Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Within one day, the human defense line suffered an unprecedented comprehensive defeat.

Zhuang Yu's office was breached by the alliance's top brass, and he finally couldn't bear the disturbance and called Vice Captain Nie, who had promised to stand with him at any time.

Zhuang Yu's call got through within two seconds before he was put on the blacklist by Vice Captain Nie out of loyalty.

…

Pu Yinglai informed the task force of the latest progress. Looking at Captain Zhuang who was frozen in front of the blacklist, there was a faint smile in his usually plain eyes.

"Vice Captain Nie is doing this for your own good."

Pu Ying put the compiled report on the table: "By doing this, we can ensure that even if the alliance headquarters pursues the investigation, you will not be implicated in the responsibility."

No matter what, even in the game, it is extremely risky to control the Zerg to launch a general attack on humans without authorization.

Not everyone can cheer up after a blow. Some people will blame others and others will be depressed. Once pessimism spreads, it will be extremely difficult to contain it.

The top leaders of the Alliance Headquarters have always been concerned about what kind of impact simulating war in advance will have on humanity as a whole.

If the Zerg invasion was not imminent in reality, and the military urgently needed to adjust its state to respond, the alliance's top brass might have forcibly stopped this simulation plan in the name of the game.

Zhuang Yu understood this truth, but after hearing the blackmail reminder from the other side, he understood Dean Nie's mood in an instant: "I just want to ask them if they want to eat tonight!"

Pu Ying coughed lightly and lowered the corners of his mouth: "I probably won't eat it."

Pu Yinggang contacted Zhan Chen and conveyed on his behalf: "Mr. Zhan just told me that in the last three days, he will be responsible for the physical data of Vice Captain Nie and Team Leader Shi."

Zhuang Yu paused for a moment, said nothing, and reached for the report on the table.

Before this, Nie Chi had also reminded this matter.

...Yu Tang and Zhan Chen came to carry out their mission.

Once the mission is completed, they cannot stay any longer and must leave within three days.

"Then it's up to us."

Pu Ying said: "Mr. Zhan didn't say it clearly, but I speculate that Mr. Yu's next mission may also be dangerous."

Zhuang Yu frowned: "Can we be of any help?"

Pu Ying had already asked this question, nodded, and relayed Zhan Chen's answer: "We have to find a way to win this war."

Zhuang Yu was slightly startled.

"There's still a lot we haven't figured out yet."

Pu Ying said: "The Zerg shouldn't have such high-level wisdom. Who exactly made the deal with the conservative forces? If there is a third party in this deal, what is its position?"

"In the game, the Zerg can achieve such results because Team Leader Shi has been in command at the headquarters."

"But according to the confidential information we just captured, the Zerg also had similar combat capabilities in the past wars that annihilated other galaxies."

"Who is directing the Zerg behind this?"

"Is the force that directs the Zerg operations the third party in the transaction?"

Pu Ying: "In addition, I have a very outrageous guess."

Zhuang Yu: "What?"

Pu Ying: "Our current new reform is to use the observer as the core of the command and the mecha group as the main combat force. Facts have proved that this combat model is far more effective than in the past."

Zhuang Yu nodded. He didn't understand what was outrageous about this. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

...He understood what Pu Ying meant.

This is the most convenient mode to give full play to combat effectiveness.

Retain the complete command core, use the mecha group as the main combat force, divide the mecha into different categories, each perform their own duties, and form a complete combat system.

…

Just like Shi Jizheng did to the Zerg.

Zhuang Yu walked to the monitor and looked at the swarms of insects on the virtual battlefield that were attacking the human defense line in an orderly manner, each performing their duties.

Pu Ying: "Is it possible that the Zerg we are fighting are actually 'mechas' driven by some kind of higher-dimensional intelligent being?"

Zhuang Yu's chest sank and he met his gaze.

Pu Ying: "The Zerg's home planet must still hide secrets that we don't know about."

Pu Ying said: "So we will fully cooperate with the commander and assist him in capturing the Zerg home planet."

