Love NPC in Nightmare Game - Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Nightmare City 19

“Zeus? Can you go to the outside world?”

“The outside world? What outside world?” For Zeus, he could come and go freely wherever the starnet existed, so what was the outside world?

“The place players go after logging off, something like that.” Zhou Zhou also didn’t know how to describe it. He had never been to the outside world, so his description of that unknown world was very lacking. He could only use such a description to express it.

Zeus understood. Zhou Zhou was asking if he could appear in the real world. Although he could reach all areas covered by the starnet, for now, he could only appear within the palace in the Imperial Capital. After all, he was data, without a physical body. To appear, he could only project himself. Additionally, he didn’t like to interact with others, so he didn’t place any projection devices elsewhere.

“Of course, I can go.”

Zhou Zhou suddenly began breathing rapidly. He wanted to ask if he could also go out, to see what the outside world was like.

“Zeus… I…” This was something Zhou Zhou had been thinking about for a long time, but he could never find a way. And now, there was a living example standing right in front of him. Since Zeus himself could go out, might there be a way for him to go out too?

The urgent thought made Zhou Zhou want to reveal his true identity to the other party, but looking into Zeus’s clear eyes, he suddenly became uncertain. Could he really say it?

After saying it, would Zeus help him? Or…

“Problems should be solved. Leaving problems unresolved will only cause bigger troubles. They should be nipped in the bud before they develop further!” Zhou Zhou remembered these words, which Al had said to him when he first confessed, probing Al’s view on NPCs.

Zhou Zhou still remembered it clearly. A slight difference, and he might have been able to break free from the game that bound him, or he might have been seen as an anomaly and eliminated.

Although Zeus really liked him, and he seemed completely harmless, not at all like someone who would destroy him after learning his NPC identity, Zhou Zhou still didn’t dare take the risk.

Moreover, right now, Zeus didn’t know Zhou Zhou’s true identity. He only thought Zhou Zhou was a player who was hiding his identity somehow. If he knew Zhou Zhou was an NPC from an instance, one who had developed self-awareness, transcended the game he was in, and was impersonating a player—an anomaly—would he really accept Zhou Zhou?

Or would he see Zhou Zhou as a virus and eliminate him?

Zhou Zhou’s silence also made Zeus uneasy: “Zhou Zhou, can you really not forgive me?”

Zeus looked like a young child. Speaking with such an appearance and expression would soften anyone’s heart.

There were too many doubts in Zhou Zhou’s mind. After all, it concerned his own life. He didn’t want to take the risk of disappearing for a mere possibility, especially when everything for him here had just begun.

Zhou Zhou looked at the anxious Zeus and sighed: “I forgive you.”

Zeus immediately smiled, his bright black eyes seeming to sparkle with light: “Then can I still stay here?”

“Of course.” After saying that, Zhou Zhou suddenly thought of something: “Where did you live before?”

“I don’t need to sleep, so I usually just roamed around the starnet. It was really boring being alone before, but now that I’m with you, it’s not boring anymore.” Zeus said shamelessly. Although he would go find Alvia when he was bored before, he now completely ignored Alvia’s existence.

Zhou Zhou still wanted to learn some relevant information from Zeus: “Are there any existences like you, this kind of artificial intelligence, outside?”

Zeus immediately boasted proudly: “There’s only one of me in the world. I’m one of a kind.”

So there weren’t any others. Zhou Zhou nodded.

“Zeus, if there appeared an existence similar to you, like if an NPC in a game suddenly developed its own consciousness, what would you think?” Zhou Zhou stared intently at Zeus’s expression. This question concerned whether he would reveal his true identity to Zeus later.

“Huh?” Zeus was dumbfounded. Just now, he had said he was one of a kind, but now Zhou Zhou was talking about if a similar existence appeared. A similar existence? To do what? Compete with him for Zhou Zhou?

Zeus had originally wanted to say it was absolutely impossible. After all, many people had tried to replicate another him, but they had all failed. Artificial intelligence wasn’t about simply mimicking human thought processes, only those with their own consciousness like him truly qualified.

However, seeing Zhou Zhou staring at him so intently, with such a solemn expression, he didn’t want to speak too absolutely. What if there really was a second self-aware artificial intelligence in the world, just not discovered yet? Then he would be lying.

“Well, although it’s unlikely for another intelligent, cute, brilliant, and powerful artificial intelligence like me to appear, anything is possible. If one did appear, that would be fine. He could help me share some of the work.”

