After staring at himself in the mirror for a long time, Li Liang gradually felt that the face reflected in the mirror was becoming more and more unfamiliar. He had never carefully looked at his appearance and was not sure whether he really looked like this at the age of fifty.
Suddenly, Tang Xintao's voice came from outside: "What does that feel like?"
The corridor outside the bathroom was empty and quiet, and the girl's soft voice had a slight echo.
"How do you feel?" Li Liang was still standing in front of the sink, staring at the mirror.
"Living in "Tianling"."
"You've never been in?"
"No."
"..."
"So...what does that feel like?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Sometimes, I feel that there is no point in my staying here. The duck's 'brainwashing process' is useless at all. The 'uncanny valley effect' can only have a very limited effect. In fact, Dr. Li knew from the beginning that the player was hopeless. I I know, but I just don’t want to give in, hehe, I always want to find out the reason..."
Li Liang turned to look at the door: "What is the uncanny valley effect?"
"When the similarity between a non-human object and humans is close to 100%, people's reaction to the object will become negative and disgusting. This is a psychological hypothesis explained by Japanese robotics expert Masahiro Mori. You just saw that you are familiar with People turned into digital models and were thrown around casually, don’t you feel very comfortable?”
"Um."
"That's the 'uncanny valley effect'. They want you to be disgusted and afraid of the world in the game, and then wake up."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Do you think the 'Uncanny Valley Effect' is useful? Do you believe what we say?"
"I don't believe it," Li Liang said, leaning on the sink and crossing his arms. "If what you said is true, there is one question I can't figure out. I was still awake when I first entered the game, right, and knew that I was in In the game.”
"right."
"Later on, at a certain point in time, I suddenly forgot about the real world. Not only did I forget, but I also felt that the game setting was my real experience. Is this what you mean?"
"right."
"Is it possible? I was completely unaware of this process."
Tang Xintao outside was silent for a moment and asked quietly: "Mr. Li, have you ever had a sense of déjà vu?"
"'Déjà vu'?"
"There's that moment when you suddenly feel like the scene in front of you has been seen somewhere before, and what you encountered a second ago seems like it happened a long time ago. This feeling is very strong. You look around and find that all the details match up."
"Yes..."
"Some people used to say that the human brain is a sophisticated machine, but it is not. The brain often makes low-level mistakes, such as "déjà vu" and instantaneous memory is stored into long-term memory. However, the brain also has a compensation mechanism. When errors occur It explains itself all the time, so you don’t notice that your brain is making mistakes, you just feel that it’s familiar.”
Hearing this, Li Liang remembered that before his brother's consciousness fell asleep, No. 0 had mentioned a similar theory.
"The brain's compensation mechanism is very important, allowing us to accept the external environment and create a sense of presence. Unfortunately, the bic technology invented by Dr. Li Shuang utilizes this mechanism."
Change source app]
"According to what you say, how can I possibly distinguish truth from fiction?"
The corridor became quiet, and Tang Xintao didn't respond.
Li Liang walked out of the bathroom and saw the girl sitting on the ground against the wall, holding her knees in a daze.
At this time, Fan Yazi came out from the end of the corridor, looking excited, and had obviously been eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Mr. Li, have you ever thought that if everything we say is true, your brother will die in two days, even if there is only one chance in a hundred million, you are really prepared to do nothing and watch He dies?"
Li Liang didn't answer, turned around and walked straight into the art office area.
Soon, Yan Hao brought back breakfast and went to wake Guo Xudong up. The five of them sat down around a table to eat, and no one spoke during the whole process.
During this period, Tang Xintao went out to answer the phone. Unintentionally or intentionally, the voice came into the room, and she said to the person on the other side of the phone, "I'll go back tomorrow."
The atmosphere became more oppressive.
Yan Hao didn't know why, and he waited until the other three left after the meal before asking uneasily: "Brother Liang, what happened?"
"It's okay." Li Liang lowered his head and stirred the porridge in the bowl with a spoon, "Yan Hao, how long have you been with me?"
"More than twenty years ago."
"You will agree to whatever I ask you to do?"
Yan Hao nodded without hesitation: "Yes."
"Get me out of here."
"Now?"
"Now."
Half an hour later, a black Hongqi car parked in the basement started. Inside the car, Yan Hao held the steering wheel and glanced at the rearview mirror: "Brother Liang, where are you going?"
"Get out first."
"Um."
The car drove out of the basement, passed through the empty park, and went onto a small road from the hidden back door. After a moment, it merged into the main road, and the view finally broadened.
The city has just woken up, and the streets are lined with tall buildings. The traffic on the road is getting denser, indicating that the morning rush hour is approaching. The sidewalks on both sides are crowded with people, and there are long queues at the subway entrance.
It was a cold winter morning, and white smoke was rising from the sewer outlet, mixed with car exhaust, coating the air with a dull fog color. The city was busy and noisy, but peaceful and peaceful.
Through the car window, Li Liang saw a striking slogan from a distance: "Based on the present, aiming for the millennium."
He asked softly: "Where are we?"
"Xiongan."
The name sounded familiar. After thinking about it, it seemed to be a small city in the hinterland of Hebei Province. He didn't understand why Xi'an Technology would locate the company here, and although the city was prosperous, it looked similar to the year 2022 he remembered. , people's clothing and transportation are far "backward" than imagined.
