Although many people had anticipated that Nirvana Guild or Phoenix City would have a very special position in the entire game world in the future when a large amount of materials were exchanged for the interactive system and the method of connecting the city, the two suggestions put forward by Yang Jia still made some people feel alarmed.
No matter what choice they made, it was an indisputable fact that they owed Yang Jia a favor.
Once Yang Jia asks for it in the future, this favor will have to be repaid. Of course, the importance of this favor varies greatly from person to person.
Finally, Fang Pingyuan spoke first, "For something like this, just looking at the information alone is definitely not enough. Our Spark Guild is willing to send people to Phoenix City to participate in front-line research and strive to learn more experience." They have the shallowest foundation, so naturally they must keep up with the pace of the Nirvana Guild.
The others all opted for the information. Even though they knew they were being controlled, they still managed to break free. Besides, they could get support in the real world without having to contact infected people in Phoenix.
Yang Jia was not surprised at all. He simply copied the information to them and ended the conversation.
Although the infected had been urgently quarantined, Yang Jia was well aware of the source of the virus and knew it was impossible to truly isolate them. Sure enough, over the next few days, other infected people appeared. Among them were players and NPCs.
With the number of infected people increasing, it became impossible to conceal the truth. Furthermore, minor riots and panic had already broken out. Yang Jia simply announced the incident to the public, urging everyone to work together to overcome the difficulties.
However, the situation did not improve. The scope and number of infections continued to expand, and infected people began to appear in cities outside Phoenix.
Once something happened, Yang Jia, the city lord and guild leader, became increasingly busy. He had to accommodate the infected, mobilize supplies needed for various research centers, comfort the remaining personnel, and ensure that everything continued to function normally. Yang Jia was so busy that he barely had time to rest.
Fortunately, this effort paid off. Although the number of infected people continued to increase, the situation was still under control. Although the players and NPCs were still a little panicked, after all, someone stepped forward to take charge of the situation, and they gradually calmed down.
Furthermore, although a vaccine that can directly combat the virus has not yet been developed, with the cooperation of those infected, the laboratory's research on the virus is making new progress almost every day. The condition of the infected has been brought under control, and most have recovered from their comas.
That day, Yang Jia finally finished his work and was able to rest for a moment. But just as he sat down, Bai Ting came over, her face solemn, and it was obvious that something big had happened.
"What happened?" Yang Jia asked hurriedly.
Bai Ting took a deep breath. "Many players, after being infected, didn't want to be isolated and wanted to commit suicide. You must have heard about this, right?"
"Someone committed suicide?" Yang Jia stood up.
Dying in this game is costly, and since it's a holographic simulation, no one wants to die when they can live. Of course, this virus infection is an exception. Perhaps for many players, dying outright is preferable to suffering like this.
But this approach wasn't what Yang Jia wanted to see. After all, it was only a temporary solution, not a permanent one. Their goal was to develop a vaccine. Otherwise, as long as the virus couldn't be contained, players would simply become infected, commit suicide, and then get infected again, trapped in a vicious cycle. Then, the game would have no meaning.
That's the logic, but some people just can't make sense of it. Even though I've explained it more than once, there are probably still quite a few people who hold this view. It's just that no one has taken the lead in committing suicide yet. Now that Bai Ting's face is so solemn, it's clear that the first person to take the plunge has already stepped forward.
Bai Ting nodded, "Yes. And this player has logged into the game again, but his virus infection has not disappeared!"
Yang Jia was shocked upon hearing this. She hadn't expected the system to even consider this; it clearly meant leaving no room for players to retreat. In the minds of most players, even if it was a deadly virus, so what? Just die once, and the data will be refreshed, and it's all resolved. So, they weren't worried at all. This was also the fundamental reason Yang Jia was able to quickly calm people down.
It is conceivable that once this news gets out, it will inevitably cause panic again.
Even dying once wouldn't free them from this virus. The consequences of losing their trump cards and advantages as players were unimaginable. Infected players would undoubtedly panic, and those who weren't infected would likely feel threatened as well.