After Zeus finished speaking, Zhou Zhou suddenly stood up.

Zhou Zhou’s sudden movement startled Zeus. What was wrong? Had he said something inappropriate?

Zhou Zhou circled around the desk and half-crouched in front of Zeus, his amber eyes sparkling: “Really? You wouldn’t destroy such an anomaly?”

This was the first time Zeus had been so close to Zhou Zhou. He nervously stared into those shining amber eyes, feeling like the light inside could almost burn his vision. Even his usually well-functioning thought process had stalled a bit: “Destroy? By that logic, I should be considered an anomaly too, right?”

Zhou Zhou suddenly froze. That’s right. Since Zeus could exist well and be accepted by the masses, then he should be accepted too, right?

Enlightened.

The troubles that had plagued him for so long vanished in an instant.

Zhou Zhou felt that perhaps he shouldn’t be so pessimistic. If he revealed his true identity to his friends, they might accept him and help him, rather than seeing him as an anomaly and eliminating him.

“Zeus, can you tell me more about yourself?” Zhou Zhou’s expression softened. A few days ago, he had thought Xiao Jing was of the same kind as him, but the naive Xiao Jing seemed to know nothing. He had only wanted to hide Xiao Jing in his home so that no one would discover them.

But now, knowing that Xiao Jing was the Zeus people spoke of, he couldn’t wait to learn more about Zeus, when he appeared, where he appeared, and what people’s reactions were when they discovered him.

Zeus was delighted because this was the first time Zhou Zhou wanted to seriously understand him. Aside from confidential information he couldn’t disclose, Zeus wished he could tell Zhou Zhou everything about himself so that Zhou Zhou could understand him better.

The Imperial Palace.

Just a few days after the previous attack, as people were still worrying about His Majesty’s injury, the Imperial Founding Ceremony had finally begun.

From early morning, civilians from various planets had flooded into the livestream rooms. This was their only chance each year to see His Majesty. The previous news about His Majesty’s injury had already been taken down, but no one knew what had happened afterwards.

“His Majesty! His Majesty! It’s too torturous to only see him once a year.”

“Waaah~ I want to know how His Majesty’s injuries are?”

“He must be fine. Since he can attend the Imperial Founding Ceremony, it means His Majesty was never injured. The previous news must have been false.”

“Not necessarily. In previous years, His Majesty didn’t always attend the Imperial Founding Ceremony. This year, he might not attend to recuperate from his injuries.”

“Nooo! I want to see His Majesty’s gorgeous face.”

“It’s too difficult. Every time I save His Majesty’s audio and visual recordings and screenshots, they get automatically deleted within a minute. I don’t even remember what His Majesty looks like anymore.”

“I’ve tried every method. I even saved the images on my grandmother’s oldest computer, but it still didn’t work. Zeus is really inhumane. Why won’t he even let us keep a picture?”

As the livestream started, countless comments flooded the screen, but the Imperial Founding Ceremony celebration hadn’t begun yet. The nobles and ministers in attendance were all ready, with many familiar faces and outstandingly attractive young nobles, but everyone’s focus was still on His Majesty, who had yet to appear.

Ryan had already made all the preparations, now just waiting for His Majesty’s appearance.

When attending important occasions, the Imperial Emperor wore a magnificent ceremonial robe, extravagantly studded with the most precious gems and embroidered with large emblems symbolizing his status. Such robes were invaluably precious, a privilege only the Emperor could enjoy.

But Alvia had never worn ceremonial robes. In any situation, he wore the Imperial military uniform, its black color perfectly accentuating his figure. However, the Imperial military uniform had almost no lavish decorations, completely opposite to the Emperor’s ceremonial robes.

One was extravagantly luxurious, the other simple and elegant.

Alvia emerged from the underground palace and strode towards the venue, with Ryan and the guards immediately following behind him.

Although wearing the same black military uniform, Alvia was always the most eye-catching one, with broad shoulders, long legs, and an evenly proportioned physique, his nearly perfect face making even Ryan, praised as the Imperial noble prince behind him, pale in comparison.

His ice-blue eyes and facial features were equally cold and aloof. He glanced indifferently at Ryan, who slightly nodded, indicating that everything was ready.

Alvia strode forward, the golden tassels on his shoulders swaying with each step, while the only thing on his uniform that distinguished him from others was the embroidered dark emblem with a faint glow on his cuffs, signifying his unique status.

