The beginning and end of fate

Li Mingfei nodded. "That's right. Moreover, since you have no family members, the insurance company's compensation hasn't arrived in time, and you basically have no chance of waking up once you enter the next month, you'll likely have to be taken off life support within three days."

"What!" Mu Gaohan was shocked upon hearing this, and the few glimmers of hope he had just felt instantly turned into despair. Although he didn't want to live his whole life as a vegetable, he didn't want to die so young either.

However, he immediately thought of another problem.

"What do you want from me? Did the hospital send you specifically to tell me this news?"

Li Mingfei chuckled. "Hehe, actually I have nothing to do with the hospital. I'm here representing my game company. Although Mr. Mu Gaohan, your condition is very serious, your future is not without hope. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity awaits you, and there is still a glimmer of light in your future."

Mu Gaohan nodded, signaling Li Mingfei to continue.

Li Mingfei said, "My company's game is about to start operating. This game is called Sky World. There is something that, according to the legal agreement between our company and the government, cannot be disclosed to the public. However, considering that Mr. Mu Gaohan is in a state where it is unlikely that he will leak the secret, I can tell you a little bit."

"Optical computer games, also known as holographic virtual games, not only allow players' consciousness to enter the virtual world for an experience, but they can even separate the player's consciousness from their body, allowing the player to live permanently in the virtual world."

Mu Gaohan didn't react at first, but he quickly realized what the other party meant.

"You mean, it's possible to preserve my consciousness in the virtual world!?"

Mu Gaohan exclaimed in surprise. His mind was racing. If he could live in a virtual world, it would be better than being half-dead like this, not to mention that he was about to have his life support removed.

He wasn't quite sure what the virtual world was like, but at least the food and drink seemed pretty much the same as in reality. He had played online games before, and games were usually made based on real-world environments. Living in a virtual world was still living, which was better than being dead.

He no longer wants to live such a stifling life, nor does he want to die in such a stifling state.

"I'm willing, I'm willing to live in your virtual world. By the way, what game is it?"

"Sky World, a fantasy game, the kind with dragons and magic. But before you agree, I must make it clear: I can send you into my world, but it won't be without conditions. You must do something for me."

Mu Gaohan hurriedly asked, "I'll agree to anything you ask, as long as you let me live."

Li Mingfei smiled slightly, as if he had expected him to say this, "Don't rush, let's hear my mission first. After you enter the Sky World, you will need to play a person, or more precisely, a famous hero, the Astral Plane Mage Medivh, the Guardian of the Sky World. I will implant his life's memories into you while blocking your past memories, so that you can perfectly play him."

Hearing this, Mu Gaohan was stunned for a moment, "Wait a minute, why are you blocking my past memories?"

Li Mingfei said, "It's very simple. If you retain your current memories, do you think you can perfectly portray a powerful mage in a fantasy world? You're not an actor or anything, and you might bring some of your current habits with you, which would easily be noticed by others. So, blocking your memories is necessary. But don't worry, the memory blocking is temporary. As long as your mission comes, your memories will be activated."

Your task, and your only task, is to deal with someone for me, a man named Shen Yuan. When I need you to complete this task, I will send you a coded message to activate your memories. No matter where you are or who is around when your memories return, the only thing I need you to do is help me deal with a man named Shen Yuan. Once you complete this task, you will gain complete freedom.

Mu Gaohan's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. "Why me? Why didn't you create an NPC to do this? Why didn't you assign a normal person to do this kind of thing?"

Li Mingfei said, "It's very simple. I need someone who can completely integrate into the game world. I have reason to suspect that Shen Yuan can monitor the network data of game characters. If a player can freely log on and off, then Shen Yuan will easily find out that the other party is a player and will not trust the other party. NPCs are too easy to lose control. The higher the intelligence of the NPC, the easier it is for it to develop self-awareness. I need someone who can completely gain his trust and be completely loyal to me."

So, Mr. Mu Gaohan, would you be willing to accept this job?

Mu Gaohan gave a wry smile. "Do I have any other choice? I'm willing to accept this job."

Upon hearing his words, Li Mingfei immediately smiled. "Very good, a very wise choice. From now on, your identity is the GM of this company, code name 9527. Activate your code, and I will announce it in the form of a world announcement."

[GM code 9527, immediately execute Emergency Plan 666.] Upon hearing this, your memories will be activated. Complete the mission for me, and you will be free. Any other questions?

"Yes, why are you so sure Shen Yuan will come looking for me?"

