First Player

Chapter 4·BE17·"The Price of Civilization"

"Okay, Su Mingan." Liming said, "It's over. Unfortunately, I really..."

It sighed softly, with unmistakable regret in its eyes:

"I like you very much, Doctor."

"You are the most suitable Asa Akto..."

The transparent shadow passed through him and embraced him. It had no weight or temperature, only a pure phantom.

It's like a reluctant confession, like a sincere regret. At this time, Li Ming actually made Su Mingan feel something similar to human emotions.

Su Mingan's brain was running rapidly:

"I see.

"The Dawn Code, in addition to shutting you down, should also be able to check and balance [other dimensions] - you, me, and other dimensions. The three of us have a fairly balanced check and balance relationship. Once one party makes a mistake, everything will be lost, just like a A chess game of life and death.

That night meeting was under [Tavi's] surveillance. My exposure just now was discovered by Tavi.

But why do you want to kill me for this..."

His mind was stuck at this point, lacking clues and unable to deduce further.

"Don't think too much, it's useless." Liming said, "If you can get to the end, I will tell you everything, but it's a pity..."

Su Ming'an understood that this was the ultimate secret of the world, and it was impossible for him to reveal it at this stage. No matter how many inferences you make, it's useless. It's better to empty your mind.

"Must... kill me?" He said: "Dawn..."

The next moment, a bullet penetrated his shoulder blade. The wheelchair is under Dawn's control and it can kill him at any time.

When behind him, the gun muzzle like a steel forest was aimed at him, he reluctantly said out loud:

"——Dawn! At least answer my last question! What's wrong with my leg? Why is it disabled? What's wrong with me coughing up blood! At least answer me..."

Bright red blood emerged from the shoulder blades, and the bones seemed to be broken. He was sweating in pain.

Dawn held out her hand.

Its hand was in front of his eyes, and its fingers were pressed together, blocking all sight, as if it was trying to close his eyelids.

In the white field of vision, he vaguely heard the sound of the muzzle of the gun being turned.

"This is..." the white-haired god said:

“The Price of Civilization.”

"To bet against [Tavi], we need to... do our best. Human beings are too small, like weeds."

"The most rare thing for a person is to have a dream that is out of reach but one thinks that it is within reach."

"Isn't this a kind of human innocence?"

"You are [the world itself], Doctor, you are [the world]..."

Su Mingan was finally able to barely control his body. He bent his fingers with all his strength, the pre-action of spatial displacement was completed, and the white cross light gradually flashed——

The muzzle of the gun on the back of the wheelchair was turned around, and it was pointed at him who was close at hand.

There was a gunshot.

"boom!"

A high-explosive bullet penetrated the back of his neck, and his vision spun rapidly.

In his last consciousness, he saw Dawn leaning down, as if to hold his broken head.

It seemed to be sobbing, and under its transparent white eyelids, his blood-stained head was reflected in its eyes.

"I'm so tired, I'm so tired..." it said: "Asa, Lu Shu, Luvis, Su Ming'an... I'm so tired... Why, why couldn't you make a suitable wish in the first place... "

It was close to his eyes, looking at him whose eyes were gradually blurring.

"Doctor, actually my biggest regret is that..."

Its voice grew lower and lower.

Virtual white dots slipped from the corners of its eyes.

Like a frozen teardrop.

…

[Dungeon opens·Eighth day·Early morning]

Su Ming'an listened to the night meeting in silence, not making a sound from beginning to end.

Since his identity was not revealed at the meeting this time, he survived, was not transferred to a basement full of ashes as soon as he opened his eyes, and his body was able to move normally.

He leaned back in his chair silently.

The street lights were dim, like pairs of eyes of wild beasts. There are many ginkgo trees planted here. Maybe Akto liked ginkgo trees during his lifetime.

He stretched out his hand, and a ginkgo leaf fell on his palm.

The amount of information Dawn brought him last week was too great...it actually knew that he didn't have a password.

The two of them had been acting against each other.

He is acting that he knows the dawn code, and Dawn is acting that he does not know that it knows that he does not know the dawn code. The two of them are stacking layer cakes.

As a result, dawn is in the atmosphere.

It reveals a lot of information, but there are generally three points.

First, because he revealed that he was not Aktor during the night meeting, Dawn wanted to kill him for unknown reasons.

Second, it says that he is [the world], but the meaning of [the world] is unknown.

Third, his disability and coughing up blood are the "price of civilization", the meaning of which is also unknown.

