Tulip Security Company.
The news of Yue Shi's return spread through the company much faster than 【Jian Lai】 had anticipated.
【Jian Lai】 had originally thought he could keep it a secret for a while, at least until he came up with a countermeasure. After all, Yue Shi usually holed up in his office and went long periods without showing his face.
But to his surprise, Yue Shi openly walked in and out of the office that very day, triggering the sensor lights in the hallway several times.
His aura made him seem like an entirely different species compared to 【Jian Lai】. When 【Jian Lai】 sat in that chair, the players only called him "boss" out of courtesy.
But once Yue Shi sat there, no one could mistake who was truly in charge.
In the breakroom at the end of the hallway, a few players huddled together with their cups.
The frosted glass door was left slightly ajar. Their voices weren't loud, but they were clear enough for anyone passing by to hear.
“So 【Jian Lai】 was just an acting boss? I actually thought he had taken out the real boss,” said a female player with a ponytail. She was the one who used to greet 【Jian Lai】 with the sweetest voice.
“Those posts on the forum hyped him up to high heaven, but turns out he's just a gatekeeper? No wonder he's been looking so miserable lately,” another player whispered with a snicker.
【Jian Lai】 happened to be passing by the breakroom. Since the door wasn't fully closed, every single word slipped through the crack and entered his ears.
He stumbled slightly but kept walking, maintaining his pace, though his hands clenched into tight fists.
A few players approached from the opposite direction. Upon seeing him, some averted their eyes, gave a hasty nod, and quickly brushed past.
Others simply pretended not to see him at all.
A new player, unaware that Yue Shi had returned, called out, “Hello, boss!” to 【Jian Lai】. The person next to him quickly nudged him with an elbow and whispered, “Don't call him that. He's not the boss.”
The newcomer froze, looking at 【Jian Lai】's expressionless face, thoroughly confused.
【Jian Lai】 didn't stay at the company any longer. He walked into the restroom, locked the door, and logged off.
Back in the real world, as he sat up from his gaming pod, the curtains were still drawn, with only a sliver of sunlight peeking through.
He sat down at his computer desk and opened the game forum.
The homepage featured several posts about him, all with flame icons next to their titles, indicating that the discussion volume had soared to the top of the site.
The hottest thread was titled: 【Revealed: The Real Boss of Tulip Security Returns; Acting Boss 【Jian Lai】 Knocked Back to Reality】
The post detailed the scene of Yue Shi's return, accompanied by a blurry screenshot taken covertly in the company hallway. It showed Yue Shi's back. Although the image was extremely pixelated, the overwhelming pressure he exuded could be felt even through the screen.
He scrolled through several pages of comments. The previous praise worshipping him as a big shot had completely vanished, replaced by unanimous mockery.
“Hahahahaha, this is hilarious! He was bragging about taking over the nest, but the moment the actual owner returned, he chickened out.”
“So 【Jian Lai】 isn't a big shot at all, just a temp?”
“Where are all those people who hyped him up as a god? Come out and show yourselves.”
Soon, the thread was deleted. Because of the Nightmare Sickness, photos of Yue Shi were not permitted to circulate on the internet.
Not even a shot of his back!
The second trending thread was titled: 【【Jian Lai】's Legendary Rise to Power: It's All Fake!】
This post was very long, systematically debunking 【Jian Lai】's previous post and exposing his boasts one by one.
He claimed he used his wit and courage to drive away the original boss; the truth was that the original boss had simply gone out and left him in temporary charge.
He claimed he held the company's ultimate authority; the truth was that he was just a tool used to hand out quest rewards.
He claimed he was a prime example of a player counterattacking an NPC; the truth was that he had to give up his seat the moment the NPC returned.
Hundreds of replies followed each point. Most were just spectators enjoying the drama. A few tried to speak up for him, but their comments were quickly drowned out.
【Jian Lai】 could tell at a glance that this post was definitely written by a player from Tulip Security Company!
During his days as the acting boss, he had probably been a bit too arrogant, earning him some enemies.
【Jian Lai】 stared at the screen, his mouth dry and his breathing rapid.
These netizens sure are quick to kick a man when he's down. The same people who used to follow me around calling me a god are now the main ones mocking me.
He scrolled through a few more pages, then closed the browser. Leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, his heart was still pounding wildly, but anger was slowly replacing his embarrassment.
On what grounds? Just because I'm not the real boss, everything I did becomes a joke?!
What has Yue Shi even done? Why does he get to sit in that chair while I can't?
At this moment, 【Jian Lai】's murderous intent toward Yue Shi had never been stronger.
...
Returning to the game, 【Jian Lai】 immediately began planning an assassination.
He certainly couldn't pull it off alone, so he needed allies.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Investigation Bureau should be more than happy to give me a hand...
【Jian Lai】 sent messages to several players via the in-game private messaging channel.
Like him, these players had tasted the sweetness of power during Yue Shi's absence.
They were a small clique 【Jian Lai】 had gathered. Accustomed to feeling superior to others, their privileges had vanished the moment the real boss returned.
Within minutes of sending the messages, all of them replied.
【Jian Lai】 pulled them into a private chat channel.
“I have something to discuss with you all,” 【Jian Lai】 said in a serious tone.
One player replied impatiently, “If you have something to say, spit it out. I'm busy over here.”
Look at that. The moment he lost his status as acting boss, the lackey who used to flatter him the most was the first to give him attitude.
【Jian Lai】 remained silent for two seconds before slowly typing, “I want to kill Yue Shi.”
The chat channel went dead silent. A moment later, another player sent a voice message: “Are you okay? Do you need to take your meds?”
“I'm not crazy. Just listen to me first,” 【Jian Lai】 replied calmly.
He began to break it down point by point.
“Yue Shi has always been a massive treasure trove. We already know he has mastered multiple spells, and there are definitely more we don't know about. Just that spell list alone is enough to make anyone drool, not to mention he owns a company with massive assets.”
“In other words, Yue Shi is an NPC loaded with wealth and skills. If we kill him, we can reap countless benefits.”
The other players didn't respond immediately, but 【Jian Lai】 knew they were wavering.
“Taking out Yue Shi will definitely drop a ton of gear, gold, and spell scrolls. While everyone else is doing quests and grinding monsters to level up, we've just been doing dirty work and playing this game like some slice-of-life simulator.”
However, the other players weren't entirely convinced. Many players in Tulip Security Company had already realized that the virtual reality game 《Deep Red Continent》 might not just be a game, and the NPCs weren't just simple NPCs.
To this, 【Jian Lai】 simply replied calmly, “It's just a game. What player doesn't kill NPCs? Who hasn't done a few wicked things in a game before?”
This was almost an explicit statement: so what if the NPCs in the game had real flesh and blood? As long as they firmly viewed them as NPCs, they could kill them without any psychological burden.
After all, everyone else was doing it.
Rate on N.U.
