Chapter 5 Ah-ha, you've really lost face! Even though the Black Tower saw it in a text message…
Although Black Tower seemed quite angry in the text message, she actually knew how much you had contributed to the space station and wouldn't really blame you.
When you finally arrive at the office, panting, and enter the simulated universe, the data bird avatar of the Black Tower is already scribbling away, busy with something.
"Huh? Instead of complaining, why not research some new topics?" Black Tower Bird glanced at you calmly. "Do I look like I have nothing better to do?"
You scratched the back of your head. "No, not at all..."
Now you can play the simulated universe without batting an eye. I remember when I first came in, I was being chased by all sorts of celestial god simulation data, but now I can chase them with a baseball bat and cheat codes—reverse the heavens, buddy.
If we're talking about who's most likely to be encountered in a simulated universe, it's definitely Aha.
The mighty God of Joy swarms around you like a wolf smelling meat the moment He sees you. But it's really a shame to confine such a lively and fun-loving creature to this small, fake universe. He doesn't even have a chance to cause trouble. Perhaps only when you occasionally "visit" him does he not get bored to death.
[Triggering event: Aha doll.]
[Please select: Gently stroke it or Hit it hard]
You're already a pro at this; with a swing of your baseball bat, the strange doll in front of you grins cheekily, "How lame! How lame! Akivili, how long has it been since you ate?"
Ah's taunt skill obviously couldn't target you. You didn't even flinch before another heavy punch landed.
The doll finally stopped spouting nonsense. Its round, yellowish-brown belly was dented from the beating, but the maniacal smile on its lips didn't diminish in the slightest.
"...Aha, what a disgrace! Aha, what a disgrace!"
"After being beaten up so many times, he would have lost all his dignity by now."
You muttered to yourself, speechless, and picked up the cosmic fragments it had dropped, turning and leaving without a second thought.
—Warning! Warning!
Suddenly, your vision blurs, and you sway precariously, forced to prop yourself up with your baseball bat to maintain your balance.
[Wait! ...You, watch out...! @%&%...Watch out!]
Black Tower's voice came at that moment. She panicked, a rare occurrence, and along with the voice came the rapid clatter of keyboard keys. "Damn it...!"
The data bird flashed a few times in the air, seemingly encountering turbulence and an attack from unknown code. Its voice was intermittent, and in the end, only a few belated words of anxiety truly reached our ears.
The tone rises.
The world before my eyes unfolded like snowflakes, and in an instant, countless lines of code surged forth.
[0101010101……01%@*&Program Error! Program Error! Warning! Program Error! 10101010&&%……]
Black Tower Bird flashed for the last time and then disconnected.
—Watch out! Watch out!!!
A massive phantom rose up from behind you, and the hairs on your neck, sensing danger, stood on end instantly.
Hahahaha!
A familiar, maniacal laugh rang out, and you were horrified to discover that the sound was coming from your own throat. Your throat began to dry, but you couldn't stop laughing.
Your fingers are curling up, you feel like dancing... Why not have a little drink?
Your vision begins to blur, everything starts to distort. You feel cold sweat pouring down your forehead, beads of sweat running down your chin and onto your shirt, quickly soaking a small patch of fabric. A feeling of oppression rises from your toes to the top of your head.
"Aha, what a disgrace! Aha, what a disgrace!!!"
The destructible objects around you are spinning, your vision is spinning, and the world is spinning.
You turn around stiffly, only to see a strange red mask.
*
"Did you have fun? Did you miss me?"
"He" seems to be referring to something, casually walking up to you.
Strangely, as He gets closer and closer, you feel the pressure on your side lessen considerably, and you gasp for breath like a drowning person finally surfacing.
"Oh, anyway, I actually miss you." Seeing that you didn't answer, He just grinned, the smile on His mask almost reaching both sides. "Although I'm just a bunch of pitiful simulation data, it's rare to see you so scared, it's really funny, hahaha!"
You said irritably, "What are you doing here?"
“Come here to have some fun.” He said matter-of-factly, “Akivili, you must have been so busy these past few days that you’ve completely forgotten about poor Aha, boohoo…”
"You can go find other star gods to play with."
You glanced at the time on your phone, wondering when Black Tower would finally fix the vulnerability.
“They’re all utterly boring!” The shadowy figure behind the red mask stirred. “Especially that [Destruction] guy, a madman! A complete madman! Aha doesn’t like madmen!!!”
...The God of Joy says He doesn't like madmen. Listen to that yourself—does that make sense? Which of His destined travelers, including Himself, isn't mad?
"What a pity, what a pity," He continued to himself, "What a pity you're still so weak—Akivili, why don't you grow stronger sooner? No one's my match, aha, it's so boring—"
You honestly say, "You'll have to ask the game designer."
