The caller ID showed the name [Card Draw S].
Looks like the little system has some conscience, knowing to call within 72 hours.
When Xie He answered the phone, there was no sound on the other end.
He tentatively said "Hello?", but the other end remained silent. The call was clearly connected, but he could only hear the crackling sound of a raging fire.
Xie He inexplicably wondered if the little system was shy.
After waiting a while, a few hissing sounds came from the other end, followed by a mechanical voice: "...Candles detected burning in the fire. The candles binding the infant ghosts have been destroyed. The infant ghosts are about to return home."
"Side quest: Help the infant ghosts return home. Completion: 3/3."
"Congratulations, player Xie He, the infant ghost side quest is complete."
It sounded like the voice of a certain AI text-to-speech tool.
Xie He couldn't help but let out a low chuckle: "When are we going to add each other back as friends?"
But the other party suddenly hung up, leaving only a busy tone.
Xie He: "..." That's cheating.
In the firelight, a cloud of black mist rose from the house, surrounding Xie He, then snuggling into his arms like a black cotton candy.
It seemed the infant ghosts were saying their final goodbye to their master.
Xie He squeezed the black cotton candy. They sucked the blood from Xie He's fingertips, then playfully nudged the phone between his fingers, probably something they'd learned from the boy doll that day.
Then, the baby ghosts reluctantly flew into the distant sky, completely dissipating.
The system continued to send messages:
[Congratulations player Xie He, main quest completed.]
(Dungeon cleared successfully, 300 points gained.]
[Congratulations player Xie He, original level: Bronze, current level upgraded to Silver 3.]
Xia Gu was also looking at his own phone's score notification. After reading it, he looked at Xie He and said somewhat hesitantly, "Brother, is it all over? Are only... only the two of us alive?"
Before them, the flames raged, the structure of the house slowly collapsing, turning into blackened ruins, yet the fire raged on in the windy night, illuminating their faces.
Xie He nodded.
Xia Gu fell silent, lost in thought. The fire raged ever brighter.
Finally, the scene before them faded and blurred completely.
They were plunged into utter darkness.
The system's mechanical notification arrived as scheduled: [Congratulations to players Xie He and Xia Gu for clearing the game instance "The Evil Ghost and His Blind Box Dolls." Keep up the good work!]
Five years of events played out before them like a short film, with the system explaining:
[Game background transmission: Five years ago, there was a newlywed couple in the town. The husband loved making blind box dolls, and the wife was a housewife. Shortly after their marriage, she became pregnant with twins. Due to an accident, she discovered her husband's affair. Consumed by hatred, she learned evil magic and attempted to abort the fetuses to create a ghost child spell to achieve her wish—to win back her husband's heart. However, the ritual went awry, and the husband died instantly.]
[The two stillborn fetuses also transformed into evil ghosts and returned to seek revenge. They devoured the family's servants, but the wife escaped because she was wearing a protective cross. She outwardly appeared to love her husband and children, but in reality, she used a cross to ward off evil spirits and murdered hundreds upon hundreds of infants in the town, using their corpses to make corpse oil candles to suppress and fight the demon.]
[The stillborn infants, yearning for love but too afraid to harm their mistress, were forced to eat tourists. The mistress, guilty of abortion and with bloodstained hands, would ultimately not escape the game's punishment!]
...
Among the countless screens in the game lobby, the screen for the "Evil Ghost and His Blind Box Dolls" instance gradually went dark. The audience watched the scene unfold, murmuring and discussing amongst themselves.
"There were only two survivors left, the mortality rate seems so high. It's a pity some players doubted their teammates, otherwise a few more could have survived. Sigh."
"I'm so angry! Zhang Che actually died! I loved his looks, his baby face was so cute, waaaaah!"
"That guy in the gray hoodie was ruthless. I saw him smash people with the lamp without any hesitation, single-handedly killing two veteran players, three ghosts, and four newbies."
