The Midnight Owl

"Ten years ago?" The man repeated this point in time, something flashed in his eyes.

Xu Wang nodded solemnly: "Ten years ago, in Owl."

The man narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Xu Wang seriously for the first time, but soon, he smiled again, shook his head and said, "You were only ten years ago, and I don't remember meeting any children inside."

Xu Wangding stared at him: "3/23, inside the hospital gate, you stabbed a zombie that jumped at you, but after you stabbed it, you felt strange, because the zombie seemed to hit something before it jumped in front of you."

The man was startled, and his gaze was a little dazed, as if drifting towards that distant old scene where many details were blurred.

"Later you broke into the third floor of the infection department building, you used <[Phantom] Soul Painter> to inquire about the situation in the office..."

Xu Wang continued.These things that he had forgotten for a full ten years, after rediscovering them, became clearer day by day, and the details he remembered now were even more and more accurate than when he first remembered them.

"You gave the vaccine to the old doctor, but you were bitten and wiped out by another male doctor. You ran away without paying attention to your soul painter..."

"Where are you?" No matter how unbelievable the man was, he had no choice but to believe it. Apart from him and his teammates from back then, there was no other person who knew about the process of breaking through the barrier that night.If he hadn't brought up the detail about what the zombie hit, he would have forgotten it.

"Yes," Xu Wang said, "I am here."

The man thought for a moment, and then connected all the abnormal details: "The one who was hit by the zombie..."

"It's me." Xu Wang stamped him for confirmation.

The man's brows were frowned in confusion: "You are in the owl, but we can't see you, why?"

Xu Wang said: "Because I shouldn't belong there, I'm not a breaker, but I was sucked in for no reason that day, like an owl..."

"There is a bug." This time, it was the man who finished the sentence for him.

Xu Wang was stunned for a long time before he found his own voice: "Could it be that night, you also..."

The man shrugged and smiled: "It seems that that night was not just a turning point in my fate."

The two parties chatted in a mysterious way, and the thirteen friends were confused. There was also a friend surnamed Wu, who understood everything, but was vague and prone to ambiguity about "that night". Very dissatisfied with the description.

Yue Shuai and Wang Duanran just came here to buy some information, but they didn't expect to sit down and listen to the story of ten years ago.Although Chi Yingxue, Kuang Jinxin, and Qian Ai knew about the relationship between the captain and the owl, but now that this relationship has intersected with the information seller, they had to follow the big team and start over from the beginning.

Fortunately, the context of "that night" is quite clear——

Xu Wang strayed into Ou's house by mistake and witnessed Mr. Fan -- the seller kept his name anonymously out of politeness -- the whole team was wiped out.Then the other team broke in and handed in the paper successfully, and then Xu Wang talked to Xiao Xiao, and got a fragmented "Help me", and was bounced back to reality, and lost his memory.

But this story, in fact, has a continuation.

After that team successfully handed in the paper, they left Owl, but Mr. Fan, who had run away earlier, was not bounced back to reality because of the handing in of other teams.The reason is likely to be the same as Xu Wang's "wrong entry", which is caused by the owl's instability.Obviously, his stay is also an "abnormality", and perhaps it is this "abnormality" that made Xiao, who had failed to communicate with Xu Wang, find him again.

I don't know if he absorbed the experience of failing to talk to Xu Wang, perfected the algorithm in a short period of time, or applied some repair patch. In short, this time, Owl's expression was clearer.

[Owl: Help me, help me close the road connecting here and the outside. 】

This was the first sentence Owl and Mr. Fan said.

The room with the door closed was extremely quiet, so quiet that even the sound of a feather falling on the carpet could be heard.

Owl had a BUG ten years ago? !Xu Wang took advantage of this bug to come in and swim around? !Will the owl change his yin and yang and say things that have nothing to do with breaking through the level? !Did you know to find the second person after you didn't explain it to Xu Wang? !

This series of shocks has already broken the nerves of the partners present, but nothing compares to the last one——

"Can the road be closed—?!!!"

This is even more exciting than leaving the owl early.Leaving ahead of time means pulling away and escaping. Closing off the access means world peace!

