Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 681 The Age of Games (3)

"For you, it may just be a game, but for the players in the game, it is a real life."

On the big screen, Qi Danyun, while leading Xia Feng to evade assassins, couldn't help but retort.

However, she quickly changed the subject and asked:

"You said you have amnesia, so do you remember anything about this virtual game?"

Xia Feng shook his head blankly, and Qi Danyun then smiled and said:
"These aren't really secrets anymore; almost everyone knows them. But since you don't remember anything, and considering you saved me twice, I'll tell you."

As she spoke, Qi Danyun smoothed her flowing, wine-red hair at her temples and recalled:
According to official and encyclopedia sources, this "realistic illusion" game was created after the development of advanced fields such as biology, electronic engineering, network information technology, and virtual technology.

From the day it was born, it shocked the world and won the crazy support of countless players.

At its peak, the game had nearly a billion people online at the same time.

In the game, the developers created a virtual world that references the real-world geophysical environment of ancient times.

Players enter this virtual world by connecting their brains to electronic networks, and through sleep technology that slows down the body's metabolism and time illusion technology, they experience a new life they have never experienced before in a relatively short period of time.

For this reason, the game initially inherited some settings from traditional games.

For example, there are magic spells that can summon wind and rain, move mountains and fill seas, magic that can turn stones into gold, magic that can turn beans into soldiers, and even cheat codes.

However, after the initial novelty wore off, this also caused dissatisfaction among most players, who not only endured various injustices in real life, but also became insignificant characters in the game once again.

Because those magic and cheat codes are very expensive, and not everyone can afford them.

Once you possess such superpowers, you can be as powerful as a god in the game, and ordinary people can never compete with you.

Therefore, the early 'Real Illusion' was an era where humans and gods coexisted, which made it difficult to attract ordinary players without a strong economic foundation to participate for a long time.

Therefore, in response to the demands of the vast majority of ordinary players, the game company invested heavily in a major update to the game version, removing unrealistic magic and immortal arts, which in the game are recorded as great disasters by various ethnic groups.

Since then, there have been no more gods in the game, and it's rare to see any supernatural forces.

Xia Feng sighed upon hearing this:
"So that means Daisy's suspicions were correct. Whether in the East or the West, or among different ethnic groups, the ancient records and legends about gods are true."

Because those gods and the miracles of her kingdom, like the pyramids and the Sphinx, are all products of the previous game version.

"Pfft!" Qi Danyun suddenly laughed.

"You believe that? Didn't I just say that's what the official sources and encyclopedias say?"

Xia Feng looked surprised, but Qi Danyun's expression suddenly turned serious, and she asked in return:
"Do you really think that the capital of those game companies would be so kind as to consider the experience and thoughts of ordinary players?"
In fact, this game itself hides a huge secret.

I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but I do know that this game is far more complex than advertised, and its origins seem to be related to ancient or extraterrestrial civilizations.

The game developers discovered some special civilization's creation, then used it as a processor, and used modern technology to create a massive virtual reality game.

All you need to know is that from the start of this game, any player who becomes a god in the game will either become a very important person or a very wealthy person in real life, or they will suddenly die.

Moreover, the company and country that developed this game have also made rapid progress in their technological level.

It is said that some people actually witnessed superpowers such as magic and divine abilities in real life back then.

"You mean... those special superpowers from games can be brought into reality?"

Xia Feng asked somewhat uncertainly, and Qi Danyun shrugged.

"Who knows? I haven't been with the company as a game maintainer for very long."

But don't you find it strange? This game is so realistic that it surpasses other similar virtual games by several levels.

Also, do you know how much cheat codes in games are worth on the black market these days?

"How many?"

"Three hundred million!"

The number Qi Danyun quoted didn't surprise Xia Feng too much, after all, he didn't have much understanding of the power of money due to his amnesia.

However, the number "300 million" alone is enough to prove how precious this game's cheat code is.

Before they could have a proper chat, assassins sent by the real-life Samba Master arrived one after another. During their escape, the two had to go their separate ways, wishing each other a safe escape.

After escaping his pursuers, Xia Feng used the funds sponsored by Qi Danyun to find a game arcade and re-enter the "Real Illusion" game.

He awoke from his coma after logging back in, but the location was still the hotel where the escort team was staying.

