Lin Jielin couldn’t get in touch with Hei Pang and the others. When she went to the slums, she found that they had already moved out!
As expected, they must have found out about the self-destruction program and were now avoiding her!
She started to panic. She couldn’t count on Lou Yan, and her mission was unlikely to be completed. Yet just a month ago, she had been so close to finishing it!
The stark contrast in her situation now made her deeply uncomfortable.
The beeping alert made her glance at her optical computer. She quickly put on her VR glasses and ran in a certain direction.
The pink street of <Wish Wand> appeared before her eyes. She adjusted the transparency settings, overlapping the virtual world with reality, and followed the map’s instructions as she dashed forward.
She was still feeling frustrated. But if she could form a contract with a Wish Ambassador, that would be something worth showing off for a long time.
She hadn’t gone far when she saw a crowd of players gathered around the fountain. The woman in the red slip dress at the center, was she the Wish Ambassador?
She had seen the widely circulated video. The Wish Ambassador was as beautiful as a display doll, with a cuteness and innocence that could melt anyone’s heart. But now… Even though it was the same face, the red dress accentuated her figure, giving her an allure that was more seductive than adorable. She now had an intoxicating charm that made male players’ hearts race and put female players on guard.
Even though it was just a game, female players couldn’t help feeling a twinge of irritation at the way male players were acting even more eager and fervent than usual.
“Please form a contract with me.” Rui Rui was the first to send a contract request to Wan Tong, offering a crown as a gift. However, her expression carried a hint of arrogance, and she even wrinkled her nose when looking at Wan Tong’s face.
Why did the game company have to make the Wish Ambassador so attractive?! If she had known, she would have voted to ‘keep the original appearance’ in yesterday’s poll!
Wan Tong stood about a meter away from the surrounding crowd, likely due to a system setting preventing players from touching her.
Lou Yan was an exception.
He stood just two steps away, watching her quietly. When their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow slightly, as if asking what mischief she was up to this time.
His gaze was warm and indulgent, showing no trace of reproach.
He had restrained her too much in the past, so now she had moments where she would break free, like this one.
Wan Tong glanced at the crown, then at Rui Rui, and spoke with a haughty tone, “I still hate you.”
Earlier, when she had followed Lou Yan back here, she had unexpectedly run into these girls again. Rui Rui was likely still bitter about Lou Yan ignoring her last time. When she saw him holding Wan Tong motionless in his arms, she made a few sarcastic remarks and even deliberately bumped into Lou Yan’s arm as she walked past.
Luckily, Lou Yan had held Wan Tong firmly, or she would have fallen hard.
If this were <Palm Pet>, and she was a pet character, she would have shattered. Rui Rui truly had a vicious heart.
Lou Yan had been ready to lose his temper then, but Wan Tong had been more furious about Rui Rui’s remark—’lowly peasant.’ So, she had entered <Wish Wand>.
Hearing Wan Tong’s words now, Rui Rui’s face darkened, especially as murmurs of “She’s still so tsundere!” and “Too cute~” spread through the crowd.
After Wan Tong rejected the contract request, the crown vanished instantly. Rui Rui stomped her foot in frustration, unwilling to give up. Just as she was about to send another request, a blond-haired young man swiftly tossed out a silver pendant necklace.
“Please form a contract with me.”
Wan Tong eyed the pendant. It was to her liking. She glanced at Lou Yan.
Lou Yan’s lips curved slightly, but beneath his lowered lashes, a dangerous glint flickered.
Wan Tong pouted and rejected the necklace.
The blond-haired young man sighed in disappointment. As he fumbled for another item, another player had already presented a pair of exquisite lace gloves.
She loved them!
But when she saw Lou Yan’s unreadable expression, her excitement deflated.
More and more players gathered around. Lou Yan glanced at his inventory. He only had a box of egg tarts…
He went to the store and exchanged for a shawl. Without even mentioning a contract, he simply draped it over Wan Tong’s shoulders.
The entire crowd froze. Was this even allowed?!
“Let’s go home.” Lou Yan spoke two simple words.
“Okay~” Wan Tong twirled in place, her dress swirling around her as she threw herself into Lou Yan’s arms.
The crowd : “Huh??”
In the blink of an eye, Wan Tong vanished, leaving the players staring at each other in confusion.
