After inspecting the area where the virus-infected people were housed, Yang Jia turned around and looked at the building that looked like a barracks, feeling heavy-hearted.
This area was initially designated to house the infected, but its current scale wasn't achieved overnight. Buildings were added continuously as the number of infected people increased. Even now, large tracts of empty space remain around these buildings. As more and more people become infected, they'll move in.
However, this is not what worries Yang Jia the most.
The reason why she looked so solemn was that the first death had occurred among people infected with the second-generation virus.
This hadn't happened to the first generation of infected people. They had held out for a long time, and while most had fallen into comas, they hadn't died, so the atmosphere was relatively relaxed. Once the deaths began, the pressure on the human race on this land would suddenly increase, no matter how you slice it.
Players won't truly die, but the cost of each death will grow ever greater, their physical fitness will gradually decline, and the cooldown period after death will lengthen. Once their physical attributes decline to a certain level, their in-game bodies will develop various flaws, even becoming plagued by illness. At that point, there's no point in continuing the game.
Yang Jia had even considered using this method to control the number of players. As long as the number of players dropped to a certain level, they would no longer be able to cause trouble in the game world and would instead be forced to abide by the rules. This would naturally preserve this place.
But subsequent developments led her to abandon this option. While players certainly pose a threat to the game world, they can also provide assistance. Furthermore, the virus will kill not only players but also NPCs. Players can respawn dozens or even hundreds of times before being locked out of the game, while NPCs are gone once they die.
But before Yang Jia could sigh for too long, someone came to inform her that Fang Pingyuan had arrived.
Yang Jia and Li Bai looked at each other, both of them were surprised.
At this time, all the guilds were trying to figure out how to research the virus, so Fang Pingyuan probably didn't have time to leave. Although their Spark Guild and Nirvana Guild had a close relationship, and virus research was largely dependent on Nirvana Guild, his personal presence was still somewhat surprising.
Although he was surprised, it did not affect Yang Jia's decision to meet Fang Pingyuan.
Fang Pingyuan's purpose for coming surprised her even more. "City Lord Yang, we've discussed it and decided to merge the Spark Guild into the Nirvana Guild."
"City Lord Fang, you must be joking. The Spark Guild is very far away from here, and there are several guilds in between. How can we merge it?" Yang Jia said.
Fang Pingyuan's expression was serious. "We can temporarily treat the Spark Guild as a branch of the Nirvana Guild, and merge them when the opportunity arises in the future." He then produced his seal. "The six cities where the Spark Guild is located are already connected. Only this main seal remains. I'm handing it over to City Lord Yang to prove our sincerity to you."
This sincerity really surprised Yang Jia. "Why did you suddenly make such a decision?"
"It's not sudden, actually." Fang Pingyuan's face showed a hint of disappointment. "When we came here for the last meeting, we already knew that we couldn't hold out for much longer. We just didn't want to give in and didn't want our territory to be controlled by others. So, with the help of City Lord Yang, we decided to form a guild, but..."
At this point, Fang Pingyuan took a deep breath. "If we were just dividing up the territory and fighting on our own, we wouldn't be afraid of anyone. But with this virus, we're helpless. Without the Nirvana Guild, I'm afraid the people of the Spark Guild would just be waiting to die. In that case, insisting on so-called independence is meaningless. We are willing to merge with the Nirvana Guild and hand these cities over to City Lord Yang, hoping to save as many people as possible."
Hearing him say this, Yang Jia knew they had thought it through thoroughly. Indeed, if there hadn't been a virus, the Spark Guild's development wouldn't have been so bad, but with this kind of virus, without the data provided by the real world, there was no way to find any clues.
Fang Pingyuan was able to see this clearly and make a quick decision, which made Yang Jia admire him very much. Because even she herself hesitated for a long time after knowing this.
But this was because she still had a choice at the time, but Fang Pingyuan couldn't.
When it comes to life and death, there is no room for luck.
Rather than saying this was Fang Pingyuan's choice, it was Yang Jia who forced them to make it. From the moment she decided to reveal the method of connecting the cities, lifting the seal and allowing the virus to break out, all of this was destined to happen.
Fang Pingyuan chose her because she and they came from the same origin. Otherwise, any other guild around would have been a better choice.
