In the Villa District.

At Ji He’s uncle Ji Hua’s house.

Ji Yin was lying on the sofa, playing on her phone.

Her family was well-off—her father, Ji Hua, had secured a diesel generator early on, so their house still had electricity. The air conditioning was on, and their life wasn’t much different from before the disaster.

The only downside was the lack of variety in food—no cakes, no milk tea, and no shopping trips. For someone who loved showing off, Ji Yin found life incredibly dull.

At that moment, she was chatting with her friends about official players.

Her usual group of friends had all dismissed the game as a scam and refused to participate.

Even those who were curious enough to check it out failed the first trial. Not a single one of them became an official player.

Ji Yin furiously typed, filled with regret. If she hadn’t rejected the game back then, she was sure she could have become an awakened player!

—

[Society Queen Yin: If I hadn’t fallen asleep back then, I’d definitely be a gifted player by now!]

[Life is Easy Mode: I regret it too! I was in KTV singing when it happened! I didn’t take it seriously—I thought I was just having ear ringing!]

[Tea Egg Superhero: Damn it! I actually went in, but I failed the first round!]

[Strawberry Cake: Tell us, what was the game instance like?!]

[Society Queen Yin: You guys actually missed such an amazing opportunity?!]

[Tea Egg Superhero: AAAAAH! You call it an opportunity?! Do you know how insane that game was?! They threw two books at me and told me to memorize them! Then the next day, there was an exam! Each book was like a centimeter thick! I’ve never been good at memorizing things—how the hell was I supposed to pass?!]

[Life is Easy Mode: An exam? But I saw some people say their game instance only lasted one day.]

[Tea Egg Superhero: Yeah, mine was two days long. I don’t know about others, but my first game lasted two days. I spent the whole first day cramming until my head was spinning, exhausted and starving. I couldn’t take it anymore, so at night, I sneaked into the cafeteria to steal food. I almost got caught by the patrol guard!]

[Society Queen Yin: Hahahaha! I’m dying! What did you steal?!]

[Tea Egg Superhero: …Not telling you.]

[Strawberry Cake: Let me guess… You didn’t seriously eat raw rice, did you?!]

[Tea Egg Superhero: Not telling you! But listen, that game was completely insane! Honestly, the only person who could pass a game like that is Ji He! Everyone else is just cannon fodder!]

[Society Queen Yin: Ji He?! You’ve got to be joking. If she passes, I’ll do a live stream of me washing my hair while doing a handstand.]

[Life is Easy Mode: Exactly! None of us could pass—there’s no way that bookworm could make it!]

—

Ji Yin was fully immersed in the chat when she suddenly heard the front door open. She looked up—her father, Ji Hua, had just returned home.

His forehead was drenched in sweat, his already sparse hair stuck to his scalp, and his designer T-shirt was soaked through, clinging to his body.

He looked nothing like the successful businessman he usually was.

The moment he stepped inside, he wiped his forehead and sighed in relief. Air conditioning was truly a blessing.

“Dad, you’re back? You look exhausted—go take a shower!” Ji Yin got up from the sofa and walked to the door.

“No need. Where’s your mother?” Ji Hua wiped his face again and turned to look around. “Ah Feng! Come help me carry some things!”

He called out several times, but no one answered.

Ji Hua frowned. In this scorching heat, why wasn’t she staying home? Where could she have gone?

“She went to my grandma’s house,” Ji Yin replied casually, not thinking much of it.

She thought the government was overreacting. Sure, it was hot outside, but was that really a reason for everyone to stay locked indoors?

“Dad, since you’re back, can you drive me to Qian Qian’s house?” Ji Yin was getting bored at home and wanted to go hang out with her friend.