The virtual empire starts from the game

Chapter 638 Even if it's not true, it has to be true! (Seeking guaranteed monthly votes!)

When the entire Mansheng City descended into chaos, and streamers from all over the world joined in, fanning the flames and constantly building momentum for this "virtual dream machine war," the nature of the matter changed.

Lu Jiahe, the operations manager of Mansheng Metropolis, and Ke Zhu, the player service manager of Zhumeng Games, submitted reports to Xu Meng one after another.

The reports conveyed roughly the same message:
This matter has a huge impact, and the players' desire for it is too strong.

If we really disappoint so many people, our job will be very difficult.

and so--

Could you please consider not disappointing the players and make sure that this dream machine, which is being fought over by millions, is truly worth fighting for?
Xu Meng was busy analyzing data and didn't have time to chat with them in detail.

But after reading their report, I still couldn't hold back my emotions.

So this is what these players were planning?

"You expect me to fall for such an obvious scheme?" Xu Meng shook her head speechlessly.

"Is it really okay?"

While watching the code flow by in front of her, Xiaomeng would occasionally reach out and capture a section, assisting Xu Meng with her work, and also finding time to chat with Xu Meng about things outside of the code.

—Even the screenshots of her looking at the code and modifying it were made on the spot for Xu Meng to see. In reality, her debugging process was even faster than that!
“A mere million is only one percent of the users of Dream Machine, one-thousandth of all users…” Xu Meng shook her head, “It’s not enough to shake our resolve.”

After saying that, he continued to bury himself in analyzing the data.

His work efficiency, of course, cannot compare to Xiaomeng's.

Xiaomeng can review dozens of gigabytes of data in just one second, but even with Xiaomeng's assistance, Xu Meng would need ten times as much time to do the same thing.

But this matter requires my personal attention; I can't rely entirely on Xiaomeng.

Further down the chain, it would take dozens of the best security officers in the Dream Building Security Department to match the analytical efficiency of Xu Meng alone.

Xu Meng is prepared to spend the next few days, or even weeks, on this matter.

But soon, he received another report from Lu Jiahe and Ke Zhu.

Xiaomeng didn't waste his time and directly told him to save money—

"The number of players participating in the battle for the virtual dream machine has exceeded 1000 million."

Xu Meng: ? ? ?
He stopped what he was doing, unable to quite understand these crazy players.

"You mean, 1000 million people are fighting over a useless piece of virtual hardware?"

Xiao Meng nodded, then shook her head: "They don't know it's useless yet."

"What do you mean?"

“There are so many players, so many, so many people are fighting over it. Ever since someone noticed this dream machine, it has been changing hands constantly. Nobody has had time to start it up, and nobody even knows if the device will work.”

At this point, Xiaomeng again diverted her attention to create three holographic windows for Xu Meng, showcasing the "exciting moments" of this battle—

In the hardware showroom of Dream Building Company, three players, fearing they might accidentally damage the Dream Maker, simultaneously dispelled the Dragon Soul and discarded their firearms.

Wielding swords and knives, they engage in a passionate sword fight in a glass-filled exhibition hall!
The flashing swords reflected on the glass display cases, creating a spectacular scene.

……

Outside the Dream Building, players fighting amidst a hail of bullets suddenly heard the crisp sound of glass shattering.

Looking up, I saw a person carrying a box smash through the glass and jump out of the building.

A hovercar drifted around a bend in the dragon's breath, and the driver kicked open the passenger door, catching the player who was jumping off the building.

Then I floored the gas pedal, turned around, and sped away!
As the vehicle moved forward, all the dragon souls immediately stopped breathing, fearing that the dream-making machine would burn them out.

As the main force broke through the blockade of police cars and chased after the hovercar, a player carrying a backpack quietly jumped out from the second floor behind the Dream Building Company.

Witnessed by players rushing towards them from that direction, they had no choice but to flee.

Then... the third player, carrying the Dream Machine packaging box, appeared on the roof of the Dream Building Company.

With a shrug, it unfurled a pair of dragon wings.

He leaped off the roof and glided away in another direction.

……

In an open-air bath in the style of ancient Rome, players wearing underwear are chatting while soaking in the tub.

A hovercar that had entered a no-fly zone suddenly exploded.

The female player, with low health, screamed "Ahhh!" as she fell from the sky and landed in the bathtub with a "plop".

When I climbed out of the water, I was surrounded by a group of players wearing only shorts.

Their eyes were all fixed on the package on her chest.

