Chapter 176: Well, Let the Closed Beta Begin!

Ji Ming feels his blood pressure today is like riding a roller coaster, rising and falling just like the thoughts in his heart.

If it weren't for the mop he's using as a support in his hand, he would already be seriously injured and on the ground.

But whether it's truly good news or a bad thing masquerading as good, since they've already shown up, we can't…

He invites a few people to sit, pretends to be flustered while pouring three glasses of water, his face full of worry.

"National Security? The National Security I know? I'm just a home‑based freelancer, it's impossible…"

"Please stay calm, Mr. Ji, we're not here to cause you trouble."

Director Zhao cleared his throat lightly and adopted a serious expression.

"We've found that the game invitation code in your possession hasn't been sold or transferred, so we'd like to persuade you to sell it to us."

Compared with his unremarkable appearance, his speech cadence and tone are surprisingly pleasant, truly at a broadcaster's level.

A few short sentences that can maximally boost a person's goodwill with warm charisma… must be a trained professional!

"Of course, considering you've held back until today without acting, you must have your own concerns, so we're willing to offer a price higher than market value."

He paused briefly, then spoke with precise diction.

"Five million, how about it?"

Ji Ming's expression froze after hearing it.

It's not about the amount of money, but because…

I thought it was a big matter, but it turns out you're here to buy an account, it scared me almost back into Yangyue World.

But before Director Zhao could finish, since they're throwing incentives, they must knock the other side out in one go.

Seeing the young man before him still looking conflicted, he immediately added.

"As a closed‑beta player, I'm sure you can see that the game Code·Yangyue has many special aspects."

"Although much of the data is top‑secret and I can't disclose it, I can tell you that we're not the only ones eyeing it."

"If you're willing to cooperate with our comrades for the follow‑up investigation, we can pay you another sum to hire you as a temporary external operative."

Under Xiao Zhang's envious gaze, he slowly extended a finger.

"After tax, ten thousand a day; if the closed beta ends well, there's an extra one‑million bonus."

Wow, this price sounds familiar…

Ji Ming silently muttered to himself that he had already guessed their description.

After all, a game from an obscure developer whose "simulation" level can outclass every market product appearing out of nowhere without any buildup.

Behind all this must lie all sorts of tricks and technological secrets; it would be strange if any government didn't take notice and investigate.

Military training, experimental simulation, digital life, human mysteries…

Just a casual speculation reveals endless development prospects, and within that lies a massive force capable of reshaping the world order.

If the little boss weren't an electronic phantom and Code·Yangyue were essentially another world, the surface probably wouldn't be this calm.

But it's unexpected that among the first‑wave "inside agents" of various factions, there's even me, the "behind‑the‑scenes mastermind," which is downright funny…

Hold on.

Yeah, since the game requires an inside agent one way or another, why not let me be the one?

So Ji Ming's mind raced and produced the answer most fitting for his current character.

"Director Zhao, your terms are indeed generous, but I'm just… an ordinary person; I'm afraid I lack the ability to take on such a major mission, I'm scared…"

Director Zhao smiled at the words, the flesh on his face instantly creased, reminding Ji Ming of his high‑school math teacher.

"Mr. Ji, humility in youth is good, but you must never underestimate yourself."

Saying that, he pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase; Ji Ming skimmed them and found they were all basic info of closed‑beta players.

"Although we indeed lack manpower for this project, higher‑ups have instructed 'better to lack than to have the wrong people,' so not just anyone qualifies to join the team."

"You've passed our review; you're a clean‑background, normal‑valued, highly potential, outstanding young man."

"But to act cautiously, we held multiple follow‑up discussions, repeatedly deliberated, and finally decided to invite you to join."

Ji Ming suspected the other party wasn't really a teacher; their coaxing was entirely tailored to his needs and weaknesses.

"And rest assured, neither you nor we are movie‑style super agents; staying grounded is the foundation of any work."

"Therefore we won't assign you overly dangerous or beyond‑your‑capability tasks, and we'll keep any information and evidence of your involvement absolutely confidential."

