One month later. In Manhattan, in a villa near Third Avenue, a game streamer was leaning in front of his computer, live streaming to his audience. On the screen, the game "Detroit: Become Human" was in full swing. The criminal police android, Connor, was navigating a tense hostage situation under the streamer's control.
On the opposite rooftop, an abnormal android named Daniel held a little girl hostage, visibly distressed and holding a pistol. His emotions were spiraling out of control.
Connor calmly approached, speaking through the clues he had gathered. "I know, they want to replace you, and you're unhappy. Is that right?"
Daniel, his voice filled with sadness and anger, pressed the gun to the girl's head. "I thought I was part of the family. I thought they cared about me..." His voice cracked. "But it turns out I'm just a toy, something they can throw away after they're done with me!"
Four dialogue choices appeared on the screen:
1. Use of firearms
2. Sacrifice yourself
3. Compromise
4. Reject
"Alright, guys," the streamer, Calvo, said, interacting with his audience. "We've done our best to calm him down, and as you can see, Daniel's trust level has reached 99%. For the last step, let's choose to compromise." He clicked on option 3.
In the game, Connor spoke gently once more. "Daniel, you have to trust me. Release the hostage, and I promise nothing will happen to you."
Daniel hesitated, the gun shaking in his hand. "I... I don't want to die..."
"You'll be fine," Connor assured him, his voice steady. "We'll just talk, I give you my word."
Daniel's gaze locked onto Connor, his expressive face and lifelike eyes made it feel as if he was staring directly through the screen at the streamer and the audience, pulling them deeper into the moment.
The success rate reached 100%.
"OK... I believe you..." Daniel, the abnormal android, finally chose to trust Connor and released the hostage. Calvo, the streamer, smiled as the hostage walked away safely. "Even though the game's graphics and plot are top-notch, the gameplay feels a bit..."
"Boom!"
A gunshot from the game suddenly cut him off, startling him. On screen, the hidden sniper pulled the trigger without hesitation, and Daniel's head was blown apart, blue liquid splattering everywhere.
"Plop!" Daniel collapsed to his knees, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You lied to me... Connor! You actually lied to me!"
Calvo stared blankly at the screen, taken aback by Daniel's questioning, disappointed gaze. The intense background music began to play, making his heart race. It took him a while to snap out of it as Connor walked away, expressionless, with the message "Mission Complete" appearing on screen.
"Well, it seems this game isn't as simple as I thought."
The chat exploded with reactions from his audience:
[Seriously, when Daniel got shot, my heart skipped a beat.]
[Yes, especially his eyes, they looked so real.]
[I was wrong. I thought Rockstar's new plot would just be a super intense action game. I was too shallow.]
Calvo glanced at the live viewership count, which had skyrocketed to over a million. Normally, his streams would attract around 100,000 viewers.
It was clear that the recent events in Apple City couldn't be kept under wraps, and the mysterious Rockstar gaming platform had captured the world's attention, both online and offline.
When Rockstar Online's new storyline game was released, many players eagerly followed the in-game map to explore it. Streaming the game guaranteed high viewership, and players quickly discovered a new way to make money through it.
*[The game's reputation reached 10 million... 20 million... 30 million... 50 million...]*
Merlin, who had just left the hospital, felt a surge of emotion when he heard the reputation values flashing in his mind. He remembered that when GTA launched, it only garnered five million in reputation per month. Now, with a strong reputation established, any new game release sent the numbers skyrocketing.
*[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: medical bionic human chip technology, security bionic human chip technology, housekeeping bionic human technology, erotic bionic human technology... bionic exoskeleton technology, and blue blood energy technology.]*
*[Intelligence +1+1+1+1+1]*
A total of fifty million reputation points, which translated into five intelligence points. With this wave of success, Merlin had essentially acquired all the technology related to bionic humans. "I've never been this wealthy," he thought. It seemed that the next big event would have to be even grander.
"Feeling this happy just because you're discharged from the hospital?" Happy asked, carrying Merlin's daily necessities. He noticed Merlin grinning in the sunlight and wondered whether the kid had become delirious from his hospital stay or if he had lingering effects from the bombing.
"Oh, I was just thinking of something exciting," Merlin replied, smiling as he helped Happy load the luggage into the trunk. "Thanks for all your help during this time."
"It's no problem, as long as you're safe." After closing the trunk, Merlin got into the back seat, and once Happy sat in the driver's seat, something occurred to Merlin. He leaned forward and asked softly, "By the way, do you know much about bionic humans?"
"Bionic humans? Like a smart girlfriend?" Happy asked, intrigued.
"Exactly!" Merlin nodded.
"Of course, I know about that, but except for silicone models... well, the technology isn't quite there yet. But if it does come out, I'd definitely get one," Happy replied. Realizing mid-sentence that his words might sound inappropriate, he quickly shifted the conversation. "So, what type are you into?"
"Definitely the hot and sexy kind," Happy answered without hesitation.
"Got it!" Merlin grinned and leaned back in his seat.
"Why are you asking about this, though?" Happy asked, slightly confused.
"Just curious," Merlin waved dismissively, choosing not to elaborate.
Happy shrugged, started the car, and drove off without giving it much more thought.
As they passed through the streets of Manhattan, they encountered a protest. A group of green-skinned and black-clad individuals filled the streets, holding signs and chanting:
*"Green lives matter! We need equality!"*
*"Everyone is equal! Green people cannot be discriminated against!"*
*"We are the victims!"*
The city had slowly recovered over the past month, with traffic and the economy gradually returning to normal. The police had investigated the players and imprisoned a few who had committed serious crimes. However, the situation with the Green Men was more complicated. With their numbers in the hundreds of thousands, there wasn't enough room to detain them all. Due to public pressure, most were released with just a warning.
But once free, many Green Men returned to find rejection from their families and fear from passersby. This discrimination led some to gather their friends and begin marching through the streets, protesting for their rights and equality.
"It's still the same familiar slogan, but now it's shifted from Black Lives Matter to Green Lives Matter," Merlin mused as he watched the parade. The chants and signs echoed the same themes of equality and justice, but this time it was about the Green Men. Some political associations had even started to take an interest in this growing movement, seeing the potential in the political power of these hundreds of thousands of Green Men. With that, more black activists had joined the cause, creating an intersection of struggles.
"This city is always so magical," Happy remarked, glancing at the crowd through the car window, "but at least it's more reasonable than those eco-friendly protestors."
Merlin raised his eyebrows, watching the green-skinned demonstrators march with signs and flags. He thought deeply about the societal shifts happening around him. "Yeah," he replied, still deep in thought.
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