Fortunately, his wound had been bandaged, and because the killer's sword was so fast and sharp, his injury was not actually that serious.

After speaking with Tony, they also confirmed the assassin's identity as Lang Lie, the top martial artist in Western Xia and a staff member of the King of Chu.

As for why the other party attacked Princess Baoyan, it was simply because the Western Xia was currently experiencing an extremely fierce power struggle.

Their Western Xia emperor, Li Renxiao, wanted to abolish slavery and fully Sinicize the country, which created a sharp conflict with the Chu King, who controlled the old power structure.

The emperor disliked the King of Chu, and the King of Chu naturally feared the emperor as well.

In particular, Princess Baoyan's trip to the Jin Dynasty for a marriage alliance undoubtedly provided Emperor Li Renxiao of Western Xia with a powerful external ally.

Therefore, it was only natural for the King of Chu to send his trusted confidant, Lang Lie, who was hailed as the best fighter in Western Xia, to assassinate Princess Baoyan.

Xia Feng guessed that this matter was probably within Emperor Li Renxiao's expectations. Indeed, after the slave gladiatorial contest, Li Renxiao promoted Xia Feng and Tony to centurions and assigned them to escort Princess Baoyan, probably because he guessed that the Prince of Chu would interfere.

To counter Lang Lie, the top expert of Western Xia, one must find outsiders like him who are skilled but have no connection with the King of Chu.

The Western Xia emperor might even be hoping that Xia Feng and his men could get rid of Lang Lie, this major threat.

And reality unfolded exactly as the Western Xia emperor had predicted.

After recovering slightly from his injuries, Xia Feng used a combination of luring the enemy away from their mountain and drawing them out of their hole. He used a short soldier disguised as a princess as bait to lure Lang Lie out and trap him in a desperate situation.

This man truly lived up to his reputation as the number one expert in Western Xia. Even when facing fearless soldiers and a barrage of crossbow bolts, he still managed to kill several people. Despite being hit by several arrows and having his right arm severed, he still managed to escape alive.

Considering that the princess still needed protection, Xia Feng and the others did not dare to pursue her too far.

Fortunately, Lang Lie was a swordsman, and all his skills were in his hands. Now that his right hand had been severed, his threat was greatly reduced. Li Renxiao had lost a major threat, and the obstacle to the abolition of slavery in Western Xia had been cleared.

After successfully eliminating Langlie, the wedding procession resumed its journey and successfully arrived in the territory of the Jin Kingdom.

After sending the princess to the Jin Dynasty palace, he and Tony learned about the saintess Daisy through their friendship with Princess Baoyan.

It turns out that after everyone got separated in the desert, the saintess Daisy was captured by the slave-catching team of the King of Western Xia Chu. After being taught by a dance master, she was secretly given to Emperor Wanyan Liang of Jin by the King of Chu.

However, while countless beauties from surrounding countries were offered as tribute to Wanyan Liang, this holy maiden did not attract the attention of the Jin emperor and remained in a side hall of the palace.

So now, they need to find a way to rescue the saintess from the palace of the Great Jin Kingdom.

The film reaches its climax here, and the summer breeze begins to make its presence felt.

Thanks to their merit in escorting the princess, they were treated well in the Jin Kingdom. Xia Feng and Tony's defection from the Western Xia team and their choice to join the Jin Dynasty undoubtedly pleased Wanyan Liang, who was already tyrannical and ambitious.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xia Feng presented Tony as a high priest of the Church of Light from Egypt, boasting that he possessed Egypt's mysterious "Astrology" and could predict the future by observing the stars.

This hit Wanyan Liang right where it hurt.

At this time, the Southern Song, Western Xia, and Jin dynasties were in a delicate balance of power in the Central Plains.

Emperor Wanyan Liang of the Jin Dynasty was tyrannical and warlike. As a usurper, he was planning to conquer the Song Dynasty in the south, hoping to consolidate his power and position through war and victory. He married Princess Baoyan of Western Xia and won over Western Xia to join him in the war. However, this was just one step in his expansionist strategy.

Although Wanyan Liang's idea was good, the Song and Jin dynasties had been at peace for more than 20 years, and his idea of ​​conquering the Song Dynasty in the south still made many officials in the court and the people in the country worry.

