In Virtual Reality 103 ☆ The Hydrangea Park (27/33)

"How could the dead come back to life? And if they did, would they still be the same as before?"

"What are you talking about?" Murphy's official customer service voice over the phone was nonchalant. "It's just a game, after all."

Indeed, to you, it was just a game.

For the folks on the gaming forum, Wang Jin Long and the others were mere game data, tools to entertain players and rake in profits.

Had it not been for the telltale signs preceding this moment, she might have been duped into becoming one of them. But thankfully, a glimmer of good news amidst the chaos remained—no one suspected that Excelsior and Xu Jin Yi were one and the same.

In essence, to the players, Excelsior was just like them, while Xu Jin Yi was a potential background NPC who might pop up in some future game.

With this realization, her overheated brain found a moment of respite. She held her phone close to her ear, her lips pursed and her brow knitted in concentration.

"Asking me to let Wang Jin Long off the hook so easily? That's not very likely."

And there was one more crucial point.

"You create NPCs like him just to stoke conflict among players, don't you? If you released the data, then naturally, you should bear the responsibility if the data packet is compromised."

Did they have control over Wang Jin Long as an 'NPC'?

"Well, that," their response became evasive. "Is also necessary promotion for the upcoming game."

She had hit the bullseye, and she was sure of it. Her shoulders relaxed as they failed to retract the so-called 'NPC data packet,' indicating that, while they observed the person 'Wang Jin Long,' they couldn't forcibly alter his actions.

Looking at it from this angle...

Was Wang Jin Long just a mere game data? Was this world nothing more than the gaming environment she had speculated it to be?

Perhaps there was something deeper at play here.

Given that Murphy's official customer service couldn't compel Wang Jin Long's removal, there was no need for her to maintain courtesy either.

"I simply cannot bring myself to erase a data packet; it's morally questionable," she quipped, her smile possibly carrying a hint of sarcasm as she directed her words toward someone. "However, consider this: both the players currently immersed in this world and the viewers engrossed in our live stream have formed profound emotional bonds with this NPC. At this crucial juncture, amid soaring popularity, do you truly wish for me to terminate the game?"

Silence hung heavy on the other end of the phone, not a single utterance escaping the line. She surmised that they had muted their conversation, embroiled in a fervent discussion.

Whether Wang Jin Long was a loathsome cluster of data or an actual person, he had the capacity to arouse intense frustration. She, too, didn't see herself as a paragon of justice; she had to feign indifference and offer a smiling facade while everyone had conspired against her.

Even if the other party asserted that Wang Jin Long's continued existence could potentially resurrect Officer Ye Cheng Jing, it remained a mere possibility.

This was her reality, whether it took the form of a game or not. Officer Ye Cheng Jing's death was a stark, unalterable fact.

They couldn't even compel Wang Jin Long to exit the game. So, what authority did the Murphy Corporation have to promise a complete reset, bringing the deceased back to life?

The "Spirit Shenanigans" spawned by the gaming world manifested as undeniable truths in this realm. This encompassed not only Ye Cheng Jing's death but also the vanishing of all those who had plunged into the abyss of the "Murphy Playground" alongside him.

Resurrection after death—an oft-used trope in anime, games, and novels—was now something she needed to approach with caution and contemplation. Naturally, she wouldn't pass up any "opportunity" that held the potential to breathe life back into her companions. Nevertheless, she had to remain vigilant, ensuring that she extracted maximum advantages from this conversation.

"You have a point," the other side replied, this time adopting a more courteous and deferential tone. "But the data entity must not be killed before the official release of our game. However, in light of the players' grievances, we are willing to make a concession—let him persist until the game's conclusion, at the very least."

The customer service representative awaited a response, but none was forthcoming. Anxiety crept over them. Their dealings with other game network partners had never been this challenging. Who exactly was this Excelsior individual? They weren't willing to compromise, and they had swiftly pinpointed a vulnerability in their brief exchange. Would they ultimately agree?

Time drifted by, and the customer service representative's mood grew increasingly somber, an eerie tension in the air. Then, out of nowhere, a light chuckle pierced the silence.

"Alright," Excelsior's voice possessed a magnetic quality, an allure that defied explanation. "That's not a problem."

Only after those words hung in the air did the customer service representative breathe a sigh of relief, beads of cold sweat glistening on their forehead.

"However," Excelsior continued, "since I've made a concession, there should be some form of compensation, shouldn't there?"

The customer service representative swallowed hard. "Please, go ahead and tell us."

"You're the official entity," Excelsior's tone turned casual, "so you must be privy to the insider information about GameNet's big event next year, right?"

The customer service representative hesitated, the weight of confidentiality pressing upon them. "I apologize, but we can't reveal highly confidential details..."

Excelsior's demeanor remained relaxed. "No need to make a fuss. Can I at least know the event's name? Just a subtle hint, that's all I'm asking for."

