To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 493: Chapter 291 The Problem with Linhua City_2

Only those wealthy NPCs could stay behind and sit in the private booths, where with wine and meat, they took their time eating.

Sitting in the deserted tavern, Gong Gong looked at the hurried pedestrians and said boredly, “I always feel like the game environment here is pretty unfriendly. Although it’s supposed to be a gourmet game, it seems to have gradually turned into capital gameplay. Newcomers arrive only to end up working for others, with hardly any sense of playing a game. Many people come and go; they just don’t stick around.”

“I feel the same,” the Military Governor nodded, “I looked at the studio’s previous games, and such a situation rarely happened. ‘God of Cookery’ is somewhat unique.”

“I agree.”

“So, do you have any thoughts?”

“I have no idea at all!”

Gong Gong wanted to continue ranting, but then she noticed that the Military Governor and Tai Yin had clammed up, not daring to say another word.

Turning stiffly, she realized that a person had appeared behind her at some point.

The figure also used a player’s avatar, but every move was so effortlessly natural that one glance was enough to tell he was no ordinary person.

Swallowing hard, Gong Gong asked in a low voice, “Boss?”

“Hmm,” Fang Cheng nodded, “I came to check on the situation with Mysterious Mirror, and didn’t expect to bump into you guys. Are you enjoying the game?”

Fang Cheng was simply asking about their experience and, incidentally, wanted to see how his game felt from an Artifact Spirit’s perspective.

But to Gong Gong, it felt entirely different.

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The boss was here to hold them accountable!

We’re done for!

In a flash, Gong Gong’s mind went through an entire sequence from initiation to internment, as if seeing her great-grandma beckoning her from the netherworld.

Though she didn’t have a great-grandma, that didn’t stop her from imagining one with excellence, fantasizing a great-grandma into existence.

The Military Governor was also trembling all over, spilling half of her drink on the table.

Tai Yin had collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth, unable to get up again.

It was only then that Gong Gong realized when someone is truly terrified, they really can’t utter a single word.

Seeing that Gong Gong and the others weren’t speaking, Fang Cheng asked with confusion, “Is the game fun?”

Gong Gong just slumped onto the table, grinding against it as she said, “Boss, we were wrong!”

“Eh? What did you do wrong?” Fang Cheng asked, puzzled.

“Playing games during work hours! I understand this is something human society doesn’t permit, so I know my fault. Please don’t punish me, blame the Military Governor and Tai Yin instead, they led me astray!”

“Gong Gong, you scoundrel! I knew you wouldn’t reform so quickly, you’re still so vile!”

“Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will combine to destroy him! This is the greatest knowledge I’ve learned from humanity!”

“Gong Gong, you deserve to die!”

If the game didn’t lack combat features, Fang Cheng believed they might actually start fighting there and then.

Watching their disgraceful display, Fang Cheng was increasingly sure that a boss really shouldn’t casually interact with employees in private.

Even though Gong Gong was just a temp of a temp worker, seeing herself like this now, she wondered how nervous Xu Qingling and the others would be if they met him privately.

Tapping the table, Fang Cheng said, “It’s fine, my studio does not forbid employees from playing games, and you’re doing alright in your usual work, so there’s no issue.”

“Really!” exclaimed Gong Gong, lifting her head eagerly, “You won’t fire me later for using my right hand when reading comics, will you?”

“…I’m really considering letting you go.”

Gong Gong immediately shut her mouth.

The person before her was a mighty figure whose Angel Envoys could turn the world upside down; a casual act of his could create an Artifact Spirit, and for him, thousands of stars were but toys.

Missing the chance to cling to the legs of such a fearful character would indeed be a lifelong regret.

Gathering close, Gong Gong asked softly and respectfully, “So boss, what would you like us to do?”

“You don’t need to do anything special, just continue playing. There’s nothing seriously wrong with Dustfire, but the situation in Linhua City is a bit peculiar, and I’m a little worried something might go wrong here, so just keep an eye on it and deal with it as you see fit. Just don’t overdo it.”

“Can’t you investigate it yourself, boss?”

“My personal intervention can cause new problems, so I usually don’t interfere here. Why, are you unwilling?”

Gong Gong immediately shouted, “I’ve got no complaints! Boss is First Under Heaven!”

“Exactly, we all believe that you, Boss, are the best! We’ll definitely carry out your orders, Boss!”

“Boss is invincible in battle!”

Watching the three people openly flatter him, Fang Cheng felt that they weren’t very smart.

But he still needed to check on the Mysterious Mirror, so for the time being, he let them continue playing the game. After they finished, they would give him feedback, and he disappeared from the spot to check on the status of the Mysterious Mirror.

Seeing Fang Cheng disappear, Gong Gong finally heaved a sigh of relief and then looked at the others and asked, “What do you think the boss is really here for?”

Military Governor, holding her shoulders, pondered and said, “It’s definitely not that simple; he’s probably here to test us.”

Gong Gong nodded in agreement, “I feel the same. Someone as incredible as Boss must have his own profound ideas. So, what do you think the Boss really means?”

The three of them started to think hard.

Finally, Gong Gong had a stroke of inspiration, slapped the table, and shouted, “I think Boss is here because the players are playing too hard now. Think about it, what kind of game is this?”

“A gourmet game,” Tai Yin said. “You haven’t forgotten what type of game this is, have you?”

“That was a rhetorical question. Learn some rhetorical skills. Anyway, you’re right, it’s a gourmet game, but the players have been exploited so much that they’re starting to play with capital. I’ve seen some players turn this place into a labor simulator, which is just so wrong.”

“So you mean…”

“We need to rescue them, pin down their ailment, and restore normality to this abnormal region!”

Military Governor became interested and moved close to Gong Gong, asking, “So how exactly do we do that?”

“I don’t know, but let’s start by gathering intelligence! Information is always the most important thing, no matter what!”

Military Governor, looking at the excited Gong Gong, felt as though the schemer she knew before had returned.

Although something felt off, Gong Gong was still her superior, and it was proper to go along with her ideas.

So, Military Governor asked doubtfully, “What should we do, then?”

“Go undercover first. Infiltrate every guild from the inside and then see what exactly started all this.”

“But we’re only three people; how will that be enough?” Tai Yin asked, confused.

Gong Gong looked at her helplessly, “Madam, it’s really not satisfying to trick someone with an intellect like yours.”

“So what exactly is it, then?”

“You’ve played the game for too long and forgotten your true identity. Who are we?”

At that moment, Tai Yin finally had a moment of realization.

They were not ordinary people.

They were Artifact Spirits.

The computing capability of the Artifact Spirits’ true forms was incredibly powerful—Gong Gong could even control a massive factory, managing countless devices and electronic Little Bears.

In other words, each of them could create a large number of alts and join other guilds to stay hidden and gather information.

Knowing Gong Gong’s plan, Military Governor hesitated, “Won’t this be a little too sneaky?”

“How can the affairs of the learned be sneaky? Besides, this is just alt spamming; what’s sneaky about that?”

“You have a point. Let’s get to it, then.”

Connecting her factory to the network, Gong Gong went straight to creating accounts, spawning thousands of alts, and began playing.

With their previous experience, they moved exceptionally fast. The thousands of alts quickly left Nanan City, arrived at Linhua City, and began to join different guilds.

As Artifact Spirits, they could work without eating or sleeping and without any wages, toiling daily on guild tasks.

Due to their extreme diligence and long online hours, the guild managers even worried they might drop dead from overwork.

The benefit of continuous work soon became apparent.

Many alts finally worked their way into the middle ranks of the guilds and learned some secrets.

The reason Linhua City had become what it currently was actually had to do with the game pods.