The precision mechanical battle vehicle that had retrieved the packages from the delivery guy leisurely made its way to the abandoned town's mining factory. It took the elevator leading underground and arrived in a massive subterranean cavern. Even with the cavern brightly lit, its end still could not be seen. Construction materials and precision electronic instruments were scattered everywhere.
The battle vehicle placed the packages on the ground one by one, then began controlling its mechanical body with great interest, shifting into various forms: humanoid mechanical arms, specially designed weapon systems, and cutting-edge information-gathering technology.
"Wow~ This thing is so cool!"
An entirely unexpected voice came from the precision mechanical vehicle. It was crisp, delicate, and girlish, filled with uncontrollable excitement.
The one controlling this precision mechanical vehicle was not Kamiyā Yuu, but Ruby—an artificial intelligence-like program created by Kamiyā Yuu. After receiving Kamiyā Yuu's permission to "go outside," this was her first time borrowing this steel body.
"Beep!"
Several projectors hanging from a nearby reinforced concrete pillar lit up, projecting a translucent silver-haired girl in a dress onto the floor. She placed her hands on her slender waist and glared dissatisfiedly at the mechanical vehicle containing Ruby's consciousness.
"Hey, Ruby! Didn't Yuu say to send these things to Area B2? If you're going to slack off here, then I should be the one controlling this mechanical device."
"Whoa~!"
The mechanical vehicle immediately panicked. The LCD screen no longer displayed the English it had used when speaking to the delivery guy, but instead showed a girl wearing a red-and-black gothic short skirt. She spread her hands helplessly.
"Oh~ Weiss, this is my first time truly seeing the outside world. Can't you let me savor this wonderful memory properly?"
The projected Weiss pointed sternly at the packages on the floor.
"Now. Pick up. The packages. On the ground."
"All right~ all right~ I know you're just a little unwilling because you lost the game."
Weiss's expression darkened. The projection device dimmed, and as the projection vanished, Weiss had already appeared inside the mechanical vehicle's screen and started arguing with Ruby.
······
Invading the network of his previous world from his consciousness space, then invading reality through the network, was an extremely wondrous experience. Even without computer hardware support, Kamiyā Yuu could display abilities in the network that surpassed a supercomputer. Up to now, Kamiyā Yuu still did not know just how vast his computational power was as a human computer.
He had once invaded China's most advanced supercomputer and fully overlaid his computational power onto its hardware. However, even when that supercomputer hardware collapsed from overclocked operation, it still could not fully unleash its computational power. It was far, far from enough.
His consciousness invaded the network, then used the network's datafication capabilities to transform his mental form into something more direct. For example, the "Ruby" system he had now created, named after 'RWBY' and Ruby's pronunciation. This intelligent system was created by programming the thinking patterns of 'RWBY' from its original consciousness space, then using integrated software technologies from the internet to create a true intelligent program. It possessed incomplete self-growth, self-improvement, and directional logical thinking.
The most direct manifestation of this was the four girls from 'RWBY': Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. What Kamiyā Yuu wanted to attempt now was to let them leave the consciousness space, using the supercomputer hardware of this world as a carrier, and truly transform them into intelligent logical thinking systems.
Kamiyā Yuu also knew how insane this plan was. It could easily develop like the movies 'The Matrix,' 'Terminator,' or 'I, Robot.' But if it succeeded, Kamiyā Yuu had every reason to believe he could say that one line all anime villains loved most:
I shall become the god of a new world!
By the year 2060, the world's technological development had fallen into a bottleneck. Unlike the rapid technological leaps of the past, progress had instead become like squeezing toothpaste, advancing bit by bit. Through stealing network data, Kamiyā Yuu concluded that the third technological revolution might not be a new energy revolution, but a revolution in network technology.
Holographic sensory simulation technology had already been applied to military equipment in various countries. Simple logical thinking systems were also sitting in some research institutes. Breakthroughs in computer hardware had allowed computer software to soar in a way entirely different from global technology as a whole.
