Among the cheering crowd, Rong Yi patted the old man on the shoulder, indicating for him to follow. The two walked down the deafening gangway.
The captain and his mermaid stayed here as agreed.
She initiated “Meet the Parents,” and both looked at her with equally gentle eyes.
“Big sister,” the captain said.
“Uh-huh,” the mermaid replied.
The mermaid’s wounds had healed significantly. At night, when the players were asleep, the captain would take her to play on deck. She had recently tried swimming in the sea, obediently returning when the captain called her.
“She’s very obedient,” the captain said gently to the mermaid. “I will take good care of her.”
Seeing a mermaid hidden in the engine room, the old man was somewhat astonished, but with his rich experience, he quickly calmed down. “You called me here to prevent her from regenerating, right?”
After this period of verification, Rong Yi was almost certain that this was the last mermaid in the entire instance. Ensuring she wouldn’t regenerate anything else would reduce the dangers future players would face.
The captain’s troubles would also diminish.
The old man activated his skill, lightly pressing the mermaid’s forehead, saying, “Done.”
Confused, the mermaid touched her forehead, her gaze innocent and childlike.
“Thank you,” the captain said, tipping his hat and bowing. “I will live here with her, trying not to obstruct the progress of future players.”
Rong Yi smiled slightly, about to shake hands with him before another person descended the gangway.
“We’re about to dock, what are you doing here?” Raymond shouted at them amidst the noisy engine room. Seeing the mermaid’s reaction, similar to the old man’s, he was momentarily puzzled, then chuckled.
Approaching them, he punched the captain’s shoulder, saying, “Lost and found, you’re really lucky.”
Shaking his head, the captain said, “It’s not what you think.” He asked Rong Yi how much time her skill had left, and she replied they could chat for 40 minutes.
“It won’t take that long,” the captain said, patting Raymond’s shoulder. “It’s too noisy here; let’s talk upstairs.”
He instructed the mermaid to go back and ascended the gangway with three players.
Without the Rainbow Fish, the weather remained gloomy, as if a storm was imminent.
However, the atmosphere on the deck was very cheerful. After all, land was getting closer, and the end of the game was in sight.
“I haven’t seen true happiness on this ship for a long time,” the captain said, leaning on the rail at the stern of the cruise ship, his black hair fluttering in the sea breeze.
His face was always clean and sharp, never with stubble, and his clothes neat and crisp, even after spending almost half a month in the engine room, free of dirt or wrinkles.
He was a sharp contrast to Raymond, who could just grab a bowl and beg for food.
In the relaxed atmosphere as they approached the completion of their mission, the two who were previously at odds could finally talk calmly.
The captain spoke first, “I guess your wish is similar to mine.”
Touching his curly beard as long as his hair, Raymond replied gruffly, “None of your business.”
The captain didn’t get upset but smiled instead.
Suddenly, Raymond asked, “Hey, do you know what it feels like to become a ghost?”
“I’ve thought about it,” the captain said. “During the time she was missing, I always wondered if she wouldn’t regenerate, like in fairy tales, turning into foam on the sea.”
“Then I thought, it’s impossible; we are NPCs, an essential part of the instance, not redundant data that can just disappear, right?”
“I thought maybe I turned into a malevolent spirit, and the system turned her into a ghost along with me. The feeling of being a ghost must be better than a malevolent spirit, at least you can fly.”
Raymond: “It can fly, but it feels very empty.”
Captain: “…May I ask, have you died before?”
Raymond: “Sort of. In the last level, I experienced what it felt like to be a ghost for a while.”
“I used to think being a ghost was freeing. But it’s not quite like that.”
“But being a ghost in the game level and being one in reality must be different, right?”
The captain pats his shoulder. “Respected passenger, please be more materialistic. There are no ghosts in reality. When a person dies, they’re just dead.”
Raymond: “…I really dislike you.”
The captain laughs heartily. “Keep moving forward, my friend! That’s all I wanted to tell you.”
Raymond interrupts, “You speak lightly. Finding a clone of your loved one to raise as a daughter, without sinking into endless despair and pain. Such things don’t happen in reality. You failed to appreciate what you had, and look, in the end, you’re still in the same predicament.”
The captain nods without hesitation. “Indeed, compared to you, I am truly fortunate.”
Raymond: “…I really do hate you.”
