Chapter 34: The Meaning of the Game
Regarding Wei Ji’s background.
Chenxi and the other players had already assisted the Lord in thoroughly investigating it.
He was a disciple of Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Taiping Dao, and also a subordinate of Ma Yuanyi, the leader of the Yellow Turban Great Faction.
The most crucial step of the Yellow Turban Uprising was to unite with insiders within the court, seize Luoyang at the first opportunity, and control the Emperor, thereby achieving their goal as quickly and with as little cost as possible.
Ma Yuanyi was the key executor of this plan.
If the plan had gone smoothly.
The hope for the Yellow Turban’s success would have been immense!
Unfortunately, the betrayal and denunciation by Tang Zhou caused all preparations to fail!
Tang Zhou was Zhang Jiao’s most valued and trusted disciple, and his betrayal led to the capture of thousands of Yellow Turban members, Ma Yuanyi’s death by dismemberment, and the beheading of the remaining Yellow Turbans, forcing Zhang Jiao to hastily launch the uprising, ultimately resulting in its failure.
Wei Ji was one of the Yellow Turbans captured at that time.
He managed to survive by taking advantage of the chaos caused by the upheaval of heaven and earth.
Perhaps due to Ma Yuanyi’s intense obsession, he attracted the attention of the Will of the Abyss, thus reviving in a demonized, distorted form, becoming the first Abyssal Fallen and a powerful source of pollution, affecting countless living beings.
Wei Ji could not bear to see the respected big brother turn into a terrifying monster that was neither human nor ghost.
He once united with a group of surviving Yellow Turbans to attempt to kill him.
But creatures that fall into the Abyss can never find peace!
Even if Abyssal creatures are temporarily killed, they will resurrect in the next cycle of the Abyssal nightmare, and with the passage of time and the increase in the number of cycles, they only become more grotesque, twisted, and terrifyingly powerful!
Not only did Wei Ji and his comrades fail to help Ma Yuanyi find release, they also caused many brothers to be polluted and dragged into the Abyss, leaving them with no choice but to give up and live a life of hiding, until they settled in Hexi Village ten years ago.
Facing Wei Ji’s inquiry, the Lord slowly said:
"Who I am and where I come from is not important, what matters is that I can do two things."
"First, Hexi Village has lost the protection of the Fate Crystal Stone, and the villagers could face threats from Abyssal creatures at any moment, and only I can provide new protection for Hexi Village."
"Second, I am the natural enemy of the Abyss, and only I can purify the pollution source, free Ma Yuanyi from the control of the Will of the Abyss, release him from the endless nightmare cycles, and let him die properly!"
Wei Ji’s face showed excitement: "Truly?!"
These two conditions were almost impossible for him to resist.
"But Brother Ma has been an Abyssal Fallen for twenty years, who knows what he has turned into by now; even with your strength, it would be extremely dangerous to deal with him."
Hang Yu had yet to say anything.
The players became excited first,
"That's nonsense!"
"What’s there to worry about?"
"Brother Yu is invincible!"
"Besides, the Lord is not fighting alone!"
"Dealing with Ma Yuanyi? Such a trivial matter doesn't need Brother Yu to intervene!"
"Lord, please leave it to us, the Calamity Army! We are willing to die ten thousand times for you!"
The corners of Hang Yu’s mouth curled slightly, clearly understanding what the players were thinking — Ma Yuanyi was obviously the village’s newbie boss, how could the players bear to miss out on challenging the boss?
Challenging bosses was one of the greatest joys of gaming.
Furthermore, NPCs had only one-tenth the drop rate of players; if an NPC seized the boss first, not only would players miss out on the first kill reward, but the loot would also be almost gone, which would be utterly painful for the players!
The players were seeking death.
Hang Yu was more than happy to see it.
He affirmed the players’ courage.
It made the players itch to immediately challenge Ma Yuanyi.
As for Hexi Village’s village chief, Wei Ji? He, unsurprisingly, chose to swear allegiance, since the two conditions Hang Yu offered were irresistible, and he had no other choice.
Thus.
From the village chief down.
To the ordinary villagers.
Hexi Village had fully submitted.
The players found this story mission extremely interesting, especially being brought along by the Lord to eavesdrop on and participate in NPC conversations throughout the whole process, gathering a wealth of plot information and story clues of high research value.
Hang Yu was also very satisfied with the gains from this operation.
To celebrate this victory and promote friendly relations between players and villagers, he specially organized a bonfire barbecue celebration in Hexi Village, with all the food expenses covered by the territory, allowing the players to relax, eat, drink, and be merry.