Mr. Fan wanted to continue talking, but suddenly he was yelled at by more than a dozen people in unison. He immediately shut up, took out a handkerchief to wipe his face, and moved the swivel chair back without any trace.

"To be precise, it is possible to seal the road to the first thirteen levels."

Xu Wang: "What about the last ten levels?"

"It didn't say anything." Mr. Fan shook his head. "It just asked me to help it cut off the way to the first thirteen levels. Once successful, all the passers-by of the first thirteen levels will be freed, and they won't have to enter the owl again."

"Then what about the owl world in the first thirteen levels? Will it be destroyed?" Xu Wang suddenly had many faces flashing in his mind, Xiao Ding on 3/23, Xiao Huang Xiaobai Hei Momo on 4/23, and Xiao Xiaobai on 5/23. Hunger, etc. Although reason told him that these were just NPCs, Xu Wang still couldn't treat them as data that could disappear with one click.

Mr. Fan hesitated for a moment, obviously never thought about this question, and finally smiled helplessly: "I have never asked Owl, so I can't answer you."

"How to close the access?" Wu Sheng said politely, bringing the topic back to the "core".

Wang Chuanran and Xu Wang's team members immediately pricked up their ears. At the same time, the broken relief board and the night at the airport where nothing happened flashed through their minds.

Although Yue Jiajun had no experience, he also heard Xu Wang's report, so he was equally nervous at the moment.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Fan sighed softly: "Sorry, I don't know about this either."

The friends in the whole room were flashed together.

Wang flatly asked: "Is there anything you know?"

Mr. Fan smiled: "How to leave the owl early."

Fifteen friends: "..."

What is a good seller?When it comes to selling oranges, it never sells apples.

"You have to collect all the badges for levels 1-13, and then hand in the exam smoothly on 13/23. After handing in the exam, Owl will send you into the 'Wishing Room' and tell you that it can fulfill a wish of yours under certain conditions, as your The reward for entering the last ten levels. But you don’t want to make a wish, you must clearly say the following password-I want to talk to the owl. Repeat three times, and another owl will come out. At that time, you can choose to end all this and leave early .”

Yue Shuai: "Another owl?"

Mr. Fan: "This is just my own distinction. I always feel that the owl who gave various rules and hints in the checkpoint is not the same as the owl who talked to me that night, although their voices are exactly the same."

Wu Sheng: "Is it possible that they are the same, but the usual owl is restricted, and the bug made it awaken some self-awareness, or it was part of its awakening that caused the bug that night?"

Mr. Fan: "..."

Wu Sheng: "But we have been through the level for so long, and we have never encountered a BUG again, and we have not heard from other level-breakers that there is such a BUG. Is it possible that it has been fixed? Even if we reach level 13, we can no longer use commands to trigger it. ?”

Mr. Fan: "..."

Wu Sheng: "Mr. Fan?"

Mr. Fan: "My friend, if I need to attend an academic seminar, the price will have to be discussed separately, and I don't promise to provide the light of rational wisdom."

Wu Sheng wanted to say something, but someone patted his leg lightly.

Turning around, it was Xu Wang.

The latter led his gaze and looked around the bookshelves in the room.

"La Traviata", "Wuthering Heights", "Jane Eyre", "Gone with the Wind", "Notre Dame de Paris", "The Thorn Bird", "Norwegian Forest", "Love in the Time of Cholera"... Various periods, various countries, Various styles of love constitute the sea of ​​books in the entire room.If you have to find a book in the middle that has nothing to do with love, the only thing left is the one on the table - "Think and Grow Rich".

Wu Sheng's mind of scientific research and exploration, which was about to move around, was completely stable.

Talk about love or money with this seller.

"Mr. Fan, Owl asked you to help him seal the road, but you didn't agree, so I gave you a second choice, which is to help you leave Owl early?" Gu Nian, who had been silent all this time, made a sound, because he always felt that there was something wrong with the logic in it. .

If it is true as Wu Sheng said, Owl has awakened a part of self-awareness, then after being rejected, shouldn’t the most common reaction be to persuade again? Even if it doesn’t make sense, just give up and find someone else. ?It's like, a person refuses to help you, but you still have to give him a "reward", it's so strange.

