(Am I dead? Am I actually dead?)
Smith Lee stood there blankly, he could still vividly remember the scene from a second ago. The creature that had only existed in nightmares was attacking him head-on. Those massive claws were right before his eyes, it would just take a moment, only a moment, and he would be torn to shreds! (So...am I dead?) Smith Lee looked around in confusion. He was standing on an enormous, barren platform. In the center of the platform was a huge, sun-like sphere providing light to the whole area, while the rest of the platform was surrounded by impenetrable darkness. He started to feel dizzy after only a few glances around at the darkness.
"We survived, damn, that was a close call! We finally made it!" Bill White's voice suddenly rang out. Only then did Smith Lee come back to his senses. Apart from him on the platform, there were also Bill White, Jane Lan, and Michael Li. No, there were more than just the four of them. A girl rushed out from a room on the edge of the platform. She was crying and ran towards Bill White. This tough guy revealed a tender expression for the first time, as he too ran towards the girl. They embraced each other and shared a passionate kiss in front of everyone.
"…If you don't understand the rules, ask the 'Master God', just communicate with your thoughts…" "Don't exchange anything else other than creating a woman! We will talk about everything else tomorrow! By the way, choose a room and envision how you want it to be…" Bill White, holding the woman, dashed towards a room, only managing to blurt out a few words before the two of them disappeared into the room, leaving Smith Lee and the others dumbfounded. After a while, they finally collapsed to the floor.
"That guy is really incredible, he can still run that fast, and he even has the mood to make love..." Jane Lan, lying on the floor weakly, said, "I was so scared at that time, and I'm still weak. I didn't expect him to act as if nothing had happened…" After speaking for a while and getting no response, she turned her head to find the two men standing with their eyes closed under the sphere. Judging from their postures, they were probably envisioning the women they desired.
"You two idiots! All men are idiots! We just survived such a fright, and the first thing you think about when we get back is about getting intimate! All men are big idiots!" Jane Lan stormed off to a room in a huff. She pushed open the door and went in. The sound of the door slamming brought the two men back from their contemplation. They both gave embarrassed smiles, and then closed their eyes again.
This was a strange sensation. Smith Lee felt as if he had melded into the sphere whenever he closed his eyes. In front of him, a screen-like interface similar to a computer program appeared. There were four categories: Technology, Magic & Mythology, Support, and Entertainment. Apart from these, there were six personal attributes: intelligence, mental power, cellular vitality, nerve reaction speed, muscular strength, and immunity strength. The remaining points were bonus points and the number of subplots in the movie.
Smith Lee saw that his six attributes were Intelligence 107, Spirit Power 122, Cell Vitality 97, Nerve Response Speed 131, Muscle Strength 112, Immunity Strength 103. It seemed that aside from frequently exercising which made his muscle strength slightly stronger than an ordinary person's, the rest of his attributes were quite average. His Spirit Power and Nerve Response Speed were bonuses from the movie, each given an extra 20 and 30 points respectively.
His reward points totaled 6502. He received a thousand points for each movie completed, another five thousand were from the B-level sub-plot rewards, and 500 points were from other rewards. As for the remaining two points, he probably earned them by killing more than twenty zombies.
"Creating a woman for myself, creating a woman for myself..."
Smith Lee didn't plan to spend his reward points on anything or strengthen himself that day. After experiencing life-or-death situations in his first movie, he realized the importance of being cautious. Even though he had a lot of reward points, he planned to consult Bill White before deciding what to strengthen or what to exchange. Right now, he had only one idea in mind.
(Can he create Loli?)
The ball of light "Main God" seemed to discern Smith Lee's thoughts, and one category of entertainment instantly opened. One option in Smith Lee's mind began to enlarge, and a rigid yet solemn voice spoke.
"The first time you create a humanoid is free, subsequent times will use five hundred reward points. Please simulate the type, gender, appearance, height, age, skin color, race... of the creature you want in your mind."
Smith Lee slowly immersed himself in his memories. That year... the innocent childhood, the slight crush, the faint ambiguity. The most vivid memory was the fragrance of her hair, her smile, her voice, her memory...
So it was because she was gone that life seemed so dull as if he were dead... It turns out that the reason he kept falling into the darkness was because he had lost her little hand...
"It turns out that as long as you are by my side, my heart will never fall..."
A tear slowly seeped out of the corner of Smith Lee's closed eyes, then fell and shattered on the ground, disappearing.
