Was This World Really a Game?

When asked whether to claim the mission completion reward, Xiahou silently chose yes. But he was in no mood to draw prizes or spend energy points.

It was all because of the woman driving, Abigail, whom he had thought was an NPC. The urgency on her face and the sorrow in her eyes were impossible to hide.

Xiahou had also begun to wonder: Can an AI-generated character really be this lifelike? Forget the modeling-can a bunch of data really reproduce human emotions so well that you can't tell they're fake?

He once again felt deep misgivings about being unable to quit the game. Am I really playing a game? Why does it feel like the person sitting next to me is real, not a bunch of data?

Can I really still go back?

Time slowly passed in silence inside the car. The outline of the docks came into view, but just then, bursts of gunfire and explosions rang out.

They gradually drew closer, until they were only about a kilometer away. A tremendous explosion rang out, and amid a burst of rising flames, the entire dock was blown to pieces.

"Stop. We're too late..." Xiahou said, and the car slowly pulled over to the roadside.

Abigail simply watched from afar. Tears slowly ran from her eyes, but she made no sound.

Xiahou looked at Blade in the distance, who had been captured after falling to his knees, and at the woman silently weeping beside him.

His doubts about whether this world was a game grew even stronger. No matter how he looked at it, everything felt so real, and it moved him even more than the experience of dying before.

"Maybe we should leave now. Otherwise, they'll be over here soon," Xiahou said to Abigail in a casual tone.

He didn't know whether he should be saying that now. As an ordinary person who had lived in a peaceful, quiet world, especially with the protection China afforded its ordinary citizens, the things he had encountered had left an indelible impression on him.

Unlike when he had shot the two vampires dead earlier, the on-screen frame before him and the sight of the vampires turning to ash and scattering after death only made him feel as though he were playing a game. It hadn't affected him particularly deeply; at most, he had thought the game was very realistic.

But what happened afterward made him wonder whether he had been wrong. Shouldn't he have treated the people of this world as NPCs? Especially when he had spoiled the later plot in advance, leaving Abigail to watch her father die with her own eyes.

Abigail didn't answer Xiahou. She silently started the car and headed toward the nearby city along the road they had come by.

Xiahou had even less idea what he should do now. Comforting an NPC felt strange to him, but if he didn't, he felt that might not be right either.

Was it really compulsory education and China's traditional upbringing that influenced me so deeply, making me feel pity for an NPC? Come to think of it, is this a game or not? Is it really okay to make a game this realistic?

No, that's not right. This is a game! I still need to go back. I haven't fed the cat at home yet. Besides, I have family and a bunch of friends, and I don't hate my life. How could I possibly have transmigrated to another world?

Besides, who transmigrates with a game frame in their field of view, not to mention resurrection after death, a personal panel, a game shop, and a game inventory? No matter how you look at it, this is a game!

At most, it's just a little more realistic, and the NPCs are a little smarter. All I have to do is be more careful when I play from now on.

Yeah, that's right. From now on, I'll be a player with a lawful alignment. I'll pass on playing it like Grand Theft Auto.

Yeah, as long as they don't provoke me first, I'll leave them alone. I'll just treat this like a trip abroad!

If someone does provoke me and pushes me too far, I'll turn straight into Ah Zu and shout that I don't eat beef.

Speaking of which, this is the Marvel Universe. Should I try being a superhero?

Smack. The sudden sound rang out inside the quiet car, and Abigail turned to look at Xiahou. A hint of confusion appeared in her eyes, as if asking why he had suddenly hit himself.

"A mosquito! I was swatting a mosquito. Yeah, that's what I was doing." Even Xiahou lost confidence as he spoke, mainly because Abigail's expression had changed from confusion to the look one gave an idiot.

Did an NPC just look down on me? Forget it. Good thing I reacted quickly and slapped myself awake. What was I thinking, wanting to be a superhero?

Don't I know superheroes are all idiots? They're threatened in the name of justice in all sorts of ways, and they can't go too far in what they do. Otherwise, they'll be buried in criticism. Only an idiot would want to be a superhero.

Am I an idiot? No, I'm not. I'm going to become the freest man on the seas. I'm going to be the Pirate King! I, Xiahou D Diaomao, will definitely become the Pirate King!

At that moment, the intelligence stat of 4 on his character panel was shining brightly, as if mocking a certain idiot who had suddenly gotten carried away.

Meanwhile, Abigail, in the driver's seat, glanced at Xiahou in the passenger seat out of the corner of her eye. She became even more certain of one thing: he was an idiot, or rather, a lunatic who had simply learned a few things from somewhere.

Having thought it through, Xiahou stopped worrying about it. As for spoilers, he would decide whether to share them based on his mood, as long as they didn't affect him.

He then began browsing his personal panel, because he had suddenly noticed that he had leveled up. His level had gone from one to two, and there was an additional piece of information: five free attribute points to allocate.

This made him even more certain that he really was playing a game. He could level up and allocate points. He'd have words with anyone who dared tell him this wasn't a game.

The level-up was most likely because of the two vampires he had killed, but why wasn't there an experience bar? Trash game, so many bugs.

Now, how should I use these attribute points? Hmm, let's see. First, one point in intelligence, so I can become a normal person.

Four points left. Let me think. Forget it, hesitation leads to defeat. All into strength! Don't ask me why, because I want to wield a big sword! My Red Queen has been sitting in my inventory for ages!

After allocating the points, he felt a warm current flow through his body, filling him with comfort. Even his hands, which had been aching from the impact, no longer hurt. He clenched a fist and felt he could now punch his previous self hard enough to make him throw up.

He then began looking through the shop, first searching for things he could buy for 1,000 or less. After looking around, he found nothing but food and ordinary items, such as various ordinary firearms. There wasn't a single skill.

Forget it, buying things isn't worth it. Prize draws will always be king! Let's see. For a targeted draw, I won't consider consumables for now, and there's no need to consider weapons or equipment either. Red Queen and Blue Rose are enough for me right now.

Skills and bloodlines might be worth a shot. Vehicles and special categories... vehicles are easy enough to understand, but what's the special category? Should I try it?

Forget it. Skills and bloodlines offer the best value right now. Once I have money, I'll definitely give it a few tries! For now, drawing for skills and bloodlines is the better deal.

Having made up his mind, he selected skills and bloodlines. After a plain, unadorned roll, the screen stopped on a skill description.

Unending Breath:

A warlock class skill from "World of Warcraft." It allows you to breathe underwater for up to 10 minutes.

Xiahou fell silent again as he looked at the skill, unsure whether to voice the complaint bursting to come out. But the result was already decided, and complaining wouldn't help.

He silently chose to claim it, and a blue card appeared in his inventory. He tried again to see if he could take it out, but just like the language module chip before, it was used immediately.

At the same time, he gained another memory, this one of an incantation. All he had to do was recite it, and he could breathe underwater too. Unfortunately, it only lasted 10 minutes and had a 30-minute cooldown, which was ridiculous!

Just as he was still hesitating over whether to draw again, the car slowly came to a stop outside a factory.