The Fourth Quadrant of Online Games

"This man's name is Pu Zhengping." Huang Xinzhi is not a gossip person and has never met Pu Yiyang, so she didn't notice Xiang Hong's shock. She continued to report her investigation results, "After joining FREE to become the first generation algorithm Before becoming an engineer, he was an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics of Jiangcheng University. He made a lot of achievements in the theory of information network construction of the human nervous system. The research he did back then was relatively pioneering, because it was too related to applications and was not very popular in the field of basic mathematics. Recognized. Later he resigned from school and came to work for FREE. The PU formula should be the result obtained within that half a year, and it was the first time his previous theoretical conception was realized by technology. Unfortunately, geniuses are often not so lucky , On the eve of the DELTA public beta, he suddenly accidentally drowned, and he was unable to witness the glory of our game later.”

She showed the above-mentioned information to Hong one by one, including the articles published by Pu Zhengping when he was teaching at Jiangcheng University, and the reports of various news media on the matter after his accident.The news only said that he was found drowned after disappearing for many days, and no further analysis was made on the cause of death of this seemingly promising young mathematician.It also mentioned that Pu Zhengping also has a son who just entered high school, and expressed sympathy for his wife and children who were hit suddenly.Until the end of the article, there was no mention of Pu Zhengping's work at FREE.

When looking back on these past events, Huang Xinzhi's tone was slightly sentimental, probably out of regret for the death of her predecessors before they left school, and it was inevitable that she was a bit sad.

Xiang Hong has also slowly awakened from the familiarity of that face, digesting the information, suddenly frowned, and said, "For Pu... Pu Zhengping's death, FREE didn't make any statement at that time?"

"It's strange to say it's strange," Huang Xinzhi smiled, looking desolate, "Probably because DELTA is just about to go online, and the company doesn't want to disturb the overall situation by spreading negative news about the bizarre death of a core employee at this juncture. "

The implication of this is nothing more than Asuka doing his best, implying that FREE has carried out crisis public relations on the death of Pu Zhengping in order for the game to go online smoothly.After finishing speaking, Huang Xinzhi also seemed to feel that this remark seemed to blame FREE too much, and looked at Xiang Hong in embarrassment.

Xiang Hong didn't intend to refute, and tapped his fingers on the back of the chair beside him, his expression becoming more serious.

No, it's not like that, or more than that.

"This is all the research published by Pu Zhengping back then?" He took a step forward, replacing Huang Xinzhi, and sliding the suspended air screens in front of him.

"It's all the results of his student period and teaching period." Huang Xinzhi was a little surprised by Xiang Hong's performance, and added, "It's all about the frontier of mathematics."

Mr. Xiang seems to be completely unafraid of those complex formulas that are equivalent to a group of demons dancing in the eyes of ordinary people, and quickly browses page by page, and judging from the speed of his eyeballs, he is really looking for information through these information. wearing something.

Huang Da, who also considered himself a genius, couldn't help further admiring the courage of his president.

Seven or eight minutes later, Xiang Hong's hand paused for a moment.

He quickly selected that article, stretched and enlarged it on the screen, and landed his fingertips on a certain line.

Huang Xinzhi looked over curiously, and found that this was not a serious academic study, but an interview by an academic magazine with Pu Zhengping, who had just graduated with a Ph.D. and got a teaching position at Jiangcheng University.

What was circled by Xiang Hong was a line of text with a sense of déjà vu.

"What is the ultimate goal of my research? It may be absurd to say it, but don't laugh at me. I hope to find a way to immortalize human consciousness through information technology," the man said in an interview with the magazine, "By the way, I secretly call it the Conscious Project myself."

Plan Conscious, Plan C.

He was so close to the answer he had dreamed of, but there was no trace of joy on Xiang Hong's face.His face was completely frozen, and every muscle was tense, as if some scourge was hidden in these few lines, and it would jump out to meet him at any time.

"This, don't you mean... no?" Huang Xinzhi was also quite frightened, looked at the interview, then looked up at Hong, and murmured, "This is too bold, it's a singularity, it's Singularity... If you really want to pass, how much will you have to pay?"

Singularity, a point of existence and non-existence, which may completely destroy the existing scientific laws and human ethics, is the point of origin and end of mankind.

