Chapter 20
Originally, Pei Sen hadn’t noticed this until someone jumped onto the forum claiming that so-and-so had purchased his second closed beta account.
Some players who weren’t particularly well-off financially were still willing to wait a month for the third closed beta. The third test would have ten thousand accounts available; even if they weren’t selected, they could simply wait for the open beta. Although reluctant to part with their accounts, given the high prices being offered, some people were still willing to sell.
Although during the account lottery each ID card could only register one account, using a game pod to log in allowed for a one-time reset of the linked identification. Therefore, changing the binding before using the game pod wasn’t an issue. However, once logged into the game via the game pod, the account and ID became permanently bound and could never be changed again. In other words, after you had already started playing the game, that account could no longer be bought or sold.
Nearly all major game companies in China have gone to great lengths to acquire accounts, managing to enter the game during its second closed beta.
Some even posted comments like, “Ahem, I heard that people from higher-ups have also gotten in. Virtual reality technology actually has far broader applications, such as in the military… Plus, the NPCs in this game are incredibly intelligent; they claim it’s some kind of artificial intelligence, if you know what I mean…”
However, Bix Cube remains shrouded in mystery. Despite desperately implementing various censorship measures and pixelation to stay safe, the identity of the game company behind it is still unknown. Many are eager to get their hands on this technology, but with no way to find the mastermind behind it, everyone can only take an indirect approach by entering the game first to see what’s inside.
Pei Sen scratched his chin thoughtfully. “They wouldn’t do anything reckless, would they?”
Probably not; what else could they possibly do that’s more outrageous? No matter how terrifying it gets, this is as bad as it can be. Besides, the Bix race has already become synonymous with madness.
At this moment, Designer, Architect, and Tootoo were already brainstorming ways to capture Kui Lang. As a professional game designer, Designer was quite familiar with typical game mechanics. However, he quickly realized that this game didn’t follow conventional patterns. Nevertheless, that didn’t matter; when it came to outsmarting NPCs, he was also a professional.
While everyone else headed straight for the Golden Rose Manor, Designer contemplated something different: if they managed to capture Kui Lang and subsequently delivered him to the Golden Rose Manor, receiving a reward without having an official quest would indicate that the game’s intelligence and freedom exceeded even his highest expectations.
Kui Lang was bent on fleeing. He had originally believed that with City Lord Wallis as his backer, he would be secure no matter what he did and untouchable by anyone. Now, it seemed that was not the case.
Wallis had already chickened out. While this news might have been a secret to others, Kui Lang knew it to be true: the young master from the estate was far more formidable than the city lord himself. For Kui Lang, this revelation was like a bolt from the blue.
Moreover, he absolutely did not want to deal with those eerie Bix Cube races ever again.
Previously, when he had captured the Bix Cube individual accompanying the young master, nothing had felt particularly strange; he had nearly succeeded in selling the captive. However, the Bix Cube individuals captured afterward were bizarre. According to his subordinates, they couldn’t even be touched, as if protected by magic, making Kui Lang never want to target them again.
Unable to touch or sell, thoroughly frustrated, Kui Lang decided to flee this place that caused him such distress.
Kui Lang was unaware that the system had a so-called protection mechanism for players. During the initial closed beta, Pei Sen lacked this safeguard; even pain perception wasn’t filtered, with only the mosaic function active. However, after the beta test concluded, all players received the system’s considerate protection, preventing excessive harassment. Naturally, Kui Lang’s intentions could not succeed.
“Found it,” Tu Tu Hua Hua said, gazing at the street ahead. “Actually, it wasn’t hard to locate. Since most of Kai West City has been destroyed, the remaining few streets cover a much smaller area.”
The Architect compared the NPC standing nearby with screenshots posted by Kui Lang’s subordinates on the forum. “That’s right; it must be the subordinate who always followed Kui Lang.” He turned to the Designer. “What do we do now? We can’t just rush in and grab him, can we?”
The designer thought for a moment. “Just find a few bored players to help lure him away.”
Their goal was to capture Kui Lang, after all, since they still intended to deliver him to the Golden Rose Manor afterward to claim the reward.
