Chapter 225 - 91: Truth Serum and Broad-mouthed Bottle

Chapter 225: Chapter 91: Truth Serum and Broad-mouthed Bottle

He paused for a moment to organize his thoughts, then continued typing:

"Do you guys remember that ’no hot-updating’ mechanism Wen Xiao discovered during the test this afternoon?"

Yang Yiyi replied:

"You mean the one where the script keeps running its original version as long as someone is still inside the dream? The one that prevents you from adding new content midway?"

"Exactly. We used to think it was a bug that made iteration impossible, but now it looks like this ’flaw’ has become a natural firewall for the Dream Net."

"A firewall?" Yang Yiyi asked.

"Oh! I get it! If there’s no hot-updating, that means the script’s content is finite and fixed! In other words, once a dream-entry audio is generated, the script is locked in." Wen Xiao sent a cat sticker that looked like it just had a revelation, her every word practically buzzing with excitement:

"If these scripts could undergo a strict ’code audit’ before being released, and their contents were made transparent and public, then bad actors wouldn’t have the opportunity to hide malicious, manipulative commands inside to steal memories."

Yu Xian typed in agreement:

"Exactly. It’s like the nutrition label on food packaging. As long as users can clearly see what’s inside before going in, they can avoid getting tricked."

"In that case, if multiplayer audio files start spreading, I’ll make a small website. Or I could just integrate the feature directly into the ’Rabbit Hole’ offline tool. It would be specifically for parsing the fourth part of the dream-entry audio," Wen Xiao continued.

"How would you parse it?" Yu Xian asked.

"I can write a program that automatically decompiles the ’blueprint’ part of the audio into plain text that an average person can understand. That way, anyone with an audio file can scan it with our tool first to see the exact contents, so they won’t get duped!" Wen Xiao said happily.

"Good idea. Or we could provide this technology to the relevant authorities. They could form an ’auditing’ body for multiplayer audio files, offering waveform analysis and code audits for the blueprint section. That would be another line of defense," Yu Xian suggested.

Watching the lines of text appear on the screen, the tension in Yu Xian’s brow finally eased a little.

Fight magic with magic. Fight code with code.

In this unseen war, this was perhaps the most solid shield they could find for now.

Their strength was minuscule compared to the unknown behemoth they faced. But at least, through rational deduction and meticulous testing, they had managed to string up a caution tape at the cliff’s edge before the worst could happen.

He glanced at the time on his phone. It was already past ten at night.

Yu Xian reached out, pulled open a slit in his bunk’s blackout curtain, and peeked his head out.

The main light in the dorm was off. Over on their side, Zhang Yang and Li Boxue were chatting idly, speculating about where those military pickup trucks were headed.

Meanwhile, Shi Zuozhou’s desk lamp was still on. The scene on his screen had changed from the Floating City of *Sword Art Online* to the neon-drenched world of the Oasis from *Top Player*.

The guy was furiously scribbling on a fresh sheet of paper, obviously struck by a new wave of inspiration and completely lost in the fervor of building his virtual world.

Yu Xian drew the curtain shut again, plunging his bunk back into darkness. He typed in the "Dream Net Testing Team" chat:

"Senior, have you told Old Shi about what’s been going on recently? Do you think we should bring him into the loop?"

After a moment’s thought, he added an explanation:

"For one, we’ll definitely need to conduct more complex multiplayer tests next. For another, if we really want to design a virtual game world in the dream that’s captivating enough, Old Shi, as a veteran gamer, is without a doubt better at it than any of us."

After a moment, Yang Yiyi’s reply came:

"Your major has class canceled tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yeah." Yu Xian sent back a single word.

’His senior probably didn’t know the real reason the 8:00 a.m. Monday physics class was canceled.’

’It was because the professor for that course, Gao Jiguo, had mysteriously departed this world.’

Yang Yiyi’s message popped up again:

"In that case, why don’t you just come over tomorrow morning? Bring Xiaoshi with you. I can explain the situation to him in person. It’s hard to get it all across with just a few words on WeChat."

Yu Xian agreed. He then tapped on Shi Zuozhou’s profile picture and sent him a message, telling him to get to bed early tonight and wake up early tomorrow.

After sending the message, Yu Xian set an alarm for the next morning.

"Old Yu, you still awake? I thought you’d already gone to bed," Shi Zuozhou’s voice came from the bunk in front, a teasing complaint in his tone.

"We’re less than two meters apart, man. Why are you sending me a WeChat message?"

Yu Xian just smiled, took a melatonin pill, and lay down to sleep.

...

On Monday morning, the sky was so gloomy it was hard to tell whether it was dawn or dusk.

Yu Xian had to physically drag a soundly sleeping Shi Zuozhou out of bed. The two of them quickly washed up, got ready, and left the dorm building under an umbrella.

The cold wind finally woke Shi Zuozhou up a bit. He held the umbrella and complained, his face a mask of confusion:

"Old Yu, we don’t have an 8 a.m. class today. Where the hell are you dragging me in this downpour? Don’t tell me you’re making us go to Cafeteria Two for their fresh-fried dough sticks?"

Yu Xian opened his mouth, intending to give a brief explanation, but he swallowed the words before they could escape.

’This whole thing is too complicated. I’d better keep my mouth shut. I’ll just wait till we get there and let Senior explain it to him herself.’