You've realized that this bunch of whimsical simulation data is just for fun. Despite making such a grand entrance, he's the only one among the simulated celestial beings you can actually chat with... Oh, that damn sense of security that Aha gives.
“I love your honesty, and you always have such a funny story to tell,” He said sincerely. “I really want to give you a hug! It’s a pity I can only stay in the computer.”
He tossed the head in his hand—Akivili above, this is truly hell—and added, “Anyway… I hope you enjoy the game.”
He then gave a cryptic laugh, turned, and walked away. His footsteps clattered as he gradually disappeared into the depths of space.
You glare at it from behind, "Coming and going as you please. Are you playing with a cat? Really..."
After the footsteps faded away, the figures of a small purple bird and a small brown bird gradually came into view.
Before it had even fully materialized, the Black Tower's angry voice rang out first:
"That bastard!" she cursed. "I'm going to be driven crazy by him sooner or later! He's always either discovering bugs or on his way to discovering bugs. I don't know how he can be so idle..."
Screw Goom remained as calm as ever. "[Joy] never follows the rules. Although there have been several unexpected meetings before, there was no warning this time. He seems to care a lot about the Pioneers."
He said, "The simulation data also reveals to some extent the possible reactions of the Star God himself, but the intentions of [Pleasure] are the most difficult to predict. Suggestion: the Trailblazers should proceed with caution during this period—whether in the simulated universe or in reality."
After this unexpected incident, Black Tower no longer required you to complete the process. Instead, they simply changed the data from the backend and pulled you out of the simulated universe.
"I'll give you the reward as usual," she said. "Thank you for your hard work this time."
You're still thinking about continuing to teach Xiaobai'er? Upon hearing this, he simply took Xingqiong and shook his head indifferently.
...However, when you log back in and intend to increase your child's strength again, the game notification sound goes off again, as if to spite you:
[There is a three-day cooldown period before you can teach again. After three days, the fee will increase to 320 Star Jade per session.]
How come this involves price gouging?
[Please understand, in-game numerical inflation is not allowed. ^^]
Who gave you permission to inflate your wealth? Did you give it your permission? When your wealth inflates, have you considered whether your wallet is inflating along with it?
"Your game is only successful because the mascot is cute." You gritted your teeth in resentment.
However, this game has too many suspicious points. There are several question marks following Xiaobai's name and identity. At first, you might naturally assume: "He's the protagonist of a game, everyone has a few hidden identities, right?"
But then you discover that Bai E has both parents, a sunny personality, and a positive and healthy outlook… which is a bit strange. Ah, you don't mean anything by it, you just feel that if family background and such things are so transparent, the room for maneuver in hiding one's identity is much smaller, right?
When will Silver Wolf finally finish her mission...? When she gets back, you're definitely going to have to interrogate her about it.
"Partner, are you spacing out?"
Bai E curiously squatted down and saw that the golden ball of light seemed to be lost in some kind of contemplation.
He poked you, but you didn't feel it.
I'm used to seeing you being unreliable, so it's rare to see you so calm and silent. Have you encountered some difficulties?
Bai'er tried to say something, but he quickly realized that he couldn't do anything. He was too weak and too young to even take a single step into the Sorrowful Secret Pavilion.
So he swallowed the rest of his words.
Dad said that a real man should protect the people he cares about. He can't always rely on your help; he needs to grow up quickly too…!
...
The lights on the space station were as bright as ever, and the crew members hurried about, but no one dared to approach the mysterious room in the corner... Black Tower's office.
Black Tower, engrossed in data processing, noticed something unusual and raised an eyebrow knowingly.
“I sensed something was off the moment she entered the simulated universe today.” She chuckled, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her purple eyes. “Where is the train’s next destination? Is it worth [...]?”
Screw Gum stood in front of the large screen, countless data codes scrolling before his eyes. "Black Tower, are you still able to handle it? Three days ago, you mentioned that you wanted to pay homage to the Venerable Master Boshi."
"As for the purpose of [...]..." Screw Gumm paused for a moment, "Perhaps we're overthinking it. However, for unforeseen circumstances, I will devise a backup plan."
Black Tower waved his hand. "Thank you for your hard work. This is nothing to a genius like me. Judging from the current situation, it's not particularly urgent. Besides, if we're not mistaken, there will definitely be someone more interested than me..."
"Don't you think so, Ruan Mei?"
At the exit of the simulated universe, a pair of familiar, slender legs stepped out from the torrent of data.
Ruan Mei held Ruan with her eyes downcast, her gaze indifferent.
A note from the author:
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Just a reminder, I'm a fictional historian. Any plot involving the Riddler is entirely my own creation. Also, the Onpharos version isn't completely over yet, so the official storyline might very well prove me wrong. Just treat it as entertainment and don't take it too seriously TT
I can't type the interpunct in "Ruan Mei" (阮梅), it just shows a question mark when I upload it, so I've simply left it blank. [Sigh]
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