The Black Centurion

Alexander Zaitsev is a science-fiction writer from Saint Petersburg. He works in various genres: LitRPG, urban fantasy, boyar-anime; he also tried his hand at science fiction. Alexander Zaitsev’s books are interesting, among other things, because the author describes cold weapons and techniques of handling them with great love and knowledge. “The Black Centurion” is a stand-alone book written in the classic LitRPG genre. Fate is unpredictable and sometimes cruel: at any moment it can take away what you hold dear. When the closest person betrays you, the actions you take under the influence of emotions can derail your entire remaining life. What has been done cannot be undone, and the incorruptible artificial intelligence rejects attempts to reach the truth again and again. Will it be possible to persuade it? A unique RPG might give the chance—a computer role-playing game whose mechanics are regulated in the same way as international arbitration court cases—by an impartial machine that doesn’t make mistakes. It seems that for someone who was already a top player and earned millions from it, this should be an easy task. But it’s not so simple: the new game is drastically different from all the others. The hero will have to live someone else’s life, survive, and prove to artificial intelligence that he’s a good guy—and deserves what he wants most of all!