On the outskirts of the crowd, Lin Jielin had witnessed everything.
She knew Lou Yan’s personality well, he was never one to get close to others. But just now, his actions clearly showed that he was familiar with that Wish Ambassador!
Her mind replayed the scene over and over, including the Wish Ambassador’s face. Then, she suddenly recalled something she had once seen in Lou Yan’s optical computer, a 2D character…
Her heart skipped a beat.
Were the players from all three games gathering in the slums because of Lou Yan?
Was the 2D character in his optical computer a virus? Had it already invaded all three games? What was his goal?
The most ridiculous thought crossed her mind—
Could Lou Yan actually be in an online relationship with that virus?
She stared at him intently, her mind in turmoil.
She remembered the original plot, there was a 2D character named Wanwan that Lou Yan had been attached to for a long time.
Had the world been altered, yet Wanwan still existed?
Did she count as a virus now?
How was she supposed to kill a virus?
“Dude, did you just successfully form a contract?” The blond-haired young man leaned in toward Lou Yan, his tone filled with disbelief.
Lou Yan removed his VR glasses and replied, “No.”
“How is that possible? She just accepted the shawl!” Rui Rui said sarcastically, blocking Lou Yan’s way. “Speak up. How much do you want? We can make a deal.”
In truth, she hadn’t been set on getting that Wish Ambassador at first. But after being ignored and looked down on twice, she simply couldn’t swallow her anger! She had to win the Wish Ambassador, order her around properly, and only then would she feel satisfied!
“I refuse.” Lou Yan took off his VR headset directly, his expression turning cold in an instant.
“Why?” Rui Rui blocked his way, while the other players watched with amused interest.
Tsk. The guy looked down and out, but the girl seemed to be in a pretty good situation. Such a great opportunity to flirt, yet he wasn’t interested? What an idiot.
“I want to buy it too. How much can you offer?” A blond youth came over and glanced arrogantly at Rui Rui before adding, “But no matter what you offer, I can pay double!”
He really, really liked that Wish Ambassador!
“You!” Rui Rui glared at him. “Who do you think you are? You think you can take what I want?”
“Yo, I really don’t like hearing that.”
As the two started arguing, Lou Yan grew impatient and turned to leave.
But just as he stepped out of the crowd, a young man blocked his path.
“Hello, could we talk for a moment?” The young man seemed a little shy.
Lou Yan glanced at his face before brushing past him. “No.”
The young man was momentarily stunned but quickly followed after him, hurriedly introducing himself. “I’m a game administrator for Wish Wand. I wanted to ask, did you really contract that… uh, Wish Ambassador just now?”
Though he was an admin, his authority was minimal. The developers had already said that the Wish Ambassador was a bug. It had appeared suddenly, accepted a player’s item, and now they had no idea what was going on.
“Didn’t you guys say it was a bug? If that’s the case, how could I have contracted it?” Lou Yan countered.
The young man was dumbfounded. “…That’s true.”
Watching Lou Yan leave, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. More importantly, how was he supposed to handle this bug? Reporting it would surely send the company into chaos again.
Just as he was about to leave, a woman suddenly appeared in front of him. “Are you a game administrator?”
He nodded. “I am—”
Lin Jielin cut him off. “Has your company never considered the possibility that this is just a virus? A virus that has infiltrated three different games.”
“What?!”
Before she even made it back to the underground shelter, Wan Tong saw that she had made the news.
Sou Ben Games and Songyu Games had jointly issued a statement, claiming that they suspected a player from the slums had maliciously created a virus that was causing issues in all three games. They had already contacted Ruili Games, hoping that the three companies could work together to investigate the matter.
Sou Ben Games even suggested that the issues in <Palm Pet> might have been caused by the same player’s attack.
Most importantly, they claimed to have identified a suspect and were considering reporting it to the police.
Sou Ben had hoped to rally the public against the culprit, but to their surprise, netizens weren’t buying it. Instead, they were amazed, how could a single player from the slums toy with three major gaming companies so effortlessly?
Bugs, viruses, did these massive companies with thousands of employees have shit for brains? Were they really losing to a single tech nerd?
And besides, wasn’t Ruili Games still staying silent?
Wan Tong chuckled as she read the furious comments online.
