Buddhist player

A man should be self-reliant, and apply makeup before the mirror.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, Luo Dali quietly approached the sofa without making a sound.

But before he could do anything, he suddenly felt as if he had stepped on something. When he looked down, he found that there was a small white card under his feet.

With a flash of white light, the suddenly contracting mechanism tore through the air, transforming into a sharp animal trap that gripped his ankle tightly.

"..."

Looking at the animal trap at his feet, Luo Dali frowned.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel any pain... even though his ankle was covered in blood.

"When did you see through it?"

Looking up, Luo Dali gazed with great interest at the figure who had somehow ended up sitting on the opposite sofa.

"To be honest, my disguise should be flawless."

"camouflage?"

Rolling his eyes, Bai Chen pulled the little girl beside him, who was still confused, behind him and looked at Luo Dali in front of him.

"From the very beginning, you never intended to pretend, did you? Luo Dali's appearance is just too coincidental."

"Really? But his experiences are all true; I didn't fabricate anything."

Luo Dali reached out and tapped his head.

"But strangely, you..."

"Alright, it's time to end your boring game."

Somewhat impatient, Bai Chen interrupted the other person.

"Stop trying to mislead me. I've seen right through you. You're not here to spout this nonsense, are you?"

"see through?"

Luo Dali looked him up and down, a mocking smile creeping onto his lips.

"What, you? Do you even know what you've got...?"

"Games, data?"

Bai Chen pursed his lips.

"You worked yourself to death to build this flawed game map, and you're actually quite proud of it? I really don't know where you get that sense of superiority from."

"..."

Luo Dali suddenly stopped talking.

"The perpetual fog, the immortal monsters, the ever-respawning towns, the endlessly resurrecting players... these things do seem mysterious at first glance, but once you find the key thread, they're actually quite simple."

Looking out the window at the swirling, billowing mist, Bai Chen shrugged.

"From the moment that giant foot descended from the sky and crushed this town to dust, the physical rules of this area were altered. They were stripped from reality, falling from the real into the illusory, transforming into a game data world that exists between reality and illusion... Simply put, this place has been digitized by games."

Bai Chen glanced at the little girl clinging tightly to his arm and shook his head slightly.

"Everything here is data, and the mist is the carrier of that data. As long as the data isn't completely destroyed, it can be reassembled an infinite number of times. That's why Qing Shiyi and the others can be resurrected indefinitely—because they've been digitized. As for the conditions for digitization… death or staying here for too long, am I right?"

Bai Chen looked up and saw Luo Dali's face, which had turned completely gloomy at some point.

"There are actually many flaws here. The most obvious one is the impression that the NPCs in the town have of you as their lord. Whether you are tall or short, male or female, fat or thin... In fact, these impressions are all correct. It's just that due to the infinite loop of this day, their data is too redundant, which is why there is such a discrepancy in their memory."

"Really? Then tell me, how can I possibly play so many roles by myself?"

Luo Dali let out a cold laugh.

"All that you've said is just your own wild speculation."

"It's simple. This is a game, and as the administrator of this game, how could you possibly enter in person? The so-called lord is just a character you can control in front of the screen."

Lowering his head slightly, Bai Chen lit an incense stick for himself.

"Also, I can make a bold guess. Logically speaking, as the game administrator in front of the screen, you shouldn't need to go into battle so frequently, so why are those NPCs so impressed with you? Even if they don't retain memories, they still subconsciously have images of you left behind..."

Looking up at Luo Dali in front of him, Bai Chen seemed to be deep in thought.

"To be honest, the only reason I can think of is..."

"That's enough!! No more talking!!!"

Suddenly, Luo Dali angrily interrupted him.

"Every so often, you have to step into the scene, and it has to be in front of all the NPCs in town, either to preside over some ceremony or to hand over something..."

Ignoring the other person, Bai Chen continued to ponder, incense dangling from his lips.

"Even updating the data couldn't erase the NPCs' memories of your image, which means what happened back then must have left a deep impression on them, even exceeding the limitations of the data. In that respect, you're not qualified yet, so the only one qualified is the being behind you... Every now and then, you communicate with that being behind you, that giant foot that fell from the sky?"

As he said this, Bai Chen seemed to remember something and frowned as he glanced at Xiao Qi beside him.

Although he had figured out many things in advance, there was one thing he just couldn't understand.

...In this game, what is Xiao Qi's purpose? Why is she able to retain her memories? Why is she so special?

But now, he seems to understand.

"...I admit, I underestimated you."

Just then, Luo Dali's voice, filled with murderous intent, came from the front.

"I was originally thinking of letting you go out of kindness, but now, no matter what, you have to stay here."

"Kindness? Come on, stop flattering yourself. It's not like you can do anything to me."

Coming to his senses, Bai Chen turned to look at Luo Dali in front of him and let out a cold laugh.

"You can't afford to keep me here. At the end of the day, you're just a pathetic wage earner. Do you really think I don't know what your real purpose is?"

"Hunting Player, you only open your shop a handful of times every ten years, you must have been looking forward to this for a long time, right? Aren't you curious about where I've hidden them?"

"...Unfortunately, I'm not going to tell you."