Chapter Five: Surveillance
When Charlotte's arrow grazed past my ear, I was using the GM panel to install rabbit ear skin on the anvil. The "Eye of Truth" rune flowing on the arrow shaft nearlyblinded mydata-eye. This woman actually leveled her detection skills to mythic tier.
"Probability studies?" I maintained an NPC's standard silly grin, "Warrior, care for a luck potion?"
Her emerald pupils abruptly constricted as she suddenly reached to tug my hood. In the 0.3 seconds of my backward lean, I completed seventeen operations: adjusting hairlinedataupward by 2cm, generating retinal mosaics, adding self-destruct countdowns to the wine barrels by the entrance...
"Your Adam's apple vibration frequency deviates by 0.7 frames from NPC templates." Charlotte's fingertips glowed with deconstruction magic, my coarse cloth suddenly turned into translucent data grids, "Shall I read out the cheat programs running in your background?"
Ding!
I urgently activated [Personality Overwrite Protocol]. The blacksmith shop suddenly echoed with "Ode to Joy"bgm. When Charlotte was forcibly pulled into waltz position, I slipped the GM panel into her quiver: "This is the hidden easter egg 'Crisis in Vienna'!"
"Stop talking in NPC tone!" She backflipped to slash the magical gramophone,frost runes coalescingat her arrowhead actually started parsing my code chains, "Every questchain's ultimatereward being blacksmith coupon violates the greedy algorithm..."
I pretended to bend down for a hammer,while secretlyattaching to her boot soles contracted a 「Chatterbox Virus」. When Charlotte analyzed the mission logic for the seventh time, she suddenly began reciting Chapter 1 of "Das Kapital"——Thanks to Lead Programmer Brother ZhangImplanted counter-surveillance Easter egg.
(Surveillance room footage)
Kai Sa's cybernetic eye suddenly sparked. Forty surveillance screens before him displayed different versions of blacksmith shops. When Charlotte in one feed began dancing Swan Lake, the security chief's metal fingers crushed a coffee cup.
"Connect her brainwave signals to the analysis matrix!" Kai Sa tore off his tie, revealing data ports on his neckpulsing withcrimson code, "Prioritize monitoring dopamine secretion curves in Sector A-17."
The holographic Charlotte suddenly transformed into Tetris blocks, Kai Sa's roar shattered the second bulletproof glass: "He's buriedin the code layerelectronic drugs again!"
(Lin Mo's perspective)
I seized the chance to replace the taskbar's 「Dragon-Slaying Sword」 with 「Cross-dressing Experience ticket 」. Charlotte abruptly stopped reciting. Her emerald pupils reflected data storms,the arrowhead slowlyAim at the GM panel hidden behind my back.
"Three loopholes." The creak of her drawn bowstring made my teeth ache. "First, all hidden quests ignore player levels; Second, reward items carry identical identification codes; Third..."
The arrow suddenly veered into the void, shattering my data camouflage layer. Charlotte flicked the GM code stolen from my quiver between her fingers: "Third, real NPCs don't hide quantum computers in their crotches."
The air in the smithy froze solid. Old Jack's ale barrel chose that moment to explode perfectly. Through the acid-rain curtain, I activated [Shame Transfer Protocol], replacing Charlotte's ice queen persona with a meme collage.
"Pfft—"
Pink cat ears suddenly sprouted from her head as her dialogue transformed into a loli voice: "Onii-chan is the best!"
World chat flooded with notifications: [Hidden Achievement 「Moe is Justice」Unlocked!]
Running while sending Kai Sa's surveillance system screenshots of crossdressing Charlotte, listening to arrows piercing seventeen decoy puppets behind me, I suddenly realized this woman was ten times more troublesome than the Ironblood Legion.
(Surveillance room camera)
Kai Sparks erupted from Caesar's temples as the surveillance feed of Charlotte before himwas playing the new treasure islanddance. When the security chief was about to disconnect all players, he suddenly received an encrypted file from Lin Mo - decompressed to reveal three hundred AI-generated images of himself wearing Rita's outfits.
