"That's a very poetic way of putting it." Yang Jia jokingly said in a light-hearted manner.
Li Bai's expression was very serious. "Others just treat it as a game, but not you," she said.
Yang Jia was shocked.
For a moment, she felt that Li Bai saw through her, from body to soul, from blood to bone marrow, without missing a single detail.
It was a danger that seemed to make even the soul tremble.
"You can see that too?" She said unnaturally, trying to hide the feeling of being seen through.
Li Bai didn't answer the question. After letting Yang Jia put the seal away, she said, "Tell me about your specific plans." Although she had some guesses, they were certainly not comprehensive, let alone detailed. So she had to listen to Yang Jia's explanation.
Anyway, at this point, there was no need to hide anything. Yang Jia lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "My original plan was to recruit more talent, develop Phoenix City into a city focused on technology and commerce while still being able to protect itself, and maintain good relations with surrounding cities. Whether players or NPCs, I hope that everyone living here can live and work in harmony. Then, if we have the capacity, we'll expand to the surrounding areas."
"That won't work." Li Bai didn't mince words and said directly, "Since you don't treat this as a game, you should have considered the bigger picture."
Yang Jia said softly, "After a long separation, there will be reunion."
"Yes." Li Bai raised her hand and pointed at the model in front of her. Although the phantom was taken away by Yang Jia, this place was not affected at all, nor did it disappear like the Phoenix City. She said, "We have just verified it, right?"
Yang Jia was slightly stunned, and then realized what Li Bai meant.
That's right. Since the projections in the seal can be pieced together, it must be not just Bailu City, but other cities as well. If Yang Jia can manage to piece together the maps of 88 cities, then the entire Chinese region will be within her control.
Of course, this was just wishful thinking. After all, the City Lord's Mansion was the most heavily guarded place in the city, and whether it was occupied by a player or an NPC, it would be impossible for them to take it easily.
Not everyone has the courage to hand over a city to others like Li Bai.
Of course, even if she has it, why should she give it to Yang Jia?
Li Bai added, "Your plan is sound, but one city isn't enough." The rules of this society have always remained the same: the big fish eat the small, the small fish eat the shrimp. A city might seem large, but compared to the entire Chinese region, it's nothing. The weak are destined to be oppressed and bullied, perhaps even annexed. Even if, as Yang Jia said, they hold key core technologies, it's precisely because they possess these core technologies that they are more likely to attract the covetous attention of others.
Without sufficient strength, it is impossible to occupy a place in the changing situation or even have a say.
Yang Jia was also aware of this. Although she had said she would expand to the surrounding areas if she had the resources, she had missed the golden age of the early years. By then, every city had its owner, and the forces within them were already established. Why would anyone bow to her? Even if they had to choose to rely on her, they would probably only consider those with strong combat power.
Of course, she also knew that if she took advantage of this opportunity to gather a few more cities, she would be able to take the initiative. Even if she did nothing, countless talents would come to her, and small forces would want to form alliances and rely on her. She would also be able to have equal dialogue with other major forces.
But - how easy is it?
Yang Jia was well aware of her own strength; she simply couldn't afford to take on such a large pie. So, despite feeling completely helpless, she could only choose to first build Phoenix City well, hoping to have enough bargaining chips to impress more people when the time came. Only then could she carve out a niche for herself.
Although she really didn't want to admit this to Li Bai, he had already seen through it, so there was nothing she couldn't say. "Even if I got it, I wouldn't be able to keep it, so I don't dare to hope for it."
"Why?" Li Bai looked at her, "And me."
When she asked him to merge Bailu City, Yang Jia had already guessed that Li Bai would choose to stay with him, but even so, hearing her say it herself was still a big shock.
Yang Jia was of course happy, but a more direct and intense emotion was panic.
I don't know what I have done to deserve her to treat me so differently.
"I give up." Yang Jia took a step back and raised his hands towards Li Bai in fear. "I surrender, really. Li Bai, it's too difficult to be your enemy, although I shouldn't be your enemy."