………
That night.
Let’s call it night, at least.
The Abyssal Plane had no sun.
There was no real sunrise or sunset.
But that didn’t mean there was no distinction between day and night.
The sky of Twisted Three Kingdoms was colorful and magnificent, full of star rivers and swirling vortexes, and there was also a massive crack in the Firmament, whose emitted light was enough to illuminate the land.
Because the light had cyclical changes, one could distinguish day from night by the brightness of the sky; when the Firmament’s crack in the center dimmed and closed, the land would fall into a state resembling twilight.
This could be called night.
Hexi Village lit a large bonfire, and various foods sizzled with oil over the fire, the air filled with a rich barbecue aroma, with players and villagers gathered around the fire, eating meat, drinking wine, singing, and dancing — a lively atmosphere, like celebrating New Year or a festival.
"Cheers to the Lord!"
Ye Li Meng, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Salty Fish Stab, and others drank their rice wine in one gulp.
This game was not only about fighting and killing.
It could also be treated as a real world to live in.
Facing the celebrating players and enthusiastic villagers, Chenxi, Little Bell, and Chimera Wraith felt they were not playing a game at all, but had instead crossed into a completely unfamiliar, exotic, yet strangely familiar otherworld.
The villagers were initially a bit reserved.
But they couldn’t resist the players' overwhelming sociability.
After interacting, the villagers found that although these outsiders spoke and acted oddly, they were undoubtedly kind, friendly, and even passionate, and so naturally quickly accepted them.
Chenxi couldn't help but sigh: "Although I haven't played many games, this is the first time I’ve felt such immersion."
Chimera Wraith laughed: "Hehe, Chenxi-jie, you clearly look like a popular socialite and a top student; naturally, you wouldn't spend much time gaming. Do you know why we love immersing ourselves in novels and games?"
Chenxi was intrigued: "I'd love to hear it."
"I think it’s freedom!"
The one who spoke was Street Slayer.
This scar-faced man said: "There are too many rules in the real world. From the moment you can remember, you're force-fed all kinds of ideas. They define for you what is success and what is failure, what is good and what is bad, what you need and what you don't."
"They even tell you what you should be doing at a certain age, defining what kind of life is valuable, meaningful, or successful!"
"No matter how rebellious you are."
"No matter how unique you try to be."
"Advertisements and media constantly shape our values, desires, and pursuits."
"As long as we live in the real world, we can’t avoid wearing identity masks — son, husband, father, student, lawyer, police officer — we must act according to these roles and sculpt ourselves into what others expect to achieve socially defined success and value, regardless of whether we truly like it or not."
"I think many people become addicted to virtual worlds simply because only in such places can we shed our masks without burden and feel a moment of freedom. Even when we face countless setbacks and frustrations in the mundane world, here, we can unleash our true selves, seeking vengeance and justice with abandon."
Everyone looked at Street Slayer in amazement.
Who would have thought he could say such things?
He always seemed like a reckless brute who charged at monsters without hesitation and drew his blade at the slightest disagreement, but now it seemed his real-life identity and experiences were not as simple as they appeared.
"Well said!!"
"This is the charm of games!"
"If a game isn't fun, you can quit and find another. If a novel isn’t good, you can drop it and find another. But can you do that with life?"
"……"
Many players resonated deeply.
Salty Fish Stab shared his thoughts: "For me, gaming isn’t for anything complicated — in a high-quality game, killing bosses drops loot, completing tasks earns rewards. As long as you work hard, there’s always a return. The feedback is immediate, clear, and transparent: you either win or you don’t..."
He sighed: "Unlike real life, where chasing a goddess for ten years still doesn’t even move the progress bar, and in the end, you just get a ‘good person’ card at her wedding."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Brother Salty Fish, you have a story there!"
"Hey, who doesn’t have a few memories they’d rather forget!"
"Cheers, cheers! For Twisted Three Kingdoms! For meeting here!"
"……"
Hang Yu had been quietly observing the players.
Among them were elders nearing sixty, teenagers still in middle school, super-wealthy second-generation heirs, successful private entrepreneurs, top students, doctors, lawyers — and of course, internet-addicted teens and fallen middle-aged men whom society branded as failures.
Some treated games as a pastime and hobby.
Some sought a haven within games.
In the real world, they might never have crossed paths, yet here they sat together, laughing and drinking, people of completely different backgrounds and classes.
Perhaps this was the true meaning and charm of games.
The corners of Hang Yu’s mouth curled up slightly, but this... was no mere game!