Aside from robots, normal humans could never achieve this level. They might be able to mimic it closely, but the volume and tone of each word would inevitably differ to some extent, including subtle facial muscle movements. It was impossible for anyone to be completely unchanged, not even a single eyebrow twitching!
Even Xin Meng was a bit puzzled. Could this really be a human? Was it a robot?
In the end, it was the game-loving Xiong Jiabao who snapped back to reality, standing up from the ground and inadvertently hitting the nail on the head, “Could this be an NPC programmed in the game, repeating the same line every time you click the mouse?”
Xin Meng and Dong Xiu thought about it and felt this possibility was very high. Meanwhile, Li Yougen, who had never played games, looked completely confused, not understanding what they were talking about. He just stared at the neurotic who kept repeating the same line, his legs trembling in fear. Qi Xiaokui unexpectedly mocked him with a cold smile, “Don’t wet your pants here. It’s not ventilated, and if you scare the ghost to death, the mission will be impossible to complete.”
Li Yougen’s face turned from blue to red, but he had once used Qi Xiaokui as a shield against zombies, so he felt guilty and could only curse a few profanities in his heart, yet he lacked the courage to act.
Later, Xin Meng and Xiong Jiabao tried a few more times, and even Dong Xiu chimed in. They basically confirmed that Xiong Jiabao’s earlier statement was the correct answer. Just like in ordinary 2D or 3D games or web games, NPCs were programmed to respond in the same way every time you clicked. They would always say the same line in the same posture. Originally, they mostly saw flat graphics, but now they were face to face with a real person who looked flesh and blood, and even felt warm to the touch, yet they were performing actions as unchanging as flat graphics. Not only did they lack the cuteness of NPCs in games, but they also appeared downright creepy!
Xin Meng pulled Xiong Jiabao back a couple of steps, distancing themselves from the Shamate youth. The youth turned back to face forward, maintaining the same posture they had seen when they first boarded the bus.
“So, so scary,” Xiong Jiabao trembled, gripping Xin Meng’s arm tightly, his large frame trying to huddle behind her, looking quite ridiculous. “I never felt this way while playing games. Why is it so terrifying in real life!”
Xin Meng was at a loss for words, just as she was about to comfort him, Dong Xiu sneered, “Idiot! This is the normal scene that should appear in a game. Those NPCs with self-awareness who can talk to you are the real horror!”
Although his attitude was poor, he was indeed correct. This kind of NPC without self-awareness was quite normal, wasn’t it? Those NPCs that looked just like real people were the strange and more terrifying ones. From the beginning with Jiezi to everyone in Xiuse Village, they had almost led them to a dead end.
However, despite thinking this way, in such a closed environment, they still couldn’t shake off the eerie and fearful feeling that clung to them like a parasite.
After a while, Xiong Jiabao finally mustered up the courage again, and Dong Xiu used the voluptuous woman sitting behind them as bait. He agreed to continue moving back to ask other NPCs what they would say. However, when he passed by the seat behind the Shamate youth, he inadvertently glanced at the chair next to it and let out a terrified scream, immediately turning back and sprinting back to hide behind Xin Meng!
“What happened?” Xin Meng was startled by him.
“There, there’s something there!”
Xiong Jiabao bent over, his head tucked behind Xin Meng, only extending his arm to point. Xin Meng didn’t see anything and had to drag a large “package” over. When she got closer, she was also startled to find that the seat wasn’t empty; there was an old, tattered rabbit doll!
This was the eighth passenger on the bus!
The doll was very dirty and old, its white body had turned gray-black, and it had several patches sewn on it. One ear had been torn off and hung limply to the side, exposing dirty cotton inside, looking as if it had just been dug out of a trash heap. However, its two bright red eyes were exceptionally clear and bright, and when glanced at casually, they seemed to even glow with the refraction of light.
No wonder Xiong Jiabao was so scared; seeing a doll comparable to those frequently appearing in horror movies in such an environment could easily terrify someone. Xiong Jiabao almost directly claimed that this doll was the demon!
But it couldn’t be confirmed yet, as the doll lay quietly there, showing no reaction to their arrival. Xin Meng tentatively shouted at the doll, and a strange sound responded, “Jiji jigu gu…”
It seemed like there was a sound device inside, emitting a childish giggle meant to amuse girls, echoing in the bus. Li Yougen was almost scared to death!
“What is that!” he yelled, retreating to the front door, nervously clutching his suit jacket caught in the door, as if that would provide him with more security, and shouted, “Is that thing the demon! Is it!”
Xin Meng stared intently at the doll but saw no change. She shook her head, “No, at least not now. It’s just an ordinary doll.”
However, Xiong Jiabao was too scared to pass by the doll to talk to the woman, so Xin Meng had to go herself. As a result, You Yi, who had been leaning against the side with his arms crossed since they boarded, straightened up, “I’ll go with you.”
Xiong Jiabao: “…” The disparity in treatment was overwhelming!
With someone accompanying her, Xin Meng felt braver and tried to ignore the doll that was still incessantly “jiji jigu gu,” walking towards the woman who was blowing kisses at her.
