Xue Xun shook his head. “We tried to contact J, the actual authority in Zone C, but couldn’t reach him at all. He’s rejected all communication requests.”
“His secretary… was just killed by him—broadcast live through images.”
“He claimed it was the fate of those who defy him.”
Xue Xun’s expression darkened. He slammed the table angrily. “What the hell is he thinking? There’s no content moderation on the in-game forum—what if kids see something that bloody?!”
He Wuning glanced at him a few more times. Xue Xun cleared his throat and tried to calm himself. “Alright, that’s not the main point. The point is, he doesn’t seem to intend to stand on humanity’s side.”
He raised his hand to check the time. “Five minutes left. He announced he’d open a thread at exactly 15:00 to answer questions—but only invited participants can speak.”
“For Zone A, it’s me, the commander-in-chief, Li Liangzi… basically the same people who usually attend cross-region meetings. Zone B has a similar lineup.”
He Wuning frowned. “The forum has a feature like that?”
Xue Xun shrugged. “I don’t, at least. Not sure if you do.”
After a brief pause, He Wuning tapped on the Voice of the World and asked, “Can I create a thread where only invited players can speak?”
The Voice of the World quickly replied: “You have sufficient permissions.”
“Looks like it’s tied to permissions…” Yi Luo raised an eyebrow. “That makes this even stranger.”
“Could J be Zone C’s administrator candidate?”
“According to Padra’s intel, Zone C’s candidate is a sixteen-year-old,” Li Liangzi looked up. “J is thirty-four—a middle-aged man.”
“And he doesn’t have a system,” Zuo Qianming added, then quickly corrected himself, “At least, he’s never shown one.”
“Then it can’t be him,” He Wuning tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Unless the real candidate transferred their permissions to him, he should only have around 10%, like most players.”
They exchanged looks. Li Liangzi opened the forum interface. “I think we’ll find out soon.”
“It’s time.” Everyone straightened up, refreshing the page rapidly.
J’s forum ID was as simple as it could be: a single capital “J.”
His post appeared right on the homepage, just as promised.
They all clicked in immediately. Only a few could speak—most could only watch.
J first posted an image: a group of young children, all looking uneasy and frightened. He Wuning recognized most of them at a glance—they were kids he had met in Zone C when visiting as an administrator candidate.
Kalei, with her rabbit-scarf-like plush, was among them.
He Wuning frowned. The speaker from Zone B, under the ID “Peace,” was the first to type: “J, you need to explain your actions! You attacked Zone E and F, and led your forces to strike new zones—this is an outright betrayal of humanity!”
J didn’t respond. Instead, he posted several close-ups of the children’s fearful faces, each labeled with a number.
A user named “rock&roll” spoke up immediately: “Hey, man, they’re minors. Whatever you’re planning, it’s too early for them. I thought you preferred more… mature women?”
“Peace” snapped back, even to his own candidate: “Padra, watch your language!”
After a moment of hesitation, Xue Xun—under the ID “Community Director Xue”—asked: “What are you planning to do with those children, J?”
“Peace” questioned his identity: “Community director? How did you even get in here? This is a high-level meeting!”
Xue Xun: “…”
He seemed like an unlucky kid who was scolded and pointed at by his parents for using a funny profile picture.
Yi Luo patted his shoulder. “It’s fine. He just lacks humor. Change it to ‘Senior Community Director’ and he’ll stop complaining.”
Xue Xun swatted his hand away. “Get lost. This isn’t the time for jokes.”
He changed his ID to “Zone A Strategic Spokesperson Xue Xun” before speaking again.
J finally posted text: “Who do you think is Zone C’s administrator candidate?”
“I’ve numbered them. Come on—distinguished guests like yourselves must have ways of judging people. Help me figure out which child is the lucky one chosen by the game.”
Zuo Qianming scratched his head. “What is he trying to do? Identify the candidate? But isn’t it too late for that…”
A user named ‘Wu Liang’ asked: “If you find them, what will you do?”
It was Li Liangzi.
He Wuning glanced at her; her brows were furrowed, and her expression was not good.
