Chapter Three: The Vanguard Plan

Invitation to discuss matters of national importance?

Chen Nian felt a subtle sense of being both honored and startled. After all, he was usually the target of media criticism. Just a few days ago, a young man suffering from dissociative schizophrenia had accidentally fallen from a building, and the media somehow managed to link the incident back to him.

"I'm just a player," Chen Nian replied instinctively.

"You are no ordinary player. To say nothing of your other achievements, your creation, the Celestial Guild, has half a million members. The authorities have specifically instructed us to invite you to the meeting."

"Alright, what's the meeting room number?"

"326086. The meeting will begin in one hour."

"Okay, I'll attend on time."

…

After hanging up, Chen Nian picked up the Metaverse helmet from the coffee table and put it on. As expected, all the usual Metaverse entry points were functioning. Just as he noticed the final, mysterious gateway, the guild's vice president, Lu Yixiu, suddenly logged in as well.

Before Chen Nian could reach out, Lu Yixiu sent him a private message.

"Chen Nian, you were invited to that meeting too, right?"

"I was just notified."

"Me too."

"Yixiu, you're at least someone inside the organization, a diplomat in the making. Do you know the real purpose behind this meeting? Surely they don't expect us players to actually discuss national affairs?"

"I have no idea…"

"Then what are we supposed to say during the meeting? It seems the best we can do is promise that we Metaverse players won't cause trouble for the country…"

"True… Let's just see what happens."

…

An hour passed quickly. To make the most of the meeting, Chen Nian chose to use his reclining Metaverse pod. Upon entering room 320686, his surroundings shifted instantly, and he found himself in a virtual conference room.

At that moment, only Lu Yixiu was present, sitting beside him with a furrowed brow. After exchanging brief greetings, both fell silent.

Soon, more people began to appear in the conference room. There was Xia Xiyun, president of the nation’s second-largest guild, Milky Way, along with vice president Liu Chen. The president of the third-largest guild, Fortune, Yuan Zhendong, was also present…

Before long, all the presidents and vice presidents of the country’s top ten guilds had gathered. Though there were countless grievances and entanglements among them, in this setting, everyone remained silent, with no inclination to dredge up the chaos of the game world.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man in military uniform with a stern expression appeared at the head of the table.

"You are all remarkably punctual, worthy of being elites from every walk of life."

The room remained silent. It was clear that these remarks were not addressed solely to the Metaverse players present; in all likelihood, this officer was a projection, simultaneously appearing in countless meeting rooms.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ye Guangyu, commander of the Huaxia Space Force. Because this incident concerns extraterrestrial civilization, my Space Force has been given full authority over its handling.

On behalf of the Space Force, I greet all of you participating across eighteen hundred and sixty-two conference rooms.

I imagine you’re all curious about the attendees of this meeting.

Among you are renowned entrepreneurs listed among the nation's richest, prominent scientists, a twenty-four-year-old academician of the New Humanity Academy, as well as outstanding students, teachers, actors, workers, farmers, programmers, artists… even streamers and players, and so on.

As for the purpose of inviting you all, you likely already know. Yes—it is to discuss the extraterrestrial Metaverse event.

Let me first explain the potential impact of this event..."

Ye Guangyu’s account was concise and clear, analyzing the extraterrestrial Metaverse incident in a manner similar to Lin Fengqi’s. In sum, there were two possible outcomes.

First, mobilize the military to prepare for conflict with extraterrestrials.

Second, prepare the military to compete with other nations for alien technology within the Metaverse.

After explaining, Ye Guangyu continued, "Let me share our plan with you.

According to our plan, at three o’clock the morning after tomorrow, ten thousand people will act as an advance team, entering the alien Metaverse for exploration.

Of these ten thousand, seven thousand will be Space Force personnel. The remaining three thousand will be recruited from among you.

It cannot be helped—military personnel have their limitations and cannot match you in many fields.

Simply sending soldiers into the alien Metaverse would be far from sufficient.

