The cafeteria fell silent as all the students looked at one another. The sudden turn of events was simply too shocking, and for a moment, no one knew what to say.
While everyone stood there dumbfounded, the officer behind the Headmaster quickly swept his gaze across the students' faces.
Guo Xiaoyun's heart gave a jolt. She glanced at Senior Xin Ya, whose face was deathly pale, and suddenly realized something. She immediately straightened up, subtly blocking the instructor's sweeping gaze!
Ya Xin's complexion was markedly different from that of the surrounding students. She was so pale that not a trace of color remained in her face, clearly terrified.
No way...
Xiao Yun's expression darkened further. If the images from earlier had merely shown one possibility, then judging from Senior's expression now, she could almost be certain that the person the bald Headmaster had mentioned—the one who fed the monkey—was her!!
Damn, is this Senior's brain full of crap? The whole world has been talking about the color-changing monkey these past two days, and when she encountered one, she actually dared to feed it? Even if she hadn't seen yesterday's news, wouldn't she have found it strange to suddenly see a monkey appear at school? How could she be so careless?
Meanwhile, the officer scanned the room but found nothing unusual. He frowned slightly, and the Headmaster hurriedly said, "Students, please rest assured. Our Central China Region has always been extremely strict when inspecting outside species. That monkey is most likely healthy, and this virus isn't transmitted through the air. As long as you weren't scratched, the possibility of infection is basically nonexistent. We're only taking precautions. The student involved, please come forward and admit it voluntarily so we can help you as soon as possible!"
Upon hearing this, the red-haired Senior's face grew even paler. She trembled and was just about to stand when Guo Xiaoyun quickly reached out and pressed her back down!
You've got to be kidding. Don't be fooled by how gently that bald man is speaking. Once Senior admits it, Xiao Yun was certain that everyone at their table would be taken into quarantine. Not a single one of them would get away!
"Several hundred thousand?" On Mars Base, Xi Ye had only just returned when he suddenly heard the news. He sprang from his bed like a compressed spring, his face filled with fury. "What happened?"
"Three hundred fourteen thousand nine hundred sixty-one people!" the intelligent system replied mechanically. "And that's only the data officially collected. Some data from the wilderness hasn't been recorded!"
Xi Ye hurriedly asked, "Then has the outbreak been brought under control?"
You've got to be kidding me. To Xi Ye, every D-Earthling was a golden egg capable of hatching a phoenix. He treated the several thousand here like precious treasures, buying them dormitories and hiring instructors for them, yet they were now telling him that he'd directly lost hundreds of thousands?
Having already treated D-Earth as his private property, Xi Ye obviously couldn't tolerate something like this happening. Hundreds of thousands of people? How much money did I just lose?
Intelligent: "The D Planet Federation and the East-West Alliance have both blockaded South Africa Region. They have also dispatched volunteers and troops to provide support. However, according to this intelligent system's calculations, it is only a matter of time before the virus mutates into an airborne disease. The D Planet Federation is completely unprepared."
"Then... what will happen?" Xi Ye's heart jolted when he heard that, and he asked uneasily.
"The situation in South Africa is dire. Without a vaccine, there is a sixty-five percent chance that the virus will erupt on a massive scale. Combined with the already unstable political climate there, it will be difficult to effectively organize any resistance. There is an eighty-five percent chance that riots will break out. Preliminary calculations indicate that once riots or a viral outbreak occur, South Africa's population will suffer losses of at least ten million."
"What? Ten million?" Xi Ye's face darkened as he paced back and forth. Only after a long while did he ask, "Is there any way to resolve this crisis?"
"Lord, you just recruited people to come here. You need to organize their daily affairs and cannot leave the base. Moreover, given the current situation, you personally going there would be less efficient than having the players go."
"Oh... Huh?" Xi Ye froze. "The players? What do the players have to do with this? You... don't tell me you want to—"
Intelligent: "It is time for an epic-level mission!"
Xi Ye: "You've got to be kidding me!!"
He immediately understood what the intelligent system was plotting. It actually wanted to use the players to stop the virus from spreading. Was this intelligent system insane?
What kind of terrible product did I buy?
Intelligent: "Does the Lord not trust his own subjects?"
Xi Ye: "I don't trust you..."
Intelligent: "The Lord is joking again. When have I ever disappointed you?"
Xi Ye paused slightly. Aside from being a little sharp-tongued, this fellow really hadn't disappointed him. At least, not so far...
But he couldn't agree to such a crazy plan just because of that, so he raised his first objection. "What if we get exposed?"
Intelligent: "We won't. This intelligent system has investigated the area. South Africa is extremely backward, and most of the plague zones use primitive facilities without extensive surveillance. Moreover, the situation is chaotic now. As long as the plan is carried out properly, we absolutely won't be exposed."
"What about the players themselves? Won't they become suspicious?" Xi Ye raised another objection.
Intelligent: "As long as the plan is carried out properly, those simple-minded Hulk players should be easy enough to fool."
"And the developers?" Xi Ye asked with a dark expression. "To carry out this kind of mission, the developers who are good at analyzing situations would definitely have to lead the team, right? Wouldn't they notice something was wrong?"
Intelligent: "Does the Lord think that without this incident, the developers wouldn't realize the lies behind this so-called game?"
Xi Ye paused when he heard that and said nothing.
Clearly, he tacitly acknowledged the intelligent system's point.
The base was developing smoothly now. Under the intelligent system's arrangements, those simple-minded players didn't seem to have noticed any flaws. But given enough time, they would naturally discover the problems bit by bit.
Take physical evolution, for example.
Although the bodies the players evolved into weren't the same as their original bodies, as their life levels increased, their brain development would gradually improve as well. By then, the players would discover that they could do things ordinary people couldn't.
The developers would probably be the first to notice.
That was because their evolutionary path focused on the brain!
Everyone was still within the scope of Level One lifeforms, so the changes weren't too exaggerated yet. The developers would only discover that they could project Mental Strength outward after reaching Levels Two or Three. But even now, these developers should already be able to sense that something was wrong.
Their memory, reflexes, and mental calculation abilities would undergo a qualitative improvement, even reaching an absurd level. Those with better adaptability might even discover that their brains could calculate no worse than computers. Once they realized what was happening, the secrets behind this game would naturally no longer be hidden from them!
The intelligent system continued, "Respected Lord, rather than passively allowing the truth to be exposed, why not turn passivity into initiative? Through this mission, we can explain the game's secrets to the developer players ahead of time and have them sign confidentiality agreements!"
"Would that... really work?" Xi Ye asked worriedly.
"Of course!" the intelligent system replied confidently. "Once their brains become smarter, they can naturally calculate the benefits and drawbacks. That is also the advantage of developers. If the Lord doesn't believe me, let's look at an example."
"What example?" Xi Ye asked, stunned.
Intelligent: "There is currently a developer player caught up in the viral crisis. She has already been quarantined by the local military. If she chooses to find a way to reconnect to the game and ask us for help, that will prove these developers know how to choose the correct path."
"And what if she chooses to expose the secret?" Xi Ye countered.
"Then this intelligent system will swallow feces and kill itself!"
Xi Ye: "..."
For some reason, he suddenly found himself hoping that she would expose the secret...
Before you continue