Chapter 942: Liberated from the Game, Plunging into the "Blessing" of Work
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 942: Liberated from the Game, Plunging into the "Blessing" of Work
"Lady Witch, I wonder what orders and instructions you have for me this time?" Tang En spoke with an incredibly humble tone.
Though he had only been with the Real Protection Association for a few days, his power and influence had skyrocketed. Yet, because of that very rise, he felt all the more that the figure before him was an irresistible force of nature.
"The Root Network of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree has almost completely covered the city. There’s no need to keep playing house anymore. It’s time for the old president of this association to step down, and you need to put in a bit more effort."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Tang En felt the pressure, but he agreed immediately. It simply meant his future actions needed to be more aggressive. Now that he held such power in his hands, why wouldn't he dare?
Originally, he had planned to climb to the top step by step using more moderate methods. But if the Calamity Witch wanted him to do it this way, he wasn't opposed! He was already among the top elite of the association; with his current strength, he could launch an armed coup at any moment.
As for banned accounts? In the face of the power network, such things were long obsolete. If the higher-ups refused to recognize his actions, he wouldn't mind helping those old fogies "retire" with a bit of dignity.
The only real trouble was the Outsiders. Their strength was obvious to everyone; even with the strength of the power network, fighting them would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
But didn't he have this patron standing right in front of him?
"I am pleased that you can agree so decisively. I know this might be difficult for you, so I have prepared some extra measures."
With a casual swipe of my hand, I transferred a list of names into Tang En’s Great Knowledge Seed.
"This is..." Tang En was overjoyed to hear that I was giving him extra help. However, when he saw that it was a list containing detailed information on several people, his expression turned strange, unsure of what I meant.
"These Outsiders are already dead. My clones exist in their place," I said calmly, my words causing Tang En’s pupils to contract instantly.
"If you need anything, just have them cooperate with you. I don't care what kind of play you stage—betrayals, reverse-encirclements, whatever works. I don't care about the process; I only want the results."
"Yes... Yes! I understand!" Tang En nodded frantically. This was the first time he had witnessed the more terrifying side of the Calamity Witch.
And he had known nothing... Just like that, silently, the people on this list had died... and they had been so brazenly replaced by clones?
"Then... may I ask, how strong are these clones?" Tang En asked cautiously after forcing himself to calm down.
Heaven only knew if this list was exhaustive. Was it possible that many people within the association had also become this lady's clones? After all, killing ordinary people was far easier than killing those Outsiders!
"Heh~ I seem to have forgotten to mention that." At Tang En’s question, I realized I really hadn't brought it up. "I should have told you when I gave you my business card last time. It seems I forgot, but no matter—it’s not too late for you to know now."
As Tang En looked on in confusion, I spoke again slowly: "The 'me' standing before you right now is also a clone. When your Real Protection Association first summoned me, it was this clone that arrived. My main body has never set foot in this world."
"Even if all the Outsiders in this world teamed up to kill me, that business card in your hand could still summon me back."
As I finished speaking, Tang En stood there completely stunned.
A clone! The Calamity Witch before him was merely a clone! If a mere clone was this powerful, then her main body... wouldn't she be able to destroy this world in minutes?
Amidst his terror and trembling, he felt incredibly lucky that he had chosen the right side. By following such a master, even if she chose to rule the world, he would be able to share in the glory. At this moment, he finally understood just how significant it was when she had given him that summoning card—and just how much she trusted him!
"Of course, this clone of mine is special. Those clones wearing 'masks' might not be as strong as this one, but they are still powerful enough to rival those Outsiders."
"Thank you for your trust, Lady Witch! We will absolutely not fail your expectations or your mentorship!"
"Enough, there’s no need for more flattery. Next, you can try to support some of the local civilian organizations. Try to get them to gradually break their dependence on the game. I know it will be hard, but as long as they are immersed in the game, they can't provide us with any combat power. Reality is the game they should be playing."
"Yes! I understand! However... if we do that, the number of Knowledge Seeds..."
"Just come and collect them periodically."
I glanced at the four figures to the side. There was still one carrier who hadn't been turned into a Knowledge Mother Tree yet. But if I had five... the quantity would be more than enough.
"The number of Knowledge Seeds will only increase in the future; you don't need to worry about that. Let them taste the sweetness of possessing transcendent power first, so they'll serve us willingly. If they don't listen, just cut off their permissions to the power network. I shouldn't have to teach you how to handle that, right?"
"Of course not! Please trust in my ability, Lady Witch. I will handle everything perfectly!"
"I naturally trust your ability." I nodded with a smile. Who doesn't like a capable subordinate?
"Additionally, I have some important things to hand over to you for supervision. This concerns our future layout and development."
"Please speak, Lady Witch! I will do my utmost to complete the task!" Tang En became excited the moment he heard there was an important mission. These were all opportunities to prove himself! Moreover, since it involved future development and planning, it clearly showed how much she valued him.
"Take this." I pulled out another piece of storage equipment. This wasn't something the clone had originally brought; after all, when the clone arrived, I hadn't formed this plan yet.
"Inside is..." Tang En asked as he took the storage card. He had already seen the wonders of storage equipment and knew how to use it.
"These are production facilities designed to work with the Root Network—a plant technology system centered on the network's interface," I explained. "I will transmit the relevant knowledge and applications to you through the Great Knowledge Seed. You can then pass this data to others with Great Knowledge Seeds. Assign Great Knowledge Seeds to the technical staff as well; just don't grant them power network permissions. Don't be stingy with the seeds."
The things I mentioned were essentially a batch of mature industrial assembly lines that had already been verified in the Expansion Realm. Inside the storage card were the prototypes of the relevant equipment—the so-called "Plant Tech Mother Seeds."
