At this moment, several top officials from Jianghai City were gathered together.
Some of them, being avid gamers, were actually intrigued by the Forsaken Game.
However...
As members of the Daxia government, their primary responsibility was maintaining stability!
After hearing Wang Meng's report, one official furrowed his brow and said, "Wang Meng, you mentioned that 'Shadow' reached level 3 half an hour ago, but why hasn't he returned to reality? Does he not have any family to inform?"
Wang Meng shook his head, "I'm not sure, maybe he really doesn't."
Just then, a clear and pleasant female voice chimed in, "Uh, could this 'Shadow' be a time traveler? Don't time travelers in stories usually have no family and rise to power quickly?"
???
Everyone was taken aback and turned to look in unison.
They saw a beautiful policewoman, wearing an elegant uniform, with a somewhat dazed expression on her face...
She had long, straight legs and a well-proportioned figure that was quite eye-catching.
Seeing everyone looking at her, the pretty policewoman blushed and said, "Did I say something wrong?"
One senior official sighed, "An Yu! I've told you to read fewer novels... this is a serious meeting, no joking around."
"Oh..."
The policewoman stuck out her tongue and stayed quiet.
The officials resumed their discussion about 'Shadow.'
"From Wang Meng's description, it seems 'Shadow' has a decent character."
"Right, while he may be a bit eccentric, the fact that he saved Wang Meng and his team shows he's not a bad person."
"It sounds like 'Shadow' is worth establishing a connection with."
After some discussion, the officials quickly made a decision. Wang Meng and An Yu would be tasked with connecting with 'Shadow' in the game.
The first priority was to gauge 'Shadow's' personality.
The second was to try to uncover his identity in the real world.
And third, they would aim to establish a cooperative relationship with 'Shadow' on behalf of the government!
"As for the lifespan issue, we've already received confirmation from higher authorities. The data on lifespan is real."
"Some elderly individuals have died after entering the Forsaken Game, and after gathering and comparing information, it was confirmed that these people had died many times in the game, continuously losing half their lifespan each time..."
"If their remaining lifespan is less than a day, a single death would result in an instant deduction of that day, leading to death!"
"So, it's confirmed that this game is extraordinary, and governments around the world are taking it very seriously!"
...
The government was now focusing on two primary tasks.
The first was to maintain social order.
The second was to explore the Forsaken Game.
With human lifespans being controlled by a mysterious and eerie game, the governments of all nations had no choice but to treat this game with the utmost seriousness!
However...
Currently, all that was known about the game was its impact on lifespan.
The real turning point would come when someone reached level 10.
At that time, a system notification would reveal the ability to extract a player's levels, attributes, equipment, and skills from the game into the real world by consuming *tradeable lifespan*.
That's when global chaos would truly begin!
...
An hour later.
Qin Xiaoyou forced herself to fall asleep in the dorm, entering the Forsaken Game.
Just like in her previous life.
She chose a random class...
And was assigned the hidden class *Life Priest*!
This class had a much higher healing output than a typical healer, providing maximum survivability for her teammates.
In her past life, Qin Feng had only been an ordinary warrior, which led Qin Xiaoyou to always look down on him...
Even though Qin Feng was quite strong in combat.
Qin Xiaoyou still didn't respect him...
Little did she know, Qin Feng had chosen the warrior class simply to protect her in the game.
In this life, without Qin Xiaoyou holding him back, Qin Feng had obtained the unique hidden class *Shadow*!
While both classes were hidden, their ranks were worlds apart.
The *Life Priest* was a common hidden class.
Other players might also receive this type of class.
But Qin Feng's *Shadow* class was unique!
Its power far surpassed that of ordinary hidden classes!
"Great, I got a hidden class!"
"Now I can definitely be worthy of Song Fei!"
Qin Xiaoyou beamed with joy.
Then, thinking about Qin Feng, she frowned: "He still hasn't come to apologize. What's wrong with him? Fine, now that the Forsaken Game has appeared, and I have a hidden class... don't come begging me to help you level up!"
Having obtained a hidden class, Qin Xiaoyou's confidence was through the roof.
And with Zhang Wei promising to help her, she felt even more assured.
However, she had clearly underestimated the difficulty of the Forsaken Game, which was bound to give her a harsh reality check!
...
Back in Shell Town.
Qin Feng had filled his inventory with loot and was heading back to offload it.
"Luckily, I found a storage pouch. It only has 5 extra slots, but it'll help hold more loot..."
In the Forsaken Game, players start with a basic 10-slot pouch on their left hip.
Now, Qin Feng had a black pouch on his right hip, adding 5 more slots.
Qin Feng did a quick calculation.
These items could probably sell for at least 500 days of *tradeable lifespan*!
To put that in perspective, after killing the Silver-tier boss *Curser* and grinding for a while, he had just over 600 days of lifespan.
So, 500 days was a considerable amount.
While heading back under stealth, Qin Feng noticed two familiar figures...
"Jiang Li from Dajiang Industries?"
Qin Feng silently passed by her, overhearing her conversation with the young man in her party.
Old Mao: "Miss, we've hit level 3, it's time for you to fulfill your promise."
Jiang Li: "Don't worry, Dajiang Industries won't short you. We'll head back to reality now. Give me your phone number, and I'll contact you... Oh, and sell me your *tradeable lifespan*. I'll pay 10,000 yuan per day. Interested?"
Old Mao: "Deal, haha."
Mao Lijun, a player with a basic class, had chosen to be an archer and invested his starting points in agility, making his early leveling relatively smooth.
Now that he had helped Jiang Li reach level 3, it was time to reap the rewards!
"Shadow... even though you've reached level 7, it's still just a game."
"Unlike you, I know how to seize opportunities. Turning game skills into cash is what a real smart person does!"
"Even if this game really affects lifespan, you can always farm more. Why rush?"
Mao Lijun was full of himself.
Excited about the 5 million—no, 6 million—yuan he was about to receive.
He had never seen so much money in his life, and it thrilled him!
...
Qin Feng, of course, couldn't care less about them.
Soon, he arrived back at Shell Town.
Still in stealth, he made his way to the underground chamber at the center of town, descending the stairs to a petrified teleportation portal!
He reached out and touched it.
——
[Congratulations! You have activated the Shell Town Teleportation Array!]
[Shell Town is now connected with other starter towns in Jianghai City (Daxia). You may teleport for free once per day (additional uses require consuming *tradeable lifespan*).]
[You have gained 1 reputation point!]
——
With that done, Qin Feng returned to the main square.
Still wearing his black hood and face mask, he appeared in front of the town's players, drawing countless envious, jealous, and admiring gazes!