When he opened his eyes, a laughing girl appeared before him. She was about fifteen or sixteen, with long hair, fair skin, hazy eyes, and red lips. This girl was clearly the shadow he would never forget in the depths of his memory, Loli.
Growing up as childhood friends, her existence was as natural as the wind. Although they had become so accustomed to each other that they hardly noticed, both knew the importance of the other to themselves. The childhood of city kids was often lonely. In this concrete jungle, steel doors tightly sealed off the neighbors. After living there for several years, they might not even know what their neighbors looked like, so city kids were especially lonely.
Smith Lee felt lucky since childhood. His parents were very hearty, always speaking loudly and sharing their best food with the neighbors. By chance, their two neighbors had the same personality. This type of person was quite rare in the city. The most fortunate thing was that he met their neighbor's younger sister, who was a year younger than him.
She was like a pet of God, perfect like clear crystal without a single bubble of flaw. She was smart, kind, and strong, not like her gentle outward appearance. She was a girl who always liked to laugh and make a fuss, never frightened by any difficulties. She always liked to drape her arms around his neck and tease him, blowing into his ear.
He thought, with her by his side, his heart would never cool down. But why is human life so fragile? That year she was fifteen, lying on the white hospital bed she looked so frail, her long hair all gone due to radiation treatment. Her pale face no longer had the rosy glow of the past, only her bright smile persisted. But he knew, that smile was merely to comfort her loved ones around her... and him.
What is life exactly? Why is it that the girl from his memory who was beautiful and smiling a second ago, turned into ashes in a porcelain jar in the blink of an eye? He didn't want it to be like this, he still wanted to see her gentle smile, see her rolling on top of him, see her blowing into his ear, he didn't want it to be like this...
He drifted in the sea of people, the world of black and white. In school, there was the turmoil of peers fighting, the intermingling of carnal desire and the fabled youth in college, the exhaustion that seemingly proved he was alive during work after graduation, constant decadence, constant decay, one woman after another, breaking up after sex, bar after bar, women, ecstasy, ice, and maybe soon he'll even get to cocaine...
"It turns out, as long as you're by my side, my heart will never fall..."
When Smith Lee woke up, the clock on the wall showed it was 11 am. He scratched his head, and just as he was about to reach for the cigarette on the bedside table, his arm brushed against something incredibly soft.
"Ugh, stop bothering me, let me sleep a bit more..."
An irresistible voice immediately resonated from the blankets. Smith Lee was stunned, he subconsciously squeezed the soft roundness, a slight bulge in his palm slowly hardened, and at the same time, the voice let out an even more irresistible moan.
The options on the computer screen, the cycle of horror movies, Resident Evil, death, and Loli...
Memories swirled in Smith Lee's mind, he suddenly ripped off the blanket, sure enough, a beautiful girl was curled up on his chest, around fifteen or sixteen, her skin whiter than the white sheets. Not to mention her looks, there were two lines of tear stains on her small face. Smith Lee looked down her body, there were spots of blood on her thighs and sheets.
The girl reached for the blanket that was originally covering her, but didn't grab anything, so she moved closer to Smith Lee next to her. During this time, she was sleeping soundly with her eyes closed, she didn't even notice when she grabbed something hard with her hands.
Smith Lee only remembered that he spent the previous day at the 'Main God's' place, constantly recalling Loli in his mind, her every word, her every move, not only did he conceive her entirely, but he also recalled many memories related to her. After that, when he opened his eyes and saw the beauty before him, the feelings he had suppressed for ten years suddenly erupted, he randomly chose a room and had her, they went on for who knows how many times throughout the night, only stopping when she cried and begged, then they fell asleep in each other's arms.
At this moment, the girl was tightly holding his hardness, which made him dare not move at all. Moreover, looking at her familiar yet unfamiliar face, Smith Lee felt as if he had a thousand words but couldn't express them. Unconsciously, his eyes were filled with hot tears.
The girl seemed to feel a bit cold, she reached for the blanket again, but still didn't grab anything, she sneakily opened a slit in her eyes, from the slit she saw Smith Lee attentively looking at her, the girl was immediately embarrassed, she struggled to snatch the blanket from Smith Lee, she wrapped her body tightly with the blanket several times, only then did she feel a piercing pain in her lower body, and she couldn't help but start crying.