"Okay." Yang Jia reached out and took the seal, a solemn expression on his face. "I promise, as long as the Nirvana Guild exists, the Spark Guild will also exist. I will do my best to protect these people."
Fang Pingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, City Lord Yang. From now on, I will stay by your side and follow your orders."
"I'm afraid not." Yang Jia relaxed a little and tried to liven up the atmosphere. "The two areas don't border each other, and City Lord Fang still needs to take care of that area. If chaos breaks out now, the consequences will be disastrous."
Fang Pingyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, I'd like to invite City Lord Yang to go over there and take a look, while the underground passage is still usable. This might also reassure others."
Although the decision to merge with Nirvana Guild was a joint one, many still harbored doubts. After all, Nirvana Guild was Yang Jia's own, and they might not receive equal treatment if they merged in. However, Yang Jia's personal visit was enough to demonstrate her importance.
Yang Jia thought about it and didn't refuse, "Then I'll go."
Yang Jia couldn't just leave at will; she had things to sort out. So she asked Fang Pingyuan to stay for a while, giving her a day or two to sort things out. But before she could even see Fang Pingyuan off, Bai Ting arrived in a hurry, her face gloomy and solemn. She didn't even care that there were guests there, and whispered something in Li Bai's ear.
Li Bai's expression suddenly changed, and he subconsciously looked at Yang Jia.
Yang Jia was also looking at her, knowing that something serious must have happened, and quickly had Fang Pingyuan taken away to be settled. As soon as the person left, he immediately asked, "What happened?"
"The military has a new assignment, requiring Li Bai to lead a team into outer space to participate in the battle for the newly discovered mining planet N15." Bai Ting's brows were furrowed. She was usually very cute, but now she looked very solemn.
"Why did this order suddenly come out? What about here?" This news was so unexpected that Yang Jia stood up suddenly and asked.
"I heard it was an order from the First Leader. He believed that Li Bai wouldn't be able to play any role here, and that it would be more valuable to fight in outer space." Bai Ting said helplessly, and glanced at Yang Jia with a strange look in her eyes. "In a sense, that's not wrong."
At the beginning of the game, Li Bai's presence was still very important, but as Yang Jia emerged and completely controlled the Nirvana Guild, especially after promoting the establishment of the eight major guilds, Li Bai's use here was not so great.
This is very different from the estimate. After discovering this, it is normal to make timely adjustments, and it should not be directed at anyone.
Yang Jia looked at Li Bai, and they looked at each other for a moment without saying a word.
Bai Ting immediately noticed the atmosphere was a bit strange, so she took the initiative to say goodbye. She felt that Yang Jia and Li Bai must have a lot to talk about right now, and it would be inconvenient for her to be there.
It was strange to say, but when she heard the news, her first reaction was actually - what would happen to Yang Jia if Li Bai left the game? Even she thought so, not to mention the two parties involved.
"It's impossible to disobey such an order, right?" Yang Jia asked after Bai Ting left.
Li Bai lowered his head and said, "Yes."
Not to mention that this was an order issued personally by Li Fang, even if it was just a military transfer order, it would be impossible to disobey at this moment. Moreover, from Li Bai's own perspective, gaining more merits was also what she needed. And... in fact, if Yang Jia wasn't around, she would prefer fighting in outer space to life in the game.
"I forgot to ask Bai Ting when the transfer order requires you to leave." Yang Jia tried his best to appear calm.
Li Bai walked up to her and looked at her with some concern.
Yang Jia smiled at her, "I'm fine. Just... a little surprised."
Or rather, it was too unexpected. Yang Jia had previously considered her own and Li Bai's identities: one a player, the other an NPC; there was always a difference. But she had never considered specifically how this difference manifested.
Because this game is so real, and Li Bai spends almost all his time in it, not logging off unless necessary. The two of them are always together, so naturally they don't feel the difference.
But now she understood that it was at this moment that Li Bai had to leave, and she could only stay in the game forever. There was no other way out, she could only passively accept it all.
She couldn't keep Li Bai, couldn't go with Li Bai, and couldn't even find out any news about her. The only thing she could do was wait.
Even if she was a real person, she would face various situations. Unless she had the same identity as Li Bai, it would be impossible for her to be with her forever. She could only wait. But Yang Jia knew that it was different.
Even waiting can be divided into positive and negative.
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