"Service Fees" and the Slip of Paper

"Service Fee" and Note

Just a short time ago, the second round of the massive True Body Mission had just come to an end.

Compared to the first mandatory mission, many people haven't fully grasped the difference between ordinary missions and the arrival of the true form. This may stem from a lack of awareness of life-or-death crises, or an overreaction that leaves them hesitant and unsure of what to do.

In comparison, the personnel losses this time were clearly much better.

But at the same time, more problems quickly emerged.

Further escalation of issues such as inheritance and property disputes, including agreements between users that become invalid after one party's sudden death, and the deceased's family's refusal to accept this, has led to an uncontrollable situation and a lawsuit.

Not to mention that, after a few tries, some conflicts, cheating, and selfish behavior among users have gradually emerged.

In a life-or-death situation, who cares about etiquette and morality? Under immense pressure, people may unite like never before, but more often than not, it can also give rise to the ugliest aspects of human nature.

And you know what? Unlike regular missions where everyone had to be careful and leave room for maneuver, in True Body Mission, it's truly a case of "death absolves all debts"!

And that is why many seemingly absurd things have been happening one after another, both in public and in private.

"What? You have to pay extra tax on these Universal Points? Why don't you just collect the tax from that Great Light Ball?"

With his eyes wide open like saucers, the fat man in the office suddenly jumped up, looking arrogant and ready to devour the newcomer whole.

But the newcomer also wore a wry smile. "No, Old Yuan, relax. This isn't a tax; it's just a service fee."

"What a load of bull!" Fatty Yuan jumped three feet high, spitting almost in the other person's face. "I support this whole family, and this is the first time I've ever heard of being skinned alive for even these points. Isn't this just a different way of collecting taxes?!"

"Hey, don't get angry with me." The man spread his hands, adopting the same nonchalant attitude. "You yourself said that you manage such a large family here, occupying several plots of land, big and small, as well as that old factory area on the outskirts of town, right?"

He plopped down in a chair and began calculating on his fingers, "Even if you refuse to move to the unified planning area in the High-tech Zone, weren't the additional social public resources and services, the approved land use rights, and all the procedures and support provided by the government all planned and handled for you? Didn't it save you a lot of trouble?"

"Hey Old Yuan, given the current situation, shouldn't you cooperate with our work? The service fee isn't high; it's just a matter of each of us taking a few minutes. But the effort and energy saved, and all those trivial problems, are far more valuable than your users' precious time and energy, aren't they?"

Clearly, this man of similar age was an old acquaintance of Fatty Yuan. He didn't try to be formal this time, but simply offered a few words of analysis, which were quite insightful, even Fatty Yuan himself had to admit.

Putting everything else aside, the recent secondary renovations of that dilapidated factory area alone, along with the various manpower and material resources allocated to it, already amount to a staggering sum directly on the government's books.

They thought they could use their user status and influence to stall for time, but who knew that when things came to a head, someone would actually come knocking on their door.

"Furthermore, your industry is a special one, essentially semi-independent of the social production order, and its value is difficult to quantify directly with paper money. Being able to offset part of the service value in this way—to be honest, Old Yuan, in my personal opinion, it's actually..."

That's reasonable.

He picked up the teacup on the table, poured half a cup, and after catching his breath, continued, "This isn't just targeting you. Everyone's discussing user issues right now, and considering long-term planning, the general direction is already set. To be honest, for any support you receive from various quarters, the more concrete aspects will gradually be documented and reimbursed according to the corresponding 'service costs.'"

"There's nothing we can do, you know. Since that [inactive account] appeared, there's been a huge outcry everywhere, a real commotion. The official team is also in the eye of the storm—"

The previous teasing had all subsided, and now, even with a serious expression on this person's face, or rather, this middle-aged "customer service representative's" face, a hint of fatigue was showing.

The other party's words were certainly not unfounded, and Yuan Zhengxin was well aware of this.

Since the emergence of previously Unactivated Main God ID accounts, the Universal Points system has actually been quietly popularized and has already gained a significant foundation among the general public.

Including that "Tourist Quota Redemption" that stands out conspicuously in the otherwise empty redemption list, for many people, seeing it is like having a thousand cats scratching at their heart.

But here's the problem: you seem to have an account and goods, but where do you get the points?

In the end, the wool still comes from the sheep.

People's attention has been drawn to this, and even online news and group forums are buzzing with discussions and differing opinions.

