Whale Fall City - Server Room
The glow of the massive screen painted Wu Qiong and Bai Shuang's faces in eerie blue as they replayed the three-minute test footage for the twelfth time.
Whale Fall Decree had always been a solitary game—a passion project crafted over decades by Bai Shuang's late father. For twenty-five years since his death, its algorithms had been refined through an endless dance between Bai Shuang and the AI, each pushing the other to greater heights.
They'd prepared two strategies:
AI Adaptation for novice players.
Bai Shuang's Direct Intervention against elites.
Yet Zhuang Mo's session defied all expectations.
Bai Shuang froze the playback at 1:58. "Here—his fighting style shifts abruptly. Before this point, he's holding back like he's doing tai chi. Then suddenly..." Her fingertip traced the screen where Zhuang Mo's avatar erupted into a flurry of violent strikes.
Wu Qiong's nostrils flared. "'Xiao Hei Ge'? You've known this boy for three days."
"He is my Dark Horse!" Her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Your father would resurrect just to disown you," Wu Qiong muttered.
Ignoring the jab, Bai Shuang rewound the climax. "The anomaly isn't his skill—it's this." She zoomed in on Zhuang Mo's dilated pupils and the way his lips moved soundlessly, as if screaming at phantoms only he could see.
Wu Qiong stroked his chin. "He wasn't fighting the simulation. He was fighting fear itself."
A glitch marred the footage—thirty-seven seconds of missing audio and holographic data where the AI opponent should have been visible. Unprecedented. Unexplainable.
Bai Shuang's nails dug into her palms. "What did you show him, Father?"
Orbital Police HQ - Holding Cell
Huang Peiyu gripped his protege's shoulders hard enough to bruise. "Snap out of it! What did you see in there?"
Zhuang Mo's pupils were still blown wide. "It wasn't human! The Zero Player—it knew things! My childhood, my family's—" His voice cracked. "There was fire... screaming..."
"Christ, boy." Huang dragged a hand down his face. "It's a game. AI mines public records to personalize scenarios. You think you're special? It probably told every beta tester their grandma died in a fire!"
Before he could press further, an officer burst in. "Sir! Media drones are swarming the docking bay—they're demanding interviews with 'Test Player One'!"
Huang's mind raced. This wasn't curiosity—it was a feeding frenzy. He shoved Zhuang toward a secure pod. "Stay here. Don't speak to anyone."
The moment the airlock opened, a dozen reporters surged forward, their lenses flashing like strobe lights.
"Did Zhuang Mo defeat the AI?""Is Whale Fall Decree rigged?""Sources say he suffered a psychotic break—"
Huang's smile could have chilled supercooled helium. "The police always vet new systems for public safety." He gestured toward the department's dormant social feed. "All updates will be posted here at 22:00 tomorrow."
The account's follower count exploded before the airlock finished cycling shut.
Whale Fall Medical Center - Reception
Nurse Camellia burst into Wu Qiong's office, her uniform disheveled. "Daozhang! The triage system's crashed—hundreds of healthy people are faking symptoms to ask about the game! Real patients can't—"
Wu Qiong didn't glance up from his tea. "Post a notice: non-patients will be charged 1,000 times the consultation fee." A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "If they still come, we'll buy that new MRI machine."
Outside the window, the hospital's once-serene corridors had become a carnival. Teenagers pretended to limp. Businessmen clutched their chests with theatrical grimaces. All whispering the same question:
How do we get invited to play?
...
Various questions flooded in, but Huang Peiyu cunningly said, "The police are verifying the game's security for the safety of other players. To comply with confidentiality agreements, we will not reveal specific game details before Whale Fall Decision is officially opened to the public."
Huang Peiyu made a "closing the door, showing the guest out" gesture: "The only thing I can say right now is this. The remaining details will be released on our official website before 10 PM tomorrow. Please follow the official Space Police account to get the latest information firsthand."
As soon as Huang Peiyu finished speaking, the number of followers on the Space Police official account began to rise rapidly. The once obscure Qing Shui account turned into an internet sensation in a split second.
