Chapter 119: The Turmoil of the Game's Global Announcement
[Congratulations to player Passerby A for obtaining a Super Item. Since this Super Item is the first Super Item in Zone 014 of Wormhole Point e27, and the third Super Item in Wormhole Point e27, the game will issue a global announcement. All players in Wormhole Point e27 will receive the information in ten seconds.]
[This announcement conceals the player's nickname and ID, only disclosing the area where the Super Item was obtained. Players are encouraged to keep up the good work.]
The moment he saw the message, Xu Huo's back snapped straight. Only after reading the second half did he relax again.
Ordinary items were enough to make regular players fight to the death, let alone a Super Item that triggered a full wormhole point announcement upon acquisition. Not only ordinary players, but even national organizations like the Special Affairs Bureau would be tempted.
His nickname information wasn't completely confidential. At the very least, all players in the Headchopper Instance knew it, and the Special Affairs Bureau had captured the cannibal player Liu Yuanyuan, meaning they should know some of his details.
It wasn't surprising that the game had player level rankings or instance clearance leaderboards. Nicknames and IDs couldn't be hidden forever, but he hadn't expected a global announcement over a Super Item. Fortunately, the game concealed his identity information, or the first ones coming after him wouldn't be players from other zones.
"Brother Xu!" Yuan Yao suddenly got excited, pulling out his phone and typing a line: "You got the announcement too?"
Xu Huo narrowed his eyes, studying his expression.
"Holy crap! That's insane! A global announcement! Even though I don't know what it is, anything that makes the game notify all players has to be a top-tier item!"
"I wonder what the hell e27-014 is. Some guy actually got a Super Item!"
Huang Junjie reached over and tapped the numbers on the phone screen. "This. It's on our return tickets."
The return tickets from the Headchopper Instance had the same code.
"So that means..." Yuan Yao's mouth hung open, opening and closing before he finally said, "It's from our side...!"
"Hard to say." Huang Junjie shook his head. The game only notified Zone 014, but their return tickets actually had a few more digits after that.
"Brother Xu, give us your analysis." Yuan Yao elbowed Xu Huo.
Noticing Xu Huo was in a bad mood, Huang Junjie lowered his voice. "Let's talk when we get back."
The car soon arrived at Xu Huo's place. Once the three of them were inside with the door closed, Yuan Yao started talking like a machine gun: "Brother Xu, what exactly does e27-014 mean?"
"I know the game world is huge, maybe even with parallel dimensions, but those numbers mean that player is from the same place as us, right?"
"Do you think he's from our country?"
"If he is, that'd be great. Anyone who can get a Super Item has to be incredibly strong. At the very least, if countries start fighting later, we'd have an edge!"
"If he's unfortunately not a compatriot, let's hope he's not from one of those big nations, so we can at least be evenly matched."
Xu Huo rubbed his brow. "This isn't a good thing."
"Why do you say that?" Huang Junjie immediately asked.
Xu Huo shot him a glance, his gaze carrying a chill.
Huang Junjie met his eyes openly, clearly implying his suspicion.
That's right. Huang Junjie suspected that the one who got the Super Item was him. His expression when the notification came was too strange.
"Why? Why? I want to know too." Yuan Yao didn't notice the tension between them.
Xu Huo looked away and briefly explained how the game divided regions. "e27-014 means the 14th zone under Wormhole Point e27. My return ticket also has a07 after it, which should be a regional code."
"Mine is a07 too. So the three of us are in the same area under the same wormhole point and the same zone." Yuan Yao said. "But the game didn't announce which area that player is from. If he's across the ocean, we're screwed."
Xu Huo shook his head. "That's a minor issue. Zone 014 is a new game zone. There are at least thirteen zones before it. Evolvers in Zone 009 have been around for over five years, and the earlier zones are even older."
"That means there are countless high-level players." Huang Junjie caught on, his face turning grim.
"What's so bad about high-level players?" Yuan Yao said. "Zone 014 just entered the game not long ago. There should be some kind of newbie protection period."
"Whether there is or not doesn't make much difference." Xu Huo said. "Players can move between zones. With this announcement, countless players will try to get to Zone 014. Restricting low-level players won't stop high-level ones. Whether a hundred or ten come, this world will be thrown into chaos."
In fact, this newbie protection period was more like Schrödinger's cat—it might exist, or it might not. In the Slaughterhouse Instance, players from other zones had arrived with tickets, and the Eagle, who tried to establish the Holy Sword Society, had come from another zone intending to stay permanently.
"Hunting players, massacring ordinary people, even taking over countries—all of that is possible."
Xu Huo's eyes were dark and heavy. What worried him now was that high-level players might have ways to detect Super Items.
Nothing could be left without a trace. "Three Seconds of Life" could rewind time, causing changes in space and time. Since a Super Item had reached that level, there must be items that could sense those signs!
In an instant, his mind simulated many methods to erase the traces, but after just a few seconds, he decided to give up.
Whether he destroyed the surveillance or simply burned down the villa, the commotion would only draw attention. On the contrary, ignoring it, amidst the countless random instances worldwide, it would be harder to trace it back to him.
There was also another problem: the Painting Woman following him.
The Painting Woman was also a Super Item.
He had learned this from other players, but now he knew the characteristics of Super Items. The Painting Woman could transform from a painting into a human and possessed intelligence, fitting the criteria. She was undoubtedly a Super Item.
What should he do with her?
"It can't be that bad. No matter how powerful, it's just one item. Do they need to start a war over it?" The living room was silent for a long time before Yuan Yao shivered and spoke.
"Even from the tip of the iceberg we've seen, we can guess how advanced the Dimension Rift game is. Trains can travel through space—that's unimaginable with our current technology. And those items beyond common sense—the ones we got are the lowest level!" Huang Junjie now understood the gravity. "High-level items possess unimaginable power. In a fiercely competitive game, they're the key to survival. What do ordinary people and ordinary nations mean to players who wield such advanced power?"
"Then what do we do?" Yuan Yao looked at them.
"If we really can't isolate players from other zones... then we'll have to rely on the power of the state machine." Xu Huo said.
*
In that short span of their conversation, across the world, the leaders of nations who knew the truth gathered as quickly as possible to vote on a military operation of the highest magnitude.
Just thirty minutes later, orders were relayed one after another, spreading to every branch of the country at top speed.
Ting City's First Research Institute had received the notice three minutes ago.
After hearing Team Leader Wu's words, Nie Xuan was stunned and furious: "Transferring me to Jing City? Why?"
"Isn't the top priority right now to find that player?"
Team Leader Wu gestured for him to calm down. "Searching for one player nationwide is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even if we search, the other party won't come forward willingly."
"The nation must prepare for a great disaster. Plans are being made to protect a group of promising players in advance."
"You are a rare and excellent talent, the future of the country. Whether this catastrophe comes or not, preserving the seeds of hope is essential!"
"What about the other players?" Nie Xuan said coldly. "The players the nation has gathered so far are only a minority. Many promising players are still being recruited. Are we just abandoning them?"
"The nation cannot protect everyone." Team Leader Wu said sternly. "Those players, the Special Affairs Bureau, ordinary civil servants, and myself—we all must become the nation's bulwark!"
Nie Xuan's gaze turned icy. "In simple terms, you're giving up on them?"