On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

Upon receiving Liao Ji's instructions, the maid immediately activated the gang's Dream Terminal, and the images of the gang members from the previous bar room reappeared in virtual form.

They were gathered together, as if in a meeting, when the burly man at the head of the group spoke up and asked:

"Is the virus program installed correctly?"

"Keep the boss safe, even the best antivirus software won't be able to detect it!" A gang member dressed as a hacker typed away confidently on his keyboard.

"Don't be careless. This virus is designed to bypass Kyle Technology's security system. Check it a few more times and see if there are any areas that can be upgraded."

"Alright, boss!"

After the hacker continued working on the computer, his accomplices seemed to sigh with emotion.

"Boss, what a coincidence! We were just worrying about how to hack into Kyle Technology, and then this opportunity just popped into our doorstep. As the saying goes, when luck comes, you can't stop it!"

"Don't be too happy yet. Let's wait until we actually manage to hack into Kyle Technology with the help of that rich kid."

"It's alright. As a member of the scholar group, as long as he uses our terminal, even if our Kyle Technology can't hack it, surely we can hack those people from Shanghai?"

"At the press conference, as long as these scholars are present, they will become our eyes and ears. Then, are we afraid we won't be able to win the press conference? After we snatch that brand from the press conference and hand it over to the Ganner Group, we'll make more money than we can spend in this lifetime, right?"

The gang member's words clearly tempted many people present, making them even more eager to make money. However, the burly man who was the leader quickly pulled everyone back from their dreams of making a fortune.

"Alright, it's almost time. We should set off. First, we need to get that rich kid to buy our terminal. I'll use Zero Dream to lure him in. You guys need to coordinate well."

"Zero Dream, I heard that the new technology that Kyle Technology will be launching in three days came from Zero Dream, right? No wonder the Ganna Group is so eager to stop and seize it."

"That's great, I also want to be able to enter Zero Dream."

The big man snorted coldly at the member's remark.

"Come on, that kind of awful place might fool newbies, but anyone who's been there once will never want to go back a second time. You have to be alive to spend the stuff, not just to take it."

"Boss, what if that rich kid really does something stupid and gets into Zero Dream? If he dies in there, what will happen to us?"

"Don't worry, how could I possibly give him the real Terminal Zero? That terminal is broken and scrap. I told him that the Zero Dream is just a gimmick and he can't get in at all."

"Hey, the boss really thinks things through."

"Boss, I've finished debugging here."

"Let's go."

The video recording ended there, but the unexpected information obtained from it made Liao Ji ponder for a while.

"Doctor, judging from what they're saying, it seems they already knew the rich kid was part of the academic group, and they even knew about the brand marks? It looks like they're planning to use the rich kid to cause trouble for Kyle Technology? Is their target the press conference?"

"That's probably it. There's probably a mole within Kyle Technology who sold the intelligence to a rival company a long time ago."

Liao Ji nodded and continued:

"Kail Technology has put so much effort into preparing for this event, betting everything on the press conference to turn the tide. If I were a rival company, I would definitely try every means to sabotage it."

"Doctor, what should we do? Should we tell Kyle Technology about this information?"

"There's no rush for this."

Putting this unexpected information aside for the moment, Liao Ji was actually more concerned about something else.

"86, they said this terminal is scrap?"

"Reply to Master. This terminal is indeed unable to enter Dream Zero, but 86 has found a usable semi-damaged coordinate anchor point from the residual data. Through this anchor point, 86 can make a one-time round trip within Dream Zero for Master."

"Does that mean it can only be used once? That's fine too."

Zero Dream is like the dark web, and the anchor point is the so-called URL. Liao Ji no longer needs to use other people's terminals. The maid's own terminal can use this anchor point to allow Liao Ji to "infiltrate" Zero Dream.

However, since there is only one anchor point, Irene can only wait outside. Fortunately, because 86 is in terminal form, he can enter Zero Dream with Liao Ji.

With his terminal secured, under Irene's slightly worried gaze, 86 connected to the anchor point, and his vision instantly turned pitch black. The familiar sinking sensation he felt when entering a dream enveloped Liao Ji's entire body.

