Ark Simulator, Aren't I Without a Physical Form?

"I remember you sleep too. Don't you need to rest, Su Rui?"

Ren Dong's words made Texas stop in her tracks. Curiosity flickered in her eyes, and the fluffy ears atop her head twitched before perking up to listen closely.

Could it be that Su Rui needed rest too? That made him seem more like a person than some kind of machine.

Something stirred within Texas.

Then, Texas did not hear Su Rui's reply, but she heard Ren Dong's:

"All right, then get some proper rest too."

Texas froze. She had not heard Su Rui say anything.

She looked over in confusion, pretending to be concerned about the night watch as she asked,

"Did you and Su Rui discuss keeping watch just now? I don't think I heard anything."

"Right, I forgot about you. I'll just speak through electronic devices from now on."

Su Rui's voice rang out from Texas's phone again:

"Simply put, my detection program can run automatically. Every suspicious target has already been marked. When they get within a dangerous distance, I'll wake you up."

Ren Dong frowned. It felt as though Su Rui had become something she and Texas shared, and that made her a little uncomfortable.

You can talk through my phone too. Ren Dong said it in her mind this time, not wanting Texas to notice her little thoughts.

Su Rui paused, then his voice came from Ren Dong's phone:

"Don't worry. I'll give you plenty of warning time as a buffer."

The question in Texas's mind was answered. She entered the tent that had been set up and climbed into her sleeping bag to rest.

Ren Dong did the same, though she continued silently communicating with Su Rui in her mind.

Are you jealous? You suddenly want me to talk through your phone. Don't worry, I'm always with you anyway, aren't I? You're the only one who can communicate with me like this.

I know. It's just that you keep using her phone. It feels like you're staying by her side.

Ren Dong's tone was somewhat aggrieved. Clearly, she was the one questioning Su Rui, yet it sounded as if Su Rui had bullied her instead.

All right, all right, I understand. If it makes you feel weird, I'll change the way I speak next time.

What method are you going to use to communicate with us? Ren Dong asked curiously.

For now, I can still only communicate with you openly through electronic devices. But I can take turns using different devices, one sentence from each device. Wouldn't that stop it from feeling strange?

No, just use one device directly. That would feel even stranger.

When Ren Dong imagined Su Rui's voice coming from her pocket, Texas's pocket, and the vehicle's speakers in turn, it felt as if he were talking while circling around them. For some reason, she found it a little funny.

I don't think that's strange. Why not?

I'm sleepy. Get some rest early. Good night, Su Rui.

Ren Dong changed the subject, closed her eyes, and stopped communicating with Su Rui, as though she were avoiding him.

...

Su Rui checked the time in Ren Dong's mind. It was not even nine o'clock yet, but outside was already pitch-black.

Su Rui's schedule was usually quite fixed. He slept at nine in the evening—no, actually, he got into bed at nine to look at his phone. What time he truly fell asleep depended on an uncertain random number.

So he could still kill some time. Su Rui opened a livestreaming platform, wanting to see whether any streamers were broadcasting on a night like this.

The next morning, as usual, Ren Dong was awakened by her internal clock. She sat up from her sleeping bag, yawned, and called out in her mind, Su Rui? Are you awake?

There was no response. Su Rui had stayed up too late last night and had not gotten up yet.

However, the faint rustling sounds Ren Dong made as she got up woke Texas too. Or perhaps Texas's own internal clock had awakened her at that time. Texas sat up as well.

After silently glancing at each other, Ren Dong and Texas began packing their things.

Once they were seated in the off-road vehicle, Ren Dong glanced at the phone Texas had taken out and connected to the car charger, then called for Su Rui:

"Su Rui? Time to get up. Tell us where to go next."

"...Okay~"

A sleepy voice came from the car speakers. Then a map appeared in Ren Dong's field of vision and on Texas's phone at the same time.

"I've marked the noon and evening destinations, as well as places to hide. You can rest at noon too. That's it. The people tracking you will also be marked in real time. I'm going back to sleep for a while."

After saying that, Su Rui yawned openly through the car speakers and fell silent. Clearly, he had curled back up under the covers.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Texas and Ren Dong even felt as if they could hear skin rubbing against blankets.

But neither Ren Dong nor Texas spoke at that moment. They merely exchanged a silent glance before Ren Dong started the vehicle and began driving according to Su Rui's navigation.

Ren Dong drove in the morning and Texas in the afternoon. Whenever they ran low on gas, they could wake Su Rui to replenish it, and the same went for food.

Texas checked the time and figured that even if Su Rui had only just fallen asleep, he would be awake by noon. That would spare them the awkwardness of waking him again.

However, as the vehicle traveled through the wilderness, the long journey and scenery they had already grown tired of made Texas feel somewhat bored.

She glanced at the trackers displayed on her phone, wandering about like headless flies as they tried to follow them without finding any trace. Texas lowered her voice and said,

"I feel like Su Rui is a real person, not something like the system you mentioned before."

"I think so too. He can be a little willful, and he has thoughts of his own. Ordinary systems wouldn't have those traits."

Ren Dong responded softly to Texas. At the same time, she checked the System Materialization Progress. It was still at fifty-six percent, probably because nothing particularly interesting had happened lately.

But once they reached the Eastern Kingdom, things would take a turn there.

After all, the Upper System had said Su Rui would materialize there. It had to be something already planned.

Curious about Su Rui's unusual existence, Texas began chatting with Ren Dong.

Ren Dong also used the conversation to pass the boring time while driving. The two of them spoke very quietly, hoping not to wake Su Rui while he was still asleep.

However, although Texas and Ren Dong did not wake Su Rui, he was eventually woken anyway.

