Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

Failsafe

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

So did he really take his older brothers brain out?

On the corridor of the 11thfloor of the psychiatric hospital, the three Missiontakers are having a discussion.

As soon as Liang Xingyi mentioned his older brothers brain, he fell silent, never responding to Mu Jiashi and the others questions again. He only stared at the glass container the entire time.

Just as he said, hes someone whos easily absorbed in his own world.

I think so, Mu Jiashi calmly analyses, do you remember what he said? He said his older brother cant wake up, but he still has brain activity. He may think his older brothers body has become useless, but

Mystic dryly adds, but an AI programme can accept the electronic signals.

Both Mu Jiashi and Shen Ynj are quiet.

Its so mind-bogglingly insane that they wonder how far gone is Liang Xingyi.

They cannot fathom how anyone can possess such utterly depraved, unethical thoughts besides being clinically insane.

Mu Jiashi, as a postgraduate, also needed to enter laboratories for his studies.

He still remembers vividly, the moment he entered the Ultimate Nightmare, and then exited from a laboratory of Qcheng University, there were the guidelines posted on the wall next to him.

What Liang Xingyi is doing, is an experiment involving a living persons brain, that could quite possibly kill him. Its murder.

But he succeeded, Shen Ynj says with a complicated tone, the AI he made has human emotions.

Mu Jiashi holds his breath for a while before exhaling slowly, and reiterates, this is only a game.

As if by magic, the words lift the mood quite a lot. At least, its not as stiff the entire premise is horrifying to them.

If their brain was transferred into some robot and only fed stimulation from something outside, to trigger different emotions and the release of hormones If the brain in a jar is no longer a fantasy

Mu Jiashi shudders.

God bless this being only a game. A game company realising whatever ambitions they have in a game.

Mystic, though, says, but in reality Earth

Mu Jiashi and Shen Ynj look at each other, nonplussed.

Then Mu Jiashi sighs and says, lets stop thinking about that. What we need to do is get this Ultimate Nightmare over with and leave this damned game.

Their objective is clear, once again.

The analysis continues, so, the AI in the Tower is programmed by Liang Xingyi; Liang Zhiyis brain contributes to the more emotional side of the AI.

Clearly, the stiff programming of the AI has the upper hand, adds Shen Ynj, Im not even sure if Liang Zhiyi is still alive.

Do AIs still dream? Mystic asks with a hollow tone, do they feel human emotions?

I do not think AIs dream, Mu Jiashi replies quite coldly, it is a tool do you ever suspect your hammers, wrenches, pens and paper to dream?

Shen Ynj refutes, but AI is capable of thought.

If you define thought as processing information via a set logic Then yes, AIs think, Mu Jiashi says, but they are volitional. The thoughts are conscious.

Shen Ynj and Mystic are looking at him, not getting at why the definition of thinking is involved.

Then Mu Jiashi explains, dreaming lies with the subconscious. This type of unhelpful and unconscious thinking process is not part of an AIs repertoireAnd if they are aware, they will also classify these as meaningless waste of energy.

AIs value only efficiency.

Shen Ynj gasps slightly; he isnt sure why, but he thinks, he might have had a glimpse of something terrifying through what Mu Jiashi just said.

Then, he asks, so youre suggesting, that NEs Nightmare actually comes from Liang Zhiyis brain?

Pausing for a moment, Mu Jiashi says, yes, thats what I think.

The corridor falls silent once more.

The premise of everything theyve discussed thus far, is that every element in the game is justified, rather than just a game setting written without consistency.

This conflicts with how the AI of the Tower has a dream.

As far as their human experiences suggest, AIs will not dream, because they are tools, a section of programme.

Do computers dream?

No one would think so.

So why does the AI of the Tower have a dream?

Why would it even have emotions like fear or fright? All the while equally possessing the coldness of AI?

Now an explanation is here because this AI has Liang Zhiyis brain.

They have no idea how Liang Xingyi did it.

But somehow, that hemispherical glass container has become the jar of the brain in a jar.

