Chapter 144: Not My Business Anymore? (Revised)

"We need to confirm some details separately, and later we might still have to ask them to come with us."

The officer hesitated, glanced at the vigorous personnel outside, and asked softly.

"Um… do we need to temporarily seize their personal belongings, such as their phones?"

The team leader shook his head.

"No, please try to keep a friendly attitude; they've suddenly gone through this and may feel resistant."

The officer, though puzzled, still nodded and complied.

He returned to the lounge and began calling people in order according to the list.

Yang Yixie sat in the corner, watching people in the room being taken away one by one, never returning, and couldn't help but frown.

This procedure, no matter how you look at it, doesn't seem like a simple fraud case filing.

Soon, it was his turn.

"Mr. Yang Yixie, please follow me," the officer tried to make his tone sound calm.

Yang Yixie stood up and followed the officer out of the oppressive lounge.

Perhaps because he looked rather youthful, the officer kept soothing him as they walked.

"Relax, don't be nervous; it's just confirming some details, it'll be quick."

The officer led him to a small room that was indeed set up more warmly, with a soft sofa, potted plants, and even a cup of prepared warm water.

Inside the room sat a female officer about thirty years old, wearing a friendly smile.

When the female officer saw Yang Yixie enter, her gaze lingered for a moment on his young, slightly student‑like face, a complex flash in her eyes, then her smile softened further.

"Come, classmate, sit here," she pointed to the sofa opposite.

Yang Yixie obediently sat down.

The female officer spoke slowly, her tone warm and firm, not provoking resistance.

"Classmate, you needn't be afraid. No matter what situation you encountered, trust that the authorities will do everything possible to resolve it and protect your safety."

Her tone was very sincere, easily engendering trust.

Yang Yixie, though feeling the opening line was a bit overly solemn, still cooperatively nodded, putting on a well‑behaved look of "I trust the organization."

"Hmm, I trust it."

Seeing this, the female officer silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared with the previously encountered prickly individuals, this player who had just come down from the "battlefield" seemed much more innocent.

She couldn't help but wonder how a kid like this, drawn into that world, had survived those perilous seven days.

She adjusted her tone, trying to coax Yang Yixie into giving some information.

"No need to be nervous. When you were playing the game called 'Wasteland Era', did you encounter any particular situations? Any detail can be told to us, and we'll do our best to help you."

Yang Yixie felt a bit baffled by her question.

Isn't this game supposed to be a scam software that steals information?

Why does it sound like a game customer service doing user research?

Is the official now dedicated to making game guides?

Yang Yixie muttered internally, yet couldn't help asking the lingering doubt.

"Um… Officer sister, didn't you say this game is a scam? If it involves information leakage, should I just delete it? Would deleting it directly trigger a virus?"

The female officer was momentarily stunned, then quickly recovered, her smile unchanged, and followed Yang Yixie's words with a question.

"Oh? Where did you download this game? To your phone or computer? May I see it?"

Yang Yixie honestly took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and pointed to the pixel‑style 'Wasteland Era' icon.

"This one."

He also tapped it, causing the game's opening UI to pop up, but it wouldn't load, showing a 'Version under maintenance, please try again later' notice.

"But it's being updated now, so it can't be played temporarily."

The female officer examined Yang Yixie's phone screen closely, especially the game icon and loading screen, and breathed a sigh of relief.

During the early investigation of that 'game intrusion incident', they had found multiple apps with the same name on the market, since the game's title is indeed rather generic.

It seemed this young man had merely downloaded an ordinary mobile game that happened to share the name, and hadn't been drawn into the truly dangerous 'game'.

Her smile grew even brighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and she said to Yang Yixie.

"Classmate, it appears this is a misunderstanding. The game you downloaded is not the scam software we are investigating; it just happens to have the same name, so you can rest assured."

She continued, adding some anti‑scam tips.

"As for whether you'll get a virus, as long as your phone's security software hasn't flagged any risk and the source isn't a particularly suspicious link, generally it's safe to use."

"Of course, in the future, download software through official channels, avoid clicking unknown links, and don't casually fill personal information on pop‑up webpages."

After reminding a few more online‑security points, the female officer smiled and indicated that Yang Yixie could leave.

Yang Yixie, full of questions, walked out of the police station with light steps.

Although the process was a bit puzzling, the outcome was good.

His game was saved, his bank card was fine, just a false alarm.

He looked up at the city's night sky, let out a long sigh, cast the slightly eerie atmosphere of the precinct behind him, and decided to hurry home.

Since the fake livestream had already been cancelled, he thought he'd rather go home early and get a good night's sleep.

Lately, even though he spends every day cooped up at home, buying groceries and delivering meals, he still feels exhausted.

Inside the precinct, after Yang Yixie left, the female officer quickly updated the internal system record.

"Target Yang Yixie, after verification, participation identified as a same‑named ordinary mobile game, risk cleared."

For some people, this night was far from over.

This round of questioning ended quickly; although Yang Yixie caused a mix‑up, most of the people truly were 'players' who had traversed to another world.

Although they were wary of everything around them, they were still willing to believe the official side of this world; otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the police station immediately after the officials hinted in that way.

This probably counts as good news, too. According to intelligence, people who return from another world either drop dead on the spot, or after returning they turn into that kind of monster called an Aberrant Species.

Of course, there is also a third type, which is the top priority for the officials to win over.

That is the Special Ability Practitioner who has awakened special abilities; even without Aberrant Arts, after returning from that game world, their physical fitness has greatly improved.

For example, a person who was originally disabled can suddenly walk upright.