they arrived at the scene as soon as I picked up the phone. If I’m the operator, who notified them to rescue?]
S419M: [It’s not difficult to understand. This is a cyber era where various high-dimensional technologies are integrated. It’s not surprising to achieve such speed.]
[As for who notified them, perhaps the operators here are set up that way. When a rescue call is made to them, it also connects to the rescue personnel instantly.]
Bai Lixin didn’t quite agree with S419M’s speculation, but he didn’t have a better explanation for now.
As he pondered this question while walking, high pitched screams suddenly rang out around him, like the excited cries of fans when a big star passed by.
Puzzled, he followed the sound and looked up, only to see an airship passing overhead.
A huge poster hung above the airship, depicting a man with sharp features and deep-set eyes. The airship’s lights illuminated the poster, making the man’s already handsome face even more radiant.
Two banners dropped from the airship.
Within the banners were countless fluttering petals, falling in colorful hues.
People below were like bees drawn to nectar, eagerly reaching out to the falling petals in the sky.
In a flash, one landed right in front of Bai Lixin.
He casually grabbed it, and discovered that these petals were actually small square cards.
[Singer Pris Xingchen’s Tour Concert will be held at 8 p.m. on February 14th in the sky over Bussheng Street in the Order Zone. All distinguished audience members who have received lucky numbers are welcome to attend.]
Bai Lixin flipped the card over, and found a string of numbers printed on it.
Petals continued to rain down from the sky, and people around him scrambled to grab them, even picking up the cards that fell to the ground.
It wasn’t until the airship left and all the cards on the ground were picked up that the commotion ended.
People on the street gathered in groups, excitedly discussing the singer Pris Xingchen.
“It’s the god of singing, Pris Xingchen. I really hope I’m one of the lucky few.”
“This time, I picked up over a dozen cards. I don’t believe none of them will win.”
“Starlight’s tickets are always in high demand. This time I was able to catch up with his ticket giveaway. I’ve only watched his live broadcasts on StarNet before. It’s so wonderful. I really hope I have the chance to hear his voice in person.”
“If I can attend Xingchen’s concert for free, I can boast about it for a lifetime.”
“Did you hear? It’s said that this is Pris Xingchen’s final concert.”
“What? Why?!”
“I heard that he seems to have contracted some strange illness. It causes him a lot of pain and he has to temporarily leave the stage. But this is just hearsay from the small channels on StarNet, I don’t know if it’s accurate.”
“That must be a rumor!” Someone’s voice suddenly amplified, “With today’s technology, all diseases have long been cured. How could he leave the stage because of an illness?”
“That’s why it’s called a strange illness. If it’s true, we’ll all know after tomorrow night’s concert.”
“If it’s true, then tomorrow night will be Xingchen’s last concert?”
“Damn, I should’ve grabbed a few more cards earlier!”
The surrounding people discussed fervently, while Bai Lixin tucked the only card into his pocket and quickly made his way back to his “home.”
Xiao Yi was still wearing an apron just like when he left in the morning, standing quietly at the door with a smile, “Sir, welcome home. Did you have a pleasant day at work? Xiao Yi has been waiting for you to come back. Xiao Yi really misses you.”
“Would you like to shower first, or have dinner first, sir?”
S419M: [Bah, green tea.]
Escape System: [Exactly, good tea, bah!]
Bai Lixin: […]
Bai Lixin felt that choosing either option now would be scorned by the two systems, so he simply didn’t choose anything and walked straight to the desk.
When he woke up in the morning, he saw a desk here. It was empty and somewhat out of place among the tightly arranged surroundings.
At that time, he didn’t know how to turn on this copy’s computer display. After working a day in the communication department of the Order Zone, he finally learned how to access StarNet.
He looked around on the desk with some unfamiliarity, and soon touched a button from an inconspicuous place.
He pressed It, and a huge blue semi-transparent screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
A dazzling array of icons were densely arranged on the screen, looking somewhat crowded.
[Ding! Congratulations to player Bai Lixin for discovering the hidden StarNet.]
