People determine their existence by understanding the world.
Today - no, before receiving this part-time job, Yang Jia always thought that he was an ordinary person, living in an ordinary world, and living an ordinary life just like all the stories he had read, heard or seen.
She was not dissatisfied because she was not a person with great ambitions. If there was an opportunity to live a life of idleness and waiting for death, Yang Jia would be happy to accept it.
But God played the biggest joke on her and showed her the cruelest reality.
This is not an ordinary world, and she is not an ordinary person.
—She might not even be human!
Yang Jia, who was once addicted to online games, of course knew what kind of existence he should be the moment he understood everything: Non-Player-Character, also known as Non-Person-Character, non-player character, NPC.
Specifically, she is just a group of data produced by the system program, controlled by the system, responsible for playing various roles and interacting with players, allowing them to understand the various functions of the game while also getting a better gaming experience.
Not only her, but everyone around her, even the entire world, are nothing more than virtual data created for the entertainment of players.
A chill seeped in from the soles of Yang Jia's feet, then spread upwards, freezing her whole body and making her so stiff she couldn't react. Bai Ting in his arms was still screaming, but the sounds passed by her ears like a gust of wind, not a single word reaching Yang Jia's ears.
She seemed to have lost her ability to perceive the world at this moment.
How much this resembles a play of the absurd!
"Yang Jia? Yang Jia!" It wasn't until Bai Ting didn't respond that she noticed something was wrong and grabbed her shoulders and shook them vigorously that Yang Jia slowly pulled herself out of the deep darkness. Her reaction was still a little slow, but she was gradually regaining her senses.
The moment he regained consciousness, the first thought that flashed through Yang Jia's mind was: I can't let anyone find out!
She didn't know what she was insisting on, but just like when she realized something was wrong with herself and immediately wanted to pretend to be like everyone else, at this moment, Yang Jia still chose to continue pretending. She opened her mouth and asked with difficulty, "What did you say?"
"No way?" Bai Ting looked at her with amusement, "Why are you so scared?"
Yang Jia couldn't explain, so she could only lower her head in silence. Her heart was still in turmoil, and all her energy was used to maintain a calm surface. She heard Bai Ting's questions, but she couldn't think deeply about them or respond.
"Don't worry!" Bai Ting said, "I'm very resilient. Dying once will only result in me being kicked offline. At most, I'll have a headache, and I'll be fine after a rest. But I still have to be careful in the future. The more times I die, the longer I'll be offline, which will be very time-consuming."
Yang Jia: “…”
Although she has reluctantly accepted her current identity, it doesn't mean that she can stand here calmly and listen to the "player" express her thoughts on her death, okay?
But Bai Ting just said it casually. Seeing that she had recovered, she changed the subject to what happened before. "Tell me quickly, what did you drop after defeating the boss?"
“…” This was also a problem that Yang Jia didn’t want to face.
But she had to cheer herself up and said, "We found a seal and a bunch of keys. The seal is..." She gestured in Li Bai's direction, "She has it, and I have the key. I think it's the key to the Yuanhai Treasure House. When the time comes, the three of us will go open it together and split the treasure equally."
"It's settled then." Bai Ting immediately patted her shoulder. "That's very kind!"
After explaining everything, Yang Jia was really tired and not sure if he had acted well enough. He wanted to take a break, so he said to Bai Ting, "I'm very tired and want to go back and rest first. How about you guys?"
"Let's go back and rest." Bai Ting turned to glance at Li Bai. Even a humanoid weapon would need some time to recover after excessive use. Although Li Bai stood straight and looked sharp, Bai Ting could tell at a glance that something was wrong with her.
Yang Jia nodded and said subconsciously, "I'll call you later."
After she finished speaking, she was slightly stunned, realizing that these people were different from her. As players, they might have their own unique ways of communicating, and didn't need to call like NPCs.
However, Bai Ting was also stunned after hearing her words, and then clapped her hands vigorously, "Why didn't I think of this! This rubbish system doesn't have the private chat and friend functions. I've been wondering how to contact them. Wouldn't it be enough to just call? Yang Jia is really thoughtful and even got a mobile phone. We'll go buy one later. Leave your phone number first."
"..." Yang Jia continued to feel complicated. He left his cell phone number to Bai Ting and then dragged his tired body back home.
It was rare that she didn't want to squeeze into the bus, so she spent a few dozen more dollars and took a taxi back to her rental house. She barely managed to take a shower and then threw herself on the bed.
Only then, when he was alone, did Yang Jia finally relax a little.
But as soon as I relaxed, all those endless complicated emotions came up again.
She's an... NPC.
Yang Jia still couldn't accept it. But what did it matter? The truth was what it was, and running away wouldn't do any good. No matter how much fear, anger, frustration, grievance, and other indescribable emotions she felt, what had already happened couldn't be changed.
