◎ Command Center ◎
2:00 p.m., May 8.
A primary school in Spring City let out early.
A little girl ran excitedly toward her mother: “Mom, mom! The teacher said we’re going on a spring outing tomorrow, and it lasts two days!”
Her mother was surprised: “A spring outing? It’s already May—where are you going?”
“To Haicheng! There’s a naval ship exhibition there. Lots of schools are going.”
“How much will it cost?”
“The teacher said it’s free!”
“Free? That sounds too good to be true. Are they tricking you?”
“The whole school is going, so it’s definitely not a trick. Mom, I really want to go!”
…
In a village, the village committee used a loudspeaker to announce: a new hot spring resort in XX City has opened. To promote it, everyone over sixty can go for free. Sign up immediately, and the trip leaves early tomorrow morning.
All the village elders were tempted.
Elder A: “Totally free! Transport, meals, everything’s included. Should we go?”
Elder B: “Sounds like a scam. Can something this good really exist?”
Elder C: “What benefit would tricking us old folks bring them? We’re just a bunch of old bones anyway—what’s there to fear?”
Elder D: “Free hot springs! Let’s go sign up. Our group of old folks won’t lose out on anything.”
…
Spring City’s largest Grade-A tertiary hospital.
Boom! The hospital’s power distribution room exploded, damaging many pieces of equipment. The hospital lights flickered on and off.
Soon, all hospitalized patients were notified that the hospital would undergo a full inspection and maintenance. Since this was the hospital’s responsibility, they would arrange transfers to the neighboring city’s hospital. Not only would transfer fees be waived, but medical fees would also be appropriately discounted.
The patients were confused. Though they didn’t understand why the situation had escalated to a full transfer, hearing that medical costs would be reduced, nobody hesitated or complained. Many were even looking forward to the transfer.
Outpatients also asked if they could take advantage of the same benefits.
Meanwhile, at other hospitals, executives began discussing transfer options with critical patients: “XX Hospital has a new support policy. If you go there, you’ll get substantial discounts.” “XX Hospital currently has an expert available. You could consider going there. We can arrange the transfer immediately.”
…
At a welfare home.
The director warmly entertained a wealthy visitor, who removed his sunglasses, showing off an aura of wealth: “Our company is organizing a charity event and inviting all children from Spring City welfare homes to visit Wancheng. Get them ready—we’re leaving tonight.”
The director: “…”
If it weren’t for the mayor and the police accompanying him, she would have thought this was some scam trying to lure the children away.
…
Spring City Disabled Persons’ Federation.
The staff called people one by one: “Hello, is this XXX? Did you previously show interest in a job? There’s an employer in Licheng opening a factory where all the employees will be people with disabilities. Would you like to go for an interview? … The employer isn’t a bad person; this is an opportunity our Disabled Persons’ Federation has worked hard to secure, and we are directly coordinating it! … Don’t worry, if the interview doesn’t go through, we’ll cover all travel expenses. Meet tomorrow morning, and the Federation will arrange vehicles to take you there …”
…
By 6 p.m., dusk thickened over the southern city. As usual, the streets were bustling with traffic, but compared to normal days, something felt slightly different.
Bus after bus, car after car, and even silent ambulances drove out from various parts of the city, some filled with elderly people, some with children, and some carrying disabled people or patients, all heading toward the highways and leaving Spring City.
Meanwhile, on the roads entering Spring City, large trucks—box trucks, flatbeds, refrigerated trucks, semi-trailers—kept coming in nonstop.
From the outside, these trucks looked like ordinary civilian vehicles, but anyone peeking through the windows would notice that all the drivers were young men with buzz cuts, exuding a strong military aura.
A truck driver squatted by a water tank at a highway service area, filling it with water. Watching trucks pass by, he made a strange “huh” sound: “That’s weird, why are there so many goods coming into Spring City today?”
Another driver agreed: “Yeah, they’ve been coming non-stop since this afternoon. A fellow driver said it’s the same on the national highway—so many trucks heading into Spring City.”
“Wow, not only are there more goods coming in, but outgoing traffic is also much heavier than usual.”
It was like an unceasing flow; when had this highway ever been this busy?
…
At a Spring City dock, cargo ships entered the port, and as goods were unloaded, construction teams came off the ships as well, heading silently to different parts of Spring City to begin construction.
Anyone paying close attention would notice that these construction teams followed orders strictly and moved with exceptionally clean and efficient actions—clearly veterans of construction battalions.
At the same time, at Spring City Airport, planes landed. Though they appeared ordinary, their cargo holds were filled with special cold-resistant materials and survival supplies. Groups of passengers emerged from the jet bridges, men and women, old and young, looking ordinary in appearance and clothing.
