I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

……

……

Four days later, Huaiyang Pedestrian Street, Ontario.

Around 10 a.m., the pedestrian street had already reached its peak in terms of visitor flow.

Electric vehicles were blocked at the street corner, and tourists walked in from four directions, creating a bustling and crowded scene.

This street is the busiest commercial area in Ontario and is also the third most active public check-in point on the Lingjing APP.

Long queues formed outside milk tea shops, trendy toy stores, and hot pot restaurants along the street. A message about a failed attempt at advertising was displayed on a large screen, which then switched to a notice from the Special Administration Bureau.

[...The "Scavenger" organization has been classified as a malicious organization that "uses player identities to commit organized crime, illegally obtain citizens' information, commit murder, robbery, and illegal transactions."]

...Twenty-three members have been arrested so far...Seventeen others are still at large...Seven core members of the "cleaners" were involved in a serious traffic accident on the cross-river bridge while on the run, and the vehicle salvage operation is still underway.

...A related information leak case has been filed, and three Special Investigations Bureau personnel have been taken away for investigation.

One person was immediately suspended from duty. Those involved are suspected of abusing their power, leaking state secrets, and accepting bribes; they have been placed under criminal coercive measures in accordance with the law.

The "Player Rights Protection Office" has been established... directly managed by the General Administration of Sport, and will no longer be affiliated with local authorities.

The National Special Investigation Bureau underwent restructuring... The original Special Investigation Bureau was separated from the public security system and renamed the "China Special Events Management Bureau", abbreviated as "Special Management Bureau", directly under the central government.

Each province has a branch office, all under the unified leadership of the General Administration, specializing in cases involving duplicates, players, paranormal events, and related crimes.

……

……

"The Special Investigation Bureau has changed its name? 'Special Administration Bureau'... it doesn't sound as natural as it used to."

A player holding a milk tea glanced at it, and his companion clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"I don't know what's going on with the official team this time, but they've given the uniforms and badges a major update. And you know what? The clothes actually accentuate the waistline and look pretty good."

"A veteran on the Lingjing APP revealed that someone has reportedly brought out red-level items from the dungeon."

"Red? I still don't understand the item level classifications. I'm relying entirely on the free analysis from you experts."

"Just know that red is the highest-level item currently known. Nobody knows exactly what it is."

"So much has been happening lately. It feels like there are disasters caused by dungeons all over the world every day. Did you see the news the other day?"

"Of course I saw it. You're talking about a region in Brazil protesting against our government's 'dungeon-blocking theory,' then joining forces with the United States to launch missiles to try and destroy the dungeon, resulting in the escape of dungeon creatures becoming a reality, right?"

"I still don't understand what the brilliant strategist was thinking when he issued that order."

Passersby chatted while taking photos at various check-in spots.

Unlike a few months ago, "rat" motifs are now ubiquitous in Ontario.

King of Rats, Flowery Rats Milk Tea, Groundhog Figurines, Fat Rats Pancakes, and Rats Treasure Cultural and Creative Products.

Although the official announcement had previously prohibited the use of NPC images within the instance for commercial purposes, the merchants are very shrewd.

—You banned the "human face rat in the wishing live stream", then I can use a cartoon rat, right?

I drew a groundhog, a fancy mouse, and a hamster. What does that have to do with the dungeon?

As a result, there were more and more rats on the streets, almost as if they had planned it all along.

"ah--!"

Suddenly, the crowd surged backward as if pushed from behind, starting from the middle of the street. Some screamed, some shouted, and some ran towards the underground shelter with practiced ease.

Someone turned around and saw a person jump out of a window on the seventh floor of the shopping mall across the street.

The man was shirtless, and his skin appeared to be covered in crimson patterns that shone from his throat down to his lower abdomen. His expression was urgent and ferocious, as if he were fleeing for his life.

"Get out of here!"

"Get out of my way! Get out of my way if you don't want to die!!"