However, there was more than one thing that surprised him.
In the process of experiencing the "Construction Mode", he thought about a question, with so many details, how "big" the "illusion" created by the observer at this time is, a city, or just a building. After all, from the perspective of "plot" See, you don’t need to create a big scene.
Therefore, he originally thought that he would encounter resistance when he went out, or at least the "NPC" would put forward some restrictions. However, when Yan Hao took him downstairs, Fan Yazi and Tang Xintao did not respond at all, and Guo Xudong just hesitated to speak, and finally said A word of "be safe".
The disappointment on the faces of the three people is still in front of him. In fact, he had already decided at that time that he must find a way to rescue Li Shuang. Even if everything was just a fictitious "plot", he could not accept his brother's execution, and besides, it was like What Fan Yazi said, maybe there is a one in 100 million chance... of it being true.
Thinking of this, Li Liang took out the mobile phone he brought out from the office, unlocked it with his fingerprint and flipped through it.
Unfortunately, this Huawei phone seems to be newly purchased. In addition to its own programs, it only has one app downloaded, WeChat.
"Your original mobile phone was taken away by the investigation team," Yan Hao glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Um."
Li Liang opened WeChat. The interface was much the same as in his memory. He clicked on the chat records one by one. He found that "Li Liang" had been communicating with professors in various disciplines, including biology, neurology, and physics, both at home and abroad. The communication contents were all Regarding the issue of mental disorder among players of "Tianling".
Judging from the titles in the notes, these professors are subject leaders at famous universities or research institutions.
However, almost all professors believe that based on the principles of BIC technology, there is no way for lost players to distinguish reality from fiction.
Among them, a professor who was noted as "Harvard Mentor Li Shuang" sent a long paragraph in English. He used WeChat's built-in translation function to learn that the biology master gave the example of "brain in a vat" and believed that Li Shuang's work Research is inherently risky, and the resulting consequences are irreversible.
In addition to scientists, "Li Liang" also contacted many senior officials and friends in an attempt to delay the trial. His words were neither condescending nor arrogant, but there was still a trace of urgency in his words, but in vain.
After exiting WeChat, Li Liang opened the communication history again. The last person he called was..."Dad".
He was stunned for a moment and dialed again, but a familiar female voice came from the receiver: "I'm sorry, the phone you dialed has been turned off..."
"Yan Hao, where is my dad?" He raised his head and asked.
"The old man... left ten years ago," Yan Hao paused, "Whenever something big happens, you are used to calling the old man's number."
Li Liang felt a pain in his heart and his throat stung. He swallowed hard: "Why is the phone turned off?"
"The old man's cell phone has always been with Xiao Shuang. When the investigation team searched the house, they probably took that cell phone away as well."
"Hold……"
Li Liang gritted his teeth and cursed, took a deep breath to calm down, thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know who the big shot above me is?"
"Well," Yan Hao took out something from his arms and passed it between the seats.
Li Liang took it and saw that it was a mobile phone, but an old-fashioned button phone with no brand and even no numbers printed on the buttons.
"This call can be made to Mr. Zhao's private room. The person who answers the phone is usually Director Tong. In the past, if Mr. Zhao wanted to see you, he would ask Director Tong to inform you of the time and place."
"Who is Mr. Zhao?"
Yan Hao looked forward and said a title in a weak voice.
Li Liang clenched his fists subconsciously, and two words came to his mind: "Seek skin from a tiger" and "Overestimating one's own capabilities."
Guo Xudong was right. The struggle he was in was a matter of victory or defeat, as well as life and death, and he and his brother were insignificant cannon fodder at best.
However, judging from the fact that he can still move freely at this moment, it is obvious that he is still useful as cannon fodder and has not been abandoned for the time being.
He pressed a key at random, and a small blue screen lit up, showing that the phone had only two functions, making calls and sending text messages.
There is only one contact in the address book: 02, but the number column is empty.
Pressing the callback button, after a busy tone, the call was connected, and a smiling voice came from the receiver: "Mr. Li, what are your instructions?"
Li Liang said slowly: "I want to see Mr. Zhao."
"Tsk, you said it was a coincidence, but I went to the south last night...Why, is it still Xiaoshuang's business?"
"yes."
The voice on the other side suddenly became serious: "Regarding this matter, Mr. Zhao specially instructed that Li Shuang is an important scientist, and the investigation procedures against him and the trial of related cases must be done with caution, and more importantly, they must be fair and impartial. Do you understand?"
Li Liang bit his back teeth and was about to speak when another burst of laughter came from the receiver.
"Haha, are you relieved now? After all, you are you and your brother is your brother. No matter what, don't be emotional."
Li Liang remained silent.
"Haha, don't be offended if you just say it casually. Let's do this for now. I have another meeting. Let's meet and chat later."
"All--"
The call was hung up, and Li Liang held the phone in silence for a long time.
The road is blocked.
What else can be done?
"Yan Hao, where is the player who had the accident?"
"Most of them are being treated in Anding Hospital... By the way, there is one person who is special..."
"Why is it special?"
"A game review anchor said he could distinguish between reality and games, and his mental state was normal. The doctor discharged him early. You and Mr. Guo looked for him, but he was unwilling to cooperate."
"Where is this person now?"
"Beijing suburbs."
