There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

The next day, after his body clock had adjusted, Duan Fei went downstairs and got into a prearranged car waiting by the roadside.

The driver was the Jinghong family’s personal driver. He hardly spoke a word during the entire trip. The most he would say was a reminder for passengers not to forget their belongings upon exiting the vehicle.

As the car drove smoothly toward their destination, Duan Fei gazed out the window and noticed that in the few days he hadn’t been out, the world had changed in subtle ways.

To promote the new update for *Abyss*, tens of thousands of drones carrying large, colored lights had taken to the sky, arranging themselves to form a line of giant text:

"Gate of the Abyss 14:45:11"

With each passing second, the numbers overhead changed rapidly, further ramping up the players’ anticipation.

It was the first time Duan Fei had ever seen such large-scale advertising. After all, the permit process for launching drones was extensive, and getting clearance for this many would have been even more of a hassle.

And it wasn’t just happening here. Nearly every major city was running a synchronized promotion. At this very moment, everyone on the planet could see an ad for Abyss.

"As expected of a project involving the Federation Government. Talk about making a statement," Duan Fei remarked with admiration.

From what he understood, the world had peacefully unified into a massive Federation Government thirty years before his birth, which now managed global issues like resource allocation.

Once-declining arts and skills had been rediscovered and revitalized. Games, movies, novels, and anime grew even more popular, to the point that over 60% of the population now worked in related industries.

The cost of living was relatively low, yet incomes had risen dramatically. This material abundance gave people plenty of free time for pursuits like gaming, making entertainment the central theme of the era.

Furthermore, even landing on the moon was no longer a particularly difficult feat. The *Abyss* development team had even bought the advertising rights for the lunar surface. It was believed that soon, anywhere the moon was visible, so too would be an ad for Abyss.

This immense material and spiritual wealth made it the greatest and happiest period in history—and the absolute best time to be a gamer.

Countless new games were released every day. Any title that wasn’t truly special would be instantly buried by the competition.

The only game to have survived in this environment and remained on top for years was *Abyss*.

’Even if it is only on version 0.07... no, 0.08.’

Gazing outside, Duan Fei became so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice when the car stopped.

When he noticed Duan Fei hadn’t shown any Reaction for a while, the driver gave a soft cough, just enough to snap him out of it.

"Sorry, I zoned out."

"No problem. Watch your step."

Stepping out of the car, Duan Fei saw that Jinghong had already been waiting for some time.

Her soft, short hair had a translucent sheen. An impeccably tailored white dress accentuated her slender waist, giving her a dazzlingly youthful air.

For today’s meeting, Jinghong had specifically chosen to wear red high heels. Her slender calves looked as straight and elegant as a fawn’s.

With her hands behind her back, her fingers twisted together nervously, Jinghong looked at Duan Fei with a blush and asked expectantly, "So? What do you think?"

"Aside from two small things, you look perfect."

"Duan Fei, we may be friends, but I can still have you sent to jail."

"Hm? I was going to say your eyes are bloodshot because you didn’t sleep well, and your posture is a little unsteady because you’re not used to high heels. What are you talking about?"

Jinghong gave Duan Fei a cold look, then let out a long sigh.

She stepped forward, straightened his collar, then expertly looped her arm through his.

"Don’t forget, you’re my boyfriend today. So just be a good little boyfriend, okay?"

’For example, you could pin me to a wall and kiss me, pin me to a wall and kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me...’

"Don’t worry. I’ll act super considerate, and I promise not to do anything that would ruin our friendship," Duan Fei vowed, patting his chest.

Jinghong gave Duan Fei a silent look.

’Who the hell wants to be your friend!’

’Who the hell needs your promise!’

’I need you to be a beast, you idiot!’

Brimming with resentment, Jinghong dragged Duan Fei into the nursing home before them.

After registering her name, Ye Jinghong, at the entrance, she led Duan Fei inside.

This nursing home was a Ye Family property. Though it was open to the public, its ultimate purpose was to serve Madam Ye.

The director of the facility, already aware of Ye Jinghong’s visit, personally came to the entrance to greet the pair and escorted them up to Madam Ye’s room on the top floor.

In a room spanning over a hundred square meters, a team of twenty-one medical personnel worked in three shifts, with all manner of state-of-the-art medical equipment on constant standby.

They had the means to treat anything from a common cold to cancer. If all else failed, they could even use her previously stored stem cells for targeted cloning, replacing her blood and organs with versions from her youth.

As long as she wasn’t brain-dead, they could bring her back from anything.

The reason for going to such great lengths was simple: the Ye Family was vast and prosperous, and all of its assets were owned by Madam Ye.

If Madam Ye were to pass away, the resulting exorbitant inheritance tax would cause the Ye Family to instantly crumble.

Therefore, the financial benefit of keeping Madam Ye alive far outweighed the medical expenditures.

Lying on the bed, Madam Ye was over eighty years old, but she looked to be only in her early forties.

Thanks to the comprehensive medical system, she could live for a good while longer.

However, her eyes were vacant. She just stared blankly at the mulberry tree outside the window, like a lifeless puppet.

"How is Grandma’s condition?" Jinghong asked.

The director wiped sweat from his brow and said awkwardly, "Same as always. Physically, she’s fine, but she still shows no Reaction to the outside world."

"It’s fine. Just carry on. Grandma, Duan Fei is here."

The old woman on the bed stirred faintly. A sharp glint flashed through her cloudy eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

Nodding to the director, Jinghong said, "You can all step out for now. We’d like to chat with my grandmother alone."

"Of course. Please contact me if you need anything."

After seeing the director and his staff out, Duan Fei had just closed the door when he heard the flick of a lighter.

Turning his head, Duan Fei saw Madam Ye sitting up in bed with one leg crossed over the other, a cigarette—one of the ones Jinghong had brought—pinched in her right hand. She took a long drag that consumed half of it in one go.

She let the smoke roll smoothly through her lungs before blowing it out and saying with satisfaction, "Ahh, much better."

Even though he’d seen it many times before, the sight still sent a chill down Duan Fei’s spine.

An old woman who’d seemed utterly unresponsive—like a walking corpse—just moments before, suddenly sitting up to smoke half a cigarette in one go... it was a terrifying sight from any angle.

The old woman, however, was nonchalant. She crooked a finger at Duan Fei. "Duan Fei, did you bring the goods?"

"I did."

Duan Fei pulled a portable gaming console from his backpack and said to Madam Ye, "The game you wanted is already installed."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I guarantee it’s swarming with bugs. The kind where you take a single step and trigger more than twenty of them."

"Excellent! I knew I could count on you, kid!" Madam Ye cackled with excitement.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!