In truth, Kui Lang was merely a minor figure. Pei Sen hadn’t truly been intent on revenge; with his game interface intact and having suffered no real harm, his hatred toward Kui Lang was hardly profound. Yet, even in the real world, someone like Kui Lang, a human trafficker, thoroughly deserved death.
But ever since the players appeared, Pei Sen had focused all his attention on them, mostly leaving Kui Lang forgotten. Had it not been for that player named Claude being tricked by Kui Lang once again, he wouldn’t have remembered the man at all.
Pei Sen knew that with just a word from Eagle, Kui Lang would have long been dead and buried; Wallis could neither protect him nor would he even try.
But right now, Eagle was even more determined to finish off Valis. In Pei Sen’s view, Valis was done for; Kui Lang was like a dog with its fangs pulled out, no longer in control of his own life or death.
Pei Sen had originally planned to settle accounts later, but he never expected that the vicious human trafficker would also lose his nerve and attempt to flee.
Just as the designer had said, in this “game” with such an exceptionally high degree of freedom, capturing someone didn’t necessarily rely on combat power; he managed to trap the human trafficker purely through cunning traps.
At this moment, the designer and his two companions were still only level 1, whereas Kui Lang was a level 2 swordsman, theoretically possessing combat strength equivalent to a player around level 20. Yet, unsettled and anxious, his intelligence plummeted, allowing the designer to bind him tightly.
In the dim little room, he gazed at the three figures before him in terror, trembling uncontrollably under their piercing stares.
As a human trafficker who had dominated Kaixi City for years, Kui Lang’s courage and psychological resilience were actually stronger than most people’s; yet he had never experienced anyone looking at him with such an eerie gaze.
Sometimes, death is not the scariest thing; there are matters in this world far more terrifying than death itself.
The three Bixians before him did not look at him as if he were a person, but rather as if he were a jar or a rug; he couldn’t describe that hair-raising sensation.
“What exactly do you want from me?” Hongshao Latiao pushed the door open and entered. “You should know I’m very busy. The Starfall Plains are really quite enjoyable.”
The designer glanced at him. “Why did you choose such a ridiculous ID?”
Although already a well-known figure in the industry, the designer wasn’t actually very old. The gaming circle never cared much about age anyway; the vast majority of people in this field were young.
In real life, he and Braised Spicy Gluten Sticks had known each other for quite some time. In fact, they had been schoolmates abroad, both studying overseas. Since the community wasn’t large, they naturally got to know each other through mutual connections, and even after returning to China, they had never lost touch.
Braised Spicy Gluten Sticks snorted. “What’s wrong with this ID? I think it’s perfectly fine.”
Only then did he see Kui Lang, who was tied to a wooden board. “What are you trying to do?”
The designer smiled and said, “Isn’t this supposed to be a game with a high degree of freedom? We just wanted to give it a try. Never thought we’d actually catch someone. Now we want to gather some data from this person.”
Hongshao Latiao raised an eyebrow. “So the reason you called me here is…”
“Aren’t you a surgeon?”
I have to admit, this idea is brilliant. Even Braised Spicy Strips never expected that his profession, aside from accurately pinpointing human weaknesses within the game, could be used for something like this.
“This is just a game. Did you really expect that slicing open this NPC’s abdomen would reveal normal human anatomy?”
No matter how high-precision a game is, there’s no need to meticulously craft every single internal organ. Besides, while this Kui Lang is an NPC with a name and some recognition, he’s clearly not a major character.
If it were an extremely important NPC, perhaps they would have made it more detailed. But for just any random NPC? Absolutely not.
The designer raised an eyebrow. “The precision of this game is unprecedented, and the NPCs’ body proportions strictly adhere to normal human anatomy; the models should be built entirely according to real human ratios.” As he spoke, he reached out to touch Kui Lang’s skin. “The tactile sensation and texture are indistinguishable from those of a real human.” Due to the system’s protection mechanisms for NPCs, the designer couldn’t touch too many sensitive areas, but the face and hands posed no significant issues.
Kui Lang felt those cold fingers meticulously tracing his face and hands, causing his entire body to tremble even more violently.
