Chapter 39: A Game Commission Worth Over Ten Million

“Brother Chen, you’re really laid back, still sleeping?” A diligent voice came through the phone, and Chen Mo pictured a sleazy fat man in his mind.

“Yeah, Old Tian, what’s up?” Chen Mo woke up and asked.

This Fatty Tian never contacted him without a reason.

“Darn it, Brother Chen, I told you not to call me Old Tian! I’m only eighteen this year!” Fatty Tian said angrily.

Chen Mo rolled his eyes. Did this fat guy really think he was the Goddess of Mercy? Two years ago, this fatty said he was eighteen, and two years later, he still claimed to be eighteen. Who was he trying to fool!

“What’s the matter? If there’s nothing, I’m going back to sleep.” Chen Mo didn’t want to waste more words with this fatty.

“Ah, no, wait! There is something. Brother Chen, I remember you accepted that strange commission, right?” Fatty Tian hurriedly said.

“Nonsense, you were the one who introduced it.” Chen Mo replied impatiently.

Fatty Tian wasn’t a hacker, but he was a member of a special intermediary company. This company gathered all kinds of hacker-related work and assigned them to different hackers to complete. The special commission to hinder the Holographic Virtual Network was something Chen Mo received through Fatty Tian.

“It’s like this, I want to know if you’ve entered the Genesis game now.”

“I have. Why, is your company planning to shift its business?”

“Heh, sort of. I won’t hide it from you, Brother Chen. News from the company says the traditional network is beyond saving. If the company doesn’t prepare to shift its business, it’ll go bankrupt. I’m informing you today that the company’s business will temporarily move toward the Genesis game. The higher-ups want to hold a small meeting with you all to discuss some new collaborations.” Fatty Tian explained.

“Moving into games? Is your company planning to become a game studio?” Chen Mo found it a bit amusing.

A proper hacker intermediary company turning into a game studio—no matter the reality, it just sounded like a big drop in status.

“Of course not a game studio. It’s just some new attempts. If we don’t do something now, we’ll have to wait for bankruptcy. I’d have wasted these past two or three years.” Fatty Tian couldn’t help but complain. He had struggled for two years and finally started to get somewhere, only for this to happen suddenly. If the company went bankrupt, he’d have nothing to live on.

“Alright, when, how, and where?” Chen Mo asked.

“The company opened a virtual meeting room on the virtual network. I already sent an invitation to your virtual social account. The time is 6 p.m. You can connect to the virtual network and use the invitation to enter the meeting room directly.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in the evening.”

Chen Mo didn’t refuse Fatty Tian. He had always been very curious about this hacker intermediary company called “Worm.” He had known the Worm Company and Fatty Tian for two years, but aside from Fatty Tian, Chen Mo had never met a second member of the Worm Company. Whenever he asked Fatty Tian, he always said he didn’t know.

…

6 p.m.

Early in the afternoon, Chen Mo had returned to the game to continue leveling up. When it was almost 6 p.m., he left the game and connected to the social system of the Holographic Virtual Network.

The social system of the Holographic Virtual Network was still in testing. You needed to apply to get access, and it wasn’t easy to get approved. However, the Worm Company seemed to have connections. They helped apply for access for all the hackers they worked with early on, one for each.

In the Holographic Social System, everyone had a unique nickname. By looking at the nickname, you could see the information each person was willing to share. Chen Mo’s nickname was “M.C.”

The invitation was essentially similar to a web address in the traditional network, but only the virtual character with the corresponding nickname could use it. After Chen Mo used the invitation, his virtual character appeared in a spacious, tech-style, snow-white meeting room.

In the Great Hall of the meeting room, dozens of virtual characters with different appearances were quietly waiting in various spots.

When Chen Mo appeared, many virtual characters looked over, but no one came to talk to him.

“Brother Chen, you’re here.” A voice came through. Chen Mo didn’t need to look to know it was Fatty Tian.

The virtual social system was similar to the game; you could use various chat systems. No one knew Fatty Tian and Chen Mo were chatting.

“Where are your company’s higher-ups?” The podium at the front of the meeting room was still empty, and there was no one around who looked like a higher-up from the Worm Company.

“They’ll be here soon, Brother Chen, don’t rush.”

As Fatty Tian replied, a middle-aged figure suddenly appeared on the snow-white podium.

“Good evening, everyone. I am the person in charge of this meeting and the plan for the Worm Company. You can call me Black Fox. All of you are elite hackers who have cooperated with the Worm Company for at least a year. So, I’ll keep it short and not waste your time.

I called you here today mainly to announce three things.

First, starting today, the Worm Company will undergo a business shift. Although traditional network business will still exist for a short time, most resources have been withdrawn. Traditional network business will become less and less.”

“Mr. Black Fox, please allow me to interrupt. Does your company’s move mean the demise of the traditional network is unstoppable? Is the commission we accepted before completely impossible to complete now?”

Someone interrupted Black Fox at this point.

“Regarding this question, I’m sorry, but the Worm Company cannot give a definite answer. However, based on the information I’ve received from the company, I personally judge that the traditional network will vanish within a year. Of course, this is just my personal opinion and does not represent the Worm Company. Those who accepted that commission, please don’t worry because of this. If anyone completes the commission, the reward will be paid in full.” Black Fox wasn’t angered by the interruption and patiently answered the question.

It was an ambiguous answer, but everyone present was no fool. The Worm Company didn’t give a clear answer, but from Black Fox’s attitude, it was clear the company had obtained information they didn’t know about and had concluded that the demise of the traditional network was certain. Otherwise, they wouldn’t make such a big move.

After hearing Black Fox’s words, Chen Mo pondered slightly.

Personally, he wanted to stop the Holographic Network from replacing the traditional network, but if it really was unstoppable, he wouldn’t waste time trying to do the impossible.

But he never gave up halfway. In the game now, he would soon be able to conduct a series of tests. Whether to give up or continue would depend on the results of those tests.

“The second thing is, our company’s business and resources will mainly shift to the Genesis game. Our company will issue various commissions related to this game. If you think you can complete them, you can contact our company. All of you are elites and have more or less come into contact with this game. Even in the game, you’re not comparable to ordinary people!” Black Fox continued announcing.

After hearing this, Chen Mo smiled and contacted Fatty Tian: “Old Tian, your company is a bit unreliable. Strong hacking skills and playing games are two different things. Relying on a group of hackers to complete Quests in the game seems a bit far-fetched.”

But Fatty Tian chuckled and said, “Old Chen, I’ll tell you quietly, don’t tell anyone else. The people here are only part of the group the company contacted. The company also contacted many professional Players and various game studios for separate meetings.”

Darn! So that’s how it is! I was wondering how the Worm Company could expect a bunch of hackers to play an online game and help them conquer the world. So the Worm Company just saw the potential of hackers. The people here are all elites in this field. Once they enter the game, they might achieve amazing things. The Worm Company is betting on that. Anyway, they have nothing to lose.

“The third thing: I hereby announce the first major game commission after our company’s business shift. The total reward for this commission can reach over ten million. The commission is funded by the Glacier Group, so you don’t need to worry at all about the reward!”

Next, Black Fox announced the third matter. His words startled everyone.

A game commission worth over ten million?

The game had been in testing for less than half a month. How was that possible?