Elegy from Another World

The cold metal door slid open silently, and a figure stumbled out of the dimly lit simulation pod. He ripped off the neural connection patch from his temple and slammed it to the ground, his handsome face contorted with extreme rage.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he cursed, his voice echoing in the spacious and luxurious personal space. "That damned Liscia! What the hell is she?!"

He whirled around, his crimson eyes glaring at the elegant mechanical secretary standing silently to the side: "Tell me! Why is there such a disruptive force?! I painstakingly collected so many resources, unlocked the 'Demon King's Power,' and almost... just a little bit! To become a new god! And all of that was ruined by this inexplicable troublemaker!"

The mechanical secretary's smooth panel shimmered with light, and a calm, synthesized voice announced: "According to our research, reports of abnormal data and player complaints regarding 'Lysia' have been escalating on the internal forums. Currently, more than three guilds have jointly submitted formal complaint letters to 'above,' requesting an investigation and action against this abnormal unit."

A glimmer of hope flashed in the man's eyes: "And the result? What did 'the higher-ups' say?"

"Unfortunately, after deliberation by senior management, it has been decided that the matter will not be addressed at this time."

"What?!" The man almost jumped up, veins bulging on his forehead. "Why wasn't it dealt with?! There's clearly something wrong with her! That immortality! That bizarre way of recovering! And that last... that incomprehensible method! This isn't just a simple bug or cheat!"

The mechanical secretary's indicator light flashed steadily: "The reasons for rejection are summarized as follows: The target unit 'Lisma' has a dual unique identity. First, she is a player who logged in anonymously, and her real identity information is protected by the highest level of protocol. Forcibly tracing her identity may cause uncontrollable risks. Second, and more importantly, according to the system's underlying logic, she is also an 'Awakened One'."

"An Awakened?!" The man was struck dumb, his anger instantly replaced by disbelief. "How is this possible?! How can a player be an Awakened?! The two are mutually exclusive!"

"I'm sorry, I don't have the necessary access to provide a detailed explanation of the specific mechanisms and judgment logic regarding the coexistence of the identities of 'player' and 'awakener'." The secretary's voice remained flat.

The man, frustrated, grabbed his hair and paced back and forth. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How could this happen?! Then... couldn't we use force? Like... just 'erasure' her from the backend? Just like cleaning up a runaway NPC!"

"Theoretically, we have sufficient authority to perform such an operation," the secretary replied, "but at this stage, the proposal has been rejected."

"What kind of bullshit reason is this?!" the man practically roared.

"Recently, our servers have suffered multiple sophisticated intrusions from unknown sources, resulting in the leakage of core source code for parts of the world and a small amount of player behavior data. Intelligence indicates that several emerging technology companies are using this leaked data to rapidly build similar virtual world experience platforms. Our long-standing technological barriers and user experience advantages are being rapidly eroded."

The man was stunned. The news that Bilisia was an Awakened One terrified him even more: "Damn...why is this happening?! What are those security departments 'above' doing?!"

"Regarding the specific cause of the security vulnerability, I don't have relevant information in my database." The secretary paused, then continued, "Therefore, given the current increased risk of 'user churn,' 'Lissia,' a 'special entity' with high topicality, the ability to continuously attract attention, and even spark controversy, is assessed by senior management as a 'retention asset' with certain value. Until a suitable alternative attraction is found, it will not be removed for the time being."

"Damn it! Does that mean all my hard work is less valuable than a bug?!" The man trembled with rage, unleashing a string of foul curses.

After venting his anger for a while, he barely managed to suppress it and asked, panting, "Then... are we just going to let her ruin the game experience like this? Those increasing numbers of Awakened NPCs are a problem too!"

"Regarding this issue, senior management has approved a new operational plan." A summary of an encrypted document was projected onto the secretary's screen. "The event is tentatively named 'Hero's Summoning.' An existing player will be randomly selected and granted a special 'Hero' identity, title, and a series of limited-time benefits."

"A hero?" The man frowned. "Why hold such an old-fashioned event at a time like this? Wait..." He keenly sensed something. "The reason? The official announcement certainly won't tell the truth."

"The official reason given in the announcement is 'to reward loyal players and add vitality to the world.'" The secretary's synthesized voice seemed to have a barely perceptible pause. "However, according to internal command flow analysis, the deeper purpose of this activity is most likely to use the hands of the 'Heroes' to systematically eliminate those 'Awakened' units that pose a potential threat to the stability of the world. Including... Lisia."

The man's eyes suddenly lit up, his anger replaced by a smile mixed with anticipation and cruelty: "Huh? That's a pretty good idea! Using someone else to do the dirty work? Letting players fight players, or even Awakened players? Those old bastards 'up there' are really playing dirty!"

He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the virtual, bustling and magnificent city night view below, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Therefore, I suggest you be patient for now," the mechanical secretary concluded. "Wait for the 'Hero' to arrive. At that time, those 'impurities' that prevent us from enjoying the perfect experience of this world—whether it's the annoying Awakened NPCs or that damned Liscia—will all be eliminated one by one."

"Fine! I'll wait a little longer!" The man slammed his fist heavily against the cold glass. The reflection of his face was filled with the satisfaction of revenge and the patience of waiting for the hunt. "I'll see how much trouble this 'lucky' hero can stir up! Liscia... your good days are coming to an end!"