Expedition Plan (Part 3)

"It's alright, Xiaoying, don't be afraid..."

I turned around and hugged her.

The scene outside looked like the end of the world was about to unfold.

"Ding Han..."

Lin Qingying hugged me tightly, but couldn't help looking up outside.

She was genuinely frightened; her body trembled.

"Xiao Ying, our player system has just been updated to version 4.0, called Subspace Storm. I think this version is definitely related to the warp, and the situation outside is most likely related to the warp as well, so don't be afraid. No new version release will destroy the world the moment it's released, right?"

"Yes, I think you're absolutely right."

She regained her composure, took my hand, and we stood side by side on the balcony, looking at the scenery outside.

At this moment, the players were in an uproar, and the star map and chat groups were bustling with activity.

"What's happening outside? Is it the end of the world?"

Cai Cai said, "Holy crap, guys, did you see that? What happened?"

"I'm watching."

Huo Bingzhi Ri calmly replied, "To be honest, I was almost scared to death."

Ruolin asked, "Ding Han, are you with Ying'er? Is she terrified too?"

"Fine."

I said, "It seems the passage between the material world and the warp has been opened with the arrival of this version. However, the launch of this version has caused such a huge stir that those who don't know the situation might think the sky has been ripped open."

"Who can argue with that?"

The fat man said, "Damn, that scared me to death! Shen Yue is still crying in my arms..."

At that moment, the sound of Gun Like a Dragon echoed from within the star map—

"Everyone, calm down. It's nothing, nothing... The Guide said this is just the prelude to the Subspace Storm update. It's a bit of a commotion, but it's nothing serious. Don't panic. The level cap has been lifted, and it's directly set to level 80. This is good news for us players. Now we can really focus on leveling up!"

After hearing what the Guide said, everyone said they were no longer panicked.

However, just seconds later...

Suddenly, a series of meteors appeared silently at the edge of the sky.

The meteor shower grew larger and brighter, illuminating the entire night sky as if it were daytime!

"And what is that?"

Lin Qingying gripped my hand tightly, gritting her teeth. There were just too many things that had exceeded her comprehension today.

I watched quietly, unsure how to comfort her.

Because at that moment I also felt a little flustered.

I wonder what Lu Xiaobei and Cheng Shuang's situation is right now. Lin Qingying is with me, at least I have someone to rely on, but right now, those two, especially Lu Xiaobei...

The meteor shower ended after about ten minutes.

The crimson cracks in the sky also disappeared.

The sky was once again filled with stars, as if nothing had happened.

I couldn't resist, so I called Su Wei. She's a high-ranking officer in the military, so she probably knows more than I do.

"Ding Han, I can't explain it right now either."

Su Wei said, "Anyway... it's quite a big deal. I have to keep it a secret for now. Just wait and see, there should be news by tomorrow morning."

"Alright."

I nodded and hung up the phone.

"Ding Han..."

Lin Qingying held my hand tightly and said, "Will you sleep with me tonight? I'm still a little scared."

"Um."

I nodded. "Should I sleep in your room or mine?"

"Sleep with me."

"Good."

So, this was the first time I walked into Lin Qingying's room with a clear conscience. Her room was clean and comfortable, with pink sheets and a row of dolls.

Turn off the lights...

I turned to my side, Lin Qingying lay in my arms.

Her breathing gradually calmed down; probably because she was too tired, she fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

That's true. She left for work early in the morning, was busy all day, picked me up from the police station in the evening, and then got frightened by the subspace. Naturally, her physical strength couldn't compare to that of a player like me, so it's normal for her to be tired.

In that case, I felt embarrassed to have any impure thoughts.

Your girlfriend is frightened and wants to sleep while holding you.

But you want to execute her on the spot. Do you think that's appropriate?

Soon after, I too drifted off to sleep.

She didn't know how much time had passed when a ray of sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains, and then the alarm Lin Qingying had set went off.

"Um..."

She let out a soft moan, raised her hand to turn off the alarm clock, and then looked up to see me.

I stared straight at her, and the little black Ding Han, gradually took over, laughing loudly.

Lin Qingying instantly and dared not meet my gaze.

"Xiao Ying, how about..."

"Or what?"

"I..."

How should I bring this up? I'm a little embarrassed!

"That..."

Just as I was organizing my thoughts, a sudden "ding" sounded in my mind. Someone in the team spoke, and it was Kou Mei: "Something terrible has happened... something terrible has happened..."

"What's wrong, Kou Mei?" Ruolin asked.

"My psychic powers have vanished..."

Kou Mei cried out in terror, "Sister Ruolin, Boss... my psychic power is gone, gone..."

"Holy crap!"

Fey Courtier said, "Kou Mei, don't panic, my psychic power has also disappeared..."

The situation is not looking good.

"That thing?"

