I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 348

Chapter 348: Counting All the Stars with Arithmetic

 

Despite today being a Monday, the number of people at the Café has increased rather than decreased. These patrons have boosted the café’s breakfast sales, making the place look like it’s in the middle of a peak dining period from early morning.

 

“Hey, bro, you’re here to play too?”

“Wow! Brother Zhang! What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to see you here. This place is a haven for otaku, and you…”

“So what if it’s for otaku? Can’t an old guy like me enjoy it too? I’m just here for breakfast, you know. Last night, my friends and I played that wormhole game all night, and we never got tired of it. It’s been a long time since a game made me feel this way.”

 

When Xiao Mo, Yueyue, and I arrived at the café, I saw that the first floor was already crowded. Some people looked quite tired, as if they’d been gaming all night, but their energy levels were like a Husky that had been cooped up for a long time and was suddenly given a lot of toys and food.

 

“Some experts have studied it. The worlds beyond the wormholes are completely random. There’s no way you can handle it with the starting equipment.”

 

“Not necessarily. Not all worlds are dangerous. Yesterday, one of our buddies ended up in a world similar to Earth and brought back a lot of seeds. Now he’s addicted to farming.”

 

“You can farm in this game?”

 

“Of course! What do you mean ‘can’? Any profession or activity you can think of in real life, this game probably has it. They didn’t spend ten years developing it for nothing. Some people love the Stardew Valley style of gameplay—farming, raising chickens and ducks, and even alien creatures. I’m telling you, even the seeds are random, and the things you grow can mutate!”

 

As usual, I was used to the café getting busier by the day. Passing by these enthusiastic gamers, Xiao Mo and I headed upstairs to the changing room to get dressed.

 

“Have you played “Age of Aquarius” yet? It just came out yesterday, and my social media is flooded with it.”

 

“Of course, I played it. But I’m not into fighting. I prefer the pastoral gameplay, so I went out and found a lot of seeds to plant vegetables.”

 

To my surprise, a few girls on the second floor who were drinking milk tea were also discussing “Age of Aquarius”.

 

“Farming at home? Which server did you choose? Did you buy a house that quickly?”

 

“Not at all. I’m in Orca. The housing prices there are comparable to those in major cities, about fifty to sixty thousand per square meter. But you don’t need to buy a house to farm. I planted my vegetables in the wild. I found a secluded spot, planted the seeds, watered them, and dug up some soil nearby. With earthworms to enrich the soil, it’s as good as fertilized. I planted a lot of tomatoes, which can also be used as a red dye. If you ever need any, just let me know.”

 

“Won’t your crops get stolen if you plant them like that?”

 

“The vegetables haven’t grown yet. I’ll guard them once they bear fruit. Have you played “Minecraft”? It’s pretty much the same—you can do anything in the wild. Oh, by the way, since the game just launched, many rich players need earthworms to enrich their soil. You can sell each earthworm for five yuan. I made over a hundred yuan just wandering around in the wild, like finding free money.”

 

Wow, this game has really taken off.

 

The girls’ conversation made me glance at Xiao Mo next to me. Speaking of which, what did we do when we played yesterday?

 

After completing the newbie tutorial and basic game introduction, Xiao Mo and I first took a tour around Orca City, talked to some NPCs, and then used our high-end home computer to enjoy the scenery and night views. It seemed like we did nothing much before logging off.

 

What impressed me the most about this game is how almost everything that can be randomized is randomized.

 

It utilizes “big data” and “intelligent AI,” and this intelligent AI is even embedded in the dialogue of every NPC. For instance, in a store, each person’s interaction with the shopkeeper NPC brings up different dialogue options. Some hear “What do you want?” others get “See anything you need?” and some might hear “I’m on my phone, just tell me what you want to buy.” This is a stark contrast to the traditional NPCs who repeat the same line no matter how many times you talk to them.

 

Some people even posted scenes on forums where they repeatedly “teased” an NPC by talking to them multiple times. Eventually, the NPC would get “angry” and respond with lines like, “Are you going to buy something or not? Stop asking if you’re not buying,” “I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” or even “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” The level of detail in this game is truly terrifying.

 

When generating the “general store owner” NPC, the system even simulated real-world data: what time the store owner gets up every day, whether the store is open 24 hours, what they say to different people, and what responses they give at different times of the day.

 

There’s even an NPC impression system—people who repeatedly ask the NPC questions without buying anything get labeled as “annoying broke chatterbox,” which influences subsequent interactions and feedback.

 

The simulation of just one NPC is already this detailed. Although some of the responses can occasionally feel like “dumb AI,” it’s still far superior to many traditional games today.

 

Last night, when Xiao Mo and I were experiencing “Age of Aquarius”, we genuinely felt it was vastly superior to traditional games. It gave us a sense that it wasn’t even the same kind of game. It felt like a “dimensional reduction strike.”

 

“Nuo’er.”

 

While changing clothes, I heard Xiao Mo’s voice from the neighboring changing room.

 

“Where do you plan to go for the first stop of our honeymoon tomorrow?”

 

“Um…”

 

As I was taking off my clothes, I thought aloud, “Does Xiao Mo have any suggestions?”

 

Come to think of it, in catgirl mode, my chest really did seem bigger.

 

I tried reaching out and giving my chest a squeeze.

 

Moreover, my figure was noticeably more “sexy” in this mode.

 

So far, in my human form, my chest is relatively small, and I have a bit of a “baby fat” look overall. My thighs are plump, my little belly slightly bulges with a vague outline, but it’s not unappealing.

Since I exercised frequently during that time, there’s a faint line in the middle of my belly, which could be an abs. In elf mode, my chest is completely flat, and my limbs are slimmer, making me look like a true little elf, with the lightest weight.

