The research and development department of WBD occupies one-third of the company’s area, with the R&D team on the fifteenth floor being the core.
Before the car accident, Rong Yi rarely came here because her work and involvement with this department were minimal. Also, this place was Fan Xingze’s main headquarters, so she tried to avoid suspicion.
Now, the situation has completely changed.
In order to impress Fan Xingze, she has been coming to the 15th floor almost every day, reporting and getting familiar with the R&D department more than the investment strategy department. However, when IS led her in circles, passing through multiple levels of security, and finally reaching the most secretive laboratory on the 15th floor, a room without even a window, she was surprised.
Here, there were areas she had never explored before.
“Welcome to ARSCL.” The old man flipped the main switch of the lab, and the lights above illuminated this massive secretive laboratory.
“The full name here is AR Secret Creative Lab, a military immersive simulation combat system developed by your company’s government commission.” Fan Xingze walked up from behind her and talked about work. His words were more than usual, and his attitude was more eager.
He really loves this job, Rong Yi thought.
She wandered in the vast laboratory. There weren’t many devices here that she recognized as “computers.” Instead, there were large metal pods resembling sleeping pods, cables crisscrossing the floor, and peculiar devices flashing data and display lights up to the ceiling. Some displayed holographic translucent simulation scenes with characters, warplanes, and a 3D sandbox.
The scene didn’t seem to belong in reality; it felt more like a futuristic scene from a cyberpunk version of Rong Yi’s past experiences. She carefully navigated past the wires on the floor and tentatively placed her hand into the 3D image. The image flickered and distorted.
Suddenly, she remembered something and discreetly distanced herself from Noel in front and moved closer to Fan Xingze.
Feeling her intention, Fan Xingze quickened his pace, not wanting to be alone with her.
Getting anxious, Rong Yi grabbed him, whispering, “It’s nonsense! Do you think I would harm you? Let’s talk about the real matter!”
Fan Xingze slowed down.
“Before, I gave you some strange code snippets. Do you still have them?” She asked. If Fan Xingze remembered those code snippets from the carnival, at least his mentor should be alerted.
Fan Xingze frowned, “Code? When? You don’t understand these things. Where did you get code snippets? If it’s simple bug fixes, call the maintenance team—”
Almost the same response as the first time she gave him code snippets, she sighed. She was certain that those things, along with their relationship, had vanished without a trace.
Summoning her courage, she asked again, “Aren’t these your confidential projects? Is it really okay to bring me here?”
Fan Xingze shook his head in confusion, “According to regulations, non-team members are not allowed to enter this laboratory. I don’t know why the mentor brought you. Is it for more research funding? But we have enough funds now…”
“…Forget it, you know a der.” Rong Yi sighed impatiently. At this point, it was a relief that Fan Xingze didn’t remember anything. He was a rare computer genius, and if IS was really researching the carnival, having an assistant like the amnesiac Fan Xingze would be most suitable.
At least before there are any signs of progress in his own project, Fan Xingze should be safe.
But if he were to wake up later and realize he had once contributed to a demonic project that took lives, would he end up hating himself for it?
Knowing him as she did, Rong Yi was certain he would.
So it’s best if it can be resolved before anything happens.
Noel didn’t know where to take her, so she followed along, observing her surroundings. Suddenly, amidst the constantly popping three-dimensional images, Rong Yi caught sight of a familiar face in the holographic projection – a handsome male figure from the orc replica!
Hearing Rong Yi stop in his tracks, Noel turned back, smiling and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Rong Yi sneered inwardly. This old man was clever, using their company’s resources to work on his own projects. Such behavior of taking advantage and deceiving others was truly admirable.
She pointed at the holographic projection of the handsome male figure, “So handsome, Master. I never thought military equipment needed such a high-standard virtual image in terms of looks?”
The old man chuckled, “When soldiers enter the virtual simulation, they need to simulate their real appearances to enhance the sense of realism among teammates. Therefore, facial sculpting is also an important area of our research. This image is a standard one, combining typical Eastern and Western male facial features. Indeed, very handsome, which also illustrates that human aesthetics are based on ‘average’.”
Rong Yi nodded, “Very interesting. But why is he wearing a tuxedo instead of military attire?”
The old man gazed, “Rong Zong is truly observant. To test if our AI intelligence can function smoothly, we have constructed fragmented scenarios where virtual figures interact with real people, evaluating their logical judgments to simulate enemy actions. This outfit is also designed for these scenarios. After all, not all battles happen on the battlefield; some infiltration and undercover operations require this system for simulation training, analyzing all potential encounters.”
“That’s amazing,” Rong Yi clapped enthusiastically, “It’s almost as fascinating as a futuristic game.”
Noel’s smile faltered slightly, then she continued walking forward, “Indeed. The fundamental nature of human games is combat simulation, so a war simulation system resembling a game is quite fitting.”
“Why did the Master summon Fan Xingze? Is there something going on?” Rong Yi intervened, playfully pulling Fan Xingze forward, “Go on, do your work. I’m just an outsider, I wouldn’t understand any confidential discussions. Haha.”
At this point, Fan Xingze recalled that the teacher had called him for a specific reason, but how did it turn into Rong Yi’s field trip? He hurriedly asked Noel if any of the simulation groups had malfunctioned.
“There’s a simulation group that seems to be developing a sense of self-rebellion,” Noel led them to a huge supercomputer level with the ceiling, where lines of code scrolled on a small screen, occasionally flashing some gibberish.
Fan Xingze’s eyes lit up, “A sense of self-rebellion?! Isn’t that a sign of AI life emerging? Oh my, if this is true, it’s an incredible discovery!”
