novelraw Chapter 74: Artificial Souls - (1)
Chapter 74: Artificial Souls - (1)
After posting her thread, Kui Xin didn’t waste time waiting for refreshes of replies and comments. She exited the post creation page and clicked on the thread titled “List of Fallen Players Announced.”
She scrolled directly to the bottom, first checking the death count for August 9th.
As expected, the number of deaths on August 9th was several times greater than the combined total from August 3rd to August 8th. The list of casualties for the ninth stretched endlessly, with an unbelievably high death toll. From the third to the fifth, the number of fallen players was relatively low. On the sixth day, there was a noticeable increase in player fatalities. By the ninth, the death count had dramatically surged.
Kui Xin surmised that this phenomenon occurred because the Federal Government and certain organizations took corresponding actions, likely initiating capture plans around the sixth. After apprehending players, they extracted detailed information through interrogation, learning about the players’ return cycles and game rules. Knowing that players would collectively return on August 9th, it’s possible some players have inadvertently leaked these details on the forum. As a result, the authorities killed the players before they returned to the First World.
The only guarantee to prevent secrets from being leaked was death.
Kui Xin’s mood felt unprecedentedly heavy.
The pressure of survival weighed on everyone. Everything was unknown to the first batch of closed beta players; they were pioneers exploring this new world. If future rounds of closed betas indeed commence, subsequent players, guided by their predecessors’ experiences, should be able to better conceal themselves.
Within the death lists spanning days three through eight, several lines caught Kui Xin’s attention.
Similar to when Kui Xin killed Chai Jian and it was reported on the forum thread by the game officials, there were once again notifications about individuals, and this time it wasn’t just one person.
“Proxy No. 7980 was killed by Depriver No. 233 on August 6th.”This notification referred to Kui Xin herself, so she didn’t find it concerning. What caught her attention was the next line—
“Proxy No. 5122 was killed by Depriver No. 777 on August 6th.”
Surprisingly, on August 6th, Depriver No. 777 also killed another player, making the situation suddenly more enigmatic. Kui Xin’s expression grew even graver as she continued reading the bulletin.
“Proxy No. 6803 was killed by Depriver No. 777 on August 9th.”
“Proxy No. 9689 was killed by Depriver No. 777 on August 9th.”
“Proxy No. 612 was killed by Proxy No. 129 on August 9th.”
Depriver No. 777 had been mentioned three times in these reports.
On the ninth, the day with the highest death toll, a Proxy numbered 129 killed another Proxy.
The identity of this Depriver No. 777 must be extraordinary. From where did he obtain information about so many players and manage to kill such a significant number? What is his purpose in killing so many players—to acquire superhuman abilities?
If Depriver No. 777 isn’t a sociopathic serial killer, if he values his own life, and if he doesn’t want his identity exposed, then he should not have carried out multiple murders within such a short span of time. Yet he chose to do exactly that.
Drawing parallels from her own circumstances, Kui Xin couldn’t help but speculate whether Depriver No. 777 might also be driven by similar distressing reasons, just like herself?
Finding three players consecutively within just seven days… Unless Depriver No. 777 was a super hacker capable of infiltrating the Federation’s core database, it would be fundamentally impossible to achieve this feat with his own abilities alone. However, merely identifying the players’ identities wasn’t enough; he also needed to take action, plan three murder incidents, and ensure his survival while evading detection and pursuit from departments like the Investigation Bureau.
Kui Xin fell deep into thought.
She returned to the homepage and glanced at the pinned threads. Apart from the list of deceased players, there were no new official posts on the forum.
Her eyes skimmed over the latest threads below.
In just five short minutes, Kui Xin’s warning thread had garnered two hundred replies. After refreshing, the number of responses continued to rise steadily. Panic among players spread throughout the forum, with people constantly starting related threads, but most discussions were concentrated around her posted thread.
Speculations about Depriver No. 233 and Depriver No. 777 ranged wildly.
“Are Depriver No. 233 and Depriver No. 777 competing to see who can kill more people? Could they possibly know each other in the real world?”
