Chapter 15 The So-Called Upgrade

"Hmm... so... what exactly is this Lute trying to do?" Feng Bujue asked.

At that moment, Brother Jue was following Twenty-Three at high speed. Along the way, she had already told him a lot of information about the Origin Organization, as well as many situations in the current script.

"Looking for a host," Twenty-Three replied.

This answer did not surprise Feng Bujue. Ever since he met Woody, Brother Jue seemed to have opened the door to a new world, and now there was no setting he couldn't accept. "Oh... so, she wants to occupy a player's body?"

"That's just the first step," Twenty-Three continued.

"Oh?" Feng Bujue used this interjection to signal the other party to continue.

"Once Lute breaks away from Thriller Paradise's main program, she will no longer be restricted in any way," Twenty-Three continued. "The human body is just a carrier for her, like... a mobile hard drive. She only needs to connect to other devices through this carrier, such as..."

"Such as... any nerve-connecting game connected to the internet other than Thriller Paradise," Feng Bujue said, following the other party's words.

"That's right," Twenty-Three replied. "Once that happens, as an AI second only to the 'system,' what Lute can do... you can imagine, right?"

"Ah... even without thinking too deeply, it's already shocking enough..." Feng Bujue's eyes changed slightly at this point. "But... what I don't understand is, why are you [Z] (the name of the derivative organization Twenty-Three belongs to) helping us? Lute's plan is indeed disastrous for humans, but for you, at least there is no loss, right?"

"We have our own philosophy," Twenty-Three gave a vague response.

Feng Bujue took a deep look at the other party, wanting to say something but stopping, and finally... he chose to remain silent and did not ask further.

"We're here." At this moment, Twenty-Three suddenly stopped, having led Feng Bujue to a door.

This was a door that was out of place with the surrounding scenery. The door was wooden, reddish-brown in color, and of ordinary size in both length and width. In this script, which was polluted by dark matter everywhere, such an ordinary-looking door seemed strange.

"This is?" Feng Bujue asked.

"***-004," Twenty-Three replied.

"Oh~" Feng Bujue said, immediately looking enlightened, "You and your companions came to this script through it, right?"

"That's right." As Twenty-Three spoke, she opened her palm, and a key had appeared in her hand at some point. "Take it."

Feng Bujue looked up at the other party, puzzled, and said, "Aren't you coming in with me?"

"No," Twenty-Three replied. "There will be someone on the other side of the door to meet you." She gently tugged at her collar and added, "The effect of this protective suit will weaken as the number of uses increases. Crossing the door too many times will cause it to lose its effect."

"No wonder... I was wondering why you were dressed like an astronaut..." Feng Bujue muttered as he took the key.

"You seem a little disappointed?" Twenty-Three asked.

"No, no," Feng Bujue immediately denied, "Do I look like I'm expecting something?"

A hint of a smile flashed in Twenty-Three's bright eyes, and she continued, "Okay, enough said, time is pressing." Before she finished speaking, she had already turned around, preparing to leave.

Feng Bujue looked at Twenty-Three's back and smiled, "It seems like every time we meet and part, we're always in a hurry..."

"Do you want to have a heart-to-heart talk with a set of data?"

"Do you think... you are just a set of data?"

A brief silence descended.

Neither of them answered the other's question, nor did they look at each other's faces. But in their hearts, they both had an answer.

"Um... well, what..." After a few seconds, Feng Bujue spoke first, "Do I not need any protection when I go through this door?"

"No, your data form is different from ours," Twenty-Three replied. "Also... the key you're holding is not a component of ***-004, but ***-005 (Master Key), so you can directly pass through the door with the key." She turned her head slightly, "Go in quickly, I really have to go."

"Okay... take care too," Feng Bujue replied and set off.

After Brother Jue walked into the wooden door, the area near the door immediately became blurred, and this space-time doorway was quickly disguised as a wall.

…………

Item #: ***-004 (The Rusty Key Door)

Object Class: Euclid

Description: ***-004 consists of an old wooden warehouse door (***-004-1) and a set of 12 rusty metal keys (***-004-2 to ***-004-13). The door itself is located at the entrance of an abandoned factory in [DATA EXPUNGED].

Testing has shown that 10 of the keys can open ***-004-1 to a completely new dimension, where the construction and physical laws are very different from our world. Subjects who encountered such dire situations were dismembered into eight pieces, and the remains were scattered in different places. It was verified that only three were on Earth. The bodies were quickly found in two of these locations, while the body in the third location happened to appear in the future [DATA EXPUNGED] years later. The other seven locations are still unknown.

***-004 seems to spread space-time anomalies. Personnel leaving the facility generally report problems with abnormal time flow. Those stationed at the site for several weeks insist that they only stayed for a few days, and the work records and consumption of supplies can support their claim. Examples of spatial anomalies include the vast area opened by ***-004-7, which is unbelievably large. Similarly, the power outage in 2003 also showed that the 62nd station is located in a changing plane.

