Bio-Kongou

No one is an island, isolated from the world.

Every individual is a part of the vast continent.

If the waves wash away a rock, the world will shrink.

It's like losing a promontory, like losing a piece of your friend's or your own territory.

Every death is a loss to me, because I am a human being.

Therefore, do not ask for For Whom the Bell Tolls.

It sings just for you!

—John Donne, For Whom the Bell Tolls

The film ends with Li Aoz and Du Zexin entering the elevator.

Lu Run sat blankly beside the monitor, the cold floor making him feel incredibly awake.

Is this really a game? From Nomi to Qiu Ran, to Li Aoz, and even Jane, Anna, and the Subway Brotherhood members, each of them is so lifelike, as if they were real people with flesh and blood.

When he saw Qiu Ran's two emotional breakdowns, and how she was ultimately sent onto the subway unconditionally by the 'ruthless killer king' Li Aoz, Lu Run felt that he was no longer just watching a game storyline.

Everyone is living authentically, crawling forward numbly and desperately for their beliefs, running a marathon while coughing up blood. This heavy sense of reality once made him feel physically uncomfortable.

"Holy crap, Qiu Ran is so cute! I declare her my wife!"

Compared to his emotional fluctuations, Luo Le, the straightforward older brother, immediately exclaimed excitedly:

"Did you see that? That girl is really interesting. She looks gentle and kind, like a simple-minded, honest girl, but she's more sensitive and perceptive than anyone else. Need I say more? She's the perfect wife material! I'll definitely choose someone like her as my future spouse."

"Alright, alright, alright, I know you like red hair and a single ponytail. You don't need to spread the word."

Xue Nian shoved the other person away in disgust. "You bastard, didn't you see the way Qiu Ran looked at Li Aoz? First of all, I'm not trying to create a pairing. Although Qiu Ran didn't say a word, her eyes were full of dependence. And her unconscious little actions—oh dear, secondly, I'm not trying to create a pairing, but if a girl doesn't really like and trust someone, why would she keep tugging at their clothes and leaning against them from time to time? Finally, damn it, I'm not pretending anymore, I am creating a pairing. Qiu Ran x Li Aoz, it would be against all reason if they weren't together."

Luo Le glanced at his colleague with disdain. "What era are we living in? Still shipping traditional couples? Don't be silly. Where does love come from in the capitalist world? These virtual characters, to put it bluntly, are just for the developers to make players feel good. They might even get criticized for 'male gaze' or 'stereotypes.' Why not give us something more substantial?"

"What kind of nonsense are you thinking? Shut up, we're live streaming here."

"Isn't it because you got too caught up in the story? To be honest, this part of the plot is really well-written, and I really enjoyed watching it."

"Wait a moment."

Lu Run calmed down and suddenly realized a problem. "If Brother Luo, Brother Xue, Li Aoz and Du Zexin team up, dealing with that 'professor' should be a piece of cake, right?"

"Have no idea."

The two answered in unison.

"...ah?"

Lu Run was bewildered:

"I think Li Aoz already very strong, and that Du Zexin seems very strong too, and he's Beta-rank (β, the second Greek letter). According to what we said before, Beta-rank NPC should have a Main Class of level 40, right? Dealing with that 'professor' should be a piece of cake, right?"

"Not entirely. NPCs are different from players. They may be a few levels lower, but they can rise in rank first. Strange, right? But if you think about it carefully, many people in the Real World are like that too—their paper strength is exaggerated, but in reality, they are exposed as frauds when you put them in a position to expose their true abilities."

Xue Nian said matter-of-factly, "Players are different. We have strict conditions for Promote Stratum, while the ranks of NPCs are somewhat inflated, which may not apply to us."

"Back to the previous question," Luo Le explained, "The social class of the two NPCs, Li Aoz and Du Zexin, is definitely inflated, and two strangers are not necessarily going to have a good working relationship."

"Moreover."

He tapped on the display screen of the Nethermark Humanity. The dazzling array of experimental projects and the numerous "[Implemented]" tags made his heart grow heavy.

"... That professor, although I don't know the specifics, just look at this—these projects alone clearly surpass the Frostplate knowledge level, plus Li Aoz's description, are probably no lower than the Beta-rank. It's hard to say who would win if they fought."

"What are you thinking? Li Aoz is still wanted and alive and well. He must have already killed the professor."

Xue Nian rolled her eyes. "Are you watching this like a TV series? You're even thinking about predicting what will happen next?"

"You know what, it's true... Aren't you the same? You're the one who empathizes and identifies the most, aren't you? Damn, you have the nerve to say that about me."

Luo Le flipped through the video files, but none of the video files left behind by Mingji were related to Li Aoz.

"Tsk... this place is useless now."

He curled his lip and kicked Lu Run, who was slumped on the ground. "Let's go, photographer, let's go down to the lower floors and take a look at the progress of the mission."

"Um."

Lu Run got up and saved the video file as a backup, intending to edit it later.

The battle between Li Aoz and Du Zexin easily gives the impression that the Mutant are more powerful than the Mechanics. As promotional material, players who are attracted by Li Aoz and intend to enter the Dominator class can probably make a basic judgment.

"With a little editing and a couple of cool lines, you can highlight the identity of the [Dominator] mentor—that's how you make a promotional video that instantly stands out."

Lu Run thought this to himself, but he still felt a nagging itch.

I really want to see what happens to Li Aoz later in the story! The game's attention to detail and the complex character portrayals are so realistic. The more I watch the story, the more captivating it becomes, and Lu Run finds himself completely immersed in it.

Luo Le and Xue Nian led the way, occasionally seeing charred corpses, but they didn't find it frightening.

