The Old Earth Player Management Act

The game "Old Earth" first appeared three years ago. No one knows how it emerged, nor who created it. It exists on a website that lacks an IP address and is immune to backend access or data tracking.

This website randomly pushes the game to certain individuals, usually veteran gamers. Many of these players have entered the game, and with it, a series of large-scale, abnormal death events have followed.

This game possesses a truly miraculous—and terrifying—feature: it interferes with reality.

It seems you have already grasped the situation. That is correct: once a player dies in the game, they will die in reality within 24 hours, in the exact same manner.

Over the past three years, more than three thousand such deaths have been discovered nationwide, and the number of unreported cases is likely even higher. Your friend is simply the latest instance.

Although he had already suspected as much, hearing the truth spoken aloud still sounded utterly absurd.

Yet, Xiao Jie knew the man was telling the truth.

He had experienced the effects of the game's skills firsthand and had witnessed Han Luo's bizarre death with his own eyes.

"Why doesn't the government ban this game?" Xiao Jie asked in a deep voice.

The Black Windbreaker shook his head. "It's useless. People die for wealth just as birds die for food. Most players actually volunteer to play this game. Since the activation codes are pushed randomly, it's impossible to monitor, let alone ban.

Furthermore, considering the hidden benefits of this game, a ban would be meaningless and might even lead more people to enter the game to take risks.

Fortunately, because the game requires an activation code to enter, and the number of codes is limited, the game's scope of influence remains relatively small."

"You mentioned earlier that there were over three thousand abnormal death events?"

"That's right. Three thousand sounds like a lot, but compared to the tens of millions of deaths that occur in this country every year, it's not even worth mentioning.

Do you know how many people die in traffic accidents alone every year? We can't just ban cars, can we?"

The Black Windbreaker's words left Xiao Jie speechless.

The man continued, "To avoid causing panic, we have actually been suppressing news related to this. We also have the corresponding Player Management Act. Generally speaking, after players of 'Old Earth' die in the game, they don't run out into public spaces to cause chaos; they usually arrange their affairs and wait quietly for death.

Your friend's situation is extremely rare, which is why I surmised that you two must not have known the truth about the game."

"The 'Old Earth' Player Management Act?"

"Yes, a document that all players must sign, but we can discuss that later."

Xiao Jie asked tentatively, "What exactly do you mean by 'hidden benefits'?"

Although he had already formed a reasonable hypothesis, he still hoped to hear a definitive answer.

The Black Windbreaker explained, "This game can interfere with reality. Therefore, if you acquire abilities within the game, you will also gain the corresponding abilities in reality."

So it really is as I thought, Xiao Jie mused. The "Kite Flip" skill he had acquired had indeed come from a skill book in the game.

"Can all abilities be brought into reality? Even spells?"

The Black Windbreaker nodded. "Yes. Not just spells, but character attributes, professional skills, martial arts, internal energy, sorcery, and supernatural powers—all of it. As long as your game character has mastered the ability, you can obtain it in reality.

You don't look surprised at all. Let me guess: you have already acquired such a skill and have even used it, haven't you?"

Xiao Jie did not hide it. It was just a low-level movement skill, nothing worth keeping secret. "That's right. I have acquired an ability. Although it's not very powerful, it saved my life."

He briefly recounted how he had nearly been hit by a car earlier.

"You're lucky," the man said. "I'll have someone look into that red sports car later. Even if there wasn't an accident, running a red light is still illegal..."

Lucky? A bitter taste filled Xiao Jie's mouth. Perhaps.

Maybe that was the only way to explain why he hadn't died. A sudden wave of lingering fear washed over him; when he was fighting the bandits, he had been down to his last dozen hit points. He had almost perished.

If his movements had been even slightly sloppy, he would likely be dead by now.

He also remembered that he had considered finding a monster to get a free teleport back to town. If he had actually done that, his death would have been incredibly stupid.

He thought back to what Han Luo had relayed from Liu Qiang. That bastard had no good intentions; he had clearly meant to lead them to their deaths.

He had known that guy was malicious, but he hadn't expected him to be this vicious. Giving them both activation codes without telling them the truth about the game was clearly a plot to get them both killed.

"Liu Qiang! You bastard! Whether you killed Han Luo or me, I will kill you for this!" Xiao Jie swore through gritted teeth.

The Black Windbreaker asked curiously, "This Liu Qiang you speak of—is he the one who gave you the activation codes? Do you have a history?"

Xiao Jie nodded.

Come to think of it, Liu Qiang was an old acquaintance. They had known each other since middle school, classmates in the adjacent room. While they weren't friends, they were certainly familiar with one another.

Back when Liu Qiang couldn't find work, he had come to the Wuji Studio to apply for a job. Because they were old classmates, Xiao Jie had taken him in.

Liu Qiang was actually quite good at gaming and had achieved some decent results.

But the guy was too greedy and lacked any moral bottom line.

When the Chaos Temple was first opened, Xiao Jie had led the Wuji Guild in a week-long struggle to finally obtain the dungeon's walkthrough. He had planned to earn some money by leading groups through the content, but Liu Qiang had turned around and sold the hard-earned strategy to others.

