Chapter 120: Artificial Soul 47
The second batch of beta test players will complete their registration within twenty-four hours.
However, there are quite a few people waiting for the published list. Half an hour after the list was announced, many new players had already registered and entered the forum.
Given the large base of one hundred thousand, there were many active people within the second section, and after half an hour, several thousand new players had already joined.
Kui Xin watched as the bloody survival count at the top of the forum constantly jumped, rising from nearly nine thousand to 11,280… with each refresh, the number of survivors increased by several digits.
Gazing at the rising survival count, Kui Xin pondered expressionlessly, “How many will die after this week?”
With less than twenty-four hours until the next traversal to the Second World, would the new players be able to gather enough information and learn enough knowledge from the forum?
There was so much they needed to learn, from basic shopping in malls to riding the hover tram, and even entering public spaces. They had to learn how to use elevators and household appliances; a single mistake could get them arrested.
Old players from the first section had already rushed to educate others in the second section about necessary precautions, while even more people were copying educational posts from the first section to the second.
However, the newly entered second batch players were clueless and thought the old players were just playing a joke on them.
The old players attempted to explain to the new players that this game was not just a game; it was truly about traversing realms.
“I advise everyone to read the posts transferred from old players to the second section carefully; it’s best to memorize every word. Even if you have to stay up all night, memorize it all. Do you see the survival count at the top of the forum? Before the second batch of beta test players joined, we had ten thousand in the first batch, and over a thousand have already died.”
1L: ? Your tone is so serious it’s frightening.
2L: Haha, the atmosphere in the forum is great; everyone is really into the game.
3L: Here we go, trying to scare the newbies, huh?
The thread starter initially tried to explain a bit, but it only got worse, and even some new players started to joke around. The entire forum was filled with a lively atmosphere… After dozens of posts, the exhausted thread starter stopped trying to persuade, leaving a final remark: “I’ve done all I can; don’t blame me later.”
Players in the first section consoled the thread starter: “Stay calm, friend. We’ve done what we should have and fulfilled our responsibility; this isn’t our fault.”
The nicknames of players in the two sections of the forum were also different colors: old players were in red, and new players were in green; their identities were clear at a glance.
However, not all newcomers were oblivious; some began to sense that something was off, as, like the initial testers before them, they gradually received identity cards, and the arrival of these cards seemed inexplicable.
“Help, dad came home from his night shift and said he found a silver metal card on the carpet outside, and it has my name on it. What’s going on? How did this thing end up in my house?!”
“I found this card next to the doghouse in the yard. My dog bit it for a long time but left no trace on it at all. What material is this?!”
Then an old player posted: “Now that we’ve reached this point, I advise everyone to remain calm and accept reality. What we old players say comes from the heart. Every evening, reflections of cities appear in the sky; those reflections are actually shadows of buildings in the Second World. Even scientists can’t explain how those phantoms appear and why they last so long. There are many things in the world that cannot be explained by science, and you’re experiencing one of them right now.”
Someone brought up He Kangshi as an example: “That well-known game streamer, Old Kang, is a clear example. He stepped up to reveal the truth, but we lack the courage to do the same. Seeing him do that makes me feel it’s not worth it; those who need to enter the game still enter anyway. Advising against it is basically useless…”
There were also information gaps between players.
Though He Kangshi was well-known in the gaming circle, not every player who enjoys games watched his videos or preferred using social media to keep up with news, so it’s very possible that some people remained completely unaware and muddled through their application for the beta test and stumbled into the game.
Some newly registered players questioned: “There’s something wrong with this game; why hasn’t the upper department banned it?”
An old player replied: “This is a game where you can get an opportunity to traverse worlds just by applying. Can such a game really be shut down?”
“Then why haven’t the relevant departments from various countries issued a ban or warned everyone not to play?”
“Do you think they want to cause panic? There are tens of thousands entering the game, while there are over seven billion people in the world. Moreover, if they said something, it would be like giving ‘Crimson Soil’ free publicity; the game’s influence would only grow larger, attracting even more people, leading to an increasing number of victims. Rather than waste words here, it’s better to go read the educational posts that are being transferred by the big shots. After all, reading those posts won’t harm you, right?”
A new player complained: “When I was young and full of dreams, I specifically bought ‘The Three Gods of Traversal’ and stayed up all night studying, preparing for my own crossover. Now that I’m in this game forum, it feels like a dream returning to my youth. Crossover veterans advising newcomers to prepare for crossing is too outrageous!”
