Chapter 120: The Game!
If any other lifeform connects to the Matrix, the system first blocks their original memories, allowing them to experience a full human life from an initial state.
Every wave of emotion—joy and sorrow, love and hatred, laughter and tears—produces a measurable energy value stored in the Matrix, serving as its energy source.
At the moment of death, their original memories are unblocked.
It's only then that these beings truly realize who they are, where they are, and where they are meant to go.
"Mr. Blue Eyes, you don't look well. If the Matrix simulation has disrupted your database, I can help you erase this information," Li Ang offered.
Before Li Ang could finish, Mr. Blue Eyes raised a hand to refuse.
"No, Mr. Li Ang. I find the experience of being human fascinating. It's a kind of data fluctuation I could never encounter on the other side of the Black Wall."
"With this new influx of information, I might gain a clearer understanding of humanity!"
Though most of the emotions Mr. Blue Eyes experienced in the Matrix's simulated human world were pain, confusion, and torment, it was precisely these constant stabs of emotion that allowed him to feel the existence of life—something he had never experienced in decades of roaming cyberspace.
No wonder AI consciousnesses that were once human still yearn for the human world. It turns out the sensations of these emotions are indeed impossible for AI to fully simulate!
"Flesh, love and hatred, the chaotic and intricate collapse of thoughts—utterly fascinating."
A faint smile appeared on Mr. Blue Eyes' lips. If possible, he wanted to live through another human life.
Seeing Mr. Blue Eyes so enthralled by the sensation of being human, Bartmos couldn't help but interject:
[It seems you're enjoying the taste of being such a weak creature, Mr. Blue Eyes. Human lives last no more than a few decades. No matter how real the experience feels, it's nothing compared to your current state.]
Having painstakingly chosen to abandon his flesh and achieve cyber-ascension by uploading his consciousness, Bartmos was, of course, unwilling to admit the merits of being human.
"I just think the simulated lives in the Matrix are fascinating. This immersive sensation is absolutely beyond replication."
"Unfortunately, when I entered the Matrix, my memory data was blocked. Otherwise, I might have been able to find bugs within that world."
Mr. Blue Eyes was well aware of humanity's frail vitality, unsuitable for survival in the cyber era. What amazed him was the computational power of the Matrix server!
To simulate an entire human life so realistically—how much network resource must that consume? This Matrix server must host a transcendent AI even more powerful than Europa!
When Bartmos heard Mr. Blue Eyes' ambition to find the Matrix's bugs, he merely shook his head with a faint smile. A creation-level server like this couldn't be easily breached by a bunch of wandering AIs.
Even if a transcendent AI tried to enter, once inside the Matrix, it would still have to obediently live as a human, assembling screws on the assembly line.
[Mr. Li Ang, please insert the chip into this computer. I'd also like to witness the Matrix's capabilities.]
Refusing to believe it, Bartmos decided to test the Matrix himself. But before entering, he encrypted his core memory with an AI password lock.
This precaution ensured that, even after entering, he wouldn't be stripped of his memories like Mr. Blue Eyes.
As long as he retained his memory—knowing who he was, where he was, and what he was doing—Bartmos was confident he could locate the Matrix's bugs.
"Let's do this, Bartmos. This time, I'll enter the Matrix with you. In this new simulation, I'll give you a special bug code."
"With this code, you can break through the Matrix's defenses and return to the real world early. Meanwhile, I'll act as the antagonist, aiming to stop you and reclaim the code."
"How about it? Do you accept this game?"
After speaking, Li Ang produced a new Matrix access chip. This simulated world was his favorite type to play, modeled after Battle Through the Heavens.
[Interesting. I accept your game.]
Bartmos' metallic voice carried a tone of resolute confidence. Clearly, he trusted his abilities. With the bug, he believed he could shatter the Matrix's shackles!
"Very well. Let the game begin."
With that, Li Ang inserted the chip into the computer connected to Bartmos' AI. He then entered the Matrix as the Architect.
The moment Li Ang entered the Matrix, he detected Bartmos' "tricks." However, instead of forcibly erasing Bartmos' memories, he made a subtle adjustment.
Bartmos' original core memories—human consciousness and vast wandering AI data—were replaced with the memories of an ordinary Earth high school student.
When Bartmos entered the Matrix, he mistakenly believed himself to be an ordinary student from Earth.
Unaware of the changes, Bartmos began his new simulated life.
[Age 0]: You are born on the Dou Qi Continent, the third young master of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City, Jia Ma Empire.
[Age 1]: You realize that you've transmigrated and are actually an ordinary high school student from Earth. Seizing the opportunity, you train diligently, hoping to become the strongest fighter in your clan.
...
[Age 11]: The Dou Qi you cultivated for ten years suddenly disappears. Overnight, you become a family disgrace, enduring ridicule and scorn from those around you.
[Age 15]: Nalan Yanran, your fiancée through a childhood engagement, visits to break off the engagement. Enraged, you make a vow: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never underestimate the young!"
That same year, a soul entity named Yao Chen (a bug) appears in your ring. Under his guidance, you grow stronger and gradually become the most powerful on the Dou Qi Continent.
[Age 21]: You establish the Yan Alliance, unifying the royal family, three great clans, and the Alchemist Association, becoming a regional powerhouse.
...
[Age 37]: Armed with numerous heavenly flames and commanding exquisite techniques, you become the youngest Dou Di in history. With a wave of your hand, you can destroy an entire city's populace!
...
[Age 180]: Renowned throughout the Great Thousand Worlds, you first establish the Infinity Flame Domain. Then, at the peak of Saint Heavenly Sovereign, you summon the Heavenly Ranking, intimidating all the realms.
But you also encounter your strongest opponent yet—the ultimate villain of the multiverse, Tianxie Shen! (The Architect—Li Ang).
[Age 207]: Together with Lin Dong and Mu Chen, you launch a final assault on the Outer Evil God, Tianxie Shen. Yet, just as success seems within reach, you hear an unfamiliar name: Bartmos!
Suddenly, countless fragments of memory flood your mind. In the chaos, your Dao Heart shatters, and your cultivation dissipates.
You die at Tianxie Shen's hands. In your final moment, you glimpse Yao Chen's soul within Tianxie Shen's palm.
Unable to discern illusion from reality, you descend into an Infinity abyss of death.