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It’s up to me...

The younger generation of the Nie Family felt a mix of anticipation and excitement they had never experienced before.

As a key figure being groomed within the great clan, from a young age, he had access to resources beyond the ordinary, but he also faced constraints unknown to others.

The Eastern Federation was notorious for its strict adherence to seniority, to an extent where he didn’t even have a say in which university to attend. ..

And now they’ve granted him such significant authority?

His heart was thumping wildly at this moment, and he was incredibly cautious when checking his permissions, feeling so nervous that he could barely breathe.

But the real nervousness was yet to come.

"Three minutes to go before the command center reboots, Xiaojun, are you ready?"

"President, I am prepared," he inhaled sharply, "You can count on me, I will complete the task."

Regardless of whether it’s possible, it is necessary to express determination to superiors in advance.

"Good..."

As time ticked away second by second, Nie Xiaojun, the younger clan member, kept swallowing, his whole body tensed, eyes fixed on the coordinates of the command center.

No one would have imagined that the auspicious command center would be located inside a bathhouse in a lowly entertainment area like Eastern District Nine.

The Eastern District was almost entirely entertainment-focused.

Every entertainment project listed in red could be found there, and Eastern District Nine was at the very bottom, with the lowest consumer spending, worst environment, and least energy consumption.

The entire energy consumption of Eastern District Nine sometimes did not even match that of a single commercial KTV in districts one or two.

In the Federation, energy consumption determines data allocation.

Quality places require powerful computing power and energy to form.

Eastern District Nine is a poor entertainment area; its daily energy use is pitifully low, so low that Eastern District Nine wasn’t even listed when they shut down the entertainment district, because everyone knows that shutting down Eastern District Nine wouldn’t make much of a difference due to its minimal energy usage.

The red light district’s female NPCs were all somewhat blurry and of extremely poor texture, created using highly energy-efficient programs.

And yet, the grand command center was located in such a place—truly unimaginable.

Two minutes... one minute... thirty seconds...

As seconds passed by, seeing the time slip away made Nie Xiaojun’s heart rise to his throat.

Number One is recognized as an extremely dangerous individual, a madman who nearly shut down Digital City entirely. If he’s still alive, opening the command center now would be like unleashing a demon from hell.

He thought it through clearly: first, create distance from the command center and warn the other party directly not to leave it.

If they even think about it, he would shut down the center again immediately, giving them no chance.

Yes, whatever it takes, he must first intimidate the other party and then negotiate.

After all, the command center’s authority has now been stripped away and it’s been reduced to a Space Box, which is suitable for such containment...

The more Nie Xiaojun thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

As the final second of the warning passed, he was about to exert pressure on the inside; he even planned to open it for just half a second before shutting it down again, to make the other party aware of their current situation—assuming the person inside was still alive.

Even if all his guesses are wrong and the person inside has already become dead data like any ordinary digital life, being cautious would only waste a bit of time and would not affect the overall situation.

Yes, that’s the plan!

"This child... such a simpleton, whose family does he belong to?"

The voice appeared so abruptly that Nie Xiaojun swore he had been staring intently at the entrance to the command room, but he saw nothing, reacted to nothing. That white figure, a shadow once listed as a highly dangerous individual, had already materialized before him.

All the thoughts of space boxes and contingency plans now seemed like a complete joke, and no wonder his uncle had never instructed him on how to deal with Number One, probably knowing well that he posed no threat to Number One.

"Have you turned into a fool?" The man gazed at Nie Xiaojun’s dazed face, waving a pale palm in front of his eyes.

"You... you..." Nie Xiaojun stammered, all the prepared tactics and words failing to leave his lips, his entire body tense to the utmost degree.

"It seems the situation is quite dire now..." the man said, nodding.

Startled by the comment, Nie Xiaojun forced himself to calm down and asked, "How do you know that?"

"If it weren’t serious, they wouldn’t have opened this place, nor would they send a fledgling like you here. The only reason for you to come is that you’re not likely to draw attention."

"Uh..."

"Tell me, what’s the situation outside? Has the Federation’s high-ranking officialdom been entirely controlled?" the man asked congenially, resting his hand on Nie Xiaojun’s shoulder.

Nie Xiaojun’s mind blanked, unable to discern the exact state of affairs at the moment, but he honestly replied: "It’s basically under control now.

Suddenly, a group of people with exceedingly high clearance appeared, and they’re now in total control of the Federation.

They’re preparing to shut down the power supply to the other worlds of the Eastern Federation to fully support the New World. We’re still unclear about the reasons."

"Authority, huh... I thought so," the man nodded. "To deter current officials with the First World, showing authority is the best approach. Digital City was their creation; no one would have higher privileges than them."

"What are you... saying?" Nie Xiaojun’s mind was in turmoil. Was the man implying that the mysterious group that suddenly emerged were the original Creators of Digital City?

Could it be true?

But the man didn’t respond to him and instead murmured to himself: "Increasing the power supply? I see. Over the years, what has prevented the arrival of the Fourth Version wasn’t those so-called players but external control.

Indeed, the simulated world is far from the ordinary game capacity of the past. After subsequent developments, its data volume is enormous, equivalent to two Digital Cities.

And once the Fourth Version arrives, the expansion of the game world’s lore could be several times greater. "

"Without sufficient power supply, there’s no way to support the Fourth Version. That’s the crux of it..."

"However, after enduring for so long, they’ve activated the content of the Fourth Version this time. Have they already thought of a way to deal with it? That entity which has confined them for hundreds of thousands of years, do they have a method to counter it now?"

The man stroked his chin, his gaze flickering with thoughts as he pondered various possibilities.

"Mr. Number One..." Nie Xiaojun cautiously addressed him: "I know there were some misunderstandings between you and the authorities before, but now that a common enemy has begun to ravage all sides, I hope you can put aside the past for now and join us in dealing with these troublesome presences first, is that okay? "

"Mr. Number One..." the man smiled at his words: "You do know how to address someone..."

Nie Xiaojun choked, immediately becoming tongue-tied, too afraid to speak.

"Let’s go, now to meet Nie Xingjun."

"The President is not available right now..."

"I’ll make him available. Don’t worry, and one more thing..." the man patted Nie Xiaojun’s shoulder: "I am not Number One..."