Gu Jiu walked into the Qingzhu House, and the wind chime at the entrance let out a string of crisp, melodious sounds.
The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee, and the gentle rhythm of a piano piece flowed quietly. The autumn afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass window, bringing a sense of calm and comfort to the atmosphere.
Zhang Jingyi was brewing coffee at the counter. Hearing the wind chime, she looked up and quickly ran over.
She held Gu Jiu’s hand, guiding her inside while asking, “Ah Jiu, what brings you here? Aren’t you supposed to be resting at home?”
“There’s nothing much to rest for.” Gu Jiu took off her glasses and placed them into the pocket of her light coat, squinting slightly. “Don’t worry, I can still see your pretty face clearly. It’s not like I’m actually blind.”
Zhang Jingyi playfully scolded, “Don’t jinx it! You’ll never go blind!”
Though she said this, worry filled her heart.
Gu Jiu was born with congenital low vision. Thanks to timely treatment when she was young, although her eyesight could never be like that of an average person, it didn’t affect her daily life much. However, a year ago, her vision started deteriorating rapidly. She underwent numerous tests and consulted countless eye specialists both at home and abroad, but no one could pinpoint the issue.
It’s possible that in a few months, she might go blind.
Remembering the recent doctor visit she accompanied her friend to, Zhang Jingyi felt an overwhelming sadness. But she didn’t dare show too much concern in front of Gu Jiu, afraid of making her feel worse. Deep down, she knew that no matter how much they avoided talking about it, Gu Jiu must have been aware of her own condition.
Seeing the gentle and serene smile on Gu Jiu’s face, Zhang Jingyi took a deep breath and helped her to a seat by the window.
Qingzhu House was a café that Gu Jiu and her friend Zhang Jingyi had opened together.
Located in a secluded alley near the university town, the surrounding environment was tranquil. The place rarely had visitors, but due to its peaceful ambiance and the ten different breeds of cats they kept, it attracted many cat lovers. Once these visitors tasted Zhang Jingyi’s handcrafted coffee, they often returned.
The interior of Qingzhu House was primarily decorated with bamboo products, with bamboo partitions separating the seating areas, creating a private space for guests.
As soon as Gu Jiu sat down, she heard a meowing sound.
A chubby orange cat came to her feet, meowing softly with a sweet and coquettish voice.
Gu Jiu chuckled, picked up the orange cat, and placed it on her lap, rubbing its warm, fluffy belly. She smiled, “Orange Prince, you need to lose some weight.”
The orange cat sprawled out in her hands like a cat pancake, purring in contentment, clearly enjoying the affection.
The other cats in the café, hearing the sound, all ran over, circling Gu Jiu and meowing sweetly, their voices full of flattery.
Zhang Jingyi brought over the coffee, and seeing Gu Jiu surrounded by cats, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. “I’m the one taking care of them every day. Why do they like you more?”
Gu Jiu stroked a cat, her expression serious. “Maybe it’s because I’m prettier than you.”
“Get out of here!” Zhang Jingyi laughed and scolded, refusing to admit that these cats were all charmed by looks. She wasn’t bad-looking either—after all, she had quite a few admirers back in college.
But when it came to beauty, Zhang Jingyi had to admit that Gu Jiu was indeed very pretty, possessing a kind of classical beauty that stunned at first glance and only became more captivating the longer one looked.
It’s just a pity that this classic beauty wasn’t paired with a gentle demeanor. Though she looked demure, she could be fierce, almost like a tigress when provoked. Fortunately, she was easygoing most of the time unless someone happened to touch a sore spot of hers.
Zhang Jingyi glanced at her friend sitting by the window. The bright sunlight outside illuminated the girl cradling a cat, radiating an air of ease and contentment, as if she were glowing.
Only her eyes, gazing back, seemed hazy and clouded, as though shrouded in a mist, lacking their usual spark.
A sense of sadness slowly welled up in her heart again.
The two chatted briefly, but as a customer entered, Zhang Jingyi soon became busy again.
Gu Jiu played with the cats for a while until a wave of drowsiness suddenly swept over her, and she rested her head on the table.
The sunlight poured in from the window, warming her all over in this period close to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Unconsciously, Gu Jiu fell asleep. A few cats stayed close to her, either lying down or curling up, enjoying the quiet autumn afternoon with her.
Zhang Jingyi came over with a cake and, seeing this peaceful scene, didn’t disturb her. She quietly left again.
As she turned to leave, the body of the person lying on the table gradually became transparent, fading away like mist.
No one noticed this scene, except for the cats who, for some unknown reason, could not make a sound.
×××
A sensation of weightlessness came over her, and Gu Jiu woke up abruptly.
At the same time, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind: “Welcome to the Multiverse Game World…”
She sat there in a daze, her vision filled with a hazy blur, faintly making out three indistinct figures in front of her.
Gu Jiu reached into her light coat pocket and took out her glasses, putting them on. She could finally see clearly that the blurry figures were actually three people—two men and one woman—squatting there.
Besides these three, there were two other people under a nearby poplar tree, one fat and one thin, both with very distinctive features.
She glanced around and realized they were in the middle of a desolate mountain range, far from any village or town. A narrow path twisted ahead, leading to an unknown destination.
Where was this? What was going on?
Gu Jiu remembered being at the Qingzhu House, playing with the cats when a sudden wave of drowsiness overwhelmed her, causing her to fall asleep at the table.
Could this be some kind of prank or kidnapping? But judging from the reactions of the people around her, it didn’t seem likely.
As she pondered, an annoyed voice sounded, “What a hassle, there’s a newbie this time.”
Gu Jiu turned toward the speaker, one of the three men. She found that she could see him clearly—a long, narrow face, with sharp, slightly sinister features, giving off an impression of bitterness.
