The Order Alliance?
Lucas had heard the name.
A righteous organization on the high seas, dedicated to dealing with forces that endangered ordinary people.
The long-haired man claimed to be from the Order Alliance?
Lucas frowned.
Something was wrong.
The man's tone when he said it was mocking, as if he were deliberately mentioning the Order Alliance to shift the blame.
Moreover, the man's aura was one of straightforward evil, nothing like the "messengers of justice" from the Order Alliance.
But... the truth didn't matter.
Whoever he was, if he said he was from the Order Alliance, then he was from the Order Alliance.
For Lucas, this was wonderful news.
He had been worried: if the long-haired man didn't kill him, how would he explain today's events to his superiors?
He had leaked the game's secrets and spoken of inside information he shouldn't have. If the higher-ups investigated, he would certainly be punished.
But now, he had a scapegoat.
The Order Alliance.
He could pin everything that happened today on them.
Encountering the Order Alliance was an act of force majeure, and leaking secrets under such circumstances was understandable.
“It was all their fault; they forced me,” Lucas muttered to himself, rehearsing his story.
“Their people broke into my office, threatened to kill me, and used some mysterious methods to force me to talk. I had no choice but to tell them a few things...”
“But my will was firm, and I remained loyal to the organization. I only revealed some trivial details, nothing of the core secrets. Then the other party seemed to receive some sudden news and left in a hurry.”
“Yes, that's it.”
As he spoke, he grew more anxious, his expression extremely grim.
He knew this reason was a bit flimsy; it all depended on the mood of his superiors and whether they wanted to hold him accountable.
But at this moment, what other choice did he have?
Running wasn't an option. He had done things he should and shouldn't have; getting out unscathed was almost impossible.
As for the talent scout on the floor...
Lucas glanced at the corpse, his mouth twitching.
This person was just unlucky. He had offended many people anyway; who would care who killed him?
Lucas walked to his desk, picked up the phone, and pressed a speed-dial key.
A few seconds later, a deep male voice came from the other end.
“Boss?”
“Come to my office. Bring two people and cleaning tools. Hurry.” Lucas's voice had regained its usual stability.
“Understood.”
The call ended.
Lucas set down the receiver and took one last look at the corpse.
A small fry's death was so trivial. The scout's today might be his own tomorrow.
...
Yue Shi stood on the edge of a skyscraper's rooftop, overlooking the brilliant lights below.
Avenia's night view was beautiful.
The blue and white buildings were even more dazzling in the night, with massive holographic screens on the outer walls constantly changing colors and images, painting the entire island as a flowing ocean of light.
Pedestrians still walked the streets, and traffic wove between the buildings, leaving faint exhaust trails.
The lighthouse at the distant port swept a white beam every few seconds, illuminating the scattered silhouettes of ships on the sea.
The Snow Leopard crouched at Yue Shi's feet, leisurely wagging its tail, its eyes reflecting the city lights.
Ghost spoke up then. “There was a bug in that trophy in the President’s Office of Singing Star Media.”
“It wasn't just a simple electronic bug; it also had a certain amount of supernatural power. It must be some kind of composite surveillance method that ordinary people can't detect.”
Yue Shi's lips curled slightly.
“I know.”
Ghost was stunned for a moment. “You knew?”
“Otherwise, why do you think I went straight for that trophy the moment I entered the office? It's not like I'm actually interested in that thing, is it?” Yue Shi reached out to pat the Snow Leopard's head, his tone casual.
Ghost fell silent for two seconds. “Fair enough.”
He thought for a moment and asked, “You pinned the blame on the Order Alliance at the end... Could it be that the bug was installed by them?”
Yue Shi chuckled.
“Why else? They worked so hard to install a bug; we might as well do them a favor by helping them out~”
Ghost sighed.
“This Order Alliance is truly omnipresent. Their traces are everywhere.”
Yue Shi didn't respond, gazing into the distant night, his eyes deep.
A moment later, he instructed, “Hack into the local network. Search for information related to the Killing Competition game.”
“Okay.”
Ghost went silent for a few seconds.
Then his voice rang out again. “I can't find anything.”
“There's no information on the internet. I've searched the public web, the dark web, and the local intranet—everything I could search. It's clean; not a single word.”
Yue Shi wasn't surprised. “That's to be expected. How could something so dark be circulated openly?”
He fell into thought.
The night wind blew his long hair, which fluttered gently behind him. The Snow Leopard looked up and rubbed against his leg.
Ghost waited for a while before finally asking, “Have you noticed something wrong?”
Yue Shi didn't answer immediately. He looked up at a distant holographic screen.
The screen was playing an advertisement for a new nutritional supplement endorsed by a popular female artist, her smile bright and radiant.
The image was so clear and lifelike it was as if she were standing right there.
He suddenly asked, “Is there really such mature virtual reality technology in this world? Uploading consciousness to a virtual platform just by putting on a helmet.”
Ghost hesitated.
“I'm not sure about that. The Deep Red Continent is vast, and technological levels vary greatly.”
“Some places are very backward, while others can already create bionic bodies. It's not impossible for Avenia's technology to be a bit ahead.”
Yue Shi shook his head. He turned around, his back to the brilliant lights.
“It's not a matter of being a bit ahead; it's a matter of being too far ahead.”
“I suspect this so-called virtual reality technology might not be pure technology.”
Ghost's voice became grave. “You mean... it's mixed with supernatural factors?”
Yue Shi nodded. “Very likely.”
He fell into thought again. A few seconds passed before he spoke once more. “And the Killing Competition game itself isn't quite right either.”
“Oh?”
Yue Shi said calmly, “If it were just to make money, there would be no need to spend so much effort on virtual reality.”
“Directly watching live in person would be cheaper and more thrilling.”
Ghost thought for a moment. “Perhaps for concealment? Doing these things in a virtual space prevents them from being discovered by the outside world.”
“Then what about the spectators?” Yue Shi countered.
“Those invited guests are all powerful people from various islands. Does their personal arrival in Avenia not attract attention?”
“Since they're already here, what's the difference between watching it live and watching it through a helmet?”
Ghost fell silent.
Yue Shi continued, “For those capitalist giants, doing something like this isn't difficult.”
“They have plenty of power and means. If they just wanted to profit through blood and violence, they could completely use lower-cost methods to achieve better results.”
Ghost pondered for a few seconds. “So, this Killing Competition game might just be part of a larger conspiracy?”
Rate on N.U.