Someone replied: “How could that be? The chances of them knowing each other are only slightly higher than Mars colliding with Earth, I’d say.”
“Are Deprivers No. 233 and No. 777 the only two Deprivers who exposed their numbers on the forum? What about the others?”
1L: “Given this situation, I doubt any other Deprivers would dare to reveal their numbers. Only players with exceptional skills and audacity, or outright lunatics, would do so.”
2L: “Deprivers can also acquire superpowers by hunting indigenous residents. I believe most Deprivers would prefer targeting NPCs rather than our fellow players.”
3L replying to 2L: “That’s why I feel both Depriver No. 233 and No. 777 must be deranged. They must have gone insane to commit such demonic acts.”
4L: “I recall someone previously speculating that these two Deprivers, to conceal their identities, might likely stop killing further. Unfortunately, his guess was wrong—they continue unabated, showing no signs of stopping.”
Some older posts were made when players had just returned to the forum before Kui Xin posted her warning.
After her cautionary thread was published, the tone of discussions on the forum homepage shifted. Threads related to Deprivers decreased, while panic-stricken posts increased significantly. Some individuals even began posting their last wills.
Kui Xin calmly browsed through post after post until suddenly, a new one caught her attention.
“Reasonable speculation: Could Depriver No. 233 and Depriver No. 777 be employed by government agencies?”
First Floor: Over the past week of lurking on this forum, I’ve seen players posting about assuming the roles of stowaways, undocumented immigrants, thieves, convicts, street thugs, nightclub gigolos, overworked employees, mechanics, university students, etc. The professions players have taken up are incredibly diverse. So, I wondered, is it possible that someone crossed over as a member of the Federal Government? Then, if the Federal Government dispatched them to capture players, they complied, resulting in…
Maybe reading too many novels led me to concoct this theory, but I genuinely feel like this hypothesis seems quite plausible.
1L: Holy shit, it’s possible!
2L: Help; I’m actually somewhat convinced now.
3L: Life isn’t a novel; how could such coincidences exist in the world?
4L: I believe the OP’s conjecture is highly likely, and actually, I had similar suspicions. Firstly, finding so many players solely through individual effort in the Second World is practically unimaginable. Where do Depriver No. 233 and Depriver No. 777 derive their immense influence from? If they don’t inherently possess such power, they must rely on certain organizations or forces to locate the players.
5L: I wonder if any of you have seen an old movie where the male protagonist is a bioengineered human created specifically to hunt down other awakened bioengineered humans. It’s essentially self-destruction among these artificial beings, with no chance for resistance. The protagonist could only kill his own kind continuously; otherwise, he would face “retirement.”
6L replying to 5L: Murder is still murder. Don’t attempt to concoct tragic backstories or extenuating circumstances for these deprivers. Is it fair to those who were killed?
7L replying to 6L: I’m merely offering a speculation. There’s no need to take the moral high ground and criticize me.
8L: Suddenly, the atmosphere feels quite somber.
9L: Actually, regarding Know-it-All 233 from the neighboring thread, I think there’s solid evidence that he works for the Federal Government. He was the first one to post about this topic, and a normal person wouldn’t know such insider details.
10L: Most players live oblivious to what’s happening, but a few are willing to step forward, enlightening us about the truth and warning us of the world’s dangers, potentially saving many lives. If Know-it-All 233 indeed works for the Federal Government, then he undoubtedly faces great peril.
11L: Damn, at first glance, OP’s speculation seems quite far-fetched, but surprisingly, I feel somewhat convinced.
12L: OP, suggest deletion. If what you’re saying is true, these two Deprivers are undoubtedly on the brink of danger and might perish during their next return.
13L: Are you being so overly sentimental upstairs?
14L replying to 13L: Suggesting deletion is also for the safety of the adjacent thread’s OP.
15L replying to 14L: Since they dared to step forward, they must not fear their identity being exposed. Does it really matter whether it’s deleted or not?
16L replying to 15L: ? What you’re implying is that just because someone is prepared for sacrifice, we should let them go ahead and be sacrificed? You seem quite content with that notion.
