Love NPC in Nightmare Game - Chapter 112

Chapter 112: The Real World 10

“What is that?” Zhou Zhou stood in the control room of the interstellar spacecraft, looking up at the magnificent and spectacular sight before him.

“It’s the remnant left behind after a supernova explosion, filled with gasses, dust, and various substances, eventually forming nebulae of different shapes,” Alvia explained.

Zhou Zhou stared unblinkingly at the distant nebula, the intertwined green and blue colors like a dream, drifting like floss in the dark universe, its colors resplendent and lines flowing, beautiful enough to take one’s breath away.

Zhou Zhou had seen many beautiful sights in the past few days, but each one was still very shocking.

Especially during space travel, most of the time he could only see a vast stretch of darkness, so whenever he saw these sights, whether vividly colored or dream-like, they seemed particularly stunning and gorgeous.

Moreover, Alvia was always by his side, explaining the origin and principles of any scenery or region they encountered, making the otherwise dull space travel interesting.

“How do you know so much? Did you study it specifically?” Zhou Zhou was very curious, as Alvia was not only skilled in operating mech but also very knowledgeable about various principles of the universe.

“No, I didn’t study it specifically, I just read a lot of random books.”

As he said this, Zhou Zhou suddenly thought of a question: “Al, what major did you study in school, mech?”

Zhou Zhou had learned a lot about the interstellar era and knew that universities now had many different majors, with mech and starship navigation being very popular majors, admitting only top talent students.

While Al was excellent in history, mech, and starships, he was the imperial emperor, so he might have studied politics or command.

Alvia paused for a moment before saying when Zhou Zhou looked at him with curious eyes: “None of those, I studied artificial intelligence.”

Zhou Zhou: ??

Seeing Zhou Zhou’s surprise, Alvia curled his lips.

“Back then, I was already very familiar with operating mech, so the school’s courses weren’t suitable for me, so I chose artificial intelligence. Plus, I had to work closely with Zeus, so I had to understand everything comprehensively.”

Alvia said it simply, but in reality, the previous Zeus only mechanically executed commands and never interacted with humans. He was the only one favored by Zeus, but he treated it like a poisoned cake, he had to eat it, but was still wary. So he specifically studied artificial intelligence, thinking that if Zeus ever had any problems in the future, he could use various methods to destroy him.

After all, he couldn’t entrust his future to a data set without emotions.

But now, seeing the lively Zhou Zhou by his side, Alvia felt like he had been slapped in the face. Zeus indeed had no malicious intent, and his interest in Alvia was just a whim, he had never neglected his duties.

But he himself had fallen for another artificial intelligence.

The two chatted intimately, with the usually taciturn Alvia being very talkative and appearing considerate and gentle in front of Zhou Zhou.

This scene, however, left a group of guards dumbfounded.

Although they had seen Zhou Zhou a few times in the palace, and even the first time Zhou Zhou had suddenly appeared near His Majesty, they had mistaken him for an assassin.

Later, they learned that this person was His Majesty’s friend, allowed to enter the palace freely, and even able to enter and leave His Majesty’s bedchamber at will.

It was rare for His Majesty to have friends, and even Ryan, who had known His Majesty since childhood, didn’t dare to openly call himself His Majesty’s friend. But this person acted very naturally.

Zhou Zhou had not appeared in the palace many times before, so they didn’t have much direct experience with him, only feeling that this guy was very bold, able to remain composed in the face of His Majesty’s overbearing presence.

But during this time in space, everyone realized that this person might not just be His Majesty’s friend.

The two were inseparable every day, and His Majesty would even bring the other person into his room to stay together. (In reality, after entering the room, Zhou Zhou returned to the game.)

Moreover, when the two were together, it was His Majesty who subtly took care of the other person.

The originally aloof His Majesty seemed like a different person in front of the other, making this group of guards, who had experienced many years of icy glares and overwhelming pressure, very uncomfortable.

And the most uncomfortable of them all was Ryan.

After His Majesty confided in him about having someone he was interested in, he had guessed many people, but he never thought that person would be Zhou Zhou.

Didn’t His Majesty say at first that this person was a spy sent to get close to him?

Although he later said there was no problem and no need to investigate further, now it seemed that the problem had become bigger!

His Majesty had really fallen for it, and the other person’s scheme had really succeeded.

