As expected, Lince's guess was correct.
The government really had been holding something big in reserve.
At seven in the morning, just after Lince had stayed up all night binge-watching Player videos, it happened.
Suddenly, a flood of push notifications from various apps appeared on his phone.
Of course, Lince wasn't the only one. At the same time, various television programs also began broadcasting the "big news."
The push notifications on Lince's phone were so numerous he could hardly keep up.
[The Human Alliance True Game Countermeasures Bureau has been officially established.]
[The Human Alliance emphasizes that it will unite with full force to respond, regardless of whether an advanced alien civilization or higher-dimensional beings are behind the game.]
[Official Announcement: Players are free to choose whether to join the Countermeasures Bureau, but are strongly warned not to become slaves to Power and commit irrational, illegal acts.]
[...]
Lince stared blankly at the messages, his mind reeling.
Then, he unconsciously clicked on one of the links, which took him to an official video.
The video was of a press conference, and a spokesperson Lince had never seen before appeared at the podium.
"Members of the press, viewers watching from home, good morning."
"You may not be familiar with me, so allow me to give a brief self-introduction."
"My name is Che Shaohua, I am forty-two years old, and I currently serve as the public spokesperson for the Human Alliance's Eastern Continent branch of the True Game Countermeasures Bureau."
"This press conference is to announce the establishment of the Eastern Continent's Countermeasures Bureau, and also to provide a brief explanation regarding the True Game."
"However, before that, let's have our friends in the press and our viewers at home watch a video."
"And to those lucky Players who have qualified for the True Game, I offer a piece of advice: do not lose yourselves to Power and commit lawless acts. Now, please turn your attention to the main screen."
As the camera pulled back, a series of scenes began to play.
Every single one of these clips showed live footage of Players using the Power granted by the game to commit crimes.
The clips showed incidents from both the Eastern and Western Continents. But without exception, these rogue Players were all immediately either apprehended or killed!
Naturally, the scene that caught Lince's attention the most was one from the Eastern Continent.
In the footage, a young man, for whatever crazy reason, had stormed into a nightclub and killed many people.
And the result?
He naturally drew the attention of personnel from the official Countermeasures Bureau.
The agent, dressed in casual clothes, simply pointed a finger at the frenzied young man and let out a soft cry.
The next moment, the young man who had just been on a rampage was sent flying as if struck by an Air Cannon. His chest caved in, and he was knocked unconscious, severely wounded in an instant.
This shocking scene left even Lince stunned.
'So, did the government already recruit Players today? Or was it just a coincidence that some government personnel registered for the game?'
Lince figured that was probably the case.
After all, the first round of testing had one hundred thousand Player slots.
Even with only a little over thirty thousand Players surviving, the odds that someone within the Human Alliance's official ranks had qualified weren't small.
What's more, government officials have family and relatives. The probability that someone connected to them would qualify was actually quite high.
'It's not as if the game would screen out and prevent people with official status or government backgrounds from playing.'
At the same time, this also confirmed a few things. In the video released by the government, the counterattacks against most of the criminals involved firearms.
Of course, this was just Lince's speculation, so he quietly kept watching to see what the Countermeasures Bureau spokesperson would say next.
"Having seen this, I'm sure everyone understands. The Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau will adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward criminal elements among the Players. We also possess the Power to suppress any criminal wielding Extraordinary Power, so I urge the general public not to panic."
"As for the specifics of the True Game, the Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau is investigating it with all available resources. However, due to confidentiality protocols, there is much I am not at liberty to say. But there is one point I need to make clear: the Human Alliance absolutely has the Power to confront this unregistered network intrusion, whether it was launched by an advanced alien civilization or a higher-dimensional being."
"Furthermore, the True Game Countermeasures Bureau is making a public appeal for all Players who possess a 'Character Card' to join the Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau. We ask you to contribute your Power to the stability of Blue Star, to the Human Alliance, and to the Bureau itself."
"At the same time, the Human Alliance's regional Countermeasures Bureaus across all continents jointly declare that we will not pressure or coerce Players into joining. Nor will we conduct background checks on those who have qualified for the game. We want all Players to rest assured."
"Additionally, the Countermeasures Bureau stresses that Players should be highly mindful of their personal safety and potential risks when engaging with this game. We also caution all citizens hoping to snatch a spot in the so-called 'next round' to not become fixated on the promise of obtaining Extraordinary Power. After all, the game still presents too many unknowns and safety hazards."
"Alright, that concludes my statement. We will now open the floor to questions from the press."
"..."
The news of the government officially stepping in was nothing short of a massive bombshell.
This bombshell left countless people dumbfounded. They thought they were dreaming, or had even transmigrated to another world!
The True Game? A game character's Power feeding back into reality?
Is this something that can actually happen in real life?
Lince had now finished watching the entire address.
He summarized the government's announcement and speech into three main points.
One: To project an image of fairness and transparency, the Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau probably won't openly investigate or screen Players. But that's just what they'll do on the surface. It's hard to say what they'll be doing in secret.
Two: The Human Alliance is openly and actively recruiting Players. This indirectly shows that the government is actually very anxious about the existence of the True Game. That's why they had to rush out an announcement to reassure the public.
This kind of announcement probably wouldn't reassure many people. After all, it was basically an admission to the public that the Human Alliance knew very little about the situation and didn't even have it under control.
Furthermore, because this event completely upends the public's perception of reality, it's bound to cause significant social unrest and debate in the beginning.
A half-baked announcement like this might seem useless, but it was better than staying silent. The True Game's flashy video stunt had put the government on the back foot, making it difficult for them not to issue some kind of explanation.
But, even so, it wasn't a total loss for the Human Alliance, since they could use this as an opportunity to recruit Players openly.
Three: The Human Alliance will set up 'Player' recruitment stations online and in cities and districts worldwide. They will make centralized arrangements for applicants and provide decent salaries and benefits. Later, they might even grant official government positions to Players with high Potential and assign Wisdom Brain Groups to help them with the game.
All in all, the current situation wasn't too bad for Lince.
As for joining the official Countermeasures Bureau?
Lince had no intention of doing so, at least for now. He wanted to wait and see whether the Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau was just making empty promises to the Players, and how the game itself would develop.
'Let the other show-offs and posers scout the path first. As for me, I'll just focus on playing the game for now.'
And just like that, after watching the official announcement and reading some discussions, it was already eight in the morning.
So, without hesitation, Lince turned his computer back on, ready to start his daily gaming session.