Night World Players

Chapter 210: Replace Me, Accompany Him (Two in One)

Bright incandescent light shone in from the ceiling, illuminating the girl's thin white cotton hospital gown, making her slender arms seem transparent.

Last's gaze remained fixed on the petite body for a long time.

"Xiao Ai..."

A hoarse call came out of his throat.

This was the first time since he was trapped in Deep Blue Harbor that Last saw the girl named Amis in the land outside of "Canaan" that was located between the night world and the real world.

On the bed in the intensive care unit, the little girl looked much younger and thinner than in Last's memory.

The petite figure was submerged in the azure medical gel, the white sheet covered her chest, and there was no trace of blood on her thin lips.

Anyone can tell that the girl in the intensive care unit is already terminally ill.

However, even though the body was already in tatters.

Even though it was covered by medical tubes and a ventilator, only half of the face was visible, as pale as paper.

However, the girl's sky-blue eyes were still bright, like the clear stars reflected at the bottom of the lake.

The image of the girl in the small town called Canaan, who always had a bright smile and loved playing the bagpipes and cooking, slowly overlapped with Rast's memory, exactly the same.

"The aftereffects of experiencing 'space-time collapse' have caused Amis's body to become incompatible with the space-time of the entire Sixth Epoch."

"In other words, her body is constantly being rejected by the world."

"At every moment, every organ in Amis' body is decaying and weathering uncontrollably... continuously moving towards death."

"Even the Sixth Epoch's most advanced medical technology can only delay the 'aftereffects of space-time collapse,' the body's progressive decay... but this is ultimately just a temporary solution, not a cure."

"Ever since she came into this world...she has been suffering from a terminal illness, and it is in the advanced stage that can never be cured."

Gray's voice rang out next, carrying with it an indescribable wave of emotion.

"As an outsider who has not experienced it firsthand, I can never imagine what kind of torment and pain it is."

"I can only lie in bed, watching my organs wither away bit by bit, my flesh and blood gradually wither away, my body slowly decaying and aging... but I can't do anything."

"Even the medical team responsible for treating Amys in the hospital couldn't help but feel despair when they witnessed the irreversible terminal illness."

"But even so, as a patient who had personally experienced such pain... Amys always smiled and cooperated with the treatment, and often even encouraged the medical staff who couldn't bear to face her."

"It's hard to imagine what kind of thing is hidden in her heart that could allow a delicate girl who has lived in a small town since childhood and has never experienced pain to persevere through such pain—"

"Now that I think about it, even though she's just a little girl, Amys is...clearly stronger than me."

Along with Gray's words.

Ripples like water waves also appeared in the light curtain.

The scene was still the pure white intensive care unit, but the busy staff around the ward were missing.

This seemed to be Grey's own perspective. She was sitting next to the bed solidified with blue medical gel and talking to the little blonde girl on the bed.

Compared to the most serious period, Amys's complexion on the hospital bed seemed to be slightly better. She was even able to take off the ventilator for a short time and talk to others with clear consciousness.

However, anyone who has had the experience of accompanying a patient in the hospital for a long time knows that such a short-term improvement is just a fleeting flash of light.

No one knows when her condition will take a turn for the worse.

"Sister Gray..."

"It's probably impossible to heal this body of mine, right?"

Within the light curtain, Gray's perspective clearly paused.

Clearly, the topic between the two of them was still about Gray's favorite food, snacks and bagpipes... This is part of caring for the patient.

She had never expected that Amys would take the initiative to change the subject to her own death, which was clearly a topic that the medical staff had been actively avoiding.

I never imagined that this little girl, who was only a little over ten years old, had such a clear and calm understanding of her own death.

"No, no..."

Gray shook her head, subconsciously about to deny it.

But then, she saw the blonde girl on the bed smiling slightly.

"Don't hide it from me, Sister Gray."

"I actually know everything. I know exactly what a mess my body is in."

She raised her frail arm and stared at the tubes connected to various life-support devices. "Right now, I'm only one step away from death."

"It's just that you, Gray Sister... have been desperately trying to hold me back, preventing me from being completely dragged into hell by the God of Death."

The little girl's calm expression made Gray silent again.

After a long while, she finally spoke softly and hoarsely:
"sorry."

"No, you don't have to apologize, Sister Grey."

Amys shook her head slightly: "I know that all of this is not your original wish."

She turned slightly and looked at the corner of the ward and the blue sky outside the small window.

"It's just me, I'm still a little unwilling..."

"And, I'm worried."

"Are you worried?"

"Ah."

The thin little girl nodded slightly. "Sister Gray, you told me before that Luster... also survived the fire in Canaan."

"And unlike me, he hasn't suffered any serious damage to his body, nor has he suffered from the 'sequelae of space-time collapse'—it's just because you were worried he wouldn't be able to accept it, so Sister Gray, you temporarily concealed the matter of Canaan and me from him, right?"

"Ah."

"That's why I'm a little worried."

"I'm worried about him."