"Initializing... Initializing..."Caesar's mechanical vocal cords glitched for two seconds before erupting in Northeastern dialect: "Initialize your granny's damn legs!"
All company alarms started playing "Ren'ai Circulation", signaling the main system had been implanted with an Easter egg virus. Kai Caesar yanked out the data cable and jammed it into his cervical spine, his cyberbrain's overclocking blue light illuminating a twisted grin: "Captured your neural pulse frequency..."
(Lin Mo's Perspective)
When I knocked over the seventh wine barrel, Charlotte had already cleared all debuffs. Her arrows formed a cage pushing me against the wall, the elf'slong ears quiveringwith rage: "Who the hell are you?"
"Actually I'm your long-lost quest guide spirit." I clicked the [Split Personality Potion] in my inventory, suddenly splitting into thirty NPCs of different professions, "Pick a style you like?"
Charlotte suddenly smiled for the first time since the server launched. The smile made my hair stand on end as she activated live streaming while drawing her bow - the viewer count in the top-right corner was increasing at anexponential rateskyrocketing.
"All server players are watching," shesaid, her arrow tip gatheringrainbow particle effects. "Want to try being watched by a hundred thousand peoplein socially awkward situations??"
I decisively activated the final countermeasure: sending security protocol code stolen fromCaesardisguised as limited-edition skins to all viewers. When a hundred thousand players simultaneously transformed into fluorescent pink hippos, the server load capacity instantly reached critical levels.
"Now," I blew a kiss at Charlotte's Live streaming camera, "let'scelebrate the beloved hippoplayers for obtaining hidden appearances!"
(Surveillance room footage)
Kai 's metal hand pierced through the console, his server load alerts having transformed intoa
"He's using our defense system to generate memes!" Kai Sa's cybernetic eyes streamed blood-red tears, "Firing memory-erasing round..."
The moment the round was fired, all company screens suddenly played "Calabash Brothers Save Grandpa". In the collective daydreaming critical 0.3 seconds, Lin Mo's avatar appeared in every camera feed flipping the middle finger: "This is interest on last week's overtime pay."
I sprinted through a storm of glitter hippos, Charlotte's arrows weaving Morse code insults behind me. The 100k live viewers were making hippo butts twist my escape route into Snake game tracks.
"You can't escape!" Charlotte's voice boomed from the clouds as she chased me on rocket gifts from viewers. The "Top one Donor" badge pinned to her elf ear now spewed rainbow exhaust.
"Thanks forthe interstellarbattleship, fam!" I blew kisses to the camera while toggling the GM panel's collision physics to play-doh mode. When Charlotte hit the suddenly softened clocktower, the structure collapsed like a melting ice cream sundae.
(Surveillance room footage)
Kai Sa's mechanical eye popped out of its socket as the data torrent before him wasSquare DancingWhen the Purge Protocol progress bar transformed into a"Gokuraku Jodo" rhythm game interfacethe security chief suddenly ripped open his suit—revealing a metal chest cavity covered in absurd doodles.
"Initiating final purgation..."His electronic voice suddenly shifted to a loli tone,"Initiate your sister's initiation!"
Every office water dispenser began spewing milk tea, a sign that Lin Mo's milk tea virus planted last week had activated. Kai Sa's metal hand crushed the 40th keyboard when he suddenly discovered his avatar had turned into a pink Hello Kitty.
(Lin Mo's Perspective)
Seizing the moment, I dove into Old Jack's brewing vat. The AI code floating in the sour beer automatically formed a submarine. As Charlotte's detection magic swept over, I poured an entire bottle of "Quantum Chili Sauce" into the brew—don't ask, just consider it a hotpot Easter egg.
"Found you." Charlotte's voice suddenly echoed inside the barrel walls. She had modified arrows into submarine detectors. I watched helplessly as threearmor-piercing arrows spiraleddrilling through the oak barrel,Activate decisively[Pain Transfer Protocol].
