[System Notification · Hidden Protocol Access Granted]ECHO (Economic Core & Host Operations) Protocol Activated Description: You are the first player on this server to be invited into the virtual economy core. Condition: Accumulated virtual currency flow exceeds $500 Current Access Level: Observer (Basic Transaction Mapping Enabled)
Do you wish to confirm entry?⚠️ Warning: This feature will log all your transaction behaviors and may be subject to real-world regulatory review.
Jiang Ci stared at the message. After a moment's hesitation, he clicked [Confirm].
Instantly, his interface changed.
A new window appeared: [Trade Network Mapping] Golden lines weaved into a shifting web of nodes, flows, overlaps, and extensions — like a neural network of the virtual economy.
At its center, a slowly rotating circle:
[Real-World Match Index: 42%] Note: Current economic behavior partially mirrors real-world capital structures. Risk level elevated.
Jiang Ci's eyes narrowed.
"This isn't just a game system... It's a simulation of a real-world economic model."
He realized now that the likes of Sunlight Trading Co., regulators, and so-called 'observers' weren't playing a game — they were vying for the future of economic control.
[Herbal Alliance · Internal Disturbance]
"Jiang-ge, someone leaked our trade route map."
Mo Bai handed him a screenshot. It showed a late-night message from a private group, sent to an account marked [Sunlight · Testing Group 2].
It was his personally drawn second-edition map of port logistics, including unpublished supply depots, warehouse links, and tax loophole routes.
"Who did it?" Jiang asked.
"Most likely 'RabbitHide'. He suddenly got flush with cash, bought a new PC, and treated people to bubble tea."
Jiang didn't get angry. He just asked, "Is he online?"
"No. Been offline for three days."
"Then don't wait for him." Jiang deleted the document. "We move on."
"To what?"
"Registering the Alliance in the real world."
[Reality · Unexpected Visitors]
That evening, just as Jiang logged off, he heard a knock.
Two plainclothes men stood outside his door.
"Mr. Jiang, we're with the National Virtual Asset Taskforce. Please cooperate with an investigation regarding large transactions linked to the game 'Domain Century'."
"Do you have ID?" Jiang asked cautiously.
They showed him a formal authorization document.
"You've withdrawn $187 USD across several accounts in one week. It's unregistered as secondary income, triggering auto-monitoring."
The real-world system had finally caught up.
At a local café, Jiang was interviewed briefly. They left him with two forms:
Virtual Asset Legalization Application
Personal Online Earnings Declaration
"Mr. Jiang, this is standard. We're not targeting you. We're tracking the rise of capital-driven economic manipulation through gaming platforms."
He remembered Lin Wanzhou's words:
"You didn't win the task. You caught their attention."
Jiang signed the papers and went home to contact his Alliance core members.
[Reality Plan: We Start a Company]
Jiang typed in the group chat:
"Starting today, Herbal Alliance will establish a legal entity in the real world." "We are not a guild. We're a distributed enterprise, co-owned and profit-sharing." "Everyone can convert contribution points into share tiers, with real USD dividends." "We're not surviving under platforms. We're building one."
Reactions exploded:
[Mo Bai]: You're... really bringing this outside the game? [Nan Qiao]: I failed as a startup founder. I want to try again. [HunterWeasel]: Can I just handle data? I don't want to be public-facing, but I want to help.
[Jiang Ci]: Everyone has a place. "We're not just building an alliance. We're building a real-world economic haven."
[System · Black Market Channel Unlocked]
That night, as Jiang submitted the registration draft, ECHO pinged again:
[Detected: Attempt to detach from platform-standard economic path]Enter Hidden Channel: Underground Economy Layer (Gray Trade Zone)?
Warning: Unmonitored territory. High presence of unknown financial behaviors. Suggested Access Level: Observer and above.
Jiang clicked [Enter].
The interface morphed.
No official labels. No auction IDs. Just hundreds of anonymous listings, linked directly to real-world payment interfaces.
This was the true gray market.
The platform promoted "free trade" on the surface — but beneath, power players were orchestrating real-world economic extraction.
Jiang knew there was no going back.
[Chapter End: In the Eye of the Storm, Faith and Choice]
Back in reality, Jiang researched how to register a business: tax ID, legal rep, seed capital. He was about to apply as a sole proprietor when Mo Bai sent him a message:
[If you need someone to be the legal face, I can use my sister's name. She's an independent designer, experienced with business filings.]
Jiang paused.
He clenched his fists and replied:
[Thank you.]
He never imagined that a group of gamers, total strangers online, would try to build a real-world livelihood together.
They might fail. But like he once said:
"I'm not here to fight anyone. I just want to prove that ordinary people can survive through wisdom."