The Price of Willfulness and the Spread of the Aberrants

The major guilds in Dragon Han also received requests for help from players in the Stone Kingdom, but most guilds chose to wait and see.

Although we have never actually faced the Aberrants, the rumors about them are already terrifying—not only do they possess the same ability system as the players, but they are also more ruthless and fearless, and their methods of spreading information are even more unpredictable and difficult to guard against.

Is it transmitted through air, water, or a bite?

Or is it meme contamination?

Faced with such an enemy, no amount of vigilance is excessive.

Ultimately, Dragon Han also chose not to intervene for the time being.

This is also a common decision made by most countries.

Only a few countries are willing to open their doors to the Stone Kingdom who have undergone rigorous screening, and their neighbor Eagle Kingdom is one of them.

The Eagle Kingdom suffered a sharp decline in population during the previous Warcraft invasion and now urgently needs to expand its fighting strength.

The arrival of the Stone Kingdom was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

However, they do not accept everyone: only those with special skills, outstanding combat power in the God's Domain, or special real-world identities can pass through layers of screening and be allowed to enter.

In a short period of time, the population of the Eagle Kingdom began to rise significantly.

"Father, why can't we accept Hong Yu?"

"He's my most reliable teammate, his skills are undeniable! He's been online the whole time these past few days, he definitely can't be Aberrants!"

In a villa in the Dragon Kingdom, a young and beautiful girl was enthusiastically introducing her good friend and comrade-in-arms to her father.

Even though the other party comes from the Stone Kingdom, his outstanding abilities are undoubtedly a valuable asset.

"Stop fooling around!"

"Everyone is watching and waiting right now, how can you expect me to take him in on my own?"

"If something goes wrong, are you going to make your entire family pay with their lives?"

The elder in the hall was over fifty years old and doted on his only daughter, whom he had in his later years. His daughter was always his pride and joy.

But in such an important matter, he never expected his daughter to be so inconsiderate.

"With our family's capabilities, what difficulty could there be in quietly placing someone in a position?"

"As long as he stays indoors and doesn't go out for the time being, no one will notice."

"You know Hong Yu's strength; he's one of the top mage players on the entire server."

"Are you really willing to just stand by and watch him end up in another country, becoming a tool in someone else's hands?" the daughter asked, unwilling to accept it.

She couldn't understand why her father, who always praised "Hong Yu" in the game and usually doted on her, was now standing by coldly.

Is this still the upright and loving father she remembers?

"Enough! From this day forward, you are not to step out of this room. Keep a close eye on her!"

Even though he might spoil his daughter on ordinary days, a father is very clear-headed when it comes to the bigger picture.

The Dragon Kingdom is already struggling to cope with its own problems, how could it possibly get involved in the chaos in the Stone Kingdom?

Moreover, they are in the capital city—the heart of the country. If they were to get themselves into trouble because of this, he would surely become a sinner for all time.

At this time, we must not indulge our daughter's willfulness. As long as we keep her at home for now, things will naturally get better later.

Otherwise, if the source of pollution were introduced, the entire family would be the first to perish.

Similar scenes played out in other families as well.

In their quest to make a living abroad, the Stone Kingdom not only sought help through official channels but also from their friends and Fixed Team in the game.

To risk even one's freedom and right to life in order to survive—human nature has reached a point of near madness.

While the turmoil in the Dragon Kingdom has not yet subsided, changes have already occurred in the Eagle Kingdom.

Despite the stringent quarantine measures, traces of the Aberrants were still discovered within the territory of the Eagle Kingdom a few days later.

When they were discovered, their mutations were not yet severe, and their tattered clothing still revealed them to be from the Stone Kingdom —players from the Stone Kingdom who had gone through layers of selection to enter the Eagle Kingdom.

How could it have gone undetected despite numerous tests?

Several scientists from the Eagle Kingdom have concluded that, like many infections, the infection of Aberrants also has a latent phase.

Just like a typical window of opportunity for love.

During the window period, you cannot detect whether the other person is carrying a contaminant; they appear exactly the same as a normal person.

However, after you let him in, a few months later, he started having seizures.

The same applies to those Aberrants.

During the incubation period, the hosts of these Aberrants are no different from ordinary people; they can think, remember, and even log into the "God's Domain" game world to continue leveling up.

But once it erupts and completely transforms, all reason will vanish, leaving only the instinct to devour flesh and blood.

As soon as this research conclusion was released, all forces that had intended to accept the Stone Kingdom avoided them like the plague, wishing they could immediately conduct another thorough investigation of the entire territory.

They not only need to examine whether their own citizens have become alienated, but also to investigate whether players from other countries are hiding within their borders.

Furthermore, a multi-layered inspection and reporting system was established.