“Master, will <Palm Pet> really be destroyed? Don’t you feel bad about it?” she asked seriously.
She had only just learned today that he had installed a self-destruct program—one that was irreversible and unstoppable.
For the past six months, he had never considered destroying the game. But now, his mind had changed.
Lou Yan entered his password and stepped inside before projecting Wan Tong in front of him. His voice was low as he answered her.
“It’s just a game. I can make another.”
In reality, it was no longer his game. It had changed, and had become something disgusting to him.
By noon tomorrow, the game would be completely wiped out.
His voice was soft, but Wan Tong could sense his suppressed emotions.
She pursed her lips, took a small step forward, and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a gentle pat. “Mm. You can just make another one. Lou Yan is the best~”
Lou Yan lowered his head, staring blankly at the top of her head, his Adam’s apple moving slightly. “Mm.”
Although he had projected her many times before, they had never really shared any intimate gestures. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to hug him.
Her dress fit snugly, and though she looked slender, she was actually quite… well-proportioned in the right places.
But he didn’t dare hold her too tightly, afraid that if he applied even a little pressure, she would break.
*Knock, knock, knock*—the sound at the door pulled them back to reality.
Standing outside was a man in a suit, with Lin Jielin following behind him.
“Mr. Lou, hello. We’re from Sou Ben Games.” The man looked imposing, but his tone wasn’t as high and mighty as one might expect.
Lou Yan cast a glance at him, his gaze seemingly piercing through to the man’s true intentions.
The man licked his thick lips nervously and quickly pulled out a contract. “Mr. Lou, I’ll be straightforward. You’ve seen the news, haven’t you? As long as you stop the self-destruct program, we won’t mention the virus incident again. Otherwise, if your misdeeds are exposed, no one in the gaming industry will dare to work with you in the future.”
When the man said this, Lin Jielin silently observed Lou Yan’s expression. She was now certain that when Lou Yan had shut himself away earlier, he had definitely been working on something related to Wanwan.
Lou Yan didn’t rush to respond. Instead, he asked lightly, “So, you also know that it was originally my game?”
The man’s face stiffened slightly. “Regardless of who the original developer was, our company acquired the rights through proper channels before continuing development. If you wish to pursue legal action, the person you should sue is someone else. Mr. Lou, let’s get back to the main topic. What do you think of the terms I just proposed?”
The more he spoke, the more confident he became. A game developer’s worst fear was leaving behind a bad legal record. Someone like Lou Yan, who had offended three major companies at once, would have almost no future in the industry.
So, Lou Yan would definitely give in.
However, what greeted him was a cold laugh from Lou Yan, followed by the door slamming shut with a bang!
The stairwell was dimly lit. The man felt a chill run through him from Lou Yan’s glance. But he had come with a mission. Steeling himself, he reached out to press the doorbell again.
“Lou Yan, you can’t hide the fact that you created the virus,” Lin Jielin hurried forward and knocked on the door urgently. “I can explain everything about the game!”
But there was no response from inside.
The basement’s soundproofing wasn’t great. Wan Tong occasionally glanced toward the door, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
Lou Yan, with his back to her, was picking out self-heating meal boxes. Yet, as if he could read her thoughts, he spoke: “Wanwan, don’t go overboard.”
To Wan Tong, that sentence meant : Go ahead, Wanwan! Teach that bad woman a lesson!
“Got it, Master~” With that, Wan Tong turned and disappeared.
Lou Yan slowly turned around, the smile on his lips fading into a trace of worry.
He had run tests for her. She could move through networks without leaving any traces. But within the game, she could be detected.
They thought she was a virus and assumed he had created her, using it as leverage to threaten him.
Such imagination.
But how had they made the connection in the first place?
Lou Yan frowned. That woman, what was her deal?
“Master~” Suddenly, Wan Tong appeared in front of Lou Yan, calling out sweetly.
Lou Yan’s lips curved. “What did you do?”
Wan Tong shook her head mysteriously. “Secret.”
She had merely used that man’s account to send out a few messages.
