This bug is amazing!

Chapter 271 New Players and Major Changes

A flashy pinkish-purple sports car sped along the highway.

Sitting inside, Ji Yi truly understood for the first time why a sports car is called a sports car.

At this speed, the return trip shouldn't take more than 20 minutes.

After all, we also need to take into account the traffic flow in the city. If we drive any further, we can't maintain such a high speed.

As she was thinking, Ji Yi saw a message pop up on her phone: Officer Liu had accepted her friend request.

Officer Liu is a criminal investigation team leader assigned by the driver. Although he is not a player, he seems experienced and reliable.

"Oh, you also have a daughter."

Ji Yi accidentally clicked on the other person's Moments and glanced at it a couple more times. Then Officer Liu sent a voice message:
"Hello, Mr. Ji! This is Liu Jianhua, assigned by my superiors to assist you in this operation. I have arrived at the scene. Xiaoqin is still in her hotel room and is currently safe, but..."

When Ji Yi heard this, a strange feeling washed over her.

It was as if he had anticipated what the other person would say.

The next second, Liu Jianhua's voice continued to come through.

"Just now, I suddenly seemed to hear the voice of a ghost, but Xiaoqin said she couldn't hear it. I've never encountered this situation before. Is this the reason I'm cooperating with your investigation?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yi's head suddenly buzzed with a deafening roar.

A thought suddenly came to mind:
Just now, Liu Jianhua also became a player!

Ji Yi suddenly recalled that in the [Hidden Village] instance, there was also a police officer surnamed Liu, who also had a beautiful young daughter.

Is it a coincidence or...?
Ji Yi immediately made a voice call to him:

"Liu Jianhua, is that right?"

"Mr. Ji, it's me."

Ji Yi let out a long breath and said in a serious tone:

"Your guess is correct. Currently, you are dealing with an anomaly called the 'Hyperdimensional Game,' which is classified information. Do you understand?"

Liu Jianhua: "A game?"

This veteran detective clearly couldn't understand why any classified file would be named "game".

Sure enough, he became a player too.

It is safe to say that Linlin is in the same situation as him and is very likely to be recruited one day to become a new batch of players.

But this is too much of a coincidence. The current player base is only a few tens of thousands of people. Even if a new batch of players came, how come I kept running into them?

"We'll talk more when we meet. Just make sure to protect Xiaoqin."

After Ji Yi finished speaking, she hung up the phone and immediately called the driver.

"Driver, you'd better check who has suddenly become a player. I have a bad feeling."

The driver, bewildered, asked, "Check? How? Why would you check this?"

Tsk, with your level of professionalism, there's a reason why Gu Hong made you stay in the real world to work shifts.

"By placing exaggerated game items in front of the public and observing the strange expressions of people in the crowd, I now have reason to suspect that the world is undergoing a disruptive change!"

Ji Yi's tone was quite urgent, and the other party seemed to realize the seriousness of the problem:
"Okay, I'll dispatch people right away!"

After he finished speaking, the call ended.

Ji Yi then nervously looked around at the scenery and road, clutching her phone.

He squeezed the backpack on his lap, a bold idea surfacing in his mind, but was quickly suppressed by reason.

'My priority right now is to protect myself. Of course, if what I predict happens, then perhaps I won't need to worry so much about safety.'

Even worse things are about to happen.

Linlin seemed to notice the unusual expression on Ji Yi's face. She didn't ask immediately, but pondered for a moment before speaking:

Is it a bad thing that there are more gamers?

Ji Yi, with a somber face, slowly began to speak:

"The problem isn't that there are more players, but that new players haven't even had a chance to try out the dungeons yet, but they're already in contact with the veteran player base, and even..."

As she spoke, Ji Yi turned her head to look at Linlin:
"Just as you are completely powerless to resist me now, new players are almost indistinguishable from ordinary people, but the cognitive barrier has been eliminated, which will bring a lot of suppression and control to the 'newcomers'."

Upon hearing this, Linlin summarized and analyzed the situation in a very organized manner:
"I understand. The battles between players won't be perceived by ordinary people, so it's safer to be an ordinary person. But once you become a player and have the ability to acquire resources, you'll be used as a tool for exploitation."

Linlin drove, her tone unhurried:

"New players, due to information asymmetry, will be quickly divided and devoured by various organizations. Before they have even grown up, they will be seized on their weaknesses and vulnerabilities and become enslaved dogs. Even if they don't fall for it at first, the subsequent suppression and retaliation will always drive them to a dead end."