This girl remained completely unfazed.

After looking around and confirming that they were all unarmed bathers, he smiled coldly, drew his twin swords, and went into battle!

Blood gushed out of the public bathhouse!
But her enjoyment lasted only a few seconds before she saw the muscular women soaking in the next bathhouse climb over the high wall and join the fray.

The most outrageous one was the one who ran down a vertical wall with both feet, then rushed close by on the water, and performed a feat of disarming a blade with bare hands!

She was therefore disarmed.

Thus began a physical battle between men and women wearing only underwear!

Various grappling techniques, throwing techniques, joint locks, shoulder throws, and even drinking bathwater were performed in turn.

It was truly spectacular!
……

Xu Meng watched it and exclaimed that it was wonderful.

It took them a while to come to their senses: "So... not only do they not know that this dream machine cannot enter a dream a second time, they can't even tell how many dream machines there are in the current Mansheng City, let alone whether the one they are chasing is real or fake?"

“That’s right!” Xiao Meng confirmed his guess.

—She was working while keeping a close eye on the whole spectacle, and she was absolutely certain of that.

Xu Meng thought so too.

If it weren't for so many "fake targets," it wouldn't have been possible to involve so many players.

"Alright... since so many people are really involved..."

Xu Meng looked at the data in front of her.

He and Xiaomeng did gain something from their time working together.

"Adding some excitement to their battle wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Let's think about how we can surprise the players while limiting the impact of this event."

He took some time to help Xiaomeng with this little incident.

……

……

The fact that this incident caused such a big commotion was not entirely spontaneous on the part of the players.

In fact, because Xu Meng is too lazy to hide his true nature, his personality has been thoroughly understood by many players.

They had already guessed that if enough players participated in the competition, even useless items would become useful!
This led to the continuous fanning of the flames, the secret contact with various domestic and international livestreamers, the mobilization of their fans through them, and the use of various smokescreens, both real and fake, which successfully amplified the scale of the incident.

Even the online bounties were posted by these people.

However, while they can fan the flames and amplify the situation, they cannot control the details.

By now, no one knows where the real dream-making machine is or who owns it.

Whether it's still in the midst of a struggle, or has been secretly hidden away and is already in use, nobody knows.

However, Xu Meng easily solved this problem for them.
-
late at night.

A corner on the fourth floor of the [International Library].

The black light flashlight finally found a suitable and discreet socket.

"Big star, big star, come over here!" he whispered to his teammates.

The Primordial Realm walked over with a sullen look on its face, saying as it went, "How many times have I told you? Don't call me a big star!"

His ID is "Primordial Realm," but his friends find it too complicated and just call him "Primordial Realm Appearance." After they called him "Appearance" so often, his closer friends started calling him "Big Star."

He protested repeatedly, but his protests were always ineffective.

"Stop talking nonsense. It's amazing that you can use such a powerful word as 'Primordial' in your ID. I certainly can't pronounce it."

Blacklight waved his hand dismissively, "Before anyone notices, hurry up and try to see if you can really enter the dream a second time. I'll keep watch for you."

The Primordial Realm sighed helplessly: "Do you think your ID is particularly poetic, flashlight?"

Although he was complaining, he was actually quite fast.

He quickly sat down on the floor, carefully turned on the dream machine, connected the wires, and put on the brainwave signal collector.

Unlike the earliest helmet-style brainwave signal collectors, after several iterations, the brainwave signal collectors used in the Dream Machine have been greatly simplified, leaving only two silver-white signal acquisition and transmission strips, one horizontal and one vertical.

Not only are they lightweight and easy to carry, but they are also more comfortable to wear and more aesthetically pleasing overall.

Since its launch, many long-time users of the Dream Machine have placed orders to replace their old-fashioned helmets.

The dream machine of the virtual world, of course, showcases the latest equipment.

Connect to power, connect to the network, and apply the sleep aid patch.

"So, should I start it?"

"Enough with the nonsense, start it up!" Black Light pinned him to the ground and quickly started the equipment.

—Who knows when someone might come looking for us? There's no time for nonsense.
The Primordial Realm closed its eyes and said nothing more.

Blacklight watched nervously as well.

At the World Library, as long as you and your friends don't talk and there's no one else within three meters, you won't be disturbed by other noises.

The entire library fell silent, with only the soft white noise of turning pages and pens sliding across paper.

For a few moments, the black light felt a little dizzy, as if it were about to fall asleep.

After holding back for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Did it work? Are you asleep?"

