Chapter 183

Chapter 183

With the hacker's answer in hand, Ark began to prepare for her journey to the external world.

The rapid spread of the wasteland made it imperative to minimize the damage to this world and prevent any unforeseen events that might occur among the players during this time. She had to pick up the pace.

Additionally, there was a significant time difference between the external and internal worlds. If she could successfully reach the external world, she had to account for the time she would spend there.

Otherwise, if she delayed too long in the external world, it would be meaningless as the internal world would have reached its end.

Returning to the Nightfall Headquarters, Ark went to the Experimental Level to find the Doctor.

In a laboratory at the end of the Experimental Level, Ark could see two brand new stasis pods placed side by side as soon as she entered.

Seeing her arrive, the Doctor raised his chin slightly. "The equipment you requested, check it."

Ark approached and took a brief look, confirming that these two stasis pods were in working order.

"What do you need this thing for?" the Doctor asked.

"To save the world," Ark joked.

The Doctor gave her a speechless look. If it was something she was responsible for bringing, he wasn't interested in probing further.

The day after leaving the Tower, Ark had the Doctor arrange for two stasis pods as part of her preparations for the upcoming mission.

If successful, she would have at least ensured the normal functioning of her body during the time she controlled it.

The time difference between the two worlds had never been precisely calculated, so Ark didn't know how long it might take – it could be as short as a few days or as long as ten days to half a month.

During this period, she needed trustworthy individuals to ensure the safety of both herself and the hacker.

After the Doctor left, she contacted Fang Xunjian, Leiche, and Li Baizhi, asking them to come to the laboratory.

The three of them arrived quickly upon receiving the message. Especially Fang Xunjian, who seemed to have anticipated this; he was at her side almost the moment after she sent the message, without any significant delay.

"Sister."

The young man's gaze first fell on her, then swept over the stasis pods arranged on the side, emotions difficult to discern in his dark eyes.

"You're here so quickly?" Ark held a communicator in her hand, browsing some information currently available on the Paradiso Network.

Fang Xunjian walked over to her. "I had a feeling you'd call me."

Ark gave him a glance. "Wait for Li Baizhi and the others."

After a while, Leiche and Li Baizhi also rushed over. They had been busy emptying the Central Arsenal these past few days, and they had already found a suitable warehouse. They were prepared to take action today.

Leiche was the first to ask, "Is there something going on?"

Ark projected the data she had obtained from the Tower into the air. "Unless something unexpected happens, this world is about to be destroyed."

Leiche: "?"

Leiche rubbed his forehead, made a pausing gesture, and said with a headache, "Wait a moment, let me digest this news."

Li Baizhi, on the other hand, was looking at the data projected by Ark with a serious expression that gradually turned into shock. "This is..."

The data compiled from Central was straightforward and easy to understand, even for those who weren't directly involved.

"I know you've been paying attention to those strange 'members' these days, and there must be a lot of questions," Ark said, looking at Leiche, whose expression had become more guarded.

In recent days, with Ark's request for surveillance on those players, Leiche and the others had vaguely guessed some parts of the truth. Especially after the game settings became ineffective, the original player setting of "not being able to tell NPCs anything related to the game" also became invalid.

In a sense, it also indicates that the Governor is determined to destroy this world. In his eyes, since they have to destroy the current world for a reboot, things will return to normal after the chaotic restart.

With so many unusual occurrences and Leiche's sharp perception, coupled with his intelligence monitoring network, piecing together the truth from recent events shouldn't be too difficult.

"I thought you wouldn't tell us," his tone carried a hint of reproach, "Why the change of heart?"

"Whether my sister wants to tell you or not is her choice," Fang Xunjian coldly interrupted his building emotions.

Leiche: "..."

Ark squeezed Fang Xunjian's hand and said, "I need you to protect me and ensure the operation of Nightfall in the coming days."

This was the first time Ark had asked them for "protection," and from her words, Leiche could sense the danger in her intentions. He wiped the lax expression off his face and furrowed his brows.

Fang Xunjian looked down at her as if he wanted to say something to stop her but ultimately said, "I will protect my sister."

Li Baizhi didn't have as comprehensive information as Leiche, but she would do her best to follow Ark's orders.

"Sister, when will it start?"

"Today."

……

External world, gaming forums.

[Topic: ... Have you seen the latest three-sided perspective on Ark?]