Noel said angrily, “Are you still so pleased? I have said many times – the essence of AI is data, it is electrical signals. The so-called ‘life’ is just us analogizing some high-spec AI’s self-computing functionalities with life logic. Everything in the computer is meant to serve humans. If there’s uncontrollable autonomous behavior from AI, it’s likely data overflow or loss of control.”
“You, with your heavy romanticism. Even in cutting-edge computer science, it is all for serving human existence. Don’t make yourself out to be a savior.”
Fan Xingze nodded in agreement.
They tinkered in front of the massive machine for a while. The machine made a long “beep” sound, seemed to have rebooted, all indicator lights went off and then lit up in a row from low to high. The small screen started rolling with data again, while the machine’s 3D projection device projected a tower-like structure where a team defended the tower and another attacked, engaged in intense combat.
It resembled Gikas Castle Hospital, thought Rong Yi.
As the attacking team reached the middle of the tower, both sides had almost equal losses. The old man watched the evenly matched battle satisfactorily and asked Rong Yi, “Isn’t it interesting?”
“Indeed,” Rong Yi said, “Both the attacking and defending sides must be having fun. After all, the joy of the game comes from balance.”
Noel, not at all upset that she analogized her research findings to a game, full of curiosity, asked Rong Yi, “If it were you, would you want to play such a game? Immersive, facing NPCs, feeling very real, possibly even terrifying!”
Rong Yi wasn’t sure if he genuinely sought her opinion or was testing her. Did this era of IS really generate those anti-human thoughts?
“It depends on the cost,” Rong Yi said. “If this immersive game is just for fun, losing only causes some physical pain but doesn’t affect normal life – then I might be interested. As for horror, many seek that feeling for the adrenaline rush. Otherwise, why would horror movies be so popular?”
Paused for a moment, she continued, “However, people love horror because it’s all fake, like the saying in our country – ‘Lord Ye’s Love for Dragons.’ Fake horror, much like the virtual system you’re studying, allows people to anticipate and practice facing terrifying situations, making them more confident. But if dragons were real – that would be troublesome. Except for real dragon slayers, no one would like that.”
She smiled slightly. “So, Master, do you have plans to develop this system into a game?”
Noel chuckled, “You make it sound like I’m never doing any real work here! Zoe, prove to them that I’ve long wanted to develop an immersive virtual game similar to this military simulation system. But that’s just my personal interest. With the support of the Zheng Mansion, that would be the real deal!”
Fan Xingze nodded, “I used to work on that game project for the teacher. But the teacher’s ideas were too profound. At that time, I could only grasp the surface of human brain-machine interfacing and virtual reality.”
“Now?” Rong Yi asked. “How much do you understand now?”
Fan Xingze paused, thinking. “It’s strange, recently, it’s as if I’ve suddenly broken through some bottleneck and have a more mature understanding of some ideas about human brain-machine interfacing. However, I also have a stronger interest in AI life and similar things.” He scratched his head shyly. “As the teacher said, perhaps I’ve veered off track a bit?”
Rong Yi shook her head but looked at him seriously, “Why not have more confidence? I believe your direction is correct.”
Fan Xingze opened his mouth as if to say something like “you don’t understand,” but hesitated, not wanting to be too direct and offend her, so he kept the words to himself.
Noel looked at him, then at her, and suddenly showed a mischievous smile like an old playful child, “Manager Rong, I’ve always felt that you seem to lack understanding of our project, which is why you’re a bit resistant to me. I invited you here this time to let you personally experience what level of virtual reality technology can be achieved in the future.”
Here we go!
Rong Yi looked at the friendly smile of the old man. Was he genuinely inviting her to experience it? Or was he trying to get rid of her through this?
She turned to look at Fan Xingze, who tapped open a nearby metal can, saying, “I’ve tried it many times, it’s quite fun and has no side effects. Even the teacher has tried it personally. It’s just a short immersive scene, no real plot, like strolling in a park, very safe.”
“If you’re not sure, I can accompany you inside, to let you experience our online interactive function.” Fan Xingze enthusiastically opened another metal can nearby, swiftly went in, placed the electrode pads skillfully on his neck, closed the lid, and before Noel could stop him, he was already inside.
The old man chuckled, “Well then, let’s go play together. This child has indeed done something good—” he leaned in towards Rong Yi’s ear, “Maybe he wants to show off in front of his crush?”
Rong Yi was stunned. Hadn’t Fan Xingze already forgotten his feelings for her? How could he know? Besides, in the current situation, wasn’t she the one chasing him? The whole company knows, Fan Xingze’s teacher couldn’t be unaware, right?
Noel smirked cunningly, “Oh, Zoe and I have a good relationship, this child used to tell me everything. Although I’m not sure what kind of conflict exists between you two, I believe he’s a straightforward guy.”
He gestured towards the open online cabin, smiling at Rong Yi.
With his words, Rong Yi was simply too curious. Noel said that Fan Xingze made this himself, and he had been pushing her away for some time. This was the only time he had taken the initiative to invite her to be alone together—mind-linking, counts as being alone, barely.
Even if she knew it might be a trap, in its primitive online state, essentially similar to entering a game, she might be trapped, or might dive back into the game—yet she still chose to walk in.
Because going in meant getting closer to the current Fan Xingze. Let it be a “fangirl mission” subtask that suddenly launched!
Noel helped her fasten the electrode pads, closed the lid. Just before the last glimmer disappeared, Rong Yi reached behind her neck, grasping the wires on the electrode pad.
In case of any mishap, she hoped this primitive mind-linking device wouldn’t completely immobilize her consciousness. She would use all her reason to unplug herself physically.
A sharp pang at the back of her neck, a numb sensation spreading down her spine, Rong Yi gradually lost feeling in her limbs, eyelids heavy, almost in an instant, she lost consciousness.
