Chapter 382: Healing Effect

The NPC actually doesn't repeat the same scripted lines!

Wang Lele got excited, started imitating the manner of the three aunts and eight older relatives she despises most, and then asked further.

Nearby: "Ouch, big sister, you really dote on your child. How old is your son? Does he have a partner?" Nearby: "What, you twenty‑something girl still want to learn to be a matchmaker!"

Wang Lele was stunned—how did the NPC know she's only in her early twenties?

When she registered for the game, the system warned that she must use her real age and pass facial recognition before logging in, yet the avatar she chose looked like a child.

The middle‑aged woman, seeing Wang Lele standing mute like a clueless goose, gave her a sincere, earnest look.

Nearby: "Little girl, you're still so young; don't watch too much. If you watch too many matchmakers, you'll lose the desire to marry."

Wang Lele: …

Nearby: "Thank you, big sister!"

Nearby: "Hey, you're welcome! Want some mountain‑harvest? My fruit is especially tasty; I guarantee you'll want more after you eat it!" Wang Lele's mind flashed; she topped up 100 yuan, bought a bag with a gold coin, then chose to return to her own hut.

The previous conversation was so shocking that Wang Lele replayed the track, recorded a video, and simultaneously posted it to her social platform with the title "Have NPCs Become Sentient?"

Wang Lele wanted to try again, to see if the middle‑aged woman would recognize her with a different skin. "Awo!"

Wang Lele was forcibly ejected from the game. If she hadn't read the game's notices before and known that the game ejects players at fixed times or when their mental stamina is low, she would now be sending a harsh rant to the game company.

"Sss—, not to brag, I'm actually a bit hungry!"

Wang Lele casually grabbed a skewer of beef, gnawed on it while opening the community feed to watch the commotion.

Why does pretending to be a naive newcomer get exposed?

Original poster: "Damn the game company, why isn't there a server‑wide announcement that anyone can see another's age just by clicking their nickname? I played a round, pretended to be a freshly‑adult naive newcomer, and got exposed in a second. I'm losing face!" Floor 1: "Hahahahahahaha"

Floor 2: "Serves you right!"

Floor 3: "Hehe, here's a big surprise—NPCs can tell your age without clicking the nickname!" Floor 4: "They can see more than age, even gender. This company is terrible, they don't protect player privacy!"

Floor 5: "Ahahaha, I think it's pretty good; Mom won't have to worry about me being scammed in online romances anymore!" Floor 6: "The reputation of naive newcomers is ruined by you all!"

Floor 7: "…You're not a male‑dressed female, are you? …"

Wang Lele's pupils narrowed. No wonder—she'd never clicked anyone's nickname, so she didn't know about this. She'll check it next time she logs in.

"Six‑hour cooldown? Does this game company even want to stay in business?"

Many share Wang Lele's view. Fans addicted to the holographic game flood Su Yu and other officials' social media, demanding changes to login times, removal of restrictions, and elimination of age and gender displays!

Su Yu's reply was: 【Su Yu】: "Please look forward to more surprises! Adult‑style gaming reduces many social issues!" After Su Yu posted this, she was slammed onto Hot Search. Some players howled beneath the Hot Search, demanding Su Yu release more helmets they can't even get! Others said they'd sue Su Yu and the game company for violating their privacy!

Online it was bustling; the holographic game topic practically dominated every social media Hot Search list. Everyone was curious about the state of the first holographic game.

Those who can't log in, those who log in and discover stunning NPCs, game dating, being scammed by NPCs…

"Softie, are you really not going to change it?"

Tang Can also got kicked offline. While she was cooking in the game at a crucial moment, she was booted out, and she was pretty angry.

"Can't change it; altering it would cause problems. If someone never logs off, people could die."

If someone dies from game addiction, the company would be severely hit! Tang Can blurted, "We're all adults now…"

She stopped mid‑sentence. Tang Can recalled that even among adults, some lack self‑control.

"Are the game items priced too high?"

Base prices for potions start at 100 yuan and go up; weapons are even pricier, and netizens have strong opinions on this.

"Higher prices give netizens motivation to grind! Regular players will spend every moment online grinding potions, while wealthy players can enjoy the ultimate joy of spending money in the game— isn't that great?"

