Chapter Sixty-Six: Implications

Just as Blue Sky grew anxious, preparing to have White manifest his projection there, the elder seated at the head of the table finally spoke. His words halted Blue Sky mid-action.

"You have all let me down far too much!" the elder declared, slamming the table emphatically. "Look at you! What kind of thinking is this?"

"Is this how you serve the people?!"

"Each of you has held office for so long, yet your minds have grown muddled!"

"Setting aside how much profit this virtual network could generate for our nation, just considering Blue Sky himself—such a talent! Not only have you failed to win him over, you even seek to control him?! How can you be so chillingly indifferent?! Who will dare contribute to the country in the future? Who will dare research and create genuine innovations?!"

The elder continued pounding the table, his face flush with anger, embodying the disappointment of one who expects better. The officials below hung their heads in shame, and Blue Sky felt a sudden clarity—a renewed vigor.

This, he thought, is the spirit his homeland ought to possess.

A country like this deserved his careful consideration in his coming plans.

"Sir, please don’t be angry. We were just discussing possibilities, not actually deciding to do anything. Naturally, we must consider all angles. In fact, even this old man here must admit that, for someone like Blue Sky, there’s nothing but admiration—what a rare talent!" The elder who initially suggested leaving Blue Sky to his own devices tried to smooth things over.

"Yes, yes, sir, we were only exploring ideas, not intending any harm. None of us have ill intentions," others echoed.

"Hmph! Short-sighted fools! What’s there to discuss? Regarding Blue Sky, there is only one conclusion: protect him, prioritize his protection, spare no effort! Even if it requires the full might of our nation, even if the world stands against us, we must ensure his safety! He may well be the key to our nation’s rise!" The elder shot the officials an unsatisfied look and set the tone decisively.

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances. The leader, usually renowned for his gentle approach, had never acted so decisively. If Blue Sky’s dossier weren’t right there in front of them, they might have suspected some family connection between him and the leader.

"Hmm, this old man has vision. He understands your importance," White’s voice sounded, and Blue Sky turned to see it resting its chin in its hand, clicking its tongue in wonder.

Blue Sky could only smile bitterly—old man, indeed; this was actually the head of state...

Of course, he knew that, before White, even a head of state was just an old man.

"Alright, enough. There’s no point in watching. White, monitor those so-called elites about to enter our country. Once they arrive, send their information to the relevant departments. I don't want my parents startled," Blue Sky said, then switched off the lights and entered his private virtual game world, ready for another round of combat.

The first batch of helmets and neural sensors had successfully passed inspection, and White had already implanted the core code in the warehouse. Now, all that remained was tomorrow morning’s official launch.

At dawn the next day, if someone could monitor every household nationwide, they’d notice that people across the country rose at least two hours earlier than usual!

If one had even greater insight—like White—they’d see that it wasn’t just this country: at the same time, countless people around the globe sat before their computers, faces alight with anticipation, refreshing the official website of the virtual network company.

Today was the launch day for the virtual network!

Ordinary people might not realize the significance, but those in the know understood immediately. By all rights, at this moment, hundreds of millions, perhaps over a billion internet users worldwide were accessing the virtual network’s official website. If it were any ordinary site, it would have crashed long ago. But the virtual network’s website was different; the countdown timer continued ticking away smoothly, no matter how often visitors refreshed, without the slightest delay. Many marveled at the company’s wealth—just the official site alone could support so many users!

Unbeknownst to them, it all depended on White’s whim.

Time crawled by, slower than anyone had ever felt before.

After a long, agonizing wait, emotions peaked as the countdown dropped to ten seconds.

9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2… 1!

As the countdown reached zero, all computers suddenly went black. Then, a single point of light appeared at the center of the screen, spreading into countless lines that formed a beautiful image. To everyone’s amazement, the scene depicted the most iconic landmark of their own country. The camera then quickly zoomed out to reveal the entire continent, then the outline of the Earth, then the solar system, the galaxy, and finally the whole star field. The screen was filled with countless stars, among which innumerable spaceships drifted.

After three seconds, the starlight began to flow and gather, ultimately forming a phrase in various languages.

"Welcome to the era of virtual civilization!"

All who saw this scene were awestruck—by the ingenuity of the virtual network company and the grandeur embodied in that phrase, their imaginations running wild.

Only Blue Sky knew that the scene itself was not imagined, but showed a real corner of the cosmic star map.

Of course, this was a subtle reminder—Blue Sky’s first hint to humanity about Earth’s true situation.

Yet people at the time overlooked this, their attention drawn back to the website, only to find, to their frustration, that there was no order button. Instead, the site announced that the first batch of ten million virtual network helmets would be shipped according to the order of reservations!

Additionally, the site stated that the second batch of thirty million helmets would begin shipping in one month!

Such boldness! All shipments would follow the order of reservation, regardless of delivery efficiency!

People went wild—those who hadn’t reserved, or whose reservation was late, beat their chests in frustration, tempted to smash their computers!

Online, complaints exploded—accusations of artificial scarcity, deliberate posturing, and more flooded forums and social networks worldwide.

Meanwhile, the ten million lucky recipients who had received shipment notifications rejoiced, plastering delivery confirmations across the web, stirring up envy everywhere.

Notably, among these ten million, quite a few became global internet celebrities overnight—a result both amusing and unexpected.