Chapter 139: Are You an NPC?

After Chen Hao roughly introduced what had happened to him, both of them simultaneously understood why they had both quickly returned to normal after suddenly arriving in an unfamiliar environment, aside from their initial shock. It turned out that they both already had a rough idea in their minds, but were simply unsure how to explain it to each other.

At the same time, Chen Hao also figured out why Zhuge Xue had done that to him earlier. It was because she already knew that this was a gaming world rather than reality. Although the game world possessed the exact same basic tactile sensations, it was still a completely different matter from a real-life incident.

"No wonder..." Chen Hao thought of this and muttered aloud, "I thought she had taken a fancy to me..."

"What are you mumbling about?" Zhuge Xue asked.

"Ah!" Chen Hao was startled, nearly letting her overhear: "Nothing, nothing at all! I just meant no wonder you didn't look surprised at all; it turns out you're just like me and have entered the game before. So you're a virtual reality player too!"

"That goes without saying!" Zhuge Xue said as a matter of course. "Though it's a bit bizarre that you managed to enter the game without using any gaming login device!"

Chen Hao nodded in deep agreement: "You can say that again!"

"My situation can still be explained! Although the virtual world is currently in the research and development phase and isn't connected to the external network, their internal network is still accessible—otherwise, they wouldn't be able to develop games. I connected to their internal network through special means, which could be considered a form of technical intrusion.

However, your case is completely beyond what technology can solve, isn't it? Even if you used Wi-Fi, you would still need to rely on some sort of equipment! Don't tell me you're a walking network base station yourself?" Zhuge Xue half-jokingly remarked, "Even though your major isn't network technology, you're still a programmer of sorts. Surely you understand this logic?"

Chen Hao nodded. "Of course I understand what you mean, and that's precisely why I'm so eager to figure it out. Previously, I didn't tell you about this because it really sounds too absurd. Now that you're in a situation similar to mine, it doesn't matter if I tell you. Perhaps, relying on your professional expertise, you can help me figure out what's going on.

This is also one of the other major reasons I came to Kustar besides tourism. As far as I know, Phantom Corporation was founded after a large number of technical personnel went missing back then.

Today, I found out that not all of those technicians died or went missing. Some of them survived, and quite a few of those survivors joined Phantom Corporation, eventually becoming top-tier executives within the company.

It was also after that period that Phantom Corporation developed the Virtual World game and made a fortune from it. Since you're a player, you should know very well how technologically advanced the game Virtual World is.

In my opinion, it is highly likely that they obtained some very crucial technologies or equipment from the incidents of that year, which is how they managed to make this game."

Zhuge Xue understood immediately. "So that's why you were so eager to go into the forest and take a look at that building?"

Chen Hao nodded in acknowledgment.

"However, don't take this the wrong way to dampen your enthusiasm, Chen Hao, but you know as well as I do that your father hasn't given up investigating this place and Phantom Corporation for all these years. Aside from your father, I imagine many other people and organizations have also poured massive efforts into investigation and research. Yet, with all their resources, they haven't been able to figure out the underlying cause. Do you really think you can uncover anything?"

***

Chen Hao was not discouraged in the slightest by Zhuge Xue's words; instead, he remained full of confidence. "I'm not expecting to uncover anything groundbreaking; I just hope to gain a bit more understanding. And don't forget, compared to my father, we actually have an advantage that nobody else possesses!"

"Another advantage?" Zhuge Xue frowned. "What advantage?"

"The advantage that we can actually enter the game right now!" Chen Hao said. "Our entry into the game can be considered a bug, right? Perhaps through this bug, we can discover mysteries that normal methods can never reveal!

Haven't you noticed anything after playing the game for so long? Don't you think that although this is a game world, many of the scenes here are actually connected to reality? For example, the forest we're currently in—doesn't it look extremely similar to the Great Forest of Kustar?

It seems that tomboy Dong Xin wasn't lying entirely after all. When she said she came to Kustar to find creative inspiration for designing game environments, she was actually telling the truth."

Zhuge Xue remained unconvinced. "That doesn't prove much! It's just a setting; many other games also draw inspiration from the real world when creating maps!"

