Chapter 182: Speculations on the Future of Zone 014
The sharp paper blade stopped right in front of his eyeball, unmoving. Xu Huo raised his hand. "Pause."
The paper knife immediately lost its power and fluttered to the ground. The Painting Woman reattached her fingers, then ran over to him, staring with watery eyes.
"Mm, you're very strong." Xu Huo praised.
The Painting Woman's eyes curved happily. She pulled out her phone and typed: "Do you still want me to hit you?"
"We'll stop here for today. We'll continue tomorrow." Xu Huo said, glancing at the badge on her chest. Even when she had turned into paper form earlier, it had stayed firmly attached. "Does this thing give you a power boost?"
The Painting Woman shook her head with a slightly confused expression, then said, "I just really like looking at it."
Seeing her naive appearance, Xu Huo knew he wouldn't get anything useful out of her. He brushed the dust off his clothes. "Let's go back."
The two drove back. Before getting out of the car, Xu Huo used some cleaning agent, but the torn parts of his clothes were still clearly visible. The armed personnel at the entrance immediately notified Team Leader Wu upon seeing him.
Team Leader Wu called him back, asking if he had been attacked.
Xu Huo denied it, then asked, "Have there been a lot of outsiders causing trouble lately?"
Team Leader Wu didn't hide anything and said directly, "Country Y has fallen into chaos. Besides those countries already struggling to manage their own affairs, a lot of people want to take a piece of the pie."
Never mind harming others for personal gain—even things that harm others without benefiting oneself are being done.
"You should be careful too. I've received several reports of players being followed these past few days." Team Leader Wu said. "Country Y doesn't acknowledge the existence of the game or players. While desperately trying to suppress information and conduct secret experiments, they certainly don't want to see our country cultivating excellent players either."
Xu Huo acknowledged this and then inquired about Tang Guangbo.
During the isolation period, Team Leader Wu had thoroughly screened all of Tang Guangbo's social connections and every trace of his online presence, confirming that he had never been in contact with Country Y. Over the past ten-plus years, he had consistently harbored a longing for his homeland.
"He is now a specially appointed professor at the National Security Bureau, responsible for psychological counseling for some players."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "His main focus is psychology?"
"Not exactly. He holds three doctorate degrees—one in psychology, and the other two in mechanical engineering and economics." Team Leader Wu said. "I only found out recently. The country had previously intended to invite him back to teach."
"During these few days of isolation, he wrote a paper based on the information the country has released and published it on the Vanguard Forum."
"A talent is a talent. With just that amount of information, he was able to thoroughly understand player psychology. Several new players with unstable mindsets have stabilized under his guidance."
Xu Huo sat down in front of his computer with his phone and opened the Vanguard Forum. A pinned post at the top was Tang Guangbo's paper.
"The distinction between humans and animals is gradually eroding in this evolutionary catastrophe. A tribute to the heroes who still maintain their humanity amidst the onslaught of the storm."
That was the first paragraph of his preface.
He then elaborated on his views regarding players and the game, predicting that in the mature future of Zone 014, there would no longer be a distinction between the real world and the game world. Zone 014 would eventually merge into the game, becoming a game world itself. At that point, White Notes would become a new form of foreign currency, and players from other worlds would take the Dimension Train to Zone 014, forming a trade and competition model similar to the current global landscape.
Just from this prediction alone, Tang Guangbo was thinking even further ahead than most players. E-rank players mostly encountered closed or semi-closed instances, making it difficult to glimpse the true face of the game world. But in reality, a true game world should be like Fairy Tale City—becoming a part of the game, with players and instances becoming the norm.
However, Fairy Tale City was an extreme example. There should be other, more peaceful game worlds with publicly recognized order, where both players and ordinary people are equally bound by rules.
After hanging up on Team Leader Wu, Xu Huo continued reading the main body of the paper.
A large portion was dedicated to analyzing the psychological state of Evolvers transitioning into official players, along with several methods for self-regulation. However, he proposed an idea in the paper: that Cannibal Players should not be universally condemned.
He argued that some Cannibal Players had committed wrongdoings while in an unconscious state of mind. If they could be monitored by the state and learn to control themselves, Cannibal Players could also serve the country. The government would only need to control their diet or develop a potion to curb their gluttonous urges.
That was absolutely impossible.
Xu Huo had understood on the Initial Review Train that the true horror of Cannibal Players wasn't that they had to eat human flesh, but that they could only increase their power by consuming large quantities of their own kind.
Cannibal Players were limited in their traits—this fact had also been announced by the government. After completing a few instances, the differences brought about by traits would become apparent. At that point, Cannibal Players who wanted to get stronger would have to eat people, and the more the better. Under this premise, even if a Cannibal Player didn't have a strong urge to eat, they would choose to do so in order to survive in the game.
This was no longer about being "forced" or "having no choice"—it was a survival instinct.
Under these circumstances, how could Cannibal Players possibly be controlled by the state?
Whether it was hunting players from other zones within the game or scavenging corpses to eat, if players became accustomed to this kind of behavior, that would be the beginning of disaster.
The paper had already generated a response on the forum and had been reposted to various online platforms. Leaving everything else aside, this one point had sparked anger in many people. During the previous invasion by Outer Zone players, some had witnessed Cannibal Players cordoning off an entire building to slaughter and feed at will.
"Knock, knock." Tong Tong knocked on the door. "Brother, Auntie Fang is here."
The Painting Woman had brought him a few toys, and the child had quickly grown attached to her.
Xu Huo opened the door and went out. Tong Tong added, "Auntie Fang also brought a bespectacled uncle. Auntie said he's going to be your stepfather."
When he reached the living room, Tang Guangbo was discussing the paper with Xu Huo's father.
"...As a scholar, I'm merely proposing a possibility. The ones who can truly make the decision are the country and the government."
"However, I believe that in this special period, this could also be considered an emergency measure, especially now when the number of players is rapidly decreasing."
"After this transitional period is over, we can deal with them then."
Tang Guangbo adjusted his glasses. "After all, cannibalism is the greatest sin."
Xu Huo's father, who didn't know much about the situation, said, "Using them when they're needed and then turning against them when they're not—wouldn't that make the country seem too ruthless?"
Tang Guangbo sighed and said, "Special circumstances call for special measures. It's a last resort."
"Uncle Tang has lived abroad since childhood, but you seem to have a good grasp of the domestic situation and rhetoric." Xu Huo walked over and sat down.
Tang Guangbo smiled. "This is my homeland. My parents also longed to return here before they passed away. Of course, I would pay extra attention."
"To adapt to life in Jing City as quickly as possible, I even specifically enrolled in a class to learn the authentic local dialect."
Xu Huo looked at him, paused for a moment, and then said, "You're very thoughtful."