Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
After knowing that it would take at least seven days before entering the real game again, Shu Xun’s attention shifted to learning programming in the virtual network. In this era, the virtual network has become almost the second world for major races. With numerous technological innovations, the virtual network has developed nearly perfectly. With the later integration of the virtual network and mental power, it has reached an extreme level. To find vulnerabilities in it, having technical knowledge alone is not enough; one also needs exceptionally high mental power. Shu Xun aims to use network vulnerabilities to create an identity for himself, a task almost as challenging as reaching the heavens.
Late in the night, past eleven o’clock, Shu Xun, nestled under the sofa, yawned, turned off the tablet he was studying for modification, and unfolded his little makeshift bed. Lifting the small blanket, he crawled inside. Settling into the warmth of the soft covers, he stretched lazily, rubbed his chubby face against the pillow, and slowly sank into the realm of dreams.
However, after Shu Xun fell into the sweet darkness of dreams, the room, silent for a long time, suddenly showed a slight movement. Unfortunately, the soundly sleeping Shu Xun was completely unaware. A faint noise came from the window in the otherwise quiet room.
In his slumber, Shu Xun’s little ears instinctively moved, seemingly trying to catch that faint sound, but it lasted only for a moment. Thus, Shu Xun remained blissfully unaware, immersed in his sleep.
Bathed in the faint moonlight, the transparent glass wall slowly extended outward, forming a transparent platform. Once the platform was fully extended, a silver-gray aircraft happened to glide into position, docking on it. Following closely, a tall figure descended from the aircraft. The silver-white moonlight blurred his silhouette, yet it still revealed an undeniable sharpness and coldness.
With raised sword-like eyebrows and emotionless eyes, the figure, outlined by the pale moonlight, exuded a sense of obscurity. Stepping with long legs, the newcomer entered through the open window, stepping into the living room. The tall shadow cast on the floor and almost inaudible footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent and chilly room.
Rather than adding warmth with the arrival of a person, the already quiet and cold room seemed to become even colder. The newcomer remained silent, refraining from speaking or turning on the lights. He stood silently in the living room for a few seconds before unbuttoning two buttons at the collar while heading toward the study, the path Shu Xun took daily to find food.
After a moment, Shu Xun, who was peacefully sleeping under the sofa, suddenly heard a thunderous noise, and the ground shook violently. Startled from his deep slumber, Shu Xun bounced up, his little head banging against the bottom of the sofa.
Staring with his big, bright black eyes for a moment, Shu Xun’s head swiftly turned towards the source of the sound—the direction of the study. The force was so great that it almost twisted his little neck, indicating he had been quite startled. Swallowing hard, feeling the still slightly trembling ground, he realized it wasn’t an earthquake because the study’s light had turned on at some point.
Quietly crawling out from under the sofa, Shu Xun hesitatedly walked towards the illuminated study. He had guessed that the owner of the room had returned and discovered there were only a few fish left in the aquarium. Moving cautiously with small steps, Shu Xun, having experienced the gaming world, already knew that in the current era, due to the awakening and evolution of human bloodlines, there were variations in size. Thus, though extremely rare, individuals like himself weren’t non-existent. At least in the gaming world, people’s first reaction upon seeing him was astonishment rather than fear.
Knowing that he wouldn’t be an outlier, Shu Xun contemplated the compensation for the fish and the nutrient pod with the room’s owner when they returned. However, what made Shu Xun frustrated was that he couldn’t retrieve the coveted game rewards. In recent days, Shu Xun had been dedicated to creating a legitimate identity for himself, but it wasn’t going smoothly. Before he could come up with a solution, the room’s owner returned.
Shu Xun straightened his small chest, mentally preparing himself, and then took small steps toward the study. Just as he was about to reach the doorway, another thunderous roar echoed from the study. It seemed as if the entire study had been violently dismantled. Shu Xun felt the ground shaking beneath him, and fragments of something unfamiliar flew out. Some of these seemingly not very sharp pieces embedded themselves deeply into the floor, with a few even landing at Shuxun’s feet.
Shu Xun: 〒▽〒 Perhaps he hadn’t fully woken up yet and was having a nightmare. Maybe it was best to go back to sleep.
Just as Shu Xun was startled and his fur stood on end, footsteps echoed from the study. Shu Xun froze in place like a small pebble until the tall shadow was about to appear at the door. It was only then that Shu Xun seemed to react, swiftly running towards the sofa, and almost simultaneously, he slid under the sofa due to the excessive speed. At the same moment, the person from the study also reached the doorway.
