Chapter 21

"Since you've been using the machines for a week, I know you have many questions. It just so happens that today is a rest day. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, and I will try my best to answer them."

Shi Qianjun said to Su Peng and the others.

Su Peng and the others exchanged glances, and Sun Shijia was the first to speak. He asked, "Director Shi, this game... how should I put it, it's too realistic. The technology used, and the operation mode of mental感应 (induction), are groundbreaking... I want to know, who developed this game? It must be a big company, right? And when will this game be released?"

"Many people have asked this question," Shi Qianjun said, picking up a pen from the table and tapping it. "The technology used in this game is the most advanced in the world... but it hasn't surpassed the times by much. If you remember, in the year 2000, when Microsoft launched the Windows 2000 operating system, there was also news that Microsoft was researching a holographic brainwave induction device, right?"

"Yes, I remember," Su Peng nodded slightly. "I read that report, and the picture showed a person wearing a helmet and lying on a chair. The helmet had many wires... and the text in the report said that the device could only project holographic visuals and partial mental induction."

"You have a good memory," Shi Qianjun nodded and said. "Back then, the hottest movie was 'The Matrix.' In the year 2000, Bill Gates of Microsoft once boasted that as long as 100,000 information lines were connected to the brain, he could make anyone enter the world of 'The Matrix.' His confidence at the time was based on this holographic induction technology."

"Director Shi, are you saying that our game was developed by Microsoft?" Sun Shijia asked, his face showing excitement.

"No... you're thinking too simply. The background of the research team for this game is very complex... It combines the reverse hypnosis technology developed by top psychologists from the American Psychological Association, Microsoft's holographic induction technology, some mental induction technology from Japan, hardware manufacturing technology from Germany, and the contributions of some world-renowned individuals. This development method is similar only to the way President Truman gathered top scientists to develop the atomic bomb... However, this research was not driven by the government but was coordinated by our company behind the scenes... Of course, these research teams have all received certain benefits and commitments, and the researchers have signed confidentiality agreements with huge compensation clauses, so it's impossible for you to find out the background of the game and the company through your channels."

"As for our company, I can only say that it is a vast company with a background beyond your imagination, but it is a multinational capital that is not controlled by any country. That's why the company can receive assistance from the aforementioned organizations. Regarding the release... the game is still in the testing phase, and a game of this era will certainly have many issues. The company's ethicists and various researchers are conducting tests, so it won't be released within the next three years."

Shi Qianjun said to the three of them.

Sun Shijia nodded, seemingly understanding, while Ji Ming frowned slightly and said, "This doesn't make sense. If the companies you mentioned were involved in the research, why does the game have an Eastern background rather than a Western one? After all, from what you said, the main contributors to the game are Western."

"You misunderstood," Shi Qianjun said, twirling the pen in his hand. "Most of the companies I mentioned are responsible for hardware facilities and technology development, such as the game pods and reverse hypnosis technology you are using now. The game software, due to some reasons, is temporarily set in an Eastern martial arts world."

He continued, "Due to some technical reasons, the researchers found that the Western world background had a certain uncertainty, whether in social structure or other aspects, there would always be some loopholes. Although these would be compensated for during the world's own calculations, the overall development was scattered. However, the Eastern world background, especially the ancient Chinese world background, had a certain stability... This might be close to what the Chinese often refer to as 'the Way.' Because of this, some Eastern mysticism masters were also invited to participate in the development, resulting in the game you see now."

"The company has also considered developing a similar game with a Western background, but it hasn't been successful yet."

Ji Ming nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and stopped asking questions.

"You, Su Peng, do you have any questions?" Shi Qianjun lifted his sharp face and asked Su Peng.

"I want to ask about the intelligence of the NPCs in the game. It's surprisingly high and human-like, almost reaching the level of artificial intelligence. Their intelligence is comparable to that of ordinary people, and in some cases, even surpasses it. How is this achieved? And the game world is so vast and realistic, what kind of computer can serve as the main server to run this game?"

Su Peng asked this question.

"Ha ha, finally someone mentioned this," Shi Qianjun smiled slightly. "You don't need to worry about the server... You should have heard of the holographic capture system, which is generally used for mapping detailed maps. It uses a special scanning system to scan the terrain and then captures it into the computer. The entire game uses an upgraded version of this technology to scan real-world terrains, and for this, we have traveled to many places in the real world."