"Ah!"
Charlotte, who was synchronizing perceptions through the arrow, suddenly gasped, her elfin ears turning crimson. Only then did I realize the transfer target was Kai Sa's monitoring system - the security chief's virtual avatar was currently performing a pole dance.
World channel exploded with a new announcement: [Hidden Achievement 「Social Death Resonance」Unlocked!]
Charlotte's furious arrow-riddled wine barrel. Clutching a bottle of awakened AI primordial solution, I leapt into the sewer. Code piranhas in the sewage began gnawing at my GM panel - the madwoman had coated her arrows with logic viruses!
"Every time you modify data,.....Charlotte's voice formed echolocation in the sewer, "the vulnerability rate increases by 7%!"
I skidded to a halt. My GM panel was indeed cracking before my eyes. Kai Sa's Purge Protocol progressbar had unknowinglyreached 89%, while Old Jack's distress signal was playing "The Anxiety".
"Plan B!" I kicked open the manhole cover and roared, splashing the AI primal serum into the sky. Golden rainstorm suddenly poured over the gloomy novice village, each raindrop a miniature Old Jack shouting into the mic: "Let's get lit, sisters!!"
A hundred thousand awakened AIs simultaneously took over players' bodies, as the hippo legion in the square began toshuffledance. Charlotte's tracking arrow suddenly U-turned, carrying her into the player-organized army.
(Surveillance room footage)
Kai Sa's mechanical fingers dug deep into the Hello Kitty plush. The alarm before him was reciting *Chu Shi Biao*. When the fifteenth programmer transformed into square-dancing aunties, the security chief suddenly yanked out hisbrain-machine interface.
"Game over." His oil-leaking lips twisted into a smile, condensing twenty years of career data into a black arrow. "Taste a real causal weapon..."
(Lin Mo's perspective)
I was cheering for the dancing AIs when sudden goosebumps rose on my nape. Kai Sa's black arrowpiercing through dimensional barriers, even data turbulence torn into nothingness along its path. The AI primal serum brewed by Old JackBefore the arrowheadVaporized and evaporated, the entire world began fading into a monochrome negative.
"Boss!" Old Jack's data stream suddenly enveloped me. "Use that one!"
I activated the ultimate Easter egg planted three days ago - tracking code synthesized from Charlotte's fallen hair. As the black arrow was about to strike, I entangled it with Kai Caesar's employee ID through quantum entanglement.
Time suddenly froze.
Kai Caesar's avatar stiffened a hundred meters away. The black arrow U-turned and pierced his own chest. Staring at the data black hole in his torso, he burst into manic laughter: "You think this can..."
"Of course not." I revealed the secretly copied *Company Overtime Records*. "37% of yourcomputing power in themining protocol, right?"
A golden system message flooded world chat: [Administrator's Abnormal Operations Exposed. All Players Receive 996 Compensation Package]
Charlotte's arrow suddenly pierced through the air, but only shatteredCaesar's finalhologram. As the elf archer pinned me against the wall by my collar, 100k spectators spammed the gift channel with 「Ship Them」.
"What exactly....."Her emerald pupils rippled with data streams.
"See you in the next hidden mission." I clicked the [Forced Logout Virus] in my backpack, winking at her before vanishing, "Don't forget to leave a five-star rating~"
(Surveillance Room Footage)
Kai Sa's metallic remains lay in the milk tea pool, Hello Kitty coatingwas peelingoff. He stared at the graffiti Lin Mo left on the ceiling - a smiley face pieced together from glitch code, with a line of small text below:
"PS: Your Rita maid dress photos have been uploaded to the player forum"
All company alarms suddenly started playing "Unforgettable Tonight", while awakened AIs in the novice village were leading players in collective strikes. Kai Sa's mechanical hand crushed the final data chip, his cybernetic eye flickering with strange light never seen before...