This bug is amazing!

Chapter 266 Changes in the Reality

【Name: I am a battery】

[Skill Card Attribute: Passive Skill, Permanently Mastered]

[Effect: The body can absorb 20% of the spiritual energy received from psionic attacks, and this energy can be stored and used, accumulating for later dungeons.]

[Learning Requirements: Spiritual Power ≤ 0 (cannot learn if it exceeds this level)]

[Note: Brother Han, is it really impossible to cultivate immortality without spiritual power?]

"Wow, this thing is practically made for me."

It's equivalent to a high-end version of the [Spirit Spring Amulet].

The only drawback is that you need to absorb damage to store spiritual energy in your body, but this can be controlled.

Ji Yi's [Thor's Hammer] has the ability to attract lightning, so it's probably feasible for him to summon lightning to strike himself.

"This completely makes up for the lack of spiritual power."

The later you get in the game, the more you'll need to use your spiritual power. Even melee classes will use it to some extent.

"We're in luck. It would be a shame not to open the box while we're at this momentum."

Muttering to himself, Ji Yi activated "Probability Reversal" and then opened the [Ultimate Surprise Gift Box].

【Name: XXX】

[Quality: perfect]

Without carefully reading the details, Ji Yi immediately activated [Roll Again].

In any case, he has a chance to reopen the box every time he opens it, so the probability of getting good stuff is much higher, right?

A white light flashed.

【Name: Stylish Flip-Flops】

【Type: Fashion】

[Quality: perfect]

[Effect: Charm +10, NPCs are more likely to develop a favorable impression of you]

[Note: A good game should have a fashion system. A batch of new fashion items have been added in this non-disruptive update, which can be obtained from reward boxes. There are also many hidden rare items waiting for you to discover.]

Ji Yi: "?"

The update patch is applied after you enter the dungeon, which is pretty cool, don't you think?

Ji Yi looked at the brand-new slippers that had appeared on her feet and remained silent.

Fashion and equipment are not mutually exclusive, so although Ji Yi is wearing sneakers, they actually look like slippers.

"What's so cool about this? Why do NPCs think I'm more attractive just because I'm wearing flip-flops?!"

Ji Yi was speechless. She regretted not restarting the game and instead taking the reward.

Thanks to his consistent good luck, Ji Yi didn't feel down for long.

A few seconds later, he opened his friends list and saw several noticeable unread messages.

First, there was the drunken lament of the lone wild goose:
"Remember to contact me as soon as you come out of the dungeon; I have something to discuss with you."

"Why the rush? Is it something to do with the Headhunter Alliance? Or is it the game coming to reality?"

Ji Yi looked at the message box and muttered to herself, but did not reply to reality immediately.

This message was sent out the day before, so a little more time won't make a difference.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how much impact the arrival of some game data into reality has had on reality."

If someone were to commit crimes in real life with super-powerful gadgets and weapons, and no one were to regulate them, that would be a huge problem.

It could even be said that in the early stages of such a version update, chaos and disaster are bound to be brought to reality, and many ordinary people will likely be affected.

"We really need to get back to reality and check the situation quickly."

Ji Yi quickly glanced at the other people's messages.

[Zhuge Light Bulb]:
"Didn't I say I'd introduce you to my cousin? How come you haven't added her as a friend yet after all these days? Remember to add her after we get out of the dungeon."

Ji Yi scratched his head, as if there had been such a thing, but he had long forgotten about it.

I quickly replied with an "OK".

Next up is Miss Cat's message:

"I successfully changed jobs."

"Also, I've noticed some changes in the real world, and they don't look good. You should be careful."

Upon seeing this, Ji Yi frowned and typed a reply: "Okay, be careful too."

After saying that, he immediately logged out of the game.

Back in the familiar villa room, everything seemed unchanged.

Ji Yi took out her phone, opened WeChat, and directly contacted Gu Hong: "I'm back. Are you free now?"

The other party replied quickly: "Okay, come to my office."

Ji Yi replied "Okay" and immediately got up and went to the villa next door.

As he walked, he tried to take the [Clown Mask] out of his inventory.

That was the only item he found he could bring out of the game before entering the instance.

Logically speaking, since the "early access test server" hasn't ended yet, Ji Yi should be able to take out the mask.

But at this moment, he found that his inventory was empty, and he hadn't taken anything out.

Ji Yi walked towards Gu Hong's office, her flip-flops clattering with confusion.

Wait, flip-flops?

