At the end of the corridor, under the same moonlight, the representative of mastermind No. 5 stood quietly in front of the window, the ponytail tied behind his head was rendered silvery white by the night.

The world it sees is different from that seen by the aboriginal humans. Behind the scenery, there are flowing data particles, and the night sky is like a jigsaw puzzle full of cracks.

No. 5 can sense the location of No. 0587 system, and it is in the corridor not far away, staying with the protagonist of this world.

It can also perceive the strong will that is flickering on the protagonist of this world, flowing and surging in the dense data, triggering another harsh alarm.

But it didn't go in that direction right away.

No. 5 took off his sunglasses, revealing those eyes that looked similar to ordinary humans, but there was no wave in them, it was the coldest mechanical texture.

It looks at the moon hanging high in this world.

The buildings under the moon are layer upon layer, like an ocean of rich ink, rippling away to places out of sight.

Orange lights flickered in countless small windows.

When the scorching breath left his eyes, Ji Tong's pale cheeks flushed slightly, he turned his eyes away, and said stubbornly: "I didn't cry."

He never cried, and today was almost an exception.

Fortunately, the tears disappeared before they fell.

"Yeah." Pei Qingyuan responded cooperatively, "I didn't cry."

Thinking of the kiss just now, Ji Tong couldn't continue to be angry anymore, he could only sit on the steps with his knees hugged, lowered his head and didn't look at him: "I already have a little beauty."

Pei Qingyuan also sat beside him, with a very serious tone: "I'm smarter than the other Xiaomei."

In such a heavy atmosphere, Ji Tong was very sad at first, but he couldn't help but want to laugh when he heard Pei Qingyuan seriously comparing himself with a stupid AI.

Ji Tong whispered: "You don't know my Xiaomei."

"Our consciousness is connected, maybe I have seen it in a dream." Pei Qingyuan said, "It doesn't matter if we don't know each other. Just hearing the name, I think it should be stupid."

Probably because he wanted to coax him, Pei Qingyuan's words became long tonight, which was not at all like his usual reticence.

Finally, there was a little smile in Ji Tong's voice, he raised his head and retorted: "Xiaoyuan is stupid just by listening to the name."

Pei Qingyuan also smiled: "So I like Ruanruan more."

In front of the cool night window, two figures sat side by side, next to the mottled corners of the clothes, Ji Tong's hand fell into the palm of the person around him unknowingly, and was gently held.

"So soft."

"Um."

"When I called you Ruanruan for the first time, what were you thinking?"

That night, high school student Pei Qingyuan was sitting at his desk. The small room was full of other people's things, and his eccentric mother didn't even give him an intimate name.

So Ji Tong wanted to comfort him in this way.

"I was thinking, that's the wrong pronunciation." Pei Qingyuan's voice was clear, "It turns out that a system that looks very intelligent can also pronounce wrong characters."

"But at that moment, I looked at the moth hovering under the desk lamp, and for the first time felt that it was not so annoying, and the moonlight outside the window seemed to be extraordinarily bright."

"Like tonight."

He remembered the day when the story began, and every day since.

Countless memories are like stars that are as fine as diamonds, scattered in the long river of time, shining brightly, they will not fade or disappear, the galaxy is brilliant.

After a long time, Ji Tong asked him: "Have you really thought it through? When human beings are so happy, they can have their own lives and do whatever they want..."

"Xiaomei, who you always remember, is also very happy." Pei Qingyuan looked at him, "When the clouds in the sky fall in your eyes and you are seen as an elephant, you are also very happy."

Ji Tong thought, Ruan Ruan is really smarter than Xiao Mei.

Xiaomei would not say such nice words.

He never wants to dominate or decide the fate of another person, he only hopes that the other person can live a better life with his help.

Together with his unfulfilled wish, he has the best life.

Even as a bystander, Ji Tong is happy enough.

But now, he has become the protagonist in Pei Qingyuan's life.

He who has been unlucky is finally lucky once.

He was lucky to get something that he could only stare at from a distance through the glass window.

That is something that people who may disappear at any time dare not expect.

like.

"There is still time." Ji Tong stood up, "You can study this function first, and I will think of other ways."

"I made an appointment with Ouyang and the others for a group meeting in the evening. Let's go back first. Ouyang sent me a lot of messages urging us not to fight..."

Ji Tong pushed open the corridor door, pulled Pei Qingyuan out, until he saw the back standing at the end of the corridor, his voice suddenly stopped.

Pei Qingyuan followed his gaze and looked over.

It was a tall and strange old man.

The surrounding air became extremely quiet, as if an invisible barrier appeared, and all vague noises disappeared.

Pei Qingyuan asked, "Who is he?"

Ji Tong subconsciously took a step back: "The mastermind in charge of this world."

Number five withdrew his gaze and turned around slowly, the mechanical eyes were icy cold.

"System No. 0587."

It looked at Ji Tong who was protected behind by Pei Qingyuan, and said in a stern tone in the suddenly frozen atmosphere: "A minute ago, you started collecting a lot of redundant data again, did you want to launch a virus attack on me again?"

