No-Man’s Land.
The refugees who had emerged from the login points gradually gathered here.
Tired and curious, they looked up at that pure white zone that had once trapped them. That endless desolation left a lingering fear in the hearts of those who had escaped.
And this originally deserted area was now crowded with all kinds of people anxiously searching for someone.
They moved down the old televisions one by one, nervously charging them, liking them, and staring fixedly at the static flickering across the small TV screens. The moment one of the screens went dark, they would let out a long sigh of relief, turn toward the exit, and shout, “Wang Shun, a small TV went out over here!”
“There’s one here too!”
“Wang-ge, three over here!”
Standing at the entrance, Wang Shun held a thick virtual notebook. The pen flying across it to record data moved so quickly it almost seemed to spark.
After recording nearly a hundred extinguished small TVs, Wang Shun turned to look at several members standing beside him. He tore the data sheet from the notebook and handed it to them, giving instructions with clear, focused eyes.
“Based on my calculations, the promotion slots obtained by this batch of small TVs rising from No-Man’s Land should be concentrated in the multiplayer section, the single-player section, or the outer areas of the Central Hall. Go there and check whether Bai Liu’s small TV is among them.”
Those people took the slips, nodded, and turned to run toward the areas Wang Shun had designated.
At that moment, the previous batch of people who had gone to patrol the sections for Bai Liu’s small TV returned. Panting, they shook their heads at Wang Shun.
“Wang-ge, Bai Liu wasn’t in this batch of small TVs.”
A fleeting look of disappointment appeared on Wang Shun’s face, impossible to hide, but in the next second, he regained his usual composure and waved for them to sit down.
“That’s normal. Rest for a while and prepare for the next rotation.”
The entire scene was orderly, with everyone’s work clearly divided. It resembled an assembly line operating at high speed.
The No-Man’s Land players who had just stepped out of the login points and returned here were almost stunned by the sight.
In front of the mountain of televisions, so vast it was enough to make anyone retreat at the mere sight of it, these ordinary players were moving old TVs one by one. To the newcomers, the shock was like watching the Foolish Old Man move mountains.
This was how they had been fished out of that place of despair.
And all of it was only to save someone named Bai Liu.
This person named Bai Liu was just like them, trapped in No-Man’s Land.
But he himself had not given up, and the people saving him firmly believed he would not give up either. That was why this scene existed.
That was why people like them, people who had been trapped for so long and had nearly despaired to the point of giving up all struggle, had the chance to wait for the day they would see the light again.
A sense of power, as if they too could change reality, filled the hearts of these No-Man’s Land players, whose hearts had originally been empty.
They clenched their fists. At last, unable to suppress the surging emotion inside them, they stepped forward to Wang Shun, who was clearly in charge, and made a careful, sincere request.
“Excuse me, can we join the team searching for Bai Liu too?”
“We were saved because of him. We want to do something for him as well.”
Wang Shun turned back and exchanged a glance with Charles, who had been standing quietly to one side, observing the situation.
Mu Ke walked forward with a smile, supporting their backs as he guided them inward. He tilted his head and said to them, “Of course you can. We happen to need your help...”
“...But we don’t have many points. We don’t know how we can help...” someone added in a small, embarrassed voice. “...Aside from what we got for clearing the game, we only have the points you all accidentally charged to us when you were fishing for Bai Liu...”
The smile on Mu Ke’s face deepened and softened.
“How could that be an ‘accidental’ charge? Your appearance has increased the value of those points a hundredfold.”
“The fact that you could leave the game alive and appear here to help Bai Liu is exactly what we most wanted to see when we charged those points.”
“You can help them like and favorite each small TV... That alone would be an enormous help to us...”
Watching these players being guided away by Mu Ke, Wang Shun let out a breath of relief. He looked back at Charles, who was watching the scene with interest.
“You were waiting for the moment these surviving No-Man’s Land players returned, weren’t you? The members’ favorites folders are almost full. If no one comes to help like and favorite, we’ll have to increase the intensity of charging to keep fishing people out.”
“Exactly. They were bound to come back. Otherwise, how could a ‘Paradise’ be formed?” Charles raised an eyebrow and smiled back. He looked at the backs of the No-Man’s Land players. “People who have lived through a great disaster will have stronger sympathy and a stronger desire to help those with similar experiences. That makes them easier to unite.”
“Especially when they have just escaped danger and learned that the person who saved them is also trapped in a similar situation.” Wang Shun sighed and rubbed his forehead. “A strong sense of helplessness will force them to act, turning them from weak, powerless individuals into highly combative ones. They will treat Bai Liu as a derivative part of their own identity and do everything they can to protect him.”
“The feelings they develop toward Bai Liu should be even more intense than what they feel toward someone like me, who spent money to save them.” Charles was not angry at all as he said this. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and added with a smile, “If the rescue succeeds, they will relive the entire process of being saved through Bai Liu and feel their own power to fight against fate. At that point, Bai Liu will completely become their spiritual symbol.”
“They will be Bai Liu’s most loyal members.”
“You’re manipulating their emotions,” Wang Shun said, frowning uncomfortably.
Charles shrugged without concern.
“By saving them. And I believe that even if I told them why I did it, they wouldn’t reject this method, nor would it affect their feelings toward Bai Liu.”
“They are actively choosing to follow Bai Liu. This is their own choice.”