It turned out that man was the head of operations. And the Sou Ben company had actually known Lou Yan was the real developer before they bought the game rights, yet they had played dumb and deliberately lowballed the price…
Sou Ben was a big company, but it was full of people, and no matter how strict the internal bans were, there were plenty of employees who were deeply invested in <Palm Pet>. Their fear and anxiety over the game’s potential self-destruction had led to leaks, triggering widespread online speculation. Sou Ben’s official website crashed, their customer service lines were overwhelmed, and some players even showed up at the company’s headquarters, holding banners demanding answers.
Why was the self-destruction program activated? Couldn’t the programmers stop it? Was the game really going to crash for good??
At this moment, the head of Sou Ben’s game operations department suddenly made a public post, confirming that the developer had indeed hidden a self-destruction program in the game, one that only the developer knew how to activate. The entire development team was now working hard to stop it.
That post was deleted shortly after, but it was like a bomb had been dropped in the player community.
Wasn’t this game owned by Sou Ben? Did an insider betray the company? That didn’t make sense, such an act would be career suicide.
Sou Ben quickly responded to the uproar, claiming that the operations head’s account had been hacked and that his statements were false.
But when asked when the game would be restored, the company had no answer—only that they were working on a fix.
In the basement loft.
The single bed against the wall was neatly made. Originally, there had only been one pillow, but now, near the wall, a palm-sized blanket had been placed there. Wan Tong, barefoot, stepped onto it to test its comfort before obediently lying down.
Lou Yan shifted his gaze from the ceiling and turned to look at the adorable Thumbelina-like figure.
“Wanwan…” As he reached out and tapped her twice with his long fingers, Wan Tong instantly returned to human size, squeezed between his body and the wall.
“Eh…” Wan Tong stared at his handsome face, so close to hers. “Master, what’s wrong?”
To let her sleep in this bed, he had moved the bed from Wanwan’s little house here, aligning it perfectly with reality.
She couldn’t help but admire Lou Yan’s skills. It felt like he could change the world with just a computer.
“Wanwan, let’s leave this place.” Lou Yan’s voice carried a firm resolve.
“Okay!” she agreed immediately.
“You’re not even asking where we’re going?”
“Wanwan already knows~ To Ruili Corporation, right? Master, I looked them up for you—” She spoke excitedly but then suddenly noticed the dangerous glint in Lou Yan’s eyes.
Her voice cut off instantly. She pressed her pink lips together tightly, her eyes darting around.
She knew that Lou Yan had been discussing cooperation with Ruili Corporation. Ruili was a strong competitor but had always been overshadowed by Sou Ben, stuck in second place.
Wan Tong didn’t trust these corporate bigwigs, so she had secretly looked into them. In the gaming industry, Ruili was a rising star. Their employees, from executives to developers, were mostly young and passionate about gaming. Interestingly, their development team was currently working themselves to the bone trying to create a high-tier elf in the slums…
Lou Yan saw her guilty expression, and his heart softened into a puddle.
“Keep talking.” He rested his head leisurely on his arm, a faint smile at his lips.
Wan Tong, sensing that he wasn’t actually angry, let out a breath of relief and scooted even closer to him.
She was wearing a spaghetti-strap dress with a rather low neckline, and lying like this, with one arm slightly pressing against her side, from Lou Yan’s perspective…
His nose suddenly itched, and a jolt of electricity seemed to shoot through his entire body. In an instant, he sprang up from the bed.
The abrupt movement startled Wan Tong, making her momentarily forget what she had been about to say.
“Master…”
She called out in a dazed voice.
Lou Yan, who had just jumped off the bed, exhaled deeply. But the way she called him so softly sent a tingling numbness through his entire body.
Cursing under his breath, he turned back and climbed onto the bed again. This time, directly pinning Wan Tong beneath him.
“Master?” Her misty eyes were filled with confusion, her pink lips slightly parted, revealing a glimpse of pearly white teeth.
“Wanwan, don’t be afraid.” Lou Yan’s thin lips moved as his dark eyes burned with an intense, scorching heat. “Wanwan, I just want to… test the newly adjusted… sensory suit…”
His voice grew increasingly deep, until it was little more than a reverberation in his chest and throat.
He felt ashamed of his own words.
In his mind, Wanwan understood nothing. And he couldn’t explain the beastly desire he harbored for her.
He just wanted to kiss her, just once.
Before he could wrestle with his own conscience or wait for Wan Tong to react, he lowered his head and captured the soft pink he had long coveted.
Goddamn, she was soft.