169. The Sixth Simulation Ends
"Whoosh, it's a success!" The Herrscher of Sentience cheered.
Bronya and Susannah logged out of the game.
"We...are we alright?" Bronya stretched her body, which was stiff from lying down for so long.
"Don't worry, after Susannah sent that message, Chicken Head and I found the Herrscher of Sentience. Everyone who died in the game has been rescued." Tesla crossed her arms, her face showing little joy.
"But we only got out now, which means the game hasn't been fully deciphered yet, right?" Bronya immediately realized their current predicament.
"That's right. The helmet was tampered with during production. Access is only granted after triggering, and because this access is locked, even Grey Serpent can't use it anymore. We could only save as many people as possible in this most rudimentary way."
Einstein said calmly.
"It'll just be a little tiring for Senti." Fu Hua looked at Senti with slight concern; she had been using her powers continuously for over a month.
"It's been too long since I've stretched; consider this a relaxation." The Herrscher of Sentience stretched; all she had to do was lie there and monitor the situation.
"Wait, how do you know about Gray Serpent?" Bronya noticed something amiss.
"Although I can't access the game, I'm Tesla! Through my actions, we can still monitor every move in the game, and we've recorded all those who tried to evade legal punishment!"
Tesla clenched her fist, shouting indignantly.
"What about Yun Ling…" Susannah hurriedly inquired about Yun Ling's situation.
"That's exactly what I'm about to say, Miss Bronya, Miss Susannah, please be prepared." Einstein's expression was solemn.
The two exchanged a glance, somewhat confused.
"Phew…we didn't find any trace of 'Yun Ling' in the list of ten thousand players."
"This…how is this possible?" Bronya and Susannah were both taken aback.
"After some observation, we discovered that the individual named 'Yun Ling' most likely entered the game in a 'soul' state," Fu Hua explained.
"A soul?"
"Let me explain!" The Herrscher of Sentience chimed in.
"A soul is a manifestation of consciousness. That guy named Yun Ling inexplicably entered the game world you created and has been digitized by the game world, becoming a special existence existing between reality and the game."
"He is both contained within the game world and not controlled by its authority, essentially an unregistered person in real life, while Yun Ling is an unregistered person in the game world," the Herrscher of Sentience explained.
"So…if Yun Ling dies in the game world, then he is truly dead!" Bronya immediately understood.
Susannah covered her mouth, finding it hard to accept the fact.
"Yes, because his soul has been assimilated with the data, and he doesn't have a physical body to possess in reality. If he dies in the game... I can't bring him back."
The Herrscher of Sentience, unusually serious, explained the drawbacks to Bronya.
"What if we use a Soul Steel body?" Bronya immediately thought of something that could hold data.
"That guy is completely assimilated with the game. Once he leaves, his data will be erased, and even Kiana won't be able to save him."
"Perhaps he himself understood his situation, which is why he stepped forward without hesitation at the final moment, making himself the sacrifice." The Herrscher of Sentience shook her head.
"I just didn't expect that damn Grey Serpent to cheat, but it's also a blessing in disguise, allowing you two to get out." Tesla didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
Bronya and Susannah were filled with mixed emotions. Were he destined to live only in a game...?
"By the way, he's fighting the Gray Serpent right now. Want to watch?" Einstein asked.
"?!" Bronya immediately looked at the display screen for the 100th floor.
At this moment, Yun Ling realized he could hurt the Gray Serpent, and began his long, drawn-out ordeal of chipping away at its health.
"Without a doubt, he's using 'Taixu Sword Qi,' and has even cultivated it to the level of 'Divine Essence.' Who taught him that..."
Fu Hua's eyes flickered as she watched Yun Ling's figure on the screen, lost in thought.
"Thinking so much is useless. We might as well wait until he kills the Gray Serpent and then question him properly." The Herrscher of Sentience seemed to sense Fu Hua's doubts and waved her hand.
"It's a pity he hasn't mastered the Sword Heart Technique. He has the form but not the spirit; otherwise, he shouldn't have been trapped by a mere Gray Serpent."
The Herrscher of Sentience couldn't help but comment as she watched Yun Ling fight.
"Hmm, at this rate, it'll take at least fifty hours to defeat Gray Serpent. But fifty hours... even under such intense combat, I can't guarantee he won't reveal a single weakness."
Fu Hua carefully observed Yun Ling's every move.
Thirty hours passed. The Herrscher of Sentience had fallen asleep in her recliner, and Tesla and Einstein were also exhausted and needed rest.
Seele and Mei received the news and rushed to visit Bronya and Susannah.
But Bronya and Susannah stubbornly stared at the screen, unwilling to leave for a moment.
To them, Yun Ling was not only their comrade-in-arms but also their friend.
They could only silently pray for Yun Ling in their hearts.
When they saw that Gray Serpent's health had actually recovered to 100%, even the usually composed Bronya and Susannah almost swore.
The most terrifying thing was that Yun Ling's equipment disappeared, causing all his attributes to plummet, especially agility, which was his most crucial stat and had now become a basic attribute.
Seeing the despair on Yun Ling's face, their hearts clenched.
Fortunately, Yun Ling rallied and continued his long battle.
Time ticked by, but each second felt incredibly long to Yun Ling.
90%...80%...70%...
The Gray Serpent's health continued to decrease at an extremely slow rate.
Yun Ling had been fighting continuously for over sixty hours without a break.
Because even the slightest hesitation would result in him being attacked and killed by the Gray Serpent.
60%...50%...40%...
Yun Ling's attacks grew increasingly heavy, and his expression gradually became numb.
30%...20%...10%...
The entire world seemed to consist only of him and the sword in his hand.
Until the final 1%...
Yun Ling had lost all consciousness, utterly powerless against the onrushing black flames.
The sword technique in his hand was his final strike.
As the Divine Essence fell, Tesla and Einstein, who were already prepared, reclaimed their access.
Bronya and Susannah entered the game at top speed, but they could only watch Yun Ling's body slowly disintegrate into data fragments and disappear.
Outside, they silently watched Yun Ling's death, watched Susannah wail uncontrollably, watched Bronya, unable to grasp the vanishing data fragments.
This was the price of becoming an 'unregistered user'—not subject to the system's control, and of course, unable to be redeemed by it.
『Sixth simulation, over!』
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