"I agree." Mr. Fan tapped the armrest of the seat lightly, and a wave flashed across his eyes as calm as a lake.

The fifteen friends were stunned.

"I agreed at the time, and I promised to help it close the passage." Mr. Fan continued, "It asked me to collect all the badges, rush to 13/23, don't make a wish in the wishing room after handing in the paper, and said three times that I want to talk to the owl , it will come out, and then tell me the specific closing method."

The fifteen friends were even more confused.

This is basically the same as the method of leaving the owl in advance, the steps are basically the same!

"I did as I did. I really wanted to close the owl at the time. Anyway, I won't lose anything if I try. The worst result is just to continue to complete level 23..." Mr. Fan looked out the window, the sun was shining on him His face reflected his clear outline, but it also reflected the mockery in his eyes, "But when I got to level 13, I called out the owl in the wishing room, but it gave me another choice."

"Shut down the owl, or leave the owl ahead of time." Wu Sheng probably figured out the direction and outline of the past.

Mr. Fan withdrew his distant gaze and looked at him. There was a difference in the degree of embarrassment between self-reflection and being exposed.

Wu Sheng never understood such subtle things, and he didn't intend to condemn the other party at all, he just sought truth from facts, so he looked at the other party very calmly, even a little dryly.

Mr. Fan was overjoyed, and suddenly followed calmly: "Yes. When I want to close the owl, I am barefoot and not afraid to wear shoes. But when I have a pair of shoes, then I have no reason to fight to the death... "

"I chose to leave early, and the owl satisfied me. So you asked me how to close the passage, I really don't know, that's what people who chose option A have the right to know."

Xu Wang: "Anyone choose A?"

Mr. Fan: "I can only say that the teams that bought information from me basically chose B."

Yue Shuai: "Basic?"

Mr. Fan: "There are also teams that chose C."

Fourteen friends: "..."

Qian Ai: "When did option C pop up again! If you squeeze toothpaste like this again, I will complain to the Consumers Association, believe it or not!"

Mr. Fan: "Option C is to continue going backwards, complete all 23 levels, and then leave."

Qian Ai: "Then what kind of information do you want to buy from you? Isn't 100 million completely in vain?"

Mr. Fan: "People are willing to fight, but I can't stop them."

Qian Ai: "..."

The world of the rich is too difficult to understand! ! !

……

"Ah--" Fan Peiyang, who was listening to the report well, sneezed without thinking.

Zheng Luozhu stopped talking, concerned: "Boss?"

"It's okay." Fan Peiyang waved his hand and leaned back into the boss's chair, "Continue."

Zheng Luozhu: "This is the relevant information."

Fan Peiyang leaned on the table, crossed his hands against his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, I see."

Without Fan Peiyang's further words, Zheng Luozhu had already left, and thoughtfully helped him close the door.

After the thirteenth level, every level has to be calculated, and every second cannot be taken lightly. Fortunately, the arduous task of strategizing is carried out by the boss, and he just obeys the orders.

The leaderboard is going to open again tonight, and a team like them that has just entered the last ten levels must still miss the leaderboard.

Zheng Luozhu didn't have any obsession with this, but he always felt that the boss who was used to being the top of the list would be more concerned.

This is definitely Owl's fault.

Who would have thought that the list of the first thirteen levels and the last ten levels are completely two independent systems that do not affect or meet each other.And the teams that have entered the last ten levels will not retreat to the first thirteen levels regardless of whether they succeed or fail in submitting the paper.So much so that until 13/23, they thought they were the best in the whole owl.As a result, as soon as he entered the last ten levels, reality slapped him hard in the face.

The phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

Zheng Luozhu hurriedly answered the call, knowing who it was without even looking.

"Come in again." The boss's [-]th call came from the other end of the phone.

"Okay." Zheng Luozhu smiled and cried in his heart.

What kind of information do you want to ask this time?How about he just come up with a comprehensive summary?Three to five hours of reporting?Otherwise, if the boss thinks of something, he will call him once, and if he has a new idea, he will call him once. It is true that there is no need to worry about it, but it is a waste of time. After this trip, the legs are all slippery!