Pu Zhengping is undoubtedly a genius, and he is also a daring and unconstrained genius. He actually wants to use his own power to subvert the human being's definition of "consciousness".The essence of consciousness depends on time and space. It is born and annihilated with the birth, aging, sickness and death of human beings. Compared with the entire universe and the long river of time, a single consciousness is like a firefly, with only a moment of life and a star's brilliance.And Pu Zhengping, this man wants to do what God can't do with a mortal body. He wants to free this firefly from the bondage of time and space forever. ".

What shocked Xiang Hong the most was that there were various indications that although the man declared his death early, the wild plan he put forward still existed in FREE like a ghost.

Plan C.What is it that makes Wu Zheng invest so much, to complete the delusion ten years ago, and with his secret promotion, how far has this plan been pushed?

After witnessing such a huge ambition, Xiang Hong sent a chill down his spine, he quickly waved his hand, shattered the screen in front of him into thousands of pieces, and pulled out the data strip at the same time.

"Listen well," he said to Huang Xinzhi who was still in astonishment, "I didn't come to look for you today. What you saw and what you heard never existed."

Huang Xinzhi couldn't guess that the relationship here was very important. Although she was full of doubts, but out of the tacit understanding she had just reached with Xiang Zongmeng, she chose to follow Xiang Hong's instructions, leave here, and continue to do what she should do.

Xiang Hong held the data strip tightly, and followed downstairs, obviously getting closer to the truth he wanted, but compared to his previous ambition, he was temporarily at a loss as to where to go next.

Huang Xinzhi's words also lingered in his mind.If you really want to complete Plan C, how much will you have to pay?He can see more than technicians like Huang Xinzhi.This "price" is sometimes obvious, such as a lot of money and time.But Wu Zheng deliberately planned to hide this plan C underground, and it was definitely not out of these normal cost considerations.

The Gemang man in the game, the player named Cao Yicong, who fell under a single shot, his distorted face and limbs under the gushing blood, appeared again and again in front of Xiang Hong.

Is this also... the only way to achieve the goal, the necessary price?

The magnificence in front of him, the miraculous miracle of light and shadow, seemed to be a pale ghost, weighing heavily on his shoulders, and every step he took seemed to be branding his footprints on the stairs.This price is too heavy, he said to himself, as the president of FREE, he cannot bear it.

"Boss," Wu Xuechun called him from behind, "Do you want me to call Mr. Pu over?"

Xiang Hong paused for a while.

Pu Yiyang.He can go to Pu Yiyang and tell him about these things.That man is Pu Zhengping's son, if he knows more about the truth, maybe he can help him stop Wu Zheng.

He almost wanted to tell Wu Xuechun, but when the words came to his lips, he changed to: "No, don't go to him yet."

Before the situation became clear, it was too dangerous to rashly pull that person into the game.He was well aware of Wu Zheng's tactics, and he couldn't take this risk.

"The boss really cares about Mr. Pu." He heard Wu Xuechun say, "I've never seen the boss like someone so much."

Xiang Hong suddenly turned his head, subconsciously annoyed: "Who, who said I like him?"

Wu Xuechun lowered his gaze slightly, and said: "Maybe the boss hasn't noticed it yet, but it's obvious. No one has ever made the boss keep it in his heart and talk about it for so long. Mr. Pu is special."

"It's all because I want to win him!" Xiang Hong quickly retorted, "That kid is so arrogant that he dared to press me on the head, if you don't show him some color, he should swell enough to fly out of the solar system! "

Wu Xuechun smiled bitterly: "Boss, there is no way for anyone to take revenge on a person. It is to force him to be his boyfriend."

Xiang Hong: "..."

Wu Xuechun: "When I'm with Mr. Pu, the boss must be very happy, right? I haven't seen the boss so relaxed for a long time. For this, I really want to thank Mr. Pu."

Xiang Hong finally couldn't take it anymore: "Ah Chun, why are you so talkative today? Are you going to lay eggs like your old mother? Say one more word, and I'll let you accompany Dajing right away."

Wu Xuechun suddenly stopped moving.

"Boss," he raised his head, the corners of his eyes were red, "I'm sorry. After today, even if you don't drive me away, I don't think I have the face to stay by your side."

Only then did Xiang Hong notice something strange, and snapped, "What nonsense are you talking about here?"

As soon as he said these words, he knew that something was wrong.

In the huge laboratory, there was no one before he knew it. When he and Huang Xinzhi were talking on the second floor just now, there were obviously many employees from the R&D department who were debugging these models.