J didn’t answer directly. “Pick one. It has to be tested anyway. If you don’t choose, I’ll go through them one by one.”
Padra typed: “You have a way to verify candidates? Don’t tell me you’re trying to force them to transfer their permissions to you—that won’t work. Plenty of hot-headed kids in Zone C would rather die than give it to you.”
“Of course, I don’t recommend that. If they can see this, tell them—no matter what, stay alive first.”
“6”
“Number 6.”
Someone actually answered. “Peace” said: “I guess it’s him. No basis, just a guess. So how will you verify?”
Li Liangzi’s expression changed sharply. Soon, J posted an image: the boy labeled “6” lying in a pool of blood.
“You guessed wrong, old man. Bad luck.”
“Peace” seemed to break down: “You’re insane! You’ve gone mad! You killed him—he was just a kid! What was the point?!”
“That was your choice.”
J replied casually, even re-numbering the remaining children. “Alright, pick another?”
“I’m quite democratic. I’ll listen to your opinions. If you don’t have any, I’ll just use a Gatling gun and mow them all down.”
“What’s the point of this?” Li Liangzi forced herself to steady her breathing. “You’re looking for the candidate—I assumed you needed their power. But you seem intent on killing them.”
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“Oh, I know you—the famous smart lady from Zone A,” J mocked lightly. “Must be nice. I bet your lineage is quite prestigious.”
“If it’s not my power, it has no reason to exist. I envy you candidates—you get the right to become rulers of this world after winning.”
“But I don’t.”
Everyone’s faces turned grim. “Peace” demanded angrily: “Then what’s the point of killing those children?!”
“Hey, do you really want to hand your country over to that reckless rock star in the future?”
J suddenly shifted topics. “I won’t hand over a nation I fought for to a bunch of brats.”
“rock&roll” responded calmly: “Hey, I never planned to be some big shot. Don’t try to sow discord.”
“Peace” quickly replied: “Of course I won’t fall for that!”
Then “Yi” (Yi Luo) finally spoke: “History has reached a point where no single person can control everything. Even if candidates gain advantages after the game, they can’t act arbitrarily over a nation.”
“You shouldn’t have touched those children. Even if you eliminate those who could take power from you, you still can’t become a candidate. You’re just destroying yourself.”
“So you all really think I’ve gone mad?” J replied. “You think I’m just venting by killing these kids?”
They could almost see J laughing through the screen as he typed rapidly, “I do hate them. But I didn’t act before because it didn’t benefit me.”
“I’m not crazy—I have a plan.”
“I should thank your two regions. Because your foolish candidates revealed their intention to shut down the game, it started searching for new candidates.”
“I made a deal with it. My strong desire to become ‘king’ compensates for my lack of qualification.”
“But the rules say each region can only have one candidate. So I have to find the original one—and kill them—to qualify.”
“rock&roll” dropped his usual joking tone: “You want to become the final administrator? Continue the game?”
“You really are short-sighted.”
“You chosen ones would say that,” J replied coldly. “People like me—unselected—are used to taking everything ourselves.”
“I’ll become the final administrator. I’ll continue the game. I’ll gain eternal life and supreme power—and squander the wealth of the cosmos!”
“This is a rare opportunity. In reality, my country could never compete with yours—so why not see this as a reward from heaven for the hardworking?”
“Alright, friends—take one last look at their faces. I’m tired of this selection game. I’m sending them off.”
He posted one final image: the children, terrified. He Wuning shot to his feet.
Q-chan suddenly appeared at the window, shouting, “Boss! Phone! There’s a delivery call on the milk tea car!”
He Wuning’s expression shifted—he remembered the note he had once sent out. He vaulted out the window without hesitation. Behind him, Xue Xun shouted, “Hey! Be careful—that’s the third floor!”
Yi Luo followed. He Wuning rushed over and picked up the call. A boy’s voice came through, crying. “I’m Raj! I’m Raj! Savior—please save Kalei, please save her…”
He Wuning took a deep breath. “What milk tea do you want?”
“Anything is fine!”
He Wuning hung up. Yi Luo was already in the driver’s seat. “Then one ‘anything’ drink,” he said. “Let’s go.”
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