Blue Star.
Zhou Ping's request for 'entertainment to pass the time' was quickly approved.
“Single-player computer games, limited to three hours per day. The game content must be approved.”
Zhou Ping's lips curved upward slightly. “Thank you.”
Before long, several computers were moved into the aerial isolation room.
The computers were brand new, with the plastic film still on the casings. The cases were completely sealed and could not be opened, the hard drives were non-replaceable, and the USB ports were physically blocked.
Only a few old games from hundreds of years ago were installed. Zhou Ping recognized one of them as Super Mario.
Several quarantined “patients” immediately gathered around, turning on the computers and pretending to play the single-player games with great enthusiasm.
They all noticed the same detail: there was an inconspicuous green icon in the bottom-right corner of the computer screen. It was tiny, a circle smaller than the other icons on the taskbar, almost blending in with the background color.
When the mouse hovered over it, a line of small grey text popped up: “This computer is currently being monitored by the research group.”
This was blatant surveillance. All of their operations would be recorded, making it absolutely impossible to use these computers for anything out of line.
Zhou Ping sneered inwardly but kept his face expressionless. He had known this would happen and had already anticipated it when making the request.
But it didn't matter. He didn't plan to do anything with this computer, at least not for now.
Zhou Ping opened a seemingly ordinary single-player game, controlling a pixel character to run, fight, and explore in the virtual world, his eyes occasionally glancing at the green icon in the corner of the screen.
In the research group's monitoring room, several large screens displayed the computer feeds in real time. Every computer screen was being recorded, and an AI automatically analyzed the behavioral patterns of each “patient” in the background, flagging any anomalies.
A technician stared at Zhou Ping's screen, watched for a few seconds, and turned to complain to a colleague next to him, “He's playing Super Mario. An old game from hundreds of years ago.”
The colleague shrugged and didn't reply.
The higher-ups of the research group firmly believed that Zhou Ping was no ordinary patient. He had once been a core member of the Nightmare Sickness research, and his mind was incredibly sharp. Even playing a single-player game could have some deeper meaning!
...
“The assassination plan by 【Jian Lai】 and his group is divided into three steps,” Ghost said without any emotion.
“Step one: open the refrigerator door...”
“Oh, wait, no. Step one is to poison you with a colorless and odorless poison provided by the Bureau. Step two is to find a group of newbies to use as cannon fodder, having them rush in to drain your stamina. Step three is for those few players to team up with the Bureau to steal the kill at the end, intending to take you down.”
Yue Shi held a cup of tea, steam curling upward. “The Bureau is involved too?”
Ghost floated back and forth in midair. “The poison was given by the Bureau. It seems the officials in Zhongzhou also really want you to disappear.”
“And not only that, the Bureau is also painting a grand picture for 【Jian Lai】 behind the scenes. They clearly want to use 【Jian Lai】 as a tool and discard him once they're done.”
Yue Shi chuckled, offering a sharp critique. “Foolish.”
Ghost nodded in agreement, then changed the subject. “Indeed foolish. Quite similar to how you used to be.”
Yue Shi rolled his eyes. “When have I ever done such a stupid thing?”
Ghost floated above the desk, hovering horizontally with his hands behind his head, his tone leisurely. “I've already lost count of how many times...”
Yue Shi defended himself, “【Jian Lai】 and the others are merely corrupted by evil thoughts. Their instinct to do evil outweighs their rationality, which is why they appear rather unintelligent.”
Ghost looked at Yue Shi with a complicated gaze, his tone meaningful. “You're like that occasionally too.”
The room suddenly fell silent.
Yue Shi picked up his teacup and lowered his head to drink, suddenly seeming to have developed a deep interest in tea tasting.
Ghost continued to complain, “Stop pretending. You know perfectly well I'm telling the truth. You know yourself how much like a pseudo-human you act when driven by evil instincts. It's just that you're so powerful that you succeed no matter how ridiculous the situation is, which to some extent covers up your intellectual shortcomings...”
“Are you finished?” Yue Shi put down his teacup, staring at Ghost expressionlessly.
Ghost grinned. “I'm finished. Boss is wise and mighty, the sun rises in the east, and you alone are invincible.”
Yue Shi snorted, but he wasn't truly angry. After all, Ghost had accompanied him for so long and was practically like a son to him.
“Back to business. Who else is involved in 【Jian Lai】's assassination plot?”
Ghost put away his playful expression and floated to the front of the desk, looking like he was reporting on work. “There are five core members, all veteran players won over by 【Jian Lai】 while you were away. I've already obtained the list. In addition, 【Jian Lai】 is planning to recruit one to two hundred newbies as cannon fodder to wear down your state.”
Yue Shi asked, “And when do they plan to make their move?”
Ghost: “It hasn't been set yet. They're likely waiting for the poison to arrive. The Bureau is using grey channels, so the handoff will take some time.”
Yue Shi nodded. “Keep watching them. Don't alert them.”
Ghost was puzzled. “You don't plan to strike first?”
Yue Shi revealed a playful smile.
Ghost understood instantly. Every time Yue Shi showed this kind of sinister expression, it meant someone was about to suffer terribly.
Yue Shi: “Why strike first? Let them come. It just so happens that I want to see what the Bureau is plotting.”
Ghost understood. “Baiting them.”
Yue Shi picked up his teacup and gently blew on the steam.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door was suddenly knocked on.
Yue Shi looked toward the door. Ghost's body silently shrank into the shadows of the corner, vanishing without a trace.
“Come in,” Yue Shi said.
The office door was pushed open very slowly. A head poked through the crack, looking left and right, before the entire person slipped inside.
The one who entered was the player 【Little Cucumber】. His expression was a mix of nervousness and anticipation, his eyes darting around. After entering, he first carefully looked back at the hallway, and only after confirming no one was following did he gently close the door.
Yue Shi looked at him with interest. “Sneaking around like that... what is it?”
【Little Cucumber】 squeezed out a flattering smile. “Hello, Boss. I have an important matter to report to you.”
Yue Shi raised an eyebrow. “Out with it.”
【Little Cucumber】's gaze swept across the office. As if making up his mind, he said bluntly, “Boss, someone wants to assassinate you!”
Yue Shi's expression didn't change in the slightest. “Oh? Who wants to assassinate me?”
“It's 【Jian Lai】. He has gathered a lot of people to team up and kill you.” 【Little Cucumber】 deliberately only revealed part of the information, holding back the full story.
Yue Shi smiled. “And why are you telling me this?”
【Little Cucumber】's mind raced. He went over his prepared excuses repeatedly in his head, picking the version he thought was the most persuasive.
“Because I think 【Jian Lai】's plan is unreliable, and has absolutely zero chance of success!”
Rate on N.U.