Zhuang Yu's heart was still weighed heavily by this assumption. He nodded and suddenly realized: "Capture what?"

Pu Ying: "The Zerg mother planet."

Zhuang Yu: "...when did he say that?"

Pu Ying didn't know either. He just saw this small goal in Shi Ji's work notes and thought it made sense: "This can fundamentally solve the problem and is the most effective way."

Pu Ying: "Sui Qi is also interested, we can go together."

Two days ago, Zhuang Yu felt that the entire Storm team was calm, rational, and steady: "When did he say that?"

"Before I came," Pu Ying said, "he had an argument with his wingman AI."

The game account was originally just a virtual mecha without independent thinking.After being forcibly transformed into the best wingman intelligent AI, Zhan Chen imported several sets of program templates, giving him strong self-learning ability.

The new intelligent AI was given to the system and the Dolphin by Yu Tang.

After receiving education from the system and the Dolphin, the wingman AI became highly enthusiastic about fighting bugs.

Before Sui Qi had finished studying the book "Learning to Pilot a Wingman in Three Days", she was taken into the sky by the best diamond-encrusted wingman.

The wingman's intelligent AI stored all the relevant information that Yu Tang left for them, and quickly learned the tricks of fighting against the Zerg. They soared brightly in the insect wave, and they wanted to find Shi Ji, the legendary first observer, to become their apprentice.

Sui Qi suffered from severe motion sickness. The temporary person in charge of game maintenance apologized deeply and gave him a box of super powerful and invincible motion sickness medicine through the game backend.

…

"Sui Qi has been quarreling with the wingman AI since she took the medicine."

Pu Ying said: "When I came over, he was telling the AI that it would be better to fly into the sky together and be side by side with the Zerg home planet."

Zhuang Yu: "..."

Section Chief Pu, who is at work, is calm and clear. Except that he is still not very good at smiling and his speech is still smooth, people have almost forgotten that he is an emotionally deficient patient who came out of the electronic storm.

Zhuang Yu had almost forgotten this matter: "How is Mr. Pu doing?"

Pu Ying didn't know why he suddenly asked this, so he nodded and replied: "Very good."

Zhuang Yu: "Greetings to Mr. Pu for me, and reminding him of something."

"Okay." Pu Ying took out his notebook, "What's the matter?"

Zhuang Yu: "It's almost time to start the second phase of your fraud and anti-fraud training, the advanced version."

…

On the third day when the Zerg launched a general offensive in the game, the entire human defense line had completely collapsed.

Countless virtual cities were devoured by the insect swarm. The military's resistance was vulnerable to the insect horde. Thousands of casualties accumulated, finally turning into incomprehensible numbers.

There are many people who cannot accept this fact and want to deceive themselves into force quitting, only to find that they are temporarily locked in the game.

The resistance from the alliance's top brass was getting bigger and bigger. Nie Chi quit the game and worked with Zhuang Yu to stop the old antiques.

In the sea of consciousness, Yu Tang completed the last maintenance of the entire game.

"Mr. Nie said that the Alliance had a similar holographic simulation game before. Later, it was discovered that many people had mental breakdowns in the game, leading to real-life deaths, and it was completely banned."

Zhan Chen ended the call and came over: "So this time the alliance is particularly cautious, worried that a similar situation will happen again."

Yu Tang was not surprised, he leaned back relaxedly and moved his wrist: "Shi Ji can handle it."

Zhan Chen smiled: "Are you ready to leave this book?"

Yu Tang did not answer immediately.

In the past three days, Zhan Chen has been concentrating on transforming the sea of consciousness for him.

Those good things that Zhan Chen saved and that might not be available during limited-time sales in the mall were patiently placed in every corner of the sea of consciousness. Those that couldn't be let go were temporarily stored in the eye of the storm.

The empty and deserted sea of ​​consciousness in the past, where even people could only sleep on the ground, now feels a lot like home.

Yu Tang could roughly guess why Zhan Chen was so anxious: "Senior Zhan, when will you go back?"

