What a Joke, Why Would I Back Down from Him?

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Long Aoni is an original native NPC in the interstellar hyperdimensional game The World. She looks harmless and makes a living by scavenging mech wreckage and dismantling parts on a garbage planet.

But on an ordinary smoggy day, the game System suddenly sent her a dazzling premium announcement:

"Dear player, the small world you created three years ago, [Abyssal Rose], has devoured 49% of the maps across the server and is about to earn the title of 'Interstellar Overlord' in this year's Interstellar Championship.

The creation of new multiplayer worlds across the server has now been suspended, and the final battle for control of The World's territory has begun..."

Long Aoni raised an eyebrow, casually wiped the grease off her wrench, then patted the head of Shijin, the first-generation AI who had awakened to self-awareness alongside her. Together, they established a mental link and logged into the account that had been sealed away.

And so the entire server saw her again:

The violent Omega who had hacked the Zerg queen's lair boss to pieces with a kitchen knife in the preliminary round; the rebel leader who had roused NPCs and AI to self-awareness and sparked a revolution in the underlying code; the new cosmic tyrant whom the reigning Interstellar Overlord had hunted for three years to stop from returning to power.

She was back.

Faced with the entire server's assault on her world, she said:

"I hear you've formed a Dragon-Slaying Alliance? Where's Weimian? If he won't come lead you and personally punish and execute me, your game is as good as over." Long Aoni teased the ferocious data-cat head in her hand, speaking with careless ease.

Later, the chronicle of The World added a bold warning to the end of its rules:

"Do not reveal your player identity to NPCs! Do not instill ideas of inequality in NPCs! Do not teach NPCs to rebel! Never underestimate any native NPC, even if she's just an Omega in ripped work pants scavenging garbage!"

◆ Work has me going out of my mind, so I'm writing a brainless power fantasy.

◆ The cover is a custom template. Character designs for this story are currently being commissioned.

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Theme: A consciousness revolution in the underlying code