“See those rogue machines with oil tanks strapped to their backs?
They’re called Herbivore Dragons.
Supposedly, they systematically harvest plants, convert them into fuel, then deliver it to the Foundry to manufacture new rogue machines.”
Hidden behind dense bushes, Cheng Fei spoke in a low voice.
Beside him, Shen Xi looked thoughtful.
“Really?
I never paid much attention to that aspect…”
Cheng Fei rolled his eyes.
“Of course not.
People farm the Foundry dungeon around the clock.
If that theory were true, the rogue machines would’ve gone extinct ages ago.”
“Incidentally, the Corridor scholars who proposed that setting—basically gaming enthusiasts like you—believe the Foundries beyond the Fourth Layer are the ‘real’ Foundries.”
“They even created a guild called the Outside-the-Walls Survey Corps specifically to investigate it.”
“But they were terrible at the game.
Every expedition beyond the walls ended in an instant party wipe, so eventually the whole thing fizzled out.”
Shen Xi seriously considered this.
“I see.
Their shortcomings were inadequate combat ability and the lack of a guide like you to assist with their investigation—”
“Why are you staring at me?”
Cheng Fei immediately interrupted.
“There is absolutely no chance I’m risking my life on the Fourth Layer to do something that boring.”
“Not even for me?”
“You can choose anywhere from Layers One through Three.”
“Starting today, Fourth-Layer expedition surveys will become a permanent research project.
At least once per week.”
“You—!”
Cheng Fei was just about to swear when the hum of a motor sounded behind them.
At some point, a thin rogue machine half a person tall had crawled up behind them.
Its sensor-covered head resembled an unlit searchlight.
It pointed directly at the two and began scanning.
Cheng Fei drew the black longsword he carried and cleanly stabbed it through the neck.
Colorful vine-like cables twisted inside were severed, erupting into dazzling electrical sparks.
The rogue machine collapsed.
But its head suddenly flared with blinding red light.
At the same time, some kind of low-frequency noise burst from it and echoed through the silent forest.
“Run.
Red-eyes call nearby monsters.”
Cheng Fei immediately grabbed the still-stunned Shen Xi and evacuated.
As the two fled, the Herbivore Dragons that had been grazing on vegetation also began running.
They weren’t pursuing the two humans.
Instead, they scattered in every direction.
While Cheng Fei dragged her along, Shen Xi continued observing the scene.
…
“Let me tell you my current theory.”
Shen Xi touched her chin.
“At some point in the past, rogue machines destroyed Corridor civilization and occupied all thirteen floating continents.”
“Only the Sky Garden on the highest layer survived.”
“The remaining survivors then somehow summoned the players here in an attempt to save Corridor.”
Cheng Fei remained focused on their surroundings.
“Third-rate novel premise.
Decent enough as a game backstory.”
“I’m inferring what actually happened.”
“There are plenty of unresolved questions, but the overall direction is correct.”
“I genuinely cannot understand how you ranked first in our grade.”
“If understanding me is beyond you, then you could simply treat my words as divine revelation and try believing.”
“You think you’re a god?”
“You’re right.
I may very well be the incarnation of the Goddess of Wisdom.”
“I think you’re the incarnation of mental illness.”
Cheng Fei sighed.
“Let’s start with the most obvious question.
If this is a real world, why can players revive after dying?”
“Simple.”
“Players operate these bodies through the game system.”
“When a body dies, the player is immediately switched into a cloned backup, while the old body is teleported away for recovery.”
“Corridor civilization obviously possessed highly advanced biotechnology and spatial technology.”
“You might as well call it necromancy and teleportation magic.”
“Magic is fictional.
Science exists.”
Shen Xi corrected him.
“I’m not finished.”
The girl raised one finger.
“The reason players lose their equipment when dying on the Fourth Layer is because the Fourth Layer has been completely occupied by rogue machines.”
“The infrastructure supporting the game system cannot extend into that region.”
