Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Artificial Soul Part 38

On the video cover, he was wearing a mask.

However, such a disguise was barely effective. After all, he was a frequently seen game streamer. In his previous videos, he had already exposed everything about himself, and long-time fans even knew his real name.

Kui Xin searched online and quickly found his real name.

His name was He Kangshi. The nickname of the account that posted the video was a variation of his real name; his fans called him Lao Kang. His video website had a decent amount of popularity. When he suddenly deleted his videos and disappeared, it sparked considerable discussion. A few of the veteran YouTubers who were in contact with him surprised their followers by sharing how they couldn’t reach him. That news had even reached the trending topics at one point, despite its low ranking.

To begin with like this was unfortunate, but what shocked Kui Xin was that He Kangshi had managed to survive in the Third World for three weeks despite the extreme exposure in the real world, without being caught by the Federation. It was nearly inconceivable.

Kui Xin temporarily logged out of the forum and logged onto the video website to watch the video posted by He Kangshi.

The environment in the video scenes was very dark. He Kangshi had a Sun Wukong mask from a street stall covering his face, sitting squarely beside the computer desk.

Only when he started speaking did Kui Xin realize his mental state was terrible. He looked haggard and weak, with an exhausted and powerless voice.

A row of comments floated past.

“Dead guy, you finally come back!”

“Has something happened at old Kang’s house?”

“What’s going on?”

The full screen of questions and exclamations almost overshadowed the video frame; Kui Xin turned off the subtitles and focused on watching the content.

“Hello everyone, I’m Lao Kang. I apologize for my long absence as I disappeared from the public eye due to an experience that completely flipped my perception of the world. I found myself in danger, along with ten thousand other players I didn’t know. An ordinary citizen like me, I reacted by trying to escape, the farther the better. But now, I cannot escape any longer, if I don’t speak about this, there could be many more victims besides the initial ten thousand.”

The video posted by He Kangshi had virtually no editing, with low-quality footage where the images kept shaking. Clearly, he had hastily recorded the video upon receiving news of the third batch’s beta test using his mobile phone and posted it in a rush.

“The following words I say are not a joke. I have not been paid for an advertisement or promoting that game. I swear with my household registration book and red scarf, what I will tell is a true story, and the experiences of these ten thousand victims.”

He Kangshi laughed bitterly and said with black humor: “What I am about to tell may sound frightening, but do not let it scare you.”

“I must start my story from July 36th. On July 36th, I received an invitation to participate in the beta test of ‘Crimson Soil.’ At that moment, I happily made a post saying I would record a video and guide everyone through the game. I thought I was a lucky player, but reality showed I was an unlucky one.”

“That game isn’t really a game. Even if it were, it would be one created by a deity. I read the official documents, signed my name, agreeing to take part in what this so-called ‘game’ entailed. At midnight on July 37th, the beta test began, yet instead of logging into some game, I ended up teleporting to a parallel reality—a cyberpunk world!”

“Doesn’t that sound unbelievable? It does to me too, but it happened anyway.”

“I wasn’t the only one who teleported. Ten thousand players crossed over simultaneously. Before the teleportation, all the players entered a beta tester forum. The forum gathered people from different countries communicating in various languages. Above the forum, there was a number—Survivers Count.”

“The cycle of teleportation within the game lasted a week. While inside the game, time was seemingly static in the real world. Every midnight we would teleport into the game at zero and return the same time the next week, creating a seven-day loop as we went back and forth between these two worlds.”

“Upon completing that brutal week in the game, returning to the real world, I saw over three hundred players dead among those ten thousand. Just in the first week. By the third week, more than six hundred were dead, and just the prior week had one hundred dead….”

“Here’s the critical part: people die in real life, not just in the game. No one can resurrect or save them in one world while continuing to live in the other as is often seen in typical video games. This is not a game where you can continue a save; it’s one life only once inside.”

“You might wonder how I confirmed this. When I teleported, another player did too. I was relatively fortunate. In our first teleportation week, I had company. We agreed to stay in contact back in the real world, but then an accident occurred; he died.”

“Heartbroken, I returned to the real world and immediately attempted to call him based on the number he provided. There was no answer, so I tried calling him throughout the day until his family eventually picked up the phone late in the night. They informed me he had died in his sleep, and they only discovered his body had stiffened when they tried waking him up for dinner the next morning.”

He Kangshi’s voice choked up slightly as he paused before continuing.

