Lu Qi pondered: "But... it seems fine as long as I don’t show it..."
Fu Yujun shook his head: "Not every player has such excellent acting skills.
"Now think about the problem from my perspective: After taking the drug, my mind becomes sharp and excited, or I become paranoid.
"I can clearly sense the change in attitude of those around me.
"You keep a respectful distance from me, and of course I’m aware of it. At that time, I will naturally feel resistant and become even more disgusted by you.
"Moreover, I would naturally feel close to other players who have also taken the drug.
"The worst part is that perhaps we don’t actually have such intense dislike for each other, but just a feeling or illusion is enough to deepen misunderstandings and sharpen conflicts.
"No one knows when this time bomb will go off; maybe it won’t explode by the end of the second stage, or even as most players in the community die in the game; but on the other hand, it might explode in the next game.
"It only takes a seemingly unintentional push to put a teammate from the same community in mortal danger.
"In fact, there have been deaths in our community in previous games, and everyone is already suspicious of each other.
"So, we’ve gradually realized a fact: the idea of minding our own business ultimately won’t work.
"Only by being in different communities, physically separated by space, can we truly solve this problem."
Ye Lin sighed: "So... you, as the representative managing the drug, were conveniently pushed out.
"But aren’t they worried about weakening the community’s strength by doing so?
"Because once you are pushed out, they have to continue recruitment. The strength of new players surely can’t match yours."
Fu Yujun shook his head: "Player strength is quite illusory.
"Apart from a few universally acknowledged super strong players who can consistently win in any game, the rest of the so-called relatively strong players don’t have such privileges.
"Take me for example, although I’ve had good results in many games I’ve participated in, I’ve never been able to guarantee a win.
"In such circumstances, it’s very difficult to accurately assess someone’s strength. After all, there’s no precise metric in the community and Walkway: My score is 70, and a newcomer’s is 40, so swapping me with a newcomer would be a loss.
"From a community manager’s perspective, a player who seems somewhat skilled may not actually be more important than community stability.
"After all, newcomers aren’t completely useless; some communities do manage to find sufficiently promising newcomers who quickly grow to outperform veteran players after just a few games.
"So, all things considered, this is a very normal decision.
"Moreover, as Qin Cheng said in the game: My role could also be seen as an ’Envoy’, which aids in fostering cooperation between our two communities in future games.
"After all, this can further increase mutual trust, making our cooperation much stronger than that between two unfamiliar communities."
Qin Cheng nodded: "Yes, I lean towards a more optimistic view.
"If in some communities, extensive drug use has become unavoidable, letting players who take drugs and those who don’t gather in different communities and keeping a sufficient distance might at least preserve dignity and prevent further conflicts.
"In the future, there might even be opportunities for cooperation."
Some players subconsciously glanced at Zhang Yan.
Actually, Zhang Yan’s situation is quite similar to Fu Yujun’s, except the biggest difference is that Zhang Yan left voluntarily. Although the relationship with the original community wasn’t completely severed, there’s generally little contact, and there’s not much room for cooperation between Community 16 and Community 2;
While Fu Yujun was kicked out of the original community, he can still communicate, so there’s more opportunity for cooperation between Community 10 and Community 2 if they happen to meet in a game in the future.
But overall, the cases of Zhang Yan and Fu Yujun suggest that the influence of drugs on communities hasn’t vanished and, instead, continues to change the community’s ecosystem.
He Qinyun said: "If things continue to develop this way, perhaps it might be a good thing for us?
"As long as drugs exist, their impact on communities is irreversible.
"If a community initially fails to successfully control drug use, it will eventually be overrun by players who take drugs, while non-users will be pushed out.
"From the current perspective, this seems to be an irreversible trend.
"And these players are generally those with principles, strength, and some degree of self-control.
"They will gradually gather in communities like ours that moderately control drug use, so our community’s strength might continue to grow in the future."
Shen Bowen was thoughtful, then slightly shook his head: "But there’s another possibility.
"When there are both drug users and non-users in the community, it’s the drug users who push out the non-users.
"So, at this stage, cooperation between drug-taking and non-drug-taking communities is still possible, just as we once cooperated with Community 23 and might do so with Community 10 in the future.
"But what if, after some time, the integration within most communities is already complete?
"Who can guarantee that the attitude of drug users towards non-drug users won’t shift to the level of community relationships?"
He Qinyun was startled, then lowered her head in silence.
It was clear Shen Bowen had raised a question she found difficult to answer.
From Fu Yujun’s shared experience, the essence of Community 10’s change boils down to one point: drug users and non-drug users start to harbor mutual disdain, and this conflict will perpetually accumulate.
Drugs have branded players with an indelible mark.
This conflict is currently focused within communities, but eventually, if it disappears internally, it may shift between communities.
In essence, drug-taking communities might find non-drug-taking communities increasingly displeasing, thus sparking a ’exclusion’ between communities.
At that time, what might happen goes without saying.
Qin Cheng looked around the group: "This is indeed a possibility, but there’s no need for everyone to be overly concerned.
"No matter how the external environment changes in the future, we just need to do our part well.
"In any case, let’s welcome Uncle Fu’s addition. From the next game on, we will fight side by side, hoping everyone sincerely considers each other as trustworthy comrades.
"The environment in the Walkway might get harsher in the future, but we will undoubtedly emerge as the ultimate victors."
Fu Yujun nodded, speaking rather solemnly: "Now that I’m part of Community 2, I will give it my all."
Everyone applauded; regardless of what the future holds, at this moment, Community 2’s strength is still recovering and improving.
Qin Cheng continued: "Then, let’s get to the main topic, the review of this game.
"Uncle Zheng, Sister Wanlin, you two will recount the specific process."