Yang Jia found himself trapped in a misconception.
Perhaps it was because she had spent too much time with the players, or perhaps the shock of discovering that this was a game world was too great, and she completely shifted her thinking towards the players, so sometimes she couldn't think things through.
This world is so huge. Although there are many players, there are still more ordinary NPCs living here.
In this environment, Yang Jia, as an NPC, must first treat this place as a real world. Otherwise, how is her so-called "rescue" and "fighting fate" any different from the players' manipulation of this world?
She had previously tried hard to adapt herself to the players, but in fact, she had gone astray.
In this game world, players are certainly powerful, but NPCs are also not without their own advantages.
Yang Jia suddenly remembered what Yuan Jia had said before: Fate has already arranged everything for us, you know that, don’t you?
This sentence was inexplicably terrifying to her. She had been suppressing it, refusing to dwell on it, feeling that if she did, it would have a profound impact. Then, when the rat swarm hit, she had even less energy to dwell on it, and so she had been putting it off until now.
But now, she couldn't help but wonder what this sentence meant. Did Yuan Jia discover something?
Yang Jia didn't understand why she was so special. Unlike other NPCs, she was clearly aware of the world she lived in. She called this unique state "awakening." This naturally led to another question: If she had awakened for some inexplicable reason, then were there other awakened NPCs in the world?
Now it seems that there should be.
Maybe Yuan Jia didn't understand as thoroughly as Yang Jia, but at least he knew the existence of fate (system) and that everything was actually within a predetermined program, at least for NPCs, especially those with special identities like him who were destined to become part of the player's mission.
Yang Jia didn't know what specific standards had to be met to be able to "awaken", but since it was not an isolated case, there must be other NPCs that have already awakened.
She was keenly aware that this might be a force she could use.
Although she didn't know where these people were or how to get help, knowing that she wasn't alone in her fight against fate made Yang Jia feel more relaxed. At least she had a direction to work towards, right?
The player side must continue to develop, but perhaps more attention can be turned to the NPC side later.
Seeing Yang Jia's attention wandering, Zhao Wenhan turned back to her work. Bai Ting stood beside Yang Jia for a while, and when she saw that she had no intention of returning to her senses, she asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering, what does it take for a city to be considered powerful?" Yang Jia came back to his senses and spoke.
Bai Ting was stunned for a moment, but then she understood why Yang Jia was thinking this. According to their speculation about the game's progression, after the initial development, they would enter a period of conquest. This period would definitely not be short, and could potentially last for several years.
This is in a holographic game. Players, like NPCs, need to eat, sleep, have a place to live, and wear clothes to keep warm. This is not obvious now in summer and autumn, but when the game world enters winter, problems in this regard will be exposed.
So war may be the main theme, but it will definitely not be the only theme.
To achieve the final victory, a city needs to develop in a balanced way in all aspects. Not only must it have strong military power, but other supporting facilities must also be able to keep up.
Bai Ting's mind raced. She glanced at the people in the lab and asked tentatively, "Are you planning to develop these?"
Zhao Wenhan and Feng Qingxuan's current state suggests that players can also become ill, poisoned, and put into disadvantageous situations. It's impossible to just commit suicide and revive every time a problem arises, so the research and use of medication is essential. Furthermore, if you think about it more deeply, biological viruses are also a form of warfare, aren't they? If they have the antidote and the other side doesn't, they might be able to easily secure victory. This line of thought is truly terrifying.
"I think it's worth considering! Most players probably won't think about this. At most, they'll focus on the use of force. If we launch a virus war and catch their opponent by surprise, it might be very effective. However, this method can't be used too often. If it happens too many times, people will definitely start researching it, and it will be useless." She said, touching her chin.
Yang Jia hadn't originally thought of applying it to war, but after hearing Bai Ting's words, he thought it was a good idea and continued, "That may not be the case. In any era, any war is ultimately a war of talent."
"Right!" Bai Ting clapped her hands. "Before others react, we can recruit talent first! As long as we always stay at the forefront of the times, there's no need to worry about this method being ineffective. Yang Jia, you're truly a genius!"
