Chapter 021: Ghosts of the Virtual World

"Please wait a moment," James Halliday said. "I'll summon them right away."

Before Wang Bo could ask, James Halliday transformed into Anorak again, a staff appearing in his hand. He waved it lightly, and three beams of light materialized out of thin air, with full special effects.

Wang Bo vaguely saw three figures within the light. These figures transitioned from virtual to real, appearing before Wang Bo.

The first was a woman in a white lab coat, slender in build.

She had a face strikingly similar to the original emotionless Rei Ayanami, but more mature. However, unlike the expressionless Rei, she wore a faint smile that exuded a calming warmth.

When Wang Bo saw her, he instantly thought of her identity. Resembling Rei but more mature—it could only be that one.

The second figure was also a woman, but younger, about a high school student, with delicate features and beautiful chestnut-colored hair like silk. She wore a gray-white top and a red skirt, a very classic outfit. Wang Bo recognized her at a glance.

The third was a male. He had a healthy bronze complexion, a shaved head, and a very burly physique. His clearly defined muscles would make most fitness enthusiasts feel ashamed.

The last time Wang Bo had seen such robust muscles was on the young Scorpion King.

At that moment, the man was looking at Wang Bo with a deep, intense gaze.

Wang Bo admitted that such a gaze was indeed lethal, but only to women; for men, it wasn't that powerful.

Unlike the first two easily identifiable women, this man—how to put it—Wang Bo couldn't immediately determine his identity.

After arriving at James Halliday's office, the three didn't panic too much. Upon seeing Anorak, they quickly calmed down and focused their attention on Wang Bo.

"Hello."

The bald man stepped forward and extended his hand in a friendly manner. "I'm Smolder Bravestone. You can call me Smolder or Dr. Bravestone."

Wang Bo shook hands with him. After hearing the introduction, he finally recalled who this was.

Dr. Bravestone?

Could it be the all-around hero from Jumanji? Then that deep gaze earlier—was it his skill... Deep Gaze Kill?!

"Hello, I'm Wang Bo. Just call me by my name."

Dr. Bravestone nodded and stepped back.

At that moment, the mature woman resembling Rei stepped forward, shook Wang Bo's hand, and said, "I am Yui Ikari."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Ikari."

"Um... I am..." When it was the last person's turn, she hesitated, then gathered her courage and said, "I am Asuna Yuuki. Hello."

"Miss Asuna, hello."

"Huh, how do you know that?" Asuna seemed very surprised.

"I know more than you think." Wang Bo replied casually, his gaze involuntarily sweeping over the three. "To be honest, I never expected to meet you three here, and in such a special state. So before sending you home, I need to understand your condition."

"Huh? Huh?!" Asuna couldn't help but exclaim. "Send... send us home?"

Yui Ikari and Dr. Bravestone's expressions also changed several times.

Anorak nodded, standing beside Wang Bo, and said, "Now, allow me to introduce you. This is Wang Bo, the person I once told you about who can send you home."

Asuna looked at Wang Bo in disbelief, her eyes flickering several times, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Yui Ikari and Dr. Bravestone were also somewhat emotional, but as adults, they quickly composed themselves.

A faint smile returned to Yui Ikari's face. "I see. So Mr. Wang Bo is the one who will send us home. I was rude just now."

Wang Bo waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. But Miss Ikari, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course."

"Then I won't hold back. Miss Ikari, my question is simple: Can you tell me, before you crossed over, were you dead or not?"

Wang Bo's question was earth-shattering, stunning everyone present.

Asuna couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by dead? Why ask such a strange question?"

Yui Ikari smiled wryly and said, "Actually, I'm not sure if I'm dead either."

Asuna looked at Yui Ikari in disbelief.

Wang Bo said, "Alright, let me rephrase. Miss Ikari, before you crossed over, had you already merged with Unit-01?"

Yui Ikari is from EVA, i.e., the world of "Neon Genesis Evangelion." The plot of that world is simple: set in 2015 after the "Second Impact" catastrophe, it tells the story of several 14-year-old boys and girls piloting giant humanoid combat weapons called "EVAs" to battle mysterious enemies known as "Angels" that attack the third new Tokyo city.

And Yui Ikari is the mother of the protagonist, Shinji Ikari.

However, this woman does not appear in the main plot; she appears only in flashbacks.

This is mainly because she dies at the very beginning of the story.

But her soul merges with EVA Unit-01, secretly protecting the protagonist Shinji Ikari as he pilots Unit-01.

Yui Ikari nodded with a bitter smile and said, "That's right, I did merge with Unit-01. But one day, I suddenly came to this world and met Mr. Anorak, and then I realized I seemed to have entered a game world."

Wang Bo couldn't help but glance at Yui Ikari a few times. "Existing in a game world as a soul—in a sense, that's a kind of rebirth."

After all, the Yui Ikari before him seemed to have been digitized, with hands and feet, able to jump and eat, no different from a living person in this virtual world.

Asuna said incredulously, "Sis Yui, why did you never tell me about this?"

She had never imagined that the big sister who had been taking care of her and comforting her since she came to this world was actually dead—a soul, or rather a ghost.

Yui Ikari seemed to have come to terms with this and said with a smile, "If I told you, wouldn't it scare Asuna? After all, Asuna is such a coward."

Asuna blushed and argued, "I'm not a coward! Sis Yui isn't scary at all."

Yui Ikari couldn't help but stroke Asuna's head. Asuna's face was a bit red, but she didn't push Yui away.