Chapter 62

Chapter 062: Instant Omniscience

In the forest cabin.

Yu Jing temporarily pulled herself away from the state of multithreaded processing.

In her cold, clear eyes, a faint blue data stream swirled, showing that she was deep in thought.

Her target, naturally, was the Fate Net update announcement that could change the course of many things.

This sudden major update had come without any prior warning or buildup, and naturally, only the mysterious [Chief] could know about or even decide on it.

However, Yu Jing wasn't entirely without premonition before this.

When she learned that the Chief had delayed taking his lunch, she had a faint sense that he might be making a move.

Arranging for those State Banquet Restaurants, while on the surface having no direct purpose other than showing goodwill and establishing a contact channel, objectively allowed her to indirectly control the dining schedule of that important client.

He usually ate almost exactly on time.

Today's obvious delay, combined with the just-released Fate Net update, further confirmed his identity as the Chief.

And over half an hour ago,

Yu Jing suddenly thought that the cooled meal needed reheating and insulation treatment, so it would be ready for him to take at any time.

At that moment, she decisively instructed the logistics personnel to notify the chef in charge of the Cantonese restaurant to make arrangements.

"By now, the Fate Net update should be complete, and the Chief should be about to pick up his meal, right?"

Just as this judgment flashed through her mind, the person in charge of this matter reported through the internal channel:

[Report: Deputy Team Leader Yu Jing, the meal has been reheated and insulated as instructed, and was just taken by the client at the right moment.]

"Just finished reheating... taken at the right moment..."

"What a coincidence."

Yu Jing's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

The timing was subtly aligned, making her think of some mysterious possibilities related to "Fortune."

After all, the Fate Net update announcement had just mentioned this.

But at this moment, it wasn't the time to delve into such coincidences.

Whether or not it was related to him, it wouldn't affect her judgment of the current situation or her planning for subsequent actions.

Yu Jing quickly turned her attention back to the update announcement before her, along with the three new features that had just gone live.

Yu Jing began to examine and test them one by one.

Personal Attribute Panel—concise and intuitive, with detailed data, and even expandable to see sub-items and health tips.

This feature is extremely valuable for individuals to understand themselves, plan improvement paths, and even reasonably assign tasks within a team.

Its emergence also makes strength quantifiable and comparable between individuals, which will inevitably further drive people's desire to become stronger.

It will help popularize the "Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique."

New Item Details Column in the Trading House—objective information provided by the Fate Net system.

This will greatly reduce the space for fraud in transactions, having a profound impact on improving the efficiency of the entire trading market and promoting the optimal allocation of resources.

It's a subtle but crucial foundational optimization.

Among these, the feature most capable of upending the current landscape was undoubtedly the second one—the Fate Points Withdrawal and Good Fortune Coin Exchange System.

She stared at the withdrawal interface, at those five gleaming golden Good Fortune Mother Coins:

"Could it be... that something as intangible as Good Fortune has been concretized, even commodified?!"

Yu Jing's gaze froze for a moment as multiple trains of thought converged into intense focus.

Deep within her clear, cold eyes, a torrent of blue data streams surged with unusual ferocity, countless ideas leaping through her mind.

Yet no matter which angle she considered it from, this was utterly astonishing.

Especially when extrapolated further—

"Fate? The Fate Net?"

She murmured softly: "Can the Fate Net truly... control fate?"

From the very beginning, this miraculous network had been prefixed with the word [Fate], and even the invitation had hinted at connecting those whose fates were intertwined.

But until now, no one had made that leap of association—not Yu Jing, nor the authorities.

Now, however, with the launch of the Good Fortune Coin system, a reassessment was inevitable.

Their previous understanding of its nature had clearly been far too one-sided.

The ability to sell [Good Fortune] as a commodity represented a power that completely defied everyone's imagination.

In Yu Jing's mind, the figure of the Chief grew even more towering and unfathomably mysterious.

