Bab 1715: -1696- The impossible crime
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A moment of silence filled Rozen's room.
Rozen held his phone, sitting on the edge of his bed, silent because of Kikuoka Seijirou's words.
Kikuoka Seijirou also fell into silence.
After a while...
"Hey, Aoka-kun," Kikuoka Seijirou asked, "Is it possible to kill someone in a game and have their body in the real world die along with them?"
There was only one answer to this question.
"No," Rozen responded decisively. "If it were in the past, maybe. But now, you should know better than I do that it's impossible."
That was the reality.
After the SAO and ALO incidents, the government became intensely focused on full-dive technology and VR games, implementing numerous measures to ensure public safety.
For instance, all first-generation NerveGears were recalled and destroyed. The AmuSphere underwent countless inspections and optimizations until it was deemed absolutely safe before being allowed for sale, eliminating any possibility of accidents.
Even Rozen no longer used the NerveGear and instead relied on the latest AmuSphere for full-dive.
Additionally, as required by the government, the development of the AmuSphere included safety mechanisms and limiters, making it incapable of producing electronic signals above a fixed amplitude to avoid harming players.
For example, while real-world incidents have occurred where individuals died of extreme fright or because highly stimulating visual content influenced brain nerves and hormone secretion (such as adrenaline), leading to physical consequences, the government thoroughly prevented such occurrences.
The AmuSphere was equipped with safety mechanisms and limiters that would forcibly suppress and block such incidents, ensuring player safety.
If Nobuyuki Sugo had used the current full-dive equipment to log in, he likely wouldn't have died, as the safety mechanisms and limiters would have activated during excessive pain to forcefully disconnect the player.
In conclusion, it is almost impossible in this day and age to manipulate in-game methods to affect the real world.
Even Rozen couldn't kill a real-world opponent within a virtual world.
After all, Rozen had no magical abilities in games. Apart from his Mind's Eye, he couldn't use any mystical powers.
Under these conditions, if Rozen couldn't accomplish such a feat, he didn't believe anyone else could either.
However...
"Then how do you explain Death Gun?"
Kikuoka Seijirou posed the fundamental question.
The player named Death Gun had killed people in the game, causing their deaths in the real world.
"Even if it were a coincidence, isn't it too much for it to happen twice in a row?"
Kikuoka Seijirou's statement resonated with what Rozen was already thinking.
Rozen also doubted such a coincidence could occur twice.
However...
"If you're really that concerned, just contact the operators of GGO and have them analyze the records. You'll quickly find out who Death Gun is, right?"
Rozen suggested.
As the game's operator, they could investigate Death Gun's login data, use the IP address to consult the internet provider, and determine his real name and address.
At that point, Kikuoka Seijirou could approach the issue from the real world, arrest the individual, and interrogate him.
Unfortunately...
"Are you pretending not to know, or do you genuinely not get it?"
Kikuoka Seijirou's tone turned exasperated.
"GGO's developer and operator, Zaskar, set their servers in the United States. Moreover, they haven't disclosed their location, phone numbers, or email addresses. Unless I'm mistaken, they're likely an underground foreign enterprise. As the owner of the World Seed, you receive 50% of the profits from VR games each month. You must have received significant payments from GGO, which charges a high monthly connection fee of 3,000 yen and generates immense profits. There's no way you wouldn't know about their operational details."
It was a fact.
While the World Seed was managed by the government, which collected royalties and game profits from various companies, the remaining revenue was transferred to Rozen's account after taxes. By now, his account held an astronomical fortune.
This fortune was so vast that even the government itself was tempted. If others learned about it, trouble was inevitable.
If not for the fact that the technologies Rozen had traded with the government were still under research and continued to astonish them, many high-ranking officials would have made a move to seize the money by now.
Was it any wonder Kikuoka Seijirou felt exasperated at Rozen's claim of ignorance regarding GGO?
But Rozen rolled his eyes.
"I just collect the money. I don't concern myself with anything else. How could I know specific details about GGO?" Rozen replied dismissively. "So, you're telling me that you're completely stuck on Death Gun, right?"
"...Well, you could put it that way," Kikuoka Seijirou admitted begrudgingly.
Rozen chuckled.
"Did you call me hoping I'd log into the game, interact with that Death Gun, and uncover the truth?"
Rozen smiled knowingly.
"As expected of Aoka-kun, you figured out my intention immediately."
Kikuoka Seijirou's tone turned ingratiating.
To this...
"Sorry, no time. Find someone else."
With that, Rozen prepared to hang up.
"Wait, Aoka-kun!" Kikuoka Seijirou hastily interrupted. "That Death Gun only targets high-level players, particularly those who appear on MMO Stream's' Weekly Champions. Given the risk involved, I can't send just anyone. You're the only one I can think of who can approach him and still ensure their safety!"
"Is that so?" Rozen replied nonchalantly. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"I... I'll pay you for it!"
Kikuoka Seijirou pleaded.
"I don't need money."
Rozen rejected him coldly.
"Then... at least listen to Death Gun's voice recording! During the first incident, a player recorded an audio file. I'll send it to you. Just lis—"
Before he could finish, the call ended.
Rozen had hung up, yawning.
"If it's just gathering intel, I can help you look into it. After all, I do it when I need to."
But to capture a criminal?
Rozen had no time for that.
Unless Kikuoka Seijirou offered something truly compelling in exchange, Rozen had no intention of making a move.
Money?
Rozen neither lacked it nor needed it.
With Kikuoka Seijirou, Rozen wanted to maintain nothing more than a transactional relationship.
As for everything else...
"Just forget about it."
With that, Rozen left his room to wash up and eat.
Unbeknownst to him, a file had already been sent to his phone—and even to his computer.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone