After Mouse_Is_Duck wandered off, a burly man wearing a filthy leather apron and holding a butcher knife watched him go. His silver-grey hair hung loosely over his shoulders, and his gaze was cold.
Only when Mouse disappeared around the corner did the man turn and head back inside.
Time passed. By the Hour of the Bat, most players had returned to their rooms, ready to log off.
Mouse_Is_Duck was no exception, but he logged off for a specific purpose: to call in sick to work.
That's right. The Master Assassin was skipping work to play games.
Earth.
"Hello? Dad... uh, Boss? Yeah, I'm not coming in today. Something came up. Alright, bye."
Xue Huaisu (ID: Mouse_Is_Duck) hung up on his boss—who also happened to be his father.
"What the hell are you doing, you brat?! You graduate, refuse to work, and mess around all day! I finally drag you to the company to learn the ropes, you behave for two days, and now you're pulling this crap again..."
Xue Huaisu calmly hung up the phone mid-rant, tossed it aside, and put the helmet back on.
When Mouse logged back in, the only players still active were FaFo and his uncle, Dawn, who was tirelessly jogging laps around the courtyard in the middle of the night.
After all, most people didn't have a wealthy family or a CEO dad to fall back on.
Although he was online, Mouse didn't leave his room immediately. Instead, he lay on the bed, playing with his dagger, waiting.
Spying wasn't something you did in broad daylight, after all.
Meanwhile, Viserys was also lying on his side in bed. The blue interface floating before him was livestreaming Mouse's perspective.
The probability of "Young Griff" (Aegon) hiding in the kitchen was low, but putting Unsullied guards at a kitchen door was suspicious enough for Viserys to investigate. It was the perfect opportunity to use a player to figure out what the hell was going on in Illyrio's kitchen.
As for whether Illyrio would make a fuss if Mouse got caught, Viserys wasn't worried in the slightest.
To put it bluntly: if Illyrio wanted a Targaryen pawn to draw fire, who else was there besides Viserys and his sister?
Unless Illyrio was ready to throw Young Griff onto the stage right now, Viserys couldn't think of any reason for the Magister to kill him. As for house arrest? Hmph. Am I not already under house arrest?
Cao Cao tolerated Emperor Xian of Han for the sake of legitimacy. If Illyrio wanted to put Young Griff on the throne, surely he could tolerate a useful pawn like Viserys.
---
Earth.
Wang Wu and his three roommates excitedly rushed to their morning class. Of course, they weren't there to absorb knowledge; hiding in the back row to chat was mandatory.
"Hey, have you heard of this 100% realistic full-dive VR game?"
"Yeah, I've heard of the concept. It's a standard trope in old web novels."
"If such a game really existed, would you play it?"
"Definitely. Think about it—technically, you get an extra twelve hours of life every day while you sleep. Who wouldn't want that?"
In the spacious lecture hall, a familiar scene unfolded: the professor lectured on stage, while Wang Wu and Li Peng held their own seminar in the back.
Soon, students scattered across the room began to gather around Wang Wu's group.
"You sound so confident about it. In principle, I believe you." A slightly chubby classmate said, using his textbook to hide his face from the passionate history professor.
"I kinda want to try it. I mean, Wu has a decent reputation in our department. He's not the type to pull a prank like this, and he's definitely not smart enough to run a scam ring. I'm not scared." A tall, muscular classmate named Fan Hu flexed his fist at Wang Wu. "If it's fake, I'll just beat him up."
In just one class period, the four of them managed to convince eight classmates to believe in the "100% Full-Dive VR Game" and promise to register on the website that night.
---
At the same time, Zhao Xiaotian (Serious_Bush_Camper) logged off and immediately called his father, Zhao Hongtian.
"Spit it out!" As soon as the call connected, Zhao Hongtian's impatient voice assaulted Zhao Xiaotian's ear.
"Dad, remember that full-dive game I mentioned last time..."
After a long while, having listened to Zhao Xiaotian explain everything about the game, Zhao Hongtian asked for confirmation:
"You're saying your Third Uncle has already entered the game, and..."
"Yes, Dad. All sensory input inside the game is indistinguishable from reality. I think this game is going to be more than just 'popular.'
"Dad, think about it. How many people in this world are like my Third Uncle? Desperate for a healthy body, for working legs?"
Zhao Xiaotian's words plunged his father into deep thought on the other end of the line.
"Dad, there's an in-game currency earned through system quests, but there's no way to top-up with real money. That means the virtual economy isn't directly pegged to real-world cash yet.
"I believe that once players accumulate assets, a secondary trading market will inevitably form between players.
"Remember when you played Legend of Mir back in the day? People spent fortunes on gear. There's no reason people won't pour money into a game that feels like a second reality!" Zhao Xiaotian paused here.
After his father grunted for him to continue, Zhao Xiaotian resumed his pitch confidently.
"We can organize company employees to enter the game while it's still niche. Be the first to eat the crab.
"Right now, besides hoarding virtual currency and buying low from current players, I haven't thought of a specific business model yet. But I believe that once you enter the game, Dad, you'll find way more ways to make money than I ever could!"
"Hmph. You brat." On the other end of the phone, the corners of Zhao Hongtian's mouth curled up. He was clearly pleased with the flattery. After a moment, the business tycoon seemed to make up his mind.
"Send me the registration link. If it's truly as realistic as you say... this might indeed be the opportunity for our family to reach the next level!"
While the Zhao father and son were scheming, other players who had logged off were also frantically forwarding the game link to their friends and family.
Suddenly, both the registration count on the website and the member count of the "Just Here for the Memes" Discord group began to skyrocket.
[ Just Here for the Memes (77 Members) ]
> Minister_of_Excuses: Holy crap, what's happening? Since when did we have this many people?
> Pineapple_Pizza_Lover: What do you think? I dragged six people in myself. Guess what they're here for?
> Goji_Berry_Enjoyer: Sigh. This group is doomed. It's been overrun by the kidney-stealing cult.
> Bun_Immortal: To the guy above: just wait until the game blows up. Your face is gonna hurt from the slap.
> Anime_Otaku: I'm here for the game. Experts, is it really as god-tier as you say?
---
Continent of Essos.
Although Viserys had expected growth, when the registration count hit the 100-player cap at a frantic speed, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
"System Sprite! Quick! Increase the registration cap by another hundred!"