"Uh!"
The edge of my outstretched finger became pixelated, and I couldn't move it. The surrounding cherry trees, the ground began to appear like some corrupted images.
"The world without Yuan is worthless... So let's become fragments together!"
"Run! The data around her is beginning to be formatted! It will cause huge damage to the brain if the player comes into contact with it!"
Meow Chan rushed over and shouted.
This is formatting? ? ?
I couldn't help but recall what the professor said in the class.
So the data reset in the VR world actually looked like this?
Was this all caused by Ying?
"The space around her is beginning to crumble! Why are you still standing there? Run!"
The voice in Meow Chan's body shouted to me, and then it turned and ran away in the opposite direction of Ying.
I quickly followed Meow Chan, and from the sound of footsteps, I could tell that Ying was not far behind.
"Where should we go!"
Fortunately, there was no physical exhaustion in the game, otherwise, I would have already collapsed.
"Don't ask, just follow me!"
Unexpectedly, Meow Chan took me to school.
"Hey, you—"
The teacher at the gate saw us running into the school and shouted at us.
"You stop—"
Unable to stop us, he turned to try to stop Ying who followed closely behind.
"Uh--!"
The teacher let out a short cry.
I turned my head and saw an unforgettable scene...
His whole person was quickly fragmented, and then torn into pieces. The whole process was too fast. Only a few drops of blood spurted out and splashed on Ying's face.
"It's all just data, don't look at it!"
When Meow Chan said so, I helped it open the glass door of the teaching building...
"Who are you, and why would Ying become like this?"
"There is no time to explain now! You must find a place to hide until the program is cracked--"
When I played Escape from the Zombie School, I definitely didn't expect that one day I would fall into this situation.
"Many of these rooms can't be opened, I tried it! Class B-21 may be able to..."
"Then go there!"
The door of classroom B-21 opened all of a sudden, and it seemed that Minghai Lily still did not have a key.
"This..."
The game consoles and CDs that used to pile up in the room were gone, only a few chairs were scattered around.
Finally, was it disbanded...
"Hurry up and close the door! Do you want to die?"
Without time to think so much, I immediately closed the door and locked it.
"Er... thank you for saving me... Are you a real person or a virtual person? Or a cat? Why do you know my name? Why do you want to save me?"
"Of course I am a real person, why do you ask so many questions in one breath, you will know when you go out, shut up now!"
I was yelled at by a cat...
"At least tell me why you saved me? If you fail, will your life be in danger?"
"...Of course I will be in danger if I fail! I saved you because I recommended this game to you, and I am partly responsible for you in this dangerous situation."
"You said that you recommended this game to me? Are you... Waning Moon?"
"Yes, I am Waning Moon."
It... ah no... she reluctantly admitted her identity.
"You, you, you are not a NEET, no, I mean you are not a man?"
"You can fill in any information on the Internet? Can't I be a girl?"
She said confidently. I have heard of NEET pretending to be cute girls online, but I have never heard of girls pretending to be a NEET.
"How did you know that I was in danger?"
"I always...no, I occasionally observe you with the body of Meow Chan. After I found out that I couldn't quit the game last night, I contacted the technicians in the organization to rescue us. You idiot ignored me last night, and Meow Chan this name is so stupid. As stupid as you!"
"No wonder Meow Chan won't let me pet it, so you are controlling it? And it is more chuunibyou to name yourself Eternal Waning Moon In The Bloody Sky on the internet, right?!"
"What's wrong with the name Eternal Waning Moon In The Bloody Sky? Compared to yours..."
Pat, Pat——
"Yuan—come out quickly—"
It was Ying's voice! I could hardly tell if I was not familiar with the voice. We suddenly closed our mouths in the room, and we didn't dare to make a sound.
"Huh? You are on this floor--hehe~ I will find you soon~"
"Who, who are you? AHH!"
The scream of a poor guy in the corridor reached our ears.
"Well, if we continue like this, Ying will kill all the people in the school! When will the crack be completed?"
It was long after Ying's voice disappeared before I dared to speak.
"Why do you still care about the data! Cracking is not as easy as you think, wait patiently!"
Waning Moon responded to me in a bad temper.
"Speaking of, will we be able to get out if the crack is successful? What will happen to Ying? After all, what is the crack?"
"You have a lot of questions, it's very annoying. The cracking is done by programmers in the 'organization'. I could have done it. But I was also trapped here... As for Ying, since the world collapsed like this In the end, she might even devour herself, and 80% of her self-consciousness will be in danger."
"She will be in danger? Is there a way to take Ying out of the game?"
"…Sigh."
She sighed.
"Originally, while we were cracking it, we were also planning to use the improved 'Anorv algorithm' to extract her code, but the current situation is very difficult to do..."
"How difficult is 'very difficult'?"
"You need to catch her and go through the 'escape exit' together. But you have also seen that even you will be affected by that situation."
The cat's claw lifted up and pointed to my palm, where it had become completely blurry. Although there was no pain, I was completely unable to move it.
"Wait a minute, Ying has gone through so many reincarnations, she will definitely know that the players are in the game club!"
