Just as 303 was deep in thought, HIM suddenly flashed a strange smile.
"Hmm? Can't find my data?"
The moment those words escaped HIM's lips, 303 froze.
'H-how does he know?!'
His gaze toward HIM now was akin to seeing a ghost. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined being threatened by an entity generated within the game. Worse yet, it seemed this creature could read his thoughts—he even knew about the existence of data!
"This… This is AI gaining sentience, isn't it?!"
The battlefield was deathly quiet, and HIM's words echoed clearly, falling into the ears of the surrounding players. One by one, their faces turned pale.
"Wait, what did he just say? Something about… data?"
"Not just any data—he said, 'Can't find my data,' didn't he?"
"Judging by GM 303's reaction, it looks like HIM hit the nail on the head!"
"Yeah, earlier, 303 obliterated the first HIM clone instantly. But this time, he's been standing here doing nothing for ages."
"So, that first one must've been a decoy. And GM was trying to locate the real HIM's data just now?"
"If that's true… then HIM must've erased his own data, making it impossible for the GM to remove him!"
"Whoa, that's insane! Dude, I think you're onto something!"
Although the exchange between HIM and 303 had been brief, the players had already pieced together most of the puzzle. Judging from 303's dumbfounded expression, it was clear HIM's words weren't baseless.
Goosebumps erupted across the players' skin. HIM hadn't even lifted a finger, yet he'd already forced the GM, the supposed god of this virtual world, into a corner.
A GM—the overseer, the administrator, the one holding ultimate authority in the game—was rendered powerless by a single sentence. If even the GM couldn't handle HIM, then who could?
Then there was the chilling implication of HIM's words: "Can't find my data."
It meant HIM was fully aware of how GMs dealt with threats—by accessing and deleting their data. Anticipating this, he'd either hidden himself preemptively or—more terrifyingly—never had data to begin with.
If the latter were true, then what was HIM exactly?
Born within the game, possessing human-like consciousness, unmatched power, and no traceable data?
The players shivered at the thought.
"Something born in a game but not made of data? That's way above my pay grade."
"Then there's only one answer—he's a god!"
"Honestly… as crazy as that sounds, everything about HIM has been absurd from the start."
303, on the other hand, was under crushing pressure. As an administrator, he'd been completely outclassed by something that should've been his creation. Where was his dignity?
Yet, no matter how much he wanted to turn the tide, he couldn't. His only hope of victory was to locate HIM's data. But it was becoming increasingly clear—he wasn't going to find it.
Before he could finish, HIM's glowing white eyes swept over him. The next moment, the entire screen went black.
One line of text appeared:
[System Error - NULL]
Then, the game capsule shut down.
Mo Jiang sat in the capsule, stunned. It took him a long time to regain his composure.
"How… how is this even possible?"
System errors weren't unheard of. But for the state-of-the-art capsules at Zero Point Corporation, something this basic shouldn't even be conceivable.
Mo Jiang refused to believe it was a malfunction. He could only think of one possibility: HIM had forcibly hacked into his system, causing the error.
The realization sent chills down his spine.
As a programmer, Mo Jiang prided himself on his knowledge of data. But at this moment, he found himself questioning everything. Could data really develop consciousness? Or was HIM never data to begin with? Was he something closer to pure sentience?
If it was the latter… then this wasn't just a technical anomaly. It was a supernatural event.
The more Mo Jiang thought about it, the more unsettled he became. He decided to report this to Old Wu. Coincidentally, as he exited the capsule, Old Wu was already approaching him.
"How did it go?" Old Wu asked.
Mo Jiang shook his head.
"He's not data. I can't delete him."
Old Wu's face darkened. Just as he opened his mouth to scold, Mo Jiang interrupted and recounted the entire incident.
"If you don't believe me, check the repair logs!" Mo Jiang added. Each mission left behind a log, and Mo Jiang was confident in proving he wasn't lying.
Hearing this, Old Wu fell silent. While he didn't know Mo Jiang well, anyone who could work at Zero Point had to be competent. Mo Jiang wouldn't fabricate such a bizarre story. And besides, HIM had always been shrouded in mystery.
Old Wu frowned. "Copy the logs for me. I'll take this to the higher-ups."
Mo Jiang nodded and turned to fetch the files, but Old Wu stopped him.
"Wait. Did you rescue Yonghui's people?"
Mo Jiang froze. "Huh? I was supposed to rescue them too?"
Old Wu's anger surged. This whole mission had been to placate Yonghui's faction. Their backing by a powerful conglomerate meant the company couldn't afford to ignore them. Even if HIM wasn't eliminated, the least Mo Jiang could've done was free Yonghui's people.
But now? Not only had HIM survived, Yonghui's people were still trapped.
"You…" Old Wu nearly erupted into a string of curses but held himself back. There was no time for that. They had bigger problems to solve.
Grabbing the backup files, Old Wu stormed off toward the executive office. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt
Back in the game, GM 303 had disappeared mid-sentence. HIM, however, remained perfectly intact.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened. HIM had won.
The players stared in stunned silence, their faces burning with embarrassment.
"So… HIM beat the GM in one move?"
"This… What kind of high-level showdown is this? Everyone's just getting insta-killed!"
"How's that possible? GMs are supposed to be invincible!"
"Maybe it wasn't an insta-kill. Maybe he just… got booted from the game?"
The players in the game and those watching through streams were all equally dumbfounded. The events had unfolded so fast that no one could process what had just happened.
GM 303 arrived. HIM disappeared. HIM reappeared. GM vanished.
The entire "battle" lasted barely a second. The most absurd part? The one left standing was HIM.
When the GM had first shown up, everyone had expected an epic fight. But deep down, they had already anticipated the outcome. After all, no matter how powerful HIM was, he was just a creation within the game. The GM, with complete administrative authority, should have been unbeatable.
Even HIM's diehard fans had secretly assumed this. Yet now, the impossible had happened.
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