Zhan Chen was slightly startled.

There was a helpless and gentle smile in his eyes. He put his palm on the back of Yu Tang's neck and pressed it comfortingly: "If you leave this book, I will go with you."

The terminal is blocked by the monitoring program and cannot continue to interfere in the world. Naturally, it is impossible to let him stay.

At least in name, when the terminal issues a recall order, the staff in the lower world must return to Chuan Bookstore to be on standby.

"I'll find another chance to come back."

Zhan Chen said warmly: "Don't worry, I can always find a way."

Yu Tang closed his eyes.

He skillfully changed the back of the swivel chair and wanted to lean over, but the entire swivel chair quietly turned into a data stream.

Zhan Chen bent down, stretched out his arms to wrap around Yu Tang, and gently picked him up.

Yu Tang's ears felt warm and he cleared his throat.

"Don't move, little light ball." Zhan Chen put his forehead against his, "Stay for a while."

Yu Tang wanted to change back to the initial data state, but as soon as he moved, Zhan Chen grabbed his back and held him down gently.

...Zhan Chen's heartbeat sounded through his chest.

Yu Tang remained silent for a few seconds, his body relaxed in Zhan Chen's breath and temperature, and he lay on his shoulder.

"The terminal is blocked, so I can get looser permissions."

Zhan Chen said: "Is there anything you want to ask?"

Yu Tang asked: "Can I ask anything?"

Zhan Chen nodded: "You can ask anything."

The terminal is temporarily unable to continue to monitor the lower world, and the program's control over him has been reduced accordingly. Zhan Chen can give some more direct and accurate answers.

Yu Tang: "Senior Zhan, how many asteroids have you exchanged?"

Zhan Chen was speechless.

He sat down cross-legged, let Yu Tang lean against him, and slowly rubbed Yu Tang's shoulders and neck.

...He actually guessed that Yu Tang would ask this question, but he didn't expect it to be so direct.

Reversing time requires as many experience points as an asteroid.

Yu Tang was smart enough. When he saw the Dolphin, he should have guessed what was going on.

The Dolphin was originally the intelligent program of Shi Ji's wingman. Because he could not accept that he had merged with the consciousness of the observer, he asked the person in charge of the mall for exchange, and exchanged all the violin music in the world for the owner whose consciousness had disappeared.

The only way he could preserve the Dolphin's AI was that he had already experienced the ending of this story once.

Zhan Chen has been resetting the world.

All the "original endings" obtained by the system are everything that actually happened in the timeline before Zhan Chen's reset.

Zhan Chen said: "One, but it has been redeemed many times."

Yu Tang: "?"

Zhan Chen met Yu Tang's gaze, and finally couldn't hold it back and laughed softly: "...There is a bug in this."

When the exchanger, the person in charge of the mall, and the reversed timeline are all in the same world, the timeline is reversed, the world is forcibly reset, and the asteroid will return to its unexchanged state.

The system once said that a host took advantage of the mall manager's leave to exchange for an unowned asteroid at the edge of the interstellar world.

The supervisory department has been hunting down this audacious host, but has found nothing. This is because in this current timeline, this asteroid is still ownerless.

By redeeming an asteroid, you can reverse time and return to a time before the asteroid was redeemed.

You can exchange it for another asteroid.

Yu Tang: "..."

Farewell was imminent, and despite being sad, Yu Tang couldn't help but want to applaud the person in charge of the mall who was very good at settling accounts.

He raised his head and wanted to speak, met Zhan Chen's especially quiet eyes, and put the words in his mouth.

... Zhan Chen has always stayed in the world where they met.

"On the other hand, my insistence on staying here has actually caused you some trouble."

Zhan Chen seemed to know what he was going to say. He smiled helplessly and said slowly: "Five years ago, I finally detected your data fluctuations...I found out that you had taken over Shi Ji."

Zhan Chen knows better than anyone what will happen to Shi Ji if the plot develops.

He knew that there must be deliberate guidance from the terminal here, and because of the confidentiality principle, he could not have private contact with the host, so he could only make arrangements in secret.