……

The fifteen partners of the three teams left the villa and directly booked a resort hotel nearby.

The environment on the outskirts of the city is really nice, especially at night when the breeze is bright and the moon is bright.

Fifteen little friends didn't waste their good time. They should eat, drink, sleep, and wake up at the tip of the moon. Some ran to the swimming pool, some drank alone under the moon, some lifted barbells in the gym, and some Sitting in the room and thinking about life.

But this time it was not Wu Junshi, but Captain Xu.

"What's the matter?" It was rare to see his team leader pondering. Wu Sheng, who originally wanted to go for a swim, sat back on the bed and asked curiously.

Xu Wang frowned and looked at him: "It's so strange."

Wu Sheng froze, raised his hand and pointed at himself: "Me?"

"No, your handsomeness is very standard." Xu Wang wears a white moonlight filter all the time, "I mean Owl is too weird. Since he wants Mr. Fan to help him, why give him the second choice?"

If there is no so-called second option of "leaving early", maybe it will be possible to help out!

"I still think you are thinking about some unrivaled problem." Wu Sheng pulled the man over, leaned against Xu Wang's back very naturally, wrapped the man around, resting his chin on his shoulder, and said leisurely, "You treat the owl as a Program, a program with self-healing function, this problem is easy to understand."

Just as Xu Wang wanted to indulge in this warm embrace, he heard some "procedure" or "self-healing". The gentle scene in front of him, where the moonlight was shining on the windows, suddenly changed into rows of desks and chairs in the classroom.

Holding him behind is Wu Sheng's primordial spirit. As for the physical body, he is knocking on the blackboard in front of him to give lectures.

"A part of the owl has awakened, allowing it to have a sense of autonomy, to talk to you and Fan, and even set up a password to summon it in the thirteenth level. But for an established program, such an awakening must be a BUG, Either rely on external force to eliminate it, or rely on its own original algorithm to find bugs and patch them."

Xu Wang looked back at him with some difficulty: "What the owl did...was the second type?"

"Yes." Wu Sheng rubbed his face involuntarily, and said, "Owl's self-healing, there is no way to erase the awakened consciousness, and he can only forcibly add the repair function to the options given by the awakened consciousness. two items."

Xu Wang's back was warm, but there was still a chill in his heart: "It's determined, no one will give up what is easy to ask for difficulty."

"Yeah." Wu Sheng hugged him even tighter, "These are just my guesses, but if you take the matter of the embossed board into consideration, the fact that the owl has its own repair function should be pretty much the same."

Xu Wang understood Wu Sheng's meaning and said nothing more.

Assuming that it was indeed the destruction of the embossed board that caused the inaccessibility on 10/23, then after the next day, everything will be as usual, which just fits the logic chain of the conjecture of "built-in repair function".

"Oh yes," Wu Sheng said as if he suddenly remembered something, "Fan Yebai."

Xu Wang didn't understand: "What?"

Wu Sheng said, "Mr. Fan's full name."

Xu Wang was surprised: "How do you know?"

Wu Sheng said: "The speed ranking list, 12/23, Du Yin, Fan Yebai, Li Dian, Mu Yixuan, Peng Ye, took 09:46:58. On the entire list, there is only one surnamed Fan, I think it should be him."

Xu Wang: "What do you think?"

Wu Sheng: "I think so."

Xu Wang: "Well, that must be it."

5 minutes later.

Xu Wang: "You should have told me then."

Wu Sheng: "What?"

Xu Wang: "Maybe his full name can be used to make friends and bargain."

Wu Sheng: "The strategy of the three levels is still the version ten years ago, and the package costs another 100 million, which is a bit dark."

Xu Wang: "Exactly!"

Wu Sheng: "Yes."

Xu Wang: "..."

Wu Sheng: "..."

Xu Wang: "Do you think that "Think and Grow Rich" can really make you rich?"

Wu Sheng: "His life is indeed very good."

Xu Wang: "Why don't we both buy a research book?"

Wu Sheng: "Qian Ai has already placed an order."

Xu Wang: "..."