Chapter 240 - 238: Discussing Otherworld Strategy

Chapter 240: Chapter 238: Discussing Otherworld Strategy

Interstellar Federation, Jade Light Star System, Sanctum Sun Spiral Arm, Blazing Flame Star System.

On an ordinary, life-bearing planet, a dozen or so men and women of varied, yet generally striking, appearances were gathered.

If an ordinary citizen of the Interstellar Federation were to witness this scene, they would surely realize something was wrong.

Because the faces of these dozen-plus individuals were identical to those of the Federation’s supreme leaders, who appeared daily on the news, attending functions across the various star systems.

And this was definitely not some audacious civilian cosplaying as the leaders.

Because for heads of state of their status, their likenesses were protected by registration to prevent unauthorized use.

If one’s facial similarity exceeded ninety percent, it would be a serious violation of Federation law, resulting in immediate, mandatory facial restructuring.

But what would likely surprise outsiders the most was that these men and women were all clad in retro, medieval-style armor, like fully equipped cavalry.

"You all arrived via various spatio-temporal wormholes. I trust no one is carrying any technological devices?" a young man said with a solemn expression.

The young man speaking was Li Qionguang Mingxing, the Supreme Head of the Jade Light Star System.

After Li Mingxing finished speaking, the men and women present all nodded in unison.

Compared to past meetings, this one was downright crude. It wasn’t held within a Death Star, protected by layers of starships, but in an open-air environment on a remote ecological planet.

To attend this meeting, they had removed all detachable bionic limbs and eyes, replacing them with the original flesh and blood that had been stored in cultivation tanks for who knows how long.

All of this was to guard against an invisible specter of death that could threaten their lives at any moment.

These heads of state, who had relied on technological assistance and AI analysis since birth, now found themselves back in their human bodies. This complete overhaul of their behavioral patterns felt utterly alien.

Their bionic eyes, connected to their cerebral nerves, could, with a mere thought, focus and view scenes on another planet.

Their prosthetic limbs, on planets powered by nuclear fusion, could wirelessly recharge and soar through the sky using anti-gravity, allowing them to ascend into the heavens and dive into the seas with ease.

But now, to their dismay, they discovered that this long-unused original flesh lacked even the automatic recording and analysis functions for meetings. Their minds were so sluggish they couldn’t even recall things with perfect clarity.

One of the heads of state had a thought, but as he opened his mouth to speak, he forgot what he was about to say.

He could only close his mouth, muttering under his breath, and cursed inwardly, ’Damn it. When I get back, I’m getting a hyperthymesia modification or some other kind of physical enhancement.’

"Let me briefly go over the relevant intelligence," Li Mingxing said.

"This all started with the recent establishment of an online gaming company called Exotic Realm."

"As soon as the company was founded, it released a video game called ’War of Two Worlds’ and spent a fortune advertising it throughout the Federation, making it almost universally known."

"But subsequent investigations revealed that no one knows who founded the company, who developed the game, or who is in its marketing department."

"Only the transaction records from major advertising agencies show that an unknown account did, in fact, pay them."

Hearing Li Mingxing’s words, the various heads of state present subconsciously frowned. It was a ghost company.

"After the expensive promotional campaign, Exotic Realm immediately contacted major gaming bloggers online and had them test the game."

"Based on the intelligence gathered by these gaming bloggers, the game’s battleground primarily consists of two universes: an ancient Martial Dao world and a more recent, ’near-ancient’ technological world."

"Then, some players discovered through killing that the physical enhancements gained in the game could be synchronized with their real-world bodies. This implies the game might actually be a real universe."

"But the biggest problem right now isn’t that. It’s that in the technological world within the game, the players’ wanton killing has attracted the attention of the game’s characters, who are now using superpowers to influence our reality."

"Among their superpowers is a ’Luck’ ability, which can affect our universe from a distance, causing all electronic devices to malfunction."

"Under the influence of this Luck ability, the home planets of those gaming bloggers have suffered severe damage, affecting at least tens of billions of people."

At this point, Li Mingxing looked gravely at everyone present and said, "That is why, for safety’s sake, I had you all remove your technological devices for this meeting—to prevent any ’accidents.’"

Once Li Mingxing finished, another head of state immediately asked, "Are there any countermeasures? It’s just a civilization that can’t even leave its terrestrial planet."

"None. We’re separated by an entire universe. A purely technological civilization like ours can only take the hits passively."

Li Mingxing shook his head. "Our only means of influencing their universe is through the players, who have infinite respawns. But now that we’ve been exposed, we can’t leverage our technological advantages to develop our position there."

"Then just ban the game completely," one head of state said coldly.

They had already achieved so-called immortality through existing technology. Unlike the lower classes who were desperate to climb the social ladder, these leaders valued the stability of the Interstellar Federation above all else.

"That’s actually the worst possible choice," Li Mingxing sighed, a hint of resignation in his voice.

"Their superpowers can already affect our reality. Even if we shut down the game so they can’t observe us, their Luck ability can still influence us."

"Unless we kill the superpowered individuals on their side, we’ll just be taking a one-sided beating. The only alternative is to avoid all technology for the rest of your lives."

"Besides, banning the game won’t just provoke those with superpowers; it will also provoke the Exotic Realm company."

"Exotic Realm is clearly a power capable of deploying life forms across dimensions," Li Mingxing said coldly. "The consequences of interfering with their operations are impossible to estimate."

"Compared to provoking the Exotic Realm company by shutting down the game, I’d rather pick a fight with those superpowered individuals."

Li Mingxing’s words plunged the meeting into a brief silence. Then, a beautiful woman spoke with resignation, "After all this discussion, doesn’t it just mean we have to negotiate with those people with superpowers?"

A bitter feeling settled over everyone present. A superpower like theirs, spanning several star systems, was being forced to show weakness to a ’near-ancient’ civilization that couldn’t even leave its own terrestrial planet.

A power that could be annihilated by a single star-destroyer, yet they couldn’t even touch it because it was an entire universe away.

At that moment, everyone in the Interstellar Federation felt the terror of being a virtual punching bag.

"Leader! Leader!"

As everyone stood in silence, an aide came running from a distance.

He used the most primitive method of communication: running on his own two feet and shouting with his vocal cords.

"Leader, we have the latest news! The remaining surviving players are making contact. They say that the people from the game want to talk to us. Should we accept?"

When these words were spoken, there was a moment of hesitation before someone said, "Then prepare for a dialogue."