Online Game: My Decay Drives the Entire Server Crazy

Chapter 92 The Officials Are in a Hurry! Lifetime VIP OfferedNews of the Anti-Unscrupulous Alliance’s total annihilation in the cross-server core area spread to every server worldwide in less than an hour. William was cornered at the entrance of the Freedom Alliance’s guild territory in the US Server by two thousand contracted players demanding reimbursement for equipment repair costs and mental distress. He squatted on the highest step of the guild territory, watching the nine-guild alliance he had personally built collapse like a row of dominoes at the slightest touch. Kim Hyun-tae completely dropped his facade and publicly released a detailed ’Anti-Unscrupulous Alliance Internal Intelligence Report’ in the cross-server channel, posting secret meeting records of William forming the alliance, intelligence purchase channels, and even the budget allocation percentages for each guild. Yamada Ichiro followed up with another blow, admitting that the sealing scrolls and spatial blockade traps provided by the Sakura Shrine had ’all been transferred to the Unscrupulous Business Center warehouse,’ meaning the supplies William spent a fortune on ended up in Lin Ye’s inventory. Solo players on the US Server began posting on forums demanding William’s resignation as the president of the Freedom Alliance. Several presidents of small and medium-sized North American guilds directly blocked the entrance of the Liberty City guild territory with withdrawal applications, demanding to process their resignations on the spot. In the meeting room, William slumped in his chair, the holographic screen before him still lit up. A pinned announcement hung high on the home page of the Unscrupulous Business Center’s official website: ’The global protection fee package now covers over ninety-five percent of guilds worldwide. We thank all guild presidents for their support and trust.’ He watched with his own eyes as that number jumped from ninety-five percent to ninety-six percent.

In the third-floor VIP room of the Unscrupulous Business Center, Lin Ye sat by the window drinking tea. Fatty Wang stood nearby holding a tablet, refreshing the global protection fee package’s signing data in real-time. Su Qinghan sat opposite them, flipping through feedback reports from solo players across various servers. ’Forty new guilds from the Southeast Asian Server have signed, twelve from the Australian Server, and eight from the South American Server. After those two thousand people under William signed the agreement, almost all the small and medium-sized guilds in the US Server that hadn’t signed yet came forward.’ ’A president from the Indian Server signed a five-year guild package all at once, saying he didn’t want to worry about renewals every year,’ Fatty Wang added. Lin Ye set down his teacup and was about to speak when a hurried set of footsteps came from the stairwell. GM Xiao Zhou emerged from the stairs, wearing a slightly crisper blue shirt today, but the dark circles under his eyes were a shade heavier than the day the Lord of the Abyss went down into the mines. He carried a silver case even larger than the last one. He walked up to Lin Ye, placed the case on the table, and opened it.

Inside the case, several items were neatly arranged. A lifetime VIP authorization certificate, stamped with the joint seal of the Global Gaming Alliance—not just the official seal of the Chinese Server, but a globally valid lifetime VIP status jointly signed by all servers including the US, European, Japanese, and Korean Servers. A pure gold custom gaming pod key; the pod utilized the latest cross-dimensional energy conduction technology, allowing for a 0.1-second seamless switch between the game and reality. A dividend rights agreement for one percent of the game’s global revenue, settled monthly and audited by a third-party international accounting firm. There was also a virtual folder with ’Exclusive Infinite Material Dungeon Access’ written on the cover, with a small note in the remarks: ’All BOSSes and materials within the dungeon automatically refresh daily at midnight. For the exclusive use of Ye the Wicked; no other players may enter.’ Lin Ye glanced at the case, picked up his teacup, and took a sip without reaching out.

’How much has the revenue from overseas servers dropped?’ GM Xiao Zhou had prepared a stomach full of official rhetoric, but Lin Ye’s question choked it all back. He froze for a good while before saying with a bitter face, ’The US Server dropped thirty-two percent, the European Server dropped twenty-eight percent, and the Japanese and Korean Servers dropped twenty-five percent. After those two thousand people from the Anti-Unscrupulous Alliance defected en masse, overseas solo players began uninstalling the game in large numbers. They said that after the guild monopoly on materials was broken by Lin Ye, they had hoped to hold their heads high on the cross-server battlefield, but even the cross-server battlefield became your signing venue, Brother Ye. Official backend data shows that the global player churn rate over the last seven days has risen by fifteen percentage points year-on-year, with the US and European Servers seeing even higher losses among paying users.’ Lin Ye set down his teacup. ’What does the loss of overseas players have to do with me? They formed an alliance to cause trouble themselves, and after being counter-killed, their mental state collapsed. That can’t be blamed on me.’

GM Xiao Zhou wiped the sweat from his forehead. ’The officials aren’t blaming you. What they mean is, could you slightly slow down the pace of your global protection fee system? Give the overseas servers some breathing room so the lost players can slowly return. As compensation, the officials are willing to give you lifetime VIP status, global dividends, an exclusive dungeon, and a key to a cross-dimensional custom gaming pod. The gaming pod corresponding to this key was specially customized for you; it can double the Reality Synchronization effect of your Talent.’ Lin Ye leaned forward slightly, looking GM Xiao Zhou in the eye. ’What you’re afraid of isn’t the loss of overseas players. You’re afraid that after the overseas guilds quit the game en masse, the cross-server battlefield will become a single-player version for the Chinese Server. The cross-server channels just opened and the global players are fleeing—what happens to your global tournament plans? What about the sponsors? What about the advertising placements?’ Exposed, GM Xiao Zhou didn’t argue. He lowered his head and nodded. ’The officials do indeed have this concern. The next season of the global Cross-Server Tournament is about to start. If the lineup isn’t complete, we won’t be able to give the sponsors an explanation.’

