Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

This group of fifteen players was a player team that occupied this area to efficiently farm monsters.

This made Kirito frown.

In just three days, Aincrad has already built such an efficient and well-coordinated player guild?

Or are they a group of 'professional gamers' who agreed to enter this game together?

There are many possibilities, but in Kirito's view, the strangest place is not here, but rather—

How can there be such 'unified' people in the world?

Appearance, attire, movements—everything was so identical, as if they were the same person. Although their faces weren't fully visible due to sunglasses that seemed to have been put on out of nowhere, Kirito could still make out the almost identical facial contours.

What is this? A clone?

Or are they not players at all, but some kind of special monster?

Just as Kirito was thinking, suddenly, a hand reached out from behind him.

She bypassed his target acquisition skill and suddenly put her arm around his shoulder.

"Ha, it's been three days, Kirito!"

Startled, Kirito nearly jumped up, only to turn around and see someone he had only met once three days prior.

“VOX?”

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost?" VOX put his hands behind his back and chuckled amusedly.

"Didn't you quit the game?" Kirito looked him up and down in disbelief.

This has been his doubt and even shadow for the past three days.

After all, he watched VOX quit the game right before his eyes. His question was whether he was allowed to quit the game at that time, or whether his family members forcibly removed his helmet.

Kirito still had the 'camera' he had given him, and as always, he had no idea where this thing, which didn't seem to be from the game at all, came from or what it was for.

He had considered searching for him, but unfortunately, Kayaba Akihiko later restored the appearances of each of them, making it impossible for him to find them by their looks.

After all, most people probably wouldn't believe that the face that looked like it could bring ruin to the country was actually his real appearance.

But now, the person Kirito thought was dead has come back to life.

He appeared here dressed in a blue and black striped suit that clashed with the style of the game, looking every bit like an elite office worker.

"Well... it's not important."

VOX slightly spread his hands, a half-smile on his face.

"The key question is... Kirito, do you still think this game is fun?"

—What kind of time is this to ask such a question?!

Kirito felt an urge to flip the table, but he still answered honestly.

"It's alright..."

Although he should have felt intense fear and aversion to this life-or-death crisis, he didn't. Kirito accepted it all smoothly and then started his game almost as if he were in his element.

"Really? But I still think this game system is terribly made." VOX waved his hand dismissively.

"Wait, VOX, didn't you log off earlier and get teleported away?"

Kirito immediately steered the conversation back to what he was concerned about, but VOX didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he glanced at something not far away and smiled.

Do you want to continue spying?

The leaves rustled, and a girl with long orange hair, carrying a rapier, and another girl carrying a large scythe emerged from the side.

"We weren't spying, we just noticed there were people here."

The purple-haired girl carrying a scythe quickly explained.

VOX tilted his head and walked over. The girl with long orange hair subconsciously took a step back because the other person's gaze was too intense.

But—more than that, she felt like she'd seen that face somewhere before…

"RECT Corporation's president's daughter, Asuna Yuuki, right?"

The sudden opening of the box startled Asuna, and as they looked into each other's eyes at the handsome face, she suddenly remembered...

"I remember now, this face... you're the president of VOX Technology—"

"Looks like I don't need to introduce myself," Tsugumi said, spreading her hands and smiling.

The girl next to him, whose ID was Mitsu and whose real name was Usagizawa Fukasumi, blinked and said excitedly.

"Are you really that famous big shot—are you also trapped in this game?!"

"No, I'm here to find news material."

"The world's first virtual reality game broke the news that 10,000 people were trapped in it and faced a life-threatening crisis, which became a super hot topic all over the world."

"So, ladies, would you be interested in being interviewed and sharing your experiences of being trapped in this game?"

He suddenly produced a microphone and placed it in front of Asuna and Mito, and this abrupt interview and the incongruity of the painting style left the two girls bewildered.

"I just want to quit this game..." Asuna whispered.

"Should we condemn Kayaba Akihiko and the irresponsible ARGUS company for letting the public down? That's perfectly reasonable!"

Tsugumi spoke first, taking the initiative, while Asuna said somewhat flusteredly...

"No, what I mean is, all I want to do right now is go home..."

"Is it a longing for family and a yearning for loved ones? Seeing such a pitiful innocent girl, society should condemn ARGUS and its backers even more!"

Dongjiang fully demonstrated the professional ethics of a qualified journalist, and fully implemented the three elements of news—explosive news, explosive news, and damn explosive news!

Those who study journalism (referring to...)

"Wait a minute, what are you doing! What's the point of this?!"

Unable to stand by any longer, Mito quickly stepped in front of her best friend, glaring angrily at Tsugumi holding the microphone, and said...

