Chapter 3

"Number 077, welcome to the movie world."

"You will be experiencing the movie world of —— The Matrix."

"The war between machines and humans will continue. I don't know the future, but this is not the end. I want people to see the real world, a world without computers."

"This is your first experience in the movie world. If you are not familiar with this world, you can query the system for relevant information. Note: This privilege is only available in this world under normal circumstances."

"Warning: You can interact with the plot and characters, but you must not reveal any information about the movie system or the real world to them in any way."

"Warning: You have seven days to complete the main mission assigned to you. If the mission fails, you will lose common points. If your common points are negative, you will be eliminated."

"Your current common points: 0, merit points: 0/50."

With 0 common points, if I don't complete the mission, I'll still be eliminated, Zhang Yang rolled his eyes.

"Main Mission: Protect the key character (The Keymaker)."

"Mission Overview: Neo and Morpheus, following the Oracle's guidance, have arrived at the building of the Merovingian in France to find the key character."

"Mission Objective: Save The Keymaker and protect his safety."

"Mission Hint: During the mission, you will be noticed by the Merovingian. Please be cautious."

"Mission Hint: After completing the mission, you can choose to return to the system space immediately in a non-combat state, or you can stay. Note: Your time is limited."

"Side Mission 1: Become a formal crew member of a flying ship. Nebuchadnezzar, Hammer, Logos. Mission Progress: 0/3, Mission Reward: 1500 common points, Penalty: Deduct 500 common points."

"Side Mission 2: Gain the friendship of at least two important characters (65/100). Current Progress: Neo (0/100), Morpheus (0/100), Trinity (0/100), Niobe (0/100), Roland (0/100). Mission Reward: 1500 common points, Penalty: Deduct 500 common points."

"Side Mission 3: Escape from agents at least three times. 0/3, Completion Reward: 2000 common points (Note: The more times you complete this mission, the higher the reward), Penalty: None."

Zhang Yang had of course seen The Matrix. The Keymaker appears in the second part, so he must be experiencing The Matrix 2.

"System, I need information about this world."

"Query allowed." The mechanical voice of the system sounded, and a piece of information appeared in his mind.

In the year 2018, humans invented AI (artificial intelligence).

In 2021, the first robot murder case occurred. The court charged the robot B166ER with murder and decided to destroy B166ER and its kind. The exiled robots settled in the cradle of human civilization (the ruins of ancient Babylon), naming their country "01." Humans eventually used nuclear bombs to attack "01," but the robots were not destroyed. "01" launched a massive counterattack, and humans were forced to retreat.

In 2027, to cut off the machines' energy source (solar power), humans decided to cover the sky with clouds, blocking the sun and plunging the earth into darkness. The machines, well-versed in the human body's protein-based structure, began to artificially create humans using genetic engineering, using the bioelectricity and heat produced by human bodies to sustain the machines.

Humans were born in "fields" and gradually grew into "fruits." Their consciousness was connected to the machine-designed Matrix, living permanently in a virtual world, monitored by robot agents.

The surviving humans and those who "awoke" from the Matrix lived in the base "Zion," continuously working to free humans living in the Matrix. The war between humans and machines had gone through five generations, each ending with the destruction of Zion.

In 20XX, the sixth-generation savior, Neo, was found by the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar, Morpheus, and gradually grew into a "hacker." When he died, he awakened his savior abilities, defeating the agent Smith and beginning his work to free the humans in the Matrix.

The "Architect" decided to strike first, sending a legion of 250,000 electronic squids to attack the Zion base. Neo, guided by the Oracle, began to search for and save the key character — The Keymaker.

"Time: 20XX"

"Location: Surface City"

"Scene: The Matrix 2"

"Difficulty: Normal (D)"

"Pain Reduction: 70%"

"Personal Attribute Enhancement: Non-repelling world, 50% bonus"

"Scene Exploration: 0.2%"

"Note: The digital character information module is activated. Number 077 can check related attributes at any time."

"You automatically mastered the language: English (fluent, temporary), which will be forgotten after leaving this world."

"Accepted Quantity: 1 (Main Mission)"

"Note: Do not change the plot arbitrarily, as it may lead to unpredictable consequences."