Certain keywords and phrases would trigger the system’s censorship, such as “NPC,” “forum,” “system,” “interface,” or “real humans.” To Kui Lang’s ears, these terms were automatically muted. However, expressions like “slitting open the abdomen” or “human anatomy” were not censored, so nothing prevented him from hearing those bizarre remarks until fear nearly made him faint.
The architect examined Kui Lang. “If we want to record detailed data, it would be best to remove his clothes. However, the system seems to provide protection for NPCs; if we try to undress him, it will likely blur everything with a mosaic effect.”
“Hmm, actually, there is a way.” The designer, well-versed in the typical boundaries of games and knowing how to skillfully avoid triggering censorship, looked at Braised Spicy Strips. “Lend me your iron sword.”
Braised Spicy Strips tossed over the weapon. Even though it was a so-called damaged sword exchanged within the manor, it remained remarkably sharp.
The designer paid no attention to the sword’s attributes. Grasping it firmly, he carefully sliced open Kui Lang’s clothes and trousers, meticulously avoiding certain areas to prevent exposing inappropriate parts that would cause the system to apply mosaic blurring.
Soon, Kui Lang’s attire became tattered, revealing much of his skin, yet not so excessively as to trigger censorship.
The designer looked on with satisfaction. “Just as I expected. Since this game is so open, once you understand the rules of censorship, they can be avoided.”
At this moment, the architect held a wooden stick, gently lifting aside the tattered clothes and beginning to record the “modeling” data bit by bit.
“Indeed, it’s completely proportioned according to the human body; the muscle lines are incredibly realistic. I’m considering slicing open the skin later to check if the muscles have been textured.”
Tu Tu Hua Hua leaned in for a closer look. “The precision of the rendering is too high. Boss, look—not only is the skin realistic, but even the body hair looks extremely lifelike.”
By this point, Braised Spicy Strips had also grown curious. He leaned in and suggested, “Why don’t I open him up and take a look?”
Kui Lang shuddered violently. “S-spare me… What do you want? Money? I’ll give you everything, all of it!”
Kui Lang, who had always believed himself fearless of death, discovered he was not as brave as he had imagined.
“Huh, Boss, how did they pull this off? This NPC is actually sweating,” TuTuHuaHua said in astonishment.
The Architect nodded. “Covered in cold sweat; that’s quite impressive.”
The Designer looked on with keen interest. “Is the AI really this advanced? That fear feels far too real. I previously suspected that highly intelligent NPCs were portrayed by dedicated staff members, but it seems that’s not the case.” Unless the game company hired professional actors for the role, but surely not for such a minor character.
The sword in his hand accidentally sliced Kui Lang’s skin, causing blood to spurt out. Beside them, HongShaoLaTiao offered a professional critique: “This blood looks very fake; the color is wrong, and so is the volume.”
The designer nodded in understanding. “This is for censorship compliance.”
Tu Tu Hua smiled and said, “If even this were as realistic as the real world, the game would never be approved for release. The level of realism is already so high…”
Sometimes, being too realistic isn’t entirely a good thing.
Although the game developers themselves are also frustrated by various censorship cuts, it’s undeniable that certain content does indeed have an impact on teenagers and even some adults.
The designers asked them to post some of the data and impressions they had gathered on the forum, initially setting the posts to encrypted and invisible. After the game’s official launch, they would then copy down the content of those posts.
“Let’s test the intelligence level of this NPC now,” he said, glancing at Braised Spicy Gluten. “We can let you examine his physical structure, but it’s best not to kill him.”
“So as long as he doesn’t die, right?” Braised Spicy Gluten found this quite intriguing. “Don’t worry, that’s not hard to manage; just keep an eye on his health points.”
Kui Lang kicked his leg, wishing he could faint right then and there.
At this moment, Pei Sen was in the manor. Today, a large wave of second-test players had flooded into the estate. As expected, Neil was overwhelmed, and Eagle was equally astonished at where so many Bixes had suddenly appeared. After pleading for quite some time, Pei Sen finally managed to get Eagle’s reluctant permission to spare just a little time for him to go out and help Neil.
