Chapter 121: Artificial Souls - Part 48 |
5L: The Big Shot doesn’t play by conventional rules.
16L: Everyone’s striving to conceal their identities, and trust between players cannot be easily established. How could someone reveal their true identity under these circumstances?
25L: Asking for others’ real identities at this point? It raises suspicions.
36L: I’ve already started doubting… Could it be that Big Shot 233, who previously guided public opinion on the forum and disclosed additional information, was waiting for this moment all along? What purpose do you have in seeking the true identities of players?
37L replying to 36L: I think you’re overthinking it. Until today, some forum guidelines remained unexplored. Without the sudden introduction of the Personal Section feature, no one would have known about its existence. Unless Big Shot 233 had precognitive knowledge of the forum’s rules, there wouldn’t have been any reason for them to act this way.
38L replying to 37L: We don’t know the conditions for accessing the Personal Section. Perhaps 233 was already aware of these conditions from the beginning, which is why they meticulously planned step by step since the first week…
39L: I feel like the previous post hit the nail on the head.
55L: Can some paranoid conspiracy theorists spare us their wild theories? It makes me laugh my ass off.
56L: The first floor has explained it clearly enough, right? What the Big Shot meant was “Join if you want, or else stay away.” If you’re willing to reveal your true identity and join the forum, then go ahead; if you’re not keen on exposing yourself, simply don’t join.
69L: I don’t understand what there is to theorize about conspiracies. Are the critical pieces of information shared by Big Shot genuine? Yes. Have his insights been helpful to players? Not just helpful, they’ve been immensely valuable. I fail to see any reason for suspecting foul play involving such a person.
70L: Just blindly praising, right? Isn’t 233 not the only one providing intelligence to other players?
71L replying to 70L: Exactly, he’s not the only one, but don’t forget that he was the first to step forward. The significance is entirely different. Without someone leading the charge or setting an example, would we have today’s culture of knowledge and information sharing on the forum? Other whistleblowers and educators are also commendable; I’m not denying their contributions. My point is to help everyone recognize the importance of 233’s actions.
72L: Absolutely. I too have written some insignificant educational posts before. The reason I did so was because of 233’s influence. In the real world, I was a timid person, always thinking it’d be better to avoid trouble and stay hidden. However, 233 made me realize that I cannot take for granted being merely a recipient, comfortably benefiting from the risks others took to gather information. It would weigh heavily on my conscience.
73L: Maybe some people knew even more information than 233 but didn’t share it initially. 233 did, and that’s why he is respected. It’s as simple as that—the first person to take action always stands out.
88L: I believe everyone above has misunderstood what Big Shot 233 meant. Give me a moment. Let me gather my thoughts and provide a detailed analysis of Big Shot 233’s intentions behind posting this recruitment thread.
92L: In this environment, finding a suitable communication channel is challenging. Mobile phones can be monitored, and computers are prone to viruses; privacy hardly exists in the digital age, as we all know too well. The forum serves as one means for players to connect, but it’s public, allowing anyone to view posted threads. Although there’s a private messaging feature, its efficiency is low. By introducing personal sections at this critical juncture, I feel like we essentially gain access to “groups.” The moderators act as group administrators, with messages within these “groups” visible only to members and invisible to outsiders. This provides great convenience for small, private group communications.
93 L: In summary, the Personal Section acts like a private guild, essentially a true player-run association. The reason why 233 explicitly stated that players entering his personal section must reveal their identities is because he’s seeking allies. He needs to ensure whether these allies can be trusted, hence setting such conditions to prevent infiltration by potential traitors.
96L: With this explanation, everyone should understand now, right? The Big Shot posting this thread is actually looking for teammates! If any player is willing to risk all and join, it might lead to a turning point, propelling them to great heights in life. Of course, as some earlier posts suggested, there could also be a conspiracy at play.
At Post 96, Kui Xin stopped reading.
This forum poster indeed captured part of her intentions accurately.
The controversy surrounding the post was expected, given that the first wave of players entering the game fully understood the brutal nature of “Crimson Earth.” Living each day on edge, they often developed paranoia, making the emergence of conspiracy theories quite normal.
For ordinary players, having a sense of persecution paranoia was beneficial. At least it made their behavior more cautious, reducing the likelihood of fatal outcomes.
Kui Xin clicked on her username, entered the backend, and refreshed her private message inbox.
Her inbox had long been overflowing since the moment she posted her first educational thread. People started sending her private messages.
Initially, some asked about her relationship with Depriver No. 233, wondering if they were the same person. Over time, the content of the private messages became more varied—some expressed gratitude, others sought information about alien creatures, and there were even inquiries about the Federation’s progress in capturing players.