"When the closed‑beta phase ends, you can make another choice: if you stay, you can become a regular member of the project team; if you quit, we won't force you to stay."

Unfortunately, no matter how sweetly they speak, it can't change the fact that they're short‑handed; needing to urgently recruit someone like me as a boost shows the situation isn't optimistic.

Or rather.

Openly and covertly, how many factions have infiltrated the game?

And it's still a limited‑account closed beta; if it later becomes an unrestricted public test, won't it turn into a "public toilet"?

No, I have to keep an eye on it; otherwise problems are bound to happen!

So Ji Ming fell silent again for a moment, assuming a look of inner turmoil.

"Well… Director Zhao, since you all said that, I can't possibly refuse to give you face."

Then he exhaled a long breath, nodding with a hint of difficulty.

"As long as it's doable, I'll do my best to comply with your requests!"

"Very good, you've made the right choice."

Director Zhao gave a slight nod, took out a black card, and placed it on the table.

"This is my contact info; you can call this number if you have any questions later."

"Whoa, black—so professional!"

Ji Ming narrowed his gaze, almost losing his composure.

【Second LaoZhao Soy Milk Shop Delivery Card】

【Contact person: Zhao Dongsheng】

And below Director Zhao's big-head photo, which is laughing just like a comedian's, is a string of phone numbers.

It seems that being a top-secret agent is indeed limited to movies; in reality, security personnel are just soy milk sellers.

Director Zhao probably also knows this thing is hard to pull off, so he quickly cleared his throat to cover the embarrassment.

Besides, Mr. Ji, money is not an issue, but based on the principle that all matters are entirely voluntary, we will give you another day to consider.

Remember, you need to think everything through before making a decision, because once you formally agree, you won't be allowed to regret it for the coming month.

Having said that, he stood up, took Xiao Zhang, and left Ji Ming's home.

Ji Ming scratched his head, and upon hearing the elevator door open, hurried back to the computer to find the little boss and hold an emergency meeting.

【Red alert! Red alert! A super cop just came to gank me!】

And in the elevator outside, Director Zhao pressed the button for the first floor while asking in a low voice.

"How about it, Xiao Zhang, did you notice anything?"

The young officer's eyes flickered slightly, and he took a deep breath.

"The target person has been holed up at home for over a month since voluntarily resigning, and from his demeanor and speech just now, he is also very resistant to participating in group activities."

"According to my personal speculation, this may be related to family upheavals during his childhood and the setbacks he later encountered in society."

Director Zhao smiled slightly with his hands behind his back.

"You're right, but I want to add something. I think his strong aversion to groups likely stems from a fear of experiencing similar upheavals again. So, essentially, he still longs for a collective."

"People like this often have a stifled breath inside; if guided well, it becomes vibrant and righteous, and they will eventually achieve great things; if guided poorly, it becomes stagnant and nefarious, and they will inevitably harm themselves first, regardless of whether they hurt others."

"Therefore, when you meet him again in the game later, remember to emphasize more the warmth and benefits of the collective, and guide him onto the right path."

Xiao Zhang sank his expression, slightly nodding.

"I understand, teacher!"

【In short, security must be tightened; for the coming period, you must keep all sensitive information related to my personal accounts hidden, and selectively reveal other things, understood?】

【Understood, I have restricted the data query function for all your accounts, but do we need to monitor the communication accounts of those two people?】

Ji Ming hesitated for a moment.

【They came to us on their own initiative, it's not that we harbor malicious intent; so let's conduct surveillance under the premise of safety.】

I never expected to encounter such a major event upon returning to the real world; leaning back in his computer chair and pondering for a moment, he couldn't help but sigh again.

It seems the harmony system still can't be stopped; I don't want to wake up and find Yangyue World become the "hot fighting" part of the real world's Cold War.

He glanced out the window at the lights red and wine green beneath an ink-black night sky, closed his eyes, and fell into a moment of EMO.

Then he suddenly opened his eyes and struggled to sit up.

"How can a savior be confused? Go out and eat!"