"Is his name Xie He?? I just checked his profile, this guy is so mysterious. Besides saying he's 19 years old, there's nothing else on his profile. He must have an R-card, right???"
"R-card?! How can he have an R-card? I'll go check the replay later."
"Will they come to the game lobby later... Shh, keep your voice down."
A group of newbies arrived on the eighth basement floor of the game lobby. They were selected from various one-star dungeons.
When the players returned to the game lobby, they were first sent to the scanning area. When Xie He opened his eyes again from the dizzying darkness, he found himself in a pure white world.
He lay in a temperature-controlled container, his tattered clothes stained with dust, his face smeared with blood, his long legs casually propped up, a silver chain dangling from the side of his trousers.
“Beep—” The machine began a red and blue light scan.
After the scan, the machine mechanically announced: “Player Xie He, 60% damage detected, in automatic repair.”
His entire body felt like it was being slowly roasted over a low flame. A dozen minutes later, Xie He jumped off the bed, hunched over the edge of the pool in the room, his spine bulging. “Cough cough cough—” He retched for a while, vomiting up his putrid internal organs, the white water rushing against the pool walls.
After rinsing his mouth, he felt as if he had been reborn, his spirit and strength restored, even the bloodstains on his clothes had miraculously disappeared.
After leaving the repair room, he saw Xia Gu.
Xia Gu was now clean, no longer as dusty as when he was fleeing. He looked like a handsome young man with dark, doe-like eyes.
He timidly called out to Xie He, "Brother, you're all right now."
Xie He nodded.
Emerging from the repair room, their view suddenly opened up. Before them lay a magnificent and imposing game lobby. The lobby was predominantly white, and the space was vast. Countless people moved about, chatting animatedly.
The system, like a real-time broadcast, mechanically announced in their ears: "This is the game lobby of the gacha world, also a rest stop between dungeons. There are six days until the next dungeon opens. During this time, players, please rest well, recharge, and continue your efforts in the next dungeon."
Xie He saw a six-day countdown icon appear in the upper right corner of his phone.
The system continued: "Players are currently on the 6th basement level."
"All living conditions in the game world will upgrade as the player's level changes."
A picture was promptly transmitted to the phone.
The screen displayed each player's room number and a map of the game lobby.
Player levels were divided into six tiers, from lowest to highest: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Grand Demon King.
Rooms were arranged according to player level, from the 6th basement level to the 80th floor. The top two floors of the game world were the residence of the Grand Demon King, off-limits to players of any other level. His room was the largest and most coveted.
A link to the game world's shops appeared on the phone, showing prices for various items in the rest area, activity area, and the game store.
Xie He and Xia Gu had just completed one level of the game and were practically penniless in this world. They could only afford the worst dormitory room on the 6th basement level; just looking at the drab picture, one could tell how shabby it was.
The best room they could afford at their level was a sea-view room on the 4th basement level, but it was expensive, requiring 300 points.
They couldn't afford it.
Xie He glanced at his phone, his expression relaxed. "Let's go, we'll pick a room on the fourth basement level."
Xia Gu hesitated, "Huh?" He looked down at his meager points, then lowered his head in frustration.
Xie He looked at the statue in the center of the game lobby.
The lobby's restaurants and shops were built around the statue, so from their perspective, they could only see a portion of it. The statue was entirely gleaming with a translucent, jade-white luster, bathed in the light from the dome, making it appear as if divine light had descended from the heavens, giving the entire statue a sacred and inviolable aura.
Xie He chuckled softly, "We have enough. Play the game properly when you're playing, and relax comfortably during your breaks."
"...But the points," Xia Gu asked softly.
"You'll find out soon enough."
The two went to the open-air restaurant first. Xie He tried using his meal card to buy food, but found the card was ineffective.
The result was clear; it seemed cards couldn't be used in the game lobby.
They had no choice but to use some points to order food.
Xie He found a crowded spot to sit. He noticed a player next to him scrolling through videos on his phone, looking quite gossipy and enjoying it, so he moved closer.