Listening to the captain’s carefree laughter, the old man sighs, “Youth is truly wonderful…”
Luo Huayue stands beside him. “Grandpa, would you like to add a friend?”
The old man shakes his head. “Thank you, dear. No need! I’m used to being alone. Adding a friend would only bring unnecessary worries.”
Luo Huayue doesn’t insist, puts away her own holographic screen, and curiously asks, “Grandpa, do you think the game can fulfill your wishes?”
The old man replies, “Whether it can or not, I’ve long let go of that notion. Although everyone enters the game with strong purposes, in the end, how different is this game from reality?”
“But it’s just doing what we can and accepting fate.”
Putting his worn straw hat back on, he strides away with his hands behind his back. “Farewell!”
Rong Yi blends in with the crowded players waiting by the ship’s rail to disembark, pulling out a neatly folded piece of cloth from her pants pocket.
With limited refrigeration onboard, the small octopus had begun to emit a foul odor days ago. Rong Yi, without much hesitation, gives it a sea burial.
Ice and Zhang Haiyang pat her shoulders from each side, looking towards the approaching harbor.
Zhang Haiyang: “Random bosses aren’t so easy to die. You’ll see him again in the next level!”
Ice: “Shall we go have a drink after we get off?”
Rong Yi tosses the cloth into the sea, accompanying a loud whistle as the cruise ship slowly approaches the shore.
A broadcast announcement plays: “Congratulations to all players, you have successfully returned within thirty days. The Dawn Goddess’s copy has been perfectly cleared. The exit point will open in two minutes, please wait on deck and prepare to return. The Lucky Carnival sincerely wishes you a pleasant gaming experience~.”
Amidst the festive cheers, Rong Yi opens her holographic screen again, checking X’s landing status.
The icon is grey, with no response.
Rong Yi: I cleared the level.
Rong Yi: Are you waiting for me outside?
Rong Yi: No need to reply, just knowing is enough.
X does not reply.
Rong Yi knows she is deceiving herself, but it’s the only way she can feel a bit better.
As the exit point opens as scheduled, she is engulfed by the crowd. An unseen force pulls her away from the deck—
The last scene she sees is the captain standing with a mermaid on the deserted deck, waving goodbye to her from afar.
Rong: Where are you?
Rong: Answer me.
Rong: Please, I’m scared when you behave like this.
Rong: Are you stuck in the game? If this mode of communication doesn’t work, find another way to tell me!
Rong: Flash the light, or hack into my computer!
Linda tidied up a stack of files she had just finished dealing with and quietly went to see Rong Yi, who was picking up her phone.
Half a month ago, Rong Yi sent an email requesting leave to HR, mentioning a sudden family emergency that might require her to leave for a month. However, half a month later, she suddenly appeared on the rooftop of the company building and found herself locked out.
Since then, Rong Yi seemed a bit off.
Of course, she didn’t neglect her work. She worked overtime to catch up on the missed tasks of the past two weeks, pushing herself until her eyes turned red.
But previously, when working, Rong Yi was extremely focused and wouldn’t touch her phone unless necessary.
However, after her return, she started checking her phone during work breaks, looking at it while signing documents, and even taking it out during meetings.
Almost like a teenager suffering from severe phone dependency.
Linda wanted to advise her to rest by closing her eyes to take a short nap, as her eyes had become as red as rabbits due to excessive phone use. However, the low pressure around Rong Yi made Linda hesitant to speak up, so she just quietly packed the files and headed towards the office door.
“Snap.” Rong Yi stared at the messages on WeChat that had been unanswered for three days and placed her phone face down on the desk.
“No.” She muttered to herself or perhaps to Linda, “I have to go find Fan Xingze.”
It was only then that she realized she hadn’t seen Fan Xingze in the office since returning from the copy.
That wasn’t normal. Even when she was busy, she used to see Fan Xingze walking past the glass windows outside the office at least once or twice a day.
Linda raised her head, “Oh,” and said, “Zoe took a day off on the same day as you did, but he hasn’t canceled his leave yet.”
This “leave” was obviously not requested by Rong Yi herself. She guessed that this time the duration of the copy was too long, so the game had taken many remedial measures in the real world to rationalize the sudden disappearance of players. For example, the leave email wasn’t from her, but it was sent from her mailbox.
