Chapter 74 - 72: Two Pieces of Bad News

Chapter 74: Chapter 72: Two Pieces of Bad News

Feng Ling was stunned for a full five seconds.

The implications of Li Qing’s words were so immense that she couldn’t process them all at once.

Huangfu Miaomiao, who was beside her, asked in shock, "You’re saying the Administrators were killed?! Why? Who would do that?!"

Huangfu Miaomiao was genuinely frightened. In her mind, Maze Administrators were the most harmless beings imaginable. They didn’t interfere with human life or get in the way of players’ quests. They even provided game guidance when necessary. So why would they be killed?

"I’ve said it before—this game is collapsing," Li Qing replied in a low voice. "Of the 122 Administrators, myself included, at least a third have been killed by players. As for the rest, some went offline when their Mazes were breached, while others, like me, have gone into hiding."

Feng Ling asked with a frown, "Why would players kill Administrators?"

"I don’t know," Li Qing said earnestly. "I can only guess. Perhaps they grew tired of the repetitive quests, and the point rewards were no longer appealing. They coveted the double points inside the Mazes but didn’t want to bother collecting the Maze riddles with their extremely low drop rates. So, they came up with a simpler method: kill the Maze Administrator and let the Maze slowly merge with this world. That way, they wouldn’t need to solve any puzzles to get an endless supply of Maze Pollution Bodies—and an endless supply of points."

Feng Ling couldn’t figure it out. "With a bug this big, the system isn’t intervening?"

’Instead of punishing the players who are slaughtering Administrators, it’s targeting me, a hidden boss? Has the game system lost its mind?’

"This is all just my speculation, and I could be wrong," Li Qing said. "The real reasons might be far more complex than I imagine. It’s clearly an organized effort; otherwise, they couldn’t have killed nearly a third of the Administrators in such a short time."

The Mazes were scattered all over the world; finding and killing every Maze Administrator would be no easy task.

Feng Ling fell silent, deep in thought.

’It seems things aren’t peaceful among the Alien Species. They’re competing for points, and now they’re even killing Administrators. A third of 122... meaning at least 40 Maze instances are now unavoidably spreading their pollution and merging with the real world.’

’I have to let Su Yuqing know about this. I just don’t know if the higher-ups are already aware...’

While she was lost in thought, she heard Huangfu Miaomiao muse, "No wonder this is happening. I saw posts on the forums before, with players complaining that there were too few Pollution Bodies to earn points. If the Maze’s pollution spreads to the outside world, the number of Pollution Body monsters will naturally increase."

It’s like a game map where all the mobs have been killed and aren’t respawning. Where are players supposed to go to grind EXP?

Their only option is to run a dungeon, but what if the entrance is hidden?

So the players shatter the dungeon’s barrier, letting the monsters and pollution spill out. All the creatures near the dungeon then mutate into Pollution Bodies, becoming a new source of points for the players.

Feng Ling asked Li Qing, "If the Maze’s pollution is so potent, won’t players who enter be contaminated?"

"All creatures that possess a Card will not be contaminated," Li Qing explained. "You can think of a Card as a protective shell around a gene chain. It’s sturdy and safe, isolating it from external contamination and interference, keeping the genes inside stable. That is, unless the Card Holder chooses to absorb other Cards, which would disrupt that stability."

Feng Ling was silent for a long time after he finished.

A swirl of complex emotions rose within her, and the look she gave Li Qing turned peculiar.

Li Qing grew anxious. "I haven’t told a single lie. After I open the Maze for you, I have to find a place to hide immediately. I can’t let other players find me."

"This is too weird..." Feng Ling murmured, frowning as she picked up her phone and dialed Su Yuqing’s number. "If what you’re saying is true, not only can I not kill you, but I actually have to protect you. Otherwise, the Maze’s pollution will spread..."

Li Qing: "..."

’It felt shameless, but... he was right!’

Su Yuqing answered the call almost immediately.

"Feng Ling, what’s the situation?"

"I have two pieces of bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Feng Ling asked.

Su Yuqing: "...Is there a difference?"

"One is worse than the other," Feng Ling sighed. The situation was so complex she didn’t even know where to begin.

Su Yuqing said from the other end of the line, "Start with the worst."

Feng Ling said, "Right now, at least 40 Maze instances worldwide are spreading pollution. If they aren’t stopped, the Mazes will eventually merge with the real world. I assume that’s the worst news."

Su Yuqing was stunned by the news.

He already knew the Mazes were spreading pollution, but so far, they had only discovered one source domestically. Information from abroad was slightly delayed, but even that didn’t suggest more than ten sources. And now Feng Ling was telling him there were 40!

’If those 40 Mazes truly merge with reality, the world will be thrown into chaos! The very order of human society might collapse!’

Feng Ling didn’t wait for Su Yuqing to react and continued, "The other piece of bad news is that the Maze’s pollution contaminates the genes of all living things, unless they have a Card. A Card protects its holder from contamination. Didn’t you say there were a few scientific researchers on the expedition team? Have them pull out. Once they enter the Maze, who knows what kind of monstrosity they’ll mutate into."

A chill ran down Su Yuqing’s spine. He was suddenly incredibly grateful that Feng Ling had gone ahead to the Maze. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!

Su Yuqing immediately had his doppelgänger contact Ye Zheng, while simultaneously asking Feng Ling, "Is there any way to stop the Mazes from spreading their pollution?"

Feng Ling looked to Li Qing.

Li Qing shook his head. "Once a Maze Administrator goes offline abnormally, the spaces inside and outside the Maze begin to merge. The fusion is slow at first but accelerates in the mid-to-late stages. The only way to stop it is to eliminate the Maze Master. Once the Maze Master is dead, the entire Maze will vanish. Of course," he added, "any area already contaminated by the Maze is beyond the system’s control."

Su Yuqing frowned. "Feng Ling, who’s that talking?"

"A living Maze Administrator," Feng Ling said, glancing at Li Qing.

Su Yuqing: "..."

Meanwhile, Su Yuqing’s doppelgänger was back at his home in Yunhai City, dialing Ye Zheng’s number.

Ye Zheng answered the phone, surprised. Su Yuqing never called her during work hours.

"I’m in a meeting. Is something wrong?" Ye Zheng asked.

Su Yuqing spoke rapidly, "Feng Ling found a Maze Administrator. The spread of the Maze’s pollution is irreversible, and it contaminates all living things! Only Card Holders can avoid being contaminated. Your expedition team needs to be restructured. It’s best if the researchers don’t participate!"

Ye Zheng’s brow furrowed, and she pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

"Hello...?" Su Yuqing clutched his phone, then asked after a two-second pause, "You already knew, didn’t you?"