Liao Ji and others have been waiting for this day for a long time.

No matter how much you hear about Zero's dream from others, it's not as good as seeing it for yourself, seeing the world that belongs to "Zero", and seeing what this dream deep in "Zero's" heart really is.

Chapter 198 The Fallen World

The dark red sky blurred the distinction between day and night, the biting wind stung the skin like a knife, and the parched earth beneath one's feet was barren and devoid of vegetation. The desolate world seemed to be filled only by the murky mist that permeated the air and seeped into one's body with each breath.

After entering the Zero Dream, Liao Ji opened his eyes, looked around, and finally looked up at the sky, which was devoid of sun and moon, only a crimson expanse resembling a river of blood. He shook his head as if he had expected it.

Both Kyle Technology and the Blackfire Gang are right.

Zero Dream is indeed the old world.

The scene that appeared before Liao Ji's eyes was almost exactly the same as the scene in the game, filled with oppression and deathly silence. The creatures of this era were like drowning people in a vast ocean called the Sea of ​​Turbid Calamity.

Once you give up struggling upwards, the thick, murky red mist around you will make it hard to breathe, distorted and bizarre illusions will appear before your eyes, and insane, maddening words from the abyss will echo in your ears. The final outcome may just be as the game's name suggests.

come down.

It plunged into the deep sea and was assimilated into the turbid chaos.

Logically speaking, dreams should all be beautiful.

It represents things that people cannot obtain in reality, so they use "dreaming" as a way to satisfy themselves.

But without a doubt, the "old world" before our eyes has absolutely no connection with the word "good".

The only reason Liao Ji could think of that could still make "Zero" have such a dream was just one.

It's like how even the most beautiful world becomes cruel and heartless if you lose what you cherish, while even the worst world remains beautiful as long as the people around you are still there.

Liao Ji's thoughts were forced to stop, because not far ahead, a ragged old man appeared. He used a rough cane and walked with a limp, his steps faltering. Every now and then, he would look back anxiously, as if afraid that something would catch up with him again.

Liao Ji had seen this kind of character many times in the game; they were also the most common type of refugee in the old world.

Although Zero Dream is a dream, it is almost real. So, besides the old world, there are many other beings struggling in the old world.

Liao Ji set off immediately. These natives of the Zero Dream were undoubtedly his fastest source of information about the dream.

The sudden sound of footsteps from the side startled the old man. When he saw Liao Ji approaching, he hurriedly quickened his pace, trying to escape Liao Ji before Liao Ji even got close.

As a result, he already had a bad leg, and in his haste to run away, he hadn't even taken two or three steps when he tripped over a pebble and fell to the ground with a scream.

"No, no, come any closer! Don't kill me! I have nothing left. Please, spare me!"

The old man who fell to the ground seemed to realize that he could not escape. He then humbly curled up, burying his head between his arms like an ostrich, and kept pleading in the direction of Liao Ji's footsteps.

"Sir, please get up. I am not a scavenger."

"No, not a scavenger?" The old man's cloudy eyes peered timidly at Liao Ji through the gaps between his arms.

"I'm a fire bearer from a nearby settlement, and I happened to be patrolling around here. You look flustered, has something happened nearby?"

"Fire Bearer" was the old world's term for warriors in settlements. Seeing that Liao Ji's tone was calm, his appearance gentle, and his clothing was indeed different from those fierce and brutal scavengers, the fleeing old man gradually let go of his fear and shakily stood up from the ground.

"No, it's nothing. It doesn't matter anymore. Just let me go."

Liao Ji's words seemed to trigger something in the old man, reminding him of something he didn't want to recall. However, the pain on his face quickly turned into numbness. In his lifeless eyes, it seemed that only the instinct for survival could sustain him. He continued to lean on his cane, aimlessly trying to escape into the distance, like a walking corpse. No matter what Liao Ji said, it seemed impossible to communicate with him.