The fleeting shock and distractions were forcibly suppressed in an instant.

She quickly regained her focus and began analyzing the immense impact this feature could bring:

"The Fate Net now has a clear, almost infinitely demanding outlet for consuming Fate Points: purchasing Good Fortune."

"In the Trial Ground, where chests are opened daily, improving one's luck is a fatal temptation for anyone. This will provide strong support for the value of Fate Points, potentially even creating a premium."

"Items that rely on luck to be obtained from chests—such as food, tools, and weapons—which are already in high demand and thus highly valuable..."

"With the boost of Good Fortune, the overall probability and quantity of such items being drawn might see a significant increase in the short term."

"An increase in supply means the prices of these goods in the Trading House will likely experience a noticeable drop. For ordinary trial participants in the Huaxia Faction, this is undoubtedly a favorable market trend."

"As for the impact on donations to the [People's Union Association]?"

Yu Jing calmly weighed the pros and cons: "In the short term, the sharp rise in the value and demand for Fate Points will inevitably divert a great deal of donation activity."

"But from an overall and long-term perspective, this isn't a bad thing."

Her thoughts were clear as she delved into deeper implications: "An increase in the value of Fate Points means greater purchasing power. Ordinary people can improve their living conditions through top-ups, drastically reducing the number of extreme cases requiring emergency aid."

From the standpoint of the [People's Union Association]'s mission to aid the poor and alleviate hardship, this is undoubtedly a positive development for society as a whole.

It's a phenomenon worth celebrating.

"However..."

Yu Jing's gaze sharpened slightly. "A reduction in the need for aid also means that the channel for converting charitable acts into faction contributions will face the risk of shrinking or even collapsing."

For someone like her, who sought to strengthen the [People's Union Association], this was something she could not afford to ignore.

Of course, she wasn't about to be a mantis trying to stop a chariot by blocking the layout born from the will of the "Chief."

That would be foolish and overestimating one's own abilities.

She simply believed that the operational model of the "People's Union Association" needed to make a rapid strategic adjustment in response to the new situation.

"Perhaps it's time to move from a purely Fate Net model to intervening in offline operations ahead of schedule."

Yu Jing thought of a plan. "The People's Union Association can start trying to form physical rescue teams."

"Some of the collected Fate Points can be used to pay team members' compensation, develop and maintain Safe Zones, and organize Production Mutual Aid."

"These actions that genuinely enhance the overall Survivability of the faction can also generate Faction Contribution."

"As for paying compensation to the team, that might be somewhat controversial in the context of selfless dedication, but combined with the known rules..."

"When the staff of the People's Union Association handle aid matters, they themselves can gain Faction Contribution..."

From this, she deduced: "If compensation is paid in the form of Fate Points, then these Contribution Points should be transferred to the donor."

"In essence, this is spending money to hire people to do good deeds, and the Faction Contribution should rightfully belong to the one leading the effort."

"Moreover, team members can choose to accept Fate Points as compensation, or they can opt for purely voluntary work to earn personal Faction Contribution."

"This provides two paths to attract talent with different needs, which is more conducive to the growth of the People's Union Association."

Her thoughts grew clearer. A vision of transitioning from an online charity platform to one with actual execution power offline slowly unfolded in her mind.

"However, acting in this direction could easily touch a sensitive nerve in the official decision-making layer."

Yu Jing thought about the resistance she would face in the future.

Regardless, the decision-making layer could not sit idly by and allow the birth of such a "Parallel Organization."

This was also the fundamental reason she had previously chosen to wait for the right time and not rush into offline operations.

But now, the situation was pressing.

The emergence of the Good Fortune Coin System would most likely weaken the online contribution conversion model of the People's Union Association, forcing her to find new growth points and reasons for existence.

Shifting directly to offline development was almost an inevitable choice.

Conflict with the official system arising from this was also almost an inevitable result.

Yu Jing thought it over and concluded that this was unavoidable.

