Elegy from Another World

A few days later, in that luxurious room filled with cold, high-tech features.

The bionic mechanical secretary glided silently behind the man standing in front of the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, its optical lens shimmering calmly.

"Sir, we have the preliminary results of our investigation into the target 'Lysia'."

The man didn't turn around, still gazing at the illusory, bustling city lights outside the window, only giving an impatient "hmm".

"'Lysia' is not a pre-set storyline NPC," the mechanical secretary reported in a flat, electronic voice. "Her core identifier indicates that she is a 'player' just like you."

"A player?" The man whirled around, a flicker of surprise crossing his face, quickly replaced by a deeper rage. "A player? How is that possible! Which department are they from? How could they possess such extraordinary abilities?"

"There's no detailed record in the identity database, and the source is unknown," the secretary continued. "What's even more unusual is that we detected a high concentration of 'Awakened' characteristic signals in her data stream. She seems to have unintentionally carried or integrated some of the underlying code that should belong to the 'Awakened.'"

"Awakened's data stream? Within a single player?" The man's brow furrowed deeply. "What the hell kind of bizarre combination is this?"

"Furthermore, her core code itself is in a special encrypted state," the secretary added. "The encryption method is unprecedented and cannot be cracked for the time being, which may be related to the stability of her extraordinary abilities."

"Bang!" The man slammed his fist on the metal control panel beside him, making a dull thud. "Player...Awakener data...encrypted...Damn it! Damn it!" He cursed uncontrollably again, pacing furiously around the room. "I knew it! How could an ordinary NPC be so weird! It's a rat that sneaked in from outside, and it's got all that filth on it!"

He stopped abruptly, his eyes flashing fiercely at the mechanical secretary: "Whoever she is! She ruined my carefully cultivated 'Demon Slayer' and took my things! I'll make her pay! Execute the elimination order immediately! Delete this character! I'll make her disappear completely!"

"Sir, we strongly advise against executing the deletion command." The mechanical secretary's electronic voice remained calm, but its tone carried a warning. "The target is a 'player,' not an NPC. Forcibly deleting a player character violates the World Management Regulations and may trigger an investigation by the operators. Your overstepping of authority carries extremely high risks."

"Then what do you suggest we do?!" the man roared. "Are we just going to let her get away with it, wielding the power that rightfully belongs to me and swaggering around like this?!"

"I suggest a more covert approach," the mechanical secretary calmly proposed. "Since we can't delete her directly from the data level, we can handle it within the 'world.' We can orchestrate an 'accident,' or use our authority to imprison her in a special area inaccessible by conventional means. This way, we can deprive her of her freedom, teach her manipulator a sufficient lesson, and avoid leaving obvious violations at the system level, thus preventing unnecessary trouble."

The man, panting heavily, weighed his options with a mixture of emotions. Complete deletion would certainly be satisfying, but the risks his secretary mentioned were real. Imprisonment… seemed like a safer choice. Letting that damned player suffer in a cage, watching their character lose everything, might be more cathartic for him than simply deleting them.

"Alright." He finally relented, a cruel smile creeping across his face. "We'll do as you say. Find a 'good place' and lock her up. I'll make her wish she were dead!"

"The instruction has been confirmed. The relevant plan formulation and authorization access procedures have been initiated." The mechanical secretary nodded slightly.

Without another word, the man, filled with scheming and resentment, walked once more towards the luxurious simulator. The arched door slowly closed, isolating him from the outside world.

In the cold room, only the mechanical secretary stood silently in the shadows, its optical lenses flashing eerily, silently executing new, malicious commands.