Chapter 611: Another Cliffhanger! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

As a professional negotiation expert, when facing heinous criminals holding hostages on the edge of a cliff, the first step should be to appease their emotions.

Song Ren analyzed the situation at the scene, figuring out how he, as a negotiation expert, should proceed.

'Hello, Daniel!'

'I'm Connor, I understand you well, and I'm here to help you resolve your predicament.'

'We can talk this through properly.'

Ignoring the wound on his shoulder, after Song Ren made his choice, Connor raised his hands and cautiously advanced inch by inch, while trying to calm the out-of-control android.

At the same time, several options appeared before Song Ren: [Discover Hostage], [Gain Deviant Android's Trust], [Approach Slowly].

The first task was already completed, leaving two remaining, and the negotiation points also increased by five percent.

The situation at the scene was that Daniel and the little girl hostage were standing on the edge of the building. To Connor's left, there was also an injured police officer who needed emergency first aid to stop the bleeding, or he would die from blood loss.

Subconsciously, Song Ren controlled Connor to approach the police officer.

At the same time, Daniel on the other side suddenly spoke.

'Do you have any weapons on you?'

As his words fell, different options appeared before Song Ren.

The gameplay involved his own actions triggering corresponding events, while also choosing the direction these events would take.

Song Ren basically understood the general gameplay. However, he also noticed that on easy difficulty, he had more time to think. He could carefully deliberate before making a choice.

As for higher difficulties, Song Ren felt they would lean towards realistic simulation. After all, if he truly encountered such a negotiation in reality, as a negotiation expert facing a criminal's suspicion and still pausing for a few seconds to think, the yellow daylily would have already turned cold.

After pausing for about three or four seconds, facing the deviant android's questioning, Song Ren decisively chose to lie. Having a gun gave him a slight sense of security.

'No, I'm not carrying a gun!'

Following Song Ren's choice, Connor in the game stated with certainty.

'You're lying! I know you have a gun!' Daniel on the other side appeared very agitated.

'I'm telling the truth, Daniel.'

'I'm not carrying any weapons.'

'I know you and Emma have a good relationship, and you feel she betrayed you... but she didn't do anything wrong.'

While conversing with Daniel, Song Ren controlled Connor to approach the police officer on the ground. After helping the police officer on the ground with his treatment, Connor continued to negotiate with Daniel, slowly closing the distance.

A qualified negotiation expert must gradually dismantle the other party's psychological defenses. 'Hello, and I'm fine too.' 'Why can't we all just sit down and talk peacefully?'

'They're planning to replace you, and you're not happy about that, are you?' Connor said as he walked forward. Daniel, standing there, reacted intensely. 'I thought I was part of this family! I thought they cared about me... but it turns out I'm just a toy, an item to be discarded after use.'

The distance between them grew shorter and shorter. At this distance, Song Ren could clearly see the android's expression and the bloodstains on his body. Even the little girl's injured calf and the tear streaks on her face were visible.

The negotiation then entered the stage of discussing terms. Song Ren also continuously gained the android's trust. The android found the helicopter in the sky noisy, so Connor waved them away without hesitation.

The android then stated that he wanted a car, and once he left, he would release the hostage.

At this moment, four different options appeared before Song Ren:

[Use Firearm]

[Sacrifice Self]

[Compromise by Finding a Car]

[Refuse]

Looking at the four different options, 'Sacrifice Self' was immediately ignored by Song Ren. As for 'Refuse adamantly.'

As a professional negotiation expert, Song Ren felt that this option, unless one wanted to see a failed ending, would not be chosen by a normal player. When facing a criminal, you either forcibly eliminate them, or you go along with their demands. How could one go against them?

If he were to choose that option, Song Ren felt that Connor wouldn't be a negotiation expert, but a 'negotiation collapse expert.' If negotiations collapsed at the first sign, who could the hostage endure that?

But if he compromised, the android had complained about the noisy helicopter, so he made it leave. The android said not to approach, and he complied. Could such a sincere negotiation expert not awaken the conscience within him?

Moreover, the hostage was linked to the criminal's safety. Once out of police sight and having a car to leave, wouldn't the hostage in the car just become a burden? Most likely, they would be executed, right?

Song Ren's mind rapidly pieced together various crime thriller films he had watched, quickly visualizing the potential scenarios that could arise from a compromise.

After thinking, Song Ren silently chose to use his firearm, his right hand discreetly reaching behind him to grasp the loaded pistol.

At this point, two more options appeared: [Shoot Deviant Android in the Head] and [Intimidate Deviant Android].

Here, Song Ren had no hesitation and directly chose to shoot. The moment he confirmed, Song Ren saw Connor in the game raise his gun-wielding right hand instantly, aim at the deviant android's head, and pull the trigger.

Bang!

A gunshot echoed, smoke billowed from the pistol's muzzle, and the android named Daniel on the other side was instantly hit in the head, a spray of blue blood erupting.

Unlike humans, deviant androids, much like electronic devices, cease to function once powered off and without subsequent energy. Therefore, after Connor shot Daniel in the head, he immediately stopped operating.

After firing, Connor slowly walked forward, approached the edge of the building, glanced at the falling deviant android to confirm, then silently turned and left.

Quickly ejecting the pistol's magazine, then handing the firearm to a bewildered Captain Allen, Connor in the game was like a cold, emotionless assassin.

A negotiation expert who, failing to negotiate successfully, simply eliminated the target—was this not, in its own way, a perfect negotiation?

This reminded him of his experience playing Rainbow Six Siege. That 'thump-thump-thump-thump-thump' Russian Rescue that made countless hostages feel warm—how similar it was.

However, besides the incredibly cool Connor, Song Ren felt there were many aspects of the current game worth exploring.

For instance, judging by the behavior of the victim's mother and Captain Allen, it was clear that most humans in this world distrusted androids, much like people viewed cell phones and computers.

It wasn't like the discrimination ordinary people held against Witchers in The Witcher: Wild Hunt, but rather simply viewing them as tools.

Replacing an android was equivalent to replacing a cell phone; thought of this way, it was actually a very normal thing. But what if a phone developed human emotions, then learned its owner was going to replace it, directly developing hatred and harming its owner?

Also, when he rescued the police officer, the prompt about rising public opinion, and the software instability notification that appeared after eliminating the deviant android, all seemed to be very important content.

Considering these aspects, the entire game appeared to have deeper philosophical implications. At this moment, Song Ren also developed a strong curiosity about the subsequent story and the game's overall worldview.

Driven by this curiosity, Song Ren decisively clicked 'Continue,' wanting to experience the subsequent content, but what he received was a cold prompt:

[Trial version content has ended. Please look forward to the official launch]

Song Ren: ?????

That's it?

Seriously?

And 'official launch'—well, when is it launching then?!

(End of Chapter) <>