A Game Like Never Before (Part 2)

In the game, Xiang Kun's voice continued to slowly describe the plot. Although there were no choices for her to make yet, the way the background music or narration was expressed and the rhythm made her feel very immersed in the story. She listened very carefully and without any impatience.

"Before your consciousness began to fade, a caravan appeared on the distant horizon. You could tell it was a merchant caravan. Then, you lost consciousness and passed out."

She's already passed out? How long will she be unconscious?

Hearing this, Tang Baona glanced at Lao Xia, who was sitting on another sofa, also holding her phone and wearing headphones, intently listening to the game sounds. She wondered what Lao Xia was hearing. Then she looked at Yang Zhen'er, who was sitting in the dining room with her feet up on the table, holding her phone and grinning foolishly, wondering what she was hearing.

Just then, a familiar voice came through the earpiece. "Your consciousness slowly returns. When you open your eyes, you see a face wearing a veil and a headscarf, and those eyes seem to see through everything. A male voice comes from beside you:"

"Young lady, are you feeling alright? This is our Master Xia; she's the one who decided to save you."

The male voice was still Xiang Kun's, but the rhythm and intensity of his speech seemed to have changed, allowing Tang Baona to immediately tell that he was an elderly man. Considering the story's background, she imagined him as a shopkeeper in his forties or fifties.

At this moment, the normal background audio resumed. "Your gaze fell upon the veiled woman, and you began to speak..."

Tang Baona paused for a moment, then recalled the half-hour explanation of the game's setup and gameplay that she had heard when she first entered the game, and realized that it was her turn to speak.

So, as if sending a voice message on WeChat, she pressed a button and began to say, "Thank you, Master Xia, thank you for saving me."

After letting go and recording her voice message, she waited curiously—this was her first time participating in the game, and she wanted to see what kind of model Xiang Kun "you decide the story's development."

In the earpiece, the narrator began, "The veiled woman said to you..." Then, after a two-second pause, a familiar voice rang out, "You're welcome."

Tang Baona didn't wait for the narrator's prompts before pressing the input button and asking, "Lao Xia? Is that you?"

Two seconds later, Lao Xia's voice came through. "Strictly speaking, you shouldn't recognize me now."

Tang Baona was stunned for a moment. Was it really Lao Xia?

This "Master Xia" is actually Lao Xia. There's nothing surprising about it, since she already knew that the three of them were the only three "players" in the game, so it's normal for them to "encounter" each other.

The problem is that, right at the beginning, the narration already introduced that her character, "Tang Ying," was injured and escaped while attempting to assassinate "Xia Libing," the leader of the Blood Hand Gang.

It's obvious that the "Master Xia" leading the caravan and the Blood Hand Gang leader she assassinated are not the same person, otherwise the story wouldn't have taken this turn.

If this "Master Xia" is Xia Libing, then who is the Blood Hand Gang leader, "Xia Libing"?

Tang Baona glanced at Yang Zhen'er, who was sitting in the restaurant staring at her phone with a sly grin, and instantly understood—it was Yang Zhen'er who had chosen the name "Xia Libing" in the game, and she was the real leader of the Blood Hand Gang.

Tang Baona was speechless. This girl actually used other "players'" real names; she was clearly trying to cause trouble.

Thinking this, she wanted to ask Lao Xia his current name, but suddenly found that the voice input button was unpressable. After a few seconds, just as she was about to ask Xiang Kun, thinking the game had malfunctioned, a voiceover came through her headphones:

"Tang Ying discovered that the caravan owner who saved her was Xia Trial Play, a fellow martial arts acquaintance from her early years. After talking with him, she learned that Xia Trial Play's identity as the owner was fake, and the caravan was actually full of partners she had recruited. Their purpose in coming here was the same as Tang Ying's: to assassinate Xia Libing, the notorious villain who had wreaked havoc on the martial arts world and the leader of the Blood Hand Gang. Tang Ying then told him about her previous assassination attempt on Xia Libing, and the two began to discuss how to achieve their common goal."

What the heck is "Xia Siwan"? Four balls? Lao Xia's naming logic is so strange. Wait, it's not "four balls," it's "trial play"? Because it's a game trial, so it's named "trial play, "Xia Trial Play? Okay, Zhen'er's naming method is too cunning, but Lao Xia's naming method is too unique.

Tang Baona was stunned. So, the premise was that she and the character Lao Xia was playing already knew each other? Was this the original setup, or was it changed because of what she just said?

Considering the style of the narration after she initially woke up from her "coma," and the few seconds of pause just now, she speculated that the latter was more likely.

However, the fact that it could arrive at such a judgment based on her words in such a short time and directly modify the subsequent plot, without sounding too out of place, makes this game's reaction incredibly intelligent!

Furthermore, she noticed that the narrator's tone seemed to have shifted to narrating the entire story, rather than being directed solely at her. It seemed as if she and Lao Xia were hearing the same narrator?