The big star didn't answer him.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. If this doesn't work, open your eyes now and stop pretending to be asleep to fool me."

The teammate lying on the ground still didn't respond.

"...You didn't really fall asleep, did you?"

"A big star? A big star!"

The black light's hand, which was reaching for his friend's shoulder, stopped. His eyes widened, and his voice was filled with disbelief.

"Really...really good??"

"This doesn't make sense, does it?"

But the Primordial Realm had indeed fallen into a peaceful slumber.

……

Zhang Lingxing woke up from her sleep.

The head, buried between the arms, slowly lifted, and the hazy sleepiness gradually dissipated.

He looked around and realized that he had accidentally fallen asleep in class.

Fortunately, the teacher was writing on the blackboard and didn't notice him.

His deskmate stretched out his slender index finger and gently poked his forearm, asking in a low voice, "What did you do last night? Why are you so sleepy?"

What did you do last night?

The answer quickly came to Zhang Lingxing's mind: he had gone to buy a birthday present for his classmate last night.

It was a very cute plush bear.

The letter he wrote was held in the arms of the little bear.

Unfortunately, the gift was never given out.

His beloved deskmate was hit by a drunk driver when he left the school at noon. By the time he was taken to the hospital, his heart had stopped beating.

He suddenly felt a shiver run through him, grabbed her slender, fair wrist, and said anxiously, "Please don't leave the school at noon, okay?!"

After he said those words, he realized: How did I know about this?
Wait a minute! How did I end up back in high school?
……

After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly realized:
I'm dreaming right now!

In my dream, I went back to high school! Back to before my deskmate's accident!
Zhang Lingxing and the Primordial Realm broke through the fog in just ten seconds, realizing that they were in a dream and successfully reconnecting with their memories before falling asleep.

At this moment, his deskmate, whom he would never forget for many years to come, remained so vivid and endearing.

It even becomes more beautiful because of the filter of dreams.

Her ears turned red, and with his wrist gripping her so tightly it felt like he was holding her by the waist, she froze, too shy to move.

He simply lowered his head and answered in a low voice, almost inaudible:
"OK……"

……

While Zhang Lingxing was making up for his regrets and experiencing another timeline of high school, Hei Guang could only sit next to him in a daze.

Be wary of non-existent enemies.

This calm lasted for 30 minutes.

Thirty minutes later, the dream machine still hadn't reacted, but the official account of Mansheng Metropolis did!

Players still fighting over those fake Dream Machines suddenly saw a [Lost and Found] notice posted by the official account of Mansheng Metropolis.

"Dear residents of the Mansheng Metropolis:"
Good evening, everybody!
This morning, the headquarters building of Zhumeng Games, a model enterprise in our city, was invaded.

Fortunately, the intruders had a clear objective, and the overall losses were manageable.

The loss of a special dream-making machine has severely damaged Mansheng Metropolis's positive business image!

Just half an hour ago, this dream machine was activated on the fourth floor of the World Library.

We sincerely hope that all the good residents of Mansheng City will take action to help us recover the lost items for the Dream Building Game and improve Mansheng City's public image.

After that, every time the device is activated, we will announce the activation location of the device promptly after half an hour, until the device is returned to its rightful owner.

—The Urban Management Council of the Sprawling Metropolis
-
"Has the dream machine been activated?"

"So... this dream machine can really delve deeper into dreams?"

Holy crap! Zhumeng, you're my god!

……

The comments section exploded instantly.

The fighting that had spread throughout the city also stopped instantly.

Everyone rushed toward the Library of Nations at the same time!

This indestructible library, which refuses all destruction, has once again taken center stage!
At the very center of the stage, Black Light Flashlight finished reading the lost and found notice, then looked at the big star who was still sleeping soundly on the floor, and was momentarily bewildered.

"What I meant by keeping watch was to be on alert if anyone was sneaking over."

"It's not about fighting against the entire city!"

Without hesitation, he bent down, grabbed the big star by the collar, and shook him frantically: "Wake up! Wake up!"

Without the powerful hypnotic effect of the eternal sleep clover, Zhang Lingxing was quickly shaken awake by the black light.

Still drowsy from just waking up and lingering tenderness from his dream, he asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Why the rush? Has a world war broken out?"

He was just kidding.

But Blacklight said with a pained expression, "That's right, the world war has begun."

"It's just the two of us against the whole world!"

Outside the window, a dense crowd of players had filled the road, blocking traffic, and a dark mass was rushing towards them!
(End of this chapter)