Earth Online

Xiao Yu returned to his room and continued playing his single-player game.

He remained calm; having weathered so many storms, he was no longer prone to panic.

However, I was somewhat afraid that the two agents would pester him to play alien games; the thought seemed too far-fetched.

However, the two agents seemed to have really given up on bothering him, and he wasn't seen again for the next few days.

On the other hand, his case finally came to a conclusion. It turned out that the two agents from the Heavenly Eye Bureau were right. In just a few days, after a multi-faceted investigation, Xiao Yu's situation was clarified, and there were no unexpected events. Although Shen Yuan kept trying to drag Xiao Yu into the mess, the court still declared Xiao Yu innocent and released him. A week later, Xiao Yu returned to his own house.

Standing in his own mansion, looking at the rooms that were both strange and familiar, Xiao Yu felt a little emotional. He had finally entered the palace, but the process was much more uneventful than he had imagined.

However, he has now achieved considerable success.

I gained both money and fame—though not a very good one.

Xiao Yu plopped down on the sofa, thoroughly enjoying the rare moment of relaxation. The news on TV was reporting the morning's court results: Shen Yuan and Merlin were both sentenced to life imprisonment, seemingly with no chance of ever getting out. Li Mingfei had escaped jail time, but his company had declared bankruptcy. There was no way around it; he was facing far too many economic lawsuits. Thousands upon thousands of VIP players were suing the game, and if he hadn't gone bankrupt, the lawsuits alone would have been a huge burden.

However, this bankruptcy also completely resolved the crisis for him. After all, the game company went bankrupt, and there was nowhere to claim compensation for the money in the game. No matter how much the players who had spent money on the game protested, there was nothing they could do.

The only thing that intrigued Xiao Yu was what would happen to their quantum computers after the game company went bankrupt—would they be repossessed by the bank or sold to other game companies?

Will that world within the quantum computer be completely destroyed and then start anew? If that world is destroyed, will Medivh be able to survive?

Because the Scepter of All Gods already possesses some game access permissions, coupled with the Hourglass of Time, Xiao Yu felt that Medivh still had a chance.

However, he quickly put these questions out of his mind.

For the next two weeks, Xiao Yu lived a very carefree life. Although he still spent every day online, the level of games and virtual spaces he visited was completely different from before.

He indulged in all sorts of virtual world pleasures, enjoying delicious food, beautiful women, beautiful scenery, fine wine, and every kind of entertainment.

However, after a month of enjoying all that, I got tired of it.

For Xiao Yu, who almost became a god, these sensory stimuli always felt a bit lacking.

He almost missed that experience. If he hadn't chosen to protect the players back then, but instead chose to become a god in the Sky World, what would things be like now?

Whenever he thinks about it, he can't help but feel a little nostalgic. Although he might still do the same thing if he had to do it again, it doesn't stop him from indulging in some wishful thinking.

That day, as usual, he found a relaxing virtual world, spent a few hundred points to rent a virtual island, and lay on the beach sunbathing while watching bikini-clad beauties playing and frolicking in the distance.

A beautiful woman was serving him delicious juice and grilled lobster—it was like Heaven! Just as he was enjoying himself, a message popped up.

Xiao Yu glanced at it and saw that it was Li Mingfei. Xiao Yu thought to himself that this was a bit strange. What did this guy want with him? He thought he would never see Li Mingfei again.

Speaking of which, back in the most critical moment, in order to win over Xiao Yu's help, Li Mingfei promised him wealth, honor, and all sorts of compensation. But when the company went bankrupt, those promises naturally couldn't be fulfilled. Xiao Yu didn't pursue the matter; the other party was already unlucky enough, so there was no need to rub salt into his wounds.

Li Mingfei's attitude and feelings towards him were probably a bit complicated. On one hand, Xiao Yu was one of the murderers who destroyed the gods, and on the other hand, he saved the situation at the last moment. So it was really hard to say whether he hated him or respected him. That's why Li Mingfei had never contacted him before. He didn't expect him to send a message today—could it be that he wanted to borrow money?

Xiao Yu thought for a moment, then clicked to accept the call.

"Hey, Li Mingfei? Need something?"

Xiao Yu still remembered the arrogant attitude of Li Mingfei when they first met, but now he didn't need to care about Li Mingfei's attitude at all, and the two of them could chat peacefully.

Li Mingfei, no longer displaying his former arrogance, chuckled and said, "Of course, haha, long time no see. Speaking of which, I haven't thanked you yet. At least you didn't follow Shen Yuan down the same path to the bitter end."

Xiao Yu said, "Don't thank me. I'm actually regretting it. If I had known reality was this boring, I would have helped Shen Yuan back then. He would probably be a god by now, surrounded by a bunch of angel girls every day. That must feel amazing."

Li Mingfei laughed and said, "Haha, you're right. I'm starting to regret it. If I had let Shen Yuan close off the world back then, I'd be a god by now. I wouldn't need to put up with those lawyers anymore. Damn it, my company's gone bankrupt and they're still arguing with me."

Xiao Yu was a little unsure how to respond to Li Mingfei's words. "Alright, stop complaining. You didn't come to me just to talk about this, did you?"

"Of course not," Li Mingfei said. "You might not know, but I'm also starting to prepare to enter the online gaming industry. Of course, this time I'm not making games; I'm going to become a professional gamer."

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "This guy really hasn't given up on his wicked intentions."

"Hey old man, you're over sixty, right? At your age, why are you still playing professional gamers? Is it really necessary to push yourself so hard?"

"Damn, these days you don't have to stay up all night to play games, what does age have to do with it? Don't underestimate me just because I'm old, I'm experienced! I've recently set my sights on a game, and honestly, I think it's even more fun and creative than my Sky World. I wonder if you'd be interested in trying it out with me?"

Xiao Yu felt a surge of curiosity. This guy was a game designer, and had once been a leader in the online gaming industry. What kind of game could he recommend so highly?

"What game?" he asked.

Li Mingfei then said mysteriously, "This game is very similar to one of my previous ideas. The game's name is 'Earth Online'."