Strange Tales from the Deep Mountains (Part 24)
The scorching heat distorted everything before her eyes, and Li Su's consciousness gradually blurred, but the scene before her eyes quietly changed.
The room was in complete disarray, thick smoke filled the air, and the once brightly lit castle was now almost impossible to see clearly, even for those around them.
The fire hadn't fully reached the second floor yet, but thick smoke had already quietly spread to every corner of the castle.
There's still a chance.
Li Su covered her mouth and nose and ran out of the room.
Wake up! Wake up now!
Li Su pushed the person on the bed hard until she saw her finally open her eyes, then quickly ordered, "Get up quickly, cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel, and go to my room!"
Without time to explain further, he hurriedly went to the next room, repeating the same actions and words.
The system, Qi Wujin, monitored Li Su's actions and asked, "Su Su, why did you save them?"
While continuing to wake the sleeping players, Li Su explained to Qi Wujin in her mind: "They are innocent and should not die here. There is a better life outside the game."
Qi Wujin's voice was mechanical; he was just a system and didn't understand: "But we are just characters in the game, and we shouldn't interfere with the life and death of the players."
Yes, at some point, a survival game suddenly appeared in the world.
This horror escape game randomly selects players to enter the game. Lucky players can escape, while unlucky players can only stay in the game forever and become new NPCs without feelings or thoughts.
Qi Wujin didn't understand Li Su's thoughts because he was incapable of empathy; he was just a string of code, devoid of human emotions.
"Qi Wujin." It felt like a wad of cotton was stuffed into her chest, and her breath was filled with choking smoke. Having used up too much energy, Li Su's running pace gradually slowed down.
"This is wrong. These players shouldn't be in this game. They can live well in the real world and shouldn't die in this game."
"Su Su?" Qi Wujin's voice remained flat and mechanical as he asked, "Why do you have human emotions now?"
Li Su was taken aback by the question.
Yes, what is the essential difference between him and Qi Wujin?
He was nothing more than a string of code in the game, except that he had an extra layer of code-simulated skin compared to Qi Wujin, who was the system.
However, in executing each pre-set copy of the procedure, something seemed to have quietly changed.
As one player after another perished here, forever separated from their loved ones and friends, the place that humans call "the heart" seemed to tremble slightly.
Li Su reached out and pressed her left chest in confusion. Underneath this data capsule was nothing; there were no organs, only strings of data.
Why do we feel pain?
Even he himself couldn't explain why, and Li Su remained silent without further explanation.
Before waking the last sleeping player, he whispered to Qi Wujin, "Qi Wujin, please help me block the mainframe. I will personally accept the punishment after this dungeon is over."
Qi Wujin remained silent, staring at Li Su and the ancient castle billowing with smoke before him.
But Li Su understood that Qi Wujin had agreed to his request.
Without further ado, Li Su led the last player into her room and closed the door behind her.
He is an NPC in a horror game, someone the mastermind trusts, and the only person in the entire game the mastermind doesn't monitor.
All the players were gathered in a small room. Li Su quickly took out the neatly folded bed sheets from the cabinet and tied two sheets together.
"Everyone, let's help each other tie up the sheets so we can use them as ropes later."
The instinct for survival compelled the players to get involved, and in no time a long rope made of bed sheets was completed.
Li Su tied the rope to the iron railing outside the castle window and instructed everyone to climb down one by one: "Don't rush, everyone, you'll all get out."
"Just go down two floors. That's the castle's ventilation system. Follow the pipes and you'll reach the building next door. It hasn't been set on fire yet, so you can take shelter there."
Time was of the essence, and the players were scrambling to be the first to go down.
Li Su's face was pale, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "Time is precious. Are you sure you want to waste your survival time on the order of the fight?"
The players who were scrambling for the item immediately fell silent.
Thick smoke seeped in through the crack in the door. Li Su gasped for breath and said, "Ladies first, men last. I promise everyone will get down safely."
The player group gradually dwindled, and after everyone had gone down, Li Su was the last to climb down. Everyone was standing in an open area at the entrance of the ventilation duct, seemingly discussing something in hushed tones. When Li Su came down, everyone quietly fell silent.
