Xin Meng actually didn’t plan to approach the other party so directly at the beginning. There was simply no place to hide around; on both sides were fields, and there was only one road leading here.
Anyway, he wasn’t afraid of anything. In the game, there were very few things that could harm him, so he boldly walked over, relying on his skills and courage.
However, he was still taken aback because he discovered that the NPC named Xiao Tong was bound all over, thrown aside like garbage. This was not something a GM would do!
He immediately raised his guard and quickly scanned the other people present. Besides the NPC, there were three men and two women, and the system prompts indicated they were all GMs. Among them, one was…
“Qi Xiaokui?!” Xin Meng was shocked, almost thinking he was seeing things.
The girl who was called raised her head suddenly, and upon seeing Xin Meng, she immediately showed a surprised smile and got up to run over, but was pulled back by Cheng Jiali, who grabbed her wrist.
Xin Meng observed their actions and sensed the unfriendly gazes and attitudes from the others, feeling a heaviness in his heart.
They were not players.
“Qi Xiaokui, who is he?” Wan Xing walked over, looking down at Xin Meng from a high position, scanning him from head to toe. Seeing that he was young and frail, disdain flickered in his eyes, and his tone was not pleasant.
Qi Xiaokui bit her lip, considering her words, “He is my teammate, someone I’ve been through a lot with, and we have a very good relationship. Don’t be fooled by his age; he’s actually very capable. I owe my survival to him.”
To become a GM, although it required luck, it also meant going through hardships. Qi Xiaokui hadn’t shared her experiences with them, but it was likely similar to others. Importantly, she had been in the main god space for a while, and her teammate from the same period was still alive and looking quite well, which was unusual.
There must be something extraordinary about him.
The expressions of the group changed, and even Li Chu, who was sitting in the highest position, jumped down and walked to Qi Xiaokui’s side, whispering, “Qi Xiaokui, ask him if he wants to return to the real world and let him join us.”
Qi Xiaokui nodded, “Then I’ll explain the situation to him.”
Cheng Jiali let go of her hand, and Qi Xiaokui rushed over to Xin Meng, excitedly grabbing his hand, “I finally found you! Where’s You Yi? Why haven’t I seen him?”
Xin Meng, not fully understanding the situation, simply said, “He had something to do and isn’t with me.”
Qi Xiaokui glanced at the others, tightened her grip on Xin Meng’s hand, pulling him a little further away, and whispered, “Xin Meng, don’t say anything for now, just listen to me, and don’t show any other expressions. The situation is a bit complicated. I didn’t return to reality; instead, I went to a place called ‘Main God Space.'”
Xin Meng nodded; he was already aware of this.
“There, I learned that all these game worlds are created by a large computer, and there is no way out. No one can return to the real world! Those chosen can become GMs or technical workers, living in the main god space without needing to clear the games, just maintaining the computer to keep it running normally. But returning to reality is impossible; the cards gave players a false promise, and the end result is a dead end. Everyone who becomes a GM knows this in their hearts.”
Xin Meng murmured, “They’re all GMs…”
Qi Xiaokui didn’t catch the deeper meaning and nodded, “It’s quite fortunate, yet also unfortunate. Knowing this truth is worse than holding onto hope.”
Xin Meng frowned, “What are they trying to do by destroying these worlds? Attack the mainframe?”
“They believe that it’s this computer that has trapped them here. If they destroy it, everyone can return to the real world.”
Xin Meng fell silent, his gaze dark and inscrutable.
Qi Xiaokui sighed, “Actually, many people think the same way, but they lack the courage and have no way to act because no one can find the true main body of the computer. The leader of this group, that Li Chu, was originally a programmer responsible for maintaining the program. While working, he exploited a data loophole to create a weapon. This weapon is very special; it can destroy game data, break through different game worlds, and completely obliterate data streams. For example, if an NPC is killed, that NPC’s data will completely disappear and will not respawn. The more data is destroyed, the more the system will be affected, leading to vulnerabilities. Eventually, it will collapse, and the mainframe will crash. He felt the opportunity had come and gathered some people to break into the game and cause widespread destruction.”
Xin Meng felt heavy-hearted; it turned out the truth was like this. It wasn’t just players running amok, but rather a rebel among the internal staff.
He looked at Qi Xiaokui, his expression complex, “Did you join them too?”
Qi Xiaokui subtly shook her head, “For me, life in the game is better than outside. I have no ties in reality. I just came back to see if I could find you all, and I didn’t expect to be so lucky to run into you right away.”
After saying that, she secretly glanced over there and added in a hushed tone, “I was tricked here by my roommate, that girl named Cheng Jiali. She said she could help me find you, but when I arrived, I realized it was for this.”