Overall, the puzzles are not complicated. As long as he finds a suitable line of information, he will be able to connect them...

He looked away and saw his teammates' channels flashing. These teammates stayed up late at night and were still chatting.

[Lu Shu (2:1 Why did I kiss you during the live broadcast today? I saw many netizens talking about this. Isn’t it an emotionless AI? 】

【Luna (2:1 is this?】

[Yamada Machichi (2:20): Lu Shu’s focus is indeed strange. Don't think about the next strategic actions, just ask this. 】

[Lu Shu (2:20):? ? What does it have to do with you? 】

[Luke (2:20): It’s two o’clock, everyone, you’re still not asleep. 】

[Yamada Machichi (2:20): I want to eat the sweet potatoes roasted by Lu Shu himself. Come on, Shubao, the sweet potatoes will be delivered to Consilidin University. I want to eat them, eat big ones. 】

[Lu Shu (2:21): Get out! stick! Roll! sew! Gon! Gun! 】

…

Su Mingan laughed.

When he laughed, he didn't expect that he could laugh because of such simple happiness. Watching these people chatting, he felt so relaxed.

It was obvious that he had just experienced the feeling of body and head being separated, but now he could laugh calmly.

He seemed to be becoming increasingly numb to death.

He suddenly heard a "click" behind him, and a white figure appeared at the door of the building.

Seeing Dawn appearing before his eyes like a ghost, his heart skipped a beat.

It was so decisive in killing him last week.

"Aren't you coming in?" Li Ming tilted her head: "I see you've been sitting outside for a long time. It's late at night. Come in and rest."

"No, I'm going to find Treya and the others." Su Ming'an said.

Living in this deserted and ruined building, he always felt panicked. Except for Sheng Qi, no one could take away his life at any time like Li Ming.

Dawn is a brain with no favorability, and the skills of those in power are ineffective against it. This is the most frightening thing about it. He didn't know when it would decisively attack him.

Only the Central City laboratory at the beginning was the place where he felt most secure.

The students there are very kind. The android named Feisi asked him to call her "mom", his assistant Treya would share desserts with him, Dongxu Xudong's two living treasures always brought joy, and Dr. Mela, a biochemistry doctor, was kind. And kindness reminded him of his deceased grandmother.

He loved being there, it made him feel comfortable and relaxed. Instead of...staying with a cold AI, which will cut off your head at every turn.

Dawn's figure approached him: "Don't go, that's a sealed underground city and can't be found on the surface."

"Then I'll ask Xi Ke to help me teleport in." Su Mingan looked at the watch on his right.

"Why don't you want to live in my building?" Li Ming looked confused: "I have obviously prepared the best bed and the best food for you..."

"I'm not used to being watched," Su Mingan said.

"I didn't..." Li Ming listened and retorted.

"The room you prepared for me has twelve cameras. I have already counted them." Su Mingan said with a dull face.

When he discovered there were twelve cameras in the room, he was devastated.

"Under normal circumstances, in order to save energy, I block most of the cameras and will not deliberately pry into other people's privacy. Especially you, I respect you." Liming explained.

"Including cameras in every corner of the city-state?"

"Of course." Liming said, "As long as it's not a big deal, I usually won't keep an eye on it."

"I'd better go back to the laboratory." Su Mingan still said.

Li Ming did not persuade him again.

It just sighed inaudibly and gradually dissipated.

When the space ring was prepared, Xi Ke teleported Su Mingan back to the Central City Laboratory.

After returning to a familiar place, Su Mingan relaxed a lot.

He didn't sleep that night. If he pushed [Artificial Intelligence] to the highest level, he would be able to reach the full level of [Mechanical], [Biochemical], and [Artificial Intelligence].

"Doctor, are you still not sleeping?" While he was busy, his assistant Treya came over in pajamas. She yawned, her beige hair was slightly curled, and she had beautiful light makeup on her face.

"Yeah." Su Ming'an found that Treya was indeed similar to the second woman in the meeting, but Treya was much younger.

"Treya, do you have any sister, or mother?" he asked.

"...Huh?" Treya rolled her eyes, and after thinking, she said, "No."

The clue is broken.

Su Mingan let out a soft "tsk".

He didn't know where the eight people who participated in the night meeting came from. There was no information about this group of people in the files.

"Doctor, doctor~ Since you won't sleep at night, how about I make you a strawberry cake? There are no fresh strawberries outside~" Seeing that he was distracted, Treya immediately hit the snake stick and started to increase his favorability.