Every day, every player in every region must proactively report their situation.

Grid-based, regionalized, community-based...

If any player is found to have failed to report, an immediate search will be conducted.

This outbreak is different from previous ones.

This time, it could truly destroy a country.

Therefore, even the most loosely organized force will not relax its efforts as long as it still possesses normal organizational capacity.

Some countries have begun deporting foreign players, regardless of whether they returned to their home countries during the infection period.

This sudden change caught many people off guard.

"Why are you expelling us? We have no criminal record, and we have never harmed society! We will never be sacrificed!"

"Having lived in the Eagle Kingdom for over a decade, my whole family considers this place our home. To drive us away like this without any reason is truly unfair!"

The moon shines brightest in my hometown.

"Dragon Han welcomes those who have been wandering far from home back—but only this week."

"From now on, Dragon Han will refuse all outsiders. Everyone, please return as soon as possible."

"It's impossible to guard against Aberrants; relying on others for protection is not as good as relying on yourself!"

"Easy for you to say! How many people are logging into God's Domain only to be suddenly forced offline?"

"How can we defend against this? If even our power disappears, how long can an individual, no matter how strong, hold out?"

"Wait a minute, even in Safe Zone, can't we avoid pollution?"

"What did I say? There are Safe Zone in the game. Don't you think you can avoid getting poisoned? If you get poisoned while fighting monsters in the wild, do you think you'll be cured as soon as you return to Safe Zone?"

"That's right, the Safe Zone just prevents monsters from attacking. If you die from poisoning, there's nothing that can be done."

The unpredictable and difficult-to-prevent spread of the virus by the Aberrants immediately put countries around the world on high alert.

Since the public dared not fully immerse themselves in the game, they had to adopt a real-world rotating duty system to constantly guard against surprise attacks from Aberrants.

"From this day forward, all family members must return to the main residence to live together."

"It's safer to stay together until a reliable protective measure is found."

"Let Xiao Jiu come out of the confinement room too. Now that everyone's under lockdown, she can't cause any trouble."

The Wang Family of the capital was a prestigious and renowned family, producing numerous political figures, scholars, and generals.

Wang Liangchen is the current head of the family, and he is over 70 years old.

"Father, Ninth Prince is truly lacking in common sense."

"All nations avoid Aberrants origin like the plague, yet she still sulks with us because of that friend from the Stone Kingdom."

Wang Yuhao – Wang Liangchen's second son. He had previously confined his daughter to her room due to a dispute over her relationship with a player from the Stone Kingdom.

"Xiao Jiu is still young and doesn't understand the bigger picture."

"However, she hasn't caused any trouble while she's been locked up, so let her out."

"She should always be present at family meetings."

"Yes, Father."

Wang Mengyan is the ninth among the younger generation in the Wang Family, and the elders usually call her "Little Ninth".

A few days ago, I had a heated argument with my father over whether a player from the Stone Kingdom should stay or leave. Although I was eventually confined to my quarters, I can still log into the game—after all, the game's progress can't be delayed these days.

Although confined indoors, she was able to connect with old friends and supporters outside through games.

These days appear calm on the surface, but the undercurrents have not subsided.

Although Wang Mengyan was under house arrest, she secretly used the game and a large amount of game resources to pull strings and send her teammate Hong Yu into Dragon Han territory.

The family was unaware of this news.

Using special connections within her circle, she successfully placed him in a temporary settlement outside Capital —because the situation wasn't tense at the time, and there were still gaps in the checks, allowing him to sneak in unnoticed.

The other party entered under the guise of returning.

It was done using the name of a deceased international student.

In a remote wilderness area of God's Domain, Hong Yu's voice choked with emotion. "Mengyan, this time... I really don't know how to thank you." He paused, almost in tears.

His family members were unable to accompany him, having perished with their homeland; he escaped alone, carrying the remaining hopes of his entire clan.

"Don't say that," someone in the team immediately chimed in, "We've been playing together since the God's Domain launched, don't we know who's who?"

"Even if Mengyan doesn't step in, we won't stand idly by—those old fogies in our family have no idea what player loyalty is!"

Another person comforted him, "Hong Yu, you should stay outside the city and hold your ground for now."

"The situation is tense right now, and it won't be easy to get into the city. We'll think of something else later."

"We can settle down in Capital from now on and still team up in the game as usual, isn't that good enough?"

Wang Mengyan softly added, "Don't worry, I'm no longer locked up at home."

"Let's level up together. With your strength, you'll make those people regret it sooner or later."

"When you become a big shot, don't forget about us!"

A few jokes eased the tension.

Hong Yu solemnly replied, "Rest assured, I will never forget your kindness and will try my best not to implicate anyone."