He beat Yu Tang to expose the evil android laboratory, forced Sheng Tiancheng to let Shi Ji go, and sent Shi Ji and his wingman safely out of the insect wave.

But these actions undoubtedly alarmed the terminal.

Yu Tang: "...So I was transferred to the second book to work overtime."

Zhan Chen was a little apologetic: "Yes."

He has been trying to find the new role that Yu Tang received after he was transferred, but every time he finds it, Yu Tang will be transferred again.

After discovering that Xiao Guangtuan had shouldered the heavy responsibility of four books on his own, the person in charge of the mall finally realized that he could not continue like this.

"So I asked Dean Nie to help me." Zhan Chen sighed, "But Dean Nie is not very reliable..."

Yu Tang coughed lightly and suppressed the smile on his lips.

...He now understands Nie Chi's joy in working overtime for free.

Yu Tang felt at ease and moved into the arms of the culprit who caused him to work overtime. He wanted to directly refer to the answer: "Senior Zhan, Senior Zhan, what is the plot of my last book?"

Zhan Chen was attracted by him and raised the corner of his mouth. He purred the small ball of light that he kept tossing: "I don't know about this one."

Yu Tang was slightly startled.

Zhan Chen: "I only know that I can get an asteroid in this book."

Only the host can exchange for asteroids. Zhan Chen borrowed the identity of the host to enter this story, which is equivalent to importing himself into this dimension.

After the timeline is reversed, everything in this dimension will be reset, and only the relevant memories of being the person in charge of the mall that belong to higher dimensions can be preserved.

This was originally a trap.

Even if the host has worked hard to save enough experience points in order to reset time, he would not have thought that the content of the reset would also include himself.

The terminal never allows anyone or anything to escape its control.

Turning back time, starting a new life, making up for the original regrets, correcting the original mistakes, this kind of thing will never be allowed to happen.

…

Zhan Chen sat up straighter, allowing Yu Tang to lean more comfortably. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

Yu Tang asked: "Is it time?"

"It's almost done." Zhan Chen said, "There are still a few minutes left. I'll send you to the next book first."

Yu Tang stood up and shook his head: "Shi Ji and I made an appointment to give the game an ending."

"That's fine." Zhan Chen pondered for a moment and said warmly, "Wait for me in the next book. I will find you as soon as possible."

Yu Tang responded, his eyes still falling on him.

Zhan Chen's smile showed some helplessness: "...Don't look at it, little ball of light."

If he wanted to return to Chuan Bookstore in a higher dimension, he would inevitably have to switch back to data mode. He didn't want Yu Tang to see this.

He wanted Yu Tang to remember him as Zhan Chen.

Not the mecha, not Data, just how he looked when they first met.

It's a pity that Xiao Guangtuan didn't give him any face, and still stared at him: "It doesn't matter, I have to remember it."

Zhan Chen was speechless. His time was very tight, and his body could not resist the transition to data: "...Remember what?"

"Your data." Yu Tang said freely, "I'll recite two lines. What if the next book is about a game world? Be prepared in advance..."

Some thoughts suddenly flashed through Zhan Chen's mind. He took a step forward and was about to speak, but was stopped by an invisible force.

...With the addition of the recall order, the program has restored the control of banning.

Spots of light began to escape from Zhan Chen's body.

Yu Tang silently clenched his palms, slowly loosened them, still looking at him intently.

…

Last time, when Zhan Chen's mechas turned into light spots like this, he could only rush to fish them out in a panic.

For the first time, the electronic storm encountered something that could not be retained.

The remains of the mecha that he built into a small nest and hid in every day, which once belonged to Zhan Chen, gradually turned into tiny pieces of light, dispersing in the gaps in the wind.

He fished in vain, trying his best to hold on to even a little bit.

...Zhan Chen disappeared before his eyes.

The picture in front of him coincided with the silence in his memory. Yu Tang swayed slightly, recovered from the memory fragments, and reached out to touch the air in front of him.