The jar, connected to the programme for the AI he wrote Powered up by the same source

Perhaps the brain was somehow provided with stimulationvis--visreality

Thats about it.

They do not know how Liang Xingyi realised all of this, but, this is still a game.

It is definitely logical, but not necessarily everything in the game can be replicated in reality.

Though as he thinks about it once more, Mu Jiashi furrows his brows, asking, do you feel like were missing something here?

Shen Ynj and Mystic both look at each other.

Mystic then says, about how the brain was worked on?

Liang Xingyi studied something related to computer engineering, artificial intelligence and programming. He may be such a genius he can bring the brain in a jar to life, but the brain itself Mu Jiashi thinks and says, he must have had the help of professionals; doctors, mustnt he?

Liang Xingyi himself could never have pulled it off, even if it wasnt entirely alien to his studies.

Shen Ynj thinks, and asks about something, didnt Liang Xingyi say he had people help him renovate the Operating Room?

Mu Jiashi gets it, those who helped him renovate probably had to know what Liang Xingyi was up to They must be the ones helping him the entire way!

Both Shen Ynj and Mystic agree to the conclusion.

Mu Jiashi looks back at the door to the Operating Room, Liang Xingyi isnt speaking any time soon, so we might have to find those people who help him.

Where could they be? Asks Shen Ynj, in the hospital? Elsewhere?

Mu Jiashi ponders for a moment, then says, I dont believethey're in this hospital with him. Probably from elsewhere, who heard about whats going on here, and then followed Liang Xingyi to this place Did we miss any clues?

They think for a moment, but Mu Jiashi couldnt come up with anything else.

The people mentioned thus far include the good samaritan who called an ambulance for Liang Zhiyi when he collapsed; people Liang Zhiyi must have come to know when he dropped out of school to work shifts for Liang Xingyi, who might also know these people; perhaps, even fellow students at Liang Xingyis university.

But all these options only lead to one conclusion they do not have time to look for or ask them. They need to quickly find a wayTo end this Nightmare for good.

So Mu Jiashi pushes his earlier ideas aside, saying, I guess we shouldnt think about whos helping him either.

Then he takes a moment to gather, continuing, even if there are such people, were still missing the forest for the trees. The key problem is gathering more information about the AI and the older brother of Liang Xingyi.

Mystic thinks and then says, why did he have to connect his older brothers brain to the AI? Is he trying to revive him?

Revive?

Both Mu Jiashi and Shen Ynj pause for thought.

Neither of the more pragmatic-minded Missiontakers thought in this direction. They were simply disgusted by the unconscionable act, which, terrifyingly, succeeded.

In a game. But still.

So they were ignoring any fundamentally more understandable reason Liang Xingyi is doing all this.

Hes succeeded, so they were too concerned about the result and impact, than the underlying causes.

Especially when, taking place during the spread of madness, everything could be explained away just by labelling Liang Xingyi as mad.

But Mystic, more sharply and carefully tuned to such affairs, did not let the possible truth behind the tragedy escape her.

Why must Liang Xingyi stuff his older brothers brain into an AI in the first place? What could it be if not outright insanity?

His older brother wasnt long for this world.

Liang Xingyi refuses to accept it.

This is what drove him to do it. He is making it so his older brother can continue living in the programming of an AI.

And, just as he said, Liang Zhiyi still had brain activity. Hes still alive in the sense that he has brain activity.

Reviving his older brother? Shen Ynj asks, pointing out that, in the Tower, though, clearly, the artificial intelligence part is the one calling the shots

Mystic asks quietly, did he fail?

Or Mu Jiashi ponders some possibility; his eyes almost seem to sparkle, his older brothers consciousness is still asleep? He is yet to wake up? Thats why thats how you have Nightmares So, the grey fog

He stops.

So the grey fog is always there, Shen Ynj tries to finish the sentence, is that what you want to say?

Mu Jiashi, silent, then starts smiling bitterly, asking, but, that X Beijin X Beijin, is he Liang Zhiyi?