Main Post: As the topic suggests, I'm somewhat at a loss for words. Is this real? Is it a storyline deliberately designed by the game's official...? Or... Well, it just feels so strange.

1st Comment: What's going on? Is there finally a new perspective on Ark?

2nd Comment: A new perspective on our Ark treasures? I'm heading there right away!

3rd Comment: It's mind-blowing! I share the same reaction as the OP. I'm completely clueless now...

4th Comment: Does anyone have friends nearby who got hold of a gaming capsule?! Go confirm their status, and we'll know if it's real or not.

5th Comment: How could it be real? Isn't the game's storyline controlled by the official developers? What benefit do they get from releasing this kind of self-incriminating storyline?

6th Comment: I just registered for the new gaming capsule quota... I almost received it as soon as I got approved. I was thinking of trying it out later, but now I don't dare to enter.

7th Comment: The plot from this perspective release doesn't seem to connect with the main storyline at all. Is this some kind of Easter egg they're playing on us?

8th Comment: If it weren't for me checking the date and realizing it's not April Fools' Day, I wouldn't believe it. Anyway, I don't think this is part of the main storyline. Those players are discussing the game right in front of Ark. What kind of dark humor is this? An NPC awakening showdown?

9th Comment: Eerie. After watching it, all I can say is that it's eerie. Is this game going to crash in the end?

10th Comment: Has anyone reported this to the relevant authorities? Regardless, I think it's necessary to investigate this company.

11th Comment: My head feels a bit overwhelmed... But that last scene from Ark's perspective was quite unsettling.

12th Comment: The storyline progression seems quite distant from here. Can someone tell me what exactly happened?

13L Responds to 14L: Through Ark's perspective, we can see that the players who entered the game through the gaming capsules have truly become a part of the main storyline. Now, they are trapped in the game and can't get out.

Then someone uploaded a video.

In the final scene from Ark's three-sided perspective, she raises her gaze towards the screen in the latest timeline, as if breaking the fourth wall, warning those players who haven't entered the game yet.

34L: ...I've broken into a cold sweat, my heart feels numb.

35L: NPC awakening?

36L: Thinking about the feedback from people who experienced the gaming capsules before, it was all about an unbelievable "sense of reality"...

37L: What does the person above mean? Are they trying to say that the game world is a real alternate world?

38L: This is getting a bit too unbelievable.

……

57L: Ah, the game server has been shut down. Can any of you still get into the game?

56L: No, we can't get in anymore.

……

[Topic: Friends who have obtained gaming capsules but haven't entered the game yet! Don't go in! Don't go in!!]

Main Post: First of all, I want to clarify that I don't play this game. However, a roommate of mine got a spot in the gaming capsule a few days ago. After seeing the latest discussions here, I and another roommate went to check on his status.

What we can confirm is that the external emergency escape settings of the gaming capsule have no response at all. Since it's connected to the brain, we dare not take any rash actions. We have already reported it to the authorities and are awaiting their response.

It is currently uncertain whether the gaming capsules have malfunctioned or if Initium Corporation intentionally caused this. The gaming capsule room is definitely unsafe. Those who haven't entered, please refrain from doing so!

1L: The first voice has spoken... Is this for real? Is it just an isolated case?

2L: I think I'll wait for the results of this situation before deciding whether to go in. Life is more important.

3L: Upstairs, it's not an isolated case. Currently, everyone who entered the gaming capsules can't exit normally. Check other communication platforms; this matter is trending, and relevant authorities must be investigating Initium Corporation. We should get results in half a day.

4L: I'm stunned by this development...

5L: Initium Corporation distributed ten thousand gaming capsules today... How many people are stuck inside?

6L: This is getting creepy.

……

On the other side.

Right after Ark released her perspective, Jiang Initium immediately used means to temporarily halt the game's servers. However, many people had already seen it, and discussions spread like wildfire in a short time. Along with that came investigations from relevant authorities.

Inside the room where he initially woke up, the calm-faced Jiang Initium was surrounded by constantly popping notifications on his connected communicator. He showed no concern about the police coming.

Xi Hai'an couldn't help but say, "How did she manage to affect the outside world and transmit specific perspectives' storylines to the central server..."

So, they were caught off guard, and their already tight schedule was once again compressed.

Right at that moment, Jiang Initium suddenly said—

"Transfer my data in, I want to go back into the game again."