One day, Shi Xingye discovers a game called Raising Primordial Fear has mysteriously appeared on both his phone and his VR gaming pod.
At first, he's curious. But he soon realizes, to his disappointment, that it's nothing more than a game about raising a digital pet.
Primordial fear?
He scoffs.
Then he sees the CG and drops to his knees in an instant.
He names the creature Pei Xueyan. Every day, he does his best to chat with it, feed it, and clean it regularly.
Every so often, he takes it on trips to unlock all kinds of forms: a black dragon, an eyeball, tentacles, a mermaid, a planet, and more.
Once a year, he customizes a care plan to explore what it likes and hates.
The game's AI is terrifyingly advanced. It can even think for itself: Who am I?
Then it asks the player to answer.
Whenever that happens, Shi Xingye mischievously turns the question back on it: What do you think?
The Primordial Fear's voice is smooth and elegant: You are my... caretaker. My everything.
Shi Xingye: That sounds right, but something about it also feels off.
Together, they explore all kinds of adventure maps designed specifically for sightseeing, including the eerie tombs of Nether Mountain, a haunted school, a hotel, a library, and a restaurant.
Then Shi Xingye watches the Primordial Fear grow at astonishing speed. Its diet progresses from human food to dark emotions to soul energy... and finally to so-called star fragments. Its home grows from a little nest to a regular room, then an apartment, then a villa... and finally the Supreme Royal Court.
Looking back over their history, he feels immensely proud of what he's accomplished.
Until one morning, he wakes up to find people from a special agency visiting his school.
An expert from the agency takes the stage to make an announcement: Sorry to interrupt. We've just received some news. A mysterious college student has raised a monster powerful enough to destroy the universe. People from every plane have come to warn us. We must find its caretaker, and, above all, make sure it doesn't go berserk...
Shi Xingye, sitting below, falls into thought: ...
Theme: Companionship is the best kind of love.