Unlike the Alvia that Zhou Zhou knew, this Alvia seemed carved from ice and snow, radiating a chilling aura just from being near him. Yet his face, revealing his true appearance, made one unable to resist wanting to get closer.

The stark contrast between his looks and aura only added a contradictory charm to him.

At the Imperial Founding Ceremony venue, countless lights and cameras were focused on the slowly approaching Imperial Emperor.

The nobles and ministers present all rose to greet this unusually low-profile Emperor.

Alvia nodded to the crowd, then proceeded to his highest position.

“Aaaah, His Majesty finally appeared!”

“Quick, take screenshots! I’ve already found a storage device. This time, Zeus definitely won’t be able to delete them from me, hahaha.”

“Doesn’t His Majesty’s complexion look off? The attack a few days ago must have really injured him.”

“Nonsense. His Majesty has always had fair skin. Aaah, that gorgeous face, I could admire it forever.”

“Aaaah, my photos! Deleted again!”

The Imperial Founding Ceremony ritual was originally quite complex, taking several hours just to praise the greatness of the Empire and the Emperor’s achievements, followed by various performances that dragged on for almost an entire day in total.

But now, Alvia had cut it down to just one or two hours, removing all the praising portions and reducing everything else as much as possible, leaving only the traditional sword ritual.

This was the ritual from when the Empire was founded, where those of the same mind swore by the sword to restore peace and stability for the people of this land.

By now, it had become a solo ritual for the Imperial Emperor.

Holding the sword passed down from that time, Alvia completed the ritual with no expression.

Afterwards, he just had to sit and enjoy the performances that had been carefully selected. Although Alvia had reduced them from an entire day’s worth to only five, the civilians in attendance and watching the livestream were still very excited.

Alvia sat in the highest position, watching the person about to sing on the not-too-distant stage, his brows furrowing slightly.

The person on stage was currently the most popular singer in the Empire, with pale golden hair and blue eyes that made him look like an angel, especially when bathed in sunlight, appearing dreamy.

Alvia had never paid attention to this person before, but now, that singer seemed to resemble Zhou Zhou a bit, with similar eyes and brows, though his gaze lacked the same clarity, holding a tinge of eagerness and greed instead.

Tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest a few times, Alvia drifted off as the singer’s angelic voice rang out, wondering what Zhou Zhou was doing right now. He hoped Zhou Zhou hadn’t gone to an instance with others.

Snapping out of his brief daze, Alvia’s gaze returned to the singer, who was now performing on stage surrounded by holographic imagery of white celestial birds trailing long tails, dancing elegantly around him. These were the so-called Imperial peace doves, a nearly extinct species whose pure white tail feathers were once highly coveted by the nobility. The singer at the center appeared like a sacred, descending angel.

At the end of the song, as the dancing celestial birds vanished, a white tail feather appeared in the singer’s hand.

He slowly advanced towards the stage, a perfectly timed smile on his lips, clearly intending to present this tail feather to His Majesty.

“Aaaah, let go of my Emperor, let me do it!”

“Isn’t it inappropriate to present a celestial bird’s tail feather in this kind of setting?”

“The celestial birds were hunted nearly to extinction precisely because their tail feathers were too beautiful.”

“It’s just symbolic, you can’t exactly capture a live celestial bird for His Majesty. The tail feather represents peace, you’re overthinking it.”

“Wait, did I see wrong, or was that guy making eyes at His Majesty?”

“My little angel would never do that, you’re all just jealous!”

“Don’t they make a lovely pair? Could this be the start of a beautiful romance?”

“Shut up! His Majesty is peerless!”

Alvia watched as the other approached, gently cradling the soft, snow-white tail feather over a meter long in his hands, extending it forward in offering.

At such a public occasion, refusing would certainly cause a stir. Alvia rose, now only a meter away from the singer.

The singer’s breathing quickened slightly as an artistic hand reached out towards the tail feather in his hands.

Meanwhile, the performers for the next segment had also begun preparing on stage.

And that’s when the disturbance occurred, the sound of a gunshot rang out from the direction of the Imperial nobles, drawing everyone’s attention that way.

Startled by the gunshot, the singer let out a soft cry, his already trembling legs from nerves suddenly giving out as he pitched forward.

The unsupported tail feather drifted gently down, fluttering to the ground in the faint breeze.

And in that moment, the pose between Alvia and the singer caused a half-year’s worth of gossip among the Imperial citizens.