—Once they arrived at the game lobby, their phones had many more functions. Players' phones now featured game stores, game forums, and various live streaming sections.
Xie He asked Xia Gu, "Do you know whose statue that is?"
Xia Gu, chewing on noodles, looked at Xie He blankly.
The gossipy player at the next table gave them an annoyed look and naturally raised his voice: "You don't know? That's the Great Demon King Ji Yun, the number one ranked player in our game!"
"Ji Yun?" Xie He pronounced.
Xia Gu was curious. He quickly finished his noodles, leaned on the railing at the edge of the restaurant, and looked up—the closest point to the statue. Unfortunately, from their perspective, they couldn't see the statue's face.
The player gave the two of them a sneer. Looking at the green tags on their clothes, clearly indicating low levels, he sneered, "You think you can just see the Demon King whenever you want? He's a top player, reaching 18,000 points in three months, dominating the leaderboards for seven years, always elusive. I bet you—"
He clicked his tongue in annoyance, "You could spend your whole life in the game and never reach that level!"
Xie He chuckled softly.
The man continued, "What are you laughing at!"
Xie He glanced at him, calmly sipping his drink: "18,000 points in three months? That's practically ruining your account."
He sipped his drink with an air of nonchalance, as if he were simply commenting on the bad weather.
The man's brow furrowed immediately: "You!?! I bet you won't even last half a month. Don't just embarrass yourself." Xie He ignored him and continued chewing on his drink straw. The man quickly stormed off.
A short while later, Xia Gu, scrolling through his phone, called Xie He over to check.
He said nervously, "Brother, they're talking about you."
Xie He glanced at the game's forum. There was a post with a blurry photo of him taken from a corner; only his figure and clothes were barely recognizable.
The caption read: [Shocking!! A certain arrogant Silver-ranked newbie slanders Ji Yun, spouting nonsense that even the Great Demon King isn't worthy to carry his shoes!!]
A bunch of comments below jumped up and down:
[Who is this guy? The Great Demon King could crush you like an ant.]
[No way??? How could someone dare to challenge the Great Demon King? Who is this guy? Please warn us.] [?]
[Hhhh, I've memorized that outfit. Please, if any of you fans see him in later dungeons, kill him!!]
Xia Gu, fearing Xie He would be affected, cautiously glanced at him.
But he found Xie He leaning lazily back in his chair, completely unmoved by the comments.
He even leisurely sipped his drink, liking a batch of… comments that insulted him.
He probably thought these people weren't very good at insulting, because he started laughing as he read, and then created a new account to comment on the thread.
Xia Gu: "???" Then he saw Xie He, in the tone of a devoted fangirl, post another message: [This guy is so awful! I'm going to follow him. I'm going to screenshot the video of him being tortured to death by a ghost and watch it a thousand times a day to remind myself not to be so arrogant QAQ. (clenched fist)]
Upon hearing this, the remaining netizens overwhelmingly agreed: [Waaaa, you're right.]
[Little cutie is right, I'm going to follow him too, and I'll post the video of him being brutally tortured.]
[Followed.]
[Followed.]
After posting, Xie He placed his phone on the table and lazily leaned back in his chair.
A moment later, his phone started beeping incessantly.
Xie He smiled faintly; the fish had taken the bait, and he was nonchalantly... chewing on a straw.
A moment later, he posted a selfie on his account.
He didn't know how to find the right angle; he just snapped a quick picture.
His intention was that since he'd gained fans through Ji Yun, he might as well have a fair competition with his opponent. He wanted to dethrone his opponent and take the top spot, and posting a photo would also help his opponent remember him.
Unexpectedly, after posting the selfie, his fan count skyrocketed again.
The boy's features in the selfie were only slightly above average, but his eyes were a perfect bonus.
His eyes were a deep, dark black.
They were unforgettable eyes, with a light mole at the corner, and when he looked at someone, the corner of his eye curved slightly, as if carrying a tender smile.
But his eyes always held a listlessness, a languidness like a silent, black river.
