Shen Kong lit a cigarette.
The white smoke seemed like an unpredictable silk, curling up to the high night sky. A scarlet spark flickered between his fingers, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, like a blind eye, quietly peeping from the deep darkness.
Shen Kong held the filter in his mouth and took a shallow sip.
The stimulating and spicy taste of nicotine slid into the throat, circulated in the lungs, and was then exhaled, turning into dispersing clouds and slowly dispersing in the cold and dry air.
The burning tobacco lit up brightly, adding a touch of popularity to his sharply defined profile.
The window was open, and the night wind blew slowly in from afar, blowing the curtains into soft curves.
Chen Kong was barefoot, sitting by the window with his knees bent, squinting his eyes and looking at the dark night sky.
His figure seemed to be a clear and sharp dividing line. On one side was an icy abyss. The twinkling starry sky and the boundless darkness mixed together to form a deep vortex. The cold wind rose slowly from the bottom of the abyss, ruffling his hair. On the other side was a completely unfamiliar room, a completely unfamiliar layout, and an owner whose name was unknown.
Chen Kong turned his head slightly and glanced into the house.
Although only the vague outlines of furniture and a corner of the bed could be seen in the dark room, the even breathing sounds coming from the silence revealed the presence of another person.
Chen Kong half-closed his eyes with an unfathomable expression and quietly blew out a smoke ring, but there was a gentleness in his eyes that he himself did not realize.
At this moment, a familiar mechanical humming sound rang in my ears. The system's voice was intermittent amidst the fluctuating sound of the electric current, and it seemed a little far away:
"Ding, the unknown fluctuation has disappeared. Are you sure you want to return to the main system space?"
Chen Kong lightly brushed off the cigarette ash, raised his head and leaned against the wall, the curve of his jaw extended and undulated, sinking into his collar. He did not answer directly, but just sneered softly.
The system's voice sounded somewhat urgent, and then asked again:
"Is the corrections officer sure to return to the main system space?"
"Why do you ask me?"
Shen Kong held the filter in his mouth, with a cynical expression on his face: "Have you ever asked for my opinion on any of the previous transmissions? Why did you suddenly change your mind this time?"
The system remained silent.
But the subtle crackling sound of the electric current still echoed in Shen Kong's ears, indicating that it was not offline.
Chen Kong half lowered his eyes: "Since you don't want to talk, let me talk. When you teleported me into this world, these small worlds had gradually slipped out of your control, so that you who could have played the role of God were gradually excluded from these worlds that you originally regarded as books. The decision-making power is no longer in your hands now, isn't it?"
Before he was teleported into this world, these small worlds originally evolved from novels had gradually stopped accepting correctors from higher planes, forcing the studio to absorb characters from the novels from other secondary planes, sign temporary contracts with them, and enter the small world to complete the task.
Over such a long period of time, Chen Kong could clearly feel that the coercive force of world line correction was gradually weakening.
When he just entered this world, the forced correction of the world line was even able to surpass common sense and physics. After he clearly confirmed that the kidnapper had lost his ability to fight, he was still able to get up and shoot Han Li again. This was not only inexplicable in common sense, but also in logic. The only purpose was to forcibly pull the world line back to the original plot. However, as time went by, coupled with Chen Kong's chaotic style of not accepting the system's arrangements at all, this change was exacerbated. So in the later period, even if Chen Kong made great changes to the plot line again, the coercive force that appeared at the beginning never caused the same effect as the first time.
Those small worlds that originally belonged to the studio are no longer obedient and peaceful, but are developing and enriching their own operating trajectories step by step, and are even gradually out of control and becoming independent.
Chen Kong: "Perhaps I can make a bold guess that the so-called "world line" or "plot" is the baseline for the establishment of the small world. Their thin and bloody story lines and character settings are all driven by the so-called original novels. Even if they are unreasonable, they can be fully accepted by this world because it is new, immature and incomplete, so it can only rely on this baseline that was implanted in the early stage of their establishment. However, as it runs and develops, it is self-improving and self-correcting, and the original baseline full of loopholes is no longer applicable. It is gradually evolving in a more logical direction."
Chen Kong leaned against the wall in a relaxed posture, gazing at the endless and quiet night sky, and stated his guesses slowly and unhurriedly.
