Chapter 201: [Gold Medal Salesperson] Paused and Suspended
For instance, at the exact same moment, Li Yun had appeared in two completely different places.
The most recent purchase record showed that at 6:05 AM, eight days ago, Li Yun had bought some vegetables at a wet market near her home.
Yet at the very same time, 6:05 AM, Li Yun’s figure was caught on camera purchasing medication in the vicinity of the hospital.
While the possibility of ordering food or errands through a delivery service couldn’t be ruled out entirely, for someone like Li Yun who was over a hundred thousand yuan in debt, every single coin had to be saved wherever possible.
Going to the wet market to buy produce was far cheaper and more cost-effective than ordering delivery or hiring an errand runner; she could also bargain with the vendors herself.
Even if she didn’t know how to haggle, following older women who did could net her significant discounts.
In any case, within the memories Bai Cha had previously retrieved, Li Yun had always gone to the wet market to buy produce in person.
Furthermore, there was zero digital record on her phone regarding the expenditure at the hospital.
The items purchased at the hospital were health supplements.
On the surface, if Li Yun’s mother had still been alive at the time, that expense would have been considered normal; however, eight days ago at 4:00 AM, her mother had already passed away after emergency resuscitation failed.
It was impossible that Li Yun bought these supplements for herself, making it highly probable that they were intended for an elder.
Which meant Zhao Qun.
Inquiries into Zhao Qun’s situation confirmed that eight days ago, he had indeed been hospitalized due to a sudden myocardial infarction.
There hadn’t been any immediate danger to his life; a stent was inserted, and he was discharged three days ago to recuperate at home.
However, proving whether Li Yun had actually visited Zhao Qun’s house with those medications eight days ago would require further, deeper investigation.
Contradictory situations similar to this had occurred quite a few times over the past eight days.
For example, to check if Bai Cha was being targeted by criminals, the police had requested surveillance footage from the property management. The footage revealed that on the very day Bai Cha entered the game, while she was at work, another Li Yun was captured walking around the residential compound.
None of these anomalies could be explained in short order.
Setting those aside, the investigation into the so-called Reincarnation Cult yielded clear, concrete documentation.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t an actual cult or religious organization.
It originated within a nursing home. Because this nursing home focused on providing elderly residents with a comfortable, fulfilling experience in their twilight years, they introduced a concept akin to reincarnation and rebirth to help certain elders cope with the fear of death.
Back then, the nursing home had registered this program with the local police station, explaining that it was neither proselytizing nor brainwashing. They didn’t push the elders or their families to purchase anything, nor did they encourage any self-harming or harmful behaviors toward others.
It was purely psychological guidance for elderly individuals whose fear of death was causing their physical health to deteriorate rapidly.
They merely utilized a somewhat metaphysical approach, as people nearing the end of their lives often leaned toward such beliefs.
Their messaging revolved around ideas like death not being scary, that humans could be reincarnated, and that once freed from their physical shells, facing death with a peaceful, tranquil attitude would allow them to reincarnate much faster.
Under these circumstances, the psychological state of the elderly received immense comfort, which in turn led to noticeable improvements in their physical health. Even those with underlying conditions or terminal illnesses could experience a significantly less painful passing.
For many family members, this provided a profound sense of solace as well.
Consequently, after official verification confirmed it was merely a psychological comfort method tailored for specific patients, this so-called Reincarnation Cult was not classified as an illegal organization.
They hadn’t disseminated these claims to the public, after all.
However, because Li Yun’s phone contained a screenshot reading I voluntarily join the Reincarnation Cult, the police had conducted a deeper investigation to check if any other organizations shared the same name.
Essentially, across the nearby provinces, this was the only one.
Connecting this with the time Li Yun joined—right around when the elderly woman was nearing death—it was likely just a method she used to comfort her dying mother.
“Regardless, we will contact the hospital immediately to verify everything.”
From the investigation results, the only entity harboring anomalies was Li Yun herself.
This included what Bai Cha had mentioned—seeing her mother downstairs last night—which was entirely absent from the surveillance footage.
Among the hallway security cameras, only the one on the second floor was functional; it indeed captured Li Yun making movements as if supporting someone, yet her mother was nowhere to be seen.
Nevertheless, the officers had witnessed the bizarre paranormal phenomenon with their own eyes.
Thus, after finishing her explanation, the female officer offered words of comfort in a hurry.
“Don’t be too anxious. These things can’t be uncovered in a single sitting. Next, we’ll head over to investigate that nursing home.”
Bai Cha nodded, having already committed the name of the nursing home to memory.
Xingfu Nursing Home.
A thoroughly cliché name—searching for it nationwide would likely yield dozens of places bearing the exact same name.
Ding—!
[Notification: Players have discovered clues leading to the core area. The game is loading the instance.]
[Players of “Gold Medal Salesperson,” in 30 seconds, the game will transport you to the settlement page to settle this instance.]
[Rest assured, players: since this new instance was discovered through your exploration, after the game successfully loads the instance, you will be re-deployed into the game under your current identities.]
[As explorers of a new instance, upon clearing it, you will also receive a mysterious grand gift.]
The moment the game’s voice chimed, everything in the surroundings froze as if someone had pressed a pause button.
Bai Cha could move, yet neither the female officer beside her—whose hand was outstretched, mid-air, about to pat her shoulder—nor the male officer across the room—who held another file and was about to walk over—could budge an inch.
Even the wind outside the window ground to a halt, the leaves frozen in the exact angles they were being blown.
Bai Cha narrowed her eyes slightly.
She reached out to touch the female officer beside her; the contact felt solid, showing zero difference from a living human being.
It was simply that a pause button had been pressed.
This granted Bai Cha an exceptionally clear realization regarding the absolute power of the game.
The world inside the instance bore virtually no difference from the real world.
At least up until now, she hadn’t sensed a single distinction between the instance and reality.
The cold countdown of the game echoed beside her ears.
Standing up, she walked over to the doorway.
The entire world was plunged into complete, soundless silence.
Under a state like this, if the game wished to erase an NPC’s existence and cause everyone to forget that person, it would indeed be remarkably easy.
So could reality be an instance as well?
If so, then what were “NPCs” like them supposed to be?
[Teleportation successful!]
Entering the settlement interface, Bai Cha sized up the pixelated ghost face floating before her.
When she left the game last time, the entity had been thoroughly enraged, yet right now, it appeared exceptionally pleased.
Because a new instance had been discovered?
So what did an instance truly represent, then?
And what role did the game play within it all?
Naturally, answers to these questions couldn’t be obtained in short order.
Since the other party was so cheerful, Bai Cha simply pulled out the items it hadn’t explained last time.
“What are this lamp and this diary used for?”
The smile on the pixelated ghost face vanished in an instant.
