Yue Shi stood at the edge of the crowd and quietly squeezed his way next to 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】.
He didn't make his approach obvious; he simply followed the movement of the crowd, naturally shifting a few steps closer.
【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 were huddled together, heads close, completely unaware that someone had joined them from behind.
“The realism of this game is just too much,” 【Tom】 whispered, though he couldn't hide the awe in his voice.
“Look at these NPCs. Every single one has their own thoughts. Their eyes blink when they talk, their chests rise and fall as they breathe, and even the sound of their soles scraping the ground is different for everyone.”
“I’m telling you, I chatted with a vegetable vendor auntie for half an hour earlier. She actually has three children, three ex-husbands, and a cat she’s raised for sixteen years.”
“Just how powerful does the base engine have to be to support a game world with this level of realism?”
【Jerry】 sighed as well. “Technology is advancing so fast it’s caught us off guard. If we aren’t careful, we’ll be left behind. It’s impossible to imagine what kind of crazy stuff the top-tier tech geniuses can build nowadays.”
“We were still playing those ordinary MMOs before this—grinding levels, farming dungeon gear, guild wars... it was always the same few loops. Who would’ve thought we’d suddenly leap straight into a virtual reality game?”
He looked up at the young man in the center of the crowd, who was currently being lectured by the police. Shaking his head, he said, “【Ancestor Zuanfeng】 is a total dumbass. The official statement already said that while the realism is high, there are limits. Explicit content isn't going to show up. What was he thinking? Actually dropping his pants in public?”
【Tom】 chuckled twice. “The man was just ‘immersing himself in the role.’”
“Immersing my ass. He’s just a pervert.”
The two laughed together, their shoulders shaking like a pair of foxes that had just raided a chicken coop.
Yue Shi stood behind them, expressionless, but he had already gathered enough information.
Games, NPCs, virtual reality, the pantless party... these words spun and combined in his mind, gradually forming a silhouette that made him feel rather uncomfortable.
【Tom】 suddenly shifted his shoulders as if sensing something. He glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye, then quickly turned back and nudged 【Jerry】 with his elbow.
“There’s a total hottie behind us watching us.”
【Jerry】 blinked and turned around, pretending it was accidental, his gaze sweeping over Yue Shi’s face.
The glance was brief, so quick that an ordinary person wouldn't have noticed, but Yue Shi caught it. 【Jerry】’s eyes lingered on his face for a split second before darting away, his expression filled with amazement.
“Holy crap, he’s gorgeous!”
“Too bad he’s not my type. I’m not exactly into guys,” he muttered carelessly.
【Tom】 countered, “Even guys who are into guys usually like the round-faced, bearded type with white socks. They wouldn't be into this type either.”
【Jerry】 rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Being gay doesn't mean they’re blind. That NPC’s model is way more refined than the players’. When someone is breathtakingly handsome to that degree, the ‘type’ doesn't even matter. Just getting a piece would be a win.”
The surrounding crowd seemed completely oblivious to their conversation. Yue Shi also pretended he hadn't heard a thing, quietly shifting his gaze away, though his brow furrowed slightly.
He was not unfamiliar with the concept of a “player.”
He had encountered virtual reality games before on Avenia Island.
In his original world, he had also read some web novels from the old era.
In that school within the Bewitching Beauty Painting Workshop, he had read descriptions of the “Fourth Calamity” in certain miscellaneous books in the library.
A kind of existence from a higher dimension that descends upon a game world, unrestrained by law or morality, acting however they pleased.
Killing the village chickens, pranking passersby in broad daylight, turning the entire game world upside down...
By comparison, dropping one’s pants in public was merely a matter of poor personal character—it was practically nothing.
Yue Shi looked at the backs of 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】. These two were players.
And they were the kind of players who had already completely immersed themselves in the identity of “game players.”
In their eyes, this world was fake, everyone was an NPC, and they bore no responsibility for their actions.
In a game, players were only bound by the game rules. They possessed the ability of infinite respawn; if they died, they could just start over.
They also had experience systems—leveling up by killing monsters, allowing them to do anything without scruples and grow with unlimited freedom.
No matter who it was—even if the Emperor of Heaven himself showed up—as long as he had a health bar, a player would dare to stab him.
The behavior of players manifested as a chaotic state that was unpredictable, inscrutable, and indescribable.
Every single one of them was a fun-seeker, willing to do anything, even if it meant hurting others without benefiting themselves.
This was the Fourth Calamity.
Yue Shi withdrew his gaze and looked down at the snow leopard in his arms.
The snow leopard was currently dozing with its eyes narrowed, completely uninterested in anything happening outside.
His fingers slowly combed through the snow leopard’s fur while his mind raced.
What exactly was this world?
The first possibility: the Deep Red Continent really was a game world.
The name “Deep Red Continent” itself had the heavy flavor of a game map.
Perhaps the world he inhabited was, from start to finish, a designed virtual reality game.
However, considering that everything in this world was vivid and lifelike, and everyone had independent thoughts, joys, and sorrows...
If all of this was data, then just how powerful would the entity that designed this game have to be?
Yue Shi’s frown deepened. He didn't quite believe this possibility. Everything in the Deep Red Continent was too real—so real that even he couldn't find a single flaw.
If this was a game, then what was he?
The final boss?
The second possibility: these so-called players were brought to this world by some mysterious entity.
Not to play a game, but to achieve some ulterior motive.
Their “game client,” “player identity,” and “infinite respawn” abilities were all granted to them by that entity.
The players believed they were playing a highly realistic virtual reality game, but in reality, they were just a group of pawns being used.
Their actions of killing monsters to level up and unlocking achievements in the “game” might all be providing something to the mysterious entity behind the scenes.
【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 were still chatting, their voices rising and falling, occasionally breaking into suppressed laughter.
“Did you hear? This closed beta won't have a data wipe.”
“Of course I heard. Why else would I spend so much money on an activation code?”
“The degree of freedom is seriously high. The devs didn't even include a newbie guidance; it’s all up to the players to explore.”
“That’s what makes it fun. Those games that give you an arrow right away and tell you where to click—how is that any different from being at work?”
Rate on N.U.