[Friendly reminder, continuing to explore may trigger the “hidden identity.” After discovering the hidden identity, players may not be able to maintain their “resident” status. Please explore cautiously.]
Bai Lixin hesitated slightly, his gaze becoming more scrutinizing towards those icons.
It seemed that this StarNet contained clues to his “hidden identity.”
The screen of StarNet was large. He quickly glanced at the icons on it, and found that there were over two hundred in total.
Each icon opened up into a new app or document, with nested documents inside.
For Bai Lixin, finding clues wasn’t difficult, but it would take some time.
However, for a sixty-day copy, time didn’t seem particularly precious at the moment.
Bai Lixin stretched lazily and began to see what each of these icons represented.
He first took a rough look and found that most of the icons were related to competitive games.
The character he played, “Mr. Xin,” was likely a gaming enthusiast.
Two hours later, Bai Lixin had sifted through half of the icons on the desktop, putting the useless ones into a unified folder, clearing up half of the desktop.
To avoid making his behavior too unusual, Bai Lixin followed Xiao Yi’s guidance and had dinner in due course.
Until he went to bed, Bai Lixin had filtered down the two hundred plus icons to just fifteen.
Among these fifteen icons, one caught his attention.
It was an icon of a shopping platform, indicating that “Mr. Xin” had recently purchased something, but because the item was encrypted, he couldn’t determine what it was.
Unknown shipping location.
Store encrypted.
Unknown transaction method.
Everything was unknown.
The only thing known was that the item was specially customized, with an expected delivery time of half a month later.
Bai Lixin silently noted down the delivery time of the item before checking the other icons.
Among the fifteen icons, there were also two identical communication icons.
Both icons were identical in appearance and content, as if they had been copied and pasted.
Bai Lixin opened both contact lists and compared them, even reading through each chat record, but everything seemed normal.
It was just normal communication between friends and colleagues, nothing suspicious.
He didn’t think that two completely identical icons were a coincidence, but for now, he didn’t make any discoveries. He also put these two contact lists together.
The other icons had more or less some things that he didn’t understand, so he simply put them together for observation.
Until the end of the day, there was no prompt from the system, and he temporarily didn’t uncover his “hidden identity.”
…
“Sir, it’s time to wake up.”
“Good morning, sir. Today is also a sunny day. I wish you have a good mood from now on.”
When he woke up, Xiao Yi stood in the same place where she appeared for the first time yesterday, tilting her head with a smile, and repeating the same opening remarks from yesterday.
Bai Lixin squinted as he looked out the window.
The sunlight was bright, and beams of light, wrapped in the Tyndall effect, slanted perfectly onto the dining table and floor, filling everything with warmth and coziness.
He silently sat up, and Xiao Yi’s face once again showed a puzzled expression: “Sir, did you have another dream last night?”
Bai Lixin felt something was off, and he gave a blank expression, shaking his head: “Sorry, I’m not sure.”
Xiao Yi’s expression turned into one of dismay and worry: “Maybe I should contact a psychologist for you? Having frequent dreams indicates that you haven’t rested well enough, and you may need psychological counseling. It must be because of the recent busy work. Perhaps it’s time for you to take a vacation? I remember you still have half a month of leave left. Do you need me to apply for leave for you, sir?”
Upon hearing the words “psychologist,” Bai Lixin suddenly remembered that Mr. Kaila, the bald man, seemed to have wanted to introduce a psychologist to him before.
Sun Ning’s smile was a little forced.
The two stared at each other, and Bai Lixin saw Sun Ning’s mouth opening and closing silently, as if she wanted to say something but held back due to good manners.
Bai Lixin tilted his head just enough to see Sun Ning’s nameplate.
“Order Zone, Section A-3, Operator 7, Miss Ning”
Sun Ning took off her headset. “It’s time for me to hand over.”
She pointed to the bottom right corner of the semi-transparent display screen in front of her. “The prompt here indicates that I can leave my workstation to hand over.”
Bai Lixin glanced at the display screen in front of Sun Ning, but all he could see was a black screen.
However, according to Sun Ning, she could see the content on the display screen. It seemed that each workstation corresponded to specific personnel, and individuals not assigned to that workstation had no right to view its contents.