While crying, the girl said: "Smith Lee, you stinky Smith Lee, you made me so sore yesterday, and you're bullying me early in the morning, you jerk, I even made breakfast for you this month, we agreed that you would give me a ring when I turn eighteen, and only do that after we get married at twenty-two, you big jerk, I'm not even sixteen for a few more months..."
Smith Lee was shocked, he grabbed the girl's hand and said: "You... Loli, do you have memories? Do you remember your past memories?"
The girl cried for a while and then stopped, she kept sneaking glances at Smith Lee, hearing his words, the girl asked strangely: "What do you mean? What does it mean do I remember my previous memory? Why are you talking so unclearly? And... Mr. Pervert! Please put on your clothes, then go to my house and get my green dress, you tore up all my clothes yesterday... hmph, luckily my parents have gone to work, or I'd like to see how you explain this!"
Smith Lee was deeply shaken. The girl's demeanor, tone, actions, even the charming look when she hums - it was as if she was a duplicate of Loli from his deepest memories. No, it was exactly the same! Only now did he notice this room, it was clearly his bedroom from when he was in his teens, living with his parents. Even some minor details of the furnishings were completely the same.
"Oh God, our noises must have been heard by your uncle and aunt yesterday. They must think I'm a bad girl now. You big bad wolf, you big pervert. We agreed to learn cooking from your aunt during the summer holidays, now I dare not see your aunt again."
The girl started crying lightly as she spoke. Smith Lee was dumbstruck by her appearance, like a pear blossom bathed in the rain. As the girl sobbed, she suddenly showed an expression of anger and embarrassment. She started to hit Smith Lee frantically with her hands, but she was shy about her body being seen, so after a few hits, she wrapped herself tightly in the blanket again, hitting him a few more times. Seeing her cute and small actions made Smith Lee dizzy with love.
"Wait, wait a minute, could it be that I've been dreaming all along, everything just now, no, even your illness, was all part of a dream? Hahaha, so it was all just a dream!"
Smith Lee laughed loudly and tightly embraced Loli. He laughed heartily, not caring that Loli in his arms was struggling and biting him. But after a while, he started crying softly. A grown man holding a girl and crying incessantly. Loli eventually stopped struggling and instead tightly embraced him.
(It's really too good, everything was just a dream. I don't want such a future, I don't want it...)
Just then, there was a knock on the door from outside the living room. Loli immediately blushed again. She quickly burrowed into the blanket and said: "It's your uncle and aunt, they've come back. You big pervert, big bad guy, how am I supposed to go out now, you tore up all my clothes yesterday!"
Smith Lee's heart turned cold, because he could faintly hear someone calling his name. It was the voice of Bill White. In other words, he was not dreaming, and Loli in his arms was just a life form he had created.
Smith Lee forced a smile and said: "Loli, I'll go out and have a look, and casually bring back some clothes for you. Good girl, stay here and don't wander around."
Luckily, Loli was burying her head in the blanket, so she didn't see Smith Lee's expression. She just hummed a few times, and then stayed still. Smith Lee sighed quietly, dressed himself, and went to the living room.
As expected, the furnishings in the room were exactly the same. They were completely identical to the ones in his room when he was in his teens. Smith Lee opened the front door after passing through the living room. Standing outside were indeed Bill White and the others. He looked past them, and outside the door was a platform square, and in the center of the square was that huge floating light ball.
"You guys wait for me."
Smith Lee spoke hastily before the three could say anything. Then he brushed past them and ran towards the "Main god" light ball.
"Tell me, Main god, isn't she a life form you created? Why does she have her memories? Why is she exactly like her? Why doesn't she know anything about this place? Tell me, Main god, what the hell is going on?"
Smith Lee closed his eyes and voiced all his doubts. After a while, the voice finally answered, "She was created by you. Her memories come from your memories of her. Her personality comes from your memories of her. Her body and appearance also come from your memories of her. She is the person from your memories."
Smith Lee paused, then continued to ask, "I don't understand what you mean, Main God. I don't care whether she's the person from my memories, I just want to know if she's a real person or not! Are her words, her actions, her expressions, her tears...are all these real? Not something you've programmed, not relying on any instruction, I just want to know, is she a real human being?"
The voice replied, "Yes, once a lifeform is created, unless the creator dies or the lifeform is killed, she is a living being."