Unfortunately, the already startled little dumpling had successfully wrapped itself in a small blanket. Otherwise, with the bright light from the study, Shu Xun would have noticed that the person standing there was so familiar. While there were certain differences in appearance compared to the character Ye Qian in the game, Ye Qian’s indescribable cold aura was enough for Shu Xun to realize that something was amiss.
Ye Jian halted in front of the study door, his sharp eyebrows slightly furrowed. His keen gaze swept over every corner of the living room as if pondering something. After finding nothing unusual, Ye Jian continued his actions and walked towards the sofa, then found a seat.
Under the sofa, Shu Xun had already curled up into a ball: “…”
It seemed like an eternity before Ye Jian finally stood up and left the living room, heading towards the bedroom. After a moment, both the living room and the study gradually sank back into darkness.
Under the sofa, a fluffy blue-gray furball quietly emerged from the small blanket. Its small ears trembled agilely as it listened for a while. Hearing no sound, the stiff bundle unfolded under the sofa like a pancake. The frightened Shu Xun, in search of a sense of security, had transformed into his true form. In beast form, Shu Xun’s senses became more sensitive, and his speed greatly increased.
Biting his chubby paw in hesitation, the furball’s pair of black shiny eyes were filled with confusion. Shu Xun suddenly realized that in this vast universe, finding a place to belong wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Every piece of land and every resource, seemingly abundant, had strict limitations and ownership.
After waiting for a while and hearing no movement from the bedroom, Shu Xun transformed back into human form. He then quietly crawled out and tiptoed to the window, wanting to see if the transparent yet incredibly hard glass would change with the owner’s return.
After fumbling for quite some time, Shu Xun helplessly discovered that even with the owner’s return, the restrictions on entering and leaving this room remained unchanged. The access limitations were still very high, and Shu Xun couldn’t leave. The disheartened Shu Xun, behaving like a thief, crept to the door of the study. Leaning against the door, he glanced inside and horrifyingly discovered that, apart from the large fish tank-like glass wall, almost everything inside was in a state of disarray, scattered without a complete item in sight.
Shu Xun immediately nervously bit his paw, and the idea of apologizing on the spot scared him to the heavens. Seeing the sorry state of the study, Shu Xun began to ponder whether what he ate wasn’t fish but some other rare treasure. However, after consuming it, besides the delicious taste, his spiritual power showed no increase. So, was it still fish?
The conflicted Shu Xun successfully suffered from insomnia. When it was barely dawn, Shu Xun finally realized that the battle was far from over. The household cleaner started its work and sounds came from the bedroom, indicating that the person had woken up. Shu Xun quickly returned under the sofa, stored his bedding in his spiritual abode, and then hurriedly hid in the kitchen just as the person was about to leave the bedroom.
The household cleaner completed its job as usual, the bedroom was cleaned swiftly without Shu Xun’s bedding. Then, it turned its attention to the study, where it was apparent a considerable amount of time would be spent organizing. The person from the bedroom walked out, and the room remained silent. Apparently, speaking was entirely unnecessary and burdensome for this person. At least, considering the huge commotion from yesterday, it seemed this person was extremely furious. Nevertheless, even so, Shu Xun did not hear a single word from that person.
Hiding inside the cabinet, Shu Xun quietly pushed open the cabinet door and finally saw the appearance of the room’s owner. His little brows visibly furrowed, apparently puzzled by the person’s almost identical icy demeanor to Ye Qian, whom Shu Xun remembered as the room’s owner, General Ye Jian. Drawing connections to Ye Qian’s name and the interactions between Ye Qian, Bai Ya, and Lie Yang in the game world, the already clever little furball instantly had a speculation. However, this speculation was not enough for Shu Xun to overcome his fear. Until he received a confirmed answer, the timid Shu Xun clearly wouldn’t take unnecessary risks.
As the morning light gradually rose, dispelling the coldness in the room, the slightly reddish sunlight streamed through the large glass window, seemingly bringing the entire room to life. Of course, the atmosphere was completely ruined by the stoic figure sitting on the sofa. At this moment, Ye Jian was holding a cup of water, expressionless as he browsed the screen. Shu Xun obviously couldn’t see what Ye Jian was looking at, but soon, Shu Xun’s eyes lit up because he saw a faint glow suddenly appear in the corner near the window.
Shu Xun knew that the seemingly plain corner was actually the spatial transfer station for this room, which served as an indoor mailing point. Items purchased online would be directly transported to the buyer through various spatial transfer stations after inspection. Of course, the setup of spatial transfer stations had strict limitations and extremely high costs. Seeing the energy pattern suddenly light up in that corner, resembling a formation, Shu Xun immediately realized that Ye Qian was buying something.
Translator’s corner:
Ye Jian is Ye Qian’s real name. ‘Ye Qian’ is more like an undercover name or in-game name.
