Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1147: Changes in the Situation

Chapter 1147: Chapter 1147: Changes in the Situation

Gu Yu didn’t want to cause trouble here, "It’s the New Year, I’m too lazy to argue with them, and if something breaks, I’d have to pay for it."

Xu Huo wasn’t planning to start a fight either, for the warning just now had been delivered and with the players’ hearing, they could hear what he said.

The three of them entered the private room; the first thing greeting him was a barely noticeable snort, no need to say who it came from, Xu Huo looked towards Zheng Liang, who was sitting in the corner with his arm in a plaster, and politely asked, "Are you hurt?"

"Thanks for your concern." It seemed someone had preciously informed him, so he was also quite polite.

Then Gu Yu introduced the other two core members to Xu Huo, "Dan Feng, Yang Qianxi, they both just advanced to Level D, just like little Wen."

Xu Huo shook hands with them, Wen Xuelin said beside him, "Brother Xu, we are all your fans; everyone knows what you’ve done. Did you go to Country Y after the Black Rain incident last time?"

"Rumors say that the safety zone just established in Country Y collapsed like tofu-dregs, it’s really delightful, let’s see if they dare to stretch their hands that far again!"

"Brother Xu, please tell us about it, it must have been thrilling and exciting!"

"Actually, it’s nothing much, just caught them by surprise." Xu Huo said, "Country Y temporarily doesn’t have effective means to detain players, so getting in and out isn’t difficult."

But Wen Xuelin’s eyes sparkled, "It’s not as simple as you’re making it sound. After you left, others followed in your footsteps to Country Y, but they failed to stir trouble and were instead captured, leading our country to figure out a rescue... You’re too humble. If it were me, I’d definitely make a video or even do a live broadcast, it’s a pity not to record such a massive event!"

"There will be opportunities in the future." Xu Huo said.

"You might not know since you just returned, apart from text versions of dungeon guides, video versions of walkthroughs are also very popular now." Gu Yu changed the subject, "Some skilled players, under permissible conditions, start recording the process when entering dungeons, and if they succeed, they sell the footage. However, these videos haven’t gone through verified standardization for walkthroughs, sometimes even if they succeed, they might not understand why, and thus the prices aren’t as high as those leaked by the Special Defense Department."

"Many players have made money from this." Wen Xuelin pulled out a leaderboard and put it in front of Xu Huo, "Brother Xu, look, these are quite famous ones."

Xu Huo briefly scanned it, next to the player’s nicknames were tags such as "Solo Clear," "Cooperative Clear," or "Aggressive Clear."

"Is this the players’ styles?" he asked.

Wen Xuelin nodded repeatedly, "Not every player can obtain high ratings, most actually just scrape by, but scraping through also has its benefits; by the end of the dungeon, most would understand the reasons. Few venture alone; more often, they cooperate with other players entering the dungeon."

"Those who can clear by themselves are usually quite clever, but being in a group also has its advantages; each person might think of a clue that can piece together the whole picture."

"Success in dungeons depends on the individual. Some people have good Characteristics, are good at spotting details, these are advantages in clearing."

"They not only make money by selling videos but also by leading others into dungeons."

"The leading fees for the top players on the leaderboard have soared to millions of White Notes."

Wen Xuelin paused here, "Brother Xu, if you were to lead people through, the price would certainly be higher!"

"That’s true," Zheng Liang, who hadn’t spoken much, then chimed in, "Using other people’s guides to level up is different from leveling up on your own, there’s a difference even among players of the same level."

"But no one can rely on luck all the way to the end, those who survive and successfully level up aren’t far off." Dan Feng said.

Xu Huo agreed.

"But the times really have changed," Yang Qianxi said: "Many players on the leaderboard indiscriminately kill innocents when they enter a dungeon, even the ordinary people in the dungeon venue aren’t spared. After coming out, they bear no responsibility, on the contrary, because of their criminal acts they attract a large number of mindless followers."

This is then a national issue. It’s the irrevocable responsibility of the country to regulate players, and it also has intrinsic advantages. This can be seen from the quick rise of the Special Defense Department.

The Special Defense Department is no longer as weak as it was three months ago, with few Level D players. The resources and guides brought back by elite players have trained a large number of new recruits. Combined with professional teams providing tactical guidance and other ability training for clearing dungeons, even those leveling up with dungeon guides will eventually become the next batch of elite players—under this virtuous cycle, the Special Defense Department will only grow stronger. The only challenge is during this transitional period before widening the gap.

But this transitional period won’t last too long, it all depends on the quick actions of Minister Fan and Nie Xuan. If they can strike against those troublemakers swiftly and powerfully, the situation will gradually become clearer, unless a particularly strong player or organization emerges among the civilian players, or there is a significant external shock.

"Sometimes I wonder, what exactly are players doing this for," Gu Yu said while swirling his drink, "It’s said to protect themselves and their families, which sounds about right, but if the overall environment is like this, what can a few players like us do? Anytime I step outside, I might come back to find something has changed at home."

Unlike Xu Huo, most players’ families don’t have safe zones to go to, even the safe zones urgently constructed by the government are only opened to the public during major disasters.

The state and the Special Defense Department provide some sense of security to the people, but not much.

This leads players to experience a certain sense of alienation after delving deep into the game; one from the self-aggrandizement due to powerful abilities, and the other from doubled fear when facing situations even their evolved selves cannot resist.

For example, those players who "release their true selves" in games, it’s hard to say they have any plans for the future, and the external environment doesn’t allow them to stop and think. When these two factors clash, the pressure will be vented outward—this is not a good trend. When people see no hope, they often become insane, and if a group starts to go mad, it would lead to severe and unpredictable consequences.

Players are naturally regulated by the state and the Special Defense Department, while those ordinary people who join in the uproar might someday become victims.

"...Even hiding in remote mountains is not safe enough," Dan Feng touched on the topic of safe hiding places, "Even if you’re self-sufficient in all aspects of life, there’s no predicting the day your dwelling place might turn into a random dungeon, unless you’re like the Special Defense Department, using professional detectors to avoid risks as much as possible."

Gu Yu had a couple of drinks and was a bit dizzy, holding his head and said, "Just thinking about having to enter dungeons immediately after New Year makes me wish to die, when will this end? The Special Defense Department needs to be more effective, quickly get in touch with the Game Government, so we can also have the qualification to pause our player status!"