"Idiot! The clubs that each player joins are different. It is determined based on the player's usual hobbies. Otherwise, how do you..."
"But... I seem to have told Ying that I belong to the game club..."
"...Why didn't you say it earlier! Get out of here quickly!"
I ran over and opened the door. Fortunately, there was no one in the corridor.
"Run now."
Waning Moon leaped out from the crack in the door.
"Hey, where else can we go!"
"Go to the commercial street..."
"Yuan! So you were hiding here, but I finally found you~"
The voice of Yuchuan Ying appeared above the stairs. Then, she walked down the stairs gently, and from this angle, I could even see her... No, this was not important!
Now the fragmentation had not only affected her surroundings, but even herself! The ends of her hair had also become blurry, and her clothes and skirts also appeared to have many holes... If this was some H-games...
But I was not in the mood to appreciate this kind of scene.
"Although I don't know what you are, I won't let you take Yuan away from me. I should 'fragment' you first?"
She suddenly ran towards me and Meow Chan.
"Oh no, Waning Moon, Run!"
"I don't need you to remind me, idiot!"
Waning Moon rushed down the stairs with its small body.
"Wait, wait for me…"
"Great, the cracking progress is left with only 5%!"
"How long is 5%!"
"About half an hour!"
"Do we need to run like this for half an hour? My heart can't stand it, and the life monitoring system keeps warning me—"
"Who told you to play the game for so long? If you pass out and get caught by that crazy woman, I won't be able to save you!"
Now I could only hope that my under-exercised body could hold on a little longer, the fragmentation was no longer limited to Ying's body, and the extended range had already reached the sky.
This thing could actually spread out like a plague?...
"Is Yuan abandoning me because of her? So Yuan doesn't like humans?"
Ying was following us closely.
Damn it. How could she run that fast? She was clearly a girl.
"Bad kitty!"
She was probably talking about Waning Moon. Although it was funny that she said that, I was not able to laugh.
"Who is a kitty!"
Waning Moon argued. However, with a cat's body, her argument was not convincing at all
"No! I really have to leave!"
"You are just playing with me, right? Just like how you are playing with the other three girls. You even I touched my ch*es*t... but it was all just playing, right?"
"It's not playing, I really like Ying..."
"Then why can't you abandon everything, even your life, and be with me?"
"..."
I didn't know how to answer her.
"His life is not yours, why should he give it up for you? You are just a virtual character, don't be too arrogant!"
Waning Moon answered for me.
Ying was indeed getting closer and closer...
"Ying… I still have family and friends, so I can't be trapped here. But I didn't lie to you, I really want to be with you."
"Do you think I will believe this kind of nonsense—"
The entire Town has now collapsed to pieces. With Ying's sharp scream, large pieces of 'fragments' fell from the sky, like the cherry blossoms in full bloom - and the area where the fragments fell became black holes.
"Even if 2,892,314 people have left you, I alone will not lie to you!"
...there was nowhere we could run to, so I stopped and looked at her. Because I could feel that in addition to anger, there was deep despair in her voice.
"Idiot, are you waiting to die?"
Waning Moon also stopped, yelling behind me.
Yes, I have already felt the collapse of the surrounding space, as if being pulled by dozens of forces. The fragmentation became more and more serious, and even the ground began to crack.
"Damn it, the whole world has collapsed like this, why hasn't the cracking progress finished yet? If this continues, we would really die here..."
"Ying, listen to me, I know a way to let you leave this world with me."
"What are you doing, idiot—"
"...Leave this world?"
"Yes, as long as you hold my hand and enter the 'escape exit' together, you can leave this world."
I stopped and stretched out my hand to Ying, something must be done... Ying shouldn't be like this, she was obviously such a cute and gentle girl.
"liar!"
Ying didn't believe me at all.
"I did not lie to you!"
"Someone also said this before, but he never came back!"
Was this the reason... Suddenly I remembered rumors that have been going around on the internet for a while. It was said that some players were injured during the game. Could it be...
"So this time...I won't repeat the same mistakes again, no one... can leave me again!"
Ying at this point seemed to have become more unstable, and the areas around her became more and more blurry...
"Ying stop! If this goes on, you will..."
"Shut up! You are all selfish people, playing with other people's feelings for your own enjoyment and desire! After all, Yuan, you will be just like those people, and you will completely disappear from my eyes!"
Ying's emotions were completely out of control.
"This world has collapsed. You will die if you don't leave this world."
Waning Moon spoke for me at this moment.
"Huh, don't get the wrong idea. If you don't change her, you'll always stand here and persuade her, right? If it's because this delays the opportunity to leave… you are always very stubborn sometimes. It is not the first time I have been you acting like this."
"Waning Moon, you..."
"Don't talk nonsense, time is running out, it's up to you how you want to save her, don't blame me if you die."
[Waning Moon, the cracking is successful, you all need to hurry up to the 'escape exit'. ]
An emotionless electronically synthesized sound, as if coming from those holes in the sky, echoed throughout the world.
"Where is the escape exit?"