"As for the stability of the server... you don't need to worry about that either. Currently, supercomputers are in their fourth generation. Our company has a supercomputer named 'Ziguang,' which has a computing power beyond your imagination. Moreover, our 'Ziguang' supercomputer does not perform other tasks; it dedicates 100% of its computing resources to support the 'Death Loop' game. Additionally, there are two backup server arrays as a reserve computing system, so there's no problem with the calculations."

"Regarding the intelligence of the NPCs in the game... in fact, artificial intelligence has already reached a very advanced stage. What you may not know is that three years ago, the world's leading artificial intelligence technology could already mimic the intelligence of hummingbirds, and some people even created AI with the intelligence of gorillas and dogs. In the process of developing our game, we originally planned to use a massive amount of data to piece together the AI of the NPCs. However, unexpectedly, using the supercomputer and some special scanning methods actually stimulated the development of artificial intelligence..."

"During the game development process, we generated two intelligent samples, named 'Adam' and 'Eve.' They unexpectedly reached human intelligence levels in the game's realistic environment, but they lacked other personality factors... Then, the company's genius programmers developed a personality and habit intelligence plugin, using just the two original intelligent samples to create NPCs with different personalities and habits, but the core was still the 'Adam' and 'Eve' intelligent samples... In other words, although you see many NPCs, they actually have only two original intelligent samples at their core, similar to human DNA... However, unfortunately, due to unknown reasons, these intelligent entities are unaware that they are just a set of data and cannot survive outside the game environment. They cannot be downloaded to other devices, so... research on them is ongoing."

Su Peng frowned slightly but didn't say anything, just nodded and remained silent.

"By the way... in the game, besides you, there are other players, all considered 'beta testers.' However, because the company is so large, they may belong to other departments, and some people are even playing through game consoles that have leaked through special channels. For confidentiality reasons, the company generally allows you to interact with them, so keep that in mind."

"Alright, I've told you a lot today, all of which are the company's trade secrets. You should understand the level of these secrets. To be honest, although I am a director, our studio is just one of many subsidiaries of the parent company, so I don't know everything clearly. I was only informed of some secrets because I am responsible for these game consoles. You should also keep these matters confidential; otherwise, you will face huge breach of contract penalties, and I can't guarantee what measures the parent company will take to ensure 'confidentiality.'"

At this point, he smiled meaningfully and said, "You should know that our parent company is involved in areas like arms... For those who harm the company, in addition to fines, they don't mind physical destruction."

Upon hearing this, Sun Shijia's face turned pale, while Su Peng and Ji Ming remained calm.

"Alright, don't be too stressed. Let's not talk about this anymore. If you have nothing else, you can go out... Oh, right, I almost forgot. The company needs to be able to contact you at any time, so we've given you a company phone. Keep it on when you go out. If there are any issues, the company will call you back. Also, please hand in your game induction rings for now."

"Um..."

Su Peng and the others handed over their induction rings, and Shi Qianjun put them away. He then gave each of them a relatively high-end black phone and said, "Alright, you can leave now."

Su Peng and the others took the phones and left Shi Qianjun's office.

Not long after Su Peng and the others left, suddenly, a secret door in Shi Qianjun's office opened, and a person walked out.

"Ha ha ha... You sure can talk. I was listening inside, and I was stunned by your story. The American Psychological Association? Microsoft? A mysterious and vast multinational company? You really aren't afraid of exaggerating too much."

The person who walked out of the secret door was dressed in black, with a somewhat ancient style, short black hair, and wearing sunglasses. He said to Shi Qianjun.

"I enjoy it. Don't you know, the more fantastic the story, the harder it is to be exposed," Shi Qianjun smiled playfully, then laughed heartily. "It feels so good to deceive people."

"Ha ha... However, they aren't fools. Within a year, they will realize the inconsistency between your words and reality, and they are already suspicious now," the mysterious man in black said to Shi Qianjun.

"So what if they are suspicious? We only need them to work for a year or two. After that, their value will be greatly diminished, and then we can..." Shi Qianjun's eyes glinted coldly as he spoke.

"Is there anyone in this group who needs special attention?" The man in black looked at the rings that Su Peng and the others had taken off and asked Shi Qianjun.

"Keep an eye on Ji Ming. He seems to have some issues," Shi Qianjun said.

"Alright, I'll 'take care' of him today," the man in black nodded, walked over, and opened the door to Shi Qianjun's office, then left.

Seeing the man in black leave, Shi Qianjun sneered, picked up a cup of tea, and brought it to his lips, his gaze becoming distant...