The man jumped between buildings several times before finally landing with a "thud" on top of a food truck on the side of the pedestrian street, leaving a large dent in the roof!

"After chasing me for so long, it's like a persistent leech!"

The man turned his head and glanced behind him, then opened his mouth as if he had swallowed something, his throat bulging and swelling high—

Behind him, several people in dark blue uniforms followed closely, flanking him from three directions. One threw out a glowing rope, while another threw out defensive items. The man dodged by flipping over and opened his mouth wide in front of the crowd.

"Get out of the way—!"

"Watch out!!"

"It's an offensive skill! Protect the civilians!"

The special operations team member shouted a warning, but before the words even finished, a fireball had already been unleashed.

The fireball was about the size of a basketball, shining brightly white. Its intense heat melted the metal of the surrounding vehicles, and the crowd scattered in alarm, fleeing with practiced ease.

"boom!!"

The fireball hit the milk tea shop sign, bounced off the ground, and cracked the floor tiles. The air was filled with the smell of burning and screams.

"Go ahead and arrest me! You want to arrest me? Come on!"

The man opened his mouth, about to spit out more water like a frog, but the next second, a thick jet of water came from the side and poured right into his mouth!

Before the fireball could take shape, the man choked on the water jet, his eyes rolling back in his head. He couldn't exhale the flames; they were stuck in his chest. The patterns on his body lit up and then went out, finally returning to calm.

On the fire-fighting platform that had been waiting nearby, members of the Special Administration Bureau, carrying fire hoses, relentlessly and continuously blasted the area—

The man stumbled and fell to the ground like a fish washed ashore by a tsunami. Before he could recover, a large, silvery-white net was cast over his head.

The net must have been powered on. With a "sizzle," the man froze, fell straight to the ground, and rolled his eyes back.

"The perpetrator has been apprehended!"

"The target of the operation, the 'fire-breathing acrobat,' has been apprehended!"

Immediately, a large number of agents rushed forward and used specially made handcuffs to lock the man's hands behind his back.

Amazingly, the handcuffs seemed to be alive; with a "click," several blue lines quickly spread across the man's forearm.

"have a finger in the pie!"

The man was convulsing while cursing loudly:

"This world is supposed to be ruled by the strong. If you have the guts, let me go, and we'll fight one-on-one!"

No one paid him any attention. Several team members picked him up and threw him straight into a specially made prison van.

The crowd was still in shock.

Some people filmed it, some squatted down to pick up the fallen bag, and some just took it for granted.

"Is this a player?"

"Nonsense, what can breathe fire is either a player or a gas cylinder."

"The Special Investigation Bureau really gets things done efficiently..."

"No, it's called the Special Administration Bureau now."

"It seems like there's a nationwide crackdown on offending gamers lately, right?"

"It's time to regulate this. Players aren't Superman; they can't act with impunity. They think the strong rule and want to be treated like citizens of the motherland?"

As they were talking, someone looked up first.

Then more people looked up, as if something was pressing down from a great height.

The whole street fell silent.

In that very instant, in that single second, players worldwide simultaneously heard a voice that didn't exist:

The system has been upgraded.

[Player Lobby - Orchid Garden Secret Realm Open.]

[Player level leaderboard feature is now available.]

The item rankings have been updated.

The points leaderboard has been updated.

[The instance has been updated. (Current quantity: 84)]

Player trading feature is now available.

The player data panel has been updated.

The voice was genderless, as if countless people were speaking at the same time, or as if a mechanically synthesized electronic voice was forcibly shoved into everyone's brain.

No one can refuse.

No one can ignore it.

At that very moment, the Lingjing APP started bombarding users with pop-up ads.

A brand new line of ink-wash text appeared simultaneously on mobile phones, televisions, the large screen in the square, and in the system interfaces of all players:

Welcome, players, to the new era!

No one can understand the voice that is now in their brain, just as no one can understand the blinking of the moon that night.

But everyone who heard this sound had one thought repeatedly echoing in their mind:

A new era has truly arrived.