Bai Lixin asked, “When did you wake up?”
Sun Ning: “An hour ago. I woke up here, and during that time, I received a call. It was from a robot, with a voice sounding like electrical static. The robot called for help, saying its owner’s physical functions were abnormal, and they suddenly fainted. I helped them contact the emergency rescue center.”
She glanced at the display screen again, furrowing her brows slightly. “I really should go now. This display screen has been urging me to leave work quickly.”
“When you’re on duty, I’m off duty. It seems our work hours don’t synchronize.”
“How should I contact you now that the private chat windows are closed?”
Bai Lixin tried to take out a pen and paper from his backpack to write down the address to give to Sun Ning, but he realized he couldn’t retrieve anything from his backpack.
He had no choice but to verbally provide an address, “This is the ‘home’ I woke up to. If you need to find me, you can go there.”
Sun Ning memorized the address in her mind, then stood up from her workstation, closed the display screen, and left.
Not long after she left, a stranger whom Bai Lixin didn’t recognize replaced her at her workstation.
As soon as the man sat down, he skillfully turned on the computer, put on the headset, and entered work mode with a cheerful and enthusiastic smile on his face.
Bai Lixin shifted his gaze to the screen in front of him.
The monotonous blue color seemed somewhat hollow. Apart from the time display in the bottom right corner and the personnel information in the top right corner, the entire screen only had an icon of a headset in the top left corner.
There were two time displays in the bottom right corner: one showing the current time and the other counting down.
As soon as he opened the display screen, the countdown began to gradually decrease from 08:00:00.
In the next hour, he didn’t receive a single phone call.
During this time, he started to check his backpack and task information.
He attempted to retrieve a few props from his backpack again, but the result was the same—he couldn’t retrieve anything.
[Sister System,] he called out the escape system in his mind, [is the inability to retrieve props from the backpack considered a bug in the copy?]
The escape system took two seconds to respond to Bai Lixin. [Master Bai Lixin, the inability to retrieve props from the backpack is due to the unique nature of the copy and is not considered a system bug.]
Bai Lixin: [Is it affecting all players or only some players?]
Escape System: [At present, only some players have reported the issue of being unable to retrieve props from their backpacks. After investigation, this phenomenon is not considered a bug.]
S419M: [Some can retrieve props, while others cannot. Isn’t this still a bug? This is a game, and props are crucial. Even a seemingly insignificant prop could determine life or death. How is this not a bug? Could it be they are targeting the host?]
The escape system was also puzzled. [I find it strange too, but after checking, I found that not only Master Bai Lixin encountered this issue, but many players also reported it. The inability to open the backpack may be related to the region. Players in this area where Master Bai Lixin is located have generally reported being unable to open the backpack to retrieve props.]
Bai Lixin decided not to dwell on the issue. [I see.]
While one person and two systems were communicating internally, the phone icon on the blue screen, which had been silent, flickered twice.
Bai Lixin put on his headset and clicked on the icon. A somewhat harsh electrical buzzing sound began to penetrate his ears.
“Zzzt”
“Zzzt”
“Dzzz”
“Zzzt”
“Beep beep…”
From the headset came the fuzzy sound of electricity and an incomprehensible “beep”, followed by a sudden stop, and then a busy tone of “beep beep beep.”
Bai Lixin looked at the now calm phone icon in confusion. Just then, a somewhat weak female voice came from the phone, “Hello, is anyone there?”
The background on the phone seemed noisy, and Bai Lixin could even faintly hear explosions and screams.
The woman’s voice trembled as she said, “Help me, anyone, please help me. I’ve been attacked, and I’m lost here. Can someone help me?”
[Ding!] A sudden system prompt rang out in Bai Lixin’s mind.
[Congratulations, player, you’ve triggered a random task: Emergency Rescue!]
[Please assist the caller in escaping safely and rendezvous with the arriving rescue personnel.]
[After completing the task, you will receive point rewards.]
[Failure to complete the task will result in a punishment for work failure, the punishment method is random.]
[Due to the special nature of the ‘rescue call,’ this task is mandatory and cannot be refused.]