But a closer look would reveal that these people’s eyes were unusually bright and focused; even teenagers displayed a calmness beyond their years.
After exiting, some took public transport, some taxis, and some gathered on tour buses to leave the airport quickly. Within half an hour, they reached their destinations.
Some set up stalls outside shopping malls, some took over struggling pharmacies, some installed themselves in community service centers, and some entered hospitals posing as patients.
This city was losing people, continuously, but these newcomers quickly filled the vacancies.
They spread across the city like droplets merging into the sea, causing no waves, quietly observing the city from their positions, watching for any abnormal individuals.
The high-speed train station, bus terminals… that night, all transportation hubs in Spring City were busy; the city’s undercurrent surged quietly.
…
May 9, early morning.
Jiang Qi removed her glasses and rubbed her sore eyes. She hadn’t rested much the previous night, having meticulously spoken out nearly everything she knew.
Li Yue looked up at her. “Did you finish telling everything?”
“Mm.”
Li Yue turned her laptop toward her. “Check this and see if I recorded it correctly.”
Jiang Qi looked at the document, tens of thousands of words long. Li Yue had not only written down what Jiang Qi said but had polished it into systematic, formal text, organizing key points from how to seize a player’s identity to all details about the train, making it both detailed and comprehensive.
Jiang Qi skimmed through it. “Basically, that’s it.”
She didn’t even need to check closely. Li Yue wasn’t the only one taking notes—an entire team had been typing and recording Jiang Qi’s words all night, and some people had even gone out intermittently to make reports.
In neighboring offices, other professional teams were simultaneously drafting action plans and immediately executing them.
The efficiency was astonishing.
Li Yue stood up. “There’s nothing more for now. You should get some rest.”
Jiang Qi asked, “Can I go home?”
Li Yue shook her head. “Not for now, I’m afraid.”
Jiang Qi nodded without insisting. Although she had said everything she needed to, nothing she said could yet be verified. It was normal to continue monitoring her.
Just like Li Yue, who, knowing too much, could not act freely and had to stay to work.
Li Yue asked, “Do you need us to bring anything from your home?”
Jiang Qi shook her head, “No need.”
Though she had finally been reborn and missed her little home, wanting to sleep in her own bed, objective conditions didn’t allow it, so she didn’t force it.
She found a rest room nearby and took a short nap.
An hour later, Jiang Qi was woken up. Li Yue apologized, “Sorry to wake you. We need to move to the command center.”
Jiang Qi got up efficiently. “Let’s go.”
…
The command center was located underground. It was practically an underground city, with passages extending in all directions, room after room dedicated to different functions, a massive central control area, people rushing back and forth nonstop, and truckloads of supplies being brought in one after another. The entire space was enormous.
Jiang Qi was somewhat shocked. “Was this built a long time ago?”
Li Yue explained, “They were converted from wartime air raid shelters. It just happens to be useful now. For the next month, this will be Spring City’s main command center.”
They passed a room still under construction. A brand new large screen had just been set up. When it lit up, one surveillance feed after another appeared.
Train stations, airports, roads, shopping malls, residential areas…
Sitting here, every movement in the outside world could be seen at a glance.
And surveillance rooms like this were still being expanded.
“Does Spring City really have that many cameras?” Jiang Qi asked.
Li Yue also marveled. “They were just installed. Tonight, the traffic management department, the municipal engineering teams, and even colleagues from the power grid are all mobilized. Hidden cameras have been planted all over Spring City. Once the players arrive, it will be impossible for them to avoid the omnipresent surveillance. Of course, as the temperature drops, these cameras will inevitably be damaged.”
“They can last as many days as they can,” Jiang Qi said.
She let out a breath of relief. Reporting everything to the state really had been the right choice. Once the state apparatus went into action, the efficiency was simply overwhelming. She even had the feeling that the players were about to walk straight into a trap.
“At this pace, if work continues through today and tonight, will everything be ready by tomorrow morning?” she asked.
“If nothing unexpected happens, yes,” a deep voice replied.
Jiang Qi turned and saw Zhang Zhengtian.
“Commander Zhang.”
“Come, Xiao Jiang. Let me introduce you to two people.”
Jiang Qi looked at the man and woman behind him.
The man was tall and upright, giving off a sense of steadiness like a mountain, solid and reliable.
The woman was valiant and sharp, stern and resolute, with an indescribable decisiveness and strength radiating from her.
Both were under thirty. Their movements were swift and crisp, like ferocious beasts ready to strike at any moment. When they looked at Jiang Qi, their gazes were piercing. For an instant, she felt as if she had been completely seen through, and her breathing stalled slightly.
Zhang Zhengtian introduced them. “These two are Comrade Cui He and Comrade Dong Shengfeng. They are outstanding soldiers carefully selected by the state, have rendered meritorious service countless times, possess exceptional individual strength, and their loyalty to the state and the people is beyond question.”
