Just then, Ji Canghai spoke up, “Cheap woman! This was all your idea! You incited me to do these things! Officers, you must see clearly! I’m innocent! This whore seduced and coerced me!”
“Comrade Police, please investigate this carefully…” Han Yanyan became anxious upon hearing this. She immediately walked over and kicked Ji Canghai in the mouth, “Damn it! Don’t slander me, okay? Comrade Police! I’m a law-abiding tourist from City B! This man is my online friend, but… but he raped me last night… Boohoo… He even threatened me not to tell anyone and brought me to the internet café to transfer his gear… He’s an utterly despicable scoundrel, Officer, you must stand up for me!” By the end of her outburst, Han Yanyan was crying pitifully, her act more convincing than anyone else’s. Su Yao watched amusingly as this pair of scoundrels once again played out a scene where each looked out for themselves in times of crisis.
“Stop crying, let’s go to the station to give your statement first,” Mosquito said, shaking off Han Yanyan’s hand. A police car pulled up, and over a hundred people, including Ji Canghai and Han Yanyan, were taken in for questioning. Su Yao and Wang Shenmu also gave their statements. When they came out, the sun was shining brightly, and Su Yao’s mood was equally bright. The online promoters were found involved in a large-scale online fraud case and were to be strictly interrogated. Ji Canghai’s influential family background raised questions about his potential conviction. Han Yanyan’s accusation of rape against Ji Canghai, lacking evidence, would likely come to nothing. “For the time being, these two won’t dare to act recklessly. Rest assured, Sister Yao, we’ll make sure they get their lesson,” Mosquito told Su Yao.
Time passed quickly, and as Mosquito predicted, only the online promoter team was convicted of fraud. Ji Canghai and Han Yanyan were eventually released without further ado. Back in the game, Ji Canghai seemed to harbor a grudge, becoming more arrogant.
The people of Chang Sheng Island, when they ventured out to sea to fish or mine, would be destroyed by Xia Country’s fleet if they crossed their national boundaries. If they couldn’t be destroyed, they’d hire people to spam chat channels with insults. In the past, one could stroll into Tianya City without a care, but now, economic interdependence between land and sea meant that without trade and exchange between nations, development was impossible. However, Ji Canghai didn’t want development anymore; he wanted to eradicate his enemies completely. This caused unrest on Chang Sheng Island, leaving Chen Wang with no choice but to close off the island and build ships, hoping that once the ultimate Poseidon Ship was completed, they could reclaim their pride on the seas.
In the summer of the following year, the first ever Poseidon Ship, more majestic than an aircraft carrier, was launched from Chang Sheng Island. Its cargo capacity, weight limit, durability, speed, and potential slots far surpassed ordinary ships. In Chen Wang’s words, it was the difference between man and god.
Due to her dedication, her performance soared, and she was soon promoted from a secretary to an assistant manager. One day, her manager called her over, handing her a file, “Here’s the material. There’s a big IT conference in City S in a couple of days, and all the big names will be there. The boss doesn’t have time, so we’re going to broaden our horizons and gain some experience. Let’s aim to launch two new projects this year.” Su Yao nodded, “Alright, I’ll get ready.”
Back at her desk, a large poster for the summer expansion “Age of Navigation” of “Human World” was displayed. Su Yao now worked for a rising game company, not yet matching the behemoth that was Human World Company, but they were ambitious. Every move by Human World became a benchmark for them to study and surpass. Su Yao, as an experienced player, had sharp insights, which was why her superiors valued her. She anticipated that upon returning from this business trip, her boss would get promoted to head the new project, leaving her position vacant for her. A meteoric rise, a life envied by many—if he wanted this for her, then she would live it. Even when Chen Wang angrily called, “Why does that bastard get the ‘Mermaid’s Tear’? Argh!!!” Su Yao calmly consoled him, “Data is just data; your skill is your true strength.”
If your skill can’t beat the data, then there’s nothing worth staying for in this game. Worst case scenario, he has the Mermaid’s Tear, but don’t you have the Grass Mud Horse Bell? Why act like a gentleman when facing the shameless?” Chen Wang was both frustrated and aggrieved, “It’s not that I don’t use it, but the bell is in Xiao Ding’s mailbox, and he refuses to retrieve or use it. Damn it, Chang Sheng Island is constantly under siege by Xia Country’s fleet. If this goes on, I’ll go mad.” “Haha, you’re the boss, you figure it out,” Su Yao said, hanging up the phone.
“Mermaid’s Tear” was the divine artifact hidden deep within the Southern Sea’s ancient temple. With the underground artifact destroyed and the heavenly one missing, Han Yanyan was determined to get the last one from the South. After kicking Ji Canghai in T City, she hooked her finger, and Old Chen obediently took her to bed again. One had to admit, this girl was indeed a temptress. It’s unknown what means she used to bewitch Old Chen, but she obtained the location of the ancient temple the day before the summer expansion was released.
Due to the premature release of Western divine artifacts disrupting the data, the expansion pack that is now being released has been changed to a new sea map, the long-awaited “Age of Navigation” chapter that Chen Wang and his group have been looking forward to. In this chapter of the game, they, as the overlords of the sea, have a natural advantage. All the new instances are set on the sea; ordinary players cannot venture into the deep sea and must hire ships made by Chang Sheng Island. They easily get lost at sea, so they must hire guides from Chang Sheng Island. They cannot resupply at sea, so they must buy expensive food and herbs sold by Chang Sheng Island. Although there are many wealthy players in the game, the majority are still ordinary players. This is why countries like Yan and Xia, despite their large populations, not only do not suffer from being dragged down but also see their wealth continuously increase. The majority of ordinary players contribute a hefty amount to the national treasury through daily transaction taxes.
After all, it’s just a virtual world; strip away the glamorous facade, and all that’s left are the monotonous strings of 0s and 1s. You have a pile, I have a pile; there’s no strong or weak, no beauty or ugliness. Once the power goes out, no one recognizes anyone. The deeper one delves into this industry, the more one understands what lies beneath the glamorous surface. Su Yao didn’t know what Wang Shenmu was thinking at the time, but she grew increasingly desperate. A world without Death, really, where is it still the human world?
Later, Su Yao could hardly remember how Chen Wang complained to her. They had exhausted the energy of the Sea God Ship, found the temple at sea, only to be beaten by Han Yan Yan, who appeared from nowhere. A small war erupted outside the underwater temple ruins. It’s called a small war because Chen Wang and his group had almost no ability to fight back; they were instantly killed by Princess Liuli in one encounter, without even seeing what move she used! However, during the live event of the Western divine artifacts, the champion’s death and elimination showed people the state of the competitive scene after the departure of THANATOS, Su Yao, and the LZS trio, which was quite pitiful.