Li Su didn't notice anything unusual. All his attention was focused on the direction of the ventilation ducts. The ducts on this floor were like a tangled spider web. If one wrong step was taken, all the players would either perish in the fire or be detected by the main computer.
Li Su was the first to bend down and crawl into the narrow pipe.
The pipe was too narrow for him to turn around, so he could only say to the players behind him, "Everyone follow me, I'll lead you out."
A faint murmur of discussion could be heard behind me, but it was drowned out by the sounds of climbing through the pipes.
After passing one pipe intersection after another, and walking for an unknown amount of time, Li Su finally saw a glimmer of light shining through the dark pipe.
Found it!
A smile finally appeared on Li Su's ashen face. He quickly slipped out to meet the players behind him.
Li Su pointed to the long corridor ahead and said, "Just keep going straight and you'll reach the building across the street. The fire hasn't spread there yet. You can exit through the back door of that building. The clue for the next level is on the doll. Okay, everyone..."
Before Li Su could finish speaking, a tremendous force suddenly pressed down on his shoulders and back.
Before Li Su could react, she fell from the upper floors of the castle like a light feather.
"Is this really the right thing to do? He seems like a good person..." someone in the crowd said.
Immediately following was an even rougher voice retorting: "Who? He's not even human!"
"Exactly! He's an NPC in this game!"
"Who knows what their true intentions are in helping us now?!"
"Only by killing him can we truly escape the game's surveillance!"
"But……"
"What are you pretending for? You're willing to kill your own people, so why are you afraid to kill an NPC?!"
"..." The crowd fell completely silent.
No one can refute that.
All those who have survived to this day are the result of mutual slaughter and framing.
A girl with reddened eyes peeked down the corridor. The fire below the castle had set the surrounding trees ablaze, turning everything orange-red, making it impossible to see the NPC who had led them out.
As her body continued to fall, Li Su stared blankly at the brightly lit corridor, her clear eyes filled with confusion.
"Why?"
He was clearly helping them get home, so why did they do that?
Waves of heat shot up from behind.
"Su Su!"
When Qi Wujin returned after setting up the shield, he saw Li Su falling from the sky.
Li Su came to her senses, and everything around her seemed to be in slow motion. She realized that facing death was such an agonizing experience.
"Qi Wujin: Humans are so complex, I don't understand..."
Qi Wujin anxiously pondered what could stop Li Su from falling further, but after much thought, all the permissions he could use were those for players.
Li Su, like him, is an NPC in the game.
“Su Su…”
Li Su felt as if she vaguely heard a slight tremor in Qi Wujin's mechanical voice.
"Qi Wujin, will you also be sad?"
Qi Wujin was taken aback. He didn't even have a physical body, so how could he feel sad?
What is this dull, painful feeling?
"Qi Wujin," Li Su spoke again, "I still want to be with you, just the two of us, without anyone else."
Qi Wujin knew that Li Su was referring to the time when he was first created.
Qi Wujin was the first one created by the main brain, while Li Su was the ninth.
Qi Wujin was rigid and dull, only capable of following commands, while Li Su was completely different from him. Li Su had a beautiful appearance, a soft and sweet voice, and would even call him by his name.
Qi Wujin suddenly wondered how he spent those long and boring days before Li Su was created.
Qi Wujin couldn't remember; all he could remember was Li Su's appearance.
“001, I…”
Li Su's voice disappeared, and her body was engulfed by the sea of fire.
"Li Su! Li Su!"
The mechanical voice emitted by Qi Wujin was shrill and terrifying.
"Li Su, don't leave me..."
“Su Su…Su Su…”
It's so hot, so hot...
The cool touch on my lips dispelled the burning sensation throughout my body.
Li Su slowly opened her eyes and saw an extremely beautiful face in front of her, but tears were hanging at the corners of the beauty's eyes.
Li Su couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the corner of his eye.
Qi Wujin seemed to be startled and suddenly opened his eyes.
"Su Su... Su Su..." Qi Wujin's hands trembled as he carefully pulled the person into his arms.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Qi Wujin's voice was hoarse as he apologized again and again.
His cheeks were cupped by two soft hands. Before Qi Wujin could even see the person in front of him clearly, two thin lips pressed against his soft lips.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com