“As long as there are sufficient benefits and a happy ending for all, I believe they would be willing to sit down and have a good talk with me.”
The servers of “Voyage through the Void” returned to normal as soon as Pang Kirates transformed into a small golden dragon. Players could freely log in and out without being stuck in the game.
But at that moment, who would want to log out?
Players who had been crying and cursing the game company for the server issues at the worst possible time, when the dragon was rampaging, now completely disregarded the idea of logging out to save themselves. They were determined to record the scene of the mecha fighting against the players of the cultivation world, insisting on using the video and screenshot functions. After all, such a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle was something they probably would never encounter again.
This was an unconventional mecha. It released various energy weapons far beyond modern technology while employing moves like calling down heavenly thunder, causing the ground to collapse, setting players on fire, and illuminating everything with Buddha’s light. It was a perfect fusion of ancient cultivation and modern mecha.
Players like Soaring Up To 90,000 Li weren’t truly incapable of overcoming this mecha; everyone was just stunned. Nobody expected a NPC that was supposedly deleted from the game to suddenly reappear after upgrading and changing skins, let alone to bring out a mecha to support a certain guild.
The world had gone mad.
Players, mentally devastated, were slaughtered by Feng Lianzhu as easily as one would chop vegetables. They didn’t even bother to resurrect, lying on the ground in existential crisis.
The spectacle was so grand that some high-level players and streamers were live broadcasting it, attracting so many viewers that the website’s servers nearly crashed.
[Based on my years of experience playing space battle games, this mecha’s level of detail and special effects production far surpasses the current best galaxy cannon.]
[Ah, the best sci-fi movie technology I’ve seen doesn’t compare to this, look at the details on that mecha, the seamless switch from battleship to mecha, even the metallic luster on its shell is so luxurious, it’s beautiful.]
[Is “Voyage through the Void” company planning to enter the space battle arena? Are they seizing this opportunity for a marketing push? If true, they’ve won. If the company really releases a space battle game, I’d definitely play it.]
[Are you sure the new space battle game won’t suddenly feature Nรผwa creating humans? The moment a western dragon appeared in this eastern cultivation game, I knew this game company was unorthodox, and my guess was right.]
[Look at the expression in Soaring Up To 90,000 Li’s eyes, vacant and numb, as if he’s lost interest in life. That’s a heavy blow.]
[Sword Pointing to the Sky has made a move, he’s actually fighting the mecha with cold weapons, oh my, respect to you, man!]
[I don’t care how the god-level players decide to battle, I’m just waiting for the game company’s official explanation, what kind of server backend error occurred to cause so many bugs.]
[Thinking it’s a bug at this point is too naive. I’m betting on an alien invasion, though these aliens seem a bit off in the head, choosing to invade a game of all things!]
[Extra, extra, “Voyage through the Void” officially announces a delay in their IPO, not a game bug explanation. Has their company been targeted by rivals, causing all these issues recently? In just two months, they’ve had three maintenance shutdowns, each update introducing even crazier features. If it’s an AI awakening, that would be truly unfortunate.]
[If it’s either AI awakening or an alien invasion, the national security agencies should be getting involved by now. I can’t just sit here watching the livestream; I need to log into the game immediately. This might be the game company’s last operation, and they might go bankrupt soon.]
[Bankruptcy is unlikely. “Voyage through the Void” is currently the top-ranked holographic online game. Just the technology alone could sell for a lot. Now they can market two themes: ancient style and space battle. Plus, if it really is an alien invasion, and the national government steps in to shut down the game, there should be compensation. If it’s AI awakening, that’s even more profitable. Copying and selling Feng Lianzhu’s data to different countries could make a fortune.]
[An online game dealing with alien invasions and international high-tech? I think the game company just overdid it, accidentally mixing a Gundam into a cultivation game. It’s not a matter of politics. Just watch, the game will be taken down for maintenance again soon, and they’ll announce a space battle game before long. As for the company going bankrupt, that’s out of the question. Look at Weibo, #GundamVsTheThreePureOnes is already trending. Many who’ve never played “Voyage through the Void” are registering for an account. The game company’s advertisement has worked wonders.]
As this netizen predicted, “Voyage through the Void” became famous overnight. Forums, social media, and chat groups were all discussing it, making this ancient-style cultivation holographic online game famous through a mecha.
Initially, players were confused, and those who were killed by Soaring Up To 90,000 Li and others were angry. But as more and more new accounts came to the main city to watch, players’ attitudes gradually changed.
Who cares what crazy thing the game company is up to? Such grand scenes are rare. Dying and dropping a level is nothing compared to getting a photo with the action.
Over time, it became clear that the mecha didn’t attack indiscriminately. If you didn’t show aggressive intentions or draw weapons, it wouldn’t target you. Energy is limited, after all. So, many daring players went to take photos with the mecha, even boldly touching its shell. The game company made it quite realistic, with materials never seen in reality, and the barrel still warm from firing lasers, which was fun.