"I will stay where I am these days and will not go out at all."

Others laughed, saying, "If you ask me, we're being too tense."

"Even if an Aberrants does appear, we can simply eliminate them."

"Those players from the Eagle Kingdom were too weak, which allowed the Aberrants to take advantage of the situation."

"If they dare to come to the Dragon Kingdom, there's no need for the Great God Chongxing; we alone can wipe them out—Hong, Hong Yu... you... how could you?!"

The player, who was talking big, suddenly stammered, his eyes widening as if he had witnessed something horrifying.

The others fell silent, staring blankly at Hong Yu —because his figure was gradually becoming transparent, yet he himself was completely unaware, until he completely disappeared from the God's Domain.

Everyone hurriedly opened their friend lists, only to find that the name had turned gray and then vanished without a trace.

A chill ran down my spine.

"This... could this be the alienation mentioned in the news...?"

"Have we gotten ourselves into trouble? Should we tell our family? Or... report it to the authorities?"

"Are you crazy! If word gets out now, we're all doomed! Mengyan, what do you suggest we do? You were the one who came up with this idea!"

Their earlier boastful words vanished instantly, and without further ado, they shifted the blame to Wang Mengyan — the Wang Family was powerful, perhaps they could settle this matter? Although no one dared to be sure.

For the first time, Wang Mengyan felt a deep, agonizing regret.

How could I have been so bewitched as to make such an absurd decision?

"We can't hide it," she heard her own voice grow cold. "We can't suppress this; we must inform our families immediately."

"Punish me if you want, but don't try to pin all the blame on me."

She immediately disconnected from the internet and returned to reality, heading straight for the head of the family—her grandfather and father were both there.

She recounted the whole story in detail.

Upon hearing this, the two felt a chill run down their spines.

"Do you... do you know what you've done?" Father Wang Yuhao's blood pressure spiked, and he almost couldn't stand. "Tens of millions of people in Capital... could be in danger because of you!"

"Even the entire Dragon Han is threatened! What kind of demon have possessed you to do such a heaven-defying thing!"

Only his grandfather, Wang Liangchen, retained a sliver of reason. "Contact the higher-ups immediately."

"Xiao Jiu, come with me to headquarters and explain all the details."

"I'm afraid... the camp outside the city has already fallen."

As the central hub of the Dragon Kingdom, Capital absorbed people from all over the country during the crisis, and the temporary camps outside the city expanded rapidly, accommodating countless compatriots who had nowhere else to go.

At this moment, that region has fallen into complete turmoil and chaos.

The speed of the infection left everyone speechless.

Within just one hour, the corpses covered the area.

Alien creatures could be seen everywhere in the camp, and many more people still undergoing mutation were screaming and fleeing.

Although temporary defense forces were already stationed there, the catastrophe occurred too quickly and suddenly.

The defensive line was torn apart in an instant, and the guarding professional camp collapsed in a flash.

Players affiliated with the official organization have already been infected and become members of the Aberrants!

At the same time as receiving the urgent report, the Wang Family also reported the situation to their superiors.

The Dragon Kingdom Capital immediately activated its highest-level emergency response plan.

"The Wang Family will be the core force in this defense; other actions will be discussed after the incident has subsided!"

After issuing brief instructions to the Wang Family, the top leadership immediately devoted all its efforts to building a protective perimeter Capital.

Families like the Wang Family, who might not normally obey all official orders, now have no other choice.

The entire clan mobilized its resources to defend the Capital's defenses.

I only hope that this capital city can survive this calamity, and I further hope that this disaster will not shake the foundation of the Dragon Han.

Of course, as everyone knows, true reliance still comes from outside.

News of the discovery of an alien creature at a temporary camp on the outskirts of Capital spread like wildfire around the world.

Whether they were local residents of Capital or people from other towns in the Dragon Kingdom, everyone was deeply shaken upon hearing the news.

"Am I seeing things? Our Dragon Kingdom has also been invaded by Aberrants?"

"Wasn't a lockdown already in place? How could such tight security be breached? What are the higher-ups doing?!"

"It must be someone who came back from outside and exploited the loophole!"

"Where are those who previously mocked Dragon Kingdom for overreacting?"

"Why not invite them to come to the Capital to fight now! So many of my relatives and friends are in the city; are they all safe and sound?"

"I've heard that someone has secretly brought Stone Kingdom into our territory!"

"The Stone Kingdom has now become a place of fear throughout the world, yet some people still bring disaster to their own homes. What kind of foolish people would do such a thing!"

"Those capable of admitting people from other countries must be powerful and influential families."

"The family that brought the Stone Kingdom here must be held accountable! They must pay the price—such an act is tantamount to treason!"