Smith Lee probably understood what was going on. The Main God had copied the Loli from his memories, so she was essentially also Loli, but just a copy. As for the real Loli, she had died at the age of sixteen, so the copy was only fifteen, nearly sixteen, just as she was in his most beautiful memory of her.
"One last question, Main God, when I accumulate fifty thousand reward points and can return, will she also follow me back?"
The voice replied, "Those who exchange to return to the original point can retain the following items: One, exchanged items; Two, attribute enhancement points; Three, created lifeforms; Four, summoned lifeforms; Five, all kinds of body enhancements. Once these five points are exchanged, they will forever belong to the exchanger, even upon returning to the original point, these attributes will be forever retained."
Smith Lee's heart slowly settled. He had lost her once before, that time he could only watch her die and was powerless to do anything, but now he had the power to change everything. As long as he could survive, survive in countless movies, earn reward points, and then bring her back to the real world, he would never lose her again!
Bill White and the others were standing at his door, looking at him in confusion. Smith Lee smiled apologetically at them and led them into the room. According to Bill, as long as he wanted them in, they could enter, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to get into Smith Lee's house.
After everyone entered the hall, Smith Lee thought for a moment and said, "Everyone, please sit for a while, I'll...be right back..." He went straight into his bedroom and closed the door tightly.
Loli's small head peeked out from the blanket. She asked fearfully, "How did it go? What did your aunt and uncle say?"
Smith Lee went to the bedside and lovingly stroked her hair. Then he said seriously, "Loli, there are some things I need to tell you. Before I speak, promise me that you will stay calm no matter what, okay?"
Loli widened her watery black eyes. She lowered her head and said, "Are you going to break up with me? Just like they said, once a man gets a girl's body, he becomes heartless. I thought you would always be with me, loving me...if you want to break up, don't say it, I don't want to hear it from you."
Smith Lee immediately pulled Loli into his arms and said loudly, "It's not what you think. I want to talk about serious matters, and I've always loved you, even though you've been dead for ten years! I've always loved you!"
Then, Smith Lee told her about her illness and death ten years ago, and slowly narrated this strange experience. Of course, he omitted the part about his decadent life in the past ten years, just told her about the Main God's words.
"Loli, you are the real Loli! Yes, ten years ago, I could only watch helplessly as death took you away, but now, I can use my own hands to protect you! Loli, trust me, I can earn enough reward points to bring us back to the real world!"
Smith Lee kept talking, but he found that Loli in his arms was silent. This gave him a bad feeling, so he quickly looked at Loli, who was pinching her arm.
Smith Lee immediately grabbed her hand and said, "What are you doing? Loli, if you have something to say, just say it. I know it's hard for you to accept that your main body is dead and you're a copy. But no matter what, don't hurt yourself. If you're sad, tell me, okay?"
But Loli started to laugh. She sat up in Smith Lee's arms and pulled his face with her small hand, "No wonder you look so much matured, and you have so much hair...uh, a good girl shouldn't say H words, anyway, it's like this. It's great to be alive again, why should I have a hard time accepting it? Just now you, the big bad guy, scared me a lot. I thought you were going to break up with me, it was so painful...If you ever say such ambiguous things again, I will tear your mouth apart."
Smith Lee was stunned for a while, then he finally smiled with relief. Indeed, this was the reaction of the Loli he remembered, the strong and confused girl, the woman he had always loved.
The rest was easy. According to Bill, everything in the room could be changed according to the user's will. As Smith Lee's creation, Loli could also change the size, environment, decorations, and various aspects of the room. After learning all this, Loli cheered and ran to the closet. She began to take out some extremely gorgeous and beautiful dresses and pushed Smith Lee out of the bedroom.
In the hall, Bill White and the others all had straight faces, but Smith Lee clearly saw the corners of their mouths twitching. He scratched his head and said, "If you want to laugh, just laugh. Don't look so upset, as if someone punched you in the face."
Bill White and the others immediately burst into laughter, with only Jane Lan laughing in a reserved manner.
Bill White was laughing as he said, "It's really strange, you actually like a girl with such a character. She seems quite spirited."
Smith Lee sat on the sofa and told the story of Loli's origin with a bitter smile. After recounting it, he said with a wry smile, "I didn't expect this situation. I just wanted to create a woman similar to her in appearance and character, but who knew I would actually reproduce her."