Huang Peiyu sent all the reporters away in one breath, leaving the aftermath to be handled by the director.
Not only the police department, but also Whale Fall City became extremely busy.
Originally, Whale Fall City was a space hospital, and Whale Fall Decision could be considered a game room attached to the hospital. However, today, many people, under the pretense of seeing a doctor, came to the hospital to inquire about how to apply for a tester qualification.
A group of medical staff in the hospital were left confused. Some doctors, who had worked in Whale Fall City for decades, were only experts in treating diseases, with no involvement in the gaming industry.
"Master, it's bad!" The camellia girl rushed in, saying, "The appointment slots at the hospital suddenly filled up! Many people aren't even sick; they just want to get into the hospital to inquire about the game. Now, people who actually need medical attention can't make an appointment. What should we do?"
Wu Qiong sat calmly in his office, as steady as Mount Tai. He didn't even bother to raise an eyelid, and said calmly, "Issue an announcement. Anyone who isn't sick but maliciously occupies medical resources will be fined 1,000 times the registration fee. If they still insist on coming after seeing the announcement, the fines will be enough to buy new equipment."
In space, every satellite city revolves around the Earth at a fixed orbit, moving at high speeds.
Therefore, there are no days and nights like on Earth; as long as the sun is not blocked by the Earth, most of the time, one can see sunlight while standing in the satellite city.
However, humans have biological clocks and need to follow regular routines. So, the official time in space is the same as the Prime Meridian time on Earth.
Just like on Earth, most astronauts wake up at six in the morning and go to sleep at midnight.
When midnight came, Wu Qiong took off his long robe, changed into the modern sleepwear, and lay down on his bed.
Speaking of life in space, it could only be described in five literary words—high places are not without cold!
Two hundred years ago, Wu Qiong, though not a person who could command the wind and the clouds, lived far more magnificently than he does now.
With his ascetic attire and a bit of fake mysticism like astrology, feng shui, tarot, and palmistry, he had a group of female devotees revolving around him. They would cry and beg to warm his bed, like rivers and lakes that never dried up.
In the past, the female devotees he took in numbered at least 800, if not a thousand.
Who could have thought that he would transform from a fake Taoist priest into a real one, cultivating his body and mind, and living a life of simplicity and celibacy?
Tsk!
When you live a life of indulgence, you always have to pay back the debts of arrogance sooner or later!
After all, he had boasted for two hundred years, claiming to be a direct disciple of Zhang Tianshi. In front of others, he put on the airs of a Taoist, and as time passed, he ended up being an old bachelor for over a century!
As for playing around in space, Wu Qiong had already become an expert.
Recently, it seemed like he had even developed a dream-building skill—whenever he thought of a certain female devotee during the day, that same devotee would come to him in his dreams at night, offering herself to him.
"Brother!" Half-awake and half-asleep, a smart and cute little girl suddenly jumped in front of Wu Qiong.
Just hearing the voice, Wu Qiong knew who it was. Without caring about how thick his face was, he immediately pulled the girl, who was in the bloom of youth, into his arms and lovingly pampered her.
"Brother, you're so good!" The little girl scratched Wu Qiong's chest and said with a mischievous smile, "You promised to marry me as your child bride, and you really kept yourself pure for me."
Sigh! Wu Qiong sighed inwardly.
If this girl had never met him, she probably wouldn't have experienced so many tragic and filthy events in her life.
Thinking of this, Wu Qiong kissed the little girl's lips gently, as he had done two hundred years ago.
Back then, the closest thing they had done was just that. The child bride idea was nothing but a fleeting dream.
Wu Qiong fell into a deep, satisfied sleep, only to suddenly wake up in a daze!
Once again, he saw Qu Mengfan in his dream!
Lately, he had been dreaming of some familiar female devotees, and every time he woke up the next morning, he found himself completely naked!
Had he contracted some kind of YY Syndrome and was dreaming of shameful things in the middle of the night?
"Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun!"
"Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun!"
"Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun!"
Wu Qiong formed a mudra with his fingers and repeatedly recited the Clear Heart Mantra ten times in his mind.