When plant technology reaches this level, plant growth no longer follows the conventional thinking of ordinary people. You could say the plants function as large-scale production equipment, or even plant-based mother machines.
The reason I gave these to Tang En was that the industrial foundation of this game world was simply too low. Despite the massive clusters of surface and underground buildings, they were all constructed using transcendent power.
According to the world's sparse historical records, there used to be an "Architect" profession among the players. The buildings in this world hadn't changed in a long time, mainly due to the permanence of the Transcendent Pixels produced by the Terminal of Myriad Worlds, which was shaped around [Transcendent Knowledge].
The rarity and marginalization of the Architect profession meant that the few remaining ones only served the upper class. Those people could live in different luxury buildings every day, while the bottom-layer people were forced to survive in deconstructed floors framed by Transcendent Pixels.
Of course, even the different buildings weren't artistic breakthroughs of the game world itself; they were simply deconstructed or even direct copies of architectural art from other worlds!
Setting aside architecture, let's talk about product manufacturing. The most common items in this world were... gaming devices used to access the Terminal of Myriad Worlds.
You could say this game world was one giant internet cafe. A residence was basically just a private booth. I didn't think the analogy was inappropriate; in fact, it was perfectly apt.
Poor people used gaming equipment issued or rented out by the conglomerates—mostly helmets or interface-style devices. High-end users had game pods or furniture with integrated interface equipment. Everything else consisted mostly of processing plants for food, water, drinks, and nutrient solutions.
Thinking back to the communicator Tang En had given me—that was the current technological level of this game world. It was the same in every other field. Even transportation vehicles were extremely rare. The roads between buildings were mostly "pedestrian streets" in the truest sense. The so-called personal flight devices were, in terms of utility, about the same as a small electric scooter, and even then, not everyone owned one.
In this world, if you wanted to do anything, you basically couldn't buy it or get it done, even if you had money. This was the handiwork of the Infinite Group. By contrasting the game with reality and manipulating the cost of living, they subtly trapped people in the game world forever.
I suspect their ultimate goal is to turn everyone into shut-ins. Never leaving the house, doing nothing but playing games, becoming the most basic labor units within the game to be perpetually harvested by the upper class.
All demands in this world were nearly uniform. Anything with personal character—even just a unique label—was ridiculously expensive. All of this was designed to minimize costs when serving the bottom-layer people, so that everything remaining could be provided for the enjoyment of the elite.
If the bottom-layer people didn't work, how could the upper class live so comfortably? The members of the Supreme Council and their families, the various levels of game architects, and the high-end players within the system—all of them demanded a life of luxury. If their quality of life dropped, there would be an uproar.
Therefore, what I handed to Tang En would be the first catalyst for change in this world. Once people were liberated from the game, the operation of real-world facilities and the surge in demand wouldn't just manifest out of thin air like they did in the game.
But thinking about it... liberating the people of this game world from the misery of grinding in a game, only to push them into the "blessing" of a 996 work schedule...
It felt a bit like a dark joke.
"Once you're back, find professionals to lead this. If you don't have them, assemble a temporary team. Just do it according to your own needs. I don't expect you to make it perfect; these are just basic constructions to serve yourselves, understand?"
"Understood!" Tang En responded with a solemn nod.
After harvesting another batch of Knowledge Seeds for Tang En to take with him, I sent him on his way.
When Tang En left and reached the ground floor, a specialized motorcade was already there to meet him. Although Tang En had been as humble as could be upstairs, here, he was the most promising Vice President of the Real Protection Association.
He had far too many subordinates eager to "advance." If Tang En received any instructions from the Calamity Witch, there would be people fighting over the job, no matter how difficult or unpleasant it was.
Everyone could see that the internal rifts in the branch were far too severe. Those who had been the first to pick a side could only gamble. As long as the Calamity Witch won, they were willing to bet everything! It wasn't that they liked picking sides so early; rather, under Tang En’s methods, they had been maneuvered into a position where they had no choice.
They had no way back.
* * *
I stood on the observation deck, watching the motorcade drive away, but my thoughts had already drifted much further.
The game world was truly massive. Back then, the plant world was only a small world, and I had traveled so far without even finishing a trip around the globe. This game world was a medium-sized world in the process of metamorphosing into a large world. Its size was beyond question.
And Igesuo Surface City... was ultimately just a small city on the edge of this world. Its only specialty was that it was a surface city. The places that truly held the population were the Chaos Areas and... the Ground Fissure Settlement Zones.
The Chaos Areas were regions the Infinite Group didn't even deign to rule. They only provided basic supplies and equivalent gaming equipment—essentially a region where people were left to fend for themselves. The reason the Infinite Group provided supply channels there was that the harsh environment often produced genius-level players. These people didn't even need to be officially recruited; they could be brought into the fold within the game by offering in-game benefits. The players currently harassing Igesuo Surface City belonged to this category.
The Ground Fissure Settlement Zones were more orderly compared to the Chaos Areas. Their population density was calculated by the depth of the fissures into the ground. The deeper they went, the more people they could pack in—it was literally people piled on top of people.
Of course, the people of the game world couldn't have dug those fissures themselves. I heard the birth of these fissures was related to the Void Rift Infinite Energy Perpetual Motion Machine. However, the official explanations were vague.
I had my own theories. Wasn't that perpetual motion machine just a creation centered on a Void Rift? So, I guessed these massive cracks in the earth were likely caused when they first tore open a Void Rift. After all, tearing a rift inside a secret realm could completely destroy it. If an accident occurred, it was perfectly logical for it to leave a massive scar on the world's surface.
Still, I had to admit, turning those scars into Ground Fissure Settlement Zones was a clever idea.