Yang Jia felt like something was blocking her chest. She wanted to vent, but she couldn't find a way. As she turned over, she caught sight of the computer screen on the desk. Seeing the game character tirelessly slaying monsters, all her emotions seemed to finally find a way out. Yang Jia suddenly sat up and yanked the power cord off.
The screen went dark and the game character disappeared completely.
Yang Jia stared at the screen for a long time. Perhaps because he stared for too long, his vision suddenly became blurred.
She blinked, and tears rolled out of her eyes. As if a button had been turned on, Yang Jia lay back on the bed, crying uncontrollably.
At this time, perhaps she still didn't know clearly what she had lost, but Yang Jia instinctively knew that from today on, everything would be different.
She was terrified, angry and unwilling, but apart from crying bitterly, she didn't know what else she could do.
…
Only four days have passed since the official release of the large-scale real-person online holographic simulation game "Real OL".
However, the official slogan called it a "groundbreaking masterpiece", claiming to "create a second home for mankind" and "take you to experience the world eight hundred years ago". Because of the government's promotion, the game immediately caused a sensation once it was released.
Thanks to government subsidies, even the most disadvantaged, struggling to make ends meet, could afford a nutrition tank. This truly became a "game for all," and after its release, it sparked a wave of discussion both in the real world and online. Especially as people began to enter the game and witness a world they'd only glimpsed in history books and various video clips, a world so completely different from real life, the game forums were flooded with countless new posts recounting their experiences with the game.
Even in the 29th century, when technology is developing rapidly, the Internet is becoming more and more developed, and holographic games have become popular, this situation has never occurred before.
But not long ago, with the refresh of a world announcement, all the topics of discussion immediately became about it, both in and outside the game.
System Announcement: After going through many hardships, player Li Bai finally obtained the Phoenix City Lord's Seal, opening a new chapter in the game.
The announcement was concise and to the point, with neither a sensational beginning nor dazzling rewards, but the fact that it was the first system announcement after the game started, and that the font was in gold, made it impossible for players not to notice it.
It claims to lead everyone to experience the world of eight hundred years ago. At the beginning of the game, in addition to setting up novice tasks to let everyone get familiar with the world and issuing identity cards to everyone, there is almost no trace of the existence of the system. Everyone can only slowly explore on their own to experience the fun of the game.
What about the mission? What is that? Is it edible?
The novice mission is to let players get familiar with the world and create a reasonable identity for the players. But now, the game has just started, and most players have just got their new identities and are adapting to the world. They have not yet reached the stage of exploring the map and looking for missions.
But at this moment, someone had already obtained the city lord's seal?
Although the game's background is brief, it does exist. To make it easier for players to understand, the game world uses the same real-world main city model, but each main city is governed independently, without a more unified political system.
Many veteran players, upon seeing this setup, have already guessed that if this game has a main quest, it will likely encourage players to seize control of every major city and then conquer the world. This speculation has been overwhelmingly supported and affirmed by players on the forums. While playing the game, everyone has, of course, imagined how the story will unfold and what role they will play in it.
However, someone had already gone far ahead of them and had already obtained the City Lord's Seal. Although obtaining the seal was not the same as becoming the City Lord, it was enough to make people jealous.
The next step is nothing more than recruiting talents to seize power. In any case, this opportunity has already been seized by others.
While many players were feeling a sense of urgency and crisis, some people who knew what the name "Li Bai" represented remained silent.
…
On an unknown island in the Pacific Ocean, the base of the "Reality" project.
The three project leaders got together again.
The project manager for the Americas region was roaring, "Cheating, this is cheating! Why is Li Bai in the game?!"
"We in the Greater China region can't afford your accusations," the region's director said with a smile. "No one says soldiers can't play games. After all, they need relaxation and entertainment, don't they? Since this is a game for everyone, of course everyone can participate. We also welcome soldiers from the Americas and Europe to join us and experience the fun together. We won't deny their achievements just because they have superior physical fitness."
The project leaders in the Americas and Europe remained silent.
Nonsense! Of course, they also secretly arranged for military personnel to enter the game. How else could they seize the initiative? They just didn't expect the Chinese region to be so shameless as to directly send Li Bai!
That's the humanoid weapon Li Bai! If their two regions also had such talents, they wouldn't have been defeated in the extraterrestrial battlefields in recent years and couldn't hold their heads up in front of the Chinese region!
The author has something to say: Player: Hello? Is this the publisher of "Reality"? I want to report it! Player Li Bai must be using a cheat!
Customer Service (long silence): Sorry, upon verification, player Li Bai's data is normal and he's not using any cheats. Happy gaming!
Player: Okay! Then I'll report player Yang Jia! She must be using cheats!
Customer Service (longer silence): Uh... Are you referring to player Li Bai's humanoid and pet? Her stats are all normal, and she's not using any cheats. Thank you for your feedback, and enjoy the game!
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