Chapter 2: Human Skin Manor (Part 1)

Xiao Muyu had no idea how long she had been walking; it felt like this road had no end. In reality, it hadn’t been that long, but the endless darkness and deathly silence made time stretch interminably.

Suddenly, a speck of light appeared in front of her. That tiny, bean-sized glow at the end signaled that light would eventually dispel the darkness. Xiao Muyu saw it but wasn’t sure if she should feel such joy so soon. However, she had no other choice but to move forward.

When she reached the exit, she found it to be an arched doorway. Because of the backlight, Xiao Muyu couldn’t see the outside world clearly, and her heartbeat raced to its peak amidst the blinding light.

She squinted her eyes, raised a hand to shield herself from the light, and took a step forward, one after another. These simple steps felt like crossing into another world, and from then on, Xiao Muyu’s life would be turned upside down.

As the blinding light faded, Xiao Muyu slowly lowered her hand and opened her eyes.

She stood alone at the mouth of the tunnel, unmoving, like a statue that had lost its soul.

The world before her was not the terrifying scene she had expected, but it was even more disorienting. In an endless expanse of nothingness, a vast whiteness stretched out, with only Xiao Muyu alive amidst it, and nothing but void.

The intense light from the tunnel entrance was just a glimpse of this blank, empty world.

Xiao Muyu, recovering from shock, surveyed her surroundings before turning to stare at the tunnel entrance behind her, lost in thought.

After a while, she took a step forward, then another, and then a third… her pace quickening with each step!

As she moved, the white ground beneath her feet rippled like a trembling water surface. She was only three steps away from the tunnel entrance, but after taking several steps forward, the distance didn’t shrink. It was as if, as she walked, the tunnel entrance retreated further away!

This realization made Xiao Muyu press her lips tightly together, her brows furrowing unconsciously, her face showing a trace of unease and tension. Yet, she strived to maintain her calm. She couldn’t go back. There was no way she had been inexplicably abandoned in such a bizarre place, right? Where exactly was she? Was she really still alive?

Just as this thought surfaced, a long beep suddenly blasted above Xiao Muyu’s head. The physiological fear caused her body to shudder uncontrollably, her heartbeat racing in sync with the unexpected sound, and a wave of numbness swept through her limbs.

Without giving Xiao Muyu time to catch her breath, a cold, mechanical female voice rang out: “Countdown ended, system file loading, 30%… 50%…”

An astonished look spread across Xiao Muyu’s pale face as she watched the transparent display screen before her, the progress bar quickly advancing: 90%, 95%, 99%, 100%!

When the progress reached one hundred percent, the sound of mechanical gears turning continuously echoed in her ears. The metallic female voice spoke again.

“File loading complete, scene loading, successfully loaded. Welcome to this world! Congratulations, you have been chosen to enter the Skynet World.”

“Here, you will be forced to participate in games. If you clear the final level, you will earn a chance at a new life and return to the real world! Are you willing to accept the challenge?”

Xiao Muyu paused, realizing that she had indeed encountered a supernatural event and that her situation on the bus was likely dire. She furrowed her brow slightly. She didn’t feel grateful for this opportunity, nor did she think it was worth congratulating.

“Refuse or fail, and you will remain in the game world forever, a fate worse than death!” As if knowing what Xiao Muyu was thinking, the mechanical female voice added another cold statement before she could respond. The metallic, icy tone made the words even creepier.

Who knew what kind of world this could be, and staying here? Xiao Muyu wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about living, but she didn’t want to torture herself either. She felt a surge of annoyance. This mysterious place didn’t give her any real choice at all.

“It seems you don’t really intend to give me a choice, so why bother asking?” Xiao Muyu replied coldly. Though she hadn’t figured out what this so-called Skynet World was, she had calmed down now that she understood what was happening.

The voice fell silent for a moment, then continued, “Player, please take your position. The game is starting!”

The ground began to shake violently. A strong wind seemed to sweep away the void in front of her, with ripples vibrating and retreating continuously. Then, out of the flat ground, hills and mountains sprang up, and vegetation sprouted like bamboo shoots after a rain, covering the area around her in a split second.

The trees emerged at a rapid pace, forcing Xiao Muyu to dodge continuously. If she hesitated for even a moment, she feared the rapidly growing trees might impale her.

After what felt like an eternity, there was a loud noise, and then everything returned to stillness. Xiao Muyu found herself standing in a dense forest, surrounded by lush trees that seemed as if they had always been there.

“You have been selected for the Supernatural World. Here, everything deemed impossible will become possible. Please abandon your belief in science and your rejection of superstitions. Believe in spirits and gods, and attain eternal life!”

The original mechanical voice suddenly transformed into the sweet voice of a young girl. This sudden shift in tone made Xiao Muyu’s mouth twitch involuntarily. Abandon rejection of superstitions? What nonsense.