Holding me in her arms, Lin Qingying asked me, her face flushed.

"Cough cough..."

The matter is a bit serious, so I decided to postpone dealing with it. I said, "Xiaoying, something's happened with Kou Mei and Faye. I'll ask them online. You go wash up first, and we'll go downstairs for dinner together later."

"Good."

Lin Qingying got up and went to wash up.

I then entered the Team Channel: "How exactly did it disappear? Did it display anything?"

"The boss is here."

Kou Mei said, "When I opened the psionic interface, it was completely blank with only three large characters: 'Taken.' I don't know what happened."

"I'm in the same situation."

Fey Courtier said, "My psychic interface only has the three words 'taken over'."

"It's not just you."

Huo Bingzhi Ri said, "The Dark Priest's skills deal mixed damage, including both physical and psionic attacks. Right now, all my psionic skills are showing as unavailable, but my physical skills are working perfectly."

"Grass..."

Cai Cai stared in disbelief. "It seems the problem is really serious..."

"What to do?"

Kou Mei panicked completely.

"Don't rush, Kou Mei, let's ask the Guide first."

I asked directly within the star map, "The Guide, what exactly happened? Do you know why the Psionic System players' abilities were taken away?"

The specific reason is unknown.

The Guide said, "But many of us GMs are speculating that the players' psionic energy being taken away might be related to the Subspace Storm. After all, the psionic energy in the Star Abyss comes from the warp, and yesterday's rift opened a bridge between our material world and the warp, so the disappearance of the players' psionic energy might be a tidal reaction."

Speak in a way I can understand.

"In short, the warp possesses the strongest psionic power. So when the warp opened a bridge, the powerful warp Psionic Storm swept across the material world like a giant wave, directly washing away the Psionic System players. Don't panic, wait for the flow... Once this Psionic Storm flows back, your psionic power will be restored, and your psionic power will be even stronger in the future. The Subspace Storm version is a version belonging to Psionic System, which is now confirmed."

"That's good..."

Many Psionic System players were overjoyed.

"However, everyone should not be too careless."

I, the Guide, said, "I suggest all players put down what they're doing and return to the Player Black Market. This way, everyone's safety can be protected. After all... without psionic energy, Psionic System aren't much stronger than ordinary people, and their situation will be relatively dangerous."

"Clear!"

The Worldly Uncontested Daoist said, "Brothers, all Player Black Market!"

I made a plan with Ruolin, Kou Mei, and others to go to the Player Black Market together.

I got up, washed up, and went downstairs to eat with Lin Qingying.

I can't worry about all that; even if the sky falls, I have to eat breakfast first.

"The same as always?"

The old man at the breakfast stall asked with a smile, "The loud noise and meteor shower early yesterday morning seem to have had no effect on someone like me."

That's true, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.

"Yes, the same as always," I said with a smile.

A few minutes later, while eating breakfast and playing on my phone.

"Ding Han, something really has happened..."

Lin Qingying pushed her phone towards me; a headline read, "[The meteor shower at dawn has completely derailed the Star Maple Federation's planetary colonization plan!]"

The news was shocking.

The meteor shower that lasted for ten minutes in the early morning was not from space meteorites, but from four starships from the Star Maple Federation!

With its home planet's resources becoming increasingly scarce, and coupled with the encroachment of alien species, insect swarms, and the demon realm, the Star Maple Federation had long wanted to break away from its home planet and begin colonizing other star systems.

However, habitable planets are so rare, and the nearest one is still hundreds of years away by interstellar travel...

Therefore, after thousands of years of dedicated research, the Star Maple Federation finally developed the legendary Subspace Engine, which uses subspace to achieve spatial warp, allowing alien planets that would take hundreds of years to reach to be reached in just a few months!

However, when the Star Maple Federation began to implement the plan, and four starships rushed out of their home planet to resupply and opened up the warp using their Subspace Engine, they were met with a deadly Subspace Storm!

The storm tore four starships apart, ushering in version 4.0 for players.

Finally, aside from the Zerg, Alien, and Demon races, a fourth faction familiar to players has come into view.

The Chaos Faction, an evil force originating from the warp!

Today's fried dough sticks and Hulatang tasted particularly bland, perhaps because I had too many things on my mind.

"Ding Han..."

Lin Qingying pursed her red lips and said, "The Star Maple Federation's expedition plan has failed. Could this bring a disaster to our world?"

"It can't be that bad, it can't be that bad..."

Her eyes suddenly reddened, and she said in a tearful voice, "We just got together, and I wanted to enjoy many wonderful futures with you, but I never expected..."

"Oops..."

I panicked a little, went over and hugged her, and said softly, "Xiaoying, don't worry, really don't worry, do you know why?"

"Why?"

She looked at me with red eyes.

"Because the player will definitely save the world!"