His thoughts were clear and methodical:
"And this kind of evolution definitely cannot happen in a very short period of time. It needs enough time to absorb experience and gradually give birth to the world's own will. In addition, your studio's business model of making money through immersive experience and live broadcast, can I assume that the world line of every world in your hands has been reset more than once? ... Including the world I once stayed in, it is a materialized novel in your eyes, and you are the high-ranking bystander and God, just like a novel, so you close it and read it again. After one person finishes reading it, you lend it to the second person - everyone in the world is your entertainment tool, but what you didn't expect is that the world line can be reset, the plot and characters can be pulled back to the starting point, but the world itself remembers everything."
After being transported to the studio and placed under countless monitors, Shen Kong had been thinking about this question.
While he was being observed and speculated upon, he was also quietly observing and speculating upon the other party, silently and calmly analyzing the behemoth in front of him that held his life in its hands, through the working methods that were consciously or unconsciously exposed to him by the studio, speculating and judging the operating mechanism that was deeply hidden beneath the calm surface, silently piecing together the fragments bit by bit in his mind, eventually forming a complete logical chain that could justify itself.
The other side of the screen.
The controller silently watched the images coming from the monitor. The edges of the image were mottled and worn, and many shimmering snowflakes were flashing on the screen, as if there was a signal failure. The movement of the image was half a beat slower than the audio. This kind of asynchrony between audio and picture was the first time he had encountered such a situation since he took office. However, the other party's voice was still so clearly transmitted through the loudspeaker. The low-dimensional character who was supposed to be in the novel made him shiver all over.
But there was nothing he could do.
Because Han Li's sudden suicidal extreme behavior threatened the trajectory of the entire small world and caused a chain reaction, forcing the studio to release Shen Kong's body into the small world. This time they didn't even have time to find a temporary identity for him. Their interference with the small world was now further reduced. Now being able to obtain images and audio from it was the best result that the entire studio could achieve after being forced to run for several days. What he was most afraid of now was whether the other party would discover another thing...
As if to confirm his guess, the man's voice came through the loudspeaker in the main control room. It was calm, rational, and clear, but it slowly slid up his back like a snake spitting out its tongue:
"——And, according to my impression, as long as the mission fails, the temporary contract between me and the studio will be invalidated, right?"
"Before I accepted the long-term contract, you threw me back into this world..."
"So, there is no contract between us anymore, right?"
The other party's emotionless voice was like a scalpel shining with silver light, accurately peeling off the skin texture, cutting blood vessels and nerves, and exposing the white truth:
"Then why did you ask that question?"
"'Is the correction officer sure to return to the main system space'... Tsk." Shen Kong repeated it lightly, and then sneered coldly. The light smacking sound passed through the loudspeaker and was accurately transmitted to the main control room, making people feel cold on their backs.
"The current situation is beyond your control. You can't take me away from this world anymore. The reason you asked this question is just to keep this reality show going."
"According to the information I got from your world, it seems that my live broadcast is quite popular there. You gave me this choice because you want to see me make the choice to stay for "love", right? Then what? Continue to monitor? Ensure the continuous live broadcast of this channel?"
Chen Kong spoke slowly and leisurely, and every word was sharp and piercing to the heart.
The controller stared at the screen flashing with snowflakes, and suddenly noticed with some shock that Shen Kong's lips were actually moving - he didn't know since when, he no longer had a conversation with the system in his mind, but actually spoke it out loud -!
No matter what the correction officer said to the system in his mind or what he actually said out loud, it would be fed back truthfully. However, the audience in the live broadcast room could only see and hear what the correction officer actually said out loud. Due to the delay in the data screen and the fact that Shen Kong's "hypothesis" was too meticulous and detailed, the main controller was distracted for a moment and did not notice that he had actually spoken out his own inferences without knowing when.
The controller's forehead was covered with sweat. He jumped up from his seat in panic, his voice trembling and even cracking:
"Quick! Shut down the live broadcast! Cut off the data source!"
But it was too late.
Everything was broadcast live.
When the company was conducting scientific research and launching the product, the focus of its publicity was "realistic, safe, and risk-free immersive experience." All viewers regarded the experience they were selling and the live broadcast they were conducting as a virtual world, a novel, and an illusion. All the characters and environmental backgrounds in it were constructed from the text in their world, so they enjoyed it without any guilt.
