"How did this happen? Thousands of monsters appearing all at once-how big would an anomaly node have to be?" one colleague exclaimed in surprise. The others also cast puzzled looks their way.
"It wasn't a node."
Zhang Yang shook his head. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to tell them. After today, this probably wouldn't be a secret anymore anyway.
"Have any of you heard of 'gates'?"
"Gates?"
At that moment, everyone aboard the helicopter reacted differently. Some looked puzzled, some surprised, but others remained calm, like Mu You and the other level-ten player, Liu Chen.
Before Mu You joined, Liu Chen had been the bureau's highest-level player at level nine. He followed a support build and was an old hand in the system. He was easygoing, and everyone generally called him Old Liu.
Seeing Old Liu's calm expression, Mu You knew he must have known about gates too.
"Looks like Mu You and Old Liu do know..."
Zhang Yang smiled, not at all surprised. "This is highly confidential. Public discussion of it was banned a year ago, so new players can't find any information about gates on the Forum. Generally, only players who've been around long enough might have heard about them. I only found out after becoming branch chief."
"Captain, what exactly are gates?" a female team member pressed. Zhang Yang's cryptic remarks had instantly piqued their curiosity.
Zhang Yang stopped keeping them in suspense and explained directly, "Gates are entrances opened in the Wall Between the Two Worlds, connecting the Star Spirit World and Earth. Through a gate, you can travel freely between the two worlds, but you have to return within twenty-four hours. Otherwise, your lifespan will be deducted by the day, with the amount increasing geometrically..."
"People can go to the Star Spirit World? A