368: Chapter 368 A Powerful Strike!

The Spokesperson paused slightly, her gaze sweeping across the room.

The smile on her face remained unchanged, and her tone was as steady and composed as always.

Yet, the next second, the words she threw out made many people's fingertips tighten.

"Additionally, I can add one point here."

Many reporters' pen tips in the audience paused for a moment.

"In fact, representatives from several countries and regions have already made preliminary contact with us regarding matters of access to the second world."

As her voice fell.

The venue first experienced a very slight pause, followed immediately by a hushed commotion that spread rapidly like an undercurrent beneath the water's surface.

Several foreign reporters sitting in the front row raised their heads almost simultaneously, their eyes lighting up instantly.

Some leaned forward halfway, their recording pens nearly poking the edge of the table in front of them.

Others quickly lowered their heads to jot down a few lines in their notebooks, their pen tips moving swiftly, as if afraid that missing a single second would mean losing a keyword.

Others frowned, their gazes darting back and forth across the Spokesperson's face, as if trying to extract more information from that calm expression.

"Of course."

The Spokesperson raised her hand and pressed down gently, signaling everyone to remain quiet.

"Currently, these contacts are still in a very early stage of consultation and research."

"As I just mentioned, access to the second world not only requires extremely high hardware infrastructure support but must also be built upon a foundation of full mutual trust and consensus on rules."

She stopped there, paused for a moment, and let her gaze sweep across the audience again.

"The door to Xia Nation has always been open."

"But to walk through this door, we need everyone's joint efforts."

"Openness does not mean unconditional openness."

"Cooperation does not mean unprincipled concessions."

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene changed instantly.

The venue, which had been relatively restrained, erupted into a lower, denser commotion.

Some quickly lowered their heads to take notes, while others pushed their cameras forward a bit.

Others simply raised their heads, staring intently at the podium, wanting to dig for answers directly from that calm face.

"May I ask, does the fact that contact has been made mean that quotas will be opened soon?"

"Will the specific methods of cooperation involve joint operations?"

"Will the second world allow direct access for overseas users in the future?"

Questions came one after another, the pace of speech becoming faster and faster.

The Spokesperson did not follow their rhythm.

She merely glanced at the few people who had spoken first, her expression remaining calm.

"The second world is not an ordinary communication product, nor is it a ready-made service that anyone can connect to or take whenever they want."

"Specific access conditions, technical standards, identity authentication, data security, and the division of responsibilities all require further study."

"Relevant departments will release more detailed explanations later."

After speaking, she nodded politely and turned to walk off the stage.

She left a group of reporters below the stage, frantically typing on their keyboards, transmitting these few short but information-packed sentences to the whole world at top speed.

...

Just a few minutes later, the video of this press conference was clipped and spread wildly across all major social media platforms in Xia Nation.

Netizens in the country were instantly boiling with excitement.

"Holy crap! Are there already countries secretly making contact? Who is it, moving so fast!"

"Do we even need to guess? It must be those who have ironclad relationships with us, or those who are just desperate. Watching us have fun in the second world, can they just stand outside and stare?"

"Highlight: 'In the stage of consultation and research.' Let me translate: You can come in, but conditions must be negotiated, rules must be followed, and infrastructure must be built according to our standards!"

"Hahahaha, this statement is so tough! In the past, we were the ones begging to buy others' technology, and now it's their turn to line up and beg us for an account!"

"Dying of laughter, I finally understand what 'technological discourse power' means."

Compared to mocking foreigners, more Xia Nation netizens' attention was drawn to the words "specific management measures" and "follow-up planning" mentioned by the Spokesperson.

Someone started a thread on a large forum, with a simple and direct title—

《The second world policy is about to be released, what do you guess will be in it?》

Not long after the post was published, a long string of replies flooded in below.

"I bet a pack of spicy strips that it will definitely be related to games."

"Isn't that obvious? A fully immersive second world without games is like having a racetrack but not letting anyone run on it."

"The key isn't whether it opens, but how it opens. For example, can the virtual currency in the second world be exchanged for real currency?"

The second this comment was posted, the reply speed of the entire thread tripled.

"Wait, are you talking about real money?"

"If it can really be exchanged, then the second world isn't just for play... that's a job!"

"Have you guys read those online gaming novels? The ones where the protagonist grinds for gold, does quests, and manages guild economies in the virtual world, and finally achieves financial freedom in reality."

"Read it, read it! Holy crap, don't mention it, I used to think that was too ridiculous when I read those novels, but it was just so satisfying. And now, reality is even more outrageous than the novels!?"

"Holy crap! I couldn't sleep before, and now I'm even more excited!"

"In reality, I am timid and submissive, but in the second world, I will strike with heavy blows!"

"If they really open cultivation or fantasy online games, I'm definitely going in to become a sect leader."

"Not to mention anything else, as long as I can grind to make money, I can grind for twenty hours a day in there. In reality, delivering food involves wind and sun exposure, but isn't killing monsters for gold in the game better?"

"If I could enter the second world to make money, who would still cling to that meager fixed salary?"

For a moment, countless people in front of their screens rubbed their hands, their eyes filled with light.

For ordinary people, the straightforward and intense temptation of "making money in the virtual world," "starting a second life," and "reaching the pinnacle of life" precisely struck everyone's nerves.

Some people had even started taking action.

Some studios and guilds launched recruitment drives on major forums overnight.

"High-paying recruitment for professional gamers, preparing for the second world."

"Assemble people first, secure positions first, adapt to the rhythm of the new world first."

"Experience preferred, organizational skills preferred, ability to stay up late preferred."

Below the posts, applicants came one after another.

Some had not even received their equipment yet, but had already thought of their future guild names.

Some said they were just looking, but their fingers had already filled out the recruitment form three times.

Others looked at the words "grinding," "gold farming," and "taking orders," and suddenly sat up straight, as if they had seen their path forward in these few words.

Meanwhile, on the internet outside the firewall, a completely different kind of emotion had begun to spread.