In catgirl mode, however, the proportions are more… well, the parts that should be plump are plump, and the parts that should be wide are wide.

 

Now, not only has my chest become larger, but my hips feel significantly wider, with noticeably more flesh on my buttocks. Consequently, the underbust and waist circumferences of my upper body are smaller.

 

“Me? I don’t have any specific suggestions. Nuo’er can choose wherever you like.”

 

Xiao Mo from the neighboring changing room didn’t seem surprised by my response. “How about we throw a dart?”

 

“Throw a dart?”

 

“It’s a popular method among some travel vloggers on Tongmeng. You get a map, blindfold yourself, and throw a dart. Wherever it lands, that’s where you go.”

 

“That sounds so romantic!”

 

I put on my café uniform, slipped my legs into the Gothic-style tights, and then into my shoes, quickly tidying up in front of the mirror.

 

“So Xiao Mo is fine with going anywhere?”

 

“For the first time, we can plan the trip within the country.”

 

Xiao Mo replied from the other side, “We’ll throw the dart twice. The first time, Nuo’er will throw it to decide the province. The second time, I’ll throw it to pinpoint the destination.”

 

“Really?”

 

I was curious. “With Xiao Mo throwing, wouldn’t it be like choosing a specific place even with the blindfold on?”

 

“I’ll rely on my instincts with all senses blocked.”

 

Xiao Mo seemed to have already changed and was now outside the door. “Sensory blocking is just a minor spell.”

 

Really? I have a feeling that you’ll definitely do some weird little trick when the time comes…

 

I pushed the door open and stepped out into the corridor.

 

“Don’t forget the kiss.”

 

Leaning in next to Xiao Mo, we did our usual pre-work routine, brushing our faces against each other. Xiao Mo planted a kiss on my left cheek, and in return, I bared my fangs and rubbed against her right cheek, leaving some glistening liquid as a mark.

 

“Cat form is still the best.”

 

Xiao Mo didn’t wipe off the liquid, looking quite pleased. “On the last day, let’s go to Ouyang Xue’s place and see if she has a map.”

 

I took Xiao Mo’s hand. “Sure.”

 

Today was our last day of work for the month, and also the day when the luxurious VR equipment at the underground first floor’s Gabriel livestream would be showcased.

 

Without a doubt, Ouyang Xue would be at the Little Bird’s Lounge helping out around this time.

 

“Hey, Xiao Nuo.”

 

As we descended in the elevator to the first floor, amidst the crowd, Fei Luo, busy mixing cocktails at the bar, quickly sensed our presence.

 

“Is nobody having breakfast upstairs?”

 

“There are many, but everyone couldn’t wait for us to get breakfast, so they’re all waiting at the kitchen door, so we came down.”

 

I glanced around. “Where’s Sister Ouyang?”

 

“She’s over at Gabriel’s side. She seems interested in the VR equipment at the café.”

 

Fei Luo continued to display her bartending skills as usual, with various splashes of water and flipping glasses in the air.

 

“Would you like a drink, Nuo’er?”

 

“No, no, it’s bad for my health,” I waved my hand repeatedly. “Plus, it makes me thirsty.”

 

“If you’re thirsty, just drink more water.”

 

Fei Luo chuckled. “You can’t handle it now. When Xiao Mo’s original body comes, you’ll probably pass out.”

 

I’ve passed out several times already, okay!

 

Together with Xiao Mo, we arrived at the most luxurious VR section of the Little Bird’s Nest Lounge. Here, I saw Gabriel, wearing a headset and holding two sensors and controllers, standing in the center of the section. In front of her, a large screen displayed a very clear game scene — a massive wormhole had opened, and several robot frames were making various preparations at the entrance.

 

“That’s Gabriel, you’re a girl, right? Don’t fall behind later.”

 

Even though there were several meters between us, I heard the voice of her teammate coming from the game.

 

“We chose a wormhole with some danger this time. There might be various alien creatures. Why did you only bring a grappling hook? Can humans even use that thing?”

 

“Big sister, don’t just think about giants. Learn from previous beta testers. This thing really isn’t something humans can use. Sometimes the gravity on alien planets is different from Earth, making it very difficult to operate. Change it, you can switch to a small handgun.”

 

“No need.”

 

Then came Gabriel’s confident voice, “Just follow me and pick up items.”

 

“I’ve never seen anyone so bold. It’s only the first day of the game’s launch!”

 

You could tell that the few guys teamed up with Gabriel were not pleased. One of the older men said, “Let me be honest with you, big sister. I’m a beta tester, you know? That grappling hook of yours, we tried it out for half a month during the beta. It’s okay for flying around in the city, but for exploring alien worlds, forget about it.”

 

“I can use it, I’ve tried it.”

 

“Gabriel still maintained her usual calm and confident demeanor.

 

“Hurry up and start the game.”

 

“……”

 

“Oh, Sister Ouyang.”

 

I saw Ouyang Xue, who was adjusting Gabriel’s live streaming room, on the other side.

 

“Do you have a world map?”

 

“Yes, there is one in the small warehouse next to the bar.”

 

Ouyang Xue turned around. “Are the lovebirds already planning a trip?”

 

“Yeah,” I nodded, gesturing toward Gabriel. “She’s…”

 

“Oh, they’re doing random wormhole runs with three older men as teammates. There are over eight hundred thousand viewers now.”

 

Ouyang Xue couldn’t hide her smile.

 

“It’s only the second day of the live stream, and it’s already gaining traction.”

 

“You two can watch here. Gabriel might not be having the best luck, but her skills are top-notch.”

 

“……”

 

……