"If you keep paying and still end up like free‑riders, it's no better than just freeloading—how many would stay motivated to keep playing?"

"Alright!"

Tang Can had no more objections. She covered her stomach and went to eat.

She was so hungry!

After Liang Yan logged off, she had already rushed into the kitchen.

Tang Can and Liang Yan finished eating, cradled their bellies, and felt like sleeping.

"Let's go out for a walk!"

Liang Yan and Tang Can replied weakly, "Sure!"

Su Yu led the two through the garden. Looking at the beautiful flowers, Tang Can and Liang Yan finally felt a bit of motivation.

Tang Can's sanity, which the game had lured her away from home with, returned home: "A short play session is fine. If it were longer, I'd probably collapse here and fall asleep on the spot."

Liang Yan hummed assent.

She's so tired!

But you can't sleep right after a big meal; it's bad for the body! Once the stomach isn't so full, the two dragged their weary bodies back to the room and fell asleep.

Tang Can and Liang Yan snored deeply; when they woke up again, the internet was in a frenzy!

#PrayForHelmetHelp# topped the Hot Search list. Many insomnia patients kept spending money for this trend, hoping Su Yu and others would pay more attention and take their requests seriously.

【Just Want to Sleep】: #PrayForHelmetHelp# Wuwu, who could have guessed that game helmets have a sleep‑aid effect! I haven't slept this long in ages!!! Waking up feels so good! Anyone with this problem, go buy a helmet—play intensely in the game, and when the helmet automatically pops open, you'll feel drowsy!

【Insomnia Patient】: #PrayForHelmetHelp# Release a new one quickly! Open a backdoor for us! Please!

……

The hype around helmet sleep‑aid kept rising, and when Su Yu discovered it, she immediately reported it upward.

She never imagined this method could cure insomnia! If it works, according to online opinion, the helmets should be licensed to hospitals so insomnia patients can use them one by one, soothing them as quickly as possible.

"Yingying sister, make them hurry!"

Su Yu called Luyingying to press the matter.

Luyingying replied helplessly, "We're in a meeting, discussing it. Had we known it worked, we'd have stocked at least a hundred thousand units!"

"The final licensing authority is with you; hurry up and reach a decision. If this keeps going, they'll start gathering offline! Can you at least give me a stance, so no accidents happen!"

Su Yu is terrified of insomnia patients! They're the type who linger in chronic pain; when they find a remedy they can't use, who knows what they might do in their frenzy!

"Right away, I'll urge again!"

Luyingying hung up the phone and immediately knocked on the door to ask the leaders. They exchanged a few glances, discussed briefly, and finally decided that patients with severe symptoms could, after signing a liability waiver, use the helmet under supervision at a local top‑tier tertiary hospital. Those with milder symptoms were advised to wait for the research team's study before deciding whether to use the helmet treatment.

The staff in charge of the meeting quickly drafted an announcement, forwarded it to Su Yu, who instantly sent it to her company's publicity department, and posted the good news on major social media.

After announcing the decision, Su Yu had her factory ship all helmets, mixed according to the official ratio, by plane to the major hospitals.

When the technicians arrived with the helmets, many hospitals already had lines of insomnia patients waiting for doctors and technicians to fit them with helmets! Because some patients had too weak mental power, under the doctors' persuasion the milder cases could only endure without the helmet, giving up this "home remedy."

A day later, online opinion exploded again, this time urging Su Yu to produce more helmets!

Many insomnia patients said the helmet really works! Some slept a full ten hours under its effect! If they hadn't gotten hungry, they could have kept sleeping!

After a good sleep, the world seemed more beautiful! Ordinary players then understood the designers' intention behind online time limits. Some still shouted online for loosening the restriction, believing nothing would happen to them, but most have accepted the limit and no longer demand changes.

……

"Huh? Kidnapping?"

Su Yi crossed his legs, looking serious, "That's right, hand the phone to your mother quickly, I want to talk to your mother!"

"Alright!"

Su Yu ran from her study to Ji Yan's study.

"Mom, Dad was almost kidnapped, he was rescued, and now wants to talk to you."

