[A folded paper rabbit]
[A plush platypus toy]
[A tattered music box]
Watts: "Such a cute creature, it's sure to surprise Eva. Let's take it."
After taking the platypus toy, Watts found the two kids again: "What do you two know about these rabbits?"
"We don't know anything!"
Tommy: "That old man doesn't let anyone in, so we haven't talked to him about it."
Sarah added: "Actually, there are paper rabbits elsewhere besides this place!"
"Where else?"
Tommy: "In the abandoned lighthouse, just below that cliff over there."
"Let's go?"
"Let's go!"
The two kids led Watts, engaging in various role-playing scenarios, all the way to the lighthouse.
This was the lighthouse that appeared in the opening scene.
A tombstone stood before the lighthouse – a memorial to River.
"River..."
"Is she John's wife?"
The kids shook their heads: "We don't know."
"..."
With no other options, Watts had to enter the lighthouse to see if any useful information could be gathered.
[A colorful rabbit]
This rabbit was different from the others. Its body was made of yellow paper, and its limbs and head were pieced together with blue paper.
"Ah, this wasn't here when we came last week."
"Oh, right, John must have come here again before he fell ill."
Rabbits, again rabbits.
Moshi felt numb. These paper rabbits appeared far too often. It didn't feel like a horror game, more like a puzzle game.
Her curiosity was piqued by these rabbits.
Just then, Rosalyn's machine was ready. Moshi had Watts return to the second floor.
She was eager to see how they would give the old man a second life.
Rosalyn: "Your helmet is on the sofa, hurry up!"
"Whether it's ready or not, let's just start!"
Watts and Rosalyn donned the two helmets equipped by the machine.
It felt a bit like a virtual game.
Moshi enthusiastically supplied a voice line:
"Link Start!!"
'SAO initiated!'
'Sword Art Online, activated!'
'Getting to the theme, the story officially begins!'
......
The screen flashed,
It was still the room they had just opened, but everyone in the room had vanished, leaving only the two wearing helmets.
BGM – Uncharted Realms began to play, eerie yet melodious.
The visuals shifted from the previous vividness to a dark yellow hue, signifying their presence in the virtual world.
An icon appeared at the top of the screen.
The icon featured six figures, seemingly representing the six stages of John's life from childhood to adulthood.
"This is the furthest memory we can reach."
Rosalyn: "Turn off all audio except for John's."
Memory?
"So, through the instrument, they are currently in John's memory? The six people from different periods correspond to John's memories from six different age groups."
Moshi inferred based on the known clues: "Then, by implanting other memories into each memory, the second life experience is completed?"
'Brilliant!'
'This gives me a virtual game scene feel.'
'This idea is a bit too ahead of its time, they've actually created a virtual game?'
'This is interesting, a very creative game.'
......
Watts and Rosalyn wandered around the empty room, searching for useful clues.
Beside the piano on the first floor, they found a piece of sheet music – For River, composed by John.
Moshi suddenly realized: the piano piece the kids played at the beginning was a song John wrote for his wife, River.
The tombstone beneath the lighthouse was indeed the tombstone of John's wife, River.
After putting down the sheet music, they searched the room again but found no useful information. They then left the room and walked out to the front of the lighthouse.
Here, they saw old John and his servant, Lily.
Old John sat on a wooden chair, lost in thought, while Lily stood guard beside him.
Hearing the commotion, old John stood up: "What a pleasant surprise to have visitors... You see, not many people have been to this area yet."
Rosalyn stepped forward and introduced herself: "I am Dr. Eva Rosalyn, and this is Dr. Neil Watts. Do you know about the Sigmund Life Construction Institute?"
"Oh, you two are from that institute?"
John was greatly surprised: "What a coincidence, I was just about to call you."
"Lily, please brew us some tea."
"...Lily?"
Watts: "Actually, you've already called us."
He pressed a button, and the mannequin-like Lily vanished into thin air.
Old John looked bewildered, took a couple of steps back, and eyed the two of them warily.
Rosalyn explained: "The reason we are here is to fulfill a contract we signed in the future."
"..."
Clearly, the John in the virtual memory couldn't believe it. He retreated a few more steps.
"Take it easy! If you fall off the cliff, we'll have to reload this memory."
Moshi, watching from the sidelines, was stunned.
"This is possible?"
"Not only did they go back a week from the future, but they can also converse with the owner of the memory, and the owner of the memory has self-awareness?"
"This technology is incredibly amazing!"
The audience was equally amazed.
'Holy crap, with this kind of technology, will the machine that enables interaction be developed in fifty years?'
'Hahaha, the old man is terrified.'
'The BGM is so good, I'm getting more and more hooked!'
......
Rosalyn admonished Watts: "Watch yourself, Watts. Please show some respect."
Watts: "Uh, it's just a program, you know."
"I know, but this is the last memory he entered. We need his cooperation," Rosalyn explained the settings frantically.
Watts shrugged indifferently: "Even if the worst happens, we can just restart it."
"Why do you always like to waste time?"
Moshi chuckled. The game developer always created such excellent NPC characters, full of personality, just like real people.
He truly lived up to his reputation!
"You guys..."
John seemed to understand what they were saying. After a pause, he said calmly: "...You're here to send me to the moon, aren't you?"
"Yes, John."
"..."
John turned to face the sea, his emotions unreadable: "...I guess my luck is good."
Watts: "I think... it's not good enough."
"So... can you do it?"
John's voice held a hint of hope: "Can you take me to the moon?"
Rosalyn: "We can't, but you might be able to."
Watts: "Why do you want to go there?"
"I don't know."
Rosalyn: "Alright, you must tell us. This is the help we need to get you there."
Watts added: "Want fame? Want wealth?"
"You must have a motive!"
"I'm very sorry, I truly don't know."
A trace of inexplicable expectation flickered in John's confused eyes: "I just... have to go."
ps: Yesterday I wasn't feeling well and only wrote 8,000 characters. Today I'll pull an all-nighter to finish this game. Reading it through gives a good feeling. Please give me some encouragement and support!