Moreover, it was even a one-sided infatuation from His Majesty!

No, he couldn’t accept this.

Ryan appeared calm on the surface, smiling, but inside, his frustration was about to burst through the sky.

Just then, Zeus appeared through the wrist device. As long as he was connected to the starnet, he could come out at any time. Seeing Zhou Zhou and Alvia standing together, he immediately ran over.

Ryan’s spirit trembled. Yes, it’s Zeus, quickly separate those two!

And Zeus didn’t let him down, forcibly squeezing himself between the two, then taking one of Zhou Zhou’s hands and smiling innocently at Alvia.

In front of Zhou Zhou, Alvia couldn’t openly confront Zeus, so he just looked at him for a moment before firmly taking Zeus’ other hand.

Zeus: What is this?

Ryan: What are they trying to do?

The guards on the sidelines were secretly excited and whispered to the people next to them: “Don’t they look like a family of three, His Majesty and Mr. Zhou Zhou as a couple taking their child on a tour? They really look well-matched.”

The person next to them nodded slightly in agreement.

Although they were whispering very softly, many people present had very keen hearing.

Zeus glared at Alvia, finally realizing his malicious intent.

However, Alvia only gave him a casual glance, and Zeus always felt he saw a sense of smugness in the other’s eyes.

Zhou Zhou didn’t notice the undercurrents between the two. He had also heard the guards’ comments and looked at Al thoughtfully, but found that the other was looking at Zeus with “paternal love”.

It did indeed look like a scene of a filial son and caring father.

This time, Zeus was defeated again.

Ryan could only watch helplessly as they “showed off their affection”.

Traveling in space was actually quite boring most of the time. Alvia had brought a minimal number of people, not too many.

Every day, everyone watched His Majesty and Mr. Zhou Zhou interact sweetly, as well as Zeus occasionally causing mischief but always ending up angered, making the boring journey interesting.

With all of them having such high visual appeal, it was a pleasure to watch.

The days passed by like this, and soon they arrived near a space wormhole.

The space magnetic field here was turbulent, with various chaotic currents and meteorites. With the slightest carelessness, the entire starship could be torn to shreds. They had to pass through the only passageway to reach their first destination.

During the wormhole passage, the starnet couldn’t be used at all, meaning Zeus couldn’t appear during this time.

Zeus was unhappy and persuaded Zhou Zhou to return to the game with him, coming back after three days when they exited the wormhole.

However, Alvia had already anticipated this and asked Zhou Zhou in advance, storing his original data in the wrist device, so Zhou Zhou could only stay with him for these three days.

Seeing the sullen Zeus, Zhou Zhou comforted him: “I asked Al, and it will only take three days to pass through the wormhole. After three days, we can meet again. My second instance has also been designed and is under review. Zeus, can you help me check if there are any errors? After three days when I’m back online, I can make some revisions.”

Zeus pouted: “Okay then, as soon as you exit the wormhole after three days, I’ll come find you right away.”

“Sure, I’ll be waiting for you,” Zhou Zhou patted Zeus’ head. “Remember to feed the little octopus for me.”

They were already approaching the wormhole entrance, and Zeus’ figure was flickering, a sign of the turbulent magnetic field around them. The starnet would disappear soon.

“Okay,” Zeus said his last word and completely disappeared.

Zhou Zhou didn’t feel any discomfort, and even the starship was traveling very smoothly, with no indication that they had entered an extremely dangerous star domain.

Few other ships entered this area, and there were no regular interstellar flights carrying ordinary residents.

So the star systems behind this domain had very little contact with the outside world, and these were also star systems located in the outermost regions of the empire.

In the past, the frontier star systems could obtain very few resources, leading to poverty among the people there. Some desperately poor or wanted criminals would hide in the frontier star systems, which also had poor public security.

Many people said that place had been abandoned by the empire.

Although Alvia had been improving the situation since taking power, without going there personally, no one knew what those places had become.

The empire’s territory was truly vast, and even Alvia had only visited a few star systems, with the 24th star system being his first destination on this trip.

The starship pilots were elite members of the empire, and even in such an environment, they maintained composure and steered the ship very smoothly.

Zhou Zhou stood behind them, watching them operate the starship in an orderly manner, his gaze shifting from the screens filled with various data to the control panels, observing very attentively.

