Chapter 57: Chapter 57: A Visit from the State
Zhen Qiang was truly frustrated.
Anyone would be frustrated if their account was banned just for dying in a full-dive, revolutionary game.
The feeling of vexation was beyond description.
Regret. The man was filled with regret.
It had ruined his excellent mood to the point where he couldn’t even stomach his deluxe instant noodles.
He had a whole series of plans. With the Sect Master’s tacit approval, he could have helped her develop the Sect into the first industrialized sect on the Yunzhou Continent.
But alas, he had fallen before his mission could succeed.
All the data he’d stayed up nights researching—encyclopedias of minerals, files on how to kick-start industrialization—it was all for nothing.
"DING DONG—"
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Zhen Qiang froze for a moment.
He lived alone and didn’t have many friends, so it was rare for anyone to come knocking on his door.
His delivery?
No, that couldn’t be it. Deliveries were always left downstairs.
At that moment, Zhen Qiang didn’t overthink it. As he went to open the door, he just called out, "Who is it?"
A low voice replied, "Hello, we’ve detected abnormal electricity usage at your residence. We’re here to inspect the wiring."
Zhen Qiang: "..."
’Isn’t this excuse a little too much?’
Alarm bells went off in his head immediately.
And as he stood by the door, for some reason, his intuition felt much sharper than before.
Through the door, he could sense a murderous aura from outside.
This aura made his heart pound uncontrollably, and he suddenly felt afraid to open the door.
"Who... who are you?"
There was no reply from outside the door.
Cold sweat immediately beaded on Zhen Qiang’s forehead.
’I haven’t done anything illegal, have I?’
’Why does this feel so wrong?’
’If I hadn’t been so lazy, I would have installed a video doorbell!’
’At least then I’d know what was going on outside.’
"Zhen Qiang, hurry up and open the door! Are you raising birds in there or something?"
Hearing the familiar voice of the property manager, Zhen Qiang let out a subconscious sigh of relief.
’Oh, it’s just the property manager...’
’Wait, no!’
’But...’
Zhen Qiang actually had a good idea of who might be outside his door.
’But it makes no sense.’
’I’ve been a law-abiding citizen my whole life, I haven’t even crossed a solid line on my bike. How could I be targeted?’
With that thought, Zhen Qiang slowly opened the door.
There was no violent breach of the door. However, the sight of three men of uniform height with crew cuts standing ramrod straight at his doorstep still made him instinctively shut his eyes.
In front of the three men stood a woman with glasses, dressed in a black uniform. Her smile was very gentle. "Hello, Zhen Qiang. May we come in and talk?"
When the property manager saw Zhen Qiang open the door, she gave him a sheepish smile and then scurried away.
Zhen Qiang let them in.
The woman showed him an ID that Zhen Qiang couldn’t decipher and didn’t offer any specific introduction. She simply glanced around his apartment before looking back at him, her tone still gentle. "You don’t need to be nervous. We’re just here to ask you a few things."
Zhen Qiang hesitated. "Did I accidentally walk past a crime scene or something?"
The woman smiled. "Of course not. That’s not under our jurisdiction. *Starting with a broken sect*... I believe you’re familiar with this game."
"..."
’So it really is about the game.’
Zhen Qiang was a little shocked, but then again, perhaps not so surprised.
’If the country really had this kind of technology, why would they use it just to make a game?’
’It’s just... to think the game was so outrageous that it actually got their attention.’
Zhen Qiang asked, "You figured out I was one of the players this quickly?"
The woman’s expression turned serious. "My apologies, but this matter is extraordinary. In extraordinary times, we must use extraordinary measures to obtain information about the players. We’ve come to you mainly because we just learned that your in-game character has died and your account has been banned. So, compared to the other players, we imagine you have more time to chat with us in detail."
Having his sore spot poked, two streams of tears streamed down Zhen Qiang’s face. He mumbled, "I didn’t want to die either."
The woman nodded. "I understand. After discovering how magical this game is, no one would want their character to die."
"Let’s sit down and talk. My surname is Liu. You can call me Xiao Liu."
How could Zhen Qiang dare?
Not only did this woman seem more mature than him, but she was just being polite. How could he actually call her that?
"Miss Liu."
"There’s no need to be so formal, Mr. Zhen. Please, sit. We’re only here to understand the situation with the game. We won’t do anything to you, and no one else will know about today’s meeting. You can rest assured, the state gives you its guarantee."
With that promise, Zhen Qiang instantly relaxed.
He immediately sat down and nodded. "Ask away. I’ll tell you anything you want to know."
’Han Tian is even able to livestream, so what’s the big deal about me sharing some information?’
The three men behind Liu Wen Yu took out a laptop and handed it to her, while simultaneously beginning to scan the surrounding room.
After confirming there were no recording devices, they nodded. Only then did Liu Wen Yu begin her questioning. Her first question surprised Zhen Qiang. "Mr. Zhen, when you enter the game, can you confirm that you truly feel like you’re in another world, that everything is similar to reality, including your five senses?"
Zhen Qiang replied, "I can. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s like I really transmigrated. We don’t need to use the bathroom, and the pain sensitivity isn’t enabled, but if you pinch yourself, you can clearly feel the sensation of touch. We have our senses of smell and taste, too. It’s magical."
Liu Wen Yu nodded. "Second question, what device do you use to connect to the game?"
"Over there."
Zhen Qiang’s apartment wasn’t large. He usually played games in the living room.
"That VR set, from the V Family. I bought it last year. The game is downloaded locally. I just import it into my game library and I can get in. I usually just put on the VR headset to log on."
"But after I enter the game, I can’t feel the VR device at all."
Zhen Qiang gave a bitter smile. "It’s just that I can’t log into the game anymore. Whenever I try to connect, it just says my account is banned."
His disappointment was palpable; he couldn’t have faked it.
Liu Wen Yu offered a word of comfort before asking, "How much do you know about the Sect Master in the game, Song Jiulai?"
"The Sect Master—" Zhen Qiang thought for a moment. "I don’t know that much, actually. I only met her once, during the novice reception. Back then, the Sect Master was responsible for giving us the beginner quests and the Elixir Pills for Opening Spiritual Roots. She’s beautiful, like a real goddess."
Liu Wen Yu: "So, apart from that one meeting, you know nothing else about her?"
"Right. The game has just started, so it’s not like the main storyline would involve the Sect Master yet." Zhen Qiang scratched his head. "Anyway, our mission is to make sure the Sect grows stronger and stronger, and we absolutely cannot let the Sect Master die."
"If the Sect Master dies, the game ends."
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