“What I described is not a joke or fabrication; I hope those who watch my video realize the peril of ‘Crimson Soil.’ Once immersed, you’ll experience things unbearable in the real world. You might be forced to kill, and you might even be killed yourself.”

“You may also face persecution by the government of the Third World, as entering that world causes you to replace someone’s soul, akin to a soul transmigration. In appearance, you’ll resemble the original person, but without their memories, easily exposing your true identity. If your presence in the Third World arouses suspicion from your family, you’re doomed. Should your unusual behavior draw federal attention, they might deploy super-intelligent AIs to monitor you. Once they confirm your interdimensional status, rest assured they’ll eliminate you ruthlessly.”

“The technology in the Third World is highly advanced; stepping in from the First World means relearning everything and adapting to new social norms. If you slip up, revealing your ignorance might lead to capture and purification, possibly even worse than death.”

“There are strange and mysterious creatures and extraordinary abilities. Many unknowns exist there… I won’t go deeply into game mechanics or Third World characteristics. My goal is not for you to understand this game, but warn you to stay away from it.”

“At last, one terrifying truth remains. Players prey on each other because we’re divided into two factions – the Removers and Proxies. Killing a Proxy rewards the Remover with all their powers. Even Proxies might turn on each other. Relying on fellow players is tricky as they can turn against you, almost like a death sentence.”

“Those who don’t participate don’t risk their lives, but playing this game might bring you death. I understand my warnings might stir some curiosity and desire to explore, but I must tell you—curiosity might lead to your death. I’ve shared this to alert those who listen. Avoid the game. Don’t ever touch it if you’ve heard at least one word from me.”

“Furthermore, many know my real identity, potentially including those who know my whereabouts. Let it be—I’m already exposed thoroughly, and additional words won’t affect me much. But after a few seconds—he flinched again—’If any of you have a conscience in front of your screens, please stop spreading my personal information. I have the courage to stand up, but I do fear death.'”

He Kangshi looked at the camera on his phone for a while and seemed to gather his resolve. “Certainly, some will doubt the authenticity of my words—”

He grabbed a nearby water bottle, and suddenly, it levitated in mid-air.

“Forget it—I’m using my supernatural ability here. Any Remover trying to target me… will never return alive.”

After watching the video, Kui Xin checked the view count.

The views skyrocketed, reaching over a million in just hours and counting. New comments kept pouring in.

Most asked if Lao Kang’s revelations were true or a prank, with others directly attacking: “You could’ve just promoted the game, why make such a big deal? Society’s turned into a huge mess. Lao Kang, chasing money, you’ve become so flashy, and even the effects seem so authentic.”

Indeed, under the rebellious comment, “Despite your advice to avoid the game, I’ll still try it,” the comment section quickly became a battlefield, and eventually, the section was locked, and the comments were cleared, but the video remained and the view count continued to rise.

Returning to the forum, Kui Xin saw the initial post about He Kangshi’s video had risen to high visibility. Inside the thread, players were trading insults.

Post 12: ??? Hasn’t he considered our feelings? He forgot one rule—to kill a player directly grants entry. If this information went public, wouldn’t malicious individuals hunt us for game slots? His actions effectively revealed the existence of players to the entire world!

Post 13: Don’t speak for me, I think he’s brave. I don’t have the guts to expose this, he took the risk. The exposure probability isn’t zero or one, we need to follow the rules and minimize the risk.

Post 14: Don’t assume others bear the burden. The exposure probability is either 0 or 1. I don’t want to die.

Some admired his courage, while others feared the exposure. Everyone had their stance, everyone had concerns. They hotly debated on the forum, none persuading the other.

Post 26: The original number of players was small—one thousand out of ten thousand. Even if a thousand of us have already perished, it remains a small fraction compared to the annual number of sudden deaths in our country—550,000 people—a staggering figure. Dividing a thousand players among the population, it’s merely hundreds. Scattered across provinces, cities, and regions, it’s an insignificant number. People die every day, and these losses aren’t noteworthy enough to become news. Thus, the continuous deaths over three weeks haven’t alarmed the First World.

Lao Kang stepping forward and disclosing the truth has at least alerted the world, preventing ignorant exposure to danger. The mirage in the sky is becoming increasingly conspicuous; its停留的 duration lengthening. I suspect the fusion of the two worlds is inevitable. The sooner it’s known, the easier it is to prepare for the impending disaster.

I lack the courage to reveal the truth, but I won’t blame those who do.