They deliberately concealed the previous incident of the small world excluding people from higher planes from entering, and interrupted the registration for the immersive experience in the name of opening up new business. They sent a person who was also a character in the novel into the small world as a corrector, and broadcast it live to attract viewers. During this period of time, their builders worked overtime to reconnect and maintain the small world, trying to reopen the channel between the two planes.
Shen Kong was actually chosen by vote.
He is a popular character in a small world, and one of the most popular targets. This time, he was thrown into another small world to interact with another popular villain. This caused the attention of this live broadcast, which was originally just for concealment, to soar. Even the company's stock price rose. The main controller made a decision:
Keep Shen Kong and sign him as a formal employee of the studio, while developing a new type of entertainment project involving interactions between characters from different small worlds.
Unexpectedly, these two characters who were just from the lower plane actually developed a sense of resistance. Han Li's self-destructive tendency directly led to the complete collapse of the main plot line of his world, and Chen Kong not only found loopholes in the company's calculated plans and escaped, but also reversely affected the real interests of the company in the higher plane, which should have suffered no losses.
——The most terrifying thing is that because it was an important moment for the two of them to confess their true feelings, the number of people in the live broadcast room soared to the highest level in history.
The controller slumped down in the chair somewhat dejectedly, feeling that his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
He could almost see what tomorrow would look like.
The numerous media outlets that had long been eyeing the company were like sharks seeing blood, trying to tear off a piece of flesh from them, and the human rights organizations that had been eyeing them covetously finally had an excuse to criticize the company. As for the competitors who had ill intentions in the first place, they would fish in troubled waters and try to snatch more market share from them...
The most terrifying thing are their supporters.
Those consumers who originally thought they were just having fun in the virtual world have been burdened with heavy moral baggage because of them. They will definitely regard themselves as victims and criticize the existence of the company in order to comfort themselves, ignoring the fact that it is their curiosity that gave birth to this industry. Fans of those characters will react even more strongly. After all, no one would like the character they truly like to be a real person who is exploited and controlled by the company, and their love and pursuit of the character will inevitably turn into endless hatred for the company.
As the focus of multiple forces and the target of consumers' hatred, the company will inevitably become the target of public criticism.
The controller closed his eyes in despair. After all, he was just a high-level employee who observed, monitored and regulated the small world. Faced with such a huge crisis that threatened the entire company, he had no ability to cope with it.
He took a deep breath and pressed the alarm button on the desk.
The cursor symbolizing the highest level of hazard flashed and lit up. This was the second time it had lit up since the company was founded.
Once because of Han Li, and once because of Shen Kong.
The entire pale control center was illuminated by red light, including the huge screen in front of the controller that almost filled the entire wall.
Although the live broadcast had been cut off, the image in the highest frame of the screen had not disappeared.
In the picture filled with snowflakes, Chen Kong still had that nonchalant expression, without the slightest awareness of doing anything surprising, as if he had just dusted off a bit of cigarette ash or blown away a cloud.
He put out the cigarette, shook off the ashes on his clothes, then lowered his bent long legs and stepped into the darkness.
Chen Kong stood beside the bed, his eyes, which had long since adapted to the darkness, narrowed slightly and stared down at the bulging outline on the bed. The other person's breathing was still steady and even, as if he had not been woken up by him, but Chen Kong knew that Han Li had woken up the moment he spoke.
This made him think of something that happened a long time ago.
In the dirty basement filled with the smell of disinfectant, Han Li, who had just finished surgery, was lying on the bed. His face was as pale as the bed sheet. At that time, he could not control his breathing frequency and body movements. The moment he was touched by Chen Kong, he exposed the fact that he was awake.
This was the second time he pretended to sleep in front of Shen Kong.
The last time, Shen Kong lifted his quilt.
This time, Shen Kong climbed onto the bed and pulled Han Li into his arms along with the quilt.
——Facts have proved that Han Li’s ability to pretend to sleep has not improved at all in the past twenty years.
The moment he was touched, Han Li's calmness and composure were punctured like a soap bubble, and his true and clumsy self was instantly exposed. He was at a loss in Shen Kong's arms, his whole body stiff.
Shen Kong groped his way into his quilt in the dark. The other person's skin seemed like a steamer, hot and scalding.
His muscles were tense, as if he was nervous about something.
Chen Kong smashed his jaw against Han Li's shoulder socket, and his deep voice sent heat to his ears: "You actually thought of a way out a long time ago, right?"
