Chapter 527, Polluted Zone 24 (XV)
Yun Zhao and Xie Tu came out of the private room after searching it, and heard Qi Ling shout this loudly.
The two quickly returned.
The tortoise on the other side also stopped, and the stone tablet disappeared into thin air.
"What is it?" Qi Shiqi quickly asked.
Qi Ling excitedly pointed to the pile of game posters on the bar counter, "It's games!"
Games are also technological products!
It relies on data, code, and virtual reality technology—isn't that precisely the carrier that the gatekeeper is most likely to rely on?
Upon hearing this, Xie Tu quickly went to the bar and began searching through the pile of game posters.
Everyone else gathered around as well.
People in the wasteland era were completely unfamiliar with games.
On the contrary, Qi Ling was addicted to online games during high school and college.
Whether it's a popular game on the market or an old game that was once a huge hit, he can describe some of the game's features even if he hasn't played it.
Qi Ling's mind suddenly clicked.
"Top-tier celebrities never endorse games or similar products for teenagers; only third- or fourth-tier stars and has-been artists do!"
"Moreover, most games can be eliminated by having hot and beautiful female celebrities endorse them, which will likely result in a majority of male players."
"Male gamers prefer competitive games, which typically emphasize skill and combat, such as MOBA, FPS, or fighting games. And if it's related to cyberpunk, Chongqing, or technology..."
"I remember now!"
Qi Ling's eyes lit up. Ignoring the fact that the person holding the poster was the team leader, she snatched it away and, while flipping through it, said at lightning speed, "If it's related to cyberpunk, I might know which game it is."
Xie Tu readily gave up his seat to him.
Qi Ling quickly flipped through the posters, but found nothing inside.
The gatekeeper couldn't possibly reveal the information, but who knew it would encounter Qi Ling, who was most familiar with the old era?
Qi Ling realized it might be a game, and as she thought along those lines, many long-forgotten memories were unlocked.
"That game should be called 'Remains 2242,' a post-apocalyptic survival holographic game made using a real map of Chongqing, replicated one-to-one."
Qi Ling: "It has two versions, one single-player and the other online competitive. It's said to be a holographic game that's a reinterpretation of a similar game from the last century..."
He has never played it.
I've only seen related videos online, so they don't leave a deep impression on me, and I didn't think of them immediately.
Is "The Gatekeeper" a game?
Xia Mingang rubbed his sore arm, his expression one of shock.
The words on the radio seemed to have an explanation.
Welcome to Cyber City! Embark on a thrilling survival journey, come and outmaneuver... and experience a familiar yet strange post-apocalyptic landscape...
It has been extending invitations to the outside world.
But its game has no people or monsters, so perhaps its obsession has gone astray, leading it to advertise all over the world?
As a result, the intruders interpreted it as a polluted area where an obsession arose because of Chongqing.
Holy crap, if he were the gatekeeper, he'd be furious.
"Brother, it's a good thing you're here, otherwise no one could have found this gatekeeper." Xia Mingang patted Qi Ling on the shoulder, praising him sincerely.
No matter how capable Xie Tu is, so what?
He doesn't play the old-fashioned games, so he still can't find a gatekeeper.
Xia Mingang felt he was right; the two S-class individuals were evenly matched.
Xie Tu glanced at him coldly, then quickly looked away.
"What a coincidence..." Qi Ling was a little embarrassed by the praise.
Yun Zhao pondered the possibilities, "Then what about the Memory Hotel?"
Qi Ling, holding the pile of posters, turned to her and shared his speculation: "If we interpret it in terms of a game, it might be a game save point. Players log off as soon as they reach a safe hotel to ensure they won't be attacked by monsters the next time they appear."
"Single-player version?" Xie Tu knew a little about it.
Qi Ling nodded repeatedly, "It should be."
To conceal their identities, the gatekeeper hid some key information and replaced it with a more cyberpunk-style advertising slogan.
That's why it's called storing memories.
"If we follow the same logic as games..."
Xie Tu: "The map here is of Chongqing, but it's not the real Chongqing."
Because the terrain is exactly the same.
People who have lived here for generations wouldn't think much about it, and it's impossible for them to think about games.
—This contaminated area is the complete game map.
Xia Mingang's intuition told him that there was something wrong with the terrain.
Xie Tu, however, overlooked these details because he was too familiar with Chongqing.
The zombies that Yun Zhao and Qi Shiqi dreamed about last night might also be part of the game.
Thinking of this.
Xie Tu tapped his fingers lightly on the bar counter.
He accepted the situation well. Everyone makes mistakes. This time, he was careless, encountered a blind spot in his knowledge, and overlooked details because he was too familiar with the terrain.
Yun Zhao's expression was not good, and he pursed his lips without saying a word.
They learned that the Memory Hotel was just a misunderstanding caused by the gatekeeper altering the information.
She felt an indescribable disappointment.
The high-dimensional "He" is like a sword hanging over her head. Yun Zhao has always wanted to find the gatekeeper who can awaken her memories and dispel the white fog in her spiritual realm as soon as possible.
I thought the Memory Hotel would be a turning point, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding.
"There's something that doesn't make sense."
Qi Shiqi quickly flipped the notebook to the front. "We didn't see any zombies when we came in. Although those mutants were acting strangely and kept circling around, they all looked like they were covered in black slime."
Following this line of thought, Xie Tu gave a concise answer.
"There aren't enough NPCs."
To initiate the cyber apocalypse, the gatekeeper needs a large number of monsters to act as NPCs; without mutants, it is destined to be unable to recreate the scene it desires.
Qi Shiqi nodded and wrote it down, which was a way of acknowledging his idea.
The puzzle was solved almost entirely in an instant.
"There's one last question."
Qi Shiqi was eager to learn, looking down at the ground beneath everyone's feet, determined to understand everything.
"The shadow mentioned in the intelligence never appeared. What is the shadow for?"
Xia Mingang said speechlessly, "As long as we find the gatekeeper and eliminate it, none of the other problems matter."
With the gatekeeper dead, the contaminated area collapsed.
Why bother worrying about shadows?
Qi Shiqi, a scientist who only cares about data, insisted on getting to the bottom of things: "If we don't understand all the rules, what will happen if the sentinels encounter a similar contaminated area next time?"
Xie Tu raised his hand to check the time. "The shadow hasn't appeared yet, so we're not sure what its purpose is. Let's find the gatekeeper first and confirm the remaining rules as we go."
"Okay." Qi Ling was the first to agree, looking very enthusiastic.
The polluted area is not large.
Once the gatekeeper's attributes are confirmed, finding it is only a matter of time.
Everyone immediately got to work.
Xie Tu first drew a simple map at the bar, detailing all the buildings and dividing them into eighteen areas, preparing for a thorough search.
The group began searching for the gatekeeper, using this street as their center.
...
And outside.
Jiang Mu drove slowly to the outskirts of the No. 24 contaminated zone.
The sentries didn't dare stop him and instead came forward to greet him.
"Captain Jiang! What brings you here?"
Jiang Mu opened the car window and nodded in greeting. After saying hello, he looked up at the swaying gray fog.
"Tsk, it's just a level two contaminated zone, and three S-rank individuals went in, but not a single one has come out yet?"
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