However, at that moment, another unexpected event occurred. Not far from the two of them, the murky red mist in the air stirred, and then a terrifying shadow the size of a small hill emerged from the distant horizon.

Upon seeing the enormous shadow, the old man froze on the spot, but the shadow did not stop. It seemed to have noticed the old man and Liao Ji and began to move rapidly.

Its body, almost the size of a large truck, caused the earth to tremble. In just a few breaths, it had reached within a dozen meters of the ground. Its appearance was similar to an elephant magnified many times over. The two sharp tusks at the corners of its mouth were still stained with blood, as if it had just been stained with blood not long ago. Its festering and rotten skin, as well as the restless red mist around it, all indicated that it was a monstrous creature.

"A dinosaur. It's a dinosaur. Haha, is that so? I knew it was over. It's finally over, hahaha."

Facing the terrifying beast, the old man seemed to know he had nowhere to escape. Instead of being afraid, he let out a maniacal laugh. He threw down his cane, opened his arms, and seemed to be waiting for the beast's fangs to pierce his body.

then.

Buzz

The old man first heard a sound from behind, like a weapon charging up. Immediately afterward, a bright blue light stood out conspicuously in the dark red world, filling the corner of his eye.

The next moment

Command: Shoot.

A cold, ruthless mechanical voice rang out, and a pale blue beam of light flashed past the old man's back. Then, with a loud "bang!", the monstrous beast the size of a small mountain had its head pierced by the azure laser, and it fell to the ground, tumbling and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"This power is..."

The old man was initially confused, but after he came to his senses, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, and a glimmer of color appeared in his dull eyes. He turned around shakily, and when he saw the maid 86 standing next to Liao Ji, with smoke still rising from the muzzle of the floating cannon, his cloudy eyes stared intently at 86, and he felt his whole body tremble with excitement.

"Machine servant. It's a machine servant!"

But after the initial excitement, the old man quickly shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself, "No, that's not right. The mech servants should all be on the front lines; they should all have been killed by the witch."

"The servants always operate in groups, so why is there a lone individual? And why doesn't this servant communicate with us at all? Why... why is this servant..."

Perhaps still reeling from the frenzy of the terrifying beast, the old man took the initiative to run up to Liao Ji—or rather, to 86.

He kept muttering something rapidly, constantly casting shocked and incredulous glances at 86.

"The target individual has been detected to be mentally unstable and with rapidly declining vital signs. Anesthesia surgery is recommended immediately," Number 86 advised its master.

Before the maid could even speak, and before Liao Ji could say anything, the old man seemed to have heard something incredibly unbelievable. He stumbled back several steps before finally shifting his gaze from the maid to Liao Ji.

"What do you call him?!"

"Master?" Number 86 asked matter-of-factly, tilting his head.

Chapter 199 The Witch, the Servant, and the Prophecy

"Master... Servant? A servant actually recognizes a master? Never before! This is impossible, absolutely impossible! Servant servants are the last line of defense guarding this world; they should be ruthless, cold-blooded, and devoid of emotion."

"They will never obey anyone. Their only duty should always be to hunt monsters."

"No, no, no, no! There's another possibility: it's a prophecy! A prophecy! A prophecy! That's right. Hahahaha! The prophecy is actually true. You are that person. You are the one chosen by the prophecy!!"

The ragged old man seemed to have completely gone mad, and no matter how Liao Ji tried to communicate with him, it was no use. Moreover, as the old man was waving his arms and legs wildly as if he were too agitated, Liao Ji noticed a large gash in the old man's abdomen that had been pierced by a blunt object.

The wound, which had previously been hastily covered with a strip of cloth, had now been torn open and was bleeding profusely due to the old man's movements. Under the conditions of this world, it could be said to have been sentenced to death.

"Cough cough cough, if it were you, perhaps you could take this. Please, please go and save my settlement. Go there, and you'll find your answer."

The old man was coughing incessantly as he spoke, with blood and saliva spilling from the corners of his mouth. As if using his last strength, he shakily took out a parchment map that was already stained red with blood from his bosom, and then, as if he could no longer hold on, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.