He found that the operation of a real starship was similar to the game version, and since he had learned some from Alvia before, he could understand most of it.

Alvia was also standing next to Zhou Zhou, watching together.

One of the pilots wasn’t affected by the harsh environment of the turbulent space, but his fingers trembled slightly due to the emperor being too close, unsure if it was from excitement or fear.

It seemed Alvia did indeed exude a heavy pressure in daily life.

Zhou Zhou noticed the pilot’s trembling pinky finger and immediately understood, taking Alvia away to another area.

The pilot exhaled quietly in relief, and his actions finally returned to normal.

Although there was no day or night in this turbulent magnetic field domain, everyone still swapped shifts for rest according to normal time.

Zhou Zhou had also gotten used to sleeping on schedule, following Alvia to his room. But after entering, he only then realized he couldn’t return to the game tonight.

So where would he sleep?

Alvia’s status was different, and the interior of his room was quite spacious, lavishly decorated in a style that didn’t match Alvia’s own, but this luxurious decor seemed to be the standard for the palace.

There was only one bed in the room, a soft large bed that could comfortably sleep three people. The fluffy white blanket looked plump with rounded curves, seeming very cozy to sleep in.

Zhou Zhou was about to ask Alvia if he could squeeze into the bed with him tonight, since for the past few days they had been drifting together on the starship, and at night he would return to the game, so he didn’t have his own room on the starship.

The starship’s size was enormous, with countless rooms suitable for living quarters. However, harboring unmentionable thoughts, Alvia didn’t tell Zhou Zhou that the rooms on either side were unoccupied.

After all, the two of them staying in the same room was a good opportunity to deepen their relationship.

But before Zhou Zhou could ask, Alvia took the initiative to speak up.

“The rooms next door haven’t been cleaned up, so you’ll stay here for the next few days. You can sleep here tonight,” Alvia said, pointing to the large bed.

Zhou Zhou obediently nodded.

After getting ready, Zhou Zhou climbed onto the bed. Just as he had imagined, when he shifted slightly while sitting on it, the bed would bounce a few times. Zhou Zhou found a new toy and spent a good while bouncing on the bed and playing. Although the bed was large, Zhou Zhou only occupied the very edge, draping the blanket over his chest and lying obediently, leaving the rest of the space for Al.

Alvia walked straight over from the bathroom toward the other side that Zhou Zhou had left empty.

Standing at the edge of the bed, he looked at Zhou Zhou, who was already lying at the very edge, his jade-like eyes now gazing at Alvia, the light reflecting in his eyes casting a hazy white glow like stars.

Zhou Zhou smiled at him, his pure smile seeming to blend the stars into twinkling starlight. The tranquil moment felt extraordinarily warm and beautiful.

The two exchanged smiles.

When alone, Alvia seemed to let down his guard, his smile as pure as Zhou Zhou’s, making his already perfect face appear even more genuine. It was as if a vague celestial deity had suddenly become tangible, with real emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

This wasn’t the first time Zhou Zhou had seen Alvia’s face, but he was still often stunned by its beauty. He felt that Al looked better smiling than the nebulae outside.

Zhou Zhou was a bit expectant that after Alvia got into bed, they could chat some more.

But Zhou Zhou saw him feeling along the wall and then pressing something.

Not far away, a previously smooth section of the wall slowly extended outward, a rectangular wall panel about two meters long sliding out parallel before unfolding into a single bed.

Although much smaller than the large bed Zhou Zhou was on, it was enough for one person to sleep in, fully equipped with blankets and pillows.

Zhou Zhou blinked slowly at the single bed, looking at Alvia with some confusion.

Having spent a long time with Zhou Zhou, Alvia immediately noticed the puzzlement in his eyes and explained, “I’ve never slept on that large bed before, it’s specifically for you. During this time, I’ve been sleeping here at night, so don’t worry.”

Don’t worry about what?

Zhou Zhou stared with wide eyes at the composed Alvia, somehow feeling unhappy. This bed is so big, it can easily fit three people, so why add another bed? And that single bed looks like it has a very hard surface, definitely not comfortable to sleep on. This is Al’s room, but not only did he take the large bed, the owner of the room has to sleep pitifully on a small bed.

How can he sleep like that?

