Five people were crammed into the not-so-small bedroom, making the air feel stuffy and hot.
After a brief exchange, the middle-aged man asked the young woman:
"That's roughly the situation. So, we're conducting research on the game ' World of Disorder.' Would you be willing to allocate your special attribute points to [ Psionic Energy Compatibility ] after leveling up?"
The young man never expected that these men in black had come to his door looking for his sister, and he was even more surprised that the reason was related to that mysterious immersive game.
A bizarre game that appears out of nowhere, a mysterious organization investigating the truth in the shadows, and innocent people who are inexplicably drawn into it...
Is this the plot of some urban suspense thriller novel?
And also, why wasn't I the innocent bystander who was clearly modeled after the protagonist?!
Under her brother's surprised and envious gaze, the girl shook her head:
"I play as a plant grower in the game, so I'll likely put points into [ Plant Compatibility ] after leveling up."
She glanced again at the several serious-looking men in black, and cautiously added:
"Of course, if you feel that adding some [ Psionic Energy Compatibility ] is really important to you, I'll cooperate."
The men in black fell silent, clearly also struggling with this matter.
For an unknown entity like " World of Disorder," which has not yet shown any harm, getting ordinary people to cooperate requires a certain level of trust.
Forcing someone to do something might yield short-term benefits, but in the long run, it doesn't align with their principles and erodes trust.
And who can guarantee that so-called Psionic Energy is truly harmless to humans in reality?
Compared to this thing, all animals, plants, and machines seem as harmless as cats and dogs.
The young man glanced at his sister, then at the men in black who were deep in thought, gritted his teeth, and raised his hand:
"I can cooperate with you."
His eyes were wide open, his gaze resolute as if he were about to be executed.
"I can add some [ Psionic Energy Compatibility ], I'll absolutely cooperate, I'll be completely willing, and I'll have absolutely no regrets."
The middle-aged man in black looked at the young man and said with some doubt:
"I feel like there's something you haven't mentioned yet, right? Tell me about it."
"Cough cough."
The young man lowered his head and coughed tactically.
"It's just... I'm not qualified to play the game yet; I really don't have the skills."
The expected reaction from the men in black did not occur. They showed no anger or other reaction to the young man's petty trick; they merely exchanged a few glances and said:
"We'll cover the cost of the activation code, and we'll guarantee the points will be added as agreed."
The [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] standing to the side stared wide-eyed as it watched its brother snag an activation code from a group of mysterious people for free.
She now regrets not agreeing immediately when the other party bargained down to 800. Now, she's even lost 800 yuan.
The girl sat blankly on the bed, watching her brother open a shopping app and go to the second-hand trading and auction section.
He typed the keyword " World of Disorder " into the search box, and hundreds of activation code purchase links instantly popped up below.
The prices of these links vary widely, ranging from tens or hundreds of dollars to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, making the market extremely chaotic.
Even though shopping websites have robust anti-fraud systems, many people still register numerous accounts, hoping to make a quick buck and run, and then list non-existent activation codes at various prices—a practice that can almost be described as phishing.
The young man shrugged:
"That's where I can't go on. I really can't determine its authenticity, so I don't dare to pay rashly."
The middle-aged man thought for a few seconds and patted him on the shoulder:
Give me your phone.
He left the room and made a phone call to a professor in another city who was still undergoing a physical examination. The professor then summoned two of his students and assigned them tasks.
The two players compared the IDs in their friend lists and then inquired further through the game's chat system, finally confirming a genuine activation code.
Upon receiving the message, the middle-aged man returned to his room, typed "[ Gill's Cuisine ]" into the search bar, and then returned the phone to the young man.
"It's confirmed, this is genuine, buy it."
While processing the payment, the young man looked at the recipient's ID and muttered to himself:
"Sounds like a restaurant?"
The younger sister glanced at it and asked in surprise:
"You really didn't get that joke..."
With the combined efforts of online and offline channels, the activation code posted by the genuine player was eventually sold for eight thousand yuan.
This time, the transaction price has truly become the so-called "official guidance price," but it will take some time for the news to spread.
Having obtained the activation code, the young man was so excited he seemed to be having a manic episode. The middle-aged man gave him some instructions on what to do, confirmed the reporting method for the relevant information, and then left their home with his men.
Even after closing the door, the faint baboon calls could still be heard through it. The young man in black swallowed hard and looked at the middle-aged man:
"Captain, as you know, I've always been very dedicated. If you had said earlier that you could secure a reliable activation code, I could have done that job too."
The middle-aged man glared at him, his tone turning icy:
"You're playing games, so who's going to do the work of interacting with the players?"
"This..."
"Who will accompany me on field investigations for any subsequent reports?"
"That..."
How can you be sure that your perception hasn't subtly changed after you left the game?
"No way..."
"Last and most importantly, what happens in that world is none of our concern. Our focus should always be on our own world. If it were a product from a normal tech company or game company, using current technology, we wouldn't need to travel all over the country. Do you understand?"
"Understood..."
"It's precisely because this game is mysterious enough, and it has an impact on reality that it's not obvious, that's why we're conducting this kind of group investigation. If things escalate, we'll need to ask for more people to be involved, but nobody wants that to happen, right?"
The young man nodded sheepishly, but still asked tentatively:
"Captain, what if I accidentally get selected for the test...?"
The middle-aged man said helplessly:
"You can go, after all, we can't waste the opportunity, but you'll have to wait until your substitutes are ready."
"Yay!"
Hearing the cheers behind him, the middle-aged captain sighed silently.
If the odds of that happening are really one in tens of thousands, then letting him go and see what's going on in that game isn't a big deal.
But... he'll definitely increase the workload so much that the younger team members will regret getting that qualification.