Chapter 31: The Black Box
"With the continuous development of science and technology, humans have endowed machines with more and more abilities and emotions, but have you noticed that human emotions themselves are gradually diminishing."
Huang Ying, wearing virtual reality glasses, strolled through the streets of the old city with Han Fei. Children were playing and their faces were adorned with the purest smiles.
"Just take a look at some of the things I've seen and experienced. People living in this smart city may appear glamorous and always wear smiles on their faces, but they spend their days hustling in various business settings, under immense pressure. The so-called social gatherings are nothing more than acting. Everyone seems warm and hospitable on the surface, but their hearts are cold and calm."
"Our genes are being decoded, our information collected and analysed. Every deviant behaviour of ours is recorded in the citizen system. Gradually, our lives, emotions, and existence are becoming standardized. It feels like we are not living our own lives, but merely repeating the same day until death."
After a deep conversation, Han Fei realized that Huang Ying was quite extraordinary. At least, the way he spoke made him seem impressive.
"Humans have evolved from animals, but their inner selves are becoming more mechanical. It's a terrifying thing. And that's precisely why I really love Perfect Life, this groundbreaking game."
Stepping on the cobblestone path, looking at the moss by the roadside, and smelling the faint fragrance after the rain, Huang Ying opened his arms. "This game is helping us reclaim the lost emotions, healing the wounds of our souls. Here, we can relive the beautiful memories we've forgotten and truly feel our own existence."
"Is that so?" Han Fei thought about how he looked while playing the game, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.
"Yes," Huang Ying affirmed.
"The experience in this beta version feels extraordinary. I wonder how powerful the official version will be." Han Fei took off the virtual reality glasses, and the rain in the old alley disappeared. He was now standing with Huang Ying in a private room.
"The official version will definitely exceed your imagination. It's a game that makes dreams come true. It truly lives up to its name, offering you a perfect life!" Huang Ying said with deep emotion.
"From the way you speak, it feels like you've already played the official version," Han Fei said, somewhat surprised.
"You've figured it out. I'm one of the special invited testers for the sixth closed beta of 'Perfect Life.'"
Han Fei remembered the information he found online. The beta players of Perfect Life could be roughly divided into four categories: First, the internal staff of the game, who would always be the first to enter the game for in-depth experiences during testing.
The second category consisted of government supervisors from relevant departments. Perfect Life, as a groundbreaking deep-immersion game, incorporating cutting-edge technology and countless wild imaginations, attracted significant attention from the government.
The third category included special invited testers like Huang Ying, who were often professionals in specific industries or fields. They would play the game from their professional perspective, offering feedback for improvements to make the game more realistic and engaging.
The fourth category comprised general players who obtained access to the closed beta through various channels. Some were dedicated players simply seeking to experience the game, while others were game studios looking for first-hand information to prepare for the public release.
"Being a special invited tester, you must be a big shot in real life too!" Han Fei now confirmed that the Huang Ying in front of him was the same person he had encountered the previous night. His earlier speculation had been correct.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling myself a big shot. I'm just somewhat well-known in the industry," Huang Ying said modestly, showing no arrogance. He patiently led Han Fei on a tour of the game exhibition area, passionately extolling the virtues of Perfect Life. It felt like he was even more dedicated than the game company's salespeople.
"you said Perfect Life can make everyone's dreams come true. So, if I'm a die-hard fan of horror movies, can I experience being fully immersed in a horror film within the game?" Han Fei began testing the waters after identifying the character.
"Of course, there's a dedicated nighttime amusement park in the game specifically designed for horror enthusiasts. It features various thrilling facilities and recreations of horror movies. You can even choose to work in the nighttime amusement park, trying to become the owner of the park. However, there's one thing you need to be aware of—the game has a mental threshold. Once it exceeds ten, the system determines that you've experienced strong stimulation and forcibly disconnects you."
"Forcibly disconnects if it exceeds ten?" Han Fei's eyelid twitched. His mental threshold in the game had been set to 100, just as high as his life points!