Xin Meng felt relieved instead.
Qi Xiaokui was very nervous, focusing on preventing that group from overhearing, not noticing Xin Meng’s expression. She continued, “They want me to persuade you to join, but I think it’s best for you to leave quickly and go to the GMs. Following them is too risky; I have a bad feeling. The game system might not be so easily destroyed, and we don’t know what changes might occur.”
Xin Meng leaned in closer and whispered, “Where’s the weapon?”
Qi Xiaokui said, “The one in the middle wearing glasses is Li Chu, the inventor of the weapon. That weapon is strapped to his waist.”
It looked like a large knife, but it emitted a strange blue light, understated yet magnificent. Xin Meng saw it, but since that thing was created by Li Chu bypassing system checks through loopholes, Xin Meng couldn’t scan it and could only observe it with his naked eyes.
He thought for a moment and suddenly said, “I want to join.”
Qi Xiaokui panicked, “Xin Meng!”
“Listen to me,” Xin Meng looked into her eyes and said word by word, “I want to destroy that weapon.”
Qi Xiaokui was stunned, and after a while, she regained her voice, “…Don’t you want to get out?”
She thought Xin Meng would at least hesitate, after all, becoming a GM meant no longer needing to clear the games, but Xin Meng still had to struggle. Wouldn’t it be a better choice to leave the game with You Yi?
Letting Xin Meng leave was merely out of fear that he would be hunted by the system and GMs. Qi Xiaokui thought Xin Meng must want to leave, so even after realizing she had been deceived, she didn’t look for a chance to escape, wanting to help Xin Meng and the others, since it didn’t matter where she lived.
Unexpectedly, Xin Meng suddenly sneered, revealing a cold indifference that Qi Xiaokui had never seen before—of course, it wasn’t directed at her, but at the four people over there, sarcastically saying, “Get out? There’s no way out. If the mainframe crashes, everyone will die.”
Qi Xiaokui gasped.
“Help me,” Xin Meng looked at his only friend in front of him, his expression softening.
No matter how many questions were in her heart, now was not the time to ask. Qi Xiaokui decided to trust Xin Meng. She nodded, and after briefly communicating the situation, she led Xin Meng towards the “companions.”
“He agreed to join,” Qi Xiaokui said, adding, “But his mission is to save this NPC. Can you let her go so he can complete his mission? After all, hostages are easy to find, and taking her along is just a burden.”
Li Chu and Zhang Qinghe exchanged glances and whispered a few words. Perhaps to show their acceptance, they ultimately agreed. Zhang Qinghe went to untie the ropes binding Xiao Tong. Xiao Tong clumsily got up, took one last look at Xin Meng, and ran away without looking back.
Li Chu adjusted his black-framed glasses, “You don’t need to worry about the mission anymore. Just follow us, and you’ll never have to do missions again.”
Hearing this, Qi Xiaokui suddenly recalled Xin Meng’s cold statement earlier, “Everyone will die,” and she shivered, not daring to think any further.
When a person dies, it’s not just a mission; there’s nothing left to do.
Although he had joined the small team, Xin Meng didn’t gain their trust so quickly. Most of the time, he was still with Qi Xiaokui, while that girl named Cheng Jiali closely followed, seemingly deeply bonded with Qi Xiaokui, but actually serving a monitoring role.
Fortunately, they were all highly skilled in computer technology and had been recruited early by the system. When it came to scheming, they weren’t very adept, and Xin Meng quickly learned a lot of information.
Li Chu had mobilized many people, but in reality, not many followed him. After all, most GMs had risen through rigorous training, becoming top players in various fields. Some, like the talented Dou Dou, thrived in the game and were reluctant to return to an ordinary reality.
Thus, he only found about ten programmers who were also recognized for their technical skills and recruited early. They lacked rich experiences, had simple thoughts, and were easier to deceive, yet their skills were very useful, forming a small team.
Li Chu believed that with the power of the weapon in hand and about ten highly skilled technicians, it should be enough.
In the team, he was the leader, and there was another named Zhang Jingli, who had the best relationship with him. Not only was he smart, but he was also very capable in combat. The two had collaborated to destroy several worlds. Although they hadn’t caused any major trouble for the system yet, they had successfully shown everyone a bright future.
However, when they reached this world, they were finally caught up by the GMs who were fixing bugs. They took hostages and split into two groups. Zhang Jingli led half the people to block the pursuing GMs, while they continued to destroy, killing most of the main NPCs. They planned to regroup later and move on to the next game.
The location where Zhang Jingli was fighting the GMs was precisely the direction You Yi had gone.