"Hmm..." Chen Hao didn't commit, but he had other thoughts in mind. He had entered the game world three times in total, and twice had been right here in this forest. Chen Hao refused to believe this was a mere coincidence; it was very likely that the biggest loophole for him entering the game world was precisely this map.

Yet this very map happened to be modeled after such a unique place as Kustar. To call it pure coincidence was something Chen Hao found hard to believe.

"Right!" Chen Hao thought of something. "What kind of locations were the maps where you entered the game previously?"

Zhuge Xue was momentarily stunned, failing to catch Chen Hao's drift, and replied reflexively, "How would I know? They were just in this forest, of course! Where else could they be?"

Suddenly, Zhuge Xue reacted. "Wait a minute! Don't tell me your entry locations haven't been the same every time? No wonder the place where I appeared this time didn't match the spot where I logged out last time! It was because of you all along!"

Chen Hao scratched his head. "That shouldn't be too surprising, right? You didn't use any tools or equipment this time, yet you entered the game right along with me. That's probably because of me too, right?"

That wasn't what Zhuge Xue meant. "No! That's not what I'm trying to say. Leaving aside how you managed to drag me into the game, the crucial point is: when you played Virtual World in the past, have you ever encountered a situation where your login location didn't match your logout location?"

"Ah!" Chen Hao froze instantly. Such an obvious issue, yet he had never noticed it.

Actually, Chen Hao couldn't really be blamed for this. After all, Chen Hao was different from Zhuge Xue. Before today, the number of times Chen Hao had entered the game could be counted on one hand—just twice—which was far from enough for him to notice such detailed nuances. Both times he entered the game, he had been overwhelmed by utter shock!

Zhuge Xue, on the other hand, had logged into the game countless times, so she naturally noticed the discrepancy.

After a moment, Zhuge Xue looked at Chen Hao very seriously, then walked around him a few times, occasionally poking and prodding him here and there.

***

Chen Hao felt thoroughly uncomfortable from her probing. "What are you doing? Don't tell me you're trying to harass me? Let me tell you, I'm a man of high moral character!"

Zhuge Xue rolled her eyes, ignoring Chen Hao's joke, and still spoke with a serious expression, "Where are your personal attributes and inventory menu? Open them up and let me see."

"Huh?" Chen Hao was stunned once more. "What? There are things like that?"

Hearing Chen Hao's reply, Zhuge Xue wore an "I knew it" expression. "It seems your situation really is different from mine! No wonder my party invitations to you kept failing before! So that's why..."

"What? What party invitations?" Chen Hao became more and more confused. "Explain it to me clearly. Judging by what you're saying, you've tried forming a party before? How is that possible? With whom?"

"Sigh..." Zhuge Xue sighed. "Who else could it be? Naturally, that big guy Guo Yunhai!"

"Wait! He entered the game too? How did he get in?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Hao regretted them. Was there even any need to ask such a foolish question? Zhuge Xue must have brought him in with her, using standard technical means.

But the party feature she mentioned... why didn't it work for him? Besides, he hadn't seen any option for a party invitation on his end either! And as for personal attributes and inventory slots, he had searched for them during his first two visits to the game, but never found them.

Originally, he had assumed they were absent because the game hadn't been developed that far yet! But now it seemed the situation differed from what he had imagined.

"You've realized something is wrong, haven't you?" Zhuge Xue crossed her arms and looked at Chen Hao. "If the big guy and I could form a party because we entered the game using the same method, then the two of us used the same method this time too, so we should logically be able to form a party.

Moreover, since the party option exists on my end, there's definitely nothing wrong with the function itself. The problem must lie on your end! And furthermore, you actually lack a personal attribute panel and an inventory menu. Connecting this to your bizarre way of entering the game, I have to say—you most likely didn't enter the game as a player the way the big guy and I did.

Let me ask you: in Virtual World, what kind of character would have no personal attribute panel, no inventory menu, and couldn't even join a party?"

"Oh crap!" As soon as Chen Hao heard this, it dawned on him what Zhuge Xue was trying to imply. "No way..."

"That's right!" Zhuge Xue struck a cool pose, lifting her chin and raising an eyebrow. "There is only one truth: you actually logged into the game in the capacity of an NPC! In other words, in this game, you're nothing more than a computer program!"