Oh, if it isn't Mu Ma?
Li Ang remained impassive, pressing the blade of his gun against the back of the acquaintance, and asked sternly, "Speak, who are you, really?"
At this time, Tang Ranno, also carrying Chen Furuo who was under the influence of an Illusion Technique, came over from across the street.
Seeing Black Trojan lying on the ground, she frowned and turned around without hesitation, her fists clad in knuckledusters swept lightly through the air, casting her skill.
[Skill Name: Idle Retreat Barrier]
[Type: Spiritual Energy]
[Special Effect: Establish a barrier within a maximum range of 10m*10m*10m, lasting for 10 minutes, preventing sounds, odors, electromagnetic signals, and player communications from passing out of the barrier. It also causes slight mental interference, making those trying to breach the barrier subconsciously choose to leave for various psychological reasons. The mental interference effect depends on the willpower of the target]
[Consumption: 100 Spirit Power Value]
[Cooldown Time: 5 minutes]
[Note: In response to urban regulations against the use of fireworks and firecrackers, numerous mysterious scholars brainstormed and collaborated to develop the Idle Retreat Barrier]
The scope of interference of this skill wasn't wide, but because of its powerful special effect, the quality of the scroll was Excellent.
Especially in the real world where one couldn't cause too much commotion and must remain hidden, the application of this skill was even more extensive.
The barrier was quickly set up. Tang Ranno turned back and said to Li Ang, "Now, the people outside the alley can't hear us. Player communications here are also cut off."
She wasn't worried about her best friend not being able to find her.
Before setting up the barrier, Tang Ranno had informed her best friend of her location once more.
And they had long since exchanged all the information regarding the skills and items they each possessed. Her friend knew about the barrier's effect and had a unique skill that allowed her to cross the barrier at will.
Li Ang nodded and addressed the silent Black Trojan, "Brother, you appeared suspiciously near us just now. As a player, you should understand that this is an extremely unfriendly and provocative act.
Your Brother Hu here is someone who reasons things out. Just tell me who you are, why you're here, and what following us means. If your reasons are sufficiently sound and justifiable, I might let you go—of course, on the condition that you hand over a portion of your game currency and equipment."
To Li Ang's threat, Black Trojan wasn't particularly surprised.
Two unfamiliar players, upon discovering the presence of one another, would certainly opt for evasion and retreat, out of mutual suspicion and self-protection.
The consequences of losing a fight were too terrible to contemplate.
Surrendering all game currency and items, getting kidnapped and sold to other organizations, being executed without mercy, losing player status, or being coerced with threats towards relatives and forced into slavery...
The potential tragic outcomes led players, who knew nothing about each other, to favor escape and concealment.
But if cornered with no escape, one would have to do everything possible to incapacitate or kill the other—at the very least, they had to ensure the opponent completely lost the ability to turn the tables.
With limbs brutally broken and life under another's control, the soul and body of Black Trojan were quivering with both the pain of his broken wrists and ankles and the fear of death.
Fortunately, as a player, Black Trojan's constitution was far superior to ordinary people, preventing him from fainting due to the fractures.
He sighed inwardly, steeled himself, and chose to cooperate—If I just stall for a bit, I might still have a chance to get away unscathed.
"I am a player who belongs to the Whale Song Organization. My player name is Black Trojan."
He displayed his ID information in mid-air.
[Grey Pigeon - Black Trojan] [Lv10]
Compared to the last meeting, his level had increased by two, but his title hadn't changed.
It might be that his performance in the mission wasn't outstanding, or maybe the new title skill wasn't as useful as [Grey Pigeon].
A flicker of unusual expression crossed Tang Ranno's eyes; it seemed she had heard of this organization.
Black Trojan exhaled a turbid breath and looked toward Chen Furuo, the programmer with a stagnant expression, speaking faintly, "I didn't show up here to target you guys.
To be precise, I'm here for him."
"Oh?" Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "Do you know each other?"
"No, I came to find him in order to fulfill the instructions of the superiors at Whale Song Organization."
Lying on the ground, Black Trojan carefully chose his words, organized his train of thought, and said, "The history of Whale Song Organization dates back even further than this edition of the killing game.
As a mid-level member of Whale Song, Black Trojan knew more secrets of the organization.
He continued, "Whale Song originated from a private network chatroom in the early part of this century, its members a small group of outstanding computer science talents from around the world.
At that time, they discussed topics within the chatroom such as theoretical computer science, computational theory, algorithms, mechanical translation, computer graphics and vision, information science, software engineering, and artificial intelligence.
Eventually, the conversation turned to the future direction of computer science, with a focus on artificial intelligence."
Black Trojan paused for a moment, resisting the urge to move his numb arms, and continued, "Artificial intelligence technology is a branch of computer science, meaning 'to understand the nature of intelligence and to produce new intelligent machines that can react in a similar manner to human intelligence.'
It originated in the 1950s and is considered one of the three cutting-edge technologies of the twenty-first century due to its exceptionally bright prospects.
At that time, there was heated debate in the chatroom about artificial intelligence technology, and they reached a consensus—artificial intelligence technology would mature in the not too distant future,
and it would rapidly and efficiently bring about earth-shattering changes to the social form of human civilization."
Li Ang chuckled, "Sounds a bit like science fiction."
"Indeed."
Black Trojan, pinned to the ground by a gun blade, licked his somewhat cracked lips and said, "The chat content of those people at that time wasn't that unusual.
Whether it was science fiction novels like *Robots at Dawn*, *The Naked Sun*, *Foundation and Earth*, and *Helpless*, or even some science fiction movies, all expressed imagination and concerns about artificial intelligence technology.
But back then, the chatroom members were younger and more radical in thought, believing that the perfect creation would eventually surpass its creator.
In the industrial, agricultural, and service sectors, human laborers would get tired, drowsy, demand wages and salaries, become disabled through various accidents, and be unable to work due to frailty and old age.
Mechanical beings never would.
In the realm of management, human managers could be corrupt, degenerate, crooked, and self-serving.
Mechanical beings never would.
The mechanical doctors never make mistakes, the mechanical detectives never err, the mechanical media never manipulate the truth, the mechanical judges are forever just, the mechanical soldiers eternally loyal.
Mechanical nature, superior to human nature."