Before this, Dan Heng had helped Stelle complete the game's timed challenge.
He had roughly figured out how the game worked, and recognized what the empire and its emperor were based on.
The empire was the Xianzhou Alliance.
The emperor was the "Father of the Xianzhou."
The creator seemed deeply prejudiced against them, maliciously developing a game called "Empire Simulator" and even adding a plotline about assassinating the emperor modeled after Xianyu.
When Dan Heng first heard that Stelle wanted to kill the game's emperor, who was based on Xianyu, he instinctively frowned.
Considering that this was Stelle's account, he held his tongue and only asked, "Did you save?"
Stelle nodded eagerly and dragged him over to the bar in the Astral Express's common area.
The two sat down, and Pom-Pom, the Conductor, brought them drinks.
Dan Heng quietly thanked Pom-Pom, took Stelle's Long-Range Remote Sensor, and selected the latest save.
Two options popped up on the screen.
[Option 1: Assassinate] [Option 2: Run away]
Dan Heng looked at Stelle. "Do you have any other saves?"
Stelle scratched the back of her head.
"Can't I run?"
Dan Heng sighed.
"You're a high-ranking imperial official. You're beside the emperor, in the safest place in the entire universe. Why would you run? That's far too suspicious."
Stelle refused to believe it.
She was a player!
How could a player possibly fail to escape?
Stelle urged Dan Heng to run away.
Dan Heng chose as she asked.
``` [You died.]
[The man his colleagues jokingly called the Crown Prince returned to the empire from the front lines.
He stepped over your corpse and rebuked the emperor:
"You shouldn't have put yourself in danger."
"But I have all of you, don't I?" The emperor smiled. "I'd rather hear news of you than