Li Mingfei shook his head. "I'm not sure. In fact, according to my agreement with Shen Yuan, he can no longer play games or enter the Sky World. However, just in case, I have to make some advance arrangements. Medivh is a very, very important character in the Sky World. If Shen Yuan wants to take any action in the Sky World, he will inevitably have to deal with you."

Mu Gaohan nodded resolutely, "I understand. If Shen Yuan really appears, I will take care of him for you."

Three days later--

In a secret underground base of the Sky Group, a pale-faced man was slowly placed into a gaming pod.

"GM codename 9527 has entered the Sky World. Do you wish to initiate a consciousness isolation?" the operator asked in a mechanical voice.

"Isolate consciousness," Li Mingfei commanded.

"Consciousness isolation complete. Preparing to activate target virtual consciousness. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! -- Activate!"

Medivh suddenly opened his eyes, looking around blankly. He found himself in the interior of a bedroom, a scene both strange and familiar. A wool blanket lay beneath him, and a cotton quilt covered him. He sat up, got out of bed, and went to a large floor-length mirror. In the mirror was a face both strange and familiar—the face of a man in his thirties or forties, with typical Caucasian features. He was handsome, with deep-set eyes, a short beard, and a pair of mysterious, though somewhat vacant, blue eyes. Several books were on the bedside table; he picked one up and opened it to read.

"Astral Plane Travel Guide," "An Introduction to the Principles of Magic," "The Structure of Eredar Magic"—what the hell are these? A bizarre feeling welled up inside him, as if he had been stuffed into an oil painting with an odd style.

Several plain-colored mage robes were hanging on the wall. He grabbed one and put it on, his mind racing as he dressed.

Who am I? Where am I?

Medivh muttered to himself, and the answer to the first question was immediately clear.

"My name is Medivh, I am Aegwynn's son, I am the Guardian of the Sky World, I am a powerful mage—very powerful."

He stretched out his hand, and the powerful magical energy within him rapidly condensed, forming a ball of Arcane light in his palm. This feeling gave him a faint sense of excitement.

The second question was quickly answered as well—I'm in Karazhan, a magical tower located on the continent Azeroth Karazhan, inhabited by humans, dwarves, Azeroth elves!

More and more information surfaced in his mind, but this information did not calm Medivh down. He always felt that this memory was very stiff, as if someone had forced it into his brain. He vaguely felt that there were some particularly important things related to his current situation, but he could not remember them no matter what he did.

(Could it be because I've been subjected to mental magic?) But he immediately dismissed the idea. As Guardian, the most powerful mage in the world, how could he possibly be controlled without his knowledge?

Lost in thought, Medivh walked to the window. Outside Karazhan, a lush forest stretched out, exceptionally beautiful in the sunlight. Birds chirped, and a faint fragrance of flowers wafted through the air. A stream flowed nearby, its clear sound clearly audible. Medivh gazed at the scenery, lost in thought. The view was both familiar and strange, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with a strange emotion. When he came to his senses, he realized that tears were streaming down his face.

"It's good to be alive," Medivh suddenly blurted out, a statement that even he found strange. He rushed out of the mage tower and onto the lush green grass outside.

As the excitement gradually subsided, Medivh began to feel that something was off about the world, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Suddenly, several people came into his sight in the distance: three men and one woman. Leading them was a Warrior, followed by a hunter, a mage, and a female elf Priest wearing a golden Priest's robe.

It appeared to be a team of adventurers; the moment the word "adventurers" appeared, Medivh almost immediately had relevant information in his mind.

In my memory, adventurers seemed to be a very strange kind of creature.

Medivh didn't intend to be seen, so he immediately used an Invisibility to hide.

Soon, the adventurers arrived near Medivh.

"Damn it, what kind of place is this? We can't see any monsters at all," the lead Warrior complained.

"Who knows? Maybe we should ask the GM to teleport us out of here. This game is still in testing, and there are practically no guides online," the mage said.

"Does this game have a GM?" the elven Priest asked skeptically. "Wasn't it said that this game runs completely autonomously and the game company doesn't have any control over it?"

"Ha, you're too naive. How could there be a completely autonomous game in this world? Game companies always have to control it. There must be GMs in this game. Anyway, just ask a GM, and everything will be clear."

The group walked away, talking as they went.

Medivh emerged from his stealth state, revealing himself. "A GM? So finding the GM will reveal the whole truth? But I wonder what kind of being the GM really is." He muttered to himself, a decision already firmly made in his heart.

I need to find out what happened, I need to find the GM!

PS: Recently, some readers have been worried that this book is nearing its end. There's absolutely no need to worry. What's almost finished is only the first major plot. This book will have three major plots, which means that the book is only about one-third complete at the moment.