The official department is specifically tasked with researching each instance. They extract commonalities from countless different instances, studying the key points to overcoming them. Ultimately, their goal is the same as those who venture into the instances, like Tan Manyu and the others—to find the weaknesses of the [Ghost] system.
These logistical personnel have access to far more information about the instances than the average viewer. Although they have yet to find a breakthrough, they have already investigated and marked the malicious players who cause trouble within the instances.
However, the cult is expanding globally with increasing numbers. Unless these individuals expose themselves, it’s nearly impossible to identify them.
Fortunately, both Tan Manyu and Li Zhi are highly sensitive to such people. From the moment they entered, they had been cautious of Zhou Jianzhang and his group. Even if these individuals survive, their attempts to sacrifice their teammates will most likely be thwarted by Tan Manyu and Li Zhi.
“After we visit the hospital, I’ll need to return to my department to report this situation,” Tan Manyu said. “I’ll try to advocate for your request, but you might need to come over when the time comes.”
Li Zhi smiled, “Sure, give me a call whenever.”
Before hanging up, Tan Manyu lowered her voice and reminded her, “It’s getting more chaotic outside, and the officials are stretched thin. Try to stay indoors as much as possible.”
Li Zhi agreed.
After ending the call, she walked over to the window and looked outside.
From this angle, she could see the commercial street near the neighborhood. It used to be the liveliest spot, filled with various shops and street food vendors. Elderly people doing square dancing and children practicing roller skating coexisted harmoniously. In the evening, the small fountain in the middle would light up, neon lights flashing, making it a bustling area.
But now, it was nothing more than an empty square. Not a single person was on the street, all the shops were closed, and the only place still open was a neighborhood center providing essential goods. Armed guards stood outside maintaining order, a result of government control.
In just three short months, the world had changed dramatically. At this rate, societal collapse was inevitable.
When that time comes, it will truly be a world where doomsday and paradise coexist, with chaos reigning.
Li Zhi pulled the curtains shut. Outside, Shang Jinru was calling for her, “Zhi Zhi, what do you want for dinner?”
From what her mother and sister told her, while she was in the instance, all their household supplies had been delivered by Tan Manyu’s colleague, Yao Mingfeng. The kitchen was stocked with fresh vegetables and meat. Shang Jinru took out a bag of frozen chicken legs, “How about I stir-fry some chicken for you?”
Li Zhi smiled and nodded, “Sure.”
While Shang Jinru was cooking, Li Zhi and Li Shuang sat in the living room, scrolling through live broadcasts. “Still no contact from our brother?”
Li Shuang shook her head, “No, his phone is still unreachable.”
Suppressing her worry, Li Zhi opened the live stream room of Chi Yi. She had entered the instance three days ago, and now, she ranked first on the real-time popularity leaderboard. On the screen, the nation’s sweetheart was fiercely beating a zombie’s head with a baseball bat.
Li Zhi watched for a while, confirming that Chi Yi was handling the instance skillfully and would likely pass it safely. After casting her vote for her, she exited the room.
Having experienced the instances herself, Li Zhi didn’t enjoy watching live broadcasts about them in the real world.
Li Shuang wasn’t particularly fond of watching anyone else’s live streams except her sister’s. However, she was an avid forum reader. Opening a bookmarked post, she sneakily approached Li Zhi, “Sis, did you know your ship with that NPC is currently the most popular CP on the forums?”
Li Zhi raised her eyebrows, “There’s a ranking for that?”
“Of course! Do you have any idea how big shipping players has become?” Li Shuang immediately pulled up the forum leaderboard and showed it to her. “You know Du Jia, right? He’s that prince from idol dramas. Honestly, he’s not that great at clearing instances, but he formed a ship with Chen Tianran called ‘Perfect Couple,’ and they’ve been entering instances together. Their popularity is through the roof!”
Li Zhi took a look and found that the forum had opened dedicated groups for each CP pairing. The “Perfect Couple” Li Shuang mentioned was second on the CP popularity chart, while the first was called “ZhiXi HE,” clearly referring to the ship of Li Zhi and Li Jianxi. There were many other names Li Zhi didn’t recognize, all of them trending. It seemed that shipping was a universal trend, no matter the field.
There was even a CP pairing of her and Chi Yi, named “A Butterfly,” ranking tenth.
Li Zhi: “…”
Li Shuang: “Everyone’s saying that in the latest game instance, Li Jianxi confessed to you!”
Li Zhi was utterly surprised. “When?”
How come she, the actual person involved, didn’t know anything about it?
Li Shuang opened a recorded clip to show her. “It was when you two were watching the sunrise together at the infirmary. We couldn’t hear what you were saying, so everyone just started guessing. The CP fans all think he confessed to you.”
Only now did Li Zhi realize that her conversation with Li Jianxi had been muted.
The livestream audio wasn’t broadcasted to the outside audience, which suggested that some kind of item had been used.
Li Zhi looked at herself and Li Jianxi on the screen, her gaze landing on the hand he had tucked in his white coat pocket. She was certain she hadn’t used any items, and the system wouldn’t mute NPCs and players on its own. There was only one possibility left.
