novelraw Chapter 75: Artificial Souls - (2)
Chapter 75: Artificial Souls - (2)
349L: Let me narrate slowly, starting from what I’ve witnessed and experienced. Because this past week has been overwhelmingly shocking, it might sound disorganized. I suffered from several consecutive nights of insomnia, and even now, upon returning to the First World, I haven’t fully recovered.
Kui Xin’s expression turned serious. From the tone, it was evident that this poster was clearly an insider and possibly knew significant details. She skipped over irrelevant chatter and attentively continued reading.
355L: The turning point began on August 3rd. On that day, during my second entry into the world of “Crimson Earth,” the Federal Government entered a state of heightened alert. They initiated an emergency procedure called “Overseer” and declared a yellow warning status across the entire government.
368L: “Let me explain the Federal Government’s alert status levels to everyone here. Red signifies an external war threat. If there is a terrorist conflict or rebellion in remote regions requiring the immediate deployment of troops, the alert status would be red. Green corresponds to crises such as energy shortages, economic downturns, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. In the event of these calamities, the Federal Government will implement corresponding emergency plans to resist them. As for yellow alert… it indicates that the Federal Government believes enemies and threats are lurking within, suggesting internal infiltration by adversaries.”
370L: “The existence of the ‘Overseer’ emergency procedure was specifically designed to address yellow alerts. This is one of the Federation’s contingency plans for such emergencies, with many more similar ones in place. I won’t delve into all those now; instead, let’s focus on the ‘Overseer’. Upon hearing this term, I’m sure everyone can grasp what aspect this emergency response plan primarily targets. Yes, surveillance—meaning the Federal Government is monitoring everyone.”
372L: In the Second World, there is no such thing as privacy. The Overseer program targets not only ordinary citizens but also individuals within the government itself. Your search history, voice calls, shopping records, travel routes—all this data gets bundled and uploaded to the Federal Government’s super artificial intelligence. The AI performs a rough analysis of all the data and audio, using these inputs to define a broad scope and filter out suspicious individuals. Once you are identified as suspicious, the Federation will subject you to further surveillance. During the monitoring period, any single suspicious action on your part will trigger an arrest by agents from the Federation’s Special Operations Division.
You can think of the “Special Operations Division” as the Second World equivalent of the FBI or KGB. Essentially, it’s a deeply terrifying covert department with some overlapping functions with the Federation’s Investigation Department while maintaining its independence. It possesses higher authority, superior equipment, and a more ruthless approach.
399L: I’ll address some concerns raised in earlier posts here.
When did the Federation start hunting for players? As far as I know, indeed, it began on August 3rd. However, my personal access to information is limited, so I cannot provide absolute assurance. Perhaps even earlier, the Federation would have begun their surveillance.Can internet search records be concealed?Yes. By disabling the cloud synchronization feature for your communicator’s search history or using encrypted networks, to some extent, you can prevent information leaks. Disabling cloud synchronization means that even if you browse the internet, your activity will only be archived on a single electronic device. This archive record would then be deleted, resolving the issue. If you understand the Second World’s information technology, you should grasp the importance of network encryption. Upon logging onto an encrypted network, your search records will immediately disappear and automatically clear upon logout, leaving no trace behind.
Let me quietly reveal to everyone that the development and widespread use of this functionality in the underground world owe credit to those filthy politicians and tycoons who needed it to destroy evidence after committing wrongdoing.However, these two methods may not always be reliable. You never know when you might inadvertently expose yourself through minor details; blurting out a seemingly ordinary online joke could lead to irreparable consequences. If while browsing the internet, you did not use an encrypted network or failed to disable your communicator’s search history function, then I’m sorry—it’s already too late. All you can do is pray for the Federation’s investigation to progress slower, hoping they won’t reach you too quickly, or pray that what you’ve exposed isn’t enough for the Federation to definitively identify you as a player.
How fast is the Federation’s investigation going?The process would be swift yet also slow. The Second World had a staggering population of nine billion, with two billion living in remote regions and the remaining seven billion residing in relatively developed areas. Even if the Federation’s super-artificial intelligence dedicated all its computational power to this task, analyzing data non-stop day and night, it would still require at least half a year to thoroughly investigate billions of individuals. However, the super AI’s algorithms are not as simple or rigid as you might think. They won’t blindly screen through all seven billion people. Instead, their method involves prioritizing key positions first, such as government officials, their relatives, and corporate employees, and only towards the end will they focus on ordinary citizens without significant influence.
If your transmigrated identity is that of an undocumented resident, vagrant, or stowaway, these seemingly sordid statuses could paradoxically serve as your protective umbrella. Since your personal information isn’t archived within the Federation, they wouldn’t be able to trace it back to you.
For the rest of you, I can only wish you good fortune.
The insider knowledge possessed by this forum poster far exceeded Kui Xin’s expectations, including details she herself was entirely unaware of.
404L: Thank everyone for their concern. Tonight, I’ll disclose everything I need to say. After finishing these posts, I’m going to make my last will and testament. Someone has to do these things, and I am just an obscure individual who enjoys gaming, somewhat unlucky yet occasionally fortunate.
The tone of 404L’s post was distinctly melancholic and self-mocking. Interestingly, this forum poster’s nickname was “Lucky Goose,” which aptly reflected their situation—luck intertwined with misfortune, and misfortune mixed with luck.