Combining all these signs, Kamiyā Yuu's interest was also stirred. He wanted to try giving Ruby and the others souls truly independent from his thought control, different from those in the consciousness space. By then, perhaps he could even create artificial angels like Ikaros from 'Heaven's Lost Property,' or persocom dolls like Chii from 'Chobits.'
Of course, this world was also Kamiyā Yuu's testing ground for his own animated works.
With consciousness imaging technology, Kamiyā Yuu spent less than a day completely recreating the envisioned reboot version of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' on the internet. By using this world's voice databases to find the most suitable dubbing and music, the rebooted 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' produced under these conditions became Kamiyā Yuu's peak work. The rebooted 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' he was currently making in his present world could be compared against this version to find areas for optimization and improvement.
"Rumble rumble~!"
"Boom boom boom~ rumble~!"
"Click click click!"
The noisy giant underground base was filled with the sounds of all kinds of unmanned machinery at work. Machines digging walls, those pouring concrete pillars, poured specially made concrete, and mechanical vehicles laying alloy flooring slowly advanced.
In a place within the underground base where there were relatively fewer unmanned machines, tangled cables extended inward and connected to a huge black box placed on the ground. Software ran by itself on the screen. Webpages rapidly opened and closed. Then a notification popped up on the huge desktop display.
"Your work has been uploaded. Please wait patiently for administrator review."
Kamiyā Yuu, who was currently in the network world, felt mentally exhausted after spending three sleepless days in this world. He communicated with the "Ruby" system, created using these supercomputer devices as its carrier.
"Blake, Yang, I'll leave the base to you next. Remember, don't do anything unnecessary. Just maintain the normal development of the underground base."
"Mm. I'll collect network intelligence and do my best to improve the performance of the 'Ruby' system. —Blake."
"Still can't go outside? Isn't that super boring! —Yang."
The Ruby system did not simply refer to the thinking programs of the four female protagonists of 'RWBY' that Kamiyā Yuu had created. It was an entire intelligent thinking system. Ruby and the others were the authority holders and supervisors of this system, as well as the four most outstanding independent individuals.
"Once our power in this world has matured, maybe I can create real human bodies for you. Until then, endure it properly."
"Honestly, you leave me no choice. Good night, Yuu. —Yang."
······
"Phew~ I can finally get some proper rest. Once a person reaches middle age, both body and mind really can't compare to when they were young."
As soon as he returned home, Luo Ning could not wait to return to his room and lie down on his leisure massage chair, smiling bitterly as he sighed. His exhausted body felt as though it were falling apart.
He was an executive at an ordinary company, an utterly ordinary middle-aged man. If there was anything special about him, it was that his interest in ACG-related things had continued from his youth all the way until now.
When he was young, he had once been wildly obsessed with anime and had also gone through embarrassingly chuunibyou memories. But the years had worn away all his sharp edges. Even though he still watched anime now, it was merely ordinary entertainment to pass the time. He would no longer binge-watch old shows day and night, nor would he stay up until two or three in the morning for a newly released series.
When had he lost that passion?
Even he himself was not sure. But what touched him the most was the change in anime itself.
Japanese anime had gradually declined, while domestic Chinese animation had gradually risen. Now, Chinese animation, Japanese anime, and Western animation stand as the three pillars of the world, each with clearly different styles.
Related industries such as Chinese animation voice acting were not well developed, and many techniques in the industry were still immature. However, Chinese animation was the most creative of the three. Those excellent domestic web novels from the past could all be adapted into animation. Market competitiveness caused China's development in this field to change with each passing day.
Japanese anime's position, however, was awkward. After experiencing glory, it had fallen into decline. Luo Ning still remembered that he lost interest in Japanese anime when the Japanese anime industry began producing large amounts of hollow works just to cater to shut-ins. In an entire season, only one or two watchable shows could be found.
After resting for a while, Luo Ning turned on his computer and put on his VR glasses. By now, VR technology was extremely mature and had been applied to every aspect of the internet and reality. Needless to say, mainstream movies, anime, and games all use VR technology.