Ji Yan's hand twitched, "Snip!" the document was torn.

Su Yu handed the phone to Ji Yan, who returned to her study, took out another phone, and called Luyingying.

Since the higher‑ups learned of the helmet's effect, Luyingying was dispatched to guard the helmet manufacturing base to prevent resale incidents.

Giving this to people with insufficient mental power is torture! It can really be fatal! "Sister Luyingying, how did my dad get kidnapped?"

Luyingying looked at the sobbing Su Yi and said helplessly, "Your dad left the base to buy something, and was targeted."

Luyingying was relieved that she had been especially cautious, assigning five bodyguards to Su Yi; otherwise he would surely have been taken.

"Why did they kidnap my dad?"

"They want the Holographic Online Game technology, right? Now your dad oversees the helmet project, so outsiders think he knows holographic technology."

In their first interrogation, the thugs all said Su Yi had wronged a girl, and they were just teaching him a lesson.

In fact, they found a huge stash of untraceable cash in the thugs' hideout. Hiring people with that much money and still targeting Su Yi makes their motive obvious.

"Later, the higher‑ups may tighten control over the helmets even more."

Personal players' helmets aren't a concern for now; the worry is the hospital‑authorized helmets. Fortunately, the initial setup required entering a real‑time password before each use, otherwise the helmets could "accidentally disappear"! "To protect individual players, we need to mass‑release game helmets soon; please promote it on your side in advance."

"Okay!"

Su Yu replied, "How much stock remains?"

"We've added ten thousand units; have someone arrange the helmets for listing, produce and sell them simultaneously!"

"Got it!"

Su Yu notified the Holographic Online Game company's publicity and planning departments, and they immediately issued an announcement to list the helmets.

The newly listed helmets sold out within a minute.

The internet was filled with wails! As helmets kept appearing and being snatched away, netizens howled even more miserably!

Su Yu ignored the netizens' fate and comforted her mother.

"Mom, don't worry, Dad is fine; Sister Luyingying is sending people to protect him."

"Mm, I know!"

Ji Yan knew, but still felt uneasy.

【Dad really deserves a beating; he can't be exaggerating, can he? I'll go complain to Uncle later!】

Wulongcha nodded beside them, 【He really is fine; I checked the surveillance, the thugs really tried to kidnap him, but he reacted quickly, they didn't hurt him at all, maybe he was just startled, and judging by his reaction, the level of fright shouldn't be high.】

Wulongcha didn't eavesdrop on Ji Yan and Su Yi's conversation, so doesn't know what they said.

"Mom, what did Dad tell you?"

【Did he lie?】

"He said there were a dozen or so people surrounding him, trying to grab him!"

Wulongcha scoffed, 【He definitely didn't say that; those dozen people were all taken down by three bodyguards. The remaining two bodyguards protected him and his purchases perfectly!】

【Those thugs are such wimps?】

【They're not wimps; they ran into special forces!】

Special forces hitting thugs is a dimensionality‑reduction strike!

"Mom, what else did Dad say?"

"He has to stay under others' surveillance lately."

Wulongcha sighed helplessly, 【He's usually under others' watch anyway! Everyone in your family has bodyguards now!】

Surveillance and protection depend on each person's mindset. Speaking of which, Su Yi's words are a bit inappropriate! 【Yeah, we all have bodyguards. When something like this happens, my protective forces should double!】

Su Yu was exasperated! "Mom, this is to protect him! Surveillance just means he's okay!"

After hearing her daughter's words, Ji Yan felt more at ease. "Mom, be careful when you go out, don't trust anyone, and never go somewhere alone."

【I really want to tell Mom that even when she goes to the bathroom, she should use a restroom only she can enter; watch out for ambushes inside!】

"Alright!"

Ji Yan answered seriously. Su Yu went out to find Su Xi, to inform him about Su Yi's kidnapping.

"Uncle, you also need to be careful, you have too many friends!"

【Plastic friendships—can we just not go?】

Su Yu felt so helpless! Those 'uncle' relationships are just plastic friendships; they're not looking to chat or set him up for a blind date, just to watch his fun. Is it even necessary to maintain such ties?

Thanks for all the votes, dear ones~