427L: Next, I’ll address the question everyone is most concerned about—the Federal Government’s handling of exposed players.
428L: The answer aligns with what the original poster mentioned earlier (233)—arrest, interrogation, and cleansing. The death toll displayed on the forum cannot be faked; those individuals indeed died, with no chance for reversal.
456L: Are you all shocked? Don’t be too surprised. In the future, such incidents will become commonplace. During these seven days since returning to the Second World, I’ve grown numb and utterly exhausted. I’ve witnessed many people being identified and then promptly arrested. Some even died during the capture process. The Special Operations Division shows no mercy—they won’t hesitate to open fire.
463L: Moving on to the next question, to what extent has player information been leaked?
Essentially, it has been almost entirely leaked.
We’re all ordinary individuals, unable to withstand intense interrogations. While some might endure a single brutal beating, can they handle continuous torture and questioning? Even soldiers with ironclad willpower struggle, let alone regular civilians.
482L: Lastly, I want to discuss the Federation’s interrogation methods. It might be somewhat beyond everyone’s understanding.
The first method involves brain-machine interfaces. Yes, those brain-machine interfaces commonly seen in anime and films are capable of accessing Mind Space, entering virtual networks, and uploading consciousness. Brain-machine interfaces are not consumer products; they haven’t been widely adopted but are exclusively used within the Federation itself.
Initially, the Federation aimed to use these interfaces to invade players’ minds and extract their memories. However, this approach was quickly proven ineffective. The Federation could not read the players’ conscious thoughts or discern any useful memories in their minds. All they could access were the memories of the Second World’s “original bodies.” Memories belonging to the First World Players remained inaccessible.
This led me to consider a possibility—our players’ memories may be stored within our souls. Our souls possess the natives of the Second World, controlling their bodies, but in reality, our souls have not truly merged with theirs, hence the inability to read our memories. What the Federation can read are merely the memories associated with these physical bodies.
But have you noticed these endless possibilities? If we could obtain a brain-machine interface and download our body’s memories to view them, it might allow us to access the entirety of our original selves’ memories. With this method, we wouldn’t need to exhaust ourselves trying to maintain disguises! We could perfectly blend in!
Kui Xin furrowed her brow, suddenly recalling that Wei Haidong had mentioned something similar.
After Mechanical Dawn captured players, Wei Haidong once had Red attempt to read their memories. However, Red did not obtain any useful information.
The players’ memories from the First World were encrypted, as if protected by a firewall. Neither brain-machine interfaces nor superhuman abilities could access the deeper contents.
498L: The second method involves superhuman abilities. The Federation is a massive entity, concealing numerous gifted individuals within its ranks. I’m not well-versed in this area, but let me speculate—what if someone possesses the ability of telepathy, enabling them to discern what others are thinking at any given moment? Wouldn’t gathering intelligence then be effortless for them? We ordinary people haven’t received any mental training; the more fearful we are, the more likely those thoughts will surface. Evading such an ability would indeed be challenging.
As for the third method, it’s one everyone knows—the straightforward approach of torture interrogation.
499L: Alright, I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I never thought that today, as someone who has never really accomplished anything significant throughout my life, I’d get a chance to be a hero for once. Hopefully, from now on, I’ll live up to my username and become truly “Lucky Goose.” I wish luck to each one of us.
500L: One last thing, at the very end, I hope players will contribute more educational posts on the forum. Any informative content is welcome, whether it’s about global affairs, the Federation, or even everyday life tips. Some individuals have already started sharing such information, but I believe there aren’t enough contributors. We remain largely ignorant about many aspects of the Second World. Everyone’s experiences differ, so by sharing what we know, we can collectively build a comprehensive understanding of this world, aiding others in their survival within the Second World. This endeavor benefits not only others but also ourselves.
After reading post number five hundred, Kui Xin couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.
She rubbed her forehead, stood up, and walked over to the window, opening the glass pane to let in the cool night breeze. The refreshing wind cleared her mind significantly, lifting the heavy burden she had been feeling.
All players found themselves amidst a massive transformation, being propelled forward and passively confronting uncertain situations.
It was August 3rd, 12:36 AM.
Two worlds, two parallel timelines, began to converge, chasing each other relentlessly.
Today is Wednesday; tomorrow afternoon, she had to tutor Su Rong, and early tomorrow morning, Kui Xin needed to wake up for her morning exercises. It was time for her to rest.
As Kui Xin lay down on her bed, she thought that, under the true pressure of survival, the forum’s atmosphere would likely undergo a complete change.
Previously, although some individuals shared information on the forum, it was often fragmented and required meticulous categorization. There were few genuinely informative contributors, and those conducting intelligence analysis were also scarce. However, with tonight’s precedent of sharing intelligence, more people might be inspired to step forward and disclose what they know.
In due course, the Closed Beta Player forum could become a genuine hub for intelligence exchange, a marketplace for trading information, and a stronghold for fostering connections among players. Although there might be opportunistic traitors lurking amidst them, taking advantage of the chaos.
Kui Xin set an alarm for 6:30 AM, planning to exercise early in the morning.
Tsk, when will this relentlessly busy lifestyle come to an end?
Burrowing beneath the covers, she drifted off into a deep sleep.