It fit perfectly with that saying: Power is won through struggle, and interests are maintained through struggle.

"I can't worry about that much." A look of resolve flashed in her eyes. "Let's act first and seize the initiative."

"At worst, we'll clash head-on!"

In the current situation, the worst-case scenario would be her establishing another civilian-run People's Union Association.

But the more likely outcome was that she would push the official personnel out of the game.

Of course, politically, things generally wouldn't reach such a point of open rupture.

And the prerequisite for all these strategic adjustments was that the Good Fortune-boosted effects must be sufficiently significant.

At the very least, they had to offer more value than their cost, so they could truly ignite market demand.

Only then could the ecological value of Fate Points be changed.

The most intuitive way to verify this was, naturally, to open a Treasure Chest.

Unfortunately, her supply crate had already been opened the moment the noon prompt sounded.

The result was, as always, an unremarkable Black Iron Chest.

Otherwise, Yu Jing would have immediately exchanged for an [Auspicious Fortune Coin] or even a [Grand Fortune Coin] to personally test the effects and gather firsthand data.

"For now, I'll have to wait for the preliminary data report from the information team after they collect enough samples. At the same time, I'll gather user feedback from the forum and major channels for cross-verification."

"Also, before the situation is clear and the actual effects of the coins and their impact on the Fate Points economy are understood, the People's Union Association's subsequent aid fund disbursements can be delayed by one to two hours."

She planned to use this brief window to observe the Trading House prices, the enthusiasm for exchanging Fate Points for coins, and the overall changes in forum public opinion.

This would help her adjust her valuation of the current purchasing power of Fate Points.

During this time, she could also gradually push forward the trial work of forming an offline rescue team.

Yu Jing's mind raced as she issued several related commands across various work groups.

Meanwhile, she continued gathering information from the Fate Net Forum.

...

In the exquisitely comfortable, isolated wooden cabin,

Yan Cang had just finished the last sip of the delicious soup and wiped his mouth with satisfaction.

The five Mother Coins on his wrist shimmered with golden light, as if responding to the clamor of the entire Fate Net.

Full and satisfied, his thoughts returned, and he recalled the strange coincidence of the meal being perfectly heated earlier.

"Just good fortune?"

"Let me see what's going on!"

Yan Cang lounged comfortably in his chair and quietly activated the "Great Fate Art."

The vast Fate Power flowed silently, tracing and perceiving the causal thread of this already-occurred event.

Scenes flashed before his eyes, and a flood of information poured into his mind, instantly revealing the full picture.

The Food Zone, the State Banquet Restaurant, Yu Jing, the Special Task Force...

"I see! The meal being heated was itself a high-probability event; good fortune just pushed it to happen at the right time."

"Interesting."

A flicker of understanding passed through his mind, but his attention was now more focused on that "Special Task Force."

"The authorities set up a small department just to deal with me?" Yan Cang mused, chin in hand.

He had actually expected this.

After all, with how prominent he was on the Contribution Ranking, it was impossible for the authorities to overlook him.

Instead, they would naturally pay extra attention, and setting up a task force for him was the most normal course of action.

But expectation aside, now that he truly understood its existence, structure, and even some of its work content...

He couldn't help but feel a bit of novelty, along with a slight shock from being specially noticed.

It felt like an ordinary, unnoticed student suddenly discovering that the principal and teachers had held a meeting specifically to discuss him...

Pfft, not that scary.

Yan Cang wasn't panicked at all, just a little puzzled and curious:

"Why is that woman, Sister Jing, in this group? And she's the Deputy Team Leader?"

"And also the President of the People's Union Association?"

"So many identities, all strange and peculiar..."

His interest piqued, he casually summoned the Fate Wheel Mirror.

As the creator of the Fate Net, checking a group chat on it was as easy as turning his hand.

With just a single thought,

the mirror's surface shimmered with flowing light, and the Group Chat Channel of the Chief Special Task Force naturally appeared.

Ready to secretly lurk~