Rong Yi: “What kind of leave did he take?” The WBD business was so busy that it would only be either wedding leave or maternity leave that allowed for such a long absence.
Linda thought for a moment and replied, “Sick leave.”
The cto had taken fifteen days of sick leave, prompting the entire company to pay a visit.
Just like the last time Fan Xingze fell ill, whether colleagues or superiors, they were all treated equally by his AI butler in the living room and then sent away after being entertained.
This wasn’t Rong Yi’s first time visiting Fan Xingze’s home; she had been there before when she was trying to persuade him to switch sides. However, at that time, his house had not been modified to such a cyberpunk style.
Fan Xingze’s house was located in a villa community on the outskirts of the city, a three-story duplex with a garden.
It was said that his family had specifically purchased it for his convenient work at WBD. He lived there alone.
“Welcome, guest, please come in.”
Rong Yi hadn’t yet spotted where the speaker at the entrance was, but she heard the mechanically emotional voice and the black iron garden gate “click” open.
Carrying her offering, she walked through the grassy garden. As she reached the entrance of the small building, the black security door conveniently opened at the right moment.
“Please come in,” the ever-present voice of the AI butler said.
“Please change your shoes.”
The shoe cabinet by the door automatically opened, extending a pair of women’s slippers held by a mechanical arm.
At a glance, Rong Yi saw that the slippers were brand new, with no label on them.
The shoeing stool stretched out from behind her, gently resting on the bend of her knee. Her left arm was still hanging, and her right hand was carrying a large bag, so her center of gravity was unstable, and she made a butt on it.
“Can I help you?” The AI butler probably saw her mobility problems through the camera hidden somewhere, and the mechanical hand holding the slippers took the initiative to unzip the zipper of the small leather boots on her feet.
“Ah no, I can do it myself. Thank you.”
Rong Yi was flattered and hurriedly put down the things in her hand to change her shoes.
Fan Xingze’s AI housekeeper is too considerate, just like the sea, so passionate that people can’t resist.
“What would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, juice, beer – ah you have injuries now should not drink alcohol.”
Rong Yi casually asked for a cup of hot tea, and just when she didn’t know where to put the things she brought with her, a mechanical hand reached out from behind the coat rack and took the coat she took off and the gifts she brought with her.
“Thank you, you’re very kind. You’ve come, but you still brought so many things.”
Rong Yi: …… I have to say, Fan Xingze is really at the forefront of the industry in the field of artificial intelligence. The level of simulation is like seeing my great aunt standing in front of me.
Rong Yi was led to the living room sofa by the guiding light on the ground. The cold, hard leather sofa was unexpectedly soft and comfortable.
She lifted her head and looked blankly into the air, not knowing where to look to be more polite in a conversation with AI butler: “I just came to ask, Fan Xingze has been sick for so long, is it really not important?”
“The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a new one, and you’ll be able to do that. The company’s website is now available for download at the following link: “I’m not sure if you’re going to be able to find the best way to get the best out of this website, but I’m sure you’re going to be able to find the best way to get the best out of this website. The company’s website has been updated with the latest information on the company’s website.
Rong Yi: ……
The first thing she wanted to do was to find Fan Xingze to see what was going on with Ai, after all, he is the expert in this area.
After all, he was the expert in this area, but the way things were going, she couldn’t afford to be too intrusive. The people who came to visit him were all kicked out by the AI butler after a quick sit. Then she’d be smart enough not to wait for someone to kick her out-
“Where are you going?”
Just as she stood up, she heard the AI butler say, “You’ve come a long way, why don’t you take a look at him before you leave?”
A corner of the living room, has been closed bedroom door “snap” open.
Rong Yi: ……? I actually have this honor?
The author has something to say: small extra: after the passage of the cruise.
The third day after the players got out of the copy, the mermaid smiled at the captain and said her first words:
“Lin ……”
After the captain introduces himself over and over again, she finally learns to call him by his name.
The captain knew she wasn’t her. She was not a double. She’s a whole new person.
He doesn’t necessarily fall in love with her. But she is his only companion in this lonely copy.
He taught her to eat, he taught her to speak, he taught her manners, he taught her not to hurt innocent players.
The sea is so big, there is always a new way of life waiting for them.
———- ———- ——
This is the end of the story!
The next transition to the real world may be the final episode, so there will be more words.