The system floated to Yu Tang's side and whispered: "Host..."

Yu Tang retracted his hand and quickly returned to the game monitor.

He watched Shi Ji's operations on the screen, typed a few lines of instructions on the keyboard, and distractedly asked the system: "Is the plot of the next book here?"

The system quickly called up the background: "We're here."

Yu Tang nodded: "Read it for me."

This is the last book he wants to solve. According to the timeline of receiving the task, it is the third book he has received.

The plot line of the third book is simply too simple.

His name is "No. 13", and he is a product raised in a 300-square-meter, four-story villa with a basement.

The person who bought him was an emotionless, frigid and domineering president, and he would soon be given away to make an equal trade with a ruthless and perverted villain.

...This will undoubtedly not be the complete version of the story line.

Yu Tang had already figured out the trick to pass through the bookstore and directly asked the hidden plot: "What is my real name?"

"Feng Qing." The system quickly flipped through the document, "The story of this book also takes place in this interstellar world, but it is not on our main star, but on an asteroid on the edge."

"It is an area on the edge of disorder. Although it is under the jurisdiction of the alliance, the alliance can rarely really control it, and it has gradually become a place outside the law in a practical sense."

"According to rumors, this area is controlled by senior leaders of the alliance, especially key conservative figures."

"The holographic simulation game that was once banned by the alliance because it caused many deaths, still has an open entrance there."

"This is a level-breaking battle royale game that is full of dangers and has a very high mortality rate. However, because of this sense of tension and excitement, there are still unimaginable amounts of views and rewards on the dark web."

"In order to make huge profits, many interstellar thieves will even kidnap slaves and sell them. After gathering enough for a ship, they will travel across the ocean to the interstellar ferry port..."

The system did not expect that there would actually be a slave ship plot. When it raised the camera, it was suddenly stunned: "Host?"

Yu Tang came to his senses: "What is my real name?"

system:"……"

It was a little worried about its host, so it turned back and took a closer look before saying, "Feng Qing...does the host know this person?"

"I know him." Yu Tang said, "This person should have been dead for a long time."

system:"??"

Yu Tang looked at the battle situation in the virtual world on the screen and cooperated with Shi Ji to make the final modifications to the game.

...This name corresponds to a memory fragment that he has never been able to successfully repair.

He once tried to join Chuan Bookstore.

Watching the remains of the mecha turn into fragments of light and completely disappear before his eyes, he forgot what Zhan Chen had told him.

He searched frantically everywhere, trying to find the human he had lost.

Until one day, the person in charge from who knows which dimension came to him and told him that Zhan Chen was now in a place called Chuan Bookstore.

He accepted the internship opportunity offered by Chuan Bookstore without hesitation.

During the internship period for employees in the bookstore, they will be temporarily deprived of their original memories and undergo comprehensive immersive training.

This is his first attempt to be a real human being. His name is Feng Qing. He was adopted at the age of seven and retired at the age of thirteen. He has ten younger brothers and sisters waiting for money in the orphanage.

He failed this internship.

His adoptive parents were researchers at a private technology company and could not accept a child who could not settle down, was endlessly curious about everything, only thought about milk cookies and games all day long, and could not even recognize a word.

His adoptive parents sent him to a research institute for rehabilitation, but later they were still dissatisfied and retired him.

At the age of seventeen, he died of complications caused by the transformation.

…

"There is no such plot in this book..."

The system rummaged through every corner, stuck it to Yu Tang's hand, and whispered: "This book started when Feng Qing was bought as a commodity two years ago... He will soon be treated as a trade and given toPut that ruthless villain into the game."

This situation is not uncommon.

In this battle royale game, this kind of modified empty shell product has always been very popular because it is not subject to the jurisdiction of the law and does not matter even if it dies.

The game is survival of the fittest, without any rule restrictions. The person who survives and wins in the end will get the ownership of the asteroid.

Yu Tang nodded.

He still hasn't received the complete plot - at least he doesn't even know how he appears as a backup in this book, nor does he know all the relevant character information.

