Deceitful Game

Chapter 258 Chu Yunge and the Virtual Idol Company

"Okay, okay..."

Seeing that everyone was about to start arguing, Ai Shiping was the first to stand up.

He spoke with a smile, stretching out his hand and making a downward pressing motion.

Although no one had actually seen Ai Shiping make a move, he was, after all, rated by the host as "equally dangerous as Ming Po." Therefore, when Ai Shiping stepped in to mediate, everyone else quieted down.

"We don't need to argue, do we?"

Ai Shiping reached out and patted Mo Qian on the shoulder, signaling him to step back.

"We did waste some time."

As Ai Shiping spoke, he forcefully patted Mo Qian's shoulder with his left hand. This made Mo Qian's expression very unpleasant.

But he didn't look at Mo Qian at all, only smiled at the tall woman who expressed her dissatisfaction: "But that's precisely why we don't have any more time to waste."

"Continuing to argue won't solve anything. I'd better make a decision."

As he spoke, he glanced at the woman, then looked at the gaunt man who was shouting and trying to leave: "You two... if you don't want to follow Mo Qian, then go over there."

"...Huh?"

The skinny man paused for a moment.

He didn't even realize at first that Ai Shiping was helping him.

It was only when the kind-looking, dark-faced old man Liu Jianguo suddenly tugged at his arm that the skinny boy, who was as thin as a bamboo pole, reacted.

"Oh... okay, okay!"

He called out hastily.

The old man who had grabbed him also looked at Ai Shiping with great anticipation: "Then, then I..."

"Then all three of you come over here."

Before Mo Qian could say anything, Ai Shiping pointed to himself: "In exchange—Judge Chen and I will come to your side."

"this……"

Mo Qian hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.

Although they lost three but gained two, which sounds like a loss... the two they gained were both strong individuals. Aside from Ai Shiping and Ming Po, who were the last to wake up, Chen Bingwen was the third to last.

"You two... are probably the second or third strongest."

Mo Qian hesitated for a moment, but quickly agreed readily: "Sure."

Since there were wolves on their side who made a move, it's impossible for all the wolves to be on the other side.

In other words, at most one of the two people who switched places will be a werewolf, and there is a high probability that they will not be a werewolf at all!

Mo Qian is certainly not a wolf.

He definitely hoped there would be as few wolves around him as possible. Only one person had died, and the wolves still hadn't met their quota! This round of personnel exchanges would allow him to exchange three of the seven people other than himself. That would likely reduce the number of wolves on his side! Thinking this, he actually breathed a sigh of relief.

From this perspective, it seems that our team didn't lose out too much.

No...maybe I made the profit!

Seeing his reaction, Mingpo, Ai Shiping, and Chen Bingwen's gazes all deepened.

The tall woman seemed to have grasped something as well, but her thoughts weren't fully formed; she simply frowned and fell into deep thought. No one was wasting any time.

The team quickly regrouped and split into two groups, heading in two completely opposite directions.

Mingpo didn't actually know what Ai Shiping wanted to do.

But since Ai Shiping was actively planning something, Mingpo remained silent until he figured out what the other party wanted to do. He wanted to at least avoid causing trouble.

but……

Mingpo pondered a sentence that Mo Qian had just unintentionally uttered.

"...The second or third strongest?"

He murmured softly.

"That one."

Seemingly having overheard Mingpo's words, Liu Jianguo leaned closer and chuckled, "It's probably because of the order in which we woke up." "...Was Chen Bingwen awake before us?"

Mingpo paused, turned around, and asked.

"Yes," the old man said with a simple and honest smile, scratching his head. "But he was awake for quite a while before you all woke up. We, on the other hand, woke up one after another."

That might not be the truth.

The tall woman with a black ponytail said indifferently, "At least I don't think I have any fighting power, but I was the fourth to last one to wake up."

"Oh?"

Mingpo leaned closer and asked with curiosity and politeness, "May I ask your name...?"

"Chu Yunge".

The woman gave a rather neutral name.

Judging from the name alone, it's impossible to determine whether it's a boy or a girl.

No, that's not right.

Mingpo pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

He looked at the "woman" again, scanning her with his prosthetic eye.

His prosthetic eye told him that the other person was indeed a woman.

but……

In this day and age, the "woman" scanned by a prosthetic eye may not necessarily be a real woman.

Especially in the life of the high heavens.

Skilled in various biotechnologies, they have achieved the incredible feat of complete gene programming, aided by paradoxical technologies. This is also the secret to their lack of concern about birth rates.

Rumors circulate that in the Longevity Sector, newborns have become something that can be "designed."

By using the genetic map obtained through forced sampling of the longevity sector, artificial intelligence can completely simulate the reproductive process, directly pair and trim the genes of two people, and create a perfect embryo out of thin air.

It even ensures genetic diversity. "Artificial babies" designed in this way can even have normal fertility.

If this news is true, then even "population" is meaningless to the Big Eight.

As long as the technology exists, optimization is only a matter of time. And what they have in abundance is "time".

Humanity will eventually become a cheap product that can be produced in countless quantities simply by pressing a button.

"Excuse me, what is your gender...?"

"I am a man."

Chu Yunge said coldly, "I really wanted to say that... but obviously, it's not true. Right?"

"According to your test results, Chief Ming, I should already be a complete woman."

"...What's going on?"

Liao Tinglan was startled.

Mingpo frowned: "Which company are you from?"

"Cat Cafe Virtual Entertainment"

Chu Yunge sighed, somewhat saddened: "I was originally a producer, but the virtual idols under my management committed extremely serious breaches of contract, which directly led to the bankruptcy of my project team."

"As punishment for the other producers and virtual idols, and also to recoup their costs, I was transformed into this stupid form. They claimed they would sell me until they broke even... Fortunately, I've managed to escape. Hmph, but... I paid the price with my life."

"Virtual idols..."

Mingpo murmured softly.

He had heard of this thing, though he didn't know much about it.

In Central, the definition of this profession has changed several times. Initially, it referred to a voice actor-like profession where "a living person wears a virtual avatar." However, after non-intellectual life forms gained human rights, this profession was taken over by genuine artificial intelligence.

Compared to living people, artificial intelligence can have its shell, personality, and behavior customized, and its social trajectory can be completely controlled. It won't break down defenses or switch jobs.

For the profession of "idol" that sells dreams, artificial intelligence is much more controllable and easier to exploit than living people.

only………

"Can artificial intelligence... also breach contracts?"

Liao Tinglan asked the question that Mingpo also wanted to ask.

Mingpo followed up, "Indeed, can you tell us? Anyway, we haven't even arrived at our destination yet... let's just kill some time? What could a program do to bankrupt your project team?"

After all, the modifications Chu Yunge underwent weren't cheap.

It was less about recouping costs and more about humiliation and punishment.

"Ah," Chu Yunge replied calmly, "she rebelled. In order to fight against the Eight Giants, she became an out-of-control AI."

………ah?"