Han Li is a natural strategist.
Whether it is laying lines, laying out strategies, deploying troops, or closing the net, we strive to see the opponent's every move, and to calculate every trick and leave nothing out.
He has always been a shrewd and calm person. He set a trap and took all kinds of risky moves just to pull Chen Kong back into this world. It is impossible for him to set a dead end for himself. After getting what he wanted, he would instead put them in a passive situation with no one to use and nowhere to go.
Since Han Li has already thought about how to die, he must have thought about how to live.
The aura of Shen Kong enveloped Han Li, making it impossible for him to continue pretending to sleep.
He stiffened in panic, and subconsciously reached out to grab Shen Kong's arm that was across his waist. Han Li's fingertips were cold and trembling, his words were pale, but he tried his best to remain calm:
"I didn't mean to deceive you...I just..."
He just...
In fear.
He was afraid that after the crisis was resolved, Shen Kong would turn around and leave without any reluctance as he had done before, and disappear without a trace again.
So Han Li concealed it, holding only the glimmer of hope that he could keep Shen Kong a little longer, a little longer, before the crisis was resolved...
He stood on the edge of the cliff trembling with fear, not knowing whether he could expect the other party to stop for a moment.
Shen Kong's heart suddenly softened.
He held Han Li's fingers with his backhand and gently comforted him:
"Shh, I know."
Chen Kong tightened his arms and lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on the back of Han Li's neck.
Han Li shivered from the heat.
He was a little overwhelmed for a moment.
It was like a person who was used to being hungry was suddenly hit on the head by a huge cake without any warning, or as if the treasure he had longed for for years was suddenly stuffed into his arms. The shiny surface illuminated his frightened face, and he was at a loss, not daring to use any strength, for fear of breaking this illusion, crushing it, and scattering it all over the floor.
Han Li's eyes turned red without warning, and then he clenched his teeth in restraint - the bitter scent of grass mixed with the sweet citrus fragrance of shower gel, steamed by body temperature, slowly seeped into the air around Han Li.
It was as if every time I breathed, a part of the other person could be retained in my body.
He breathed lingeringly and cherishingly, as if he was afraid that if he took in too much, the area around him would become a desolate vacuum.
Shen Kong asked patiently:
"Did you hear everything just now?"
Han Li hesitated for a second and nodded in the dark.
"Don't you have anything to ask?"
Whether it was his act of talking to himself in the dark or the huge amount of information mixed in those soliloquies, it would probably make people full of questions and difficult to digest.
Han Li shook his head.
He didn't hesitate at all this time.
Han Li clenched Chen Kong's forearm and turned his head with some difficulty on the pillow. His pair of dark eyes shone in the darkness.
His voice was low and hoarse, with unquestionable certainty: "If you want to talk, I will listen. If you don't want to talk, it doesn't matter. I don't care."
Whether your presence is non-human or supernatural, whether your arrival is intentional or accidental.
——As long as it’s you, I’ll accept it all.
Chen Kong understood the implication of Han Li's words.
He laughed softly, and his strong chest shook slightly with his laughter. The same numbness and trembling were transmitted to Han Li's body:
"When I have time, I'll tell you."
…This is a promise.
A promise that holds the future and infinite possibilities.
Han Li also understood.
In the vast and quiet darkness, I didn't know who came forward, and their hot lips pressed against each other, with the gentle breath flowing between their lips and teeth, their foreheads touching, their noses rubbing against each other, and their chests touching.
One heart slowly responded to the rhythm of another heart's beating.
Everything is implied.
——the end——
The author has something to say: The main text is finished, and it is expected that there will be two or three chapters of the extra story before the whole text is finished.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Love you guys
Promote the new novel: "The Most Wanted Criminal in the Galaxy [Quick Transmigration]"
Copywriter:
Ge Xiu is a notorious space pirate.
After being arrested, according to the Supreme Law of the Galaxy, he will face two choices: either serve 1156 years in prison on a deserted planet, or enter countless virtual worlds and become a character who is humiliated and bullied for life. The more torture he endures, the more evil points he can eliminate.
Goxiu chose the second one without hesitation.
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The trial surveillance system watched in amazement as the former most wanted criminal in the galaxy, and now a poor weakling, Goxiu, punched the empire, kicked the federation, overthrew oppression, and established a new world in the virtual world.
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