After the system prompt ended, a new sub-task appeared in Bai Lixin’s task list.
At the same time, a large three-dimensional hollow transparent map suddenly appeared on the previously only blue screen, with a red inverted triangle appearing in the middle of the map.
The map appeared to be within a city, with crisscrossing roads and towering skyscrapers almost engulfing the inverted triangle.
The Inverted triangle stood at a crossroads, swaying left and right, as if unsure which direction to move in.
At the edge of the map, several green dots were slowly moving towards the position of the inverted triangle.
Behind the inverted triangle, a square object shook for a moment, then burst open, causing the inverted triangle to shrink downwards.
At the same time, Bai Lixin heard screams and explosions from the woman in the phone, “The car exploded! Smoke is everywhere! Please help me!”
It seemed that the inverted triangle represented the woman who was calling.
Bai Lixin quickly adjusted his voice and said soothingly, “Madam, please calm down. Rescue personnel are already converging towards your location. Are you injured?”
The woman sobbed, “I’m fine, but I’m so scared. There’s thick smoke all around, and I can’t see anything.”
Bai Lixin continued, “Please follow my guidance and move forward. I will safely guide you out of here and help you meet with the rescue personnel. Now, please stand up and proceed straight ahead…”
Although the woman was panicked, she remained relatively calm.
With Bai Lixin’s step-by-step guidance, she quickly navigated through the maze-like streets and successfully met up with the arriving emergency personnel.
At the moment when the inverted triangle and the green dots converged, the woman burst into tears, “Thank you, I’m saved! Thank you all so much. I knew the Black Bronze Legion would always protect us.”
[Ding! Congratulations, player, the task is successfully completed. The points you have obtained for this task will be settled after leaving the copy.]
At this moment, Bai Lixin’s attention was not on the task or the woman who had been rescued, but on the map still visible on the blue screen.
[S419M, can you lock down the specific location of this area?] Bai Lixin asked.
S419M: [Please wait a moment, Lord Host. Let me check.]
After a few seconds, S419M’s voice sounded somewhat weak. [I’m sorry, Lord Host, I couldn’t match it successfully. However, I have saved the map on the computer. This place may be beyond my sensing range. If I have the opportunity to sense the entire map, I can definitely complete the matching.]
The map on the screen slowly disappeared, and Bai Lixin just said “mmm,” as the blue screen once again fell silent.
In the following time, he received several more phone calls.
He found that the operators in the Order Zone could receive all sorts of calls, not just rescues, but also various other calls such as emotional issues, decision-making difficulties, confessions, and so on.
It wasn’t until the countdown ended that he considered the first day’s work over.
He counted and realized that the operator’s work wasn’t particularly busy.
Except for the initial “emergency rescue” call, he felt that the other calls were somewhat meaningless.
One of the calls lasted nearly half an hour, with the caller chatting with him as if they were talking about daily life, even mentioning how many eyelashes their cat had.
Bai Lixin really couldn’t understand it, but could only passively accept such absurd calls.
Fortunately, the first day wasn’t entirely fruitless. During his break, he wandered around the Communication Department in the Order Zone.
Of course, as the lowest-ranked “call operator,” the only places he could go were either the general area or the rest area.
This building, which appeared cold and frozen from the outside, was equally strict internally.
For an ordinary operator like him, the areas he could enter were only the first three floors. Access to higher floors required higher permissions, which he couldn’t obtain.
So, the first day’s work ended somewhat muddled.
—————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[It seems like I’ve witnessed the birth of a corporate slave.]
[No matter what, even if he’s a corporate slave, God Xin is the most handsome one.]
[But this copy actually lasts for sixty days… with such a long duration and 10,000 people, the homepage of the live broadcast will be dominated by the “Dark Steel City.”]
[10,000 live broadcasts simultaneously playing the same copy, an unprecedented era.]
[This copy doesn’t seem very dangerous now. The first day is about to end, and there are still 10,000 survivors.]
[Maybe it’s a welfare benefit since it’s a trial period? The task said that even as a “resident,” enduring for sixty days could complete the task. If there are no major actions from the Rebel Army later, continuing like this would be a safe and prudent way to clear the copy.]