"In this world, certain special items can be carried out of this world."

"Note: When you have questions, you can silently call the system and receive answers within your permissions."

At this moment, a spider robot with a red glowing eye descended from above, stopping in front of him. A mechanical claw suddenly grabbed Zhang Yang's neck. He struggled slightly, knowing that the robot was pulling out the plug from the back of his head.

The plug in the back of his head was automatically pulled out, and the spider robot's mechanical arm retracted, spiraling down.

"Thump, thump, thump, thump."

The metal plugs in Zhang Yang's arms, spine, and body popped out one by one. The skin where the plugs were connected was swollen like a crater. Then a suction force came from behind, like a toilet, and Zhang Yang and the nutrient solution slid down a pipe.

"Ah!"

Zhang Yang screamed as he slid down. His body was completely naked, and the friction between his buttocks and the pipe was scorching, but the pipe was very slippery, and the nutrient solution flowed out with him, preventing his skin from being rubbed raw.

"Splash!"

Zhang Yang landed in a green pool, possibly a place where the machines discharged waste water. Above, a mechanical arm opened a door between three searchlights and lifted Zhang Yang up.

Zhang Yang had no strength in his body. His muscles had atrophied from never being used in the nutrient tank. Two men came over and wrapped him in a gray cloth. Before he fell into a coma again, Zhang Yang vaguely saw the face of a powerful black man.

"Welcome to the real world..."

When Zhang Yang woke up again, he was lying on a bed. Except for a thick towel covering his lower body, his body was covered with needles. A black man and a white woman were looking at him.

The black man was wearing a red sweater, which Zhang Yang knew was the symbol of a ship captain. He was Morpheus, the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar, and the artificial human producer. He looked at Zhang Yang and said,

"Your consciousness is very strong. You are the second person to discover the existence of the Matrix and voluntarily leave the Matrix. Our ship found you and saved you."

The white woman was wearing a gray sweater with short hair. She was the heroine, Trinity. She glanced at the monitor, where a heart was beating rhythmically. It was Zhang Yang's ECG.

"Don't move. These needles are to help you recover your atrophied muscles."

Zhang Yang squinted. The white light from above made his eyes hurt.

"My eyes hurt."

From Zhang Yang's mouth came a fluent American English.

"Because you've never used them."

Trinity said, her voice warm, making Zhang Yang fall asleep again.

Zhang Yang woke up many times. The number of needles in his body gradually decreased. Occasionally, someone would use surgical tweezers to remove impurities from the plugs in his body and apply anti-corrosion treatment. These plugs were directly connected to his body for intravenous infusion.

After two full days, Zhang Yang was finally able to walk. He was now wearing a dark yellow sweater like the others. He pushed open the iron door of the bedroom and walked out.

Inside the ship, there were several chairs for connecting to the Matrix (Matrix). In the center were many monitors and keyboards. A muscular black man was sitting there, wearing headphones. Zhang Yang remembered he was the operator of the Nebuchadnezzar, the new switchboard operator — Link. His lover was the sister of the previous operator, Tank, a brave black woman.

In the first Matrix, Cypher's betrayal killed the other four crew members. Now, including Zhang Yang, the Nebuchadnezzar had only five people: Captain Morpheus, operator Link, the main character Neo, the heroine Trinity, and Zhang Yang.

Seeing these movie characters alive in front of him, Zhang Yang was very excited.

Morpheus saw Zhang Yang come out and helped him up. His ship was short of hands, and Link, the brother-in-law of the previous operator Tank, had joined the Nebuchadnezzar after Tank's death, making Morpheus feel somewhat guilty.

"Let me introduce you."

Morpheus introduced everyone to Zhang Yang. Neo had been in the room, seemingly deep in thought. Zhang Yang shook hands with each of them. When he shook hands with Neo, Neo seemed to be in a daze and then came to his senses, looking a bit embarrassed.

Zhang Yang knew why Neo was in a daze. Neo had already awakened some of his savior abilities and could foresee some future events. In his dreams, he saw Trinity falling from a building and being killed by a computer agent.