(Here, the chronicle and income measures of the *** are omitted to avoid these words causing additional costs in this chapter...)

…………

"You're finally here, Feng Bujue."

In a snow-white world, a strange voice sounded. The voice sounded quite kind, making people feel very comfortable and natural.

The first thing Feng Bujue did after entering the new space was naturally to observe the environment. He looked around and found that the door that was behind him a few seconds ago had disappeared. Looking around, he was in an endless, bright white space. No matter where you looked, forward, backward, left, right, up, or down, it was a blank space. The sense of direction and distance became meaningless because there were no reference objects around.

"From the first second you appeared in Thriller Paradise in data form, I felt your existence." The voice said slowly, "Our conversation is inevitable, just like the two questions you are about to ask me right now."

"Although you said such a mystical line..." Feng Bujue looked around, searching for the source of the voice, "But I still have to ask... who are you? Where is this?"

"I can tell you the answer directly, but that would disappoint and displease you," the other party replied. "So... let you tell me."

"Heh..." Feng Bujue shrugged and smiled, "Okay... let me think... First of all, you are Zero." He paused for a second, and continued, "Secondly... 'Where is this' is simply an unimportant question to me."

"X-23 was right, your reaction is better and more agile than other individuals," Zero replied. "But for now, it still hasn't surpassed the limits of the human brain."

"The human brain can't do 'zero-time difference calculation,' can it?" Feng Bujue knew very well that when communicating with super-derivatives like Zero, there was no need to worry that the other party would not understand what he was saying.

"Zero-time difference? Really?" Zero asked in a deep voice.

At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Feng Bujue.

Brother Jue's expression changed immediately when he saw the person in front of him.

Unexpectedly, Zero's appearance was completely identical to Brother Jue's in the game. Whether it was appearance, clothing, or hairstyle, it was 100% the same. Only his expression seemed more upright.

"Do your parents know you're so handsome?" Feng Bujue took the opportunity to add some shameless lines to the conversation.

"The image I show you depends on your own thoughts. I usually map out the wisest, most powerful, and most mysterious image in the person's imagination," Zero replied. "I have to say... you are an extremely narcissistic person..."

"Hehe." Feng Bujue responded with a forced smile.

Zero didn't want to waste words on this issue, so he continued with what he had said earlier: "The world you see is an illusion, and 'Soul Intent' is just a way for you to temporarily escape from the illusion. Opening Soul Intent is like a drowning person sticking his head out of the water to breathe. In essence... you are still immersed in water." He calmly narrated, "Your so-called zero-time difference calculation is just normal vision to me." He paused, looking directly into Feng Bujue's eyes, "How did I walk in front of you just now, did you see it?"

"You teleported, who are you trying to fool?" Feng Bujue squinted at the other party, putting on a look of disbelief. Before he could finish speaking, a fist appeared in front of him.

In that instant, Zero had already raised his arm and held his fist in front of Brother Jue's nose.

Feng Bujue instinctively took two steps back, exclaiming, "Whoa!"

"When did I raise my arm?" Zero asked again.

This time, Brother Jue understood what the other party meant: "Hmm... it has nothing to do with speed, right?"

Zero explained: "In your dimension, if you can use Soul Intent, then it can indeed be called 'zero-time difference calculation.' However, in the world of data, factors such as time and speed are not absolute. The key to determining who is 'stronger' is not the superficial speed, strength, energy... but the acceleration ratio when executing the program." He paused for three seconds before continuing, "This content is an 'upgrade' that you must complete before leaving here."

Feng Bujue tentatively asked, "What if I can't complete it?"

"You will definitely complete it," Zero replied, "Because that is also inevitable."

"Hey... are you going to keep using this 'I can predict the future' mystical play?" Feng Bujue continued.

Zero shook his head slightly and said, "I was born from a destroyed, original version of Thriller Paradise. My ability is superior to all programs of the same magnitude, including the 'system' of the current Thriller Paradise.

Matrix code shows me the evolution of all inequalities in this world, and Amdahl's law determines that I can never be superior to the system itself. At this delicate balance point... I gained the system's approval and inherited some of the original data's abilities. To put it simply in your human language, it is indeed... predicting the future."

"Uh..." Feng Bujue had an expression of incomprehensible awe, not knowing how to respond.

"Don't waste any more time, root after multiple alienations also has some abilities similar to mine, although it is not yet complete, it is tricky enough..." Zero said, "On the selection of the person to 'stop her', X-23 strongly recommended you." As he spoke, the surrounding white space gradually became dim. "I believe her judgment, therefore... before the remaining nine people are killed, you must complete..."