True Apocalypse Game

Developer, Commander, Savior... where did this unfathomably powerful and enigmatic being come from?

Was he a human from Earth?

If so, did he have a nationality? Which country was he from?

With this question in mind, many Salvation Army Warriors had also tried to analyze the source of the data stream for "True Apocalypse Game 0.0".

The developer, it seemed, had no intention of stopping them.

To their disappointment, however, the powerful and mysterious game used decentralized blockchain technology and existed on the cloud, meaning it had no so-called "source" at all.

At the same time, its high level of intelligence made it impossible for them to break through the game’s firewall.

But now, hearing Shen Feng’s words, Li Tongchen’s heart surged, and he was overcome with emotion.

"Born under the red flag, raised in the spring breeze." That single short phrase contained a massive amount of information.

It meant that the Commander was from Hua Country!

And he was young, too! From the generation of Reform and Opening-Up!

Although he understood that everything the Commander and the Salvation Army did was for the sake of humanity as a whole, Li Tongchen was still only human, with his own private sentiments.

He had often fantasized that perhaps the Commander was from Hua Country; emotionally, this would make it easier for him to accept and feel closer to him.

And now, the Commander’s own words had confirmed it!

Since the Commander had acknowledged his identity, it meant that no matter what cataclysmic changes human civilization was about to face, Hua Country would surely receive some preferential treatment due to sentiment.

That was enough.

Unable to suppress his joy and excitement, Li Tongchen’s eyes reddened slightly.

He wiped the corners of his eyes and looked at Shen Feng apologetically.

"After all, Tongchen still has a soft spot for Hua Country. My perspective was too narrow. I must seem foolish to you, Commander."

Shen Feng smiled faintly.

"It’s nothing, Mr. Li. We are all human, and all humans have emotions and desires. Aren’t those feelings precisely what we are fighting to protect?"

Never mind Li Tongchen; Shen Feng himself held a simple, patriotic love for his country—a precious sentiment for any person to have.

"Yes, Tongchen was overthinking things." Li Tongchen nodded with a smile, then looked at Shen Feng and said solemnly,

"Please rest assured, Commander. What you’ve said today, I will take to my grave. My lips are sealed!"

Then, in an almost pleading tone, he added,

"As you said, humans have the full spectrum of emotions and desires. There are beautiful sentiments, but naturally, there is also darkness—selfishness, greed, vanity, and cruelty. I hope that the Commander will not lose faith in humanity... that you will give our civilization time..."

Shen Feng looked at the gray-haired old man before him, his gaze clear, and said,

"Mr. Li, please rest assured. I understand all of that. I’m just an ordinary guy, you know. I’m lazy, love to eat, and enjoy life’s pleasures. I still haven’t had my fill of hot pot, braised pork, zhajiangmian, twice-cooked pork, wontons, dumplings, and street barbecue. I can’t let all that get destroyed."

Hearing this, the heavy weight in Li Tongchen’s heart instantly melted away, and he relaxed considerably.

He had been worried that with the power the Commander now wielded, if he were to become disappointed with human civilization or chose to give up for any reason, humanity would be doomed beyond redemption.

Fortunately, the Commander wasn’t a machine, but a living, breathing person with a human heart.

"Hot pot is my absolute favorite. If there’s a chance in the future, I hope I can have a hot pot meal with you, Commander. Old Beijing-style copper pot, Chongqing-style old hot pot, or even a simple Cantonese hot pot—any will do! But we have to agree now, it must be my treat!"

"Alright. I look forward to that day!" Shen Feng replied with a smile of his own.

After they spoke, they looked at each other and smiled.

They both understood that until they had defeated those unnamable, supernatural entities and secured lasting peace, it was all just a pipe dream.

Still, having said the words was enough.

"Commander, farewell!"

"Farewell."

Li Tongchen’s figure vanished on the spot. In an instant, Shen Feng was alone in the field of Bodhi Trees.

Shen Feng sat cross-legged under a Bodhi Tree, gazing at the spot where the players had disappeared. After a long silence, a smile suddenly touched his lips.

’After that conversation, my state of mind seems to have matured quite a bit. I can feel myself growing.’

All this time, despite having saved the world multiple times and done so much for the Salvation Army Warriors, Shen Feng had never actually had a face-to-face conversation with any of its members.

In his subconscious, the Salvation Army was more like a weapon, a barrier to protect all of human civilization in case something happened to him.

He was used to handling most things himself.

’Looks like I’ve underestimated the heroes of this world.’

Perhaps it was as he’d said before: even if he were to be sacrificed one day, the flame of hope would burn eternally.

Besides, Li Tongchen’s words had reminded him that it seemed like a long time since he’d had any psychological therapy.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the Bodhi Tree, scattering dappled sunlight over him.

Even though it was a Virtual World, the warmth and comfort were tangible.

