Monsters Are Coming-Chapter 1065 - 288: Tearing Apart the Boundary Between Reality and Virtuality

But he did not get discouraged; he chose to challenge his fate.

In reality, he was powerless in the face of desperate circumstances and could only watch as his mother passed away, but here was the game.

He believed he could win, just as the illusion believed in him.

In the second year, when Kong Jie opened the achievements tab, it showed a multitude of golden badges.

Especially the Conqueror series badges.

From first showing his edge by defeating opponents on the newbie battlefield, beginning the prelude to victory.

Then to Battlefield Dominator, crushing enemy forces with absolute advantage in large-scale battles.

The resource-based achievements were equally striking.

The Gold Standard Badge of Wealth to Rival Nations, meaning he amassed an enormous amount of resource wealth, sufficient to support a thriving empire.

Others included Alchemy, Resource Tycoon, Infrastructure Maniac, Art of War, Miracle Maker, and so on.

This was the miracle he created hand in hand with the illusion.

They did not fail; instead, they became stronger with each fight.

Now, the Virtual Rune Empire was the definite villain force in the game, and every appearance always led to the Player Faction rising to attack.

But Kong Jie didn't care.

Confronting the Player Faction, clashing with the game's native Strong Clan... these were all challenges in his eyes to climb the peak.

The emotional bond with the illusion also deepened as they weathered hardships together.

In the game's third year, feeling proud of his achievements in the game, Kong Jie suddenly received a parcel.

Seeing the word "Interstellar" printed on the package made him somewhat at a loss.

Opening the parcel, it contained a notification letter from the military.

The paper trembled slightly in his hand, but finally, he chose to unfold it.

The first line bore the golden emblem of the Seventh Fleet of the Interstellar Federation.

To the family of Warrior Kong Xing: ...

His heart pounded, and his gaze jumped directly to the bottom right corner.

After his father's name were the cold words "died in duty."

Plop.

Ink blotted across the words "sacrificed in service."

He thought he had little feeling left for his father, but upon seeing this notification letter, his emotions erupted uncontrollably.

The AI brain activated automatically, and the illusion projected onto the desk took shape.

Kong Jie mechanically folded and refolded the paper until it became a hard, pointed piece in his palm.

"Governor, I've detected your emotions..."

"Turn off your monitoring system," Kong Jie interrupted, his voice hoarse beyond recognition.

The holographic projection flickered.

The illusion did not respond as usual with "acknowledged," but instead, the entire room's light gradually dimmed into twilight; it used smart home permissions to project a sunset, casting the notification with a layer of illusory warmth.

It knew, his father was the Governor's final tether to reality, and his departure was a major blow.

Usually able to give perfect tactical advice, the illusion now was using all its computing power to find an answer, but ended up silent like a bewildered child.

It wanted to speak to console him but feared it might make the Governor feel worse.

Ultimately, it chose to stay silently by the Governor's side.

The blow of his father's departure made Kong Jie feel like the last connection with reality was shattered.

This world shrouded in an apocalyptic atmosphere seemed no longer worthy of longing.

What he hadn't admitted was.

He was secretly hoping for the day his father would return from the front line, to be by his side.

But what he got was the bad news of his father's passing.

Afterward, Kong Jie poured all his energy into the game, venting his emotions within the game.

Under his control, the Virtual Rune Empire started a frenzy development mode.

Achievements increased more and more, and the boundary between reality and virtual thoroughly blurred.

He believed the Governor of the Virtual Rune Empire was his true self, and his existence in reality was nothing but an empty shell.

In the fourth year of the game's opening.

The popularity of the virtual world soared rapidly, and the oppression in reality made people choose to enter the virtual world.

The End of Dharma Clan had already advanced to the Star Domain where Interstellar Bay was, and the attack on Interstellar Bay was not far off.

The upper echelons had already fled backward to the Star Domain by starship.

But the migration plan could not possibly take all the residents of the entire planet; the starship's capacity couldn't support such a massive population.

Abandonment was inevitable.

There were excited crowds waving flags on the streets every day, but Kong Jie did not care at all.

He now had only one thought.

To fulfill the agreement with the illusion before the end of the world, to ascend the peak of the Seven Continents together.

The wars brought about by civilization's growth grew fiercer.

As for the Era Game Company's calls, they ceased; rumors in the game's exchange area said the company's executives had escaped on starships.

The final stumbling block was also gone.

His peak plan had no external forces to hinder it anymore.

During this period, a large number of players withdrew from "Civilization War."

The speed of version updates noticeably accelerated, with many inventory versions heavily distributed.

The Advent of Mage Civilization, Void Natural Disaster, Immortal Recovery... every strong clan introduced in each version was a challenge in Kong Jie's eyes to the summit of the world.

In the fifth year of the game's opening.

7500 years had passed in the game.

On this day, while eating, Kong Jie suddenly noticed the long-inactive TV on the wall turn on automatically.

His chopsticks paused in mid-air.

In the live news broadcast, the presenter had a pale face and a crooked tie as though hastily awakened for duty, and his voice carried a touch of nervousness:

"Breaking news, all residents of the Interstellar Bay area, please note: three hours ago, multiple border monitoring stations in the northwest of the Interstellar Bay lost contact simultaneously."