[But…God Xin is in this copy, could it really be that simple?]
[…]
[…]
[Uh, good question. Next.]
————————
[Lord Host, what are you thinking about? You’ve been lost in thought since you got off work.] When Bai Lixin was close to home, S419M couldn’t help but speak, [Why do you go straight home after work? You weren’t like this before. Aren’t you going to explore other places, especially as you’ve only been away from home for eight hours? Or have you started thinking about “Xiao Yi,” the green tea AI?]
Bai Lixin’s head buzzed from S419M’s nagging, [It’s too fast.]
S419M: [What’s too fast?]
Bai Lixin: [The rescue team’s speed this morning was too fast. It’s like they arrived at the scene as soon as I picked up the phone. If I’m the operator, who notified them to rescue?]
S419M: [It’s not difficult to understand. This is a cyber era where various high-dimensional technologies are integrated. It’s not surprising to achieve such speed.]
[As for who notified them, perhaps the operators here are set up that way. When a rescue call is made to them, it also connects to the rescue personnel instantly.]
Bai Lixin didn’t quite agree with S419M’s speculation, but he didn’t have a better explanation for now.
As he pondered this question while walking, high pitched screams suddenly rang out around him, like the excited cries of fans when a big star passed by.
Puzzled, he followed the sound and looked up, only to see an airship passing overhead.
A huge poster hung above the airship, depicting a man with sharp features and deep-set eyes. The airship’s lights illuminated the poster, making the man’s already handsome face even more radiant.
Two banners dropped from the airship.
Within the banners were countless fluttering petals, falling in colorful hues.
People below were like bees drawn to nectar, eagerly reaching out to the falling petals in the sky.
In a flash, one landed right in front of Bai Lixin.
He casually grabbed it, and discovered that these petals were actually small square cards.
[Singer Pris Xingchen’s Tour Concert will be held at 8 p.m. on February 14th in the sky over Bussheng Street in the Order Zone. All distinguished audience members who have received lucky numbers are welcome to attend.]
Bai Lixin flipped the card over, and found a string of numbers printed on it.
Petals continued to rain down from the sky, and people around him scrambled to grab them, even picking up the cards that fell to the ground.
It wasn’t until the airship left and all the cards on the ground were picked up that the commotion ended.
People on the street gathered in groups, excitedly discussing the singer Pris Xingchen.
“It’s the god of singing, Pris Xingchen. I really hope I’m one of the lucky few.”
“This time, I picked up over a dozen cards. I don’t believe none of them will win.”
“Starlight’s tickets are always in high demand. This time I was able to catch up with his ticket giveaway. I’ve only watched his live broadcasts on StarNet before. It’s so wonderful. I really hope I have the chance to hear his voice in person.”
“If I can attend Xingchen’s concert for free, I can boast about it for a lifetime.”
“Did you hear? It’s said that this is Pris Xingchen’s final concert.”
“What? Why?!”
“I heard that he seems to have contracted some strange illness. It causes him a lot of pain and he has to temporarily leave the stage. But this is just hearsay from the small channels on StarNet, I don’t know if it’s accurate.”
“That must be a rumor!” Someone’s voice suddenly amplified, “With today’s technology, all diseases have long been cured. How could he leave the stage because of an illness?”
“That’s why it’s called a strange illness. If it’s true, we’ll all know after tomorrow night’s concert.”
“If it’s true, then tomorrow night will be Xingchen’s last concert?”
“Damn, I should’ve grabbed a few more cards earlier!”
The surrounding people discussed fervently, while Bai Lixin tucked the only card into his pocket and quickly made his way back to his “home.”
Xiao Yi was still wearing an apron just like when he left in the morning, standing quietly at the door with a smile, “Sir, welcome home. Did you have a pleasant day at work? Xiao Yi has been waiting for you to come back. Xiao Yi really misses you.”
“Would you like to shower first, or have dinner first, sir?”
S419M: [Bah, green tea.]
Escape System: [Exactly, good tea, bah!]