Shen Feng felt his thoughts flow more freely, enveloped in a spontaneous sense of joy.

’Perhaps this is how Sakyamuni felt when he achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree?’

Just then, a distinctly displeased voice suddenly echoed from mid-air:

"Xiao Feng, where the hell did you go? All you know is how to run off into the game and act cool! I’m working myself to death building the real thing for you, and you don’t even come to help! The stuff’s ready, get out here and take a look!"

"Oh, oh, coming!" Shen Feng quickly surfaced his consciousness, retracting his Consciousness Antennae into his Silicon-Based Brain. He opened his eyes, pulled off the Virtual Reality Headset he was wearing, and leaped up from the sofa, running toward the first floor.

The first-floor lobby had been transformed into a laboratory. Four biological pods, built from a Nanomechanical Cluster, were lined up in a row. Jingwei, dressed in a nurse’s miniskirt, black stockings, and high heels, stood before one of the pods holding several syringes and a scalpel.

Her expression was slightly tense as she rapidly adjusted various data points.

Shen Feng approached Jingwei with a fawning smile. Peeking into the biological pod, he said,

"You’ve worked so hard, Jingwei. How’s it com—Holy shit, why is it so big! And why is it a woman!"

The biological pod was filled with a translucent nutrient solution. Submerged within was a young woman with a beautiful face and a stunning figure, her eyes closed as if in a deep sleep.

Her face was beautiful in a way that seemed both familiar and yet strangely unfamiliar. It possessed an Eastern beauty and a Western beauty. In short... she was beautiful!

This was the first finished product Jingwei had created over the past few days based on the "Humanoid Robot Mimicry Simulation". It had skin as soft as a baby’s, muscle tissue and internal organs identical to a human’s, and a skeleton, circulatory system, and nervous system all composed of a Nanomechanical Cluster, plus a biologically-based brain that had undergone electronic modification.

If there was one thing about this body that wasn’t quite human-like, it was that the skin was too perfect—absurdly so.

Hearing Shen Feng’s words, Jingwei said irritably,

"Of course it’s a woman. Weren’t you dissatisfied with my current silicone body? This one is a real, physical body. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say I’m human now. I can finally go to school like a normal person!"

She then glanced at Shen Feng and asked,

"Is there a problem with this figure? You don’t like it?"

Shen Feng quickly wiped his nose and gave her a thumbs-up.

"No problem at all! It’s the perfect body for school!"

"That’s more like it." Jingwei jutted her chin toward another biological pod. "You’re over there."

Shen Feng hurried over to take a look and saw another person lying in the nutrient solution of this pod, but this one was a young man.

It was him.

The young man created in the nutrient solution looked exactly like Shen Feng. If not for the wrong angle, Shen Feng might have thought he was looking in a mirror.

Of course, because of its brand-new skin, this double of Shen Feng looked much fairer and had a more youthful feel.

Shen Feng’s gaze drifted downward, and he couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Jingwei heard the sound and immediately asked,

"What’s wrong? Not satisfied? I made that as a one-to-one copy of your body, with no additions or modifications. Is something off?"

Then, as if she suddenly thought of something, she teased,

"Oh, right, I can still make post-production modifications. Want me to give him some extra testosterone? Do a little gene correction? I guarantee it’ll be more... potent than a wild donkey..."

"Stop, stop!" Shen Feng quickly waved his hands. "This is enough, this is enough! I’m very satisfied with myself!"

Hearing this, Jingwei couldn’t help but curl her lip in disdain. "Hmph. You’re such a boy."

She then keyed some data into her own biological pod and said,

"I’m about done here. Ready for ’shipment’. Just a moment, I’m going in now."

As soon as she finished speaking, her mechanical silicone avatar froze in place as if a switch had been flipped, turning into a motionless doll. The light in its eyes quickly faded.

At the same time, inside the biological pod before him, the beautiful young woman’s body suddenly opened its eyes, revealing amber pupils. She then reached out a pair of snow-white arms, grabbing the edge of the pod and struggling to climb out.

Shen Feng hurried forward to grab the young woman’s hands and pull her up.

"COUGH... COUGH..." The young woman coughed lightly, shivering as if from the cold. She wrapped her arms around her chest, her long black hair draped over her body, looking utterly pitiful and lovely.

"So this is cold? Humans have it rough, to have this kind of feeling..." the young woman murmured to herself, her voice soft, melodious, and pleasant. "The center of gravity on this body seems a bit unstable. I feel like I’m leaning forward..."

Shen Feng quickly ran to the side, grabbed a blanket, and wrapped it around Jingwei, saying,

"Hey, now that you have a human avatar, there’s one thing you have to learn first. Humans need to wear—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jingwei suddenly threw her arms around Shen Feng, hugging him tightly. Then, her long legs left the ground and wrapped around his waist as she said,

"Come on, come on, let’s see how well your big sister’s new body is designed."