The Situation Concerning "First-Test Users"

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

Looking at the three sets of identification documents that the other party pushed in front of him, at first glance, they didn't seem to be much different.

After a slight hesitation, He Qiu took the nearest one, carefully examined it for a few moments, and chatted casually as she did so.

"Oh yes, I am He Qiu. What can I do for you?"

Neither admitting nor denying, it was as if they had completely ignored the word "user" that the other party had deliberately mentioned.

Pretending to be stupid doesn't always work, but those who don't know how to play dumb sometimes really do seem particularly "stupid."

"Yes, we came here specifically to pay you a visit."

The other party was remarkably frank in revealing their intentions, acting as if to say, "If you dare ask me, I dare to tell you," leaving one unsure whether it was Jiang Gan or Huang Gai who had come this time.

Holding this dark-covered document, especially the gold-embossed emblem on the cover, it felt almost too hot to touch.

To be honest, even before I opened this thing, the former photographer's left eyelid was already twitching uncontrollably.

But it is precisely at times like these that we must not show weakness.

He turned straight to the inside page. The man in the ID photo had a solemn face, and compared to the man in front of him, there was absolutely no problem.

The stamp was equally clear, and the affiliated unit column clearly stated "Special Affairs Investigation Bureau," with this line of Song typeface catching the eye, and even included the label "Third-level staff member of the Special Affairs Group."

A department name I've never heard of before.

However, the document appeared flawless from every angle, including the bottom layer which even had a small serial number and anti- Mark. The exquisite workmanship almost gave this meticulous "inspector" a headache.

"Special Affairs - Investigation and Countermeasures Bureau?"

He Qiu repeated the text with a hint of "puzzle," trying to make his voice sound merely curious rather than guilty, "Comrades, this is—"

The man at the head of the group was about four thousand years old. He stood very upright, but his smile, which had a kind of simple and honest quality, was as perfect as if it had been measured with a ruler beforehand.

He took back the identification He Qiu handed him, skillfully placing it into his briefcase. His tone softened, "Just call it the Special Investigation Bureau for short."

"Mr. He, we need to ask you about something, mainly regarding—some rather unusual experiences using corpses." Since your parents aren't home right now, could we come inside to talk? It's not good for the neighbors to see us standing at the door like this."

Incredible! The other party even deliberately chose this crucial moment when the two elders were out!

With a slight frown, He Qiu felt more and more that the other party had come prepared, and it seemed that he couldn't fool them today.

The smile on his face finally faded, and he carefully examined the three of them again, especially the places on their bodies where they might be hiding things. However, the three of them still had smiles on their faces and did not reveal any flaws.

After a few seconds of silence, just as the two seemed about to fall into a strange "staring contest," He Qiu suddenly burst out laughing again.

"Oh, of course."

"Please come in, esteemed leaders. Please excuse the slightly messy interior."

He stepped aside, clearing the way in front of the door.

"I dare not accept the title of leader, thank you very much, Mr. He."

"Excuse me."

Do you need to change your shoes?

"No need. It's just a trivial matter, nothing to worry about. The three of you can just come in."

Since the "hospitable" hosts had spoken, the three of them didn't stand on ceremony and filed in.

Of course, the main reason was that, with the help of his Inner Breath, He Qiu felt relieved after noticing the faint signs of cold sweat reflecting off one of the people's foreheads during their previous eye contact.

I was nervous, but these people were also somewhat nervous.

Once he understood this fact, the sense of unease and helplessness Mind Reading felt subsided considerably.

Yes, especially considering the information revealed in that document, if these guests were insiders with access to "insider" information, then they should know what kind of "users" they were dealing with.

It's just checking the water meter, isn't it?

In contrast, He Qiu himself is no longer the ordinary person who used to carry a camera and run around with the camera truck.

Life is unpredictable.

Despite a sigh in her heart, she still wore a smile on her face, invited the three guests to sit down, and promptly poured three glasses of water without paying any courtesy to them.

After the host and guests were seated on the sofa, they ignored the customary toast and did not choose to continue with the pleasantries.

The man in the lead, whose specific position was unclear but whose name appeared to be "Wang Dansheng" based on his identification, got straight to the point in a calm tone, "Mr. He Qiu, we still don't know when your parents will return, so to be on the safe side, let's speak frankly."

"Based on the information currently available to the authorities, we believe that certain individuals in at least most parts of the world have recently encountered an unknown situation that completely transcends current technological capabilities. And according to some clues, you were also a user in this situation," or rather, an actual participant.

Looking at He Qiu's eyes, which slowly narrowed like a cat in the light, Mr. Wang smiled and waved his hand, his tone as casual as if they were chatting between friends.

"Mr. He, there's no need to be overly concerned. This is not an isolated case; in fact, there are quite a few people in our country whose situations are similar to yours."

"Our purpose in coming here is not to assign blame or cause trouble. In fact, for you users," our primary principle is simply to observe, contact, and guide you, and provide relevant support and protection as much as possible when necessary.

"--Protect?"

He Qiu was genuinely taken aback.

"Yes, protection."

Holding onto the edge of the sofa, Mr. Wang sat up a little straighter, and his tone became much more serious.

"Mr. He, you should understand that the actual operating mechanism and purpose of the platform you are currently in contact with are still largely unknown to the authorities. The products it produces, while representing opportunities, may also be accompanied by significant risks and uncertainties."

"But the main reason, as you may have already noticed, is that you've already experienced three rounds of content." According to our information, both domestically and internationally, apart from a very small number of long-time users like yourself, most people have only experienced a maximum of two rounds of content.

He held up three fingers, waved them in front of He Qiu, and then meaningfully put one away.

In other words, you could be considered a First-Test User.

"And this type of identity has only been documented in specific cases within China so far."

"That's the most special thing about it."

"There are certain risks that are not yet apparent, or rather, certain threats that are still lurking in the shadows. These risks seem particularly alluring and prominent when facing a very small group of users like yourself who participated in the first test."

That's why we're in such a hurry to come and bother you today.

A younger "companion" nearby chimed in, "Mr. He, to put it simply, you can think of us as a special First-Test User like yourself."

"The authorities want to understand your situation, assess the risks you face, and provide assistance to the best of their ability when needed."

The man who identified himself as "customer service" simply gave a few examples.

"For example, from the perspective of public safety and the protection of individual rights, the authorities hope to conduct certain social security verifications on the special items you obtained from that space. For some resources that are not very useful to you or are difficult to manage, we can provide real-world transaction processing between you and other users, including direct conversion into real currency, ensuring the stability and reliability of user access channels, etc."

"Of course, all of this is based on your safety and wishes."

The other party sounded very friendly and helpful.

"And, especially importantly, it provides a reliable channel for quick communication and assistance should you encounter problems you cannot solve."

"If possible, we would like you and your parents to consider living in government-provided professional accommodation."

"Because to our knowledge, there have been more than one case of First-Test Users dying in real life, and the impact extends far beyond these users, also affecting their relatives and friends."

E