**

Xu Jin Yi's fingers trembled as she hung up the phone call. She stole a glance at her right hand—slender, fair, deceptively delicate. Yet with this hand, she could do crazy things she desired.

Sliding the VR goggles back on, she surveyed the landscape. A sudden gust of wind blurred past her, leaving behind a path of smoke, her vision momentarily shrouded.

"Excelsior?" A voice from behind, oddly familiar, heralded the arrival of a breathless group.

Leading the pack was 【Opponent's Attorney, Please Interrogate】, still wearing the fish-head skin and its colossal noggin. He gasped, "You're finally here!"

"A marathon reunion, perhaps?" Xu Jin Yi quipped, a playful chuckle escaping her lips.

The small girl with beast-like ears blushed, her eyes darting. "No, not a marathon. We're here to take down Wang Jin Long!"

An uncanny resemblance to Wang Jin Long struck Fox Snap, but the eerie feeling vanished as Excelsior began to speak.

"Oh? You found him?" Madam Stargazer sighed in relief, trying to maintain her composure. "Wasn't that your doing?"

A gruff male voice chimed in from the female knight, fingers furiously tapping on the keyboard. "I almost lost it when I realized these trees were NPCs. Suddenly, voices started blaring through my headphones."

Amidst the banter, Xu Jin Yi inquired, "Who was that speedster just now?"

"Lone Wolf over there," Old Attorney replied, giving his fish head a pat. "And Asmodeus on his back. Tell me, did you plan Asmodeus's hacking too?"

Xu Jin Yi blinked in surprise. "Do you take me for the God of Calculations?"

Old Attorney shot her a stern look, fully aware of the rarity of obtaining a clear answer from Excelsior.

"Our reaction times have slowed down considerably since our return to the game," he continued, his gaze locked on Excelsior, scrutinizing every subtle change in her demeanor. "Your doing, I presume? Why did you deactivate your power before the game's end? You could have won if you'd persisted, right?"

Xu Jin Yi shook her head. "This game means nothing to me."

She had already achieved her objective.

"Is that so?" Old Attorney shrugged, indifferent to her decision. "Want to join us?"

"I'll pass," Xu Jin Yi replied with a smile. "Have fun."

And so, the four of them embarked on the chase, hot on the trail of the Lone Wolf.

Xu Jin Yi was left alone in the same place.

In truth, they lacked the killing tool needed to take down Wang Jin Long. Their weaponry could, at best, inflict minor harm, far from enough to bring him down.

Her hand instinctively reached for the reassuring weight of the dagger hidden in her pocket.

Undeterred, she steeled herself to move forward, her next destination being the Nine Springs Laundry Chain's site, where the ominous vestiges of her tasks still lingered.

**

Wang Jin Long's legs dragged beneath him, as if they'd turned to solid stone. Each step felt like an uphill battle, a clumsy stumble, and the scraping of his knees against the unforgiving ground.

He whispered to himself, his breath shaky, "Almost there... so close!"

The park's imposing main gate loomed just ahead, tantalizingly within reach. If he could maintain this sluggish pace, perhaps he might escape—or at least find refuge until this sinister game concluded.

His gaze shifted skyward to the moon, an eerie orb hanging in the night, its surface marred by the tiniest imperfection. Fear gnawed at him, yet he refused to let it show.

Pressing forward, he could feel the weight of his phone in his pocket—a lifeline of sorts, even in this Spirit Shenanigans realm. While it seemed futile to reach the outside world from this bizarre place, a glimmer of hope remained. He had surreptitiously planted a bug on Zhang Rou Rou earlier, and it had persevered, a tantalizing beacon of connectivity. Wang Jin Long's fingers caressed his phone, contemplating its potential.

He hadn't embarked on this eerie journey alone, accompanied by Cao Wei Min and Zhang Rou Rou, who had parked their car just beyond the park's entrance, awaiting his phone call. Cao Wei Min had ventured into the park earlier without incident, leading Wang Jin Long to a chilling realization—the ominous invitation had been intended solely for him.

Despite the unsettling turn of events, he clung to the belief that his two companions remained outside the park. He deftly manipulated his phone's interface, summoning the courage to dial Cao Wei Min's number.

The seconds ticked by, tense and oppressive, while the call flickered to life on his screen. In the midst of the eerie silence, Wang Jin Long's heart soared briefly, a fragile hope taking root—

"Snip, snap!"

An iron gardening shear, chillingly close to his eyeball, disrupted his world. The phone he clutched met a gruesome fate, severed in two, its shattered black screen plummeting to the ground.

Wang Jin Long stood paralyzed, his neck stiff, unable to lift his gaze. Before him stood a ghost gardener, one eye missing, bearing a menacing grin and wielding a massive pair of garden shears, dripping with malice.

——— Translator's Notes ———

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