Just as people love beautiful, fragile things, and the chaotic breakdowns of madmen, they might also unexpectedly find a liking for his nonchalant smile, a forced struggle to live, a beautiful yet painful mix of emotions.
Instantly, viewers flocked to him: [Wow, when did such a handsome young man appear? I just noticed!]
[A face-obsessed viewer thinks he's good enough, but he's just going to his death like that? Damn it.]
[Hhhhhh, this is a horror game world, okay? He won't survive more than two levels.]
In the blink of an eye, Xie He's fan count increased by 1082, and his points skyrocketed.
Xie He leaned back lazily in his chair, lightly scratching his brow, and chuckled, "The points are here now, tonight we'll sleep in a king-size bed with floor-to-ceiling windows and a swimming pool."
Xia Gu: "!!!"
***
In the following two days, Xie He's fan count continued to grow slightly. He glanced at the next dungeon the system had assigned him; it was a three-star dungeon. He was just a novice player, and there were still many areas where he needed improvement.
During the day, he would train his reaction time and combat skills in the training area, and at night he would go back and binge-watch videos of other players' high-level dungeons. All of this cost a lot of points, but fortunately, he had gained a lot of points from attracting some haters on the forum.
Although he spent a lot of points, sharpening his axe wouldn't delay his work.
With only one day left before entering the dungeon, Xie He and Xia Gu were having lunch in the restaurant.
Someone approached them. It was a middle-aged man, slightly overweight, with a square face, a faint scar near his eye, and an oily sheen.
He smiled and sat down next to Xie He, looking around before leaning closer and saying mysteriously, "Young man, I watched the replay video of your last game. You were pretty ruthless, I admire you. I wonder if you'd be willing to do me a favor?"
Xie He gave him a brief look and then looked away.
The other party, unfazed by Xie He's coldness, continued cheerfully, "I'm willing to pay you 2 million. You can take it with you when you leave the game."
Xie He continued drinking his beverage, clearly uninterested.
The other party paused, surprised that someone would be unmoved by money. He had to change his approach, sighing softly, "Then I can only pay you with points. I don't have many points left, only 820. I can give you all of them, equivalent to the points you get from completing two one-star dungeons."
"What is it?" Xie He asked casually.
For someone wandering the sixth basement level to spend all his possessions, it must be something very troublesome.
"I'm in trouble. Take me out of here." The man's smile vanished, his face darkening as if he had thought of something difficult. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, nervously wiping the sweat from his brow before continuing, “I’ve offended an NPC in the game. He’ll appear in your next dungeon, and mine too. I need someone as ruthless as you to help me. Use the same ferocity you showed when you smashed a ghost player with a lamp, smash his brains.”
Xie He calmly twirled the glass in his hand.
The other continued, “This is really all the points I have left. You probably really need it. That guy is too strong. All my assistants died in his dungeon. He’s not a good person… no, NPCs aren’t even people in the traditional sense; they’re just virtual characters in the game world. Players and NPCs are inherently irreconcilable enemies—”
He became increasingly tense as he spoke, “The game world only wants to kill us. NPCs are people within the game world. If they live, we die—”
He solemnly said, “I hope you can help me, take care of him!”
As he spoke, he subtly made a throat-slitting gesture.
Take care of that NPC?
Xie He asked, "What's his name?"
"Sui Yuan."
His long, slender fingers swirled the glass.
The ice cubes inside spun and clinked against the glass.
Xie He leaned back lazily in his chair. Hearing the sound of points being credited, his adam's apple bobbed, and he casually replied, "No problem."
It's just killing an NPC, right?
He looked languid and finished the rest of his juice.
***
A few days passed quickly.
The countdown on his phone for the dungeon had only a few seconds left.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock—"
When Xie He opened his eyes again, he heard a system message notification: [The dungeon "The Extra Student in the Graduation Photo" has been opened. Players, please prepare.]
[Difficulty: Three stars.]
[Story transmission in progress...]
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