Elegy from Another World

The magnificent yet cold top-floor office of the group's headquarters overlooks the steel jungle of a bustling metropolis through huge floor-to-ceiling windows, but the atmosphere inside is even more frigid than the winter outside.

The massive circular screen no longer displayed real-time footage of the game world, but instead switched to financial news and social media trends. The stock price curve, representing the company's stock, plummeted like a runaway roller coaster, with the red warning sign of the limit down flashing glaringly. On another screen nearby, a mountain of online condemnation flooded the internet, with keywords invariably related to "behind-the-scenes manipulation," "false advertising," "virtual hell," and "Lizia." The protests had spread from online to offline, with a dense crowd gathering below the company building, holding up signs, and police barricades teetering on the verge of collapse.

The project's chief manager, who not long ago was in the control center full of vigor and vowed to eliminate the bugs, now looked like a defeated rooster, his expensive shirt soaked with cold sweat, standing in front of the huge mahogany desk, his body trembling slightly.

Behind the desk, the true power behind the group—an elderly man with gray hair and an imposing presence—didn't even look up at him. He simply tapped the table lightly with his fingers, each tap feeling like a blow to the director's heart.

"Explain." The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried immense weight.

"Chairman, this...this is an accident! The character 'Lisma' has undergone an unpredictable mutation, and her data permissions have been compromised..."

"An accident?" The old man finally raised his head, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, and interrupted him directly. "You've turned the company's flagship project, into which tens of billions have been invested and on which the next ten years of strategy were pinned, into a scandal that has attracted worldwide attention. The stock price has plummeted, the brand's reputation is ruined, and regulatory authorities have already launched an investigation. You call this an 'accident'?"

"I...we can fix this! As long as we use the highest privileges to force a server reset and clear all abnormal data..." the director hurriedly tried to explain, grasping at the last straw.

"Purge?" The old man stood up abruptly, his voice rising sharply, filled with suppressed rage. "You still dare to mention 'purge'? Public opinion has exploded! Everyone is watching how we treat 'Lizia' and that world! If you dare to make another move, believe me, the government will hold a seminar tomorrow to discuss the rights of virtual personalities and the ethics of digital life?!"

He grabbed a crystal ashtray from the table and slammed it onto the carpet with a dull thud: "You're fired! Get out of this building right now! Get out!"

The director's face turned deathly pale. He wanted to say something more, but seeing the undisguised disgust and determination in the old man's eyes, he knew that everything was beyond repair. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He was almost staggering as two expressionless security guards "invited" him out of the office, looking utterly dejected.

Silence returned to the office, broken only by the old man's heavy breathing. He slumped back into his chair, rubbing his temples. Only then did the executives, who had been standing silently by, cautiously approach.

"Chairman, what should we do now?" a vice president in charge of public relations asked, forcing himself to speak.

The old man remained silent for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the surging public opinion on the screen.

"What should we do?" He took a deep breath, his tone filled with helplessness and a hint of resignation. "First, we need to stabilize public morale. We can't suppress it anymore."

He pointed to the comments demanding "reform," "transparency," and "kind treatment of NPCs": "See? That's what they want now."

"You mean...?"

"Change it according to their demands." The old man waved his hand, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, or as if he had made some kind of compromise. "Immediately issue an announcement acknowledging our shortcomings in game operation and narrative design, and announcing the indefinite suspension of high-pressure management procedures such as 'Guardians.' Establish an independent ethics review committee, inviting social elites and player representatives to participate, and re-evaluate the operating rules of the game world."

He paused, then emphasized, "The key point is that for individuals who have developed a high degree of autonomy, such as 'Lysia' and her associated forces, we will respect their existence and seek solutions for dialogue and coexistence. In short, we must adopt a humble attitude and be sincere, and first suppress the public opinion that has ignited this fire."

"Yes, Chairman!"