Lu Run walked through the room filled with rotting bones, the place where Li Aoz once indulged in killing.

Previously, they thought Li Aoz was cruel, but now they think Li Aoz is far too lenient.

For an inhuman being like the Netherworld, no matter how cruel the means of revenge, it is still merciful.

"Oh, isn't this the ICU?"

During their search, they found the place where the killings had begun, where few intact corpses remained.

"The body of Head Nurse Nordly has indeed disappeared."

Xue Nian pointed to the corner of the wall, where there were remnants of burnt charcoal, which should be traces left by Qiu Ran's Aoneng.

"Strange, shouldn't there be no magic on Azure Planet? Could the corpse still have some use?"

Luo Le muttered to himself.

They left the ICU and searched everywhere, but found nothing. In order to find relevant videos of Li Aoz, they had no choice but to go down to the lower levels.

"Oh, the elevator is broken."

Luo Le attempted to hack into the elevator, only to discover that the entire elevator had fallen to the bottom floor.

Xue Nian inspected the steel cables and found that three of them were broken with obvious signs of corrosion at the break points, but one cable was intact with some strange slime residue.

He simply took out an electric lift, hung it on a steel cable, and carefully descended one by one into the dark abyss.

"Aren't you going to throw a Glow Stick or something?"

Lu Run asked, a little afraid of the dark elevator shaft.

"I didn't buy it. Anyway, it's only fifty meters. The elevator dropped to the Second Floor —what, are you afraid of heights?"

"A little—"

Bang! Luo Le raised his foot and kicked Lu Run directly in the buttocks. The strong wind swept across his face, and Lu Run screamed. A few seconds later, he fell deep into the elevator shaft, a steel cable piercing his lung. Almost all of his bones were broken and shattered. The intense pain almost made him faint, his life force was depleted, and he entered a near-death state on the spot.

laugh--

Xue Nian and Luo Le were both lowered down by rope. Xue Nian complained about Luo Le's recklessness and rudeness, then gave Lu Run a healing injection, skillfully bandaged his wounds, and even left without bothering to set his bones.

Lu Run sat on the ground in a daze, feeling pain for a while, before curiously stuffing the bone that had broken out of his body back in.

"Aaaaaah—Eh?"

After the excruciating pain, Lu Run jumped up. As his blood volume increased, the fractures and pain in his body were relieved or even almost disappeared. After the wounds healed, his health points stopped dropping.

"Phew. That scared me to death, I almost died."

"Holy crap! What the hell is this?"

"Hey photographer, come take a look at this! This is absolutely stunning!"

Luo Le and Xue Nian shouted and yelled ahead, while Lu Run patted his chest and limped to catch up.

"They're here! They're here!"

The Second Floor of the Nethermark Humanity was filled with the stench of burning, the power had been completely cut off, and it was shrouded in complete darkness.

Lu Run cautiously made his way forward in the dark. Fortunately, his mental fortitude had improved considerably. When he touched severed limbs, skulls, and internal organs, he only felt uncomfortable and did not feel nauseous.

He had a vague feeling that something was off—wasn't the sensory system in * Star Abyss * a little too detailed? When you touched a corpse, you could even feel the undulating muscles and the rotting flesh. This chilling detail made him wonder: 'Are countries around the world supporting * Star Abyss * to cultivate their citizens' adaptability to combat and violence?'

Long ago, when virtual games were considered electronic poison, people viewed games as a scourge. Later, as the virtual world matured, people scrambled to join it.

If, just if, * Star Abyss * isn't just a game, but a real world—

That's impossible.

Lu Run immediately denied this idea.

Putting aside the immense contribution of discovering a real electronic world, the discoverers themselves could win countless awards—their near-immortality and status as players are completely contrary to the understanding of a normal world.

But isn't this a bit too real...?

The images of Qiu Ran, Nomi, and Li Aoz flashed before his eyes one by one.

'Could they be alive?'

With this thought in mind, just as Lu Run was about to approach Luo Le and Xue Nian, he suddenly tripped over something and fell headfirst to the ground.

"Oops—sorry! I'm so stupid!"

Lu Run quickly got up and apologized to Luo Le and Xue Nian, who were standing there dumbfounded.

However, the two people did not reply to him.

Lu Run raised his head and looked ahead, following their gaze.

The bright white light of the flashlight shone in front of him, revealing a massive object that filled his entire field of vision and underground space.

It was like the twilight of the ancient gods, baring its fangs and claws, spreading despair and ugliness into every inch of air. The tangled flesh and blood, like thousands of earthworms and venomous snakes, gathered together to form a colossal figure, almost indescribable in words.

It resembled a giant, but if it were a human, Lu Run couldn't sense even the slightest resemblance to it.

Moreover, what he felt was a fear Terror hundreds of times more terrifying than corpses and monsters.

From the deepest recesses of his genes, memories of 'death' and 'natural enemies' were instantly awakened. As an ordinary person, he could not withstand the physiological discomfort and fear, and instantly knelt down on the ground, as if bowing down before a fallen god.

"What's this?"

Xue Nian murmured absentmindedly.

Luo Le rubbed his forehead. He activated the Cognitive Filter, which helped him recover. He then activated the [Investigation] system of his prosthetic eye and saw the other party's true identity:

[Name]: BOW—— Bio-Kongou (deceased) [Level]: lv.60 (in life) [Class]: Gamma-rank (γ, the third Greek letter)

"This is the professor's research result—"

Luo Le exclaimed, "Bio-Kongou — Biohazard Giantgod!"

I have some things to take care of today, I'll resume writing 10,000 characters tomorrow.