Of course, since we have no understanding of alien technology, connecting ten thousand people’s brainwaves to the alien Metaverse carries enormous risks.

These include, but are not limited to, the following:

Sudden brain death.

Loss of memory or becoming vegetative due to the overwhelming influx of information.

Even if entry is successful, there remain risks:

Being unable to exit, with consciousness forever trapped inside.

Encountering aliens and experiencing unimaginable events.

..."

After listing these possibilities, nearly everyone in the room, except for Chen Nian, looked visibly unsettled, with some even shrinking back instinctively.

As the country's top Metaverse players, these people were financially free in reality and idolized in the virtual world—a good life, free from care. Who would willingly volunteer for such a task?

Moreover, for such a dangerous mission, the authorities intended to recruit so many at once to form an advance team—it seemed to them that human life was being treated lightly.

Ye Guangyu went on, "You may be asking yourselves: If the alien Metaverse is so dangerous, why send ten thousand people in at once? Why not use a death row inmate to test the waters?

The answer is simple: We cannot.

And the reason is obvious. We do not know whether the alien Metaverse has a capacity limit—perhaps it can only hold tens of thousands, or even fewer.

Meanwhile, abroad… their Metaverse functions have not been suspended, and countless ordinary people will be entering the alien Metaverse the moment it opens.

If there is indeed advanced alien technology within, and if there is a capacity limit, sending only a few people would mean losing any chance to seize the initiative…

This is a matter of enormous consequence—Huaxia cannot afford to lose.

Ten thousand is the result of careful deliberation. Should there be alien technology inside, a well-organized advance team of this size will have some degree of competitive strength.

Conversely, even if disaster strikes and all ten thousand are lost, it remains within acceptable limits."

Ye Guangyu’s words were brutally frank—he was all but saying the ten thousand would be guinea pigs.

The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

After a long pause, Ye Guangyu chuckled lightly. "I imagine many of you are afraid. That is normal.

But rest assured, everything is voluntary; no one will be forced.

However, this matter is truly of utmost importance. This is not simply about exploring an alien Metaverse.

You should know that to wage war, it usually takes years or even decades to prepare. Beyond material readiness, there is a crucial component: guiding public opinion.

If we in Huaxia were to prepare for war against another country, we would first seize the high ground of public opinion—indicting the enemy’s crimes, and so on…

The aim is to unite the nation, to forge a common purpose.

Only when every sector of society stands as one can we contemplate war. That way, when losses are suffered, our society will have the resilience to withstand them.

However…

This incident was too sudden. The public has not undergone any sort of ideological preparation.

Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, new humans and ordinary people—all have different interests. How can we unite everyone in such a short time?

There remains only one method:

The power of example.

Each of you wields enormous influence in your field and represents a distinct stratum of society.

If you stand together, united and unafraid before the nation, leading the charge in this crisis, it will inspire the whole society.

Therefore, I hope that at least one person in every conference room will step forward and join the advance team.

I know this is dangerous.

But Huaxia truly needs you."

…

Hearing this, Chen Nian suddenly understood.

He and the top players in this room were not invited because of their skill in the game, but because of the communities they represent.

There exists in society a vast group of people who are perpetually immersed in the Metaverse, indifferent to reality. Their only concern may be the exploits of top players.

This group is known as the "Lying Down Party."

Uniting such people, motivating them to contribute, is an immense challenge.

To find a representative among them, the authorities could only look to the most prominent players.

Chen Nian knew full well that he was one of them.

He had been forced to "lie flat" by terminal illness.

He never wanted to escape reality—after all, as a terminally ill orphan, facing reality would have driven him to suicide long ago.

Ironically, by disengaging so completely, he had reached new heights—becoming the nation’s foremost Metaverse player.

…

The conference room was silent.

Chen Nian looked around at the others. Some bowed their heads in feigned contemplation, others blushed with tension…

At that moment, Lu Yixiu suddenly stood up beside him.

"Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll volunteer for this."

Instantly, every head in the room turned to look at Lu Yixiu.