"I understand," Qing Yue nodded.
She truly had nothing to worry about. Even though their time together was limited each day, Xing Yuan would always report to her, sometimes even preparing small surprises for her. How could she possibly blame her?
Yet, she could do so little for Xing Yuan, which only filled her heart with more guilt.
She remembered once when she had voiced her true feelings, Xing Yuan had smiled gently and hugged her.
"As long as my sister stays by my side, she's already giving me a gift! And it's quite tiring for my sister to come see me every day. If only I could go to my sister, then she wouldn't have to work so hard." At the end of her words, the girl's eyes seemed to hold a trace of worry.
Despite doing nothing, she felt like she was the most important person in someone else's eyes. This feeling made Qing Yue's heart tremble.
Although she still felt a strange sense of guilt afterward, she no longer felt inferior. She believed that she was equally outstanding in her own areas of expertise.
Therefore, she had to work hard to extend her online time.
Through his efforts, Nan Changji had successfully gathered a significant amount of evidence against Nan Fu, some of which even pertained to the game.
He had always wondered why the game had suddenly encountered so many issues. He had initially thought his father had been deceived by someone, but he never imagined that Nan Fu would use living people as NPCs to make the game more realistic.
This information wasn't discovered by him directly; Yin She revealed it when seeking his cooperation.
Although Yin She was just an ordinary doctor, his father specialized in human brain consciousness and was said to have achieved considerable success in this field. Therefore, Yin She's words should carry some weight.
However, Nan Changji raised an eyebrow and calmly asked, "Do you have proof?"
"Of course, I do. I've already reported this matter to the dean. But given its gravity, I can't solely rely on them. That's why I've come to ask for Young Master Nan's assistance," Yin She said politely.
His influence was limited, and he wasn't sure if the authorities would take it seriously. Nan Changji was the most capable person he could think of to help him.
Nan Changji chuckled, a glint of darkness flashing in his eyes. "If Mr. Yin is willing to cooperate with me, then this young master will certainly not disappoint you."
"To be frank, with what I have, he deserves to die many times over. However, he is my father, and I cannot be too ruthless. How about this? I will provide you with some information. As long as you help me send him to prison, I can consider cooperating on the game matter."
Nan Changji had thought it through clearly. Although the game could bring him immense profits, its threat was always present. Rather than being forced to shut down the game eventually, it was better to do a favor now and perhaps open doors for future cooperation.
While Yin She was busy finding a lawyer to file a lawsuit, Nan Changji proactively informed the authorities about the game, stating with conviction that they could send professional personnel to conduct an inspection.
On the day Yin She successfully won his case, the government also confirmed that Nan Changji's claims were true.
Some NPCs in the first holographic game that had taken the nation by storm were actually real people, and some of them were suspected of being aware that they were not game characters.
This forced them to convene an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.
"Although these individuals are in a vegetative state, it's not impossible for them to wake up. We can't just ignore this!" the Minister of National Defense stated righteously.
"That's right. And it's no longer a question of whether we should intervene, but that we must."
"According to the game company, some NPCs have developed self-awareness, leading to data anomalies in certain areas of the game, which could even affect players within. My suggestion is to immediately take the game offline and find a way to restore these individuals' consciousness to their original bodies."
"That makes sense. What if these players spend too much time in the game and also lose themselves? After all, this is the world's first holographic game, and no one knows what the outcome might be. We cannot bear that responsibility."
...
After a tense discussion, everyone unanimously decided: the game would be temporarily taken offline.
Fearing that delays might lead to unforeseen complications, the government directly ordered the game company to forcibly take the game offline, disconnect the game pods from the game, and transport the core data to research institutes overnight for the experts to study.
All online players were forcibly ejected from the game, lying in their game pods in a daze, unsure of the current time.
The game's official Weibo account exploded!
[What's going on? I haven't reached my daily online time yet! Why was I logged out? @Game Company.]
[Me too. I finally reached the final level, and suddenly I was logged out. Damn it, I have to start over (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ).]
[You guys think that's bad? I finally managed to raise her affection to eighty, and she was about to accept my proposal. Now it's all gone.]
[Rage][Game company, come out and take your punishment]
These trending topics instantly occupied several hot search lists. Under these circumstances, the game company was forced to issue an official response.
[Due to some internal data issues within the game, and for the safety of our players, the game will be temporarily taken offline. It will be relisted after the game data is restored. Please wait patiently, dear players.]
[No, don't be so official! Give us a definite date, when exactly?]
[Let me tell you, my biggest strength is my lack of patience. Hurry up and restore the game. I get restless if I don't log in for a few days.]
...
No matter what the netizens said, the game company remained unyielding, adopting a non-responsive stance.
Seeing that the phone lines were all busy, Qing Yue directly took a taxi to the company.
Why was this so sudden? There hadn't been any prior notice. They had always said it couldn't be taken offline.
"Sister Qin, what's going on?" Qing Yue asked anxiously.
Qin Anqian's expression was calm. Since receiving the news, several groups of people had arrived at the company. Although she wasn't entirely clear about the inside story, she knew that the situation seemed to have escalated beyond their control.
"Don't worry about it. To prevent further deterioration, the company will be closed for a while. We're all on leave and will resume work when we receive further notice."
Qing Yue understood Qin Anqian's implication. Had the higher-ups discovered the situation?
"Sister Qin, can you give me a hint? I'm not feeling very reassured," Qing Yue said nervously.
Her newly found girlfriend couldn't just disappear like this!
Qin Anqian glanced at Qing Yue, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Why are you asking so many questions? It's not our responsibility anyway. They probably heard a report and are here to investigate or something. It's nothing major."
"However, President Nan is likely in trouble this time. I wonder who will end up with the company in the end." She sighed softly, her expression returning to a state of calm.