Capítulo 67: A Stunning Spectacle
Trampling footsteps echoed, casting a long shadow, as the guards—who couldn't even move their eyes—became even more frantic.
What's happening? Is this a CG cutscene? Why does it feel different from other games?
Confusion spread not just among the guards, but across the live broadcast room. The players in the game were experiencing everything from a first-person perspective, while the stream captured it all from a third-person view. They could clearly see the unfolding scene around them.
Before the audience had time to comment, a familiar voice broke through.
"Wonder, what should I call you?"
Bai Yi squatted down in front of the night elf, who was dressed only in coarse, ordinary linen clothes, a smile on his face. His tone was gentle, but his words carried a weight that made the moment feel both unsettling and strange.
Wei Lu's mind went blank. He had never imagined that the game would start like this. His thoughts raced, trying to form a response, but he found himself unable to speak.
"Well, you don't seem to be able to speak," Bai Yi mused aloud, pulling him up and letting him lean against the doorframe.
"You're quite fascinating—an outsider, a wonder of the world, someone who could tear the sky apart in prophecy. But from what I see, you're not as powerful as I expected."
Wei Lu's mind whirled. Bai Yi's words gave him far too much information. He couldn't speak, but he was piecing things together.
In the eyes of the NPCs, they were outsiders—beings who had torn through the sky, breaking into their world. It was clear now that the NPCs had been prepared for them, capturing them the moment they arrived.
Wonders—that must be what they called people like him.
He wanted to respond, to seize the opportunity, but the hundreds of negative effects that had been inflicted upon him kept him silent.
Meanwhile, the live broadcast was buzzing. With 50,000 viewers per federation and 15 cities across the three federations, only this location had triggered a special plot. Viewers were frantically discussing whether this was a bug, a hidden event, or an essential part of the storyline.
Bai Yi held up a bottle of dark green liquid. The foul odor wafted through the air as he opened it.
With a smile, he gestured toward the bottle. "Drink this, and you'll be able to speak. But remember—answer everything I ask, or even if you can't be destroyed, you'll remain here forever."
Without waiting for a response, he poured the liquid into Wei Lu's mouth.
As the viscous liquid slid down his throat, Wei Lu felt his head return to full movement, but that was all. At the same time, a prompt flashed on his game panel.
[You have consumed a special filthy potion, temporarily relieving some of your negative effects.]
Desperately, Wei Lu tried to speak. "Dear Mr. White Plague—"
"You know me?" Bai Yi interrupted, raising a finger. Thirty modified worker bees flew out and whirred around him, assembling into a mechanical throne beneath his seated form.
Bai Yi sat down, looking at Wei Lu with an unreadable expression.
Wei Lu's heart skipped a beat. The sudden shift in tone—this mix of sci-fi and medieval setting—was so surreal that it took him a moment to process it.
The chat in the live stream went wild. Comments flooded in: "What's his profession?" "How is he so handsome?" "What the heck is happening?"
Bai Yi glanced at the barrage of comments, seemingly amused. He thought to himself, If only there were more alchemists around, opening two assembly lines wouldn't be out of the question. He chuckled to himself—there was an odd fun in blending the real and the virtual.
Wei Lu swallowed nervously before saying, "Dear Mr. Bai Yi, you're very famous. There's no 'wonder' who doesn't know you."
Bai Yi's eyes narrowed, his tone thoughtful. "So, are there hidden channels between your wonders, allowing you to gather information about the Dawn Federation? Similar to how the internet works?"
Wei Lu froze. The chat exploded with disbelief. The NPC's level of intelligence was completely unexpected.
Thinking of the internet cafes he frequented in his world, Wei Lu couldn't help but remark, "It's... almost like that."
Bai Yi smiled again, his voice calm. "Now that you're conscious, I'm sure you understand what needs to be done. So, can you tell me—what is it that you want?"
For a moment, Wei Lu hesitated, then spoke with a note of uncertainty, "I don't know much. All I know is that I want to integrate into the Federation, to help it however I can."
"Help?" Bai Yi's voice was clipped, a skeptical edge to it. "And how exactly do you plan to help?"
Wei Lu bristled at the tone, feeling a sting of disrespect, but the growing popularity of his live broadcast made him hold back his frustration.
He took a deep breath and, with more composure, explained, "It's a premonition I've had, something I can't quite explain yet."
Just then, a loud bang echoed across the room, followed by maniacal laughter. Wei Lu's eyes widened as he turned toward the source of the noise.
One of the players was laughing manically, his body violently jerking as he repeatedly slammed his head against the ground. The scene was unsettling—his form began to disintegrate into pixels, vanishing from view.
Sabo's shrill voice broke through the tension. "My friends, they call themselves players. They say our world is just a game. They've been accepting missions to kill us, sharing their bank account passwords with us before they disappear like this."
Bai Yi paused, suddenly remembering the brutal realism of this game. Only pain was blocked upon death; everything else—the sensations—were vivid. The experience felt too real.
"What did you do?" Bai Yi asked, exasperated.
Sabo shrugged, his tone casual. "Well, he called me data and said a lot of other things. I wanted to punish him, but they just weren't scared of pain. So, I gave them some itching powder. You know, they had no resistance to it."
Bai Yi shot him a deadpan look. "Really?"
The sudden sound of someone swallowing caught both their attention. Wei Lu's body stiffened, his heart racing. If not for the live stream, he would have quit the game by now.
"I'm a good citizen!" Wei Lu's voice quivered with fear. "I don't curse, I swear!"
Bai Yi raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Look how terrified you are. Don't worry, I'm just trying to understand you better. This is an experiment, after all."
Wei Lu nodded quickly, eager to avoid further distress. He knew he had no choice but to comply.
A task notification popped up on his screen:
Mission: Experiment on White Plague
Mission Type: Special
Description: The player's arrival is considered a spectacle by the NPCs. To ensure the stability of the city, please cooperate with the White Plague experiment.
Rewards: White Plague favorability +10, removal of player curse, skill points +1, gold coins +35, experience points +210.
Failure Penalty: White Plague favorability -10.
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