Penalty for Violations

Inside the office.

Su Ye was still discussing matters with Deng Jiajia when someone knocked at the door.

Su Ye tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and looked at Deng Jiajia. "Get the door."

Deng Jiajia opened the door and saw someone who looked somewhat familiar. He seemed to be an employee of the company.

"President Su."

Zhang Jiadong hurriedly spoke as he entered the office.

Su Ye nodded and asked, "What is it?"

"Well, President Su, just now..."

Zhang Jiadong told him about the report they had just received. Sitting in his chair, Su Ye gradually frowned.

It seemed that more players meant some things would get out of hand. This sort of thing was common.

There were bound to be pests in a forest, just like cheaters in games in his own world. No game could avoid them.

Su Ye nodded slightly, but his tone was grave.

"Handle this as a typical case."

"All creators have signed creator contracts. Preserve the evidence and freeze that creator's funds on the platform."

"Afterward, make that guy cough up everything he's taken from the platform, and blacklist him permanently."

A greedy guy like that needed to be hit hard enough to hurt.

Not only did it have to hurt, but everyone had to see what punishment awaited those who violated the platform's rules.

They could make plenty of money by operating reasonably and following the platform's requirements, but some people were simply that greedy and wanted to make even more.

If that was how it was, then they could find another way to make a living and cough up everything they'd already taken.

Zhang Jiadong listened carefully and took note of Su Ye's words before saying, "I understand, President Su. I'll take care of it now."

Su Ye nodded, then said, "Remember, there are no exceptions to the platform's rules. If a creator breaks them, handle it according to the rules."

"Whether it's freezing their platform balance or making them repay the platform's losses, it must actually be carried out."

"All right, President Su."

After Zhang Jiadong left, Su Ye gave the matter no more thought.

It was neither a major issue nor a minor one. They just had to handle it according to the platform's rules.

"Deng Jiajia, come with me to Starfield Industries."

Su Ye stood up as he spoke.

Hearing this, Deng Jiajia picked up the keys from the nearby table. "All right, President Su."

On the Xingye Gaming Platform, inside the Holy Sword Bearer server.

The players were still hurling abuse. The server owner's greed had been far too blatant, and he had even traded insults with them.

[Trash server owner. This disgusting guy is no different from Qisheng.]

[Exactly. You're so blatantly greedy. How do you still have the nerve to talk here?]

[Just you wait. We have to expose you and let everyone see your true face.]

[I've already reported you to Starfield. Just wait until you're finished.]

Fei Wu looked at the players' messages in public chat, his face turning red with anger.

It was just a skin set. I never said I'd give it away if they topped up. They chose to top up themselves.

He gritted his teeth and continued typing in public chat.

[Top up or don't. If you don't want to play, get lost. Poor bastards like you don't deserve to play on my server.]

The moment his message appeared in public chat, the server briefly lagged. Then two lines of red text appeared before every player.

[Following an investigation by Starfield, server owner Fei used his server to defraud players, violating the platform's relevant rules. The decision has now been made to shut down the game server and freeze all of Fei's balances on the platform.]

[Fei must repay all his earnings on the platform as compensation for all losses suffered by the platform and players. If he fails to repay them, legal action will be taken against him.]

As soon as the red text appeared, every player saw what it said.

[Hahaha, the server owner is finished now.]

[I'm dying. The punishment came so fast. Not only did they freeze his balance, they're making him pay compensation too.]

[So, do you think they'll give us back all the money we topped up?]

[Maybe. Either way, this server owner is done for.]

In a newly renovated house, Fei Wu was stunned when he saw the message on the computer in front of him.

His eyes went bloodshot in an instant, and he couldn't help trembling all over.

With his hand already shaking, he opened the platform's backend and clicked withdraw, but a notification appeared.

[Your account has been frozen]

When Fei Wu saw the notification, he slumped in his chair.

He... really had been frozen!

Just as he was sitting there in a daze, a notification sounded from the phone on his desk.

He picked up his phone absentmindedly and stared blankly at the notification. It was a text message.

[Hello, Mr. Fei Wu. Because you have violated the platform's relevant rules,]

[Please return all your earnings on the platform, totaling 862,387.9 yuan, by November 2 as compensation for the losses suffered by the platform and players. If you fail to return the money, the platform will sue you.]

The message was short, but it pierced his heart like an icicle.

He had to repay all his earnings, a total of 860,000 yuan!

He had only just bought and renovated the house. Where was he supposed to get the money to pay it back?

But he knew that if he didn't repay it, Starfield really would sue him. He knew very well what had happened a few days ago.

Not only had they sued dozens of game review bloggers, but they had also made them pay compensation and apologize. Worse still, he had heard that some had even been locked up.

If he didn't pay, the same fate would await him.

He trembled all over. His hand could no longer hold the phone, and it slipped from his palm and fell to the floor.

Fei Wu pressed his lips tightly together, trying not to cry.

But those messages kept battering the last of his reason. He knew clearly that he... was finished.

Meanwhile, a notification popped up on the Xingye Gaming Platform.

[Following an investigation, Holy Sword Bearer server owner Fei used his server to deceive players for profit.]

[He violated the platform's relevant rules. His account balance will now be frozen, and the profits he earned on the platform will be recovered.]

[All creators are asked to take this as a warning and not let greed overcome reason.]

Those few short sentences caused an uproar among players and creators.

[This... the platform is ruthless! They froze his balance and are even recovering his earnings!]

[Obviously. Think about it-he cheated players out of their money. Isn't that what he deserves? He's the one who got greedy.]

[That's right. I play Holy Sword Bearer. That guy said we'd get a set of equipment if we topped up six yuan, but after we did, he made us enter a draw.]

[Serves him right. He really deserves it. The platform is better, with its strict oversight.]

[Definitely. The platform really is responsible. I heard they dealt with the complaint in less than ten minutes.]

News of the incident quickly spread through the Minecraft community. Players and creators alike were shocked by what Starfield had done.

They hadn't expected Starfield to manage things so strictly.

But strict was good too. That way, the interests of both players and creators could be protected.