Lin Ye leaned back in his chair. ’I can slow down the pace, but there are a few conditions.’ GM Xiao Zhou immediately pulled out a small notebook, his hand speed rivaling the Lord of the Abyss approving performance reviews. Lin Ye stood up and walked to the window, looking at the overseas solo players lining up in Dawn City’s square to buy cross-server protection packages. The line stretched from the entrance of the Unscrupulous Business Center all the way to the teleportation array. Some clutched bags of gold coins, some held material crates, and others held up homemade small flags with the words ”Brother Ye, please sign me” written crookedly on them. ’First, overseas guilds must stop all hostile actions against Chinese players. Those who have already signed agreements must strictly follow them. Those who haven’t must sign within twenty-four hours. Second, my global protection fee business is not to be subject to any official interference. No server, including the cross-server battlefield, may set additional restrictions on my cross-server actions. Third, I will determine the rules for the global Cross-Server Tournament. This includes the format, eligibility, and disqualification standards.’ GM Xiao Zhou opened his mouth and hesitated for a moment. ’I’ll have to ask the leaders about the third point.’

’Then go ask. I’m in no hurry.’ Lin Ye sat back in his chair and picked up his teacup. GM Xiao Zhou pulled out his phone and called his superiors right in front of Lin Ye. There was silence on the other end for a long while before the leader’s voice faintly came through the receiver. It was unclear what exactly was said, but the expression on GM Xiao Zhou’s face after hanging up was like an eggplant hit by frost then doused with a bucket of hot water. He put away his phone, his voice raspy but firm. ’The leader said yes. You will determine the rules for the global Cross-Server Tournament, but you must ensure they are fair and just. You must also participate yourself; these rules cannot only benefit others while having no requirements for you.’ Lin Ye set down his teacup. ’I’m participating to win the championship, not to give myself cheats. The rules will apply equally to all participants, including myself.’

GM Xiao Zhou let out a long sigh of relief and took the items out of the case one by one, arranging them on the table. The lifetime VIP authorization certificate was placed by Lin Ye’s left hand, the golden custom gaming pod key by his right, and the one percent dividend rights agreement in the center. The virtual folder for the Exclusive Infinite Material Dungeon was also gently pushed next to the certificate. Lin Ye picked up the dividend agreement and glanced at it; one percent of the game’s global revenue was already an incredibly staggering figure. He handed the agreement to Su Qinghan for safekeeping, then picked up the golden key and weighed it in his hand.

’Deliver the gaming pod to the first floor of the Unscrupulous Business Center and place it in the middle of the lobby as a display. Anyone who comes can experience it; no need to keep it for me alone.’ GM Xiao Zhou was stunned. ’The gaming pod corresponding to this key was customized for you alone; there’s only one in the world. You’re putting it in the lobby for everyone to use? You’re not taking it back to your studio?’ Lin Ye stood up and walked to the window, pointing at the long queue in Dawn City’s square. ’Look at them. To buy a protection fee package, they’ve been waiting in line for hours. Some are using the cheapest novice gaming pods with stuttering graphics and sync delays; they can’t even see the full effects of my debuff reflection. Put this custom gaming pod in the first-floor lobby and let the solo players take turns experiencing what truly top-tier equipment feels like. The abyss decay set is enough for me; I don’t need extra hardware buffs.’

GM Xiao Zhou remained silent for a long while, recording Lin Ye’s words verbatim in his notebook. He tucked the notebook away and stood up, bowing deeply to Lin Ye. ’Brother Ye, thank you.’ Then he turned to head downstairs. He paused at the top of the stairs, looked back at Lin Ye, and after some hesitation, spoke up: ’Brother Ye, there’s one more thing. The scene of the Anti-Unscrupulous Alliance being wiped out by you is still being spammed in the cross-server channel. Overseas solo players have launched a petition on the forums demanding William resign as the Freedom Alliance president. The number of petitioners has already exceeded one hundred thousand.’ Lin Ye picked up his teacup and didn’t look back. ’Once William signed the agreement, he became my client. I won’t interfere in a client’s internal affairs. But if he causes trouble again, next time won’t be a signing—it’ll be a ban. A permanent one.’ GM Xiao Zhou nodded and hurried downstairs.

Before the footsteps had completely faded from the stairwell, Su Qinghan opened her tablet and shook her head slightly as she pointed at several increasingly agitated private messages from William. ’William says in his private messages that he can’t clean up the mess of the Anti-Unscrupulous Alliance anymore. US Server players have been blocking his guild territory entrance for a whole day, and core members are starting to leave. He’s asking if you have time to meet him.’ Lin Ye picked up his teacup and glanced at the dialogue box on Su Qinghan’s tablet through the curling steam. ’Let him wait in line. Right now, the people who want to see me could stretch from Dawn City to the cross-server core area. He’s just one more.’ Su Qinghan pulled back the tablet, a faint smile touching the corners of her mouth. Fatty Wang squatted in the corner, clutching his calculator and continuing to tally the total revenue from the global protection fee packages, his fingers flying across the buttons.