She looked at Li Bai, who seemed a little puzzled, and continued, "We've known each other for so long. Even without mentioning those hearsays, I can guess a little about what kind of person you are. Can I ask... why me? Why do you stay by my side, why do you care about me, why do you want to achieve my goals, why... are you so good to me?"
Not everyone is lucky enough to be treated like this, so Yang Jia, who felt he was not qualified, became even more frightened.
"Because you are right." Li Bai said.
"What?"
"Do you know? In fact, this game has always been followed by many people. And the game data will also be taken out for various analyses." Li Bai said.
As she spoke, she looked up at the sky. Yang Jia looked up too, his mind racing with thoughts, as if, through the clouds and blue sky, from that infinitely high and far away, someone was indeed watching them. If that was the case, was his secret still truly a secret?
She tried hard to suppress her fear and asked Li Bai, "Analyzing game data is normal, right? What do you mean by these words?"
Li Bai withdrew his gaze and looked at her. "Others may not understand, but you should. This isn't just a game; it involves something much more. You're the first person I know to realize this. If I hadn't observed you for a long time, I wouldn't have believed you had no prior knowledge, relying solely on your intuition to make choices and end up where you are now."
Her tone was very serious, and there was a hint of praise for Yang Jia in it.
But Yang Jia didn't care about being happy at this moment. She just breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, and then her whole spirit seemed to be a little exhausted.
Li Bai hadn't discovered his secret. This wasn't just a game; it was a reflection of the real world. Just as he'd thought long ago, even an elite like Li Bai was immersed in the game. Surely there was something else going on.
Yang Jia hesitated for a moment, but didn't ask Li Bai about the details. Instead, he asked, "What do you mean by attention and analysis?"
Li Bai seemed to be quite open about her knowledge. When Yang Jia asked, she replied, "After the game was developed, it was handed over to the mainframe to run autonomously, making it difficult for even the developers to interfere. So, in order to obtain more game data and conduct various analyses on the game, a certain number of real-life NPCs were deployed." She looked at Yang Jia and said, "You are also a real-life NPC. You must have signed an agreement. Your game data will be synchronized in real time for researchers to analyze."
"So... they know everything I experienced in the game?" Yang Jia asked.
"That's the theory."
Yang Jia pursed her lips, thoughts racing through her mind. She knew she wasn't some real-life NPC. But the ID card in her hand, and the mysterious Feitian Travel Agency, still left her with doubts.
If the system treated her as a real NPC, would her data also be transmitted? Others couldn't see the problem with her, but the developers and researchers should be able to see it, right?
The feeling of being stared at was terrible. The most terrifying thing was that once her unusualness was discovered, the final consequence would be unimaginable.
Yang Jia knew what he meant to humanity.
A "living" data, an artificial intelligence with thoughts, consciousness and emotions.
While humans have long relied on the power of computers and pursued so-called simulation in robot creation, that's merely imitation, like Ye Gong's fondness for dragons. If artificial intelligence truly appeared in real life, they would be shocked, terrified, and then... destroy it.
Those who are not of my race must have different hearts. This is the mainstream idea of human civilization.
Although Yang Jia is currently confined to the game, with no influence on reality, who knows? Perhaps instead of destroying her, they'll create a data cage to imprison her for research? That wouldn't be much better than extermination.
Yang Jia pondered this matter, and the more he thought about it, the more worried he became. As the saying goes, if you don't plan for the future, you will inevitably have immediate worries. Even if these people haven't noticed his differences yet, Yang Jia can't let his guard down.
She lowered her head and was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Li Bai was also looking at her, as if thinking about something.
Li Bai had always suspected Yang Jia's identity. A real-life NPC was one possibility, but she had always felt she was different from the others. She hadn't figured out how, exactly. Seeing Yang Jia's reaction now confirmed her suspicions.
This is also one of the reasons why she stayed with Yang Jia. She was different, and Li Bai could feel it.
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