Chapter 168: Chapter 167: Infinite Death
The icy feeling in his chest quickly turned into a piercing pain. The pain was so real that Satoshi could even feel the vibrations of his severed spine grinding against his metal arm.
All the Salvation Army soldiers around him, including several Disciples who had revealed their identities, were killed in a single blow by the Nanomechanical Robots that had charged in. Some even had their heads twisted off.
At the same time, Satoshi felt a numb, itching sensation at his wound. He looked down and saw it being rapidly devoured by the Nanomechanical Cluster. The silver-gray metal structure was spreading to the rest of his body!
And he wasn’t dead yet!
This feeling, a fate worse than death, spread throughout his body. Finally, his vision went black, and he could see nothing at all.
The agonizing pain vanished in that same instant.
On the sofa, Satoshi sat up abruptly, pulling off the "Other Shore" virtual reality headset and looking down at his chest and abdomen.
There was no gaping wound, no visible bone or organs.
He let out a long sigh of relief, though his entire body was drenched in sweat.
That scene in the game had been far too real, too terrifying, as if it had actually happened.
Fortunately, it was all just a game.
’But it was just too real...’
’So real he had been almost certain he was dead.’
Getting up from the sofa, Satoshi lit a cigarette and walked slowly to the window, looking out at the woods beyond.
Everything outside was fine, but the fingers holding his cigarette were still trembling slightly.
After all, he had never been a warrior skilled in physical combat.
’Is this the apocalypse that might befall Earth?’
Everything turned to cold metal, and the living were hunted relentlessly, like rats in a gutter...
Thinking of the players who had their heads twisted off or were split in two, Satoshi couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain they must have suffered.
When he first received the notification that the True Apocalypse Game was being upgraded to a virtual reality game, Satoshi had been a little excited. He was tired of computers and phones lacking a truly immersive experience.
But now, he was beginning to feel a sense of awe and trepidation.
He had his own theories about the Savior—the developer, the Commander.
Judging from the previous game missions and the events that had occurred on Earth, it was highly likely that this developer had truly experienced those apocalypses. Otherwise, it would be difficult to recreate the scenes with such precision.
The theory of a Parallel Cosmos wasn’t that hard to accept.
After all, the Bitcoin he had created also experienced forks.
In other words, the game missions he was now undertaking were very likely the developer’s real-life experiences.
This was probably why the developer had upgraded the game to virtual reality.
Only by truly feeling the horror of these apocalypses could one find the conviction to prevent them.
[...]
「Moscow.」
Vasily woke up in his game pod. He took off his helmet and vigorously rubbed his hair.
He felt as if he had just been pulled from the water after nearly drowning, enveloped in pain and frustration.
In the Gray Tide apocalypse just now, he had been torn into four pieces by two Nanomechanical Robots. The game equipment had transmitted that agonizing sensation clearly to his nervous system through the neural interface.
It had nearly made him pass out on the spot.
Players who had never before complained of hardship or exhaustion in the previous game versions were now letting out genuine, blood-curdling screams.
But while the scene had been a huge psychological shock, that wasn’t what truly frustrated Vasily.
Based on the two previous game missions, failure in the game meant he could potentially lose his eligibility to play.
Or he could be transported to an even more desolate place, increasing the game’s difficulty again.
Pouring a glass of vodka and downing it in one gulp, Vasily returned to the game pod, put on the helmet, and prepared to log back into the game.
The icon of a giant, blood-red eye lit up as he prepared to log in again.
Vasily couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. At least his gaming privileges hadn’t been revoked.
His vision went black, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and the game began again!
Similar scenes were playing out all over the world.
One by one, the players who had been brutally slaughtered in the game all chose to re-enter after a short break.
For them, a game that felt so real was a new, more interesting challenge!
Seeing the players request entry into the Gray Tide apocalypse mission again, Shen Feng, watching from cyberspace, couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
These warriors he had chosen had not disappointed him.
Every virtual death was an intense trial for the spirit. A strong will, forged through constant tempering, would also be beneficial in resisting the Whisperer.
After all, the Whisperer’s Hypnosis could also target these players...
[...]
When Vasily opened his eyes again, he was in a place that looked like a gray hospital, filled with coffin-like, silver-gray life-support pods.
Before him were several other players with the same bewildered expressions, apparently having just logged back into the game as well.
He hadn’t appeared at the initial spawn point.
Moreover, they now seemed to have a black bracelet on their wrists.
Vasily scanned his surroundings, then extended a hand to a player who looked to be of Asian descent.
"Hello, Comrade. I’m Wally."
Those who share the same goals are comrades, and for players like them, the term was more than fitting.
The other man shook his hand and introduced himself.
"Hello, Comrade. Satoshi Nakamoto."