“Comrades, this is Comrade Jiang Qi, and she is also the person you will be protecting during this mission.”
Both saluted Jiang Qi. She copied their movements and returned the salute, then asked Zhang Zhengtian, “Protecting me?”
“Yes. You have the train conductor’s panel and must do certain things a train conductor needs to do. In the future, you will also have to find a way to become a conductor. That means you need people to protect you and cooperate with your actions. Comrades Cui and Comrades Dong have extensive mission experience and each commands an elite squad. Having them work with you is the best arrangement. In addition, part of the thousand-person team boarding the train later will also be coordinated by them separately.”
In other words, these two were not only responsible for protecting Jiang Qi, but were also a key link between her and the thousand-person team.
After all, given Jiang Qi’s background and abilities, it was unrealistic for her to directly command a thousand people.
Moreover, as a precaution, her train conductor identity could only be known to a very small number of people.
Jiang Qi nodded and did not refuse the arrangement. Since she had reported everything to the state, she naturally trusted the state completely.
Having these two help her would bring only benefits.
She said to them, “Then I’ll be relying on the two of you from now on.”
Dong Shengfeng, the female soldier, said, “Regarding how to seize a player’s identity, we have seen the written report, but there are still some questions we need to discuss with you in person.”
Jiang Qi was a little surprised. She had thought they might be skeptical of her. After all, they looked extremely capable, and people like that were usually proud and unruly. She did not expect them to immediately adopt the posture of discussing a battle plan.
That was fine. She smiled and nodded. “All right.”
…
Three minutes later, in the office, Jiang Qi sat on one side of the desk, holding a pen and drawing the appearance of the player panel on paper.
Cui He and Dong Shengfeng sat opposite her, with Zhang Zhengtian seated beside them.
“Every player has a player panel. At the instant a player dies, the panel flashes and vanishes. To ordinary people, it just looks like a burst of light suddenly appearing on the body after death. At the same time, the items in the player’s inventory will, in most cases, drop.
“What we need to seize is that exact moment. We must catch that burst of light in time. Even a little too late, and the player panel will disappear.”
Jiang Qi drew a portrait in the upper left corner of the panel. “In the upper left of the panel there is an avatar, a half body image of the player. At the time, I accidentally pressed my face against this avatar on the panel. The next moment, the panel merged into my face and entered my brain.”
Cui He asked, “If it is just a fleeting burst of light, how do we determine where the upper left corner is?”
Jiang Qi shook her head. “I only have one experience of seizing a panel myself, so I am not entirely sure. It may come down to luck. My suggestion is to first have a small number of people seize player panels and become players. From a player’s perspective, other people’s player panels are much clearer. Then those who become players first can help others capture panels.”
All three nodded. That really was the best approach.
Jiang Qi continued, “Because we need to seize identities from one thousand out of one hundred thousand players, the selection of these one thousand is critical.
“There are five types of carriages on the survival train: Special Class, First Class, Second Class, Third Class, and Fourth Class. Broadly speaking, the Special Class consists of four person sleeper compartments and accounts for about 0.5 percent of the total passengers. First class is a large open area with individual beds, about 5 percent. The Second Class has relatively comfortable and spacious soft seats. Third Class has cramped hard seats. Fourth Class has no seats.
“Seat class is determined partly by how many supplies a newcomer brings when boarding, and partly by the fighting and gains from the previous dungeon. Generally speaking, those who can enter Special Class and First Class have some real ability, and the train conductor pays more attention to them. Such people are not easy to impersonate. I suggest we target players in second, third, and fourth class.
“However, once our people board the train, they are not there to throw their lives away, so they cannot keep appearing completely incompetent. At the same time, we cannot choose targets who are overly cowardly, sneaky, or useless to impersonate, because such a drastic change later on would be hard to explain.”
Zhang Zhengtian took over. “That means we need to observe the players for a period of time and screen them.”
He said it coldly, as if he were not selecting hunting targets, but simply choosing suitable slots.
But none of the three objected.
Players descending upon their world were unequivocally outsiders and invaders. This was a matter of survival. Showing mercy to players meant cruelty to their own people.
Jiang Qi went on, “One more thing. We are infiltrating one thousand people. The larger the passenger base, the less likely we are to be discovered. So we need to ensure that as many of these players as possible survive within this dungeon. That means we cannot allow signs of exposure that would force us to silence large numbers of people.”
“Therefore, when selecting targets, it is best to look for lone wolves. And when we capture or kill them to seize their panels, we must ensure that no other players notice.”
…
You can grab the full book now on my Ko-fi page, available in both PDF and EPUB formats! 🖤
📎 Here’s the link to the full novel