“Hello…” Xin Meng didn’t know what to say. Actually, it didn’t matter what she said; she just needed to spark a conversation to get the NPC’s attention, equivalent to “clicking the mouse.”
The heavily made-up seductive woman said to Xin Meng in a sweet voice, “Handsome, want to have some fun?”
Xin Meng: “…”
You Yi suddenly asked Xin Meng, “Are you moved?”
Xin Meng was baffled and hadn’t replied when the woman turned to You Yi and blew him a kiss, “Handsome, want to have some fun?”
You Yi: “…”
Xin Meng: “Hahahahaha!”
Xiong Jiabao looked at Xin Meng, who was almost laughing to the point of choking, and admiredly said to Qi Xiaokui beside him, “Xin, you really have a thick skin. You can still laugh at a time like this. I would have lost my mood long ago!”
Qi Xiaokui looked at him as if he were an idiot and thought to herself, how can you still have the nerve to say others are thick-skinned? “People in love come with a shield.”
Originally, Xiong Jiabao had just said that casually, but unexpectedly received a response from Qi Xiaokui. He looked at the girl in surprise, “Oh, sister, I find your words very clever, and your sarcasm is so sharp. I like it! By the way, sister, your hair looks very energetic like this. Why did you make it look so ghostly before? Sister, let me tell you…”
Qi Xiaokui: “…”
Over there, You Yi had already dragged Xin Meng, who was laughing so hard she couldn’t stand up straight, away from the woman’s range, and they reached the last row. In the middle of that row sat a young couple, who were already huddled together whispering, so they could hear clearly as they got closer.
The boy: “Do you want hot milk tea or roasted sweet potatoes?”
The girl: “I want both~”
The boy: “You can only choose one.”
The girl: “Then I want chocolate~”
The boy: “Aren’t you trying to lose weight?”
The girl: “Not today~”
Just this three-question, three-answer exchange kept repeating. Xin Meng wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and said to the two, “Hello,” but they didn’t pay her any attention, continuing to repeat their dialogue. This indicated that these few lines were the “lines” of this young couple.
It seemed they were in the throes of love; the girl kept acting cute, and the boy looked doting, making onlookers envious.
For some reason, he couldn’t help but steal a glance at You Yi’s icy face from the corner of his eye.
Xin Meng: “…”
Just thinking about the expression that might appear on You Yi’s face made him feel goosebumps all over…
Wanting to shake off this eerie feeling, Xin Meng took a few steps forward, not following the order to ask, but instead walked back to the front, starting from the first seat on the right.
The woman holding a child had her head down, and from a distance, her expression was unclear. However, as she got closer, it became evident that she was actually half-squinting, and her lips were moving. When Xin Meng walked beside her, she could hear the woman humming a nursery rhyme, the melody intermittent and very familiar, the lullaby: “Sleep, sleep, my dear baby…”
The woman’s soft and casual singing was too quiet; Xin Meng had to strain her ears to hear it all. She greeted the woman with a “hello,” and this time the song was not a line. The woman raised her head, looked at Xin Meng, and put her index finger to her lips, “Shh—don’t wake my baby.”
After saying that, she lowered her head again to look at the bundle in her arms. Xin Meng followed her gaze but couldn’t see the child’s face. The small opening was mostly covered by soft fabric, leaving only a shadow.
Silent.
Was there really a child in there?
He felt a bit uneasy and quickly took two steps back to continue, and behind him was the old man who looked very unfriendly.
“Hello, hello…” Xin Meng wasn’t very good at dealing with elderly people, so she tried to be polite.
“Bang!”
Unexpectedly, the old man reacted very strongly, slamming his cane down hard on the ground, making a dull sound, and then angrily shouted at Xin Meng, “Respect the elderly first, love the young second! Whoever doesn’t give me their seat, I’ll slap them!”
Xin Meng shivered in fright and quickly stepped back, fearing the old man would really hit him with his cane…
The tall middle-aged man behind was also nervously muttering to himself. Xin Meng leaned in to listen, and he was saying, “I really don’t want to go home. I forgot to buy her flowers. That yellow-faced woman will definitely scold me, nagging every day that I’m keeping a mistress outside, and I haven’t even sent her flowers. She doesn’t think about how little pocket money she gives me; it’s not even enough to buy cigarettes, let alone keep a mistress! Who has a mistress that doesn’t cost money!”
His words were the longest. After listening, Xin Meng suddenly felt like laughing for some reason. What he said was quite realistic; who has a mistress that doesn’t cost money?
The author has something to say:
Little theater:
Meng has one word: (rolls up sleeves) In this day and age, men become bad when they have money. Quickly, hand over the money!
Most love little Mengmeng: (silently)……
Meng has one word: (angrily) What, do you still want to keep the money to hook up with a mistress?
Most love little Mengmeng: ……I…… have no money……
Meng has one word: (Σ( ° △ °)︴) Liar! You clearly have a face that looks rich and handsome!
Most love little Mengmeng: You’re mostly not wrong…… just cross out that middle character.
Meng has one word: ……= =b