[It's 20 meters behind you. ]
A black hole faintly appeared in the center of the street behind Waning Moon.
[The world is collapsing at an accelerated rate, and you will all die if you don't escape within 3 minutes. ]
"Ying...I didn't lie to you. Before I came here, I was just a loser who failed in everything in real life. I just want to escape from reality and escape from the past. I am an idiot who has never interacted with a girl."
I stretched out my hand to her again. This time, even if my whole hand was 'fragmented', I would not take it back.
"But here I met you, even if I am a boring and idiotic person, you still treat me gently."
"What's the use of saying these beautiful words? Yuan will eventually leave the black hole, right?"
Ying sneered, her distorted face full of disdain.
"Didn't I say that already… you are not a special existence. I am tired of that kind of reincarnation, so I chose you. No one can leave here this time!"
The sharp blurry fragments surged out like swords, and some of them directly hit my body...
"You say you like me and feel that I am gentle, but now you are also in danger. You will turn your head and run away right away, right?"
"No!"
Although the control of the body was lost bit by bit, I still chose to walk towards her...
"Hehe… Aren't you afraid that you will be 'fragmented' when you approach me? I can't control it at all?"
She looked at me as if looking at something ridiculous, but her face full of sadness.
"Are you crazy? Didn't I say that Yuan is not special at all, I would do this for anyone!"
"For me, you like me! You confessed my difference personally and accepted my confession!"
"What are you doing! Don't come over!"
I was not from this world. Unless I was completely "fragmented", I wouldn't really lose anything because of this. Even if I really did hurt myself, I wouldn't just sit and watch the girl I like disappear like this!
"Why do you..."
"Why? Save the girl who accepted my confession… why do you need a reason?"
I tried my best and almost desperately shouted out. Even though most of my body has lost mobility, I still didn't stop my steps.
The rocks on the road were blown everywhere, damaging the billboard on the side of the road, and hurting the innocent passers-by.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I've had enough! Why am I the only one receiving this treatment? Why am I the only one who remembers this damn reincarnation? So lonely, so helpless, no one can help me...."
Maybe this was the real Ying. As an artificial intelligence that had experienced that indescribable number of reincarnations, she was just like a child who wanted a friend...
If so, then...
"Hahaha... this time no one can forget, Yuan, you are different, you can stay with me. No... No, you must stay with me! We will always be together forever~ "
With wicked laughter and almost distorted smile, Ying seemed to have not noticed that the streets around her and even herself have fallen into the whirlpool of formatting...
"She is crazy! We will die if we don't leave now!"
The voice of Waning Moon became sharp and distant...
"She helped me before, this time it is time my turn to help her."
"What do you want to do!"
"... I will take her out!"
Two million reincarnations, as a number, it was no longer meaningful. I could not realize how much torture and despair Ying has suffered...
It was too arrogant to say that I could understand her feelings. But I knew that everyone had the right to pursue happiness.
"Yuan is just talking! Soon you will leave me like everyone else. Once you are in danger, you will abandon me and our agreement as soon as possible!"
Whether it was AI or the player, I did not care about it anymore. I would not abandon her in this world alone.
"I won't!"
Ying's hope was not to be lonely anymore, it was such a simple hope.
"Leave here with me!"
Finally, after paying a huge price, I was close enough to Ying.
"Why… Yuan, you will die! If this goes on, you..."
Ying's eyes were filled with doubts and hesitation.
It may be because I was a player, the speed of 'fragmentation' was slower than normal data, so it worked… Ying was no longer as unreasonable as it was before, and it seemed that my behavior had affected her.
Just a little bit more...
"Go to the outside world with me!"
"Grab my hand!"
"Yuan, I..."
Ying slowly raised her head, and I hugged her tightly in the center of the blurry whirlpool. Ying's eyes returned to clear and her face was full of tears.
"Don't cry... believe it now? I didn't lie to you..."
"Why do you do this? You will die."
My body also began to get blurry, we both now lost the ability to move.
"What are you talking about?"
"Yuan..."
"Although you are an artificial intelligence, you are completely different from other AIs! You are self-conscious, intellectual, and understanding, and you are my girlfriend!"
"Am I not a monster..."
"How can there be such a cute monster in the world!"
Unable to move to the escape exist, it seemed that the plan of taking her out failed.
But it didn't matter anymore.
In the end, I was just a loser in real life...
In fact, I didn't seem to have much thought about life and death.
I slowly closed my eyes, wondering whether the rumors about the vegetative state and brain death of players circulating on the Internet were because of similar things?
Anyway, this kind of ending really fit an otaku. Holding this virtual "wife" and disappearing forever...
"Argh! All you know is to create trouble for me!"
Just when I thought everything was over, I suddenly realized that something was dragging me towards the escape exit.
"Waning… Moon?"
The white cat's small body unexpectedly exploded with power that was completely incompatible with its size, biting my collar and pulling us desperately.
"If I fall into a vegetable state because of this, I would never forgive you!"
It was almost like the last few seconds before the bomb disposal in the movie, we passed the "escape exit" at the very last moment...
Click, click-
The whole world collapsed behind us.