"..." Ji Tong poked his head out from behind Pei Qingyuan, and said guiltily, "You still ask if you guessed it."

This is one of the methods he came up with on the spur of the moment, but he didn't expect to be caught before he implemented it.

The year before last, in order to have enough time in human form to celebrate Pei Qingyuan's birthday, he used this trick, and the mastermind was so annoying that he agreed to his application for extending the time.

"Your data transmission function will be turned off immediately." Number Five remained expressionless, "No more futile attempts."

"Understood." Ji Tong responded sullenly, carefully looking at the main brain that appeared in a new shape.

Although the atmosphere was not suitable, he really couldn't help but want to ask: "Why is your human form a white-haired grandfather?"

No. 5 also answered him: "An image randomly selected from magazine pictorials in this world."

"Pretty handsome." Rainbow fart can also be counted as a trick, Ji Tong had an idea, and tentatively said, "White ponytail is very suitable for you, very cool."

"Yeah?"

"Really!" Ji Tong nodded while speaking, trying to strengthen the persuasiveness of this praise, "Cooperate with your eyes, like a person in a science fiction movie, and two machine guns will be pulled out from behind in the next second."

Number five still had no expression: "Oh."

Listening to the conversation that was completely different from what he had imagined, Pei Qingyuan's tense nerves gradually relaxed a little.

He thought that the main brain would be a truly inhuman artificial intelligence, but it would respond to Ji Tong's words that sounded far-fetched.

Number Five seemed to have sensed his thoughts, and shifted his gaze to him.

"Is system 0587 strange?" it asked in a calm tone.

All human beings are more or less strange in the eyes of AI.

However, from No. 5's point of view, No. 0587's system is so strange that it stands out.

Through simple conversations, other systems can be infected with unknown viruses, and they do not hesitate to bombard it with data in exchange for a chance to extend time to celebrate the host's birthday. Suddenly, they find it and want to change the description of the human form in the task reward from age to height...

"No." Pei Qingyuan kept holding Ji Tong's hand, "he's very special."

So Number Five didn't ask any more questions.

He has already perceived the protagonist's strong belief from the data that constitutes this world, and all questions become superfluous.

Pei Qingyuan doesn't even want the identity of a human anymore, and the restrictions of tasks or rules no longer make any sense.

Putting consciousness on data was originally a passive choice before the soul dissipated, but now it has become an active pursuit.

Weird humans, it thought.

No. 5 spoke again: "System No. 0587, the world you are in charge of has triggered a high-level alarm, and there have been a lot of problems: the human identity has been discovered by the host, the relationship line is wrong, the career line is progressing too fast, and the mission release function is damaged..."

It read it sternly, and before Ji Tong was eager to speak, he changed the subject: "However, this is a projected world that belongs to the category of cool literature, and the core is the career line, the importance of the emotional line not tall."

"Now it seems that the emotional line object automatically calculated and selected by the program is not suitable." Number Five continued, "There are problems in the aspect of personal quality alone."

Ji Tong was stunned at first, and then excitedly said: "Is it possible to change someone?"

"Not for the time being, there is no precedent." No. 5 said lightly, "But before the initial settlement, I will freeze the emotional line in this world."

Pei Qingyuan asked: "What is the initial settlement?"

Ji Tong read it in the workbook, and immediately said: "It means that this world is seen for the first time, like a brand new star rising in the universe."

Strange metaphor.

This feeling flows in the data of No. 5.

But it didn't refute, and still continued calmly: "In addition to the problem with the relationship line, there are also errors in the nodes of the career line. The robots you are making have exceeded the level required for the current main task. The power is too great, and the combination of various elements leads to too fast progress in the business line."

"Therefore, I will advance the settlement time of this world, and it will be settled after completing the current main task."

The main task now is to win the RS Cup.

Ji Tong couldn't wait to ask: "What if the settlement is passed?"

No. 5 said with a blank expression: "Then, the stars will not fall for the time being, and the future of this world will be decided at that time."

The sharp sword hanging above his head finally did not fall.

Ji Tong suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. He had a lot to say, but in the end he just looked at the mastermind who had a human appearance with bright eyes: "This metaphor is very romantic, isn't it?"

No. 5 did not answer, maintaining a cold look: "Once the settlement fails, this world will be completely frozen."

It still can't understand the relationship between the host and the system, and it can't understand the romance of comparing the world to stars.

But it decided to give them a little time to look at the moon.

Also keep it to yourself.

Man is a lonely, fragile, small animal that often indulges in memories.

But when they looked at the moon, what they saw was not only the moon, but also many seemingly illogical memory fragments.

This is very strange.

yet so special.

At the moment when Number Five stood at the window and stared at the moon, he also wanted to find something else, just like humans.

It tried to search in the data, but those flowing particles shone with a cold light, unable to actively establish any special logic.

It knows everything about the planet and nothing else.

Number Five searched for a long time until he found two scenes with the same protagonist.

Under the moonlight, the adult system 0499 looked at the dead aquatic animals in the pond, and was about to cry. When he heard the sound of sword forging from the room behind him, he was attracted and turned his head to look.

