Chapter 143: File a Report (Revised)

The police station lobby was brightly lit at night, with only a few officers on duty; normally there would be even fewer people, but they looked quite busy.

Just as he approached the reception desk, a young officer lifted his head and immediately put on a friendly smile.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

Yang Yixie scratched his face awkwardly with a finger, then spoke out of habit.

"Police uncle, I saw the scam warning about the Wasteland Era game; I still have the game installed on my phone, worried something might go wrong later, so I came to file a report first."

Upon hearing those words "Wasteland Era," the officer didn't bother to correct Yang Yixie's address; his expression changed instantly, as if an NPC had been triggered by a keyword.

Yang Yixie muttered to himself that his first reaction being this was ridiculous—he must have been playing too many games lately.

He pulled a form from under the counter while speaking.

"Please fill out this form first."

He pushed the form and pen toward him, noticing Yang Yixie's somewhat tense expression, his tone tinged with sentiment as he tried to ease Yang Yixie's nerves.

Frankly, this was his first time seeing such a scene; it seemed every police station had received the notice today, yet there had been no warning signs.

When the notice was issued, he had actually never even heard the game's name before.

"This scam is impossible to guard against—just playing a game leaves you uneasy; although there have been cases of game accounts stolen or equipment scams before, triggering a city-wide alert like this is unprecedented."

"You don't need to be too nervous; the authorities have stepped in, they'll definitely resolve these issues, and there won't be any major trouble."

Yang Yixie nodded, took the form, and quickly skimmed it—it basically asked for name, ID number, phone number, address, etc., plus the time of filling out the test server URL, whether he'd qualified, and whether he'd entered the game.

He filled it out with a few swift strokes and handed it back.

The officer took the form, glanced at it carefully, then looked up again, his expression more serious than before, and confirmed.

"Mr. Yang, let me confirm again: you didn't just register for the test access, you actually played the Wasteland Era game, right?"

Yang Yixie's heart skipped a beat, but he still nodded.

"Yes, I've been playing these past two days."

Hearing that, the officer showed a "as expected" expression and then explained.

"It's like this: if you only filled out the test application, we'd just register your info and remind you to stay vigilant."

"But if you've already played the game, according to the instructions above, you need to stay here a bit longer while we report your situation to the superior department specifically handling this case."

He said this with a puzzled look, but the superior's order was clear—just follow procedure.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't take long—just a routine procedure; the impact of this fraud case is indeed significant."

Yang Yixie felt a bit uneasy, but he cooperated and nodded.

"I understand, I indeed played it."

"Alright, please follow me; let's wait a moment in the rest room."

The officer picked up the form, led Yang Yixie through the lobby, down a side corridor, and opened the door of a room marked "Temporary Rest Room."

As the door opened, Yang Yixie sensed an unusual atmosphere.

The room wasn't large, with several rows of plastic chairs; at that moment, three or four people were scattered about.

There were both men and women, ranging in age from early twenties to thirties.

When Yang Yixie entered, almost everyone's gaze snapped onto him at once.

Like a beast that had been hiding in the dark, suddenly illuminated, their bodies tensed instantly.

Their postures were not relaxed—some leaned slightly forward, hands resting casually on knees but with whitened knuckles; others leaned back against the chairs, their eyes sharp as they sized up Yang Yixie.

Yang Yixie was taken aback by this scene, feeling inexplicably creeped out.

"Really? Is it just that information might have leaked? Aren't we all victims? Why does the atmosphere feel like a spy meeting?"

After a moment's thought, he found it understandable.

After all, playing a game could make you a target for scammers, with personal data possibly exposed—anyone would feel upset about that.

I guess they're all holding in anger and worrying about future trouble, which is why their faces look so grim.

Thinking that, he also relaxed, stopped minding the probing stares, found an empty corner by the wall, pulled out a chair, sat down, took out his phone, and tried to lower his presence.

——————————————

Meanwhile, after escorting Yang Yixie to the rest room, the officer immediately returned to his post and contacted his superior via the internal communication system.

"Report, Checheng Dadao Fenju here—we've just registered and detained another Wasteland Era player."

On the other end of the communicator, there was a few seconds of silence before a somewhat weary and headache‑filled voice came through.

"...... Understood. First, enter the information into the system and have them wait in the rest room; I've already sent people over there—keep order and soothe emotions."

After hanging up, on the other end of the phone, a middle‑aged man in plain clothes whose shoulder insignia indicated a relatively high rank rubbed his temples, staring at the screen where the list labeled "Wasteland Era players (pending confirmation)" kept updating, his brow furrowed.

The names and associated information on the list kept growing, covering all industries and age groups.

"The scope is too broad, and the numbers exceed our estimates......" he muttered to a nearby colleague, "These 'players'...... sigh, the real trouble begins with their subsequent handling and contact."

Not long after the young officer contacted his superior, several low‑profile vans with windows covered in anti‑spy film pulled up silently in front of the police station.

From the vans stepped a team; though they weren't wearing full combat gear, their steps were steady and their movements showed clear training, noticeably different from ordinary police personnel.

The officer who had earlier received Yang Yixie saw this scene and silently clicked his tongue.

"What's the big deal? Isn't this just a game scam? Why deploy armed units?"

Although he was full of doubts, he still followed his senior forward to meet them and assist with their work.

The team leader was a middle‑aged man with a stern visage and a tall, straight build; he simply issued the order.

"Troublesome, please take the people in the rest room one by one to separate rooms; the rooms need to have all surveillance and recording equipment shut off, the environment should be as warm as possible, and not an interrogation room."