The Tulip Security Company was officially open for business.
The players hadn't even started working yet when they encountered a ghost.
The incident was quite simple. A few players were wandering around aimlessly, exploring the “new map,” when they saw a translucent figure floating in the middle of the corridor, looking very much like a traditional ghost.
The players were stunned at first, but then they exploded with excitement.
They weren't afraid of ghosts. This was a game, after all, and based on their research, they already knew that the Crimson Continent possessed supernatural powers.
Encountering a ghost was perfectly normal; they only found it thrilling.
One bold player approached and tried to touch it, but the ghost shooed them away like a fly.
The ghost's hand passed right through the player's arm without any sensation.
“Holy crap, it’s clipping!”
“No, he’s a ghost. He doesn't have a physical body.”
The players discussed it excitedly.
The ghost didn't get angry. He cleared his throat and announced, “I am the second-in-command of the Tulip Security Company. I am in charge of all company affairs except for those the boss handles personally. If you have any issues in the future, you can come to me first.”
The players looked at each other, faces full of shock.
Their superior was actually a ghost?!
This was... wonderful!
The players had been in the game for several days and had only heard about supernatural powers from NPCs and the internet. They had never seen it with their own eyes, let alone heard anything about cultivation techniques.
But now, a living ghost was standing right in front of them, and he was the company's second-in-command. Wasn't this the same as having supernatural power delivered right to their doorstep?
Some players looked the ghost over with eyes that didn't see a leader, but rather an unopened gift.
Many players were spamming the game channel.
“The second-in-command is a ghost! Then what’s the boss?”
“Look at the boss’s face. He’s definitely no ordinary NPC!”
“Exactly! I seriously suspect the boss is a transformed spirit. His true form might be a snow leopard.”
“Does the Crimson Continent even have spirits like that in its setting?”
“Is anyone brave enough to go and test the boss...?”
Ten minutes later, a few daring players slipped into Yue Shi's office during working hours.
The moment they saw Yue Shi, the words they had prepared died in their throats. They were overcome with tension and fear. One by one, they made up excuses—some said they were reporting for work, some asked for personal leave, and others even asked for an advance on their salary.
Yue Shi didn't give them a friendly look. Like a true capitalist, he gave them all a stern lecture.
After spending some time in the office, various debuffs appeared on their status bars, and their health began to drop for no apparent reason.
But this only made them happier. They walked out of the office and exchanged information, even more certain that the boss was no ordinary person!
...
Inside the office, Yue Shi complained, “These players are all masochists. I gave them a scolding, and they actually enjoyed it.”
A playful voice suddenly rang out behind him: “Of course, a boss scolding people should normally be struck by lightning, but if that boss is you, even a slap would be sweet~”
...
Blue Star.
The investigation into the incident where several players went mad after logging out of the game had hit a dead end.
The authorities had used every resource at their disposal, interviewing the involved players and their families, but they found nothing.
The mental abnormalities of those players had come without any warning.
In fact, since the debut of 《Deep Red Continent》, the Blue Star government had conducted many investigations.
Which country wouldn't be envious of virtual reality technology that was at least a century ahead of current technological levels?
But the reality was that they couldn't find the location of any servers at all.
No physical address, no IP range, no data center, and no signal that could be traced.
The game was like a ghost—it existed and operated, but it did not belong to any known network architecture on Blue Star.
The news of players going mad after leaving the game failed to gain any traction online.
A few media outlets published brief reports, but they were quickly suppressed.
This was because the official website of 《Deep Red Continent》 released an update announcement on the same day, drawing away all the players' attention.
The content of the announcement was simple:
【The second batch of closed beta accounts will soon be released. Slots will be randomly drawn from all registered players.
At the same time, new game features are going live. We are launching a streaming function, allowing players to showcase their in-game lives to the outside world anytime, anywhere.
Stream donations and interaction functions will be opened simultaneously, along with a top-up channel.
We wish everyone a pleasant gaming experience.】
New closed beta slots, stream donations, and a top-up channel. These three pieces of news combined were more impactful than any other report.
Players were frantically sharing the announcement, participating in the draw, and studying whether the top-up rates were fair or predatory.
The Blue Star authorities allowed the public frenzy to continue, not daring to do anything to the game.
They were absolutely certain that such virtual reality technology could not exist on Blue Star; there must be an existence behind this technology that they could not afford to offend.
Therefore, they could only cautiously probe 《Deep Red Continent》.
They had neuroscientists analyze the signal transmission frequency of the gaming pods and information security experts try to reverse-engineer the base code of the game client, but unfortunately, all attempts ended in failure.
They couldn't find anything and could only watch as the game's player base grew like a rolling snowball.
Those who hadn't entered the Crimson Continent yet could only watch others' adventures on the game forum.
Posts on the forum were refreshing every second—strategy guides, rants, flex posts, and help threads were packed together.
...
In Huadu.
【Peony】 had been arrested and detained. Although she had committed a serious crime and should be sentenced, she was actually undergoing a full range of examinations and was being closely observed at all times.
【Peony】's father had died a tragic death, and her mother was painfully handling his funeral.
After returning home, Peony's mother locked herself in her room, drew the curtains, and didn't even turn on the lights in the living room.
She turned on the television, which hadn't been used in a long time. Now that smartphones were ubiquitous, television seemed to have been phased out, but she remembered how much she enjoyed crowding around the TV with her husband when they were young.
Channel after channel, every single one was broadcasting news about 《Deep Red Continent》.
Some stations invited experts to discuss the game's impact on teenagers, while others were interviewing the first batch of closed beta players about their experiences.
Her young son was heartless, complaining in his room: “Why can't I get a closed beta slot?” He seemed completely unbothered that his father was dead and the killer was his sister.
Peony's mother began to cry. How had her once happy and perfect life fallen apart overnight?
“Son, your dad is dead. Why aren't you sad at all?”
“What does 'dead' mean?” the little boy asked back with innocent ignorance.
Peony's mother broke down. She was now forced to face the fact that her eldest daughter was a lunatic and her young son was a complete moron.
Rate on N.U.
