Chapter 31

"As science and technology continue to develop, humans, in the guise of gods, endow machines with more and more abilities and emotions, but have you noticed that human emotions are gradually disappearing?"

Huang Ying, wearing a virtual reality headset, strolled through the old town's narrow alleys with Han Fei. Around them, children were playing, their faces beaming with the purest smiles.

"Take what I have seen and experienced, for example. The people living in this smart city mostly appear bright and cheerful on the surface, always wearing smiles, but in reality, they are constantly rushing between various business settings, under immense pressure. So-called social gatherings are nothing more than pretense; everyone seems热情好客, but in fact, their hearts are cold and calm."

"Our genes are constantly being decoded, our information collected and categorized, and every one of our out-of-line behaviors is documented in the citizen system. Gradually, our lives, emotions, and existence are becoming standardized. We don't seem to be living our own lives; it's more like we are repeating the same day until death."

After a deep conversation, Han Fei found that Huang Ying was a remarkable person, at least the words he spoke made him feel that way.

"Humans evolved from animals, but our hearts are gradually becoming like machines, which is a terrifying thing. That's why I particularly like the game 'Perfect Life,' a game that transcends its time."

Stepping on the bluestone pavement, looking at the moss by the roadside, and smelling the faint, fresh scent after the rain, Huang Ying spread his arms: "This game is helping us recover the emotions we have lost, healing the wounds of our souls. Here, we can relive the beautiful memories we have forgotten, and here, we can clearly feel our own existence."

"Is that so?" Han Fei thought of how he looked when playing the game, almost shedding tears involuntarily.

"Yes," Huang Ying said with certainty.

"This trial version feels extraordinary. I wonder how amazing the official version will be." Han Fei took off his virtual reality headset, and the ancient alley and light rain disappeared. He was standing in a private room with Huang Ying.

"The official version will definitely surpass your imagination. This is a game that makes dreams come true. The game really lives up to its name, giving you a perfect life!" Huang Ying said with deep feeling.

"From the tone of your voice, it seems like you've played the official version before?" Han Fei's expression was somewhat surprised.

"You've noticed. I am actually a special tester for the sixth internal test of 'Perfect Life.'"

Han Fei recalled the information he had found online. The internal testers of 'Perfect Life' were roughly divided into four categories: the first were the game's internal staff, who would enter the game for deep experiences during each test.

The second were government supervisors. As a groundbreaking deep-immersion game, 'Perfect Life' integrated the most advanced science and technology and countless wild ideas, and the government took it very seriously.

The third were special testers like Huang Ying, who were often experts in a particular industry or field. They would play the game from their professional perspective, offering suggestions to make the game more realistic and interesting.

The fourth were the general players, who obtained internal test qualifications through various channels. Some were hardcore players who simply wanted to experience the game, while others were game studios that wanted to gather first-hand information to prepare for the public test.

"Being a special tester, you must be a big shot in real life!" Han Fei was now certain that the Huang Ying in front of him was the same Huang Ying he had met last night, and his previous guess was correct.

"I wouldn't dare to call myself a big shot, just someone who is relatively well-known in the industry." Huang Ying was very humble and had no airs. He patiently led Han Fei on a tour of the game exhibition area, constantly praising 'Perfect Life,' seeming even more dedicated than the game company's salespeople.

"You said 'Perfect Life' can make everyone's dreams come true. If I am a horror movie enthusiast, can I experience a horror movie in the game?" After confirming the character, Han Fei began to probe.

"Of course, there is a special night amusement park in the game designed for horror enthusiasts. It has various thrilling facilities and reenactments of horror movies. You can even choose to work at the night amusement park and try to trigger the life of becoming the park's owner." Huang Ying began to strategize seriously: "However, you need to be careful. The game has a mental threshold setting. Once it exceeds ten, the system will determine that you have received a strong stimulus and will forcibly disconnect you."

"Exceeding ten will result in a forced disconnection?" Han Fei's eyelids twitched. His mental threshold in the game was set to 100, as high as his health points!

"Too many forced disconnections can lead to the death of your game character. In 'Perfect Life,' life is very fragile, and you only have one life. After death, all data is reset, and you start over from the beginning." Huang Ying said with deep feeling: "Death is very painful, so you must cherish life."

"I have seen many horror movies and don't feel much about the plots, but real-life strange events related to hauntings make me feel more uneasy." Han Fei gradually approached the question he wanted to ask: "Do you think 'Perfect Life' will have supernatural stories as part of its plot?"

"Before the second test, there probably were. I heard that there were no major restrictions at the time, and players could attack NPCs without punishment. One tester even massacred an entire neighborhood and was later institutionalized due to mental instability."

"Was it that crazy?"

"What do you think? When human nature is unrestrained, people can become the most terrifying beasts." Huang Ying seemed to remember some of the rumors at the time: "Due to that tester's incident, 'Perfect Life' added many restrictions and cut nearly a third of the plot. By the sixth internal test, almost all plots that could raise moral and ethical issues had been removed, even the Easter egg mentioned in the founder's will was deleted."

"The Easter egg mentioned in the founder's will?"

"Didn't you know? This is quite famous in the gaming community." Huang Ying lowered his voice: "The chairman of Eternal Pharmaceutical died of illness after the first internal test of 'Perfect Life.' In his will, he instructed his children to find a black box, saying that the box was filled with regrets, grudges, hatred, misfortune, and malice from the human world. He gave three clues, saying the box was in the deepest part of the world, the deepest part of the mind, and the deepest part of the heart."

"Did anyone find the box?" Han Fei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead inconspicuously.

"No, everyone had various interpretations, and in the end, they suspected that the box was actually an Easter egg in the game, containing the old man's obsession. The testers went crazy searching for the Easter egg in the game, but no one found it. By the third test, due to certain reasons, all the plots initially designed by the old man were deleted, and the Easter egg became impossible to find." Huang Ying's tone carried a hint of regret: "In my lifetime, I really want to know what that Easter egg is."

"Yes, I'm quite curious too." Han Fei touched the back of his head, his expression very calm.