The estate actually had no shortage of male servants, but many of them, like Kemis, harbored a certain fear toward these frenzied Bixians. Neil was already among those with remarkably strong mental fortitude; ordinary servants would quickly suffer mental breakdowns from players who hounded them with repetitive questions like broken records.
An unusually large number of players arrived for the second closed beta test; most hadn’t yet had much chance to “tease” the NPCs. Pei Sen decided to step in and bolster morale, otherwise Neil would likely be unable to hold out.
Sure enough, when Pei Sen arrived, the scene was already quite chaotic. Several footmen were staggering on their feet, surrounded by a throng of players whose incessant questions made their heads spin, leaving them utterly overwhelmed.
Previously, with only two hundred Bix Cube natives, things had been manageable. Now, however, their numbers had expanded tenfold. Each NPC found themselves encircled by a crowd of curious players eager to ask questions. Especially after discovering how highly intelligent these NPCs were, the players’ desire to chat with them surged. While one-on-one conversations might have been fine, the current situation involved dozens of players attempting to converse with a single NPC simultaneously. Some players, displeased at others stealing their opportunity, nearly came to blows. It was only because Neil loudly declared that any use of force within the manor grounds would be at one’s own risk that no PK incidents actually occurred.
The footmen of the Golden Rose Manor had never encountered anything like this before. These Bix Cube natives were clearly educated, yet they somehow exuded an aura of barbarism, rudeness, madness, and bloodthirstiness, making one strongly inclined to keep a respectful distance from them.
Seeing that Neil was nearly overwhelmed, the moment Pei Sen appeared, all the players immediately flocked to his side.
There was no helping it; such was the drawing power of a popular “NPC.” Especially the female players, who almost entirely abandoned other NPCs to crowd around him.
Fortunately, the system had protective measures in place; otherwise, they might have started laying hands on him right then and there. Even some male players showed great interest in him, though this interest was mostly due to his identity.
As a faction merchant NPC, players could check the latest shop catalog through him.
That’s right; the faction shop does refresh. Some items are removed once they’ve been fully redeemed, and Young Master Eagle occasionally tosses some strange things to Pei Sen as well.
For instance, Fat Cat Peks’ cat teaser that had only lost a few feathers; however, this particular teaser featured pure gold tassels and was inlaid with several beautiful gemstones. In terms of value alone, it was by no means cheap.
Pei Sen knew the players well. “After accepting the quest, please head to Kaixi City as soon as possible to complete it. Only when your contribution points meet the requirements can you claim the rewards bestowed by the young master from me. The young master’s rewards vary each time; if an extremely precious item appears and you lack sufficient contribution points to redeem it, that would be a great pity.”
Players from the second beta test quickly remembered that those from the first beta were already far ahead. Most of them stopped wasting time, swiftly accepted the quest, and dashed toward Kaixi City.
However, some players didn’t care much about the rewards. A female player shouted loudly, “Pei Sen, do you have feelings for your young master!”
Pei Sen’s expression stiffened. He had known this day would eventually come. “Of course, I respect and adore the young master.”
“Heehee, just drop the first three characters and call me ‘Love’ Young Master directly.”
Pei Sen: “…”
These closed-beta players are really annoying; they’re nowhere near as cute as the closed-alpha players.
After Pei Sen busied himself outside for a while, Eagle summoned him back inside. Pei Sen shot Neil a meaningful glance, signaling him to hold on, before turning to head into the manor.
It wasn’t that no players wanted to sneak into the manor to take a look, but seeing the heavily guarded patrols and considering the potential faction penalties, they ultimately didn’t dare. After all, breaking in was impossible, and the consequences could be severe.
Pei Sen knew well that players never followed the rules, but since the estate had always been heavily guarded, he wasn’t worried they would cause any real trouble.
When he returned to Eagle’s side, the young nobleman tossed aside a brand-new cat teaser and looked over. “Do you respect and revere me?”
Pei Sen was momentarily stunned. It seemed that among those present earlier, there were plenty of “loyal servants” who enjoyed reporting external affairs to Eagle; what had just happened outside was already known to him.