"If you're disconnected forcibly too many times, your in-game character might die. Life is extremely fragile in Perfect Life, and you only have one life. After death, all data is reset, and everything starts from scratch," Huang Ying said with a profound sense of experience. "Death is painful. You must cherish life."
"I've personally watched many horror movies, and I don't feel much about the movie plots. Instead, I find certain bizarre events related to haunted houses in real life more chilling," Han Fei gradually approached the question he wanted to ask. "Will Perfect Life have plotlines involving supernatural stories like that?"
"There probably were before the second closed beta. I heard that there weren't many restrictions at that time. Players even attacked NPCs without punishment. One tester even slaughtered an entire neighbourhood and was eventually locked up due to mental instability."
"That's insane."
"You think? When human nature loses its restraint, humans become the most terrifying beasts." Huang Ying seemed to recall some of the rumours at the time. "Because of that incident, Perfect Life added numerous restrictions and cut out nearly one-third of the plotlines. Until the sixth closed beta, almost all plotlines that could potentially raise moral and ethical issues had been removed. Even the easter eggs mentioned in the deceased founder's will were deleted."
"The easter eggs mentioned in the founder's will?"
"You didn't know? It's quite famous in the gaming community. The chairman of Eternal Pharmaceuticals passed away after the first closed beta of Perfect Life. In his will, he instructed his children to search for a black box, claiming that it contained all the regrets, grudges, misfortune, and malice in the world. He provided three clues, saying the box was located at the deepest place in the world, the deepest part of the mind, and the deepest place in people's hearts."
"Did anyone eventually find that box?" Han Fei discreetly wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead.
"No, everyone interpreted it differently. In the end, some suspected that the box was an easter egg in the game, containing the old man's obsession. At that time, the testers were frantically searching for the easter egg in the game, but no one found it. Until the third closed beta, due to certain reasons, all the original plotlines personally designed by the old man were deleted, and that easter egg could never be found again." Huang Ying's tone carried a tinge of regret. "I wish I knew what that easter egg was during my lifetime."
"Yeah, I'm also curious." Han Fei casually touched the back of his head, his expression remarkably calm.
Huang Ying, wearing virtual reality glasses, strolled through the streets of the old city with Han Fei. Children were playing and their faces were adorned with the purest smiles.
"Just take a look at some of the things I've seen and experienced. People living in this smart city may appear glamorous and always wear smiles on their faces, but they spend their days hustling in various business settings, under immense pressure. The so-called social gatherings are nothing more than acting. Everyone seems warm and hospitable on the surface, but their hearts are cold and calm."
"Our genes are being decoded, our information collected and analysed. Every deviant behaviour of ours is recorded in the citizen system. Gradually, our lives, emotions, and existence are becoming standardized. It feels like we are not living our own lives, but merely repeating the same day until death."
After a deep conversation, Han Fei realized that Huang Ying was quite extraordinary. At least, the way he spoke made him seem impressive.
"Humans have evolved from animals, but their inner selves are becoming more mechanical. It's a terrifying thing. And that's precisely why I really love Perfect Life, this groundbreaking game."
Stepping on the cobblestone path, looking at the moss by the roadside, and smelling the faint fragrance after the rain, Huang Ying opened his arms. "This game is helping us reclaim the lost emotions, healing the wounds of our souls. Here, we can relive the beautiful memories we've forgotten and truly feel our own existence."
"Is that so?" Han Fei thought about how he looked while playing the game, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.
"Yes," Huang Ying affirmed.
"The experience in this beta version feels extraordinary. I wonder how powerful the official version will be." Han Fei took off the virtual reality glasses, and the rain in the old alley disappeared. He was now standing with Huang Ying in a private room.
"The official version will definitely exceed your imagination. It's a game that makes dreams come true. It truly lives up to its name, offering you a perfect life!" Huang Ying said with deep emotion.
"From the way you speak, it feels like you've already played the official version," Han Fei said, somewhat surprised.
"You've figured it out. I'm one of the special invited testers for the sixth closed beta of 'Perfect Life.'"