Sword Pointing to the Sky even challenged the mecha with his flying sword, not to defeat a boss but just to experience the thrill of slashing at a Gundam, which was too much fun.
Aside from those killed by the mecha, the rest of the players were more enthusiastic than ever. Some said it was a publicity stunt by the game company, while others thought this gameplay wasn’t bad. Why not open a void map in “Voyage through the Void”? The idea of ancient immortals battling aliens after breaking through the void seemed quite exciting.
Some lore enthusiasts began posting on game forums, linking ancient myths with the origins of the universe and quantum physics to explain cultivation scientifically, attracting many viewers.
The golden dragon that took over the main city and sparked all the chaos naturally gained many fans. Sharp-eyed players sorted out the evolution from Feng Lianzhu to Yuan Cun Feng, Tyrant Dragon, Tyrant Dragon Yuan Cun Feng, Golden Tyrant Dragon, to Feng Lianzhu & Golden Tyrant Dragon, and even wrote fan fiction featuring selfcest between the AI’s original and darkened personalities!
The game company wanted to immediately shut down the game when the servers were restored, but the online player count was too high, and the sudden closure would have resulted in significant losses. Moreover, the direction of public opinion was constantly changing. Instead of stopping the game, it made more sense to try and manage the narrative.
Thus, the game company hired numerous ghostwriters and online influencers to create fan fiction stories, ranging from the love-hate relationship between Soaring Up To 90,000 Li and Sword Pointing to the Sky, to the unspeakable tales between Feng Lianzhu and the golden dragon. Most of the popular stories were commissioned by the game company.
As for the trending topics on Weibo, the game company decided not to spend money to suppress them. Instead, they employed influencers to spread rumors about the company potentially entering the space battle genre, aiming to divert the players’ attention.
The public relations department worked actively to steer the direction of public opinion, while the technical team was frantically searching for bugs. They didn’t believe in the theories of AI awakening or alien invasions. It had to be a glitch or a rival company’s hacker attack. They believed in science!
The guild battle event thus began amidst great fanfare and ended just as noisily. Seeing that players were no longer attacking him but merely coming for selfies, Feng Lianzhu, after accommodating their requests, withdrew the mecha and entered the Phoenix Arrival guild hall.
After the guild battle, aside from guild members and invited players, no one else could enter. After landing in the hall, Feng Lianzhu finally found peace.
ใA new side quest has been issued: Properly resolve the series of events triggered by the mecha. Upon resolution, host Feng Lianzhu and Pang Kirates will gain countless fan points.ใ
“Fan points?” Feng Lianzhu was puzzled.
ใYou’ve made it onto the trending topics, gaining quite a few fans overnight. Normally, these support points could be converted into points. However, due to the disturbance you’ve caused being too large, they cannot be converted into points for now.ใ
Points were valuable, especially to someone like Feng Lianzhu, whose dragon companion saw points as trivial. He wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
In fact, when deciding to use the mecha to stand up for the members of Phoenix Arrival, Feng Lianzhu already had a solution in mind. Unlike the level 30 boss who could only call down lightning on himself, Feng Lianzhu had been learning about history and politics with Teacher Green Dragon, discovering that the history of the entire interstellar era was like a military strategy book, which greatly expanded his knowledge when studied alongside politics.
The members of Phoenix Arrival gathered around Feng Lianzhu, marveling at the little chubby dragon in his arms. They were dazzled by Feng Lianzhu’s charm and moved to tears by the adorable sleeping dragon, feeling extremely fortunate to be part of Phoenix Arrival.
“Uh… I’ll just call you Feng Lianzhu,” said the guild leader, Phoenix Among Birds, speaking for everyone, “Are you really an awakened AI?”
“Of course not,” Feng Lianzhu, with a “forced smile,” said gently, “I’m actually a hacker who infiltrated the game company’s backend. The mecha from before was also my design.”
“Is that so,” Phoenix Among Birds sounded somewhat disappointed upon learning Feng Lianzhu was backed by a person, then asked, “And the little golden dragon?”
“He’s called Pang Kirates, my most cherished dragon.” Feng Lianzhu didn’t answer directly but spoke in a deliberately vague manner.
The members of Phoenix Arrival instinctively felt disappointed that the small golden dragon was just a game character designed by Feng, the hacker, yet they were also somewhat pleased.
“So, what do you plan to do next?” Phoenix Among Birds asked with concern.
“Next?” Feng Lianzhu looked around at everyone and said, “How about you help me contact the game’s GM? I have a deal I’d like to discuss with them.”
“Contact the GM? Won’t they just send you to the police? After all, what you’ve done has seriously violated the cybersecurity law…” Tu Qinyuanhua expressed his concerns.
Feng Lianzhu smiled lightly and said, “Whether to take me to court is up to the victim. As long as there are enough benefits and a happy ending for all, I believe they would be willing to sit down and have a good talk with me.”
Author’s Note:
Fat Dragon: Sleeping in A’Zhu’s arms is so comfortable, don’t want to wake up, continue sleeping, roar~
–
There’s only one update today, love you all, muah, see you tomorrow at 6 PM~