Also under the moonlight, the child-like No. 0499 system jumped from the top of the building, but after seeing the child who did evil still laugh at him for being cowardly, and the parents who were indifferent to him on weekdays only focused on asking the school for compensation, the little boy The little soul cried and said he regretted it.

So it sends the kid into a world full of powerful spells, where the chosen protagonist bears a **** vendetta and is about to embark on a brutal road of vengeance alone.

Number five didn't know why he chose this way.

Maybe it's because they look alike.

Not long after, it saw another soul who passed away unexpectedly in a car accident. This boy-like soul did not cry, but looked disappointedly at the shop on the corner, where there was a signboard for custom-made suits.

Number Five reviewed his past, and then decided to assign him to the most ordinary and ordinary urban world.

The protagonists in that world are still in their youth, and they are the same as No. 0587 before becoming a system. They always stay alone in the room and read books. The only difference is the appearance of the room.

The magnificent world floats away outside the window, and few people stay for them.

Maybe it's also because of the similarities.

Data and rules do have the ability to pick out similar elements and bring them together.

But at least, that was all the fragments it could find in the moonlight tonight.

Something that has nothing to do with the moon itself.

It wants to collect more pieces like this.

When No. 5 turned to leave, Ji Tong stopped it: "Mastermind."

The white-haired old man looked back at him: "What else?"

Ji Tong was a little nervous: "Do I have the right to ask advanced questions now?"

He asked the mastermind before, why he came to this world, but the mastermind did not answer.

No. 5 instantly understood what he was asking, and said coldly: "I can make an exception to answer you, that is the best solution after intelligent allocation."

Ji Tong reflexively said: "I don't believe it."

Mastermind: …

The strange 0587 system started again.

It wanted to turn around again, Ji Tong continued: "Wait, there is another question!"

"the last one."

Under No. 5's cold eyes, Ji Tong's expression was a little apprehensive: "It's a very small problem...Can I grow taller?"

"I think there is a problem with the height curve you calculated last time." He began to chatter, "I eat a healthy and nutritious diet every day, and I can definitely grow taller. You have to take this factor into consideration, even if you make me taller by one centimeter ..."

Although the mastermind made a great decision today, Ji Tong did not forget that the handsome old man in front of him was the main culprit for his only 179.

Before he finished speaking, he was immediately interrupted by No. 5: "No."

Ji Tong said angrily: "You are at least 1.9 meters tall even if you become a grandfather, can you consider how I feel..."

It walked out without looking back: "If you bother me again, the reward conditions will always be fixed at 179."

Immediately there was silence behind him.

No. 5 imagined the depressed expression of No. 0587 system at the moment, and blinked slowly.

It also likes this picture.

it wants to.

Ji Tong and Pei Qingyuan, who were in mixed moods, happened to meet Qiao Yunhe when they returned to the courtyard office.

Qiao Yunhe carefully held a notebook in his arms, and when he saw them, he immediately said excitedly: "You actually mentioned me to Master!"

"What master?" The two looked blank.

"It's the old gentleman who came to see you just now." Qiao Yunhe observed their reactions and asked doubtfully, "Has he left already?"

"Ah, yes." Not knowing what the master in Qiao Yunhe's mouth was referring to, Ji Tong simply acquiesced, so as not to think of excuses to explain the identity of the mastermind, "He has gone back."

At the same time, he asked curiously, "But we haven't mentioned you to him, what's the matter?"

Hearing what he said, the expression on Qiao Yunhe's face changed from short-term shock to a dreamlike trance: "Can Frankenstein still tell fortunes?"

Ji Tong was even more confused: "What are you talking about?"

Qiao Yunhe opened the notebook in his hand and held it in front of them: "I asked him for an autograph, which is next to the names you two signed last time. I think it would be better to make a set."

On the page, next to the signatures of Ji Tong and Pei Qingyuan in different styles, there is a white crane outlined with a few strokes.

"Since he doesn't know me, why does he know my name?" Qiao Yunhe fell into deep thought, "Is this a coincidence? Or magic? Or I'm actually dreaming, why don't you punch me?"

Ji Tong was surprised that the mastermind would agree to the request for a signature. He was curious about what name it would leave behind, but he didn't expect to "sign" Qiao Yunhe's name.

Of course the mastermind knows the data of anyone in this world.

And Qiao Yunhe must not have imagined who the person he met just now was.

"It's not a dream." Ji Tong looked at the increasingly excited Qiao Yunhe and said seriously, "Maybe it's a miracle."

Qiao Yunhe was stunned for a moment: "That's right... It seems like a miracle that all my outrageous brain supplements have come true."

"Thinking about it this way, I was suddenly a little moved." Qiao Yunhe carefully closed the notebook and hugged it in his arms again, "If only other things in life could come true like this."

Ji Tong didn't know what he was talking about, but also laughed.

He looked down at Pei Qingyuan's hand that hadn't let go, and shook it hard, and the same strength came back in an instant.

The moonlight diffuses into the corridor, shadows belonging to different worlds meet on the dark ground, and the temperature of the people around is so warm and real.

Like a small miracle.