When he felt his thoughts return to a state of desirelessness, he finished washing up and went out to have breakfast.
Bai Shuang sat in the restaurant, eating breakfast in large bites. She had to eat more today. It was her turn to work the day shift, and she needed to eat well to have the energy to work.
But as soon as Bai Shuang looked up and saw Wu Qiong, she lost her calm! "Dad! You're such a hypocrite! You won't let me go date, but you're out there living it up!"
"What's wrong with me?" Wu Qiong felt guilty. He wasn't even sure if the female devotees he kept dreaming about recently were real or just illusions. Now that his daughter had caught him, he had no confidence in his words!
"Look for yourself!" Bai Shuang drew a virtual mirror in the air and slapped it right in front of Wu Qiong. "See what's on your neck!"
Wu Qiong looked into the mirror, and his whole body froze!
There, on his neck, was a hickey!!!
Wu Qiong's face turned bright red! How could this be? Where did the hickey on his neck come from?!
He hadn't even noticed while washing up earlier.
"Shuang'er, don't think too much!" Wu Qiong began to stammer, trying to explain, "It's not what you think, it's just an accident!"
"An accident?" Bai Shuang looked at Wu Qiong with disdain. "I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. Man or woman? Are you trying to get me a stepdad or a stepmom?"
Wu Qiong quickly waved his hands and said, "Shuang'er, trust me! Yesterday I was… I was doing cupping therapy! Yes, cupping therapy! I've been under a lot of stress lately, and my fire was rising. So I did cupping to relieve the heat."
Bai Shuang rolled her eyes, almost to the other side of the galaxy: "Who are you fooling? You probably forgot, but I also studied medicine!"
Such shame! Wu Qiong tugged at his collar, trying to hide the two red marks on his neck. Unfortunately, his collar was too short, and his attempt to cover up only made it seem more suspicious!
Bai Shuang couldn't care less about Wu Qiong's personal affairs, as long as no stepdad or stepmom showed up in front of her, she would turn a blind eye. After all, Wu Qiong had it tough all these years.
The old city lord of Whale Fall passed away twenty-five years ago, and since then, Whale Fall City has been able to function thanks to Wu Qiong's hard work.
Though Wu Qiong lacked the ambition and courage of the old city lord, the scale of Whale Fall City hadn't expanded in the past twenty-five years. But Wu Qiong didn't let the city's business shrink either, and as of today, Whale Fall City still ranks sixth among all satellite cities.
That's why the six major families were willing to set aside their pride and unite to attack Whale Fall City. Especially for the families ranked lower, once they took Whale Fall City, they would have a chance to surpass the others in space.
Before leaving, Bai Shuang even comforted, "Dad, you've been too tired lately. You need to rest more."
Her words warmed Wu Qiong's heart, and he smiled in relief: "Don't worry, Shuang'er, I'll protect Whale Fall City for you."
Bai Shuang smiled too: "We father and daughter are of one mind. No matter how many billions of people there are, no one can take our Whale Fall City!"
After Bai Shuang left, Wu Qiong suddenly grabbed the tea flower girl, who was cleaning the dishes, and asked, "Tea flower, what time did you sleep last night?"
"Huh?" The tea flower girl's face turned red. "I went to sleep at eleven. Why is the Taoist asking this?"
"Nothing." Wu Qiong shook his head uneasily. "I just wanted to ask, did you hear anything unusual coming from my room last night?"
"Well..." The tea flower girl's face turned even redder! "I can understand, Taoist. It's natural for people to do that kind of thing."
"Huh?!" Wu Qiong's eyes widened in shock! "What did you hear?!"
The tea flower girl was so embarrassed that she couldn't even look up. Her head was almost bent at a 90-degree angle, and she dared not face Wu Qiong with her flushed cheeks. "I've read books on the subject before. Taoist, expressing oneself like this helps mental and physical health and even boosts immunity."
"Oh my god!" Wu Qiong slapped his own face. Last night, he had indeed let his mind wander in his dreams, and now he had physically acted on it too!