Satoshi Nakamoto was already a pseudonym, so using it again as a pseudonym in a game felt perfectly natural.
Several other players nearby came over, shook hands with the two, and introduced themselves.
"Zhang Quan."
"Jack."
"Yuval."
They were all very common pseudonyms.
As far as the eye could see, they were surrounded by densely packed life-support pods, numbering in the tens of thousands.
"There are people in here," said the man named Jack, leaning in for a closer look, his brow furrowed.
By now, everyone had noticed the "cargo" inside the pods.
Inside every single pod was a sleeping human!
These people were men and women, old and young, all with serene expressions on their faces. There was no telling how long they had been asleep.
"What is this? Is this like the Alien’s colony ship? Are we on a spaceship right now?" Jack asked with a frown.
A man named Zhang Quan stepped forward and carefully examined the pods and the people sleeping inside them. "These are indeed Hibernation Pods made with deep-space hibernation technology," he said. "The nutrient fluid and temperature-controlled environment are sufficient to put their bodily functions into a state of suspended animation. In theory, they could be preserved for several hundred years... Governments around the world have been researching this technology. It’s said that NASA and the SpaceX Company are working on it jointly..."
"The easiest way to find out where we are is to just ask someone," Vasily said. He found a metal plate on the ground nearby, jammed it into the seam of a Hibernation Pod, and started prying with all his might.
The others immediately came over to help. They all heaved together, and with a POP, like a champagne cork being pulled, the Hibernation Pod before them sprang open.
Lying inside was a slender, beautiful red-haired woman.
They had their reasons for choosing a woman.
After all, compared to a strong adult male, a weaker woman would be easier to control.
The men exchanged glances, then stepped forward, grabbing the redhead’s limbs. They gently lifted her out and placed her on the ground.
Zhang Quan knelt and gently pressed on the woman’s chest. After a short while, she let out a soft cough and her blue eyes shot open.
The woman first looked stunned, then spoke.
"Where... where is this...? Is this Los Angeles Prison? Are you guards? Why are all the guards men? I want to see my lawyer! Don’t touch me!"
Hearing her words, the men frowned and exchanged glances. They all seemed to have realized something.
Satoshi looked at the others, hesitated for a moment, and said:
"Should I go first?"
The others nodded, quite deferential.
Satoshi spoke slowly. "It seems that before the Gray Tide apocalypse, deep-space hibernation technology was already widespread and used as a form of incarceration, replacing prisons... The people we’ve found are likely all criminals from a prison. They should have been released after serving their sentences, but then the Gray Tide broke out, turning them into eternal prisoners in these Hibernation Pods."
"Correct," Jack nodded, then shrugged. "High-level officials in Eagle Country have had similar ideas for a while now. After all, the number of criminals in Eagle Country is always rising, and capitalists don’t like supporting people who only create negative value..."
Yuval, who had been silent, chimed in.
"As for why they survived, the reason might be simple. Because they were constantly submerged in liquid, the Nanomechanical Cluster treated them as part of the building’s structure. It might have even replaced their original life support systems and upgraded them..."
The group looked at each other and nodded in unison, having basically reached a consensus about this bizarre, coffin-shop-like place.
"Hey, what are you people talking about? Where is this? I want to see my lawyer! Get me out of here!" The red-haired woman on the ground had recovered her strength. She slowly stood up and spoke to them.
Looking at the stunning redhead, Satoshi Nakamoto shook his head and said:
"How tragic... The criminals in these Hibernation Pods might be the last remaining humans in this world. Is human civilization really going to be carried on by these criminals...?"
The faces of the others also showed a hint of sadness.
Seeing that these people were speaking in strange words she couldn’t understand and were completely ignoring her, the redhead started to panic. She quickly took a few steps back and asked:
"Are you some kind of evil organization that kidnapped me for experiments? I... I only stole some things! My sentence is only two years! What you’re doing is violating my human rights!"
Vasily praised with sincere admiration:
"The AI on these game NPCs is getting more and more advanced. I could almost believe this woman is real."
Jack let out a whistle. "She really has a great figure... Two years, huh... So the numbers marked on these Hibernation Pods are their prison sentences."
Vasily nodded.
"Right... I suggest we wake up everyone who is sleeping. We’ll tell them the truth. No matter how many can accept it, a large group will be a powerful force. With enough people, we can explore this world faster."
Satoshi said, "What about the criminals with strong antisocial personalities and sentences over twenty years..."
"Of course, we kill them in their sleep."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Just then, their bracelets vibrated gently, and a line of text appeared:
"Welcome to the Gray Tide Apocalypse Mission. New mission issued: Find the Gray Tide control core and terminate the Nanomechanical Cluster’s operation."
~
(Happy National Day, everyone! My heart surged with excitement seeing a row of Xiaoguai marching in the parade today!)
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