Kui Xin rarely opened these private messages, nor did she ever respond to the questions posed within them. She refrained from saying anything unnecessary.
Scrolling through the page, she noticed several new private messages. One read, “If I disclose my identity to you, will you keep it confidential? Do I need to reveal my identity to the other members of the forum section? If I share my identity with you, can you also disclose yours?”
Kui Xin tapped twice on her phone screen, raising her eyebrows slightly.
She simply replied, “You only need to reveal your identity to me. I won’t disclose mine.”
The other party attempted negotiation, saying, “If you’re seeking to form a team, this wouldn’t be fair.”
Kui Xin quietly looked at the screen before stopping to respond.
It appeared that the other player also realized he couldn’t achieve equal footing with Kui Xin and had no right to negotiate terms. Consequently, he said, “My identity in the Second World holds significant value, but I’ve gotten into trouble and may face death. I’m looking for someone to assist me, but I’m not certain if you are the one capable of helping.”
As the first player to unlock the Personal Section, Kui Xin’s prowess was already proven; she stood distinct from other players.
Thus, it came as no surprise when someone sought her help.
Kui Xin responded, “Tell me about the trouble you’re facing.”
The other player said, “I work within the Federal Government’s departments, constantly risking exposure.”
“Which department?” asked Kui Xin.
There was a long, drawn-out pause before the player finally replied, “Have you heard of the Special Operations Division?”
Kui Xin was taken aback, finding this particularly intriguing.
If this player was indeed from the Special Operations Division in the Second World, Kui Xin believed that they were either incredibly lucky or possessed genuine skills to survive for so long within such a perilous organization. Moreover, the fact that they voluntarily revealed their affiliation with the Special Operations Division suggested two possibilities: either they were truly desperate and clutching at straws, akin to a cornered dog jumping over walls or a gravely ill person seeking any cure; or they had some ulterior motive, intentionally mentioning the Special Operations Division.
She deliberately probed, “If you belong to the Special Operations Division, I doubt you would have survived until now.”
The other party responded, “Do you suspect me of being brainwashed?”
Kui Xin said, “Reveal your true identity to me; otherwise, there’s nothing more to discuss.”
“By telling you my identity, can you guarantee helping me?”
“I cannot assure you with 100% certainty, but I’m simply exploring a path. Whether you choose to follow it or not is up to you.”
The respondent fell silent, seemingly needing time to carefully deliberate.
Kui Xin was fishing for information just as someone else sought to reel her in, so she had to closely scrutinize every interaction.
In the First World, Kui Xin took the initiative.
She crossed her legs on the bed and refreshed the forum homepage, noticing several English posts rising to prominence. It turned out that a few multilingual players had translated Kui Xin’s post into English, sparking discussions with international players as well.
After Kui Xin installed an English translation package in her mind, it took several days for her to fully adapt and integrate the knowledge into her brain. Now, reading simple English posed no difficulty; as long as it wasn’t specialized jargon, she could understand it easily.
She scrolled up and down briefly, and soon enough, a new post emerged.
It was written in English, with a title that translated to: “I am Depriver No. 777, seeking you, Depriver No. 233.”
Kui Xin’s fingers paused.
After a few seconds, she lowered her crossed leg and slowly sat upright on the bed.
Staring at the title, she refrained from immediately clicking on the post.
A moment later, Kui Xin refreshed the forum homepage and noticed that after her personal section “Black Snake,” a new section had been added, named “Seven.”.
An involuntary sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, escaped from her throat.
How intriguing! Depriver No. 777, the second Depriver listed on the player casualty roster, was issuing a challenge to Kui Xin—Depriver No. 233.
Deep within her, Kui Xin felt a strong intuition—that this post must be a declaration of war, not an invitation. Rather than a gesture of welcome, it seemed more like a provocation.
Kui Xin clicked on the post and noticed that the first floor prominently stated: “I sincerely invite Depriver No. 233 to join my Personal Section [Seven]. Of course, apart from Depriver No. 233, other Deprivers are also welcome. To prove your identity, you must show your player identification card and reveal your number.”
With a subtle expression, Kui Xin realized that Depriver No. 777 had mistaken her for one of his kind.
The actions of Depriver No. 233 seemed to have created some misconceptions for Depriver No. 777.
Both Depriver No. 233 and Depriver No. 777 had killed numerous individuals—Depriver No. 233 many of their own kind, while Depriver No. 777 similarly murdered players. They were the two players with the highest discussion rates on the forum, both being deprivers unable to gain the trust of Proxies. After committing murder, Depriver No. 777 would nonchalantly leave the scene, blatantly disregarding the surveillance and encircling police officers, displaying utter arrogance.
He assumed that Depriver No. 233, like himself, was a lawless madman.