Xiao Muyu didn’t know how long she had been walking, as if the tunnel had no end. Actually, it wasn’t long, but the boundless darkness and the deathly silence made time feel unbearably long.
Until suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared before her, a tiny speck of light at the end of the darkness, indicating that the light would eventually dispel the darkness.
Xiao Muyu looked at it, unsure whether she should feel relieved so soon, but she had no other choice but to move forward.
At the exit was an arched door. Because of the backlighting, Xiao Muyu couldn’t see clearly the world outside, and her heart raced to its extremes in this glaring light.
She squinted, shielding her eyes from the light, and took steps forward. Simple steps, yet they led her from one world to another, and from then on, Xiao Muyu’s life would change drastically.
As the blinding light faded, Xiao Muyu slowly lowered her hand and opened her eyes.
She stood alone at the tunnel entrance, unmoving, like a statue without a soul.
The world before her wasn’t the horrific scene Xiao Muyu had imagined, but it left her even more bewildered and disoriented.
An endless expanse of nothingness, a vast white void with nothing but Xiao Muyu, the sole living being, amidst the emptiness.
The glaring light at the tunnel entrance revealed a glimpse of this vast white world to Xiao Muyu.
Gathering herself from shock, Xiao Muyu looked around, then turned to stare at the tunnel entrance behind her, lost in thought.
After a while, she took a step forward, then another, and another, increasingly hurried!
The ground beneath her feet rippled with her movements, like a trembling water surface.
However, despite Xiao Muyu’s steps, the tunnel entrance, which was clearly only three steps away from her, remained three steps away, retreating as she walked!
This realization made Xiao Muyu purse her lips, furrowing her brows involuntarily. A hint of unease and tension appeared on her face, but she tried hard to maintain her composure.
Unable to go back, it was impossible that she would be inexplicably left in such a bizarre place. Where was this place exactly? Was she really still alive?
As this thought arose, a prolonged beep suddenly resounded above Xiao Muyu’s head. Physiological fear made her body involuntarily shudder, her heartbeat racing with the sudden sound, and a tingling sensation swept through her body.
Before Xiao Muyu could catch her breath, a cold, mechanical female voice spoke: “Countdown complete. System files loading, 30%… 50%…”
A puzzled expression appeared on Xiao Muyu’s pale face as she watched the transparent display screen in front of her, the progress bar rapidly fluctuating. In the blink of an eye, it reached 90%, 95%, 99%, 100%!
As the progress reached one hundred percent, the continuous clicking of mechanical gears sounded in her ears. The metallic female voice spoke again.
“File loading complete. Scene loading, success. Welcome to this world! Congratulations on being chosen to enter the Tianwang World.
Here, you will be forced to participate in the game. By completing the final level, you will earn a chance for a new life and return to the real world! Are you willing to accept the challenge?”
Xiao Muyu was momentarily stunned, realizing that she had indeed encountered a supernatural event, and her chances of survival on that vehicle were probably slim.
However, she frowned. She didn’t appreciate this opportunity, nor did she consider it worthy of congratulations.
“Refusal or failure will leave you forever trapped in the game world, living worse than death!”
As if knowing what Xiao Muyu was thinking, without waiting for her response, the mechanical female voice added another chilling sentence, the metallic tone making her words even more sinister.
Stuck here, who knows what kind of world this would be. Xiao Muyu wasn’t enthusiastic about being alive, but she didn’t want to torture herself either.
Xiao Muyu felt somewhat annoyed. This inexplicable place didn’t give her any choice.
“It seems you don’t want to give me a choice. There’s no need for all these pointless questions.” Giving a cold response, Xiao Muyu, now understanding what had happened, although she hadn’t figured out this so-called Tianwang World, had calmed down.
The voice fell silent for a moment, then continued, “Player, please take your position. The game begins!”
With those words, the ground began to shake violently. The vast void before her seemed to be swept away by a gust of wind, rippling and retreating incessantly.
Then, hills and mountains rose from the ground, and vegetation sprouted like mushrooms after the rain, covering the land around her in an instant.
The trees grew at a fast pace. Xiao Muyu kept dodging and avoiding them. If she hesitated for a moment, she would likely be impaled by a tree.
She didn’t know how long it had been when, after a loud noise, everything returned to tranquility. Xiao Muyu found herself standing in a forest, surrounded by lush trees, as if she had always been there.