Kui Xin looked at these posts and couldn’t help but sigh.
There were quite a few foreign players on the forum; she specifically counted the number of posts and found that the volume of posts in Chinese accounted for about twenty percent. In some countries, it was daytime, and the number of registered players was slightly higher; the discussions in foreign language posts were also quite lively.
Kui Xin browsed through an English post and found that the topics and questions being discussed by these foreigners were largely similar to those in the neighboring Chinese posts.
As she refreshed the page to view new posts, she suddenly caught sight of someone sharing a card.
“Hey everyone, what does this ‘Remover’ card mean?”
Kui Xin: “…?”
No way, right?
She clicked in to have a look and saw that a player had posted a photo of their card. The name was blurred out, but the number was not, showing “12345” on the silver card.
Almost all the replies to this post were from old players.
1L: Oh my, the chosen one.
2L: Good luck, OP.
3L: Not sure if I should say you’re lucky or unlucky… To be honest, drawing this card means you’ve become a potential murderer.
4L: Considering the OP is a total newbie, here’s some advice: don’t tell anyone you’re a Remover; keep your identity hidden, and never let it slip!
5L: The titles of Removers are incredibly consistent… one is 233, one is 777, and now we have a 12345…
6L: Whoa, congrats, OP, you’re the first Remover on the forum to expose their nickname.
18L (OP): You’re kind of scaring me. Did I draw an SSR? Why can’t I tell anyone? Am I going to get assassinated through the screen by someone because I flaunted my luck?
20L replies to 18L (OP): You effectively drew the undercover in “Who’s the Undercover” or the werewolf in “Werewolf’s Game.” Now, you’re public enemy number one. Good luck; hope you can uphold your moral bottom line.
New players didn’t understand the game rules, while old players brought in various official rule posts and included interpretations.
The forum was chaotic, filled with arguments, discussions, education, and reposts, all types of threads mixed together. However, among the one hundred thousand players, not everyone had registered yet, and continuously new registered players entered the forum, confused by all the posts.
Returning to the first section, someone actually started a betting game: “How many players will die in this batch? I bet around ten percent.”
1L: That feels low.
2L: I’m a bit more optimistic. If they read even a little of the educational posts, their exposure risk will significantly decrease. These players have a much better start than we did; we were the ones paving the way for them. Compared to us, when we entered, we knew nothing…
Kui Xin refreshed the forum again and saw that the survival count had risen to 15,088.
She looked at the players in the second section who had already exposed their identity as a Remover and a thought flashed through her mind. However, she quickly extinguished that thought.
“It’s not time yet; at least I need to wait until this Remover survives a week in the Second World,” Kui Xin said to herself.
The forum has a private messaging function.
If that Remover 12345 does manage to survive the Second World for a week, then Kui Xin would attempt to contact him. Not to recruit him, but to confirm his identity in the real world, so she could observe this person closely.
To be honest, the identity of a Remover can easily lead one down a wrong path.
Kui Xin believed that she was walking a path of life, a path she chose, but she would never claim that her path was just. Removers certainly need careful observation.
Currently, aside from Kui Xin, the exposed Removers are 777 and 12345; the 777 is overseas, beyond Kui Xin’s reach, but the second batch beta player 12345 is an accessible subject for observation.
12345’s behavior pattern was like a complete newbie, directly showcasing his card; it was quite shocking. Kui Xin seriously doubted he would make it through the first week.
Kui Xin organized her thoughts, stared at her phone screen for a long time, and eventually started a new thread in the first section.
“Personal Section [Black Snake] recruiting players.”
The title was only a few simple lines, but the first post detailed the conditions for entering the forum.
First Post: 1. Removers and Proxies are welcome.
2. Must disclose one’s true identity in the First World and the scope of activities in the Second World.
3. To be determined.
These few simple requirements indicated Kui Xin’s ambition.
She was openly fishing, casting bait and waiting for fish to bite.
Kui Xin’s well-known forum nickname, “233,” was like a living signboard, and the personal section “Black Snake” attracted the attention of all players, letting everyone know this section belonged to player 233.
Who would dare to contact her, knowing the immense risk? Who would still be fearless despite being aware of the risks?
Within a minute of posting, the number of replies exploded.
1L: To translate, the big shot is saying, if you want to join, come on in. If not, roll out.