Then, a background narration said, "After Xia Trial Play checked Tang Ying's injuries and confirmed that they had stabilized and were out of danger, he called two other powerful experts from the caravan to the carriage to discuss a plan to deal with Xia Libing, the leader of the Blood Hand Gang."

Next, the narrator introduced what Tang Ying "told" about her previous assassination attempts. To be honest, Tang Baona, the creator of the character, only learned about these details from the narrator now.

Finally, she had a chance to speak. After the input key was reactivated, Tang Baona decided to follow the "plot" and, putting herself in the role, asked, "'Trial Player' girl... in your opinion, how should we assassinate 'Xia Libing'... the leader of the Blood Hand Gang?"

She had originally intended to offer a few suggestions on how to deal with the "Blood Hand Gang Leader," but whenever she mentioned the character names that Lao Xia and Zhen'er had chosen, she couldn't help but want to burst out laughing; it was too difficult to hold it in.

Xia Libing's voice rang out. "According to Miss Tang, 'Xia Libing' will likely send people to track you. If our caravan continues on its original plan, we'll most likely encounter the 'Blood Hand Gang' sometime between tonight and tomorrow morning. I have a suggestion, Miss Tang, could you help us set a trap..."

Lao Xia was really taking the game seriously. Based on the narration and some of his own imagination, he actually came up with a brilliant and feasible plan using the Blood Hand Gang's pursuit of "Tang Ying" as a setup to lure "Blood Hand Gang leader Xia Libing" into a trap.

"The 'trial play' girl truly lives up to her reputation as a female strategist; her plan is truly brilliant!"

"Let's do as the 'trial play' girl says. This time, we must slay that demon Xia!"

Two distinct voices rang out one after the other. Although both were based on Xiang Kun's voice, there were still obvious differences. One was rougher and the other was higher and lower. They were the two skilled companions who had been called onto the carriage by "Xia Trial Play" as described in the narration.

Tang Baona had no choice but to follow suit, saying, "We will follow the lead of the 'trial play' girl... Pfft!" She couldn't help but burst into laughter.

But unexpectedly, a few seconds later, the gruff male voice asked with concern, "Miss Tang, your internal injuries seem to be quite severe. You've vomited blood again?"

Tang Baona was a little confused. Her casual reaction could actually cause changes in the story and elicit corresponding reactions from the NPC characters? It really gave people the illusion that the NPC was played by a real person.

Xia Libing calmly replied, "It's nothing, she's just vomiting clotted blood."

A few seconds later, the gruff voice breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's for the best. Miss Tang is a first-rate fighter. If she recovers quickly from her injuries, we'll have one more helper, and our chances of successfully dealing with Xia the Demon will be much greater."

Tang Baona realized that if there were any lines that significantly altered the direction of the plot, the story's progression would be interrupted. Obviously, the story and dialogue would need to be rearranged, and there was no way to react instantly, but the duration of this interruption was still within an acceptable range.

As they interacted with each other several times, the plot progressed, and finally the "Great Demon" and "Blood Hand Gang Leader Xia Libing" met Tang Ying and Xia Trial Play. The background voices of the three people were basically the same.

As the story unfolds, Xia Libing, the leader of the Blood Hand Gang, does indeed fall into the trap and is surrounded.

When they took action, they could also use voice commands. For example, Tang Baona described her actions as instructed, "I'll take the longsword and, while Xia Libing and Xia Trial Play locked in combat, I'll stab her from behind and take her down in one go!"

However, after the game combined Tang Ying's character strength, settings, environmental variables, and the descriptions of Xia Libing and Yang Zhen'er's actions for their respective characters, the narration described the actions as follows. "... While Xia Trial Play and Xia Libing were locked in combat, Tang Ying, wielding her longsword, leaped into the air, channeling all her inner energy into the sword, becoming one with the sword, and thrust it towards Xia Libing's back. But Xia Libing was already on guard, and as Tang Ying thrust, she used her signature technique 'borrowing force to strike,' using the momentum to deflect the sword, causing it to lose its aim and strike Xia Trial Play instead. Xia Trial Play couldn't react in time, and the longsword pierced her shoulder, leaving her severely injured..."

Upon hearing this "battle report," Xia Libing didn't react, but Tang Baona was so angry she almost threw her phone. Yang Zhen'er, in the restaurant, laughed triumphantly, took off her headphones, and shouted towards the living room sofa, "Nana! I knew you were going to ambush me! It was all within my calculations! Hia~hia~hia~hia~"

Next, in their description, the battle became increasingly "fierce." Whether it was Xia Libing's Blood Hand Gang or the martial arts practitioners and experts from all walks of life who came with Xia Trial Play disguised as a caravan to assassinate them, they all died in battle. Only the three players were left to continue fighting, but they were all covered in wounds.