That incident had destroyed the morale of the Wuji Studio, and nearly half the members had left overnight.

At the time, Xiao Jie had wanted to kill Liu Qiang, but since they lived in a society governed by law, he had simply beaten him up and kicked him out of the studio.

He never expected the guy to stoop to something like this.

He looked at the Black Windbreaker, a glimmer of hope suddenly rising in his heart.

"The person who gave us the activation codes is named Liu Qiang. He is the one who killed Han Luo. Can you arrest him?"

"I am very sorry, but I am afraid I am powerless to do that."

"Why! He caused Han Luo's death, so why won't you arrest a person like that?" Xiao Jie roared, his face flushed with agitation.

The Black Windbreaker merely spread his hands. "But you have no way to prove that he was the one who gave you the activation codes. You say Liu Qiang gave the activation codes to Han Luo, but that is merely Han Luo's side of the story, and you have no evidence to prove any of it."

"Of course, I could apply to detain Liu Qiang, but as long as Liu Qiang denies giving Han Luo the activation codes, there is nothing you can do about him."

"The key is that both Han Luo and you are professional players, and you both fall into the category of people the system sends activation codes to. Although I would like to believe you, there is no way to rule out suspicion in a matter like this."

Xiao Jie laughed in his fury. "What is this supposed to mean? Does that mean my friend died for nothing?"

The Black Windbreaker shook his head and said earnestly, "You must understand, Mr. Xiao, that our country is a society ruled by law, but many things related to the game Old Earth do not fall under the scope of current legal management."

"Therefore, our department's principle regarding Old Earth players is this: as long as they have not committed a crime that exists in reality, we will not intervene; we are only responsible for monitoring."

"Of course, if you have concrete evidence to prove everything you said, that would be a different matter. Or, if Liu Qiang were to directly take action against you in reality, we could arrest him."

A surge of anger welled up in Xiao Jie's heart. "So that's it? My friend just died for nothing?"

The Black Windbreaker did not answer, and an awkward silence filled the interrogation room.

After a while, the Black Windbreaker said in a gentle tone, "Mr. Xiao, today's questioning ends here. You may go. A bit of personal advice: stop playing. The one-year mortality rate for this game exceeds 78%. In other words, the vast majority of players do not survive a year."

"Many people enter the game to gain power and profit, only to end up dying inside for inexplicable reasons."

(Power! That's right, power!)

Xiao Jie's eyes lit up. With enough power, he could kill Liu Qiang himself. He wouldn't need them to lift a finger; he would take his own revenge!

In that instant, his mind was made up. With a determined look in his eyes, he asked, "What if I want to keep playing?"

The Black Windbreaker sighed. "I won't stop you; we are only responsible for observation. But in that case, you must sign the Player Management Act. If you use the abilities you gain in the game to commit crimes in reality, we will not stand idly by."

"Believe me, such people are by no means a minority. In the past three years, we have arrested and executed quite a few player criminals. Many people, after gaining power, develop a sense of being unscrupulous and lawless, feeling that they can transcend reality's laws by relying on a bit of martial arts or magic."

"Such people usually do not meet a good end."

By the end, his tone carried a hint of warning.

Xiao Jie looked the man in the eyes. "What if I go to seek revenge on Liu Qiang?"

"Killing someone in reality is a criminal act," the Black Windbreaker said calmly.

Xiao Jie understood instantly. Killing in reality was a crime, but killing in the game didn't matter.

"I understand. Give me the act; I'll sign it."

The Black Windbreaker shook his head helplessly and handed over a document. "It seems you have made up your mind. However, I still advise you to reconsider carefully. The danger level of this game is far beyond your imagination... and according to the information you provided, that Liu Qiang must have been playing for a long time, right? Even if you want to deal with him in the game, I'm afraid it won't be easy."

Xiao Jie cut him off directly. "No need to consider. There are some things that are responsibilities I cannot escape."

He picked up the document and began to flip through it.

Article 1: Old Earth players shall not use abilities gained in the game to engage in illegal or criminal activities in reality; violators will be dealt with severely.

Article 2: Old Earth players shall not promote the existence of this game to the general public.

Article 3: Old Earth players are permitted to use game skills in reality, but must provide a credible reason for the source of their abilities and must not involve feudal superstition or information related to Old Earth.

Article 4: Old Earth players shall not bring in-game conflicts into reality to engage in offline, real-life PvP activities.

Article 5: Old Earth players shall provide necessary professional services when required by relevant departments under reasonable conditions...

There were dozens of such articles. Xiao Jie thought to himself that they seemed to have thought of everything.

However, he had a question in his heart: if a player only mastered ordinary martial arts, internal energy, or low-level magic, modern technology could indeed control them.

But what if a player leveled up to several dozen or a hundred, mastering immortal arts or divine abilities that modern technology could not restrain? Would this act still be useful?

He wisely chose not to ask this question.

He simply picked up a pen and signed his name.

With a document like this, at least he didn't have to worry too much about Liu Qiang taking action against him in reality. He would have enough time to increase his strength in the game and seek his revenge.

The Black Windbreaker picked up the document, looked it over, and without further persuasion, turned to open the door of the interrogation room.