While this met Yang Jia's needs, allowing some players to remain involved, if not handled properly, chaos would inevitably arise. And right now, chaos was the last thing she wanted. Maintaining the current peace and normal operations had already consumed all her energy. Even the slightest misstep would cause the entire process to collapse.
Yang Jia quickly calmed down and asked Bai Ting, "How many people know?"
"On our side, only the people responsible for caring for the wounded and a few researchers know about this," Bai Ting said. "But even though the infected have been isolated, everyone knows what's going on, so they're not strictly controlled. The other infected people know about this player's suicide. As long as we send someone back, the news will definitely be exposed."
Although the isolated players could not leave, they could freely log in to the interactive system and communicate with other players. In a short time, the news would spread.
"Where are the people now?"
"In the laboratory, a separate room has been prepared for him." Bai Ting said after hesitating for a moment.
Yang Jia was too shocked before, so he didn't pay much attention to the changes in her expression. Only now did he realize that something was wrong. Bai Ting probably didn't tell him everything, and it seemed like she had some concerns.
She thought about it and asked, "Is there something wrong with this player?"
"No..." Bai Ting frowned and said, "He said he wanted to see you."
There are two sources of life experience: direct experience, which comes from one's own experiences. Indirect experience, for which books are the primary carrier, is another. With the development of science and technology, other forms of experience have emerged, but the essence remains the same.
Yang Jia was young, so naturally, he didn't have much direct experience. But thanks to the internet, he had access to a vast amount of books and information. Add to that the content the system had previously given him, and his knowledge base was quite extensive.
As soon as Bai Ting said this, combined with the awkward expression and hesitation on her face, she immediately guessed what had happened. She said to Bai Ting, "Repeat what he said exactly."
"He said he could help us conceal the news, but he wanted some compensation. He didn't say what he wanted specifically, but he just wanted to talk to you in person." Seeing that Yang Jia had guessed it, Bai Ting said it directly.
Yang Jia was amused. "Who gave him the confidence?"
This is a matter that concerns every player, yet it is being used to threaten her.
But she also understood Bai Ting's point. Maintaining stability was the top priority at the moment. This player had clearly seized on their weakness, adopting a "those with bare feet are not afraid of those with shoes" attitude, which really made people feel uneasy.
"No need to talk about it." Yang Jia opened his personal terminal. "I've thought about it. Concealing it blindly is useless. It will only lead to more speculation. So I've decided to publish the laboratory's research progress in real time so that everyone can see it. Let's start today."
As she spoke, she lowered her head and began to write the announcement.
Yang Jia hesitated for a long time before solemnly writing down the address: To my comrades in the "real" world.
After writing these words, Yang Jia recalled the post he had made on the forum when he first learned that this world was just a game. No one onlookers took it seriously; everyone thought the poster was either dreaming or just testing a meme.
It was so difficult at that time that Yang Jia was so confused that she didn't even know which direction to go, but she made it through after all.
Now, once the post she was about to write was published, no one would take it lightly. This change made Yang Jia happy. She was happy not because she had a strong appeal, but because more and more people shared the same goal as her. They were all comrades who could fight side by side with Yang Jia.
This is what human beings are like. Individually they may be small, but when they work together, they unleash a powerful force.
Yang Jia firmly believed that this power would clear away all obstacles standing in the way.
And now, this first declaration of war is written by her.
Yang Jia's authority within the system was that of an administrator, and her posts were bolded and pinned to the top, ensuring they were immediately visible to everyone logged in. This was why her post immediately attracted widespread attention. After reading the content of the post, players everywhere immediately engaged in a heated discussion.
Yang Jia also sent copies to several other guilds. Whether or not to make it public was up to them. Fortunately, everyone understood the seriousness of this matter, and no guild chose to conceal it. Actually, they couldn't hide it either. After all, players could communicate in real life, and there were no guild restrictions on the official game forums.
As Yang Jia had anticipated, because the news had been announced from the outset, the vast majority of players hadn't been infected and weren't particularly concerned. As long as they understood it as a system setting, there was nothing to be ashamed of. It was a game, after all; the more challenging and difficult it was, the more exciting it was.
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