“Oh, it’s not because someone reported it to me,” Eagle said, as if reading his thoughts. “I placed a magical eye there, along with a corresponding magical ear. I discovered back in Kaixi City that having only a magical eye without a magical ear simply wouldn’t suffice. These Bixians are quite interesting.”
Pei Sen: “…” He hoped the players would stop talking nonsense and making wild claims, especially those who, like the ones just now, enjoyed joking about him and the young master.
Magic Eyes and Magic Ears were actually quite expensive; anything involving the word “magic” was rarely cheap.
However, since the young master had spoken, no price was too high. Even magic circles consuming magic crystals could be arranged in minutes, so what were a few Magic Eyes and Magic Ears?
“It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered anything truly amusing. These Bixians are indeed fascinating.” Eagle greatly enjoyed watching the male servants in the manor nearly driven to breakdown by the Bixians’ persistent antics; he found it highly entertaining.
Pei Sen could only helplessly say, “As long as Young Master is happy.”
Eagle glanced at him, wanting to ask something but ultimately holding back.
Those Bixians are Pei Sen’s own kind, aren’t they? Why would they say that Pei Sen likes me…
Likes—what kind of liking? Eagle’s gaze drifted slightly; resting his chin on his hand, he zoned out for a moment. But Pei Sen is male, and so is he.
Unsure of what had crossed his mind, his expression suddenly turned gloomy.
Seeing Eagle’s change in demeanor, Pei Sen felt a chill run down his spine. The young master was notoriously capricious; just moments ago he had been in high spirits, yet now his mood had soured once again.
“Pei Sen.”
“Young Master?”
“Go make steamed fish for Peks.”
“Yes, young master.”
“I don’t want to see a single fish bone in that steamed fish!”
Pei Sen: “…” Come on, this steamed fish is for the cat, not for you!
The plump black cat beside him opened its eyes, cast a smug glance in his direction, then immediately rubbed affectionately against Eagle’s hand, letting out two coquettish “meows.”
Pei Sen: “…”
Damn fat cat!
Pei Sen had barely been in the kitchen for a short while before another maid came to summon him. He instantly felt a headache coming on, wondering what new trouble this young master was about to put him through. Upon returning, he found Eagle intently watching footage transmitted back by the Magic Eye.
“Pei Sen, is this Kui Lang your enemy?”
Pei Sen glanced toward the Demon Eye and was surprised to see several players standing before Neil, dragging along a barely conscious Kui Lang.
“Yes, I never expected they’d actually capture him.”
Eagle nodded. “In that case, let’s give them a reward. Keep this man here and kill him—just make sure not to stain the front hall.”
“Very well, young master.”
Pei Sen hadn’t expected Eagle to be so accommodating at this moment. Just earlier, he had been ordered to steam fish for him, yet now Eagle was actually willing to grant extra rewards to those players—his very enemies—and even hand over Kui Lang to his disposal.
Truly, his temperament is as unpredictable as the weather.
Stepping outside, Pei Sen glanced at the three player IDs. The one in the center seemed strangely familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he had seen them before.
In fact, as a renowned game designer, he had made the news several times and granted numerous media interviews. He hadn’t even altered his appearance upon entering the game, so it was hardly surprising that he was recognized.
The designer didn’t view this as a disadvantage within the game; on the contrary, he believed such a “celebrity effect” might bring him considerable benefits, and he had always been adept at leveraging it.
For instance, earlier on, if no one had recognized him, there wouldn’t have been players idle enough to voluntarily help them capture Kui Lang.
Although Hongshao Latiao had also contributed significantly, he had already headed to the Starfall Plains, with no intention of returning to share in the rewards with them.
“Did you capture Kui Lang?”
It seemed they had done more than just capture him; Kui Lang appeared to be barely clinging to life. His eyes slowly rolled, and upon seeing Pei Sen, he actually sighed in relief, muttering, “Kill me… kill me… kill…”
He looked as though his mind had completely shattered.
Pei Sen was somewhat surprised. A villainous human trafficker like Kui Lang was certainly not an NPC with fragile psychological resilience.
What on earth is going on?