The direction of public opinion is also intriguing. Both domestically and internationally, many have even openly suggested that these "users" should be...

The rhetoric about collecting taxes, repurchasing points, and sharing the remaining balance, along with the "first users drive later users" approach, has unsurprisingly garnered a lot of discussion and support!

How could Fatty Yuan not have heard of such rumors? So when this acquaintance customer service representative spoke today, his first reaction was that the authorities were preparing to try "taxing" them.

Not too surprising.

In fact, not to mention the official sources, even the abandoned factory area in the eastern suburbs has seen a significant increase in outsider activity during the recent construction process.

These "vendors" lingering in the vicinity are going to great lengths, employing every possible means. They change their tactics and appearances, trying every possible way to approach those who appear to be customers or might know something about the "Preparatory Camp," trying to get close to them and discuss business, all in the hopes of begging and pleading for even the smallest bit of money.

Putting everything else aside, a brand new street market has spontaneously formed in just one or two streets near the factory area. A lot of "mountain goods," and even some Spirituality materials mixed in, are openly displayed and sold right under Yuan Zhengxin's nose.

The intention behind "fishing" is self-evident.

Such incidents are not isolated cases, nor are they unique to Xinlin Group; rather, they are gradually becoming a common and emerging phenomenon among many user groups.

This related fervor, along with public opinion, is being constantly incited and amplified. Under the deliberate guidance of certain individuals, it has even reached an unbelievable level.

On the other hand, the entire user group is being closely monitored.

The authorities are caught in the middle, and it's not an exaggeration to say they're in a difficult position.

Moreover, even a fool would know that within the official ranks, countless people are still undecided, with opinions swirling and the situation in complete chaos.

What if there's no Universal Points? Then we can only seek some degree of "open source" from the vast user base, especially from the majority of casual users.

Therefore, this service discount method naturally came into being.

Take Fatty Yuan for example. The various bills under his name from the local government and the Special Affairs Office, including the infrastructure development, project payments, and personnel services for that factory area, all add up to only a few dozen or a few hundred points, just as this "customer service representative" said. In terms of the current international exchange Universal Points, the total is only a few dozen or a few hundred points. When averaged out among his subordinates, it's just a few points or a dozen points.

That's indeed not many.

However, some subtle implications revealed in this make one somewhat hesitant.

On that chubby face, a clear mixture of pain and hesitation was evident.

For some reason, Boss Yuan eventually nodded, clearly acknowledging the "settlement method" proposed by the other party.

But at the same time, he also raised another, even more pressing, question, "Old Qu, have you verified the identities of the people I gave you a couple of days ago?"

Upon hearing this, the smile that had been on the guest's face earlier faded again.

In his particularly awkward situation, he hesitated slightly before speaking, "You know, Old Yuan, this isn't exactly easy to handle theoretically."

"What happened during the mission cannot be fully measured by normal legal regulations, especially since there are conflicting elements among your people—"

"Enough! You're all grown men! Just give me a straight answer! Who are those who did the fighting? And what's the official story on this?!"

Feigning some impatience and anger, "Old Qu" seemed unsure of his host's thoughts, and reluctantly revealed the truth. "To put it simply, the Special Office has carefully reviewed the video you provided and identified the group of people who clearly committed the act."

"But this door cannot be opened, especially since the government is currently trying its best to mitigate the impact, striving to keep the real issues in check and the 'inside' issues under control, minimizing the scale of the unrest. Therefore, procedurally speaking, we cannot simply disclose your specific identity information."

Hearing this, Fatty Yuan couldn't help but grin maliciously, his cheeks twitching like rubber bands, revealing half a set of white teeth. "Fine, then our men died for nothing?"

"I just want to know if the Special Office can give us a clear result regarding the case we reported!"

What else can be done now that things have come to this?

The acquaintance could only manage a wry smile, his expression as if he had just swallowed several kilograms of bitter herbs.

Especially after the fat man pressed him repeatedly, in his desperation, what came out of the customer's mouth had a sense of "what's the use of trying" about it.

"You want a clear answer? I want a clear answer too!"

"Yes! You're in charge of this whole family, it's not easy for you!"

"But you have no idea! We're just a bunch of damn spoiled brats! There's a huge horde of people above us, each saying their own thing, all sorts of opinions and voices, like they've eaten the gall of a bear and the gall of a leopard, each one bolder and more cunning than the last—"

"You're just all talk, trying to call the police and call it a day! But when we went back to check the situation, we had barely finished secretly checking their identity information when the relevant authorities called us, bombarding us with questions!"