The blonde girl looked at the blue sky outside the window, her voice a little hoarse which was not in line with her age. This was because the disease had affected Amy's vocal organs.

"I know. Even though he usually likes to act cool and pretentiously, pretending to have everything under control."

"But in reality, that was just a disguise he put on to protect himself."

"The real Rust is actually a very sensitive and fragile guy who is afraid of the cold and loneliness." "I know this better than anyone else."

On the hospital bed, the blonde girl seemed to smile.

"He's lost his hometown, and the company of everyone he knew... If he knew the truth, I'm really worried he'd completely lose control and go down a path from which there's no return."

"Even...the abyss of self-destruction."

"I'm unwilling and worried about leaving him alone, adrift in this strange world."

Looking at the reluctance and unwillingness that slowly emanated from the blonde girl's sky-blue eyes, the strong feeling that was almost condensed into substance.

Gray's eyes were slightly startled.

Until this moment, she finally knew——

Where did the faith that supported this fragile girl, who was only a little over ten years old, to survive the fire in Canaan, endure the pain of illness and actively cooperate with treatment come from?

"Sister Gray, can you please grant me one last request?"

Suddenly, the blonde girl on the hospital bed spoke again.

"of course can."

Gray nodded, without even asking what the other party's request was.

Whether it was out of a sense of indebtedness to Amys or because she had witnessed this scene with her own eyes... she couldn't open her mouth to refuse any request from the girl in front of her.

"Then can you let me try out the latest artificial intelligence technology?"

Amy's voice sounded softly again.

"I heard about it by accident from the nurses in the medical team."

"It's said that current AI technology can build an ultra-high-precision bionic AI model by collecting a large amount of a person's voice, conversations, interactions, and biographical information...using massive amounts of big data."

"This kind of personality model, whether it's dialogue, expression, movements... even reactions to different questions, can be made to be exactly like the original real person. Even acquaintances can't tell them apart, right?"

"Ah."

Gray nodded again.

But then, she suddenly understood the real intention of the girl in front of her.

"You mean..." She looked at the girl on the hospital bed in disbelief.

"Yes."

Amys nodded gently: "I know I can't hold on for much longer."

"But I'm really worried about him... I know he's lost his family and the company of everyone he knew. In this strange world, he's bound to go astray."

"so."

Amy's eyes seemed to be twinkling with stars: "Let another me replace myself——"

"Go and stay by his side."

……

In the library of the Watchtower, Dean Yin subconsciously glanced at Last under him with some worry.

Although it knew nothing about Last's past, after listening to Gray's description at this moment, it had a little understanding of Canaan and the whole picture of the little blonde girl named Amys.

The border town named Canaan, which mysteriously disappeared in the "Fran explosion" more than two hundred years before the current time point in the world, is a kind of safe haven and spiritual harbor for Last.

However, at this moment, Gray fully explained the truth——

Canaan has been destroyed, so the safe haven in Rast's heart is most likely a fabricated fantasy.

Even the little girl named Amys might be fake.

According to the logical development of the story on the light screen, the little blonde girl named Amys might have died painfully from the aftereffects of "space-time collapse" long ago.

What was left in the end was just a bionic AI simulated using an unparalleled large database, with the appearance, temperament, and personality of Amys.

The moment he heard the truth, Dean Yin was really worried that Last would collapse because he could not bear the truth.

However, immediately afterwards, Dean Yin was somewhat surprised to find that—

Beside it, there was no trace of hesitation in Rast's dark eyes.

"Artificial intelligence simulated through big data might be able to deceive most acquaintances... but it absolutely cannot deceive those closest to you."

As if he had guessed what Dean Yin was thinking, Last spoke softly, yet seemed to assert:

"The Xiao Ai I know is not an artificial intelligence."

……

It seemed to be in response to Last's words.

Within the light curtain, the water-like ripples spread out again.

Gray's voice also slowly sounded again along with the fluctuations of the light curtain.

"I agreed to her request."

"After that, I watched helplessly as Amis forcibly revived her terminally ill body and began to attempt to create her own bionic personality."

"At the time, artificial intelligence technology was still in its infancy, with numerous flaws and imperfections... While the replicated bionic intelligence could be identical in appearance, it couldn't completely replicate the personality."

"So, in order to make that blank AI real enough, to replace her, to accompany you, Brother Rust."

"Amis, holding on to her almost completely decayed and broken body, continued to converse with the blank bionic personality, repeatedly correcting it until the reflection gradually became real, until it was indistinguishable from her own self."

"She believes that only this way can she create a replacement for herself who can stay by your side, Brother Rust, and prevent you from going astray and falling into the abyss."

"Seeing her trying so hard to communicate with the blank intelligence, even as a bystander, my heart was torn as a knife."

Gray's voice paused slightly.

"So, I once again looked back at my memories of when I first made a wish and observed the future infinitely."

"Then, I found a new way out... not to save civilization, but to redeem the little girl named Amis."

"That is the reason why the Third Machinery Research Institute was established—"

"Artificial Angel Project"

(End of this chapter)