Bill White and the others were extremely surprised to hear this. Bill said, "It's incredible. The Main God can actually copy people from your memory. I have lived through four movies and I still don't know such a thing. I wonder how many secrets are still hidden here, it seems we only know some of the superficial aspects."
Smith Lee nodded and said, "Indeed, I have never heard anyone mention such a place where you can join a movie, interact with characters in the plot, even change the plot, and possibly die in the movie. In addition, the items that can be exchanged are unthinkable. Apart from the weapons, there are various kinds of enhancements. Do you think such a thing could happen in reality?"
Bill White and the others fell silent. Smith Lee took a deep breath and said, "I don't care if this is the domain of a god or the game of a devil. I just want to live, earn enough reward points to bring her back to the real world. I think none of us want to die in a movie, right? So, I think the four of us should team up. We don't know what the next movie will be. An individual's strength is ultimately limited. We should form a team to help each other through difficulties. Any opinions?"
At his words, the three of them fell into thought. Jane Lan said in surprise, "Oh, you've changed a lot in just one night. Even Michael Li, who just lost his virginity, can't compare to you. That girl is very important to you, isn't she?"
Michael Li immediately blushed and became flustered, but Bill White laughed and said, "Why are you shy? Is becoming a real man something to be embarrassed about? You are quite capable. You've created a golden Persian cat. Be careful that she might drain you completely."
Michael Li's face turned into the color of pig liver. Bill White then turned to Smith Lee and said, "I think you're right. An individual's power is ultimately limited. Before we enhance ourselves to the point of being superhuman, we do not have the power to fight against most of the movies on our own. Besides, I've experienced three movies. I understand the importance of unity within the team. Other than the monsters in the movies, your companions also pose a similar threat. So, from now on, we should share information, help each other in the movies. If any newcomers intend to disrupt the team's unity, I suggest we kill them."
Jane Lan asked in surprise, "Didn't you say killing a newcomer would deduct a thousand reward points?"
Bill White sneered, "Yes, it will deduct a thousand reward points. But did I personally kill them? No, I just broke their hands and feet, or pushed them towards various monsters. As long as they are not killed by my own hands, my reward points cannot be deducted. Do you have any doubts about that?"
Jane Lan and Michael Li both shuddered, but Smith Lee nodded and said, "That's right. I won't deliberately harm newcomers, but if a newcomer causes us all to die, I don't mind getting rid of them. I must survive and return to the real world! So, I have some information to share with you now."
"I think I probably know how to trigger and complete the sub plot of those movies."
Smith Lee said seriously, "It should refer to reversing some plots in the movies, like saving some supporting characters who are bound to die, or killing the remaining monsters in the movie, or completely reversing the plot of the movie. I think the sub plot of the movie should be completed by these methods."
Then, Smith Lee told them about his experience. When the three heard that he had saved the black mercenary captain and received a B-level sub plot of the movie and an additional five thousand reward points, their mouths gaped open in astonishment. They didn't know what to say.
Jane Lan cautiously asked, "So, how many reward points do you have?"
Smith Lee replied, "6502 points, plus one B-level subplot."
The three immediately looked at him with a mix of envy and jealousy. Bill White said with a bitter smile, "I've risked my life, almost died several times and only earned over four thousand reward points. You got 6502 points in your first movie, and also have a B-level subplot... damn, comparing people can be infuriating. It seems like I'll have to follow your lead from now on."
Smith Lee laughed and said, "What are you talking about who follows who? Last time, if you weren't willing to stay with us in the Queen of Flames' server room, even if I had so many reward points, it would have been useless. Maybe I would have already died in the mouth of a zombie or under the claws of a crawler. I should be thanking you."
Jane Lan chuckled and said, "But it's good now, we all know how to complete the sub plot. Although it's not easy, it's better than not knowing anything. And it seems we can get additional reward points for completing the sub plot. I knew it, it's impossible to earn fifty thousand reward points to return to the real world by earning slowly through each movie. Now we at least have a target, don't we?"
Bill White also put away his jealous mindset, he knew that Smith Lee was already a good friend for sharing this information. So, he said with a smile, "Alright, then let me introduce everyone to the enhancement attributes and exchange items. Anyway, we have nine days and nine nights to rest, everyone can slowly choose their own enhancement direction and exchange items, for the next movie!"
"No, for surviving!"
Smith Lee thought to himself, his gaze shifting towards the bedroom door, his eyes filled with immeasurable gentleness.