He somewhat unfamiliarly put on autumn clothes, then thought and added a down jacket.

He picked up his fully charged phone, and after more than a month, Ji Ming stepped out of his home once again.

Just like in Yangyue World, residing in the northern country, here too has gradually transitioned into winter, only lacking a snowfall to be complete.

He stood at the familiar residential compound entrance, rubbed his hands, and arrived at a nearby soup dumpling shop.

Since it's a small shop, all its cookware is on the outside.

Thus, standing amid a puff of white vapor, the shopkeeper uncle with stubble lifted his eyes and saw Ji Ming.

Doing business, after all. A smile is most important; he grinned before even speaking.

"Yo, young man, long time no see; I thought you had moved away."

"No, I've been busy with work lately, really had no time to go out; today I managed to free up, so I hurried out for a stroll."

"Young people should still pay attention to their health; health is your own, so try to stay up less..."

He habitually muttered a sentence, then stirred the wontons in the soup pot.

"How about it, still the usual?"

"Yes."

He prepared two baskets of buns and a small bowl of wontons, then Ji Ming began to vigorously mix chili oil into the vinegar dish.

Just as he picked up one, dipped it, and put it in his mouth, his ears suddenly caught a very familiar word.

He slightly turned his head and saw that a few students from a nearby high school were sitting at the next table; judging by the time, they were probably planning to eat out before heading back for evening self-study.

He pushed up his glasses, and one of the teenagers beamed with excitement.

"It's ridiculous; I just checked and found that my follow list is now entirely made up of streamers of 'Code Name: Yangyue'."

"Who isn't? Those big streamers you follow one by one, then pick a few netizens with strong talent for creating buzz; you livestream their clips, and this half month has truly been full of intense content every day."

"We're counting on this; not having anything to watch these days feels really off, but luckily there are only two days left until the internal test opens, and by then it should be even livelier than now."

Tapping his phone screen, a teenager whose face was covered in acne took a sip of cola.

"Hey hey, it's a shame this game really doesn't allow minors to play, not even letting them have a chance to draw."

"Eh, even if we could play, it wouldn't matter to us; a helmet that's half-price still costs five thousand, that's practically a rich-guy-only limited edition."

"Exactly, we should still buckle down and review; once we're in college, earn money from a part-time job, then we can go for the public test."

The air was filled with youthful vigor and restless hormones, and the interesting topics were mixed with anticipation for the future.

Although I also know the game is currently hot, hearing strangers enthusiastically discuss it at a restaurant table in the real world is still quite amazing.

A certain thirty-something uncle suppressed the urge to turn up the corners of his mouth, eavesdropping while eating his meal.

However, the game was only part of this meal; their conversation quickly shifted to other aspects of campus life.

Once the plates were empty and the bowls clean, the teenagers linked arms and walked toward the brightly lit teaching building.

Ji Ming also paid the bill, glanced at the crowds on either side of the road, then simply grabbed a shared bike and headed toward the city center.

"Eh, a high school classmate of mine got the qualification, and he's been showing off lately."

Hahaha, I dare to bet, this whatever crappy game variety show is gonna bomb!

Ladies and gentlemen, regarding the recent hot event 'Code Name: Yang Moon', we have invited the renowned expert Teacher Yang...

The roadside barbecue, the corner bar, and the old man's phone constantly playing broadcasts.

It seems that, without anyone noticing, traces of 'Code Name: Yang Moon' are everywhere in this city.

Moreover, as skyscrapers on both sides increased, dazzling lights illuminated the skyline, and game-related things grew more and more.

A mysterious, unfathomable magical world! An extraordinary experience beyond reality! The clash of stars and players! The symphony of the virtual and the future...

Watching the CBD big screen constantly flashing game video clips, and finally popping out the 'Crazy Alternate Dimension' logo.

Alright, looks like everyone's pretty good at causing trouble.

Ji Ming squatted on the curb, sucking on a lollipop.

Well then, let the closed beta begin!

Ding ding, finally, tomorrow we'll enter the plot of the third volume.