The other man was tall and robust, with a resolute and righteous expression that exuded a sense of integrity and incorruptibility.
She paused, removed her glasses, and unsurprisingly, her vision turned hazy again.
Putting her glasses back on, she discovered that her vision was restored to normal through them.
Ever since her vision had deteriorated a year ago due to unknown reasons, even with her corrective glasses, she couldn’t see as clearly as a normal person. It had been a long time since she had seen the world so vividly, leaving her momentarily stunned.
The tall, robust man—Wu Yang—glanced at the group. There were seven of them.
The number wasn’t too many or too few, suggesting that this task wouldn’t be too difficult. He felt a sense of relief.
He cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention, and got straight to the point: “My name is Wu Yang. This is my fifth game. Let’s introduce ourselves first.”
Hearing that this was Wu Yang’s fifth game, the expressions of the people present changed slightly.
The narrow-faced man quickly spoke, “I’m Wang Peiping. This is my third game.”
Then, the woman sitting next to Wang Peiping, who looked to be in her early twenties, with a sweet voice and a delicate appearance, introduced herself, “My name is Lin Dandan. This is also my third game. I partnered with Brother Wu in the last game.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Wu Yang, her expression full of pride.
Those who have survived more than four games are considered both strong and lucky veterans—especially compared to newcomers.
The fat man under the poplar tree, his voice loud and booming, said, “I’m Lin Bufan, and this is my brother Lin Buqi. You can just call me chubby and him Skinny. This is our fourth game together.”
Everyone glanced at the brothers. One was as plump as a pig, and the other as skinny as a stick, making it hard to believe they were actually related. But on closer inspection, their facial features were indeed quite similar.
Then, they all looked at Gu Jiu.
Despite the thick, vision-enhancing glasses she wore, it was still evident that she was a very beautiful girl. Her demeanor was calm, and she sat quietly, exuding a kind of gentle, classical beauty that could easily evoke a protective instinct in men.
Lin Dandan felt an instant sense of crisis.
She eyed Gu Jiu warily, then glanced at Wu Yang. Knowing his good-natured personality, she couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Gu Jiu introduced herself briefly, “Gu Jiu, first game.”
Although she was still completely in the dark, not understanding anything, she recalled the mechanical voice in her mind when she awoke and pieced together some important information from the conversations around her.
Wu Yang and the others looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to remain so composed—a rare trait for a newcomer.
“Lu Ji, also my first game.”
A slightly weak and feeble voice came from behind. Gu Jiu paused and turned to see a girl in a white long dress sitting on a stone not far behind her. She looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, with thick, dark hair tied up, revealing a beautiful but pale face that evoked a sense of vulnerability. She seemed to be in poor health.
The fat man asked curiously, “Which ‘Ji’?”
The girl glanced at him, her eyes dark and lifeless, and softly replied, “The ‘Ji (疾)’ from ‘disease.’”
It was an unusual name. What kind of parents would name their child “Disease”?
Now, the situation was clear. Aside from Gu Jiu and Lu Ji, who were newcomers, the rest were experienced players who had gone through at least two games.
Games with new players were both troublesome and not.
The trouble was that newcomers, lacking experience, could easily become a burden. However, they also served as useful cannon fodder. The advantage was that games involving newcomers usually started with a relatively safe environment, allowing them to grasp the situation.
That explained why they found themselves in this desolate mountain area with no immediate danger—it was thanks to the presence of the newcomers.
Wu Yang, being the seasoned player, said, “It’s fate that we’ve all ended up in the same game field. Let’s get going and head to the destination.”
No one had any objections, and they all stood up.
Wu Yang led the way along the narrow path, explaining as he walked, “The objective of this game is to escape the Cursed Village. Generally, if we can find the source of the curse or obtain a key item, we’ll clear the game.”
The others showed expressions of agreement.
Only Gu Jiu remained confused. She hadn’t received any game mission details—just that message, “Welcome to the Multiverse Game World…” which didn’t provide much information.
Wu Yang, recalling something, turned back and said, “By the way, for newcomers, there are no mission prompts in the first game. Only after you successfully pass your first game and officially become a player in the Multiverse Game World will you receive prompts in future games.”
That’s why when newcomers entered the game world, there was always one or two seasoned players to guide and explain the situation.
Gu Jiu understood and politely thanked him.
Lu Ji walked quietly, without saying a word, looking rather solitary.
Wu Yang led the way with Lin Dandan and Wang Peiping following closely behind, and then came the chubby and skinny brothers.
Gu Jiu and the other newcomer, Lu Ji, walked at the rear.
They had been walking for half an hour. Gu Jiu, not accustomed to such long walks, gradually became short of breath, her steps unsteady. She almost tripped, but a hand quickly steadied her.
She looked up to see that it was Lu Ji, the other newcomer, who had helped her.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Lu Ji didn’t respond, remaining silent while supporting her. Gu Jiu could sense that she seemed reluctant, her hand a bit tense, but for some unknown reason, she had no choice but to help.
Was it because they were both newcomers and needed to look out for each other?
Lin Dandan, hearing the commotion, turned around. When she saw Gu Jiu’s pale face and her need for support, a hint of disdain flickered in her eyes.
So what if she was pretty? In a dangerous survival world like this, ghosts and monsters wouldn’t spare someone just because they were attractive. Without a strong body, one couldn’t survive in such a place and would only end up as cannon fodder.
After walking for almost an hour, the narrow path finally came to an end.
At the end was a quiet village nestled in the mountains, surrounded by lush green hills. At the entrance of the village stood a tall, flourishing willow tree, its drooping branches a vibrant green, harmonizing with the surrounding mountains and creating a lively scene.
Looking into the village, they could see smoke rising from chimneys, giving it the appearance of a peaceful, living community.