Chapter 52: Perhaps There’s a Gatekeeper

In the office.

The three of them had reached a critical point in their discussion. Huang Wei, whose thoughts were beginning to wander, subconsciously pulled out a cigarette. Just as he was about to light it, he noticed Yan Duoduo’s resentful gaze.

Sigh, he really didn’t like cigarettes—it was such a pity.

Huang Wei silently stuffed the cigarette back into his pocket and softly analyzed, “Ren Ye has the special ability of ‘Royal Command,’ which allows him to subvert two players and bring them into his faction. Now that we’ve secured Songstress’s Identity tag, we need to use one special ability to shift her from the court faction to Prince Huai’s faction. So, you’ll need to be cautious with the remaining special ability. Personally, I think you shouldn’t expose this trump card until you’ve figured out whether the princess is an ally or an enemy.”

“I agree with Old Huang’s opinion.” Yan Duoduo nodded slightly, “The core gameplay of this Star Gate revolves around factional conflict, and the role of Royal Command is more important than the Nation-Stabilizing Sword or Imperial Brush.”

“Understood.” Ren Ye listened to their analysis and voiced another concern, “There’s still one problem I’ve been thinking about.”

“What is it?” Yan Duoduo elegantly raised his teacup.

“Look, the player with the Songstress Identity tag is already dead—I’ve killed her.” Ren Ye looked at them curiously, “So, if I bring another person in and activate the Songstress Identity tag, what will happen? Will Liu Ling’er’s character revive? If that’s the case, then it would mean she revealed her player identity from the start… how are we supposed to continue?”

Yan Duoduo, experienced as always, tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, “I don’t think you need to worry about that. I’ve gone through your report several times in detail. Qingliang Prefecture’s Star Gate has a very large world view. The entire dynasty change, the course of history, and the ‘natives’ of this Star Gate, all seem like remnants of a higher-tier Star Gate that shattered, creating a small world. It probably won’t have such a foolish bug.”

He used a lot of technical terms, and Ren Ye was a bit confused, “What’s a higher-tier Star Gate? And what’s a shattered small world?”

Huang Wei couldn’t help but interject, “According to legend, in an ancient time so old it can’t be traced, the Star Gate was a complete world, boundless in space and immeasurable. But for reasons unknown, the complete Star Gate shattered, forming countless large fragments of space, which we call higher-tier Star Gates. After many more years, these higher-tier Star Gates fractured again, eventually forming the current Stellar Scar Gates… The internal space varies in size, and most of the civilization ruins are incomplete and damaged. Only the clearing tasks are relatively intact. So, Star Gates like Qingliang Town, which have a dynasty history and a relatively complete world view, are rare. Based on Mr. Yan’s judgment, it’s an anomaly created by a shattered higher-tier Star Gate, and the inheritances inside it are undoubtedly very rare.”

Ren Ye took a moment to digest this and couldn’t help asking again, “What’s the basis for your judgment?”

“Accumulation.” Yan Duoduo intervened, looking at him, “Take the Vigil Keepers, for example. Players with different class inheritances are exploring various Star Gates. Their experiences and collected information are summarized in reports sent to headquarters. Over time, we can make some educated guesses about the truth. Of course… we also have many top-tier experts in special professions who focus on studying the Star Gates.”

“Oh.”

Ren Ye nodded slowly, “So, are there still higher-tier Star Gates?”

“Star Gates of the fourth tier and above are referred to as higher-tier Star Gates,” Huang Wei said immediately. “For instance, our headquarters’ Vermillion Bird…”

“Ahem.”

Yan Duoduo, noticing that Huang Wei was about to go on a bragging spree, coughed twice in dissatisfaction.

Huang Wei awkwardly scratched his nose and quickly changed the subject, “Once you officially become a Vigil Keeper, you’ll slowly understand. The matters of the Stellar Scar Gate are vast and complex. Even if I sat here explaining for a month, I couldn’t cover it all. Just remember this: bugs in Star Gates are extremely rare, and if they do occur, they’re quickly fixed. So, you don’t need to worry about Liu Ling’er.”

Ren Ye, hearing this, suddenly recalled some information he had once read in Huang Wei’s notes: “Fixed? Are you talking about the Gatekeepers?”

“Yes, the Gatekeepers,” Yan Duoduo immediately grasped Ren Ye’s meaning. “The existence of Gatekeepers is to prevent deviations in Star Gate worlds. Qingliang Prefecture must have its own Gatekeeper. Haha, for all you know, while you players are completing missions and fighting each other, the Gatekeeper might be secretly watching from the sidelines.”

“Do they exist in human form?” Ren Ye asked again.

“Not necessarily. Gatekeepers are intangible and take different forms depending on the background of the Star Gate. In a supernatural Star Gate, it might be a ghost; in one with pets, it could be a pig… As for your Star Gate, it’s very likely a person—an extraordinarily intelligent one at that.” Yan Duoduo was patient and provided a detailed explanation.

“If I could cozy up to the Gatekeeper, wouldn’t I become invincible?” Ren Ye eagerly sought a shortcut.

“Hahaha!”

Huang Wei burst into laughter. “The Gatekeeper represents the rules of the Star Gate, existing to maintain balance. In simple terms, no matter how good you are, you can’t make it break the rules.”

“Oh!”

Ren Ye looked disappointed. “Then my well-honed skills are useless.”

The three of them continued sitting in the office, repeatedly analyzing the information Ren Ye had provided and drafting various contingency plans for their next entry.

