When Lu Yunfei and Li Yechen returned to the small town, the sky was already dimming, and the sea breeze continued to blow against their clothes, bringing a slight chill. Lu Yunfei's clothes were soaked, carrying the scent of seawater. He quickly returned to the town's modest inn, where the simple room exuded a sense of tranquility.
As he changed into dry clothes, he took out the farmer's notebook from his bag. The pages were slightly yellowed, and though the handwriting was somewhat sloppy, it was still legible. Lu Yunfei flipped through the notebook, carefully reading its contents. The information hidden within gradually helped him understand many things that had previously been unexplained.
The farmer had not always been an ordinary NPC. At some point, he had "awakened." One day, he had seen a female experiment subject, and in that instant, his memory had suddenly returned, his consciousness had cleared. He realized that he was not truly a resident of the town but rather a part of some experiment. To escape, he had taken a keycard and successfully fled from the system's control, running towards the edge of the forest.
That edge, in fact, marked the boundary of the map. The system could no longer control him, so the farmer had set up a farm in that blank area and lived there. Lu Yunfei imagined the farmer's helplessness and confusion. From the notebook, he began to understand that neither he nor Li Yechen were isolated—they were simply another set of test subjects in the same experiment.
The man, Cheng Haoran, who had been trapped in the red-roofed mansion, was also an experiment subject. He knew the truth but had failed to escape. In the end, he had broken down, and the system had imprisoned him within the mansion, leaving him to collapse on his own, unable to resist.
Lu Yunfei closed the notebook with a deep breath, his mind swirling. He now understood that everything they had encountered in the town seemed to be a test of their adaptability and cognitive abilities. The tasks they were given, the seemingly insignificant chores—everything was an observation of how they responded to various situations. Every task, every decision, was somehow being recorded and evaluated by the system.
Li Yechen, standing by the window and gazing at the night sky, the breeze brushing against his face, suddenly spoke. "Do you think we're being controlled, or do you think we're being tested?"
Lu Yunfei paused for a moment, then looked back at Li Yechen, his gaze hardening. "I think we're taking a multiple-choice test. Every single thing, every decision, is set up by the system. But that doesn't mean we can't change things. We can choose how we respond, and that may be the most important thing."
Li Yechen's eyes were deep, as if he were already pondering Lu Yunfei's words. "So, what are you planning to do?"
Lu Yunfei remained silent for a moment, then his expression firmed. "The system can control everything, but it can't control the collapse of the experiment subjects, nor can it control their actions. Since the farmer awakened once, he can awaken again. We need to go back to the farm and find him."
Li Yechen nodded thoughtfully, then added, "There are electric motorcycles and cars. There are even phones here. Do you believe that?"
"Phones?" Lu Yunfei furrowed his brow. "I've never seen anyone use one."
Li Yechen smiled. "The old-fashioned kind, not smartphones. They're simple—just for calling and texting. Basically, just a communication tool."
"Alright then," Lu Yunfei nodded. "Let's go to the town's shop tomorrow and get some transportation. The map is so big; we need something to move around faster."
Li Yechen agreed. "Yes, we need to prepare well. Let's go check the shop tomorrow and get a car, something to speed up our journey."
The next day, Lu Yunfei and Li Yechen headed to the market. The so-called "transportation" was an old, somewhat worn second-hand car. They also bought two phones, though they were outdated, they could still maintain communication. Lu Yunfei stopped at a stall when he spotted a screen-equipped learning device. His eyes brightened. He thought it looked quite like a handheld computer and could perhaps be used to reprogram the system.
"This thing looks like a small computer. Maybe we can use it for something," Lu Yunfei mused.
Li Yechen glanced at him. "Are you thinking of using it to crack something?"
Lu Yunfei didn't answer directly but nodded, taking the learning device and stowing it away. They also charged the car. Lu Yunfei patted Li Yechen on the shoulder. "You drive. I've got some bad memories with driving."
Li Yechen gave a slight smile, took the steering wheel, and they set off towards the farm, following their memories. After a bumpy ride of over two hours, the horizon ahead began to open up, and they saw the edge of the forest. There, in front of them, was the farm they had visited before.
This time, as they neared, the animals on the farm appeared once again. Lu Yunfei noticed that they looked much more normal compared to their previous encounter. The strange creatures they had encountered last time were likely products of the farmer's own program, but now, the animals seemed to have been regenerated by the system after an update.
"This system's intelligence level is truly impressive," Lu Yunfei remarked, a hint of deep thought crossing his face.
Li Yechen nodded. "Yes, it seems to be constantly optimizing itself. Perhaps the glitches we noticed before were just system adjustments in progress."
They stopped the car and gazed at the farm, each with their own thoughts.