Only by entering the next book can the specific plot be truly unlocked. Before that, he had to help Shi Ji achieve the final ending of the game.

In the virtual world, most of the entire federation has been destroyed by the Zerg attack.

However, the overwhelming insect swarm has become fragmented due to the desperate resistance of humans, and can no longer organize a truly crushing attack.

All active soldiers and military students who have not yet sacrificed form the last line of defense. The scarred human soldiers face the scarred Zerg, and the final decisive battle is about to begin.

…

The virtual screen stopped abruptly at this moment.

Everyone was ejected from the game. In the real world, every TV station, every broadcast, and every communication channel simultaneously sounded the announcement from the alliance headquarters.

"The game is over."

"The insect wave is coming, and the final outcome requires us to give an answer in reality."

"There is sufficient evidence to prove that the electronic storm has self-awareness and high-dimensional intelligence. Before the crisis of the entire interstellar, the electronic storm has provided us with unprecedented help."

"The alliance headquarters will continue to apply for help from Electronic Storm, and at the same time, we already know what to do."

…

"We are not alone in this universe."

Yu Tang imported the backup data of Sui Qi's mecha from the background and passed it to Shi Ji.

Next, the alliance will use this large-scale insect tide simulation system as the core to carry out the most thorough and least retreat military reform.

Everything is based on actual combat and everything is based on survival.

Yu Tang looked at the coordinates sent by Pu Ying, recorded the data, and inserted it into his work notes.

The only thing that the task force failed to solve was the suspected high-level traitor of the Alliance who had traded the entire interstellar world with the Zerg.

It is speculated that the possible coordinate position is exactly in the asteroid belt on the edge of that area.

Yu Tang was still not used to saying goodbye to anyone. He didn't go to the scheduled farewell place, opened the control panel in the background, and directly chose to accept the transmission.

"Host!" The system suddenly remembered, "Why is Yu Tang's life experience the same in the fourth book?"

It always felt like it had heard of this setting before, and it finally found this section after searching all over the plot records.

——Yutang was born in an orphanage. He was adopted at the age of seven and retired at the age of thirteen. He can no longer return to the orphanage.

He wandered for several years, doing odd jobs in hiding, until he was discovered by investigators from the Alliance Police Department and was forcibly sent to learn how to read.

…

Yu Tang said: "Because I failed that internship assessment."

The system was stunned.

Yu Tang walked into the teleporting light belt.

...He failed that internship assessment, but he really wanted to see the human being he had lost.

He didn't listen to what Zhan Chen taught him and believed in Chuan Bookstore.

Chuan Shuju said that Zhan Chen was in their story, but the dimension of the electronic storm was too high. If he could not enter as a host, he would need to separate a low-dimensional human individual and generate a new character before he could find Zhan Chen.

Yu Tang said: "You once thought I looked like Pu Ying."

The system argued in a low voice: "It's not like the host, the host has feelings..."

"Pu Ying also has feelings." Yu Tang said, "What you felt at the time was right. When you saw me, I was not complete."

Just like Pu Ying sent the most cherished and important part of himself out of the electronic storm and became Luo Ran.

Hearing that there was still a chance to meet Zhan Chen in the story, Yu Tang carefully looked through all his particles.

He peeled off the most well-behaved, obedient, and sensible part of himself that was most unafraid of hardship and tiredness and could be helpful, and became the seventeen-year-old "Yutang".

He handed over Yu Tang to those people.

He waited happily and happily to see Zhan Chen.

…

He didn't expect anything.

He only knew that in the uncorrected timeline, in the eighth year of the book, Yu Tang lost all vital signs and fell into an electronic storm.

Yu Tang put away the memory fragments: "Let's go."

The system stopped on his shoulder and cautiously said to him: "Host..."

"It doesn't matter." Yu Tang said, "I'm in a hurry and have to get to the next book as soon as possible."

He was still very happy that he could see Zhan Chen in the next book.

He has memorized Zhan Chen's data, and this time, he will not be fooled again.