To be honest, though, these plans were all “theoretical exercises.” The gameplay within a Star Gate is inherently unpredictable. Adding to this, the continuous and re-entrant nature of Qingliang Prefecture’s Star Gate meant that its subsequent content wouldn’t be easy to anticipate. If it were, then the massive organizations in the real world, with their abundance of talent, would have already monopolized it completely.

…

The discussion went on until evening.

When the three of them went to the cafeteria for dinner, Huang Wei snuck into the restroom and smoked twelve cigarettes in a row. The number was precise because Ren Ye was standing outside, keeping count one by one.

When Huang Wei finally came out, his face looked as pale as if smeared with ash, a sickly yellow hue.

“Feel better?” Ren Ye asked, pinching his nose.

“…Much better. Nothing beats these cigarettes. Smoking twelve of anything else just doesn’t cut it.” Huang Wei’s hair seemed to be smoking too.

“You’ve got no kids, no wife,” Ren Ye said, looking at him with concern. “How about buying some insurance and naming me the beneficiary?”

“Take care of me, kid. When I’m old, everything I have will be yours.” Huang Wei affectionately patted Ren Ye on the head, and the two headed to the cafeteria.

As soon as they entered, Ren Ye noticed Yan Duoduo already seated in a corner. He had served himself a bowl of rice and some vegetables, eating slowly and methodically.

This kind of leader really earned respect. Many claim to live modestly alongside their team, but in reality, they eat special meals, and even the water they drink is separately provided. By conventional standards, Yan Duoduo was at least on par with a high-ranking local official. Most people at his level maintain a certain distance from their subordinates.

But not Yan Duoduo. Eating and chatting with others, he exuded a calm and elegant demeanor that didn’t feel forced at all.

Huang Wei and Ren Ye got their meals and sat across from Yan Duoduo.

Swish!

While eating, Yan Duoduo picked up a fresh document and slid it across the table to them. “Headquarters has approved the person you requested.”

“Really? That fast? Headquarters is efficient!” Huang Wei said cheerfully, grabbing the document and flipping through it. “Yep, it’s this guy—the Capital’s number one lunatic.”

“Huh?”

Ren Ye froze. “Who is this? Is this… for me?”

“Yes, your new teammate. You two will enter the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate together,” Huang Wei replied, turning to look at him. “Take a look at the file and familiarize yourself.”

Yan Duoduo took a sip of water. “He’ll arrive in Shanghai no later than tomorrow morning.”

“A new teammate… a lunatic?!” Ren Ye was utterly baffled. He snatched the document and started reading.

On the first page was a photo of a strikingly handsome young man. Judging by his appearance, he had at least 80% of the charm of Edison Chen at his peak.

Below the photo was detailed personal information.

“Name: Tang Feng”

“Gender: Male”

“Ethnicity: Han”  

“Age: 23”

“Position: Former Capital Yellow Rank Vigil Keeper, psychological counseling specialist, psychiatric specialist at the Vigil Keeper Hospital (currently suspended, undergoing self-treatment).”

“Misconduct: Before his suspension, Tang Feng conspired with Chaos Faction players to attempt a robbery of the Vigil Keeper Stellar Essence vault in the Capital’s Imperial District. The plan failed, and he was subjected to internal disciplinary action, receiving a major demerit and public reprimand. Following an evaluation by the Capital’s Vigil Keeper Disciplinary Committee, it was determined that Tang Feng’s unstable mental state was influenced by his inherited profession. Considering his extraordinary potential and the fact that he caused no serious harm, it was decided that he would not be dismissed or held criminally liable. Instead, his condition would be monitored to decide whether he could be reinstated.”

“Inherited Profession: Unknown (inheritance Star Gate not yet cleared).”

“First-Stage Title: Psychologist.”

Ren Ye quickly skimmed through Tang Feng’s personal information, his mind a chaotic mess, and his expression utterly blank.

“…Why him?” Yan Duoduo also looked at Huang Wei with a strange expression.

“Based on Ren Ye’s account, it seems players’ inherited abilities cannot be used within the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate,” Huang Wei explained after a brief pause. “But I believe that by the final stages, this restriction will likely be lifted. I want to take that gamble. If it is lifted, Tang Feng would be a significant asset to Ren Ye. Plus, you know how sharp his intellect is.”

“Stop talking nonsense. I think you’re just trying to get back at me,” Ren Ye retorted, turning to Huang Wei. “A guy who tried to rob his own unit’s vault—are you seriously talking to me about his intellect?! And the Identity tag is Songstress! Do you even understand what Songstress means? It’s a female role! And you’re giving me some macho guy as my cute teammate?”

“Calm down. You don’t know Tang Feng’s history,” Huang Wei said seriously, gesturing to Ren Ye to relax. “He’s a legend in the Capital. He’s also the only first-stage Vigil Keeper to have been individually summoned by multiple departments at headquarters.”

“Yeah, some legend! Conspiring with Chaos Faction players to rob his own unit’s Stellar Essence vault! And the most ridiculous part—he actually trusted that idiot Chaos Faction player!” Ren Ye was on the verge of collapse. “All I want is a normal woman! Just a normal one!”

…

The Capital.

Inside a high-end residential complex, a family of four was sitting at the dining table for dinner.

“Dad, I’m going on a business trip,” said Tang Feng, a handsome young man seated on the left.

“Aren’t you suspended?” The scholarly-looking middle-aged man beside him, holding a bowl of rice, asked, “Did your ridiculous company get revived again?”

“Yeah.” Tang Feng nodded slightly, his eyes exuding innocence. “Dad, can you lend me 150,000 yuan?”

“Why do you need so much money?!”

“Why else? To splurge, to live it up, to show off,” the young man replied casually, his tone as straightforward as his reasoning.