17L (OP): Your points make sense.
After the original poster replied, Kui Xin refreshed the page again, only to find it blank—the thread had been deleted.
Kui Xin exhaled, pursed her lips, and clicked open the thread she herself had posted.
The number of replies had already surged past four hundred, and the discussion continued unabated.
13L: Dammit, I knew it was just a matter of time before players got exposed!
18L: Our exposure happened so quickly—faster than I could have imagined! The Second World’s Federal Government reacted incredibly swiftly. Could they be held responsible for those players’ deaths?
21L: I’m not surprised at all. Although we’ve crossed over into parallel world versions of ourselves, our minds don’t contain any relevant memories.
22L: The OP said “Do not overly trust those around you.” Who can we still trust then? No one is trustworthy; even players turn on each other.
Many replies in this thread were non-contributory, largely consisting of various expressions of shock and profanity. However, there were also numerous valuable responses.
68L: Thank you, OP, for sharing these crucial insights with us once again. In truth, I had already suspected something along these lines. The Second World’s Federal Government isn’t to be trifled with; if they became aware of the Players’ presence, they would undoubtedly take action.
In the First World, during the 21st century, we have just entered the information age. Undeniably, this era has brought many conveniences, allowing us to enjoy technological advancements. However, it also comes with significant drawbacks—the absence of privacy! Our browsing history, call logs, and even everyday conversations could potentially be accessed by various apps on our phones, feeding into vast data networks. The technology in the Second World is incredibly advanced, far surpassing that of our First World. Given this level of sophistication, how could we possibly avoid exposing ourselves?
The number of players entering the Second World is not insignificant, yet it’s also not overwhelmingly large. The Second World itself is an information-based society, one devoid of privacy. I believe that from now on, everyone should be vigilant. Not only can you not trust the humans around you, but you cannot even trust the tools in your own hands! Even something as small as a communicator!
69L: In the Second World, there are numerous high-tech appliances that are difficult to operate. When I first entered that world, I faced some challenges, not even knowing how to use the hovering electric railcars. I suggest that if anyone doesn’t understand the advanced technology of the Second World, they seek help on this forum instead. Minimize searching and browsing online. Additionally, within the settings of the communicators, there are various functional modules you can choose to enable or disable, such as microphone access, camera access, recording permissions, and storage permissions.
68L replied to 69L: Don’t think that disabling these permissions solves everything. Hackers can infiltrate the communicators, forcibly enabling those functions to monitor your every move.
134L: I have a very unsettling thought. Do you think there might be traitors among the players?
135L replied to 134L: Damn, hadn’t considered that possibility before.
136L: What if someone is threatened or tempted, and then starts divulging information from the forum and other players to enemies of the Second World? What should we do?
137L: There’s nothing we can do. We don’t have mind-reading abilities. Unless the traitor voluntarily admits it, how can we prove they’re a traitor?
138L: I’m one hundred percent certain that groups of traitors will emerge among the players. The world has never lacked spineless individuals, let alone deceitful villains.
189L: OP, I suspect your identity is not ordinary. Thank you for sharing this information. If possible, could you please report back with a message of safety after each return? I wish you a smooth and safe life.
223L: At this point, the situation is clear. The only path available to players is unity. Last week, there were already discussions about this on the forum, but only a few took action. We cannot afford to delay any longer; ensuring survival rates hinges on cooperation is key.
224L: But what if the player you cooperate with turns out to be a traitor? What if you inadvertently bring a Depriver into your team? Although these scenarios may seem unlikely now, we must still remain vigilant.
225L: Another aspect to consider is confidentiality. If one player gets caught and spills information about the others, wouldn’t that be disastrous?
348L: Thank you, OP, for giving me the courage. Honestly, I didn’t have the bravery to step forward and post, but your words inspired me. I must share my experiences and observations. Constant hiding will only lead to more deaths, and these matters need someone to speak up. If anyone familiar with the situation can deduce where I am employed from my reply, please keep it confidential—your help is greatly appreciated.