At this time, Western astrology was undoubtedly a good excuse.

Whether astrology was useful or not, Wanyan Liang didn't really care. To be honest, Xia Feng's lie wasn't very clever, and it was impossible to fool Wanyan Liang. But the emperor was willing to be deceived.

He needed a prediction completely different from the usual I Ching and divination to boost morale and strike back at his opponents in the court, and the legendary mysterious Western astrology could just meet this need.

Whether Tony knows astrology or not, and whether astrology is accurate or not, is no longer important. What matters is the conclusion. Wanyan Liang just wants a conclusion that satisfies his requirements.

Then he used astrological conclusions to endorse his upcoming southern expedition, silencing the old stubborns who opposed it and showing the soldiers who had doubts about it a bright future.

Having guessed this, Xia Feng became even more confident. So, he asked Wanyan Liang, under the pretext that a new astrological observatory needed to be built, to carry out the project inside the Jin Dynasty palace.

After all, astrology requires choosing an auspicious location, and in this Great Jin Kingdom, only the palace has the best feng shui.

Wanyan Liang had no objection to this, and even ordered the Imperial Household Department to meet all their demands, but only one month was allowed. The astrological results had to be obtained before the army set off.

Xia Feng readily agreed and promised to build an astrological observatory within a month so that Wanyan Liang could discern the celestial signs of the southern expedition.

However, in reality, Xia Feng and Tony used the month they had to build the observatory in the palace to figure out the layout of the palace and the patrol patterns of the guards.

For them, building the observatory was a pretext; their real intention was to find a way to rescue Saintess Deslie from the palace.

With the cover of the construction project and the help of the Empress of the Great Jin Dynasty and Princess Baoyan of the Western Xia Dynasty, on the day the observatory was completed, Xia Feng and Tony used the excuse that they needed to dismiss their attendants to buy themselves some time to successfully rescue the saintess Daisy to the observatory. After disguising themselves, they successfully slipped out of the palace.

Not long after leaving the palace, Xia Feng and his group discovered that martial law had suddenly been imposed in the city.

It turns out that while they were carrying out their plan, they were unexpectedly drawn into the "Ninth Prince Kidnapping Case" orchestrated by the "Sirius Society".

The "Tianlang Society" was a secret organization established after the fall of the Khitan Kingdom to restore its former glory. This time, they kidnapped the ninth prince of the Jin Kingdom in order to rescue Xiaoyun, the crown prince of Emperor Tianzuo of the Liao Kingdom, who was imprisoned by the Jin people, in order to restore their kingdom.

Xia Feng and the others were only affected by their actions, but the three of them were unaware of the secrets behind it and thought that the soldiers mobilized throughout the city were there to arrest them.

Taking advantage of a conflict between the Jin soldiers and the "Sirius Society," they risked breaking through the city gates.

With Xia Feng and Tony's skills, the plan was actually half successful.

The three escaped from Zhongdu, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, but the Jin cavalry, mistaking their actions for the Khitans who had kidnapped the Ninth Prince, pursued them relentlessly.

A tense chase ensues at the end of the film, where Xia Feng, with his exceptional skills and brilliant strategic thinking, fights his way out while fleeing, managing to kill off a significant number of pursuing Jin soldiers.

However, they were fighting on foreign soil, and the Jin soldiers were numerous. Even though Xia Feng and his group gained a slight advantage in some areas, the overall situation was still not good, and they were slowly driven to the brink of despair by the remaining Jin soldiers.

However, just when Xia Feng and his companions had nowhere to escape and their lives were threatened, a group of reinforcements came to their rescue.

It turned out that their actions actually helped the "Tianlang Society" in Zhongdu City to divert the attention of the Jin soldiers, allowing these Khitans to successfully rescue their crown prince.

The Yelü brothers, who held considerable influence within the "Sirius Society," were precisely the same fighting slaves that Xia Feng and Tony had rescued in Western Xia.

Because of the life-saving grace, the Khitans of the "Sky Wolf Society" also helped them out after rescuing Prince Xiaoyun, helping Xia Feng and the others escape danger.

At the end of the movie, Xia Feng and his two companions bid farewell to the members of the "Sirius Society" and rode their horses towards the Southern Song Dynasty under the setting sun.

(End of this chapter)