Finally, Tang Baona remembered the setting of the "Heaven-Shattering Thunder" hidden weapon, so she had "Tang Ying" use the last remaining "Heaven-Shattering Thunder" to take the great demon "Xia Libing" down with her.

In the end, only the severely injured and teetering "Xia Trial Play" survived.

To the accompaniment of the background music "A Lone Shadow Wanders the World," a narrator with a bold and assertive voice says, "'Xia Trial Play' picked up the broken sword left behind by 'Tang Ying,' tore off a piece of her robe to carefully wrap it up, and collected some other items belonging to fellow martial artists, preparing to take them back to the Central Plains to bury them in a propitious burial site. She knew that although she had eliminated the great demon 'Xia Libing,' the martial world would not be peaceful and tranquil from then on; strife and chaos would be the eternal themes of the martial world. She knew that there would be another demon who needed her to eliminate; this was her destiny, until one day, she, like 'Tang Ying' and other fellow martial artists, died at the hands of another demon..."

Before the narration could finish, Yang Zhen'er had already taken off her headphones, run to the sofa in the living room, put her arm around Tang Baona's shoulder, and sobbed, "Heroine Tang, you died so tragically..."

"Go away! You big devil, you won't fare any better!" Tang Baona retorted.

"Oh dear, the big devil is 'Xia Libing,' what does that have to do with me, 'Yang Zhen'er'?" Yang Zhen'er squinted and laughed shamelessly.

Then, with a hint of helplessness, she said, "Nana, why did you have to die with me in the end? It just benefited Lao Xia for nothing!"

Tang Baona rolled her eyes at her. "This isn't a battle royale game where the last one standing wins. We're writing a story. Lao Xia and I are both righteous masters, and we share the same goal: to eliminate a great demon like you!"

"Wait a minute, the game doesn't seem to say I did anything wrong, so why am I called a big devil? Maybe I did something good and was wronged?" Yang Zhen'er argued.

Seeing that Lao Xia had also taken off his headphones and seemed lost in thought, Xiang Kun had been watching the three of them play the game, finally spoke up with a smile, "So, how's the game? Is it fun?"

Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er both nodded repeatedly. "It's very fun, it really is very fun."

It's already past 2 a. m., and they've been playing for over an hour straight. Except for Yang Zhen'er taking a quick trip to the bathroom with her phone, they haven't moved an inch, completely absorbed in the game.

"When you asked me to help you with that voice synthesis before, were you already thinking about this game? I feel that the synthesized voice this time is even more natural than the version you made before," Tang Baona said in admiration. Anyone who plays this game will definitely marvel at the naturalness and smoothness of the synthesized voice.

Xiang Kun nodded. "It is indeed related to that speech synthesis engine; you could say it's fundamental. Thanks to your help back then, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy to create."

"You made this game all by yourself? That's amazing! So incredible!" Yang Zhen'er rarely praised him so repeatedly. "Chef Xiang, no, Boss Xiang, I guarantee that if your game is released, it will be a huge hit! And if you need money later, just let me know, and I'll definitely be able to help you get lots and lots of investment!"

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "It's not like I did it all by myself. There are other people helping me with it. Well, there are still a lot of problems. We'll be releasing several more beta versions later, and I'll need your help with testing then."

Tang Baona said, "No problem, this game is really fun. If there are other story types in the future, like science fiction, urban, or fantasy, it will definitely be even more interesting, and the more people play it, the more fun it will be. I'm just worried that if actions or dialogues affect the story, it will take too long to process, which might affect the experience."

"Don't worry, I have a way to slow down this reaction time. When it's processing the storyline, there will be a continuous narration and background sound to keep the 'player' immersed in the game's plot and prevent the interruption from taking too long and pulling the 'player' out of the game," Xiang Kun said.

The core of his game is accurate speech recognition and conversion technology. Currently, the technology developed by Alice has been updated several times and has a very high accuracy rate. However, this high accuracy rate is based on Xiang Kun's language habits. In addition to him, Tang Baona, who has a large number of speech samples, can also achieve a very high recognition accuracy rate.

For others, the main process involves players defining their characters through various voice lines before the game starts. This allows the program to learn their vocal intonation and sentence structure habits, preparing them for the game.

At the start of the game, the storyline and specific characters are arranged according to the player's chosen playstyle and their own definition of the character. Each time the player records voice, the game quickly recognizes it as text and analyzes the player's intention. If the intention matches the original storyline, the game continues; otherwise, the content is uploaded to the server for Alice to analyze and quickly form a new storyline, which is then sent to the respective device. The mobile device then reads the text aloud according to the new route.

Anyone who plays this game, even a novice or an ordinary person, will be amazed by the accuracy of its speech recognition and the naturalness of the AI's pronunciation.

This game is merely a tool for the protagonist, and it won't be explored much further later.