“Brilliant.”
Cheng Fei clapped softly.
“That conveniently explains why the interface disappears after sequence breaking too.
All those functions have gone offline.”
“Your ability to draw conclusions from one example is at least worthy of praise.”
“By that logic, if I died here now, then came back later, my corpse and equipment should still be lying around.”
“People have tried.
They never find anything.
The game system swallowed it all.”
“It wasn’t the game system.”
Shen Xi answered immediately.
“Certain rogue machines must have carried the bodies and equipment away.
Both possess usable resources.”
“Nobody has ever witnessed that.”
“Very few players sequence break in the first place.”
“Most of them wipe completely.
The survivors certainly don’t stay around to observe.”
“It’s perfectly normal that no one has noticed.”
“You’re absurdly good at making things up.
The developers should hire you as a scenario designer.”
Cheng Fei spoke with complete indifference.
“It isn’t fabrication.
It’s appropriate logical inference.”
“Call it whatever you want.
You still can’t prove any of it.”
“There is a method.”
“I’ll prove it to you with our next research project.”
“What are you planning now?”
“If you can’t even figure that out, then stop asking pointless questions.”
“Your task is absolute obedience without objection.”
“Have you ever read a light novel?”
“What?”
“It’s called My Online Girlfriend Turned Out to Be a Dictator.”
“Following me is your privilege.
After all, I am the incarnation of the Goddess of Wisdom.”
“You’re impossible.”
They continued through the dim forest as they argued.
The Fourth Layer contained almost no animals.
The silence of the air was consequently unnatural.
Cheng Fei sighed miserably.
“Don’t you think everything you’re saying is basically a conspiracy theory?”
“Other people can’t easily disprove it, but you can’t prove it either.”
“It’s like if I claimed the Earth was created by a giant flying spaghetti monster.
You couldn’t disprove that on the spot either.”
“I’ll prove everything through actual experimentation.”
“That’s why you need to accompany me on an expedition every week.”
Shen Xi remained stubborn.
“Just kill me now.”
Cheng Fei slapped a hand over his forehead.
…
Propelled forward by the shockwave of an explosion, the boy landed lightly on the ground and returned his black longsword to its sheath.
Behind him, a gigantic machine the size of a small hill emitted a piercing mechanical roar, like a beast screaming at the moment of death.
Then it crashed to the ground.
Silence returned to the underground cavern.
Cheng Fei approached the giant rogue machine’s head.
He pried apart the carbon-fiber armor and plastic casing, then dismantled its important internal components like a hunter butchering prey.
The silver-haired girl who had been hiding nearby during the battle walked over and looked up at the mechanical monster’s remains.
“Professor Shen, I have a question,” Cheng Fei said.
“Ask.”
“If both are physical bodies, why am I so weak in reality but so strong in Corridor?”
“Our attribute points are basically the same.”
“The player bodies may be comprehensively enhanced artificial humans.”
“That would explain why you can be thrown more than ten meters into the air and land without injury.”
“I see.”
Cheng Fei removed the boss’s control core, then moved on to dismantling its weapon system.
“Professor Shen, another question.”
“Why have you suddenly started calling me professor?”
Shen Xi frowned.
“Because I’ve surrendered before the sheer magnificence of your imagination.”
Cheng Fei continued working.
“Professor Shen, can people have children inside Corridor?”
“…”
Shen Xi glanced at him.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I was thinking.”
“If Corridor is real, then maybe these player bodies possess all kinds of normal biological functions too.”
“Wouldn’t you agree?”
Shen Xi nodded.
“Correct.
You have finally begun thinking about meaningful questions.”
“That’s why I previously assigned you the project concerning player self-relief.”
“Forget that project.”
“What I’m thinking about now is something else.”
“Normally, the game system prevents players from getting too physically intimate.”
“But on the Fourth Layer, the game system is offline.”
“So why don’t we test—”
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
[ END 401 Chapter ]
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