Luo Ning opened the 'BILIBILI' video website and aimlessly searched for something that interested him. Suddenly, he saw a name that surprised him.
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'!?
There were still people in this era who remembered a work from that time?
Luo Ning remembered that this should be an anime from forty years ago—no, an anime even older than his own age. During the phase when he had been madly obsessed with anime, he had searched for and completed this famous old series. His evaluation of it had not been as high as imagined. That was only natural. In the age of information explosion, all kinds of works endlessly emerge in the anime industry. The reversal plot of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was no longer rare, and the seemingly profound plot had already been overused.
Perhaps because he had not been born in that era, he did not feel very deeply about this anime.
What caught Luo Ning's interest was that this anime had actually been uploaded to the VR video section. Could such an ancient anime support VR technology? At that time, even the term VR—which was now as common as computers—probably had not yet become popular.
"The uploader is 'Blank'... Hm? There's no other information?"
Luo Ning was astonished. Even the required fields in the uploader's profile did not display anything.
"Forget it. I'll see what this is first. It's probably a fan-made VR video work."
He stopped paying attention to the uploader information and clicked in, then saw the description for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.'
"This work is only intended to commemorate the classic magical girl anime 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' Please do not repost it casually, and it must not be used for commercial purposes. Violators will be subject to legal action."
"Beep."
Luo Ning's vision went black. Immediately afterward, the VR projection function activated. When the scene before him lit up again, he had already arrived in a quiet classroom. Inside the classroom, there was only a pink-haired girl lying across a desk.
It was clearly a 2D VR video projection, yet the atmosphere and realism created by the video made Luo Ning unable to stop himself from crying out in surprise. This scene felt even more immersive than the most expensive VR anime produced in recent years.
"A dream... Is this a dream?"
The girl's murmur entered Luo Ning's ears, and the anime slowly began from there.
······
"Knock knock."
"Dad! Dinner's ready! Dad! Are you there?"
Luo Ning's daughter knocked on the door. No matter how she called out, there was no response from inside the room. Finding it strange, she pushed the door open and went in, only to discover that her father, Luo Ning, was watching an anime with VR glasses on.
Although she could not experience the VR device Luo Ning was using, the computer screen showed that he was watching an anime called 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.'
"You're already so old, and you're still watching anime? Isn't this entertainment for us young people?"
Luo Ning's daughter came behind him and teased him with a smile. Her voice finally startled Luo Ning.
"Uh... why are you here?"
Luo Ning paused the anime, removed the VR glasses from his eyes, turned around, and asked in confusion.
Luo Ning's daughter gestured toward the computer screen with her mouth.
"You want to watch too?"
"What time is it now?"
"Seven thirty..."
Luo Ning was still somewhat dazed, his mind filled with thoughts of continuing to watch this fan work of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' After the turning point in Episode 7, all sorts of plot setups began unfolding, making him reluctant to miss even a single frame. Luo Ning felt as though he had found again that feeling of being madly in love with anime when he was young, along with a long-lost sense of anticipation.
"What do we usually do at this time?"
"Ah... Sorry. You all eat first. No need to wait for me. I'll come down later."
After a moment of silence, Luo Ning put the VR glasses back on again. Seeing him clearly sending her away, Luo Ning's daughter sighed helplessly and turned to leave.
Luo Ning watched nine episodes in one breath and discovered that this 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was completely different from the one in his memory. Its plot construction was even more rigorous. Even though he knew the specific settings and story development, he still could not help but become absorbed in it.
Unlike the mainstream anime popular today, this 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was filled with the creator's care and effort. He did not know how to describe that feeling. Ordinary anime was like something produced by an assembly line in a mechanical factory, while this anime was a work of art meticulously carved over decades by a master craftsman.
Every character's movements and gaze, every scene's depiction, and every metaphor hidden in the plot fascinated him. Precisely because he knew this anime's worldview and general plot development, Luo Ning could see how much effort had been put into it.
Never mind an amateur team making such a work—even the most famous animation company in the world might not be able to recreate something like this.