Ji Yi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this:
"You seem to know quite a lot."

Linlin smiled and said, "That's just how the entertainment industry is. Isn't this the same everywhere?"

Ji Yi was taken aback by what he heard. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then stopped himself.

He paused for a long time before asking, "Then aren't you afraid I'm a bad person?"

Linlin smiled slightly, took one hand off the steering wheel, and reached down to Ji Yi's lower body.

Ji Yi reacted quickly, grabbing the other person's wrist:
"Pay attention to the road while driving!"

Linlin pouted: "Okay~"

After Xie Jiayi got off the high-speed train and walked out of the station, she looked back one last time at the three brightly lit characters "Dachang City" above the station.

"We've finally arrived. Hopefully, we can make it in time."

Although Ji Yi was clever and capable, he ultimately ventured into someone else's territory all by himself.

If the complete player data were to come to life, Xie Jiayi wouldn't have anything to worry about. But if it's just about awakening one item/skill, Xie Jiayi is still a little apprehensive.

After all, Ji Yi wasn't very lucky.

"So why should I worry about him and come all this way?"

"Yeah, it must be because of the ring's 'shared fate' effect. If he dies, I might not survive either. It's not about caring about anything."

Muttering to herself, Xie Jiayi walked out of the station exit and arrived at the station square, where she was surprised to find a large crowd gathered in the center.

Hsieh Chia-yi was slightly puzzled, but being cautious by nature, she did not go up to watch directly.

As a single, beautiful woman living alone, she possessed a certain level of self-protection, which honed her counter-surveillance skills to the level of a fugitive.

After all, most of the time, without corresponding strength, beauty will be a disaster.

Xie Jiayi walked calmly past the crowd, her gaze sweeping over them, and finally she saw what was going on inside.

In the center of the crowd, two people were "performing a show".

They attacked each other, making it look like a martial arts fight performance.

At this moment, Xie Jiayi keenly sensed something was amiss.

The props used by the two people in their performance were actually two game items!
【name:】

The moment the panel appeared, Xie Jiayi's heart skipped a beat.

If the two people are players, ordinary people shouldn't be able to see them. Could it be that...?
At that moment, a large group of people rushed up and surrounded the audience watching the performance.

Hsieh Chia-yi, however, ignored it and calmly walked past as if she hadn't seen anything.

"boom!"

Immediately afterward, a gunshot rang out from the crowd.

"Tie these people up and take them away!" shouted a man who appeared to be a minor leader.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? How dare you kidnap people in broad daylight and scare them with fake guns? Is anyone here to call the police?" an older woman shouted. The group of people then realized what was happening. Some called the police, while others even tried to resist violently.

"boom!"

But another gunshot shattered everyone's resistance.

The woman was shot directly and fell to the ground. In the dim night, the blood, black in color, slowly flowed down the paving stones, forming a pool of blood.

At that moment, everyone was stunned to realize that the gun was real! These people really dared to kill!
No one dared to openly resist anymore, but strangely, the thugs didn't immediately confiscate everyone's phones.

Some people even secretly dialed the police, which was seen by others, but the rioters still ignored it.

These people are so arrogant!
At this moment, the petty boss raised his finger and pointed to several passersby who were standing outside the arena:
"The woman in the brown trench coat, the man with the black suitcase, and..."

He selected seven or eight people in a row.

"They all reacted to the gunshots and arrested them."

"Yes!"

The rioters immediately separated a few people and rushed towards the few who had been hiding relatively well.

New players ultimately don't understand the concept of cognitive barriers. This group of newcomers, who have just been born, seems to have their fate decided the moment they become players.

Hsieh Chia-yi walked away calmly, seemingly oblivious to what was happening behind her.

If it were Miss Cat herself, wiping out all these minions wouldn't be a problem, but right now her methods are limited, and the other side has a large and powerful force, so it's not wise for her to meddle.

"It seems the landscape of the game is about to undergo a major shift."

She muttered to herself, when suddenly she heard two men in black overcoats talking behind her.

"That woman seems to be a player too; it looks like she looked at it just now."

"Really? You must be imagining things. You're probably just thinking about her because she's pretty."

By this time, Xie Jiayi had already walked far away and could not hear what happened next.

