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Chapter 117: Mob Mentality (1)
In the real world.
A keyboard warrior sat in front of his monitor, casually scratching his foot while watching a livestream.
At this moment, the camera captured the scene where Gu Yi was about to stab himself in the eye. The keyboard warrior got excited and began typing furiously.
"Hurry, stab it!"
"Just die already, Gu Yi!"
Thud, Thud, Thud!
There was a knock at the door.
The keyboard warrior put down his mouse and went to the door.
"Who is it?"
"Delivery."
"So soon?"
The keyboard warrior scratched his head and opened the door.
Ah Jian, leading a team of special agents, burst into the room, pinning the keyboard warrior to the ground without a word.
"Stay still! What's your name?"
"He Qiangqiang!" The keyboard warrior lay on the floor, pale with fear, "What are you doing? Who are you?"
"Special agent of the Dragon Country's Strategy Team."
Ah Jian showed He Qiangqiang his badge.
The other agents went into the rooms to search, "Brother Jian, there's no one else in the room."
"What are you doing? Why are you arresting me?" He Qiangqiang said defiantly, "I'm not a fanatic. I don't have any forbidden items. On what grounds are you arresting me?"
"Why? That's for you to upon."
The agents grabbed He Qiangqiang and led him out.
Ah Jian and the remaining agents continued to search the room, trying to find any clues that might link the suspect to the fanatics or suggest he had been paid off.
In just one minute, He Qiangqiang had sent hundreds of hateful comments, visible in live broadcasts around the world. That's why Ah Jian personally led the team to apprehend him.
"Brother Jian, this is the suspect's phone. We've checked the transaction records, and there's no suspicious money transfer in the past month."
"I've searched here too and found no forbidden items. We can basically rule out the possibility that he's a fanatic."
Ah Jian scratched his head in confusion.
He sat down at the computer and turned it on.
Turns out, He Qiangqiang had created dozens of accounts, constantly moving between various live broadcasts. On his computer was a software called "Bullet Comment Bot."
Using the Bullet Comment Bot, one can send a hundred comments in a minute. Combined with He Qiangqiang's many accounts, this created the effect of sending hundreds of comments in a short time.
"Sigh..."
Ah Jian sat in front of the computer, sighing in exasperation.
"Sometimes, I really wish these people were paid to do this." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"What do you mean?"
"If they were paid, it means they see trolling as a job and at least there's some kind of a valid reason." Ah Jian pointed at the computer, "But what's truly terrifying are people like He Qiangqiang. He trolls out of pure enjoyment. He just wants to see adventurers fail and the world end. Fundamentally, he's no different from the fanatics."
Ah Jian stood up and clapped his hands, "Let's secure the evidence. We have another keyboard warrior to find."
...
"Drop dead!"
"Kill yourself! Kill yourself! Kill yourself!"
"Trash, useless!"
Gu Yi opened his eyes, once again confronted by a negative barrage of messages.
"Inhale — exhale —"
Gu Yi pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself with some psychological suggestions.
Today was the second day of the exams. The barrage of messages before Gu Yi's eyes had reduced somewhat, but they still appeared at the most inopportune times.
After finishing his morning routine, Gu Yi returned to his dorm room, only to find that Chen Zeyu had left without a word.
His roommate was quite an introvert.
However, Gu Yi didn't say much. After all, these people were just temporary companions on his journey. He picked up his school uniform, examination admission ticket, and stationery and headed to the lobby on the first floor.
Outside the door, a portal was slowly opening.
At the end of this portal was the teaching building.
"The portal will open soon," the dormitory's supervisor announced. "Before entering the examination room, you need to give up something of great importance to you."
Many students showed expressions of reluctance.
The supervisor aunt approached Gu Yi.
After a moment of silence, Gu Yi pointed to his beloved motorcycle. "I'll give it up."
"Very well."
The supervisor aunt nodded.
Gu Yi pursed his lips and closed his eyes, hearing the sound of his motorcycle disintegrating.
"You can head to the teaching building now. Also, remember to wear your school uniform at all times while in school."
"I understand."
Gu Yi nodded and, albeit unwillingly, did as told.
The outside air was chilly, but fortunately, he had dressed in advance.
Following the crowd, Gu Yi entered the examination hall. The invigilator stood at the podium, distributing exam papers to each student's desk.
Looking down, Gu Yi realized that both sides of the paper were blank, not a single word on them.
"The examination hasn't started yet. Please wait for the bell to ring before you pick up your pens," said the invigilator.
Hearing this, Gu Yi closed his eyes.
(Deduction begins!)
(You hear the bell ring.)
(You pick up the pen.)
(There's nothingness before your eyes.)
(You terminate the deduction!)
Gu Yi was taken aback. He hadn't expected that after the start of the exam, he would actually be transported to another space?
Ding Ding Ding!
The examination bell rang.
The students around him picked up their fountain pens one by one, holding them aloft, staring blankly at the exam papers.
Imitating them, Gu Yi picked up his fountain pen. Immediately, he felt a dizzying sensation, and everything around him underwent a dramatic transformation.
He couldn’t control his body or use any skills. He could only listen and watch.
The invigilator's voice echoed.
"Final examinations begins."
"Subject One: Public Opinion Exam."
"Exam Requirements."
"1. Please answer using a black ink pen or fountain pen. If neither works, please use fresh blood."
"2. Once an answer is set, it cannot be changed. Answer with caution."
"3. This exam adopts a dream simulation approach. The exam duration is 24 hours. The passage of time here does not synchronize with reality. Allocate your time wisely. Everything that happens in this dream will not affect reality."
"4. Test-takers need to achieve a reversal in public opinion during the exam, steering it in a direction favorable to you."
"5. The maximum score for this exam is Emotionality: 10 points, Rationality: 10 points. If the total score exceeds 12 points, the test-taker will receive a dream fragment as a reward."
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"The exam will officially begin once the test-taker says 'Begin'."
Instead of rushing to start, Gu Yi quickly scanned his surroundings.
He was in the school cafeteria, with a long line before him. Everyone was queued up, waiting to get their meals.
Taking the exam requirements literally, he was currently in a dream, and everything he did within this dream was essentially him answering the exam.
What puzzled him was:
Requirement number one, "Use a black ink pen or fountain pen to answer". This was consistent with the instructions on the exam admission ticket. But since it's a dream simulation, why would he need to use a "pen", or even "fresh blood"?
After pondering for a moment and realizing he couldn't gather any more information, Gu Yi decided.
"Let's begin!"