You know what?

Despite his barbed and sarcastic remarks, half-insulting and half-complaining, the fat man opposite him, whose face had been as black as the bottom of a pot, suddenly became a completely different person, his face beaming with smiles like that of a Buddha!

Looking at his face again, there was no trace of the embarrassment of being scolded to his face. Instead, he was eagerly picking up the teapot and refilling the tea for the guest in front of him.

It's just posturing when necessary.

For seasoned veterans like them, what's the value of shame?

However, the specific information the other party mentioned next made the fat man pause for a moment.

"This matter is probably truly unmanageable, especially after it was reported. I heard that someone higher up has secretly intervened. These kinds of things are quite common lately, so it's best not to escalate the situation; it would have a negative impact. It's best to handle it quietly as much as possible."

His brows furrowed again, and this time Fatty Yuan seemed to be pondering something. "Who are those people?"

"Those who took action didn't have a clear connection on the surface; they were just a small user team. But based on information from private sources, this group is actually an outlying team indirectly developed from a large Main God User group called 'Huanjing Association'."

"Hiss---- Huanjing Association ----"

Upon hearing the name, Fatty Yuan seemed genuinely troubled, clearly having heard some related news, or perhaps even knowing more about the ins and outs than the man before him.

Unlike their own small-scale group, among the few known medium-to-large user groups in China, this seemingly quiet "Huanjing Association" actually has quite a reputation among ordinary users.

I've heard it's a large, powerful organization with direct international connections, a deep background, a wide network of relationships, and a very complex and murky inner workings.

Especially judging from the rumors, both overt and covert, the scale behind this is no small matter. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that when Fatty Yuan was in the business of securing spots, the "Young Master Xu," a man from a prestigious family who secretly bought spots through his channels, was rumored to be one of the big spenders.

That "benefactor" had even invited him to some private association gatherings, but he had only recently become a user and was eager to make a name for himself. He also saw through the other party's seemingly friendly intentions to "gather subordinates," so he politely declined.

Looking back now, it is quite emotional.

Even the seemingly impolite words of the man surnamed Qu just now subtly reminded him of something—the matter had actually been reported, but someone higher up had instructed that this "negative impact" be suppressed.

This includes the immediate phone calls demanding accountability following the investigation—in other words, it's a sign of pressure from someone.

Hey, what a high-sounding excuse, it actually sounds plausible—but based on Fatty Yuan's life experience, even a fool could tell that there must have been some connections involved.

That's a really damn fast reaction.

To be more precise, the other side is probably not dealing with this kind of bloody, life-threatening case for the first time, which is why they seem so "sensitive" and react so quickly.

But things have come to this point, especially since it's clear he's at a disadvantage. Trying to reason with them through official channels and procedures is probably no longer an option.

With a mixture of complexity and heaviness, the portly boss's expression now visibly showed signs of considerable distress.

He was already feeling unbearable anger, but now that he realized the other party was actually very powerful and wealthy, the pressure was also mounting.

There's no way around it; given the stark contrast between strength and weakness, one is naturally inclined to soften their stance.

"In short, Old Yuan, take my advice. This is a dangerous place, so don't act impulsively. Also, make sure to keep those hot-blooded users under your command in check."

Amidst their rambling conversation, the familiar customer service representative across from them finished their tea in one gulp.

After putting down the cup, he casually slipped a note out of his sleeve, but without even looking down, he "ignores" it and got up to leave.

A slight light appeared before his eyes, but he didn't show it.

Ignoring the other person's politeness, he got up and escorted this old acquaintance all the way to the elevator. Only after watching the elevator door close did Fatty Yuan return alone, and with an agility completely inconsistent with his obese appearance, he deftly picked up the folded note on the edge of the cup.

Let's take a look.

As expected, it contained brief information about a few people, all handwritten in pencil, clearly a stopgap measure taken when direct download and printing were not possible.

I was somewhat moved.

After walking to the window, he saw the figure being politely escorted out of the main gate by the doorman. With his gaze fixed on the figure, Fatty Yuan directly transferred a "writing fee" to the other party's account.

One or fifty Universal Points.

As if sensing something, the person below seemed to be electrocuted, his shoulder suddenly jolted noticeably, and he immediately looked up at the higher place.

The portly boss waved to him, smiling but saying nothing.