Charles gave another shrug. “Of course, I also think this is the best choice for them. At the very least, Bai Liu won’t let them die easily.”
Wang Shun’s shoulders slumped weakly.
He did not like this method, but what Charles said was indeed reasonable.
In this cruel game, for these ordinary people who could still produce goodwill, this was perhaps the best choice.
Just like Wang Shun’s own choice.
To follow Bai Liu.
Inside the game.
Holding a pair of scissors, Bai Liu walked onto the ribbon-cutting stage of the new factory.
Below the stage, Liu Jiayi clapped while unable to stop herself from quietly complaining to Tang Erda beside her.
“Don’t you think Bai Liu is like some leader in charge of construction in this game? He spends all day running factories and giving speeches.”
“In a horror game, isn’t there something wrong with that?”
“...He wants to clear the game,” Tang Erda involuntarily defended Bai Liu. “To let everyone clear it, he has to establish at least six factories.”
Aside from the two of them whispering, everyone else below the stage was clapping enthusiastically, their eyes shining as they looked at Bai Liu, who stood on the stage in a suit.
They were the original refugees, and they had now recovered from Rose Perfume.
Standing on the stage, Bai Liu adjusted the microphone with one hand, looked down at the people below, cleared his throat, and spoke in a slow, deep voice.
“As the autumn breeze brings refreshment and the fragrance of osmanthus fills the air, on the occasion of the landing of our sixth Thorns Factory, we gather here to celebrate the fruits of our hard work...”
“Ah! What a happy occasion this is!”
Liu Jiayi: “Pfft—!!”
Tang Erda: “...”
Liu Jiayi could not take it anymore. “Can Bai Liu change his speech?! Where did he lazily copy this from?! He’s said it six times already! Doesn’t he feel embarrassed?!”
Bai Liu, not embarrassed in the slightest and as steady as a mountain, continued clearly reciting the opening remarks he had plagiarized word for word from his former boss.
“...Although we come from all corners of the world, here and now, we are one big, loving family...”
Liu Jiayi clutched her head and wailed, “Make him stop!”
At the same time, in No-Man’s Land.
The members, who had already dug until they were exhausted, looked back at the “television mountain range” they had overturned all the way down behind them and marveled that they had already overturned so much. But the instant they turned back, they fell into a deep sense of helplessness.
Why were there still so many?
Wang Shun had recorded until he was dizzy. He no longer remembered how long he had been working and nearly fainted.
In the end, it was only after Charles reminded him that Wang Shun realized he should rest. He found a member who was relatively sensitive to numbers to replace him.
Without Wang Shun, their work efficiency dropped further.
Mu Ke’s expression was tense as he controlled the overall situation. Mu Shicheng joined the rotation team. Charles leaned on his cane, standing before the King’s Guild members who remained here. He raised a hand and yawned. Hearts had left with Titan, and Charles no longer needed to keep up appearances while guarding this place. He was the most relaxed person here.
Mu Shicheng ran back and forth between the various small TV sections. His high movement speed allowed him to cover the work of an entire rotation team by himself, freeing more people to join the search for Bai Liu.
During a rotation break, Mu Shicheng tilted his head back and drank a bottle of physical recovery agent. He sat on a small TV, legs bent, head lowered, panting.
Mu Ke suddenly sat down beside him, also drinking a physical recovery agent.
“The moment Bai Liu fell into No-Man’s Land, did you think about giving up on him?” Mu Ke’s voice was a little cold. He did not look at Mu Shicheng, but Mu Shicheng knew he was speaking to him.
Mu Shicheng tilted his head and drank another bottle of physical recovery agent. He did not deny it.
After a moment of silence, Mu Shicheng spoke with a rare calmness.
“For a guy like Bai Liu, I thought maybe staying in No-Man’s Land would actually be safer.”
Mu Ke’s voice grew even colder. “There’s no need to make ‘giving up’ sound so nice.”
Having said that, he stood up to leave.
“What, are you that sensitive about being given up on?” Mu Shicheng narrowed his eyes at Mu Ke’s back. “Who gave up on you? A brother? A girlfriend? Your parents?”
When the word “parents” came up, Mu Ke’s back stiffened for an instant. The hand gripping the bottle of physical recovery agent suddenly tightened.
Mu Shicheng raised an eyebrow, his expression impossible to read.
“My suggestion is that you’d better reduce the emotions you’re projecting onto Bai Liu. Don’t really treat him as a substitute for your ‘parents.’”
He pushed off his knees and stood, crumpled the empty physical recovery agent bottle in his hand, and tossed it into the trash can in front of Mu Ke with the posture of someone shooting a basketball.
Mu Ke still stood there without moving.
Mu Shicheng walked past him without looking at him.
“That guy plays too crazily. If he stays outside, he’ll be targeted by everyone. Being so eager to be his son is a thankless job.” Mu Shicheng sneered. “He’s more suited to a crazier brat.”
Mu Ke lowered his head, his expression hidden. The empty bottle clenched in his hand had been twisted into a mangled coil of plastic.
During the few seconds the two of them were locked in a standoff, a member ran back, panting and drenched in sweat. Gasping for breath, he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily, then shouted with all his strength.
“I—I saw Bai Liu’s small TV!”
Mu Ke and Mu Shicheng’s gazes snapped toward him at the same time.
