Everyone burst into laughter.
Nan Bei had clearly exaggerated her exploits in the game world. Most of these people were friendly to her, and she didn't pay mind to the few who were indifferent.
After introductions, Nan Bei got down to business.
"Miss Jiang, are you looking for Song Yan? He's just a character in the game, he doesn't have a real name, so it might be difficult."
"His name is Chong Yan, the 'Chong' from 'repeat' and the 'Yan' from 'generate'."
"Chong Yan!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
Zhuo Ran looked over. "You know him?"
Everyone turned to the person who had spoken. It was a man in his thirties, stout, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, and resembling a small mountain.
"If you were ten years older, everyone would know him."
Chong Yan's fame had once been nearly household-wide. No one in the field of full-immersion technology research didn't know him. However, over the years, the wealthy district had deliberately suppressed tales of him, and people had gradually forgotten.
The胖子 (fatty) introduced him, saying solemnly, "At the time, everyone thought he was dead. To think he's in the game. It seems those people feared his existence and wanted to erase his consciousness within the game, but who is Chong Yan..."
How could they defeat him so easily?
"He's that amazing!"
"He was the one who created the game back then?"
"Of course not. In fact, he wanted to use this technology to benefit humanity, but the technology was stolen, and he was… Miss Jiang, what is your relationship with him?"
"Lovers, beloved."
The胖子 looked puzzled. "I've never heard of him dating anyone before. How did you two meet?"
Nan Bei's face broke into a puzzled smile.
Never heard of it? Did they really meet in the game?
"We met in the game."
Everyone: "..."
Nan Bei, who had followed them into the game, was probably the most speechless.
"You two actually dated in the game!" a young woman named Zhan Ying exclaimed incredulously. "Don't NPCs in there only think about killing? How could one fall in love with you?"
Zhuo Ran replied with utmost seriousness, "I'm good-looking."
They were at a loss for words.
"Just kidding. You don't need to know why he and I are together. What I want to know is, how can I find him and bring him out?"
Nan Bei's expression immediately turned serious. "Actually, I don't know either."
Zhuo Ran's previously smiling face instantly became as cold as ice. If she had intended to kill, in those few seconds, Nan Bei would have been tortured to death by her gaze and his soul scattered.
"However, I have a few hypotheses, and I hope Miss Jiang can help us verify them."
"What are they?"
Nan Bei glanced in the distance. "Jiang Feng's body is here, and his consciousness is in that game. Therefore, I believe Chong Yan's body should also be outside. We need to find his body, then find his consciousness in the game, and merge the two to save him."
"Then where is his body?"
Consciousness... or rather, soul. That little guy is amazing; without a body, he could make this world collapse with just his soul.
"We'll have to search for it, but someone must know."
Zhuo Ran asked directly, "When do we leave?"
Nan Bei was momentarily surprised, then replied with a smile, "We can leave now."
A few minutes later, six people, including them, got into a car.
"They want to control Chong Yan's consciousness to erase others' consciousness in the game. The place I can think of is the Sweet Sugar Research Institute. We can find a way to infiltrate it, and then Miss Jiang can go look for him, as you should be the only one who knows him."
"I know him too," the胖子 said with a laugh. "He's very distinctive. Anyone who has met him once will never forget him."
Zhuo Ran shot him a look as sharp as a blade. The胖子 shivered. "I admire him, I truly admire him. Miss Jiang, please don't misunderstand."
They interspersed a few jokes, but mostly they were assigning tasks: how to infiltrate? What to do once inside? How to handle being discovered...
Although it was a spontaneous decision, Nan Bei quickly devised a complete plan, concluding, "If we can't escape in the end, you can use me as a hostage. They wouldn't dare kill me."
"Brother!" Nan Xi called out displeased.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you," Zhuo Ran also said. Before Nan Bei could feel touched, he heard her speak emotionlessly, "After all, I still need you to help me find someone in the game."
"Then thank you, Miss Jiang."
No matter what methods she used in the game, he had personally witnessed her collapsing the game world with her bare hands. He believed this person.
A young man named Huang Mou, while cleaning his gun barrel, said, "Don't overthink it. They wouldn't dare kill you, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't kill us. If you're caught, it's a dead end, and none of us will escape."