Lu Ce strolled along the street, observing each person wandering in the community as he went.
Previously, he hadn't felt anything amiss, but after meeting that woman earlier, he began to sense that quite a few people among these crowds seemed off.
Of course, this was mostly just his paranoia;
the Apostles had just emerged and didn't have that kind of scale yet.
However, the flow of people on the streets had indeed increased by now, most of whom appeared to be players.
Though no one was really communicating, presumably, they were all waiting for the region to descend, planning their movements based on the direction of the contraction.
Game players... were there really this many?
Looking at the bustling crowds on the street, everyone was experiencing for the first time the actual sensation that so many of their own kind existed around them.
"You're definitely going to participate in the game, right? After it starts, what do you plan to do during those three hours of contraction time?"
Black Knight was feeling a bit bored at the moment and casually asked.
Lu Ce replied rather flatly.
Actually, when Xie Antong first told him about the Apostles, he hadn't felt much about it.
It was already the beginning of a chaotic era;
whatever organization it was, as long as they didn't provoke him, it was fine.
But just a few hours ago, Xie Antong had specifically called him, posing a profoundly soul-searching question to him.
A few hours earlier:
"You shouldn't think this organization has nothing to do with you, right? No matter what new elements this game update brings, they will ultimately be related to you." Xie Antong said.
"I know." Lu Ce nodded. "But I don't think I can consider that much;
I can only clear everything I encounter first."
"It's fine, I can do the considering." Xie Antong replied, then added with a cough. "Well... anyway, this counts as a personal hobby of mine."
"You told me before that the game itself likely didn't want to launch version 3.0 at this time. I think your guess makes sense."
"As time passes, the things the game exposes are actually increasing. My current judgment about its relationship with God is that this game restricts God."
"Given the immense power They have displayed, the fact that dealing with you requires so many convoluted methods is the best proof."
"For example, when you insulted God to Their face, They still adhered so strictly to the rules, unable to directly strike you down."
Lu Ce frowned. Honestly, as the one who experienced it firsthand, he could easily arrive at these conjectures himself.
But...
"However, there is a problem." Lu Ce responded. "Back when I faced War, he threatened me. From the implication, it seemed like the game's rules were ultimately decided by Them."
"Yes! Did They really say They created the game?" Xie Antong's voice suddenly carried a hint of pleasant surprise, followed by a complaint:
"Tell me such news earlier in the future!"
Lu Ce: ...
"Then, I think my conjecture aligns."
"If we analogize the CHOSEN'S PARADISE! game to a real 'game' designed by programmers, I currently have two hypotheses."
"The first hypothesis: All the Gods collectively created this game but cannot fully control it."
"The second hypothesis: Adding new rules is much easier than deleting or modifying existing ones!"
After Xie Antong finished speaking, both of them fell silent.
For the first time, Lu Ce was completely stunned by her hypothesis. Holding his phone, he felt as if he were gripping a scalding branding iron.
He didn't understand programming and such very well, only knowing some superficial knowledge. However, as far as he knew, Xie Antong had won a national gold medal in informatics competitions...
"You... actually analogized the game to a real 'game,' a kind of program?"
"Why not?" Xie Antong laughed. At this moment, her voice began to carry a bit of Pleasure's temperament. "God is the programmer."
"This explains why They clearly harbor killing intent towards you yet don't act directly, instead repeatedly updating the game, stirring up hatred against you among players and The People."
"Because deleting or modifying existing critical code might cause the entire program to crash, but adding some patches comes at a much simpler cost."
"God is the programmer. The game is the crawler program They designed. And each world is a website being invaded."
"You are the bug that suddenly appeared within it! They want to fix and eliminate you, this bug, but dare not wield the axe too boldly, fearing it would cause the entire program to crash..."
Xie Antong's voice grew more and more excited as she spoke, as if she had glimpsed the essence of the world.
"Stop talking..." Lu Ce fell somewhat silent.
"Ahem, well, I might have gotten a bit excited. But now, I think this hypothesis has a high probability of being correct."
"In short, be more careful yourself. Things like the Apostles, or some new elements appearing in the 3.0 game, might all contain useful information."
After this exchange, the two of them hung up their phones.
......
Lu Ce walked along the street, feeling the evening breeze blowing under the sunset. Even now, he could recall the shock he felt while listening to Xie Antong's speculations back then.
"Tell me, which is more dangerous: the one who gazes into the abyss, or the one who challenges the abyss?" Lu Ce asked Black Knight.
"What kind of messy talk is this? Why bring this up suddenly?" Black Knight brushed it off with a laugh. "What, starting to worry about your little sweetheart?"
Lu Ce: ...
"When I'm discussing serious matters with you, it's better not to make jokes like that."
"Ah... suit yourself. But I think you might be underestimating her a bit." Black Knight said with a laugh.
"What, are you the only one allowed to have something worth abandoning your life to pursue, and she's not allowed to start having one too?"
"You should be congratulating her."
"My opinion is, don't bother thinking about that 'God is the programmer' stuff for now. Let her think about it. You should first listen to her advice and deal with those Apostles;
that's the proper business."