Initially, Lin Feng thought these absurd events would eventually subside, but he had no idea how to handle things with Xiaoyun, and now this little fox Lan Yu had brazenly inserted herself between him and Xiaoyun, causing chaos. It was all too coincidental! It was clear now that her excuse to find someone last night was not just a case of mistaken building number; the almost-accidental intimacy was definitely not some random encounter due to overwhelming sexual energy. She had indeed planned to approach him! But why? What was her goal?
Last night, after calming down, Lin Feng recalled the scene at Yuban Mountain when he had burst into the bandits’ den. Among the five girls he saved, three were classmates, and only two were strangers. It seemed necessary to ask Zhu Tingting and the others about Lan Yu’s background, to confirm if she was indeed one of the two strangers he saved.
Unexpectedly, before Lin Feng could discuss this with Zhu Tingting and the others, Lan Yu, the charming and cute girl, had already become the center of attention among the girls, including Zhu Tingting. A group of girls surrounded Lan Yu, leaving no room for conversation. By the time Lin Feng found an opportunity to inquire, the information he received was of no value. The three girls claimed headaches and said they couldn’t understand what Lin Feng was talking about, nor could they recall being kidnapped at Yuban Mountain. They had selectively forgotten those events. Lin Feng couldn’t force them to remember such painful memories; that would be too cruel. Thus, he couldn’t determine if their amnesia was influenced by Lan Yu or if they had chosen to forget since escaping danger. After all, such humiliation could haunt a girl for life.
Lan Yu’s arrival was like a stone thrown into water, stirring up ripples on what appeared to be a calm lake, revealing the undercurrents ready to engulf everything. He must find out the whereabouts of Ghost Hand Wuqing!
At the headquarters of Marumi Corporation, in the first conference room, the large screen projected scenes from the opening day of the new virtual world, “Fantasy Realm,” showcasing spectacular battles of unbeatable NPCs and bizarre skirmishes among three players. The highlight was, of course, the dazzling performance by the seductive catwoman at the end, which was replayed in full in the room. Despite the room being filled with people, there was an odd silence, as if everyone present was nothing but well-dressed mannequins.
At the beginning of the meeting, Qin Jian, the president of Marumi Corporation, issued a strict order to everyone present. Qin Jian, in his early forties, had, with his sharp vision and extraordinary business acumen, transformed from a street vendor into a renowned IT mogul with a personal net worth exceeding a hundred billion in just ten years. Marumi’s ten years were indeed a perfect decade! This Marumi Corporation was his creation from scratch! When speaking of his success story, insiders and outsiders alike would give a thumbs up at the mention of Qin Jian’s name. His Marumi was just too perfect, and his career could only be described as legendary. How could a street vendor selling miscellaneous goods and an IT industry giant with a hundred billion in net worth be the same person? This remained an inexplicable paradox.
Qin Jian created Marumi, and Marumi made Qin Jian! This ambitious IT tycoon, after achieving fame, did not slow down his pace. Today’s Marumi is no longer just a gaming agent; under Qin Jian’s passionate leadership, Marumi is extending its capital tentacles into every reachable segment of the industry chain, revealing his ambitions to the world in recent years.
Marumi’s reach has been steadily expanding into adjacent fields. For instance, Marumi has recently fully acquired Emperor Entertainment Media, and it fully sponsors the nationwide anime competition “Rising Stars” that has swept through major universities across the country. For instance, Qin Jian is lonely; at least domestically, his numerous competitors have been left far behind. With core resources in hand, Marumi no longer needs to bow to others or spend a fortune just to secure the operating rights for a game. Unfortunately, those competitors he has left behind, now half a step slower, can only grovel as he once did, spending money and still having to act subservively just to secure the rights to an appealing online game, much like his inhuman experience when he sought to purchase “Fantasy World” in Japan. Qin Jian relishes this sense of transcendence. Had it not been for the maddening experience with those foreigners when he was trying to secure the operating rights for “Fantasy World” in Japan, he wouldn’t have decided to build his own independent kingdom. So in another way, he has to thank that experience. However, today, he isn’t in the mood to be happy. It’s “Fantasy World” again, that game he both loves and hates, which has caused trouble, and Marumi has been targeted by hackers once more! And this time, it seems somewhat difficult to resolve. He was vacationing on a small island in the Pacific when he received the news, and out of necessity, he had to fly back overnight on his private jet. Even though “Fantasy World” is on a downward trend, it remains Marumi’s most profitable project. The only downside is that due to the copyright’s ownership, there’s always an invisible noose around someone else’s neck, with the risk of all efforts going to waste, benefiting others. This feeling of being constrained by others makes Qin Jian very uncomfortable, especially now that Marumi has grown. He no longer wishes to be blackmailed by those vampires. He wants freedom!
According to Qin Jian’s strategy, Marumi is about to launch a large-scale 3D online game “Net Spirit” to replace “Fantasy World.” The new zone “Virtual Sky Fantasy” that Marumi was forced to rush out, appears to be a direct transplant of “Fantasy World” in terms of plot and setting, but its core architecture and game engine are from the new game “Net Spirit” which has been in development for three years. In other words, the hastily launched new server “Virtual Sky Fantasy” wears the skin of “Fantasy World,” but its essence is Marumi’s cherished treasure, “Net Spirit.” But now, because of a mysterious hacker, known as the elusive “Merciless Ghost Hand,” there’s a sign that Marumi’s prized project might go to waste! However, this is known only to a few top executives, so the severity of the issue and its potential negative impact are not widely understood. The inside story about “Net Spirit” is Marumi’s top commercial secret, and Qin Jian does not intend to reveal it just yet. He has many concerns he cannot bring to the table, but the current troubles cannot be ignored either, so he has gathered a group of middle managers today to seek a proper solution. Unless absolutely necessary, he doesn’t want to go back to the pit he just barely climbed out of. What are your thoughts on this incident? After the video ended, Qin Jian broke the silence and spoke first. The impact of this attack is too significant; if not handled well, Marumi could find itself stuck in the mire, particularly since some employees nearly lost their lives in this attack! Forcing the use of a virtual terminal technology that hasn’t passed safety tests is itself a major vulnerability that could be criticized by the industry and regulatory bodies. Since no related game products have been officially released, the actual impact of this technology in this attack isn’t widespread yet, but there are no secrets that can be kept forever. The attack on the game that opened and the incident on the opening day will eventually be uncovered by competitors. Hiding it is not an option.