Ji Yi looked down at her feet, and a semi-transparent information panel appeared before her eyes:

【Name: Stylish Flip-Flops】

【type.】

"Grass."

Ji Yi seemed to understand what had happened.

"Dong dong dong."

Ji Yi knocked on the door of Gu Hong's office.

"Enter."

Upon entering the simple, black, white, and gray office again, Ji Yi saw Gu Hong sitting at his computer desk, eating a boxed lunch with one hand.

"That's yours on the table. Come in and eat while we talk."

Ji Yi glanced at another boxed lunch on the computer desk.

He was indeed a little hungry, and without being picky, he sat down at the Gu Hong table and opened his lunchbox.
"I never thought that you, Boss Gu, would be so unrefined when it comes to eating. I thought that someone like you, a second-generation official and rich kid, would eat seafood and abalone every day."

Gu Hong glanced at Ji Yi sideways, but instead of continuing Ji Yi's story, he asked:

"You should have noticed the changes in reality by now, right?"

Ji Yi lifted her foot and stretched it out in front of Gu Hong, showing off her flip-flops:

"Yeah, by the way, let me show you the updated fashion system in the game. Pretty cool, right? I got it from the ultimate treasure chest."

Lone Goose: "."

Gu Hong still didn't respond. After swatting away Ji Yi's foot, he spoke calmly:

"Each player's 'Partial Descent' data is reset daily. Some players might be dominating the battlefield one day with their signature weapon, only to be found dead by someone else the next day, clutching a roll of toilet paper."

It turned out to be the case.

“Let me guess,” Ji Yi chimed in, “that list of high-ranking members of the Headhunter Alliance that I gave you, you didn’t make a major mistake or suffer casualties during the arrest, did you?”

Gu Hong's expression instantly turned sour.

It seems he was right. Gu Hong's tone became quite heavy:

"After all, without the ability to mobilize military forces, ordinary firearms are also ineffective against some extraordinary items."

That's understandable. How many of those who rise to the top of the Headhunter Alliance are truly incompetent? If they happen to acquire a useful item or skill, they're perfectly capable of countering ordinary guns and cannons.

on the other hand.

The Headhunter Alliance has a longer history, originating from the very beginning of the game, while the official organization was established much sooner.

Therefore, in terms of sheer numbers, the official force is at a significant disadvantage.

Under these conditions, one can speculate on what might happen if the "official hunt for the top leaders of the Hunter Alliance" takes place.

Gu Hong continued to explain:
"Although a considerable price was paid, a few scourges were eliminated, but this did not improve the situation much."

Then, Gu Hong changed his tone and said:

"When you leave the dungeon, do you check what people are talking about on the game forums?"

"Uh, no, I haven't checked the forum in a long time."

After thinking for a moment, Ji Yi replied that it was indeed the truth; he couldn't even remember the last time he had checked the forum.

The main reason I don't go there is that it's full of idle chatter, gossip, and scandals, with very little serious discussion about the game.

Human nature seems to remain largely unchanged, no matter where you are.

Thinking it over, Gu Hong directly summarized the situation for Ji Yi:
"In short, the Headhunter Alliance has split up. Half of the people on the list you gave me have been captured and interrogated by us. The other half, after escaping capture, went into the game space and started their own separate organizations."

"They've been promoting it extensively on game forums, and it's become a hot topic there these past few days. Many players have already expressed their intention to join."

Ji Yi was taken aback. The Headhunter Alliance had split up? And they were openly recruiting members on their respective forums?

The world order has changed so drastically that it's like waking up to find the Soviet Union had collapsed.

But upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem strange at all.

Ji Yi had served as the leader of the Hunter Alliance for several months in "Second Life," and he knew the nature of these high-ranking leaders very well.

Regardless of their philosophies, goals, or development models, these people all have their own ideas.

The top brass of the Headhunter Alliance had long been at odds, with each side unwilling to submit to the other. Without a strong leader to guide them, a split was to be expected.

"So," Ji Yi stroked his chin thoughtfully, "does that mean these 'evil factions' are now playing their cards openly against us?"

"Does the official 'Games Department' and the 'Dark Alliance' of righteous players also have posts on the forum? Logically speaking, the righteous side should receive more support, and more people should join us, right?"

As an unofficial temporary worker in the "Games Department," one of the founders of the "Dark Alliance," and the leader of the "Headhunter Alliance" in a parallel world, Ji Yi is quite enthusiastic and experienced in developing power.

Gu Hong shook his head silently, simply turning the computer screen in front of him around.