Bai Lixin: […]
Bai Lixin felt that choosing either option now would be scorned by the two systems, so he simply didn’t choose anything and walked straight to the desk.
When he woke up in the morning, he saw a desk here. It was empty and somewhat out of place among the tightly arranged surroundings.
At that time, he didn’t know how to turn on this copy’s computer display. After working a day in the communication department of the Order Zone, he finally learned how to access StarNet.
He looked around on the desk with some unfamiliarity, and soon touched a button from an inconspicuous place.
He pressed It, and a huge blue semi-transparent screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
A dazzling array of icons were densely arranged on the screen, looking somewhat crowded.
[Ding! Congratulations to player Bai Lixin for discovering the hidden StarNet.]
[Friendly reminder, continuing to explore may trigger the “hidden identity.” After discovering the hidden identity, players may not be able to maintain their “resident” status. Please explore cautiously.]
Bai Lixin hesitated slightly, his gaze becoming more scrutinizing towards those icons.
It seemed that this StarNet contained clues to his “hidden identity.”
The screen of StarNet was large. He quickly glanced at the icons on it, and found that there were over two hundred in total.
Each icon opened up into a new app or document, with nested documents inside.
For Bai Lixin, finding clues wasn’t difficult, but it would take some time.
However, for a sixty-day copy, time didn’t seem particularly precious at the moment.
Bai Lixin stretched lazily and began to see what each of these icons represented.
He first took a rough look and found that most of the icons were related to competitive games.
The character he played, “Mr. Xin,” was likely a gaming enthusiast.
Two hours later, Bai Lixin had sifted through half of the icons on the desktop, putting the useless ones into a unified folder, clearing up half of the desktop.
To avoid making his behavior too unusual, Bai Lixin followed Xiao Yi’s guidance and had dinner in due course.
Until he went to bed, Bai Lixin had filtered down the two hundred plus icons to just fifteen.
Among these fifteen icons, one caught his attention.
It was an icon of a shopping platform, indicating that “Mr. Xin” had recently purchased something, but because the item was encrypted, he couldn’t determine what it was.
Unknown shipping location.
Store encrypted.
Unknown transaction method.
Everything was unknown.
The only thing known was that the item was specially customized, with an expected delivery time of half a month later.
Bai Lixin silently noted down the delivery time of the item before checking the other icons.
Among the fifteen icons, there were also two identical communication icons.
Both icons were identical in appearance and content, as if they had been copied and pasted.
Bai Lixin opened both contact lists and compared them, even reading through each chat record, but everything seemed normal.
It was just normal communication between friends and colleagues, nothing suspicious.
He didn’t think that two completely identical icons were a coincidence, but for now, he didn’t make any discoveries. He also put these two contact lists together.
The other icons had more or less some things that he didn’t understand, so he simply put them together for observation.
Until the end of the day, there was no prompt from the system, and he temporarily didn’t uncover his “hidden identity.”
…
“Sir, it’s time to wake up.”
“Good morning, sir. Today is also a sunny day. I wish you have a good mood from now on.”
When he woke up, Xiao Yi stood in the same place where she appeared for the first time yesterday, tilting her head with a smile, and repeating the same opening remarks from yesterday.
Bai Lixin squinted as he looked out the window.
The sunlight was bright, and beams of light, wrapped in the Tyndall effect, slanted perfectly onto the dining table and floor, filling everything with warmth and coziness.
He silently sat up, and Xiao Yi’s face once again showed a puzzled expression: “Sir, did you have another dream last night?”
Bai Lixin felt something was off, and he gave a blank expression, shaking his head: “Sorry, I’m not sure.”
Xiao Yi’s expression turned into one of dismay and worry: “Maybe I should contact a psychologist for you? Having frequent dreams indicates that you haven’t rested well enough, and you may need psychological counseling. It must be because of the recent busy work. Perhaps it’s time for you to take a vacation? I remember you still have half a month of leave left. Do you need me to apply for leave for you, sir?”
Upon hearing the words “psychologist,” Bai Lixin suddenly remembered that Mr. Kaila, the bald man, seemed to have wanted to introduce a psychologist to him before.