But less than a minute later, one of the two men quickly caught up with them.

"Tsk."

Even though the disguise was good enough, did it still attract attention? No, the player's identity should not have been exposed, otherwise they wouldn't usually let one person catch up.

So it was lust at first sight?
Xie Jiayi glanced at her index finger under her glove, where there was a bulging thing.

【Name: The Old Man's Soul Ring】

[Type: Accessories]

[Quality: Legend]

【Effect 1 "Supply": Consumes spiritual power to store it and convert a portion of it to supply the spirit within the ring. When the spiritual power supply reaches a certain level, the ring will automatically upgrade to Mythic quality. Current progress (79.37%)】

[Effect Two "Possession": Consumes stored spiritual power and the soul power of the spirit to greatly enhance oneself]

【Effect 3 "Skill Imparting": During the wearing period, you can periodically learn powerful skills provided by the spirit】

[Note: Fortune changes every thirty years; never underestimate the poor in old age.]

In the sports car, Ji Yi received a call from the driver.

"So my guess came true?"

The driver's voice came through: "That's right! All the major organizations are frantically recruiting people right now. The entire gaming community is practically in an uproar. Many leaders are using items to communicate with their subordinates inside the dungeon, telling them to end the dungeon and come out quickly."

His voice became quite agitated:
"Right now, all factions are frantically vying for people, and conflicts and chaos are erupting all over the country!"

Ji Yi was on speakerphone, and Linlin, who was focused on driving, couldn't help but shiver.

"Okay, I understand." Ji Yi sighed, then continued:
"You must be swamped with work over there, right? Don't worry about me for now. With this incident, the threat of the Heavenly Alliance's kill order against me will be much less. At least the good news is that I don't have to worry about players from an entire city coming after me."

The driver thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, then be careful. I need to get there quickly."

"beep."

It seems the other party is really in a hurry.

"Mr. Ji, we've arrived."

Linlin stopped the car at that moment; they had arrived at the Ruyi Hotel.

This pinkish-purple luxury sports car immediately attracted the attention of passersby on the street.

"Damn, this style and color are definitely a sign of wealth. Driving a car like this, the girls you pick up must be top-tier, right?"

As soon as the passerby finished speaking, Ji Yi got out of the passenger seat.

"Uh, this rich guy likes men? Haha, so he's a hook-selling guy. Well, I'm not envious at all."

Before she finished speaking, Linlin got out of the driver's seat. Although she was dressed simply, her clothes exuded a sophisticated and minimalist style.

passerby "."

Wow, the difference between people is just so huge!

Two minutes later.

Ji Yi and Linlin quickly took the elevator to their hotel room.

"Dong dong dong."

Ji Yi knocked on the door: "Captain Liu, Xiao Qin, it's me."

He did not give his name directly, lest his information be overheard by someone hiding in the shadows.

After knocking, there was no response from inside the house.

We haven't been able to contact either of them for the past five minutes, so something must have gone wrong.

Without hesitation, Ji Yi picked up the pistol and aimed it at the door lock.

"boom!"

The powerful pistol destroyed the door lock with a single shot, and Ji Yi, holding the pistol, stormed into the house.

What came into view was a corridor, and there was no one in the living room directly ahead.

He mimicked the tactical maneuvers he'd seen in movies, raised his gun, and pushed open the door to the restroom on the side of the corridor.

A search of the toilet and bathroom revealed no one.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Ji Yi searched the large hotel room again, but still couldn't find anyone. The whole room was eerily quiet.

Having ruled out the possibility of an ambush, Ji Yi lowered his gun, but his expression grew increasingly serious.

"Could they have already escaped?"

Linlin offered a conjecture.

"If only that were true, but we can't get in touch with them right now, and..."

Ji Yi stopped midway through her sentence and looked at Linlin: "Did you hear anything?"

Upon hearing this, Linlin held her breath for a few seconds, then exclaimed in surprise:

"It seems so! It sounds like someone is singing 'ah ah ah,' appearing and disappearing, sometimes near, sometimes far, like the voice of a ghost."

Then it can't be wrong.

Liu Jianhua had just mentioned this issue on his phone, but the ghostly voice the other party mentioned wouldn't be transmitted through communication devices; at least Ji Yi didn't hear it.

However, now that I hear it, Ji Yi has probably figured out the principle.

"This seems to be a voice that strikes straight to the soul."

(End of this chapter)