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“So Beijin, what are we going to do in the Tower?”
Bored, Lin Qin asks.
With everyone sleeping and inside the Ultimate Nightmare, the entire Tower is silent, vast and lifeless. It’d make hairs stand on end.
Not for Lin Qin, though, as he’s still inside Xü Beijin’s bookstore, chatting with him about how they don’t have to enter the Ultimate Nightmare.
“Wait…” Xü Beijin replies, “let me do something first.”
“What is it?”
“Starting the stream.”
Lin Qin blinks in confusion, asking, “stream?”
“Yeah…” Xü Beijin explains how he has been livestreaming in Nightmares before, and says, “I have to use this stream to get some information out.”
Lin Qin wonders what it is. What’s the message? To whom? Why through the stream?
But he doesn’t ask to interrupt, knowing it must be important.
Xü Beijin does explain, though, “asking for help from the outside.”
“Help?” Lin Qin thinks about it, and asks, “won’t it be blocked?”
He’s also quite aware of humanity’s plight now, perhaps even more so than many humans here.
This is mainly thanks to Xü Beijin having to explain the Fy’ecas to him in order to talk about his memories.
Although he doesn’t really feel like he was part of what happened to humanity, but knowing that Xü Beijin has apparently went through this… is enough to anger Lin Qin greatly.
So XĂź Beijin ends up having to calm him down instead.
Xü Beijin didn’t tell anyone else this complete version of the truth, neither to the Missiontakers or even the Tower residents.
One, the enemy is too powerful. Knowing them is enough to demoralise any resistance.
Two, the Fy’ecas probably stopped caring about what they’re doing a long time ago, but if the humans start to repeatedly mention the Fy’ecas…
Recall that, once, Xü Beijin’s livestream comment barrages would have censored words.
Xü Beijin suspects that ‘Fy’eca’ is the word that’s being censored.
Therefore, XĂź Beijin was also always slightly worried they would notice; while explaining everything to Lin Qin, he also gave a pseudonym to refer to them instead.
So hearing that XĂź Beijin is going to ask for help on the stream, Lin Qin is confounded.
Those behind this game must have its internet traffic scoured. Can the stream really pass the information on successfully?
Xü Beijin replies, “it’s highly possible, because this game is able to stream to the outside world.”
Lin Qin can’t understand.
Xü Beijin tries to explain it so that Lin Qin can understand, “did you know, that this game that has humanity trapped, isn’t unique?”
“Not unique?” Lin Qin repeats the phrase, “you mean, there are many?”
“Yes, possibly a lot, and some streamers are able to enter these games and stream, almost like… streaming animal fights. ‘They’ have most of their imprisoned subordinate species trapped in games and similar media.”
Lin Qin asks, “why games?”
Xü Beijin narrows his eyes and says, with a rather suggestive and serious tone, “it’s because, that’s their forte, data connection, virtual worlds… it’s their territory.”
Lin Qin thinks about it, then moves on to the next thing on his mind, “so who do you plan to…”
Though he thinks he might have a vague answer in his mind already.
Xü Beijin answers, “it’s still all too early to say. Just wait there, I have to open the stream.”
Lin Qin says ‘alright.’
Opening the stream, XĂź Beijin feels a little emotional.
It hasn’t been that many days, of course; the viewers were there to chat around when he was in Xie Ji’s Nightmare, too.
In less than a week, the situation here has already changed drastically.
And he is also in a vastly different place compared to when he first obtained this streaming system.
Overall, he is thankful for the appearance of this streaming system, and the rather jumpy and hilarious audience.
“yo Beibei!”
“Beibei is still the handsome Beibei! licky licky!”
“help there are pervs here”
“go away! Beibei belongs to the little apple!”
“wheres little apple? Beibei, you didnt point at him immediately! youve changed!”
XĂź Beijin is relaxed and amused.
He’s let the camera focus on the scenes in the Ultimate Nightmare, which he now has access to stream through the partial, temporary authority from NE. He can both monitor the situation inside, and stream its contents.
All substantial changes brought about by the unexpected stance NE took.
Thinking so, XĂź Beijin subconsciously looks out his window, then hangs his head low and chuckles once.
NE is still NE. The AI never betrayed. The damned artificial intelligence is always watching, monitoring humans from on high.
Just as the Missiontakers always suspected, NE is an accomplice of the ones behind all this.
Then XĂź Beijin sighs and turns his attention back to the Ultimate Nightmare. He has to check on the conditions of the humans inside, before doing what he needs to do with Lin Qin.
And he’s also watching the comments of the viewers closely.
The viewer IDs are only ones he knows. There isn’t any unfamiliar ones yet.
Slightly disappointed for now, he knows he’s only just started livestreaming. It’d be a great coincidence if it was so timely.
Derisively smiling at himself, he looks at the stream.
This time in the Ultimate Nightmare, there are truckloads of people. Xü Beijin doesn’t actively choose where the camera goes, letting it settle on a complete stranger.
… A complete stranger standing on top of a rooftop, yelling, looking like he’s moments from jumping.
The viewers are understandably confused.
“what’s going on?”
“is this a new nightmare?”
“Beibei! paging Beibei! explain this nightmare at once!”
“Beibei hasn’t streamed for quite a while now, i’m sure the detective dalao can’t wait any longer”
“you think the detective dalao is? then what about you?”
“i know my own ‘smarts’ all too well [sad emoji]”
Seeing these comments, Xü Beijin thinks and explains the Nightmare thusly, “we’re close to the ending of this game itself.”
The viewers seem quite astonished.
“ending?!”
“holy hell, I feel like we havent even seen each other much yet but the game is already ending? and isnt this some open ended multiplayer game? theres an ending?”
“oh, maybe it’s those that lets you start over fresh after the end”
“I’m sure it’s because this is a riddle-solving, detective noir type of game. Mysteries will run out, and the ending will come.”
“what the detective dalao says makes sense!”
Xü Beijin watches the comments roll by and continues, “according to the game’s setting, humans entered a safehouse named the ‘Tower’ after the Apocalypse. The management of this Tower is handled by an artificial intelligence…”
He quickly goes over the basic setting of this game.
The audience appear impressed.
Then Xü Beijin moves on to this Ultimate Nightmare he’s streaming to them, “all the players have entered the Ultimate Nightmare, whether they were an Actor or Missiontaker.”
He’s glossed over both himself and Lin Qin here; the viewers would probably assume they’re both in the Ultimate Nightmare somewhere and not still in the Tower.
Xü Beijin explains, “in the Ultimate Nightmare, people would be sent back to the start of their Apocalypse. They will make a choice there – will they continue to trust the AI’s judgment and stay in the Tower, or abandon the AI, and choose to fight the harsh, post-Apocalyptic conditions outside?
Their choice in this Ultimate Nightmare would affect what the AI management of the Tower outside decides.
Because the AI’s sole function is managing the Tower, if all surviving humans make the same choice to abandon the AI, then it will be stripped of the responsibility.
The choice needs to be an informed and rational decision; when humans faced the Apocalypse and needed immediate intervention, the designer of the Tower and its AI spared no effort and, with great sacrifice, established this safehouse.
This is a rushed response to the Apocalypse, therefore, humans will, after adapting, face the choice once more after experiencing the Apocalypse anew. If they would still insist on freedom, just as they did before entering the Ultimate Nightmare, then the AI will shut down.
This is what the players’ experience in Nightmares are leading up.”
Xü Beijin explains the game’s ultimate choice – a binary selection.
Should, or should they not, abandon the AI?
This question also has the viewers of the stream sharply divided.