“Welcome, player, to Instance¹ No. 001. I am Arbiter No. 1, in charge of this game. The instance has been activated. Please pay close attention to every word and sentence in the displayed game guide. The game rules and gameplay are contained within. Follow the hidden rules within the game; if you miss or misinterpret any, hehe, it will cost you your life.”

Arbiter No. 1’s sweet voice carried a smile, but the final sentence sounded even stranger in her tone. Coupled with the fact that this was a supernatural world, it unnerved Xiao Muyu even more.

After Arbiter No. 1 finished speaking, she fell silent. Xiao Muyu tentatively asked, “Where are the game rules?”

As expected, there was no response. Xiao Muyu looked up at the forest ahead. The sun hung high in the sky, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees. Judging by the position of the sun, and the color of the sky, it was already afternoon.

There was a small path in the forest, though overgrown with weeds, it showed signs of being walked on. She decided to cautiously follow the path.

As soon as she took a step, a transparent display screen appeared before her eyes, just like the one she had seen initially. Illuminated letters began appearing on it:

[Sunlight can dispel darkness, protecting against the dangers hidden within. Children who play outside and refuse to go home will encounter misfortune.]

After she read the words, they quickly disappeared, leaving no additional information.

Xiao Muyu pondered those phrases repeatedly in her mind, then looked up at the sun leaning towards the west. Sunlight can dispel darkness, protecting against the dangers hidden within. So, would this place become unsafe after sunset? And the part about children who refused to go home facing misfortune; did that mean she needed to find a safe place before the sun set?

She was uncertain whether her interpretation was correct, but the sun was indeed about to set. Looking at its height, there were less than two hours left! Xiao Muyu quickened her pace, and just then, a chime sounded in her mind.

A line of text popped up: [Beginner’s Gift Pack has been delivered, please check.]

Xiao Muyu tapped the ‘check’ button while walking. It opened an interface similar to a game inventory, containing two items. The first slot held a set of clothes, and the second slot had a small silver badge.

She tapped again, and a description popped up. The prominent character “菜” (short for 菜鸡, slang for “total noob”) on the silver badge caught her eye immediately.

Amulet

Rarity: B

Acquisition Method: Random drop for lucky new players (not bound).

Item Description: An unremarkable amulet, clearly intended for rookie players entering a new instance. To prevent a poor gaming experience and immediate failure, it can protect the owner once at a critical moment.

Validity: 24 hours

Note: This item is a one-time use item. Once used, it becomes invalid. Please be mindful of when to use it.

The amulet only had a 24-hour validity, and the “菜” (cai) character on it made Xiao Muyu feel that this world was not very serious. The “菜” character wasn’t very harmful, but extremely insulting.

She tapped on the clothing, which also revealed an item description: “Having come to Skynet after various tragedies, everyone must be in a pitiful state. This outfit will allow you to participate in the game with dignity. I believe you will like it.”

Although it was quite absurd, it was accurate. Her current appearance was indeed a mess, and she needed to change her clothes as soon as she found a place. After tapping ‘Accept’, the clothing and amulet appeared in her hands.

After putting the clothing into her backpack and storing the amulet safely, Xiao Muyu quickened her pace. There was no further guidance, and as she couldn’t expect for additional hints, she must now search for new clues.

It took over ten minutes to walk out of the forest, and before her, there was still a desolate mountain. A small path appeared clearly in front of her, winding around the mountainside, though she had no idea where it led.

Without much hesitation, she quickly walked on.

The path led up the mountain, and with her view obstructed, it was impossible to determine if there were any houses above. When she looked down, there was even more deserted wilderness, with no signs of human presence, and the sun was already about to touch the treetops of the western mountains.

Time was running out for Xiao Muyu. The setting sun cast long shadows, and not far behind her, sunlight no longer reached. In that case, going downhill would be even more dangerous, so she had to move faster.

Racing against time would make anyone particularly anxious, especially when the sunlight was your opponent. As long as you kept your eyes open, you could feel the urgency of a metaphorical sword hanging above your head. The mental torment was all too evident.

No matter how calm Xiao Muyu was, she didn’t want to experience failure in this so-called supernatural instance. A person’s calmness was rooted in two things: indifference, and confidence.

At this moment, Xiao Muyu, who had lived for twenty-seven years, instantly lost both of these, and her calmness was shattered.

She was mentally tense, her heart rate accelerating, and all her thoughts were focused on rushing forward.

A gust of wind blew by, and the vegetation behind her suddenly shook violently, making a loud rustling sound!

Xiao Muyu turned around abruptly!

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Footnotes:

1. 1. In massively multiplayer online(mmo) games, an instance is a special area, typically a dungeon, that generates a new copy of the location for each group, or for a certain number of players, that enters the area. Generally, it prevents players, parties or guilds from clashing in the same dungeon. A player could enter it at the same time as other players, but they won’t see those other players inside. ↩︎

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Author had something to say:

Instance No. 001 is officially opened. It’s not scary so don’t worry baby.

Xiao Muyu: Noob? Who’re you calling a noob?