Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

Running Cold

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

What type of connection would you expect a game needs to maintain with the outside world?

X Beijin doesnt work in the games industry, and even if he did, games seem to differ quite greatly out in the universe compared to what was popular on Earth.

Information he gleamed from NE indicated that game creation was entirely handed over to game Servers, while game companies, if they employed producers, graphic artists, designers, etc. at all, theyd only play a supervising and advisory role.

In other words, with the game Server in charge of basically everything, the main Server would also possess whatever critical data ports are needed to communicate with the outside world.

The data port for updating is all the game companies will access should they need to intervene in the management of the game.

For players, logging in and logging out would be all they needed from a game.

X Beijin also happens to have a port for the video streaming data at least, he believes it counts as one of the ways the game communicates with the world outside. He didnt count it as a proper one its like an extra one.

And you might even say that this is actually just part of the data port for managing the game accessed by the Server. It exists subordinately to the managing data port, but not independently.

Speaking of which, finally, the data port for managing the game Is that truly the control panel in front of him?

He had no reason to doubt NE has transferred partial authority to him, but if you think about it, that partial authority had no need to include a link between the game and the outside world.

In other words, the most likely scenario is that the data port itself is still with NE, at the top floor of the Tower, and is not the control panel that X Beijin has on hand.

X Beijin falls deep into thought.

Lin Qin watches over him quietly, propping his chin up, waiting for his conclusions patiently.

X Beijin finds his mind overtaken by a question that is now baffling him, and that he cannot decide on even if it is true that NE is not on humanitys side, is there absolutely no way they could escape the Tower?

Not in theory.

X Beijin thinks that, given the humans are technically players in this game, it is only because NE has shut off access to the data port for logging out, that they cannot log out.

If NE were sleeping, or in some other abnormal state, then there would be nothing stopping them from logging out.

So he should only need the data port for managing and also the data port for logging out to allow all of humanity to log off.

Not that that would do any good, because where their bodies are outside is certainly somewhere still under active Fyecan surveillance. Outside intervention is needed for them to escape successfully.

Which is why he established contact with the Maertons through Olai.

So the key element in his plan is now the timing.

The Maertons, in their long war against the Fyecas, certainly had members ending up as prisoners of war of the Fyecas.

Thats why the Maertons are happy to help X Beijin, because primarily, they want to save their own kin, with rescuing humanity as a side hustle.

What is notable in this scenario, is in the opportunity that X Beijin provides.

The Maertons and Fyecas, despite their aeons-long war, has never actually managed to invade each others core territory, largely thanks to their unique states of existence, especially for the Fyecas, who solely live up in the cloud, to borrow a human term, and only rely on the planets under their control for energy via exploitation of their resources, both for supporting their systems, and also giving whatever is left over to their subordinate species.

So the Maertons couldnt do anything practical to attack the Fyecas where it hurts the most.

It almost sounds silly, but in this virtual war, neither side has ever managed to break down the others defences.

So the opportunity X Beijin provided, is the means to attacking them from inside their firewalls. He is planning to offer the data ports in the game Escape, using NEs authority, and allow an invasion of the Fyecan network through themTo defeat, or at least, cause chaos for them.

Now the sticking point isthe data ports.

He needs enough data ports to ensure an effective throughput of data for attack. These data ports offer direct access into the Fyecan network, and dressed up as NE, the Fyecas would not suspect the source of these data, due to NE being a trusted member in the core network of the Fyecas. It makes NE a traitor in-the-making by X Beijin.

But now, X Beijin finds he is likely lacking the most critical data port of all.

He examines the lightly glowing control panel.

Then, he says firmly, this cant be it there is no way. NE would never have let us access the data port for managing He must know what Im trying to do.

NE didnt stop me when I was asking Olai for help. I thought it was because his stance has changed, but That couldnt be true, after all.

He must know what Im doing, and has concluded to his satisfaction that what Im doing can never succeed. So he neednt waste energy to stop me.

It is the result of programmatic calculation

X Beijin continues mumbling.

Lin Qin can see X Beijin looking anxious, and asks, Beijin, are you ok?

X Beijin is silent watching Lin Qin for a moment, before telling him, I might still have to get to the top floor of the Tower eventually. I have to find NE and try to wrestle away the data port for managing the game from him.

Wrestle? Lin Qin sound surprised, but didnt you say, youre also NE?

X Beijin already told him about who he actually is in this game, and what happened in his past.

Although X Beijin had difficulty actually identifying clear differences between him and NE.

There was a moment when X Beijin, NE, and Iro, were one and the same.

Although NE had total victory in basically no time after that, and erased X Beijin from himself.

However, X Beijin did, at one moment, become NE, which is where he got all his information from, and why he is able to pull off this effort to rescue his fellow humans.

X Beijin mumbles by reflex, yes, I did become NE once

Then he abruptly stops.

He was once No, heisNE.

Two bodies of the same substance. Cold as an AI, but warm as a human.

X Beijin didnt have NEs authorities or his data port for managing, but heisNE.

That is what his identity in the game is. There would not be a single line of code that contradicts that claim.

So, would there, is there any way, that the rights and data ports under NEs management, could be transferred to his hands?

In this game, in the Ultimate Nightmare, in this game, designed, planned by their fellow humans There must be a way out.

Because the artificial intelligence within, also has a human consciousness.

Suddenly, X Beijin starts trembling.

Lin Qin, confused and worried, is looking at him carefully.

X Beijin starts yelling, I get it!

He hugs Lin Qin tightly, planting passionate kisses on the lovable apple cheeks and red lips of his little apple, saying, oh little apple, how could you be so clever?!

Lin Qin, though, is clearly shocked, and looking like he suspects X Beijin might have gone insane.

X Beijin can see his confusion, but he doesnt have time to explain. He just lets himself stick to Lin Qin as he calms back down.

The warmth from X Beijins body, and his scent, though, is making Lin Qin slightly restless in acertain way.

X Beijin, though, just ruins the mood entirely, saying, we can be saved now, little apple. It now all comes down to what everyone else does in the Ultimate Nightmare.

Lin Qin

Gritting his teeth, he thinks, yeah, and they better get a move on, quickly.

Unexpectedly for Mu Jiashi and the others, after they knocked out of courtesy, a throaty come in came from inside Operating Room 3.

That means, there is someone in that Operating Room!

Almost immediately, cold sweat erupts on Mu Jiashis back.

Shen Ynj asks in a whisper, would he have heard what we were talking about?

Mu Jiashi thinks about it, then says, I think a better question is, is this person the games own plots setting, or is he human?

I dont even know how many characters are actually NPCs in this game, Shen Ynj cant help but diss, or, if there even are NPCs in the first place.

Mu Jiashi cant help but glance at Shen Ynj again. He did get a lot more loquacious since entering the hospital.

Perhaps this is closer to his real personality on Earth? After entering the game, everyone was changed one way or another by the Tower At least, Mu Jiashi knows hes changed almost entirely.

With no time to lament, though, he pushes the door, and walks inside Operating Room 3.