Li Jianxi had used a jammer.
And to use a jammer, one would have to know that they were being watched.
Ordinary NPCs in the instance wouldn’t have that kind of awareness. For them, this was simply their world.
How interesting.
According to what he had said, he had been an NPC in the instance since gaining consciousness. But when did he realize that the instance was just a game arena, and that there was another world beyond it, with many people watching him?
Did he discover this by accidentally awakening his self-awareness, or had he possessed this consciousness since his creation?
“Li Jianxi…”
Li Zhi repeated the name twice and then spent a long time searching for it online after closing the forum. But aside from information related to the game instance, she found nothing. The name first appeared within the game.
She sent a message to Tan Manyu, asking her to use the official system to check if there was any information on Li Jianxi. Tan Manyu quickly agreed, and the next day, Li Zhi received her reply.
“There’s no such person.” Tan Manyu, likely busy, sent her a voice message. “Since the game instance spans a long period, I extended the search back several decades. This name is pretty rare, and there have only been a few people nationwide with it over the last several decades, but none of them match.”
In her final voice message, she added, “If you suspect he isn’t an NPC but a human, then he’s most likely a human from another world. Like those rookie guides, from a multidimensional world.”
After listening to the voice message, Li Zhi lay on her bed for a while and then took out the sunflower pendant from her pocket.
She kept it close every night. The jade pendant, warmed by her body heat, felt comfortably warm to the touch. Holding it up to the light, Li Zhi observed the translucent jade, where a faint glow seemed to shimmer within.
“Li Jianxi,” she whispered, clutching the pendant in her palm and closing her eyes. “Can you sense where I am?”
The pendant, smooth and warm, grew even hotter from her touch.
In a certain game instance, while progressing through a storyline, Li Jianxi suddenly looked up at the sky.
He remained still, as though frozen in place. If it weren’t for his slightly furrowed brows, the player in front of him would have thought he had glitched.
“Hey! Li Jianxi, are you listening to me?” The player waved a hand in front of his face. “I’ve visited you six or seven times already. Has my affection level gone up or not? Do you really have no items to drop for me?”
After a moment, Li Jianxi looked at the noisy player with a blank expression and said coldly, “No.”
The player stomped his foot. “Damn it! Who said this NPC would drop items if you grind up his affection level? I skipped my quests to farm this, and it’s all been a waste of time!”
The player stormed off, cursing, while Li Jianxi stood there for a while longer, then looked up at the sky again.
In a place beyond the player’s perception, he could sense a gentle, warm energy rippling toward him from an unknown world. Yet, as if separated by a membrane, he couldn’t respond, nor could he sense her exact location.
She was looking for him.
Was she in danger?
Li Jianxi furrowed his brow, lowering his head as he began rummaging through his pockets.
But soon, he stopped searching.
The force had disappeared.
He could no longer sense anything.
…
A couple of days later, Li Zhi received a phone call from Tan Manyu: “They’ve agreed to your request, but the higher-ups want to meet you in person.”
Li Zhi asked, “Sure, when?”
Tan Manyu replied, “The car to pick you up is already downstairs. Pack up and come down.”
After hanging up the phone, Li Zhi changed her clothes, said goodbye to Shang Jinru, and headed out. As she walked downstairs, she saw Yao Mingfeng, whom she hadn’t seen for a while, standing outside the building. Seeing her, his stern face broke into a smile, “Comrade Li Zhi, we meet again.”
Li Zhi smiled back, “Thank you for looking after my family during this time.”
Yao Mingfeng began walking with her, “It was my duty. Thank you for safely bringing Tan Manyu back.”
A plain-looking black sedan was parked on the driveway downstairs, with two casually dressed young men sitting in the front seats. But Li Zhi could sense the same aura from them as she did from Yao Mingfeng.
After getting in the car, Yao Mingfeng began to talk about the current situation: “Manyu told us everything. In fact, before she returned, the higher-ups had already agreed to your request. The information she brought back only confirmed that this was the right decision. We share the same goal, and we need a partner like you.”
The car drove along the desolate streets, with only the occasional glimpse of a passerby.
It was quiet, barren.
Yao Mingfeng looked out of the window and sighed, “I wonder when things will return to the way they were.”
Li Zhi’s voice was calm and gentle, “That day will come.”
An hour later, the car pulled into a large compound.
The building looked a bit old, just as inconspicuous as the cars parked in the courtyard. Li Zhi followed Yao Mingfeng inside, walked through several corridors, and took two elevators before finally entering a simply furnished lounge.
Tan Manyu was inside, and when she saw Li Zhi come in, she waved with a smile.
Li Zhi smiled as she walked over, “How’s your hand?”
Tan Manyu, her shoulder still bandaged, replied, “Healing well. The doctor said it was thanks to the school doctor’s good care in the last mission; otherwise, it could’ve gotten infected. If we meet Li Jianxi again in the next instance, I’ll have to properly thank him.”
As they chatted, the door to the lounge opened once more, and a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor entered the room.