Lin Yue closed her notebook, and the morning light seemed to be absorbed into her heart. She looked out the window. The sea of flowers, real and imaginary, intertwined, resembled her complex yet hopeful state of mind.
"The next story may be right under our feet." Lin Yue said softly, with a firm tone in his voice.
Lu Li's data gradually solidified. He looked around. Everything in the computer center had returned to calm, but the air seemed to linger with the aftermath of the data fluctuations. "While the initial plan was successful, the empathy network has just experienced a shock and requires recalibration." He frowned slightly, and the robotic arm moved through the air, pulling up a series of data reports.
The calico cat jumped off Lin Yue's shoulder and rolled on the ground. The gears on its body made a crisp sound: "I will notify the other empaths and ask them to check their nodes to see if there are any residual virus codes." After saying that, it turned into a stream of light and disappeared at the door.
Lin Yue looked at Lu Li, her eyes full of trust: "What do you need me to do?"
Lu Li smiled and reached out to tap lightly on her notebook. The ink traces once again shimmered with the faint glow of data streams. "You are the key connecting reality and virtuality. Your empathy can make the story appear more realistic. I need you to use your consciousness to enter the empathy network, to sense those subtle fluctuations and help me identify the network's weak points."
Lin Yue nodded, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Her consciousness, like a swift bird, once again sank into the ocean of data. This time, without the threat of the black data stream, she felt the empathic network as a vast, warm honeycomb, each node emitting a unique light, a fragment of the consciousness of each empath.
She slowly moved through the network, carefully sensing every fluctuation. Suddenly, she noticed a dim light in one corner, as if covered by a thin veil. Lin Yue approached gently and discovered that it was the consciousness node of a student named Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu was an introverted child who always kept to himself at school. In his consciousness, Lin Yue saw a barren desert, all the stories, as if dried out by the scorching sun, lifeless.
Lin Yue's heart stirred. She gently touched Xiaoyu's fragment of consciousness, transferring her warmth to it. Instantly, a clear spring began to gush out from the desert, and the withered cactus bloomed again. Xiaoyu's consciousness became more intense, and he turned over in his sleep, a smile playing on his lips.
When Lin Yue told Lu Li about this discovery, Lu Li nodded slightly. "It seems that the empathy network is not only affected by the technical aspects, but also by the user's emotions and psychological state. We need to find a way to get more people actively involved in the creation of empathy stories to make the network more stable."
Just then, the calico cat hurried back, its gears a bit messy. "Oh no! Strange phenomena have occurred outside the school. Reality and virtuality seem to be merging at an accelerated rate. Some virtual creatures have already escaped into the real world!"
Lin Yue and Lu Li exchanged a glance and immediately ran towards the school gate. When they arrived, they were stunned by the sight before them. The previously peaceful streets were now filled with bizarre virtual creatures: winged mechanical foxes leaped across the streets, glowing jellyfish floated in the air, and fire-breathing monsters scurried across the roofs of cars.
The surrounding residents panicked, some hiding in their houses and others trying to scare away the virtual creatures with brooms. Lin Yue saw a little girl crying over a wounded virtual rabbit. There was a black scar on the rabbit's leg, obviously injured when crossing the boundary between reality and virtuality.
"We can't let this situation get any worse!" Lin Yue gritted her teeth. She once again activated her empathy, attempting to connect with these virtual creatures. Her consciousness transformed into a gentle light, enveloping the panicked virtual creatures. Miraculously, they, which had been scurrying about, gradually quieted down and gathered around Lin Yue.
"They were affected by the previous empathy fluctuations and lost their way." Lin Yue said softly, "They also long for a safe home."
Lu Li watched this scene, and a flash of inspiration flashed in his eyes: "Perhaps, we can establish a 'virtual ecological reserve' to provide these virtual creatures with a place to live, and at the same time, it can become a resource library for empaths to create."
Lin Yue and Lu Li immediately convened the school's empaths to discuss how to establish the protected area. They offered suggestions, including using the school's abandoned playground as a venue and creating a virtual barrier with code to prevent the virtual creatures from escaping.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the "Virtual Ecological Reserve" quickly took shape. A transparent energy shield covered the abandoned playground, revealing a variety of virtual landscapes: a shimmering lake, towering mechanical mountains, and meadows filled with flowers. The virtual creatures happily ran inside, frolicking in their new home.
Meanwhile, other students at the school were also captivated by this series of magical events and developed a keen interest in empathy and the virtual world. Lin Yue and Lu Li organized an empathy interest group and began teaching everyone how to perceive and use empathy, and how to create their own stories within the empathy network.
As more and more people joined, the empathy network became increasingly active. Lin Yue discovered that each new person seemed to inject new vitality into the network. Those previously dim nodes began to light up again, and the entire network exuded a vibrant vitality.
One evening, Lin Yue stood beside the "Virtual Ecological Reserve," gazing at the vibrant scene within, her heart filled with emotion. Lu Li approached her and whispered, "Look, this world has become a more beautiful place because of stories."
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