Zhou Zhou sat up, the blanket draped over his chest sliding off. He patted the space next to him, “You come sleep here too.”

“That might not be a good idea,” Alvia looked at the space next to Zhou Zhou, his heart racing quickly with Zhou Zhou’s patting motion on the blanket. “This bed is specifically for you.”

That’s exactly why it’s not a good idea. Alvia was over 1.9 meters tall, and that single bed looked only about 2 meters long. Lying on it would definitely be uncomfortable. Zhou Zhou estimated the bed’s length and continued, “Don’t accommodate me. Or I can sleep on that small bed, and you sleep here.”

Zhou Zhou started to get off the bed to switch places.

But before Zhou Zhou could get off, Alvia pressed something on the wall, then swiftly lifted the covers on the other side of the large bed and lay down.

After lying down, he turned his head toward Zhou Zhou and said, “There.”

As he said this, his gaze was fixed directly on Zhou Zhou, with a hint of obedience.

The single bed slowly retracted back into the wall.

Seeing Alvia lying on the large bed, Zhou Zhou nodded in satisfaction, “Mm, let’s sleep.”

The two seemed completely oblivious that their roles had been reversed. The self-assured Zhou Zhou appeared more like the owner of the room, while Alvia was like a pitiful guest being taken in.

After the lights were turned off, the two were lying at the very edges of the bed, with enough space in the middle for two more people.

Alvia was a bit nervous. Although this was his premeditated plan, it was the first time sharing a bed with Zhou Zhou, so he wasn’t as composed as usual. His hands clenched and released under the covers as his rapidly beating heart still hadn’t calmed down.

The room was utterly silent. Zhou Zhou had wanted to chat with Al, but as soon as the lights went out, the other closed his eyes.

It wasn’t yet Zhou Zhou’s usual bedtime, so feeling a bit bored, he turned his head to look at Alvia in the darkness. Although far away, Zhou Zhou’s excellent eyesight allowed him to see Alvia’s long eyelashes fluttering slightly.

He clearly wasn’t asleep yet.

Zhou Zhou gazed at him, suddenly speaking up, “Al?”

“Hmm?”

Alvia responded with his eyes closed.

“Your heart is beating.”

Alvia: “…Human hearts all beat.”

“But yours is beating much faster than usual, and the sound is really loud. Why? Are you nervous?”

Zhou Zhou turned his body toward Alvia, curiously asking.

Alvia felt he couldn’t answer that question.

“Maybe it’s because this is the first time we’re sleeping in the same bed.”

Zhou Zhou’s eyes lit up as he shifted a bit toward Alvia’s direction, “It’s my first time sleeping together with you too.”

Even with his eyes closed, Alvia could sense Zhou Zhou moving closer. He lay rigidly on the bed, unmoving.

“Let’s chat for a bit,” knowing Alvia wasn’t asleep either, Zhou Zhou asked while lying on his side.

“About what?”

“Al, what kind of person do you like?”

The heart that was just about to calm down started racing quickly again. Why did Zhou Zhou suddenly ask this kind of question? Did he notice something?

Alvia finally opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the keen-eyed Zhou Zhou.

Originally, the two were quite far apart, but Zhou Zhou’s shuffling had closed the gap to less than one person’s length, so now Alvia could almost reach out and touch him.

Those honey-like eyes were as pure and innocent as ever, brimming with curiosity, but lacking the emotion Alvia wanted to see.

The usual indirectness and retreat had kept the distance between them neither too far nor too near, but Alvia was not satisfied. He wanted the distance between them to be closer, even closer.

Alvia recalled the little moments he had shared with Zhou Zhou and said earnestly while looking up, “The person I like is optimistic, cheerful, and innocent. They learn everything quickly and can treat anyone equally, taking both games and work seriously. Although kind-hearted, they have clear likes and dislikes toward different people. When in danger, they would also lend a helping hand to their friends.”

Alvia paused for a moment, then turned and said softly, “Zhou Zhou, I…”

The surge of tender feelings was instantly extinguished when he saw Zhou Zhou with his eyes tightly shut and breathing steadily. Alvia swallowed back the rest of his words, only then realizing it was already 10 o’clock, Zhou Zhou’s usual bedtime.

Alvia: “…”

He got up and pulled Zhou Zhou’s blanket up further, then lay back down in his original position.