You know, Yang Jia's factory still has quite a few researchers. Previously, there wasn't enough money and supplies for their research, so they could only help out in the factory. But now that Yang Jia has become the city lord, the funds and resources he can mobilize have greatly increased, so it's no problem for each of them to take on a project!
Yang Jia touched his nose and said, "We are probably not the only ones who can think of this, right?"
"Who cares!" Bai Ting said, "We're ahead of the curve anyway. I'll post something on the forum first. Now that Phoenix City has its first city lord, maybe it can attract a new group of people!"
"Actually..." Seeing Bai Ting about to leave, Yang Jia quickly grabbed her. He wanted to tell her his plan, but the moment Bai Ting turned around and met her eyes, he didn't know why the question he asked became, "Why didn't you leave with Li Bai?"
"Huh?" Bai Ting was stunned, as if she didn't understand why the topic jumped to this point.
Yang Jia herself didn't know why this question popped up. After asking it, she realized that although she said she wanted to move on from Li Bai's departure, she was actually still upset.
However, Bai Ting's continued presence puzzled her. After all, from what she had known during this time, Bai Ting was definitely Li Bai's die-hard fan, following him wherever he went. Now that Li Bai was gone, she was still here, which was naturally puzzling.
"The boss told me to stay here and help you." Bai Ting said very naturally.
"Why?" Yang Jia blurted out.
Bai Ting was a little confused. "Why would that be? You're short on manpower, right? My fighting ability is so poor, I'm not much use anymore than before."
But Yang Jia wasn't asking her this question. After he finished speaking, he fell into deep thought. How could she possibly guess what Li Bai was thinking? After pondering for a while, she still couldn't come up with an answer. She suppressed her thought and continued with her previous question. "Actually, I have a half-baked idea. It seems like most players are young. Even if they're skilled, they're bound to lack experience. What do you think about bringing in NPC researchers?"
"They're pretty good." Bai Ting turned to look at the people in the lab. "It seems like they get along really well. They're mutually beneficial, and maybe even bring some surprises. And since you're the city lord now, it's much easier to recruit NPCs than players." Most of the top researchers were originally affiliated with the government, like the ones currently being discussed with Feng Qingxuan and Zhao Wenhan. With their experience, combined with the ideas from the players, the final results might be quite unexpected.
The reason Yang Jia insisted on players joining was because he firmly believed that the real world was far more developed than the game. Perhaps some things that were common sense to them were unsolved scientific problems in the game world. Collaboration between the two would naturally rapidly elevate Phoenix City's level and allow it to catch up.
After the discussion, the two of them got busy.
Bai Ting posted a recruitment thread on the forum, hoping to attract more players interested in this area. At the same time, she also asked the players at the factory to find ways to bring in their friends and family to strengthen the research team.
As for Li Bai, she asked Archon Zhou Jie for information about the laboratory and began researching. She needed to plan what projects were currently underway, what results had been achieved, which ones were currently unavailable, which ones could use additional staff, which other projects could be opened, and how to add players to the system.
In addition, there are some researchers who are not in the official system, but are scattered in various universities and enterprises. Yang Jia also has to find a way to poach them.
The power of a city is undoubtedly enormous. When Zhao Wenhan and Feng Qingxuan returned from their deaths, Phoenix City had already welcomed a new group of players.
Probably because all the combat factions were taken away by the five teams, most of the people left behind were players who loved peace, and the newcomers were no exception. So for the next period of time, the atmosphere in Phoenix City was very peaceful and harmonious, the research atmosphere became more and more intense, and the players gradually integrated into this kind of life.
As for Yang Jia, she became even busier.
The numerous scientific research projects required a significant investment of funds and materials. Funding aside, the City Lord's Mansion was still quite wealthy, but materials needed to be continuously sourced from outside the city. Therefore, she was busy using the Phoenix Tower to survey resources outside the city, then dispatching troops to mine them based on the actual situation.
During this process, news was gradually coming back from the teams that were dispatched.
The author has something to say: Pick up your moral integrity, dust yourself off, and pretend you didn't fall →_→
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