As players around the world immersed themselves in the groundbreaking VR game Dawn of the Virtual Realm, Lin Yue discovered a horrifying truth: the NPCs in the game could cry, laugh, and feel fear. Their memories, emotions, and even souls came from missing people in the real world who had been “disposed of.”
A disgraced former top web-novel writer, Lin Yue unexpectedly acquired an old game pod and triggered the hidden “Code Hunter” System. He could see the “source code” behind every NPC: a distress signal from a real soul held captive.
When the world’s top guild reached out its claws toward the virtual city of Starfall, Lin Yue made a shocking choice: he wouldn’t level up, farm gear, or join any faction. Instead, he chose to protect the NPCs.
“They’re not data. They’re living people.”
“And who are you to judge whether they deserve to exist?”