“Good night, Zhou Zhou.”

Alvia lay on the edge of the large bed, while Zhou Zhou now occupied the center, his body turned toward Alvia.

Usually very still when asleep, Zhou Zhou continued shuffling toward Alvia’s direction until his head was leaning against Alvia’s shoulder before finally stopping.

Zhou Zhou curled up with his forehead lightly resting on Alvia’s shoulder, a hint of dependency in his relaxed expression.

Their breathing was steady, the room utterly silent.

Over the next two days, Zhou Zhou didn’t bring up that topic again, and Alvia also didn’t mention his failed confession. But the atmosphere between them seemed to have grown somewhat awkward.

One moment they would be discussing games or mech, then suddenly catching each other’s gaze, both of them would freeze up and look away in silence.

Alvia suspected Zhou Zhou had heard what he said that night, but his demeanor was too natural. Based on Alvia’s understanding of Zhou Zhou, shouldn’t he have directly refused if he really heard it?

Why didn’t he bring it up?

Was it to preserve Alvia’s dignity?

Alvia would have preferred a straightforward rejection rather than this anxious uncertainty.

The three days passed quickly, but despite sleeping on the same bed every night, there was no progress in their relationship.

They were about to exit the wormhole, which also meant Zhou Zhou would return to the game at night.

In the control room, the two watched the pilots’ operations. During this time, Zhou Zhou had developed a keen interest in starship piloting, so they often stayed in the control room.

The wormhole was a dangerous area, so Zhou Zhou, who had no prior experience, couldn’t take over directly. But watching the pilots’ actual operations along with Alvia’s explanations made for a valuable learning experience.

“So the starship’s speed is fixed, and we need to maintain an absolute constant velocity while traveling through the wormhole, without hitting any meteorites or deviating from the passage.”

Zhou Zhou processed what he had learned.

“Does this mean we’ve already exited the wormhole now?”

It didn’t seem any different from before, just an inky blackness.

Alvia was about to nod when he suddenly looked at the control screen, his brows furrowing, “According to the time, we should have exited the wormhole, but why can’t we connect to the starnet?”

The icon on the screen remained grayed out, indicating no starnet connection.

The pilots were unsure as well. They were about to inform His Majesty of the situation when he had already noticed the abnormality.

“According to normal travel, it should take exactly 72 hours to pass through the wormhole, so we should be out,” one pilot said.

Another tapped repeatedly on the screen, “It’s possible the wormhole expanded, and we haven’t exited yet.”

“How could it expand? Although unstable, the wormhole connecting to the 24th star system hasn’t changed for many years, only to change while we were traveling through? That’s too coincidental.”

The group argued back and forth. Faced with this situation, beads of sweat formed on the pilots’ foreheads, for it wasn’t just them on this starship, the imperial emperor was here too.

If anything happened to His Majesty, they would be killed a hundred times over and it still wouldn’t be enough.

“Stop arguing, initiate defenses immediately! There’s something rapidly approaching from directly ahead.”

Alvia’s expression was grave as he urgently shouted to the pilots.

Even though these were elite imperial pilots, they had already set up defensive equipment almost as soon as Alvia gave the order.

But when they saw the display on the screen, everyone’s face changed.

Speeding toward them from ahead was a massive interstellar weapon.

The royal starship’s defenses could withstand attacks, but this was near the wormhole. Whether inside or outside, if it exploded here, the wormhole would be affected, destabilizing the entire wormhole. The starship could withstand the artillery fire, but not the forces of nature in space.

Even if they used their own weapons to intercept, the explosive force would still impact the wormhole.

Their position had been leaked, and someone wanted them dead, purposefully setting a deadly trap.

Alvia’s gaze was somber as he looked at the approaching beam of light. Instead of ordering an interception, he turned and grabbed Zhou Zhou’s hand.

“Do you trust me?”

“I trust you.”

“Good, close your eyes and don’t open them.”

The beam exploded on the starship. Almost instantly, the previously calm wormhole became distorted, the black wormhole finally revealing its true nature. The immense suction force immediately tore the massive starship to shreds.

The imperial emperor’s starship had been devoured by the wormhole, with no survivors.

Ten minutes later, the headlines across the empire reported this incident.

Massive upheaval instantly swept through the empire.