But now, there are only him, Wu Xuechun, and these non-speaking holographic projections left here.

"You..." He looked at his most trusted little brother, and vaguely guessed some facts that he was least willing to guess. As if he had expected it, he turned around stiffly.

The person he least wanted to see at the moment was standing in front of him.

Wu Zheng put his hands in front of him, with that never-changing expression on his face, watching him calmly.

"Xiaohong, it seems that this day has finally come." He said softly, spreading his hands, "As you can see, this is Plan C."

Following his voice, the holographic images hovering around them changed instantly.Those who appeared in the laboratory were the Gomans, the Kingfishers, the Kalians, the Gangamores, and the existing races in DELTA.They are all floating in the air in a translucent form, their toes are off the ground, their bodies are stiff, and their faces have indescribable expressions.Sleepwalking - the first word that popped up in Xiang Hong's mind, it seems too similar.He saw beautiful official character projections in the office area every day, and he also saw all kinds of player characters in the game, but there was no situation where these characters showed a half-dream, half-awake, blank expression.Coupled with that weird movement, these people looked less and less human, but like marionettes, controlled by invisible silk threads, floating towards him aimlessly.

Xiang Hong never dreamed that he would be scared into a cold sweat by the characters in his game today.

Wu Zheng seemed to know the phantom that appeared in his mind just now, and really summoned a group of "ghosts".

There are also phantom buildings behind the man. If you look closely, it seems to be very similar to the gate of the temple that he once broke through on the star of the voyage.Wu Zheng stood at the entrance of the temple, with his outstretched hands, peaceful eyebrows, and layers of soft light all over his body, making him look like the guardian of the temple.

Xiang Hong stared at the man, his eyes tearing apart.

"Stop pretending to be a ghost." He hated the smug smell, rushed forward, grabbed the man's skirt, "tell me honestly, what did you do to those players?"

Wu Zheng said slowly: "Xiaohong, do you still remember the historical stories I told you when you were young?"

Xiang Hong hated men the most when he was a child, and he yelled angrily, "Don't talk nonsense with me!"

"You're still so impatient." Wu Zheng smiled and said to himself, "Just like what I taught you, throughout the ages, every footprint that humans have stepped out is on blood and dry bones. No great change has ever been made without sacrifice."

Xiang Hong stared at him coldly: "I knew you were shameless, but I didn't expect you to be so shameless. Do you remember how to write the words "disregarding human life?"

Wu Zheng replied leisurely: "Xiaohong, you are wrong. We are not killing people, but saving people. We are eliminating death. If we do it, you will understand how much it means to human beings. "

"Shut up!" Xiang Hong was no longer interested in playing tricks, and the knuckles of Wu Zheng's clothes turned white, "Why, why do you spoil DELTA and FREE like this?"

Why do you want to trample on my dream... and drag FREE, which represents hope, back into the unbearable abyss of blood and fire?

He didn't say the last sentence, his eyes were already filled with hatred, he only hated that he didn't have a gun in his hand, but it didn't matter, he could use his fist to beat the bastard in front of him to realize the reality.

Just when his punch was about to land on Wu Zheng's face, someone pinned down his shoulder.

Only then did Xiang Hong realize that Wu Zheng did not come alone.

As if he had expected that Xiang Hong would attack, Wu Zheng brought over a dozen people, all of them were professional thugs from the Tianlong Gang, with strong muscles and bones, and extraordinary skills, none of them were easy to deal with.

The disparity in the number of people early decided the outcome.

When Xiang Hong was knocked down to the ground, he still beat three and wounded four.He himself was also very concerned, one side of the brow bone was swollen, blood was dripping from the corner of his broken mouth, and one arm was dislocated.

With four burly men pressing down behind him, he temporarily lost his fighting power.

Wu Zheng walked up to him slowly, bent down to check his miserable situation, shook his head, and sighed: "Xiaohong, you are still the same, you haven't grown up at all, you will only get tough when you encounter problems, and you can't always recognize Reality."

With two hands pinched around his neck, the person on the ground actually managed to raise his head a little bit, spit a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood onto Wu Zheng's shoe, and added a resounding "Bah".

As a result, there was another hand on the back of Xiang Hong's head.Even though he was 1 unwilling, he still lost the strength to hold on, and his swollen cheek hit the ground hard.