You made all the streamers on the internet kneel before you when you were asked to make a game.

"The leader of the cult of science?"

Hao Ren raised an eyebrow and opened the private message.

He was very curious about what this "god-like player" who had mastered the game would say to him.

The private message was very brief, consisting of only one sentence.

[Dear "Good Guy" Mr., when will the sequel to "The Embroidered Shoes" be updated?]

Following that was a "smiling" emoji.

But in Hao Ren's view, that smile carried a hint of provocation.

It's as if it's saying: I've figured out your tricks, hurry up and move on to the next level, I can't wait.

Hao Ren smiled.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping on the virtual keyboard, replying with the same brief sentence.

What's the rush? Let the little girl get lost a little longer.

Click to send.

He could almost picture the interesting expression on the other person's face when they saw the reply.

……

In a minimalist apartment in Haeun City, filled with a futuristic and technologically advanced feel.

A young man with delicate features, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and looking to be no more than twenty years old, was sitting in the pod.

He looked at the "good guy" reply on the screen, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"This guy..."

The young man removed the neural connection headband, rubbed his temples, and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

He is the "leader of the cult of science," whose real name is Lu Zhixing.

The youngest member of the Federal Academy of Sciences, whose main research area is "virtual world construction and artificial intelligence emotion simulation".

He played "The Red Veil" and "Embroidered Shoes" not simply for entertainment.

Rather, it was because these two games demonstrated a completely new "AI interaction logic" that he had never seen before.

Traditional game NPCs, whether friendly or hostile, behave according to fixed "code scripts" and "trigger mechanisms".

Just like Aurora Entertainment's "Biohazard Frenzy," the zombies in it will rush over and bite you if you shoot them.

This behavioral logic is hardcoded.

But Hao Ren's game is different.

The paper bride's behavior will change depending on your "address" and "attitude".

A water ghost girl will become dependent on you because of your "empathy" and "guidance".

The faceless man will turn from passively imitating to actively hunting because of your "provocation".

These NPCs seem to possess genuine emotions and... dignity.

Their behavioral logic is not fixed, but dynamic; it is based on the player's emotional input and evolves in real time.

In Lu Zhixing's view, this was nothing short of a revolution in the field of virtual AI.

He even suspected that "good guys" might have cracked the underlying emotional algorithm of the federal stealth technology, or developed a brand new "emotional AI engine".

That's why he's so engrossed, wanting to uncover the secrets of the game layer by layer.

He never expected that this "good person" would have an even more perverse sense of humor than he had imagined.

"Should we let the little girl get lost a little longer?"

Lu Zhixing looked at the reply and shook his head.

This guy is so confident that the players will develop feelings for that virtual little girl, which is why he dares to be so fearless.

But he... just happens to fall for that.

"interesting."

Lu Zhixing closed his private messages and opened the Federation's largest academic forum.

After thinking for a moment, he posted a message anonymously.

[Topic: Technical Speculation on "Dynamic Emotional AI" in "Chinese Horror" Games]

In the post, he did not mention any game names, but only analyzed several possible paths for this new type of AI from a purely technical perspective.

He had expected this post to spark heated discussions among tech enthusiasts, just like his previous published papers.

But half an hour after the post was published, the replies completely went off-topic.

What's the original poster analyzing here? It's just that the game planner is awesome!

[Dynamic emotional AI? In plain terms, isn't it just like NPCs holding grudges?]

I've figured it out now. To play the "good guy" game, you have to treat NPCs like people. If you're nice to them, they'll be nice to you; if you mess with them, they'll kill you.

So, the core of Chinese-style horror is... interpersonal relationships and social dynamics?

[The person upstairs is right! This isn't playing a game, it's clearly taking a civil service exam!]

Lu Zhixing: "..."

He silently shut down the forum.

This generation of netizens is really weird!

……

Aurora Entertainment Building, top floor director's office.

"Snapped!"

An expensive blue-and-white porcelain teacup was smashed to the ground, and Gao Qi's chest heaved violently.

On the holographic screen in front of him, a video of the "Scientology Cult Leader" teasing the "Faceless Man" while dancing was playing on a loop.

The comical scenes and the jarring barrage of comments felt like needles pricking his heart.

"Useless! They're all useless!"

Gao Qi let out a beast-like roar at Manager Liu, who was standing to the side.

"They spent tens of millions on marketing and hired hundreds of online trolls! And what was the result?"

"Not only did we fail to kill Hao Ren, but we actually made him even more popular!"

"Right now, the entire Federation is talking about this bullshit 'Chinese-style terrorism'!"

"We spent hundreds of millions developing 'Biohazard Frenzy 9,' and now it's a complete joke!"

Manager Liu hunched his shoulders, barely daring to breathe.

He said tremblingly, "Mr. Gao...this isn't our fault...who would have thought that Hao Ren's game would be...so sinister..."

"Strange?" Gao Qi sneered. "I think it's not the game that's strange, it's that your brains have been kicked by donkeys!"

"I ordered you to guide public opinion and attack him for 'promoting feudal dross,' and what did you do?"

"And now look what happened! They've been hailed as 'cultural ambassadors'!"

"I told you to contact the platform to remove it, and what happened?"

"The platform gave him a special section! A get-out-of-jail-free card!"

"Whose face is this being slapped? It's slapping Gao Qi's face! It's slapping the face of our entire Aurora Entertainment!"

Gao Qi became increasingly agitated as he spoke, pointing his finger at Manager Liu and launching into a tirade of abuse.

Manager Liu was severely scolded, and his back was soaked with cold sweat.

This time, President Gao was truly enraged.

If I don't come up with a solution soon, I'm afraid my time as manager is over.

His eyes darted around, and suddenly he thought of something, and quickly said.

"Mr. Gao, please calm down! I...I have a solution!"

"Spit it out!" Gao Qi roared impatiently.

Manager Liu leaned forward, lowered his voice, and revealed a sinister expression on his face.

"Since we can't take him down online, then... let's do it offline."

"That Hao Ren is just an orphan, powerless and without influence. He lives in room 404 of the Happiness Apartment. We have investigated all of this."

"We can't touch him directly, that would be too stupid and leave us with leverage."

"However, we can find a few 'enthusiastic' fans to 'show him some warmth'."

"For example, knocking on his door in the middle of the night, scattering some paper money at his door, or... accidentally breaking his power switch and water pipes."

"What's the biggest fear for an independent game developer? Real-world harassment!"

"If you keep him constantly on edge and drive him to a nervous breakdown, will he still have the energy to play games?"

"At that time, we can repackage these things as 'excessive behavior of fanatic fans,' post them online, and even turn the tables and play the victim, saying that our 'Biohazard 9' was also attacked by his fans."

"Killing two birds with one stone!"

After finishing speaking, Manager Liu looked at Gao Qi with a smug expression, waiting for his praise.

Silence fell over the office.

The anger on Gao Qi's face gradually subsided.

He squinted, scrutinizing Manager Liu as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse.

"Are you... speaking human language?"