Texas looked at the map on her phone and was about to warn Ren Dong to be careful. A vehicle had already approached the safety distance Su Rui had set, and it might discover them.

But before she could speak, a sudden burst of music rang out—music startling enough to wake a sleeping person and make their heart race.

Texas jumped, and the tail behind her instantly puffed up, becoming even fluffier.

Ren Dong reacted much the same. The sudden music startled her in the midst of the dull, repetitive task of driving.

At the same time, there came sounds that seemed to be someone fumbling around in bed for an alarm clock, followed by Su Rui's dissatisfied voice.

"Tch, this alarm is unbearably loud."

Then the alarm was shut off, and Su Rui's voice sounded again:

"I saw a car approaching. The situation is a little dangerous. You may have been spotted. They have explosives and explosive crossbow bolts in their vehicle. My advice is not to provoke them. Neither of you has much in the way of ranged weapons, right?"

"Actually, we might."

Ren Dong had a different idea. She casually said, "I had the driver prepare some explosives for combat. Go look for them. They're in that big sealed crate."

"I'll take a look."

Soon, the sound of rummaging through things came from the speakers, and then Su Rui spoke again:

"I thought there was food in here. Turns out it's all bombs."

"Can you touch those things?"

The sounds of rummaging made Ren Dong pause. Did Su Rui have a physical form in the System Space?

"I can, but it's not what you think."

Before Ren Dong could explain herself, Su Rui already knew what she was thinking. "I can only maintain a physical form in this space, but in truth, it's probably just for my own sensory experience."

After pausing, Su Rui tossed a package out of the System Space, causing it to appear in Texas's hands out of thin air. Then he explained,

"Actually, I can still choose between intangible and physical modes. The so-called physical form here only gives me the illusion that I'm still alive."

It's all right. You'll truly have a physical form soon.

Ren Dong smiled and even had the mood to ask Su Rui, "Don't you feel unsafe living with a pile of bombs? It sounds like where you live is connected to the System Space?"

"That's right, but I can't be hurt. Everything here is under my control."

Su Rui spoke carelessly before beginning to arrange Texas's actions:

"Are you going to use these explosives to attack them? That would only make them realize you're nearby."

"With you here, you'll lead us out of their encirclement, right?"

Ren Dong smiled without a care.

"You're right... You should be glad the explosives your subordinates prepared have very long fuses. Otherwise, this would really be difficult to handle."

Su Rui spoke casually, then began arranging their plan.

"Ren Dong, drive according to the route I give you. Texas, be ready at any time to light the bomb fuses and drop them out the window when I tell you. Just hold the explosives outside the window and let go. Don't throw them. That would affect my calculations."

"I understand."

Texas nodded. Then, following Su Rui's prompts, she repeatedly picked up bundles of explosives that appeared out of thin air on her thighs, lit them with a lighter, and dropped them onto the ground through the window.

Could an attack like this really work?

Just as Texas began to wonder, she heard Su Rui turn on the car radio channel.

"Listen to the enemy's screams."

Then, amid the explosions, muffled screams and curses rang out as well. "What's going on? Why are there bombs?"

"We walked into an ambush!"

"Damn Texas, she's nearby!"

Then Su Rui's voice sounded again. "Clearly, they've realized something is wrong."

"Can't you block electromagnetic signals so they can't communicate?"

"But blocking them is actually useless. They're judging by sound, and cutting off electromagnetic signals only makes them start thinking independently."

Su Rui paused. "In fact, if I let them communicate, I can muddy the waters and mislead them with false information."

"I see."

Texas watched Ren Dong and Su Rui communicate beside her. Their tacit understanding and trust made her feel a little envious.

However, Texas skillfully hid those feelings. She held an unlit explosive in her hand and waited for Su Rui's instructions.

"All right, they're all moving toward your direction now. Light several more this time and drop them according to my instructions."

Su Rui began directing Texas's next move, systematically carrying out the attack against the pursuers.

For Texas, it was a novel experience as well. Without even seeing the targets she was fighting, she only needed to light the explosives in her hands and drop them as instructed to hear successive explosions and screams.

She saw no bloodshed, yet caused a great many deaths.

For a moment, Texas became absorbed in the experience. Or rather, she found this sort of fighting interesting.

Especially after Su Rui began displaying footage of the explosions on her phone, Texas watched the results of her work and felt the gloom from being hunted for two days gradually lift.

Before long, however, most of the pursuers behind them had been eliminated. Su Rui stopped giving Texas new explosives and instead marked the trackers around them.

"They're too scared to keep pursuing us. Looks like they've realized how formidable we are."

As Su Rui spoke again, Texas let out a breath of relief. Watching the trackers' icons move farther and farther away from the icon representing them, she relaxed considerably.

"Let's keep driving toward the Eastern Kingdom. Does Su Rui know much about the situation there? I heard it seems rather chaotic?"

Ren Dong also began to care about the Eastern Kingdom's situation. After all, she seemed likely to live there with Su Rui for quite some time, so understanding it was essential.

"Simply put, the Eastern Kingdom is a land divided among factions, with many conflicts between its forces."

Su Rui paused, sounding somewhat puzzled. "But according to the information the Upper System gave me, I've been assigned the identity of one of God's People. In other words, we won't take part in those disputes—or rather, both sides in the chaos will respect us."

Texas did not hear the words Upper System. Or rather, what she heard was garbled noise. Yet she did not investigate Su Rui's secrets too closely and merely listened quietly to the conversation between Su Rui and Ren Dong.

"I see." Ren Dong nodded. "How much other information have you gathered? Can you tell us about it?"