"You're stuck here anyway, so what's the point of these interviews!"

“Mite…” Asuna tugged at her best friend’s sleeve, trying to signal her not to go too far.

But Tsurugi put away the microphone and said something amusingly.

"We can't get out? Who said that?"

Having transmigrated, my only purpose is to kill, kill, kill! : 24. The World of Virtual Stealth - Explosive Point

As Dongjiang said, the biggest news that dominated the entire internet during this period was undoubtedly the major security incident of this virtual stealth game.

The first virtual reality game in human history has immeasurable value.

Before this, this field was indeed almost a blank slate, and it can be said that the entire system was created out of thin air by a genius like Kayaba Akihiko, who was like a green-skinned man.

Seriously, if his research process hadn't been so fast and abrupt, and if even one of his papers had revealed any of the relevant technologies, it would have been enough to earn him a Nobel Prize!

Of course, the more likely outcome for him would be house arrest.

Compared to virtual reality stealth technology, VOX Technology's big data artificial intelligence, while also considered cutting-edge technology, is at least more understandable.

Kayaba Akihiko's virtual reality stealth technology can only be described as "Am I still half asleep?" by the scientific community in other countries.

The value of virtual reality goes far beyond just games.

Or rather, games, or even the Second World, represent the culmination of this technology's value.

If virtual reality technology spreads throughout human society, it is no exaggeration to say that it will inevitably change the entire history of humankind and even the course of society.

On the worst-case scenario, humanity could become so engrossed in the virtual world that it completely neglects reality, leading to severe population aging and a birth crisis, as well as the complete decline of the real economy.

Take eating as an example—in reality, you might have to pay a price that would bankrupt you to have a meal of delicacies, and the taste might not even satisfy you.

In the virtual world, you can get the same or even more wonderful experiences by spending money that's so cheap it's not even enough to buy a bowl of instant noodles!

Not just food, there are countless other forms of pleasure that can stimulate the senses and cause the brain to release dopamine.

In reality, however, these sensory pleasures are usually accompanied by either great physical harm or great financial loss, making them something that ordinary people are basically not qualified to experience.

In the virtual world, as long as someone uploads the process of experiencing this sensation, people can experience these sensory processes without worrying about harming themselves, at an extremely low cost.

Virtual reality technology alone can kill 99% of the real economy by transforming and enriching sensory experiences.

Not to mention the irresistible allure of time-related adjustments, lifespan extensions, and rejuvenation.

Therefore, after ARGUS announced this technology and suddenly promoted their game, they almost stole all the spotlight from VOX Technology!

Compared to their technology, VOX Technology's artificial intelligence is not impressive or disruptive enough.

As a result, ARGUS's stock price in Japan soared instantly, making it another dark horse in the capital market, while VOX Technology was overshadowed, especially after its attempt to acquire ARGUS was rejected, which made it a laughing stock for many people.

Tsugumi knew that many of his enemies were standing behind ARGUS, not only because they valued their technology, but also because they wanted to use ARGUS to compete with his VOX Technology.

In the past, Tsugumi's approach would have been simply one thing—

kill!

Find out who your enemies are and physically eliminate them! As for this company's technology, just take it and destroy it!

Business warfare is just that ordinary!

Knowing what would happen in the future, he naturally didn't act so rashly. On the contrary, he was completely gloating and fueled all of this.

Everything went exactly as he had predicted. Just as ARGUS announced the launch of SAO, and all eyes in the world turned to the center of the stage—

The dancer, who should have been at the center of the stage receiving everyone's attention and praise, successfully performed a self-destruction act in front of everyone!

Virtual reality games, which were supposed to usher in a new era for humanity, have suddenly become virtual prisons. Instead of showing the freedom and joy of living in the second world, the players have been turned into gladiators in an arena due to the malice of the technology developers.

The news caused a global uproar.

Condemnations, questions, and attacks poured in, instantly crushing ARGUS, a company that wasn't large to begin with. Its supporters were also implicated, left humiliated and severely injured by this sudden self-destruction.

Tsuruga wouldn't let her enemies get away with it. The moment the news broke, it was pushed to the headlines of almost every social media portal with information about conglomerates, corporations, and politicians who supported ARGUS.

At the same time, these news reports bluntly link all of this to a conspiracy theory of a large-scale human experiment. Although this theory cannot stand up to scrutiny by rational people, at a glance, almost everyone on the internet is not rational.

While these people were caught in a media frenzy, Tsugumi directly launched her own 'business war'.

In just three days, Tsugumi, employing a two-pronged approach, successfully brought down countless politicians who were at odds with him and the Shinomiya Zaibatsu, and ruthlessly acquired several companies, further expanding VOX Technology's empire.