Han Fei remembered the information he found online. The beta players of Perfect Life could be roughly divided into four categories: First, the internal staff of the game, who would always be the first to enter the game for in-depth experiences during testing.
The second category consisted of government supervisors from relevant departments. Perfect Life, as a groundbreaking deep-immersion game, incorporating cutting-edge technology and countless wild imaginations, attracted significant attention from the government.
The third category included special invited testers like Huang Ying, who were often professionals in specific industries or fields. They would play the game from their professional perspective, offering feedback for improvements to make the game more realistic and engaging.
The fourth category comprised general players who obtained access to the closed beta through various channels. Some were dedicated players simply seeking to experience the game, while others were game studios looking for first-hand information to prepare for the public release.
"Being a special invited tester, you must be a big shot in real life too!" Han Fei now confirmed that the Huang Ying in front of him was the same person he had encountered the previous night. His earlier speculation had been correct.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling myself a big shot. I'm just somewhat well-known in the industry," Huang Ying said modestly, showing no arrogance. He patiently led Han Fei on a tour of the game exhibition area, passionately extolling the virtues of Perfect Life. It felt like he was even more dedicated than the game company's salespeople.
"you said Perfect Life can make everyone's dreams come true. So, if I'm a die-hard fan of horror movies, can I experience being fully immersed in a horror film within the game?" Han Fei began testing the waters after identifying the character.
"Of course, there's a dedicated nighttime amusement park in the game specifically designed for horror enthusiasts. It features various thrilling facilities and recreations of horror movies. You can even choose to work in the nighttime amusement park, trying to become the owner of the park. However, there's one thing you need to be aware of—the game has a mental threshold. Once it exceeds ten, the system determines that you've experienced strong stimulation and forcibly disconnects you."
"Forcibly disconnects if it exceeds ten?" Han Fei's eyelid twitched. His mental threshold in the game had been set to 100, just as high as his life points!
"If you're disconnected forcibly too many times, your in-game character might die. Life is extremely fragile in Perfect Life, and you only have one life. After death, all data is reset, and everything starts from scratch," Huang Ying said with a profound sense of experience. "Death is painful. You must cherish life."
"I've personally watched many horror movies, and I don't feel much about the movie plots. Instead, I find certain bizarre events related to haunted houses in real life more chilling," Han Fei gradually approached the question he wanted to ask. "Will Perfect Life have plotlines involving supernatural stories like that?"
"There probably were before the second closed beta. I heard that there weren't many restrictions at that time. Players even attacked NPCs without punishment. One tester even slaughtered an entire neighbourhood and was eventually locked up due to mental instability."
"That's insane."
"You think? When human nature loses its restraint, humans become the most terrifying beasts." Huang Ying seemed to recall some of the rumours at the time. "Because of that incident, Perfect Life added numerous restrictions and cut out nearly one-third of the plotlines. Until the sixth closed beta, almost all plotlines that could potentially raise moral and ethical issues had been removed. Even the easter eggs mentioned in the deceased founder's will were deleted."
"The easter eggs mentioned in the founder's will?"
"You didn't know? It's quite famous in the gaming community. The chairman of Eternal Pharmaceuticals passed away after the first closed beta of Perfect Life. In his will, he instructed his children to search for a black box, claiming that it contained all the regrets, grudges, misfortune, and malice in the world. He provided three clues, saying the box was located at the deepest place in the world, the deepest part of the mind, and the deepest place in people's hearts."
"Did anyone eventually find that box?" Han Fei discreetly wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead.
"No, everyone interpreted it differently. In the end, some suspected that the box was an easter egg in the game, containing the old man's obsession. At that time, the testers were frantically searching for the easter egg in the game, but no one found it. Until the third closed beta, due to certain reasons, all the original plotlines personally designed by the old man were deleted, and that easter egg could never be found again." Huang Ying's tone carried a tinge of regret. "I wish I knew what that easter egg was during my lifetime."
"Yeah, I'm also curious." Han Fei casually touched the back of his head, his expression remarkably calm.
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