“The player selected this time is in the supernatural world, where everything impossible will become possible. Please discard all your superstitions and believe in the beauty of science. Believe in ghosts and gods, and you will gain eternal life!”
The original mechanical female voice suddenly changed to the sweet voice of a little girl. This sudden change made Xiao Muyu’s mouth twitch involuntarily. Discard superstitions? What kind of nonsense was this?
“Welcome, player, to Instance 001. I am the referee number one of this instance. The instance has begun. Please pay close attention to every word and sentence displayed in the game guide.
The game rules and gameplay are all included. Please follow the hidden rules of the game. If you miss or mishear anything, hehe, you will die.”
The voice of the so-called Referee No. 1 was sweet, with a hint of laughter. But the last sentence sounded even more eerie in her tone, especially when combined with the supernatural world, making it even more chilling.
After speaking, Referee No. 1 fell silent, and Xiao Muyu tentatively asked, “Where are the game rules?”
As expected, there was no response. Xiao Muyu looked up at the forest in front of her. The sun was hanging in the sky, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees. Judging by the position of the sun and the sky, it was already afternoon.
There was a path in the forest, although overgrown with weeds, traces of it could be seen, so she followed it forward.
Just as she took a step, the transparent display screen she had seen earlier appeared again, with glowing words.
“Sunlight can dispel darkness and resist hidden dangers in the dark. Children who refuse to return home will encounter misfortune.”
After reading it, the words quickly disappeared again, leaving no extra information.
She repeated those words in her mind, then looked up at the sun again. Could it be that when the sun set, this place would no longer be safe?
Children who refuse to return home will encounter misfortune. Did she need to go home? That meant she had to find a place to stay before the sun set.
Uncertain if her guess was correct, but indeed, the sun was about to set, and judging by the height of the sun, it wouldn’t be more than two hours at most! So she quickened her pace. At that moment, a ding sounded in her mind.
A line of text appeared: “The novice gift package has been delivered. Please check.”
As Xiao Muyu walked, she clicked to receive the gift package. It was a game-like inventory, containing two items: the first slot held a set of clothes, and the second slot held a small silver medal.
She clicked on the medal, and its description appeared: “Talisman: Rarity B; Obtained through random luck by lucky novice players (not bound).
Item Description: A mediocre talisman clearly prepared for newbies entering the instance.
To avoid a poor gaming experience and immediate death, it can protect the owner once at a critical moment.
Validity Period: 24 hours;
Note: This item is disposable and will be discarded after use. Please use it wisely.”
It was only valid for 24 hours, and looking at the word “novice,” Xiao Muyu felt that this world wasn’t very serious. This word “novice” was not very harmful, but extremely insulting.
She clicked on the clothes, which also had a description: “After experiencing various tragedies to reach the Tianwang, I believe everyone is in a difficult situation. This outfit will allow you to participate in the game decently, and I believe you will like it.”
Although she was speechless, it was true. At this moment, her clothes were a mess, and she definitely needed to change when she arrived. After clicking to receive them, the clothes and talisman appeared in her hands.
She put the clothes in her backpack and stored the talisman properly. Xiao Muyu hastened her pace. She had no guidance now, nor could she expect any more hints. She had to find new clues.
It took her about fifteen minutes to walk out of the forest, but she was met with barren hills. A path appeared clearly before her, winding and spiraling along the mountainside, leading somewhere unknown.
Without much hesitation, she walked forward quickly.
This path led up the mountain, blocking her line of sight, making it impossible to judge if there were any houses on the mountain. Looking down, it was a desolate wilderness with no trace of human presence, and the sun was about to touch the treetops of the western mountain.
Time was running out for Xiao Muyu, and shadows followed her like her own shadow. Not far behind her, the sun could no longer reach. Since that was the case, going down was even more dangerous, so she had to hurry.
Rushing against the clock made one’s mood extremely anxious, especially when the sun became the object of contention. As long as you kept your eyes open, you could feel the urgency of having a sword hanging over your head. The mental anguish could be imagined.
No matter how calm Xiao Muyu was, she didn’t want to experience the feeling of failure in this so-called supernatural instance.
Human calmness is rooted in two points: indifference and confidence.
At this moment, Xiao Muyu, who had lived for twenty-seven years, instantly lost these two points, and her composure was shattered.
She was mentally tense, her heartbeat accelerating, and her thoughts focused on hurrying.
A gust of wind blew, and the grass and trees behind her suddenly shook violently, making a loud rustling sound!
Xiao Muyu suddenly turned around!
