Speculations About the Special Invitation Code

Since Gu Yongqiang had said so, Lin Yi did not dare gamble with his life.

After all, Gu Yongqiang had told him that quite a few Descenders had died in Ancient Pool Village over the past month, and none of them had ever appeared again after dying.

It seemed that dying in the game could very well mean dying in reality too.

Although he could not go chop firewood, Lin Yi did not waste his remaining time. He first went to a nearby shop and spent nine coins on three Flatbreads, putting them in his backpack for later. Then he explored the surrounding area to see whether he could pick up any more quests.

Soon, his six hours of online time for the day were up. With little to show for it, Lin Yi found a safe, secluded spot in the village and returned to reality.

He had eaten his fill in the game, but reality was another matter.

The moment he returned, Lin Yi's stomach began growling. He went to the kitchen and quickly made himself something to eat.

As he ate, Lin Yi messaged the studio employees and asked about their earnings for the day.

An employee named Zhou Hai messaged back, "Brother Yi, we got lucky today and landed a few more orders. But why didn't you come by this afternoon?"

"I had something to deal with, so I couldn't make it. You've worked hard. I'll settle your commissions with you over the weekend. Old Liu had an accident, and I'll probably be extremely busy for a while. Help me keep a closer eye on the studio work..."

After chatting briefly, Lin Yi began reflecting on what he had experienced in the Apocalypse Game that day, as well as the information he could infer from it.

First: the Apocalypse Game was not an ordinary game. It was very likely a real alternate world.

Second: dying in the game would likely mean dying in reality as well.

Third: the Invitation Code he had obtained was extremely valuable. The government was also searching for Apocalypse Game Activation Codes, so unless absolutely necessary, he could not reveal that he had obtained one.

Fourth: the Omnipotent Talent he had received was very useful. If he wanted to survive properly in Apocalypse World, he might need to make full use of its advantages.

Fifth: Apocalypse World was extremely dangerous. Even within Ancient Pool Village, unknown events could occur. Therefore, he needed to develop cautiously. Before he had the ability to protect himself, he could not act recklessly...

After writing this information down on paper, Lin Yi read it over several times before burning the sheet.

That evening, Lin Yi first went to the studio. Then, midway through, he received a call from the police station asking him to collect Liu Hong's belongings.

When he arrived at the police station, the two police officers who received him were the same ones who had taken his statement yesterday.

The two officers were quite polite. After handing over the belongings they had taken from the studio that morning, one of them asked, "Lin Yi, why didn't you answer when we called you this afternoon?"

Lin Yi explained, "Sorry, Officer Wang. I wasn't feeling very well this afternoon, so I went back to my dorm and took a nap."

Officer Wang did not suspect anything and simply nodded. "All right, you can go back now."

However, the moment Lin Yi stepped out of the police station, he saw a young man standing at the entrance with red, tearful eyes. The young man wore a backpack. He was Liu Hong's son, Liu Bo.

The first thing Liu Bo said upon seeing him was, "Brother Yi, my dad is gone."

Lin Yi's heart sank. Not knowing what words of comfort to offer, he could only step forward and pat Liu Bo on the shoulder.

"When did you get back?"

Liu Bo rubbed his reddened eyes. "I took leave and rushed back after you called me yesterday. I arrived at dawn, then spent the whole day at the police station."

"Hey, don't think too much about your dad... Xiao Bo, you haven't had a proper meal yet, have you? Come on. Brother Yi will take you to eat."

At that moment, behind the glass on the second floor of the police station, Zhang Baichuan, the square-faced officer, watched Lin Yi and Liu Bo leave. "The one with Liu Bo is Lin Yi?"

"Yes, Captain. Is there something wrong with him?"

Zhang Baichuan shook his head. "I can't tell yet. But Liu Hong's Invitation Code still hasn't been found. Everyone close to him needs to be watched. We can't let our guard down."

A younger officer in the squad asked in confusion, "Captain, as far as I know, a new batch of Activation Codes will be issued by the end of the month. Liu Hong's Invitation Code isn't that urgent, is it? Wouldn't it be better for us to focus our work on the game?"

The young officer was named Zhao Shuang. Aside from Zhang Baichuan, he was one of only two members of the Linhe City Apocalypse Squad who possessed an Activation Code.

It was precisely because of that Activation Code that he had been specially recruited into the government's Apocalypse Squad.

Zhang Baichuan smiled, lit a cigarette, and asked, "Xiao Zhao, according to our investigation, when did Liu Hong begin entering Apocalypse World?"

Zhao Shuang replied, "Based on the interrogation records, we estimate it was around three weeks ago."

Zhang Baichuan asked again, "Liu Hong died from Hidden Poison after dealing with a Bird Snake. What level do you think he was?"

Zhao Shuang thought for a moment. "If he soloed the Bird Snake, then Liu Hong had to be at least Eighth Rank. If he was in a team, it's harder to judge."

"Let's assume he soloed it. Three weeks, twenty-one days. With only six hours of game time per day, could you grow from a newcomer into an Eighth Rank expert in such a short time?"

Zhao Shuang immediately understood. He had been in the game for nearly a month. Even with the Apocalypse Squad's internal guides, his level had risen as slowly as a snail climbing a wall.

After a month, he had only barely reached Fifth Rank.

Yet Liu Hong had reached Eighth Rank in just three weeks. That was clearly abnormal.

"Then... Captain, didn't we find that the Black Card Alliance had contact with Liu Hong? Could Liu Hong have leveled up so quickly with the Black Card Alliance's help?"

Zhang Baichuan flicked ash from his cigarette with two fingers. "No. You don't understand how those people in the Black Card Alliance operate. They won't do anything unless there's profit in it. Besides, the bank cards we found in Liu Hong's home showed that the Black Card Alliance had been transferring money to Liu Hong. That means the Black Card Alliance wanted something from Liu Hong. That was why there had been financial transactions."

"So I deduce that Liu Hong obtained an Activation Code with a very early sequence number. It may have been one of the first batch of Activation Codes issued after the Apocalypse Game appeared."

Zhao Shuang looked astonished. "The first batch of Activation Codes! No wonder..."

He quickly added, "Captain, when I was training in Capital City, I heard that there were very few Activation Codes in the first batch, and each one had special abilities. Captain Niu, our chief instructor during training, was a member of the first batch. I heard he advanced to the professional rank not long ago."

Zhang Baichuan nodded. "That's right. That batch of Activation Codes differs from ordinary Activation Codes. Every one of them is immensely valuable. Liu Hong's rapid leveling in such a short period was probably due to the advantages of his Activation Code. That's why we need to find Liu Hong's Activation Code as soon as possible. The Black Card Alliance may also be looking for it, and we need to get there before them."

At this point, Zhao Shuang said worriedly, "But Captain, Liu Bo made so many transactions with the Black Card Alliance. Do you think Liu Hong's Activation Code might have already fallen into the Black Card Alliance's hands?"

"That's possible, but unlikely. Liu Hong died because he didn't know that Bird Snakes carried Hidden Poison, and that the poison could be brought from Apocalypse World into reality. With such a sudden death, there's no way the Black Card Alliance could have received advance notice."

"I understand, Captain. But there are only the two of us as core squad members. The workload is exhausting. When the next batch of Activation Codes is issued, can we recruit more members?"

At that, Zhang Baichuan gave a bitter smile. "I want to recruit more people too, but Activation Codes are valuable. It's not like I can get them just by applying. Still, focus on leveling up and developing in Apocalypse World. When new members arrive later, we'll need you to lead them..."