Then, Ji Yi saw a table filled with dense information.

"This is a list?"

When Ji Yi examined it closely, he suddenly became astonished:

"This is a list of ordinary players?!"

What surprised Ji Yi so much was not that it only listed player information; each player's real name and address were also clearly displayed on it!

At this moment, Gu Hong spoke in a deep voice:
"Skills like my [Strong Enemy Sense] and the [Thousand-Mile Hunt] that I won with my footwork, these kinds of detection skills aren't unique to us, I don't need to elaborate on the follow-ups, right?"

Ji Yi finally understood.

The fact that the evil faction was able to snatch people from the authorities only shows that they had an advantage in information and intelligence.

Once they obtain the real information of ordinary players, they can use coercion, intimidation, and bribery.
It's not hard to imagine how terrible the situation would be for ordinary people once a group of uncontrollable "criminal forces" set their sights on a target.

No wonder.

How many innocent players have died in the past few days?

When Ji Yi asked this question, her mood became much heavier.

He thought Gu Hong was in a bad mood simply because of the loss of manpower, but now it seems that the problem is far more serious than he imagined.

"More than 300 people have been confirmed dead, but the number of people who have suffered various harms due to information leaks is probably around 5,000 to 6,000. This number will continue to rise over time."

"Tsk."

Ji Yi frowned, her expression now far more somber and complex than Gu Hong's.

Suddenly, he remembered Xie Jiayi and immediately took out his phone.

There are two unread messages, which she sent yesterday.

【Crab Mud】: "It seems the arrival data is refreshed every day, so please be careful."

【Crab Mud】: "I'm safe for now, don't worry about me."

Ji Yi was still very worried and typed:

Where are you? I'll come pick you up!

Hsieh Chia-yi replied instantly:
"Well, today isn't very safe. I got some useless skills, so I'm planning to go into a dungeon to hide. Don't worry about me."

Ji Yi breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, then I'm relieved."

In the context of the real world, the dungeon world actually provides a great sense of security.

Thinking about it, Ji Yi decided to remind Miss Cat as well.

But the other party seemed to have foreseen this, sending Ji Yi a message in advance:

"It's been a lot of chaos outside these past few days, so I'm going to hide in the game space for a few days. We can chat online if anything comes up."

Seeing this, Ji Yi was completely relieved and replied with "Okay".

Then, he greeted almost all the players he had added as friends, and most of them seemed to be safe.

After Ji Yi finished processing the messages, Gu Hong spoke calmly:

"Most players in Ning'an City and surrounding cities have not been affected yet. Players whose information was leaked are mainly concentrated in Bailu City, Dachang City, Donglian City, Huomo City and other areas."

"However, we cannot guarantee that we are absolutely safe now. I have prepared a backup plan so that we can evacuate at any time if there is any danger."

Ji Yi asked in confusion, "Then why not hide in the dungeon now? Wouldn't that be safer?"

Gu Hong shook his head:

“You can, but we can’t. The authorities have too many things to deal with and too many responsibilities to bear. If we don’t risk our lives to do these things, we will only face a worse outcome.”

Ji Yi understood.

Yes, for the safety of players and for the greater good, the small "official team" that Gu Hong assembled is really carrying too much of a burden.

Gu Hong was a winner in life, standing at the top of the social class. He was a second-generation official and a wealthy man with unparalleled abilities.

But instead of enjoying his own life, he was fighting for the rights of ordinary, innocent people, which made Ji Yi feel a sense of unreality.

"Gu Hong, as a Celestial Dragon, why do you care so much about the lives of the common people? Is it out of a noble spirit of selfless dedication?"

Gu Hong was taken aback by Ji Yi's sudden question.

Instead of answering Ji Yi directly, he asked in return:

"If you were in my seat, wouldn't you do the same thing as me?"

Ji Yi immediately denied it: "Of course not."

"I don't need to be strong in everything if I just want to take care of myself. Isn't it better to just enjoy life?"

Gu Hong shook his head and remained silent.

Ji Yi clearly didn't want to delve deeper into this topic, so he spoke directly:

"Enough with the small talk. Now I'm a second-tier professional player, and my skills are pretty awesome."

Upon hearing this, Gu Hong was visibly taken aback.

Ji Yi? Second job advancement?
Wasn't he only level 15 a few days ago?

“So,” Ji Yi licked his lips, rubbing his hands together, “letting your brother share your burden is like paying rent.”

(End of this chapter)