Gu Jiu knew that her grandmother and uncle didn’t believe what she said; they thought she was only trying to comfort them.
She didn’t know how to explain.
When it comes to the Multiverse Game World, after players return to the real world, they are silenced by the rules of their respective worlds, forbidden from revealing any information about the game world. Of course, this silence only applies to lower-level players. When players reach a certain level and can touch the world’s rules, the restrictions on them lessen.
At this stage, having just experienced her first game, Gu Jiu was subject to these silencing rules.
This led her to some speculation about the Multiverse Game World, but her current experience was too limited to prove anything, so it wasn’t worth saying much.
Over the next two days, Gu Jiu didn’t go anywhere, staying home to accompany her grandmother.
The old lady Gu was both happy and heartbroken. Of course, she wanted her granddaughter to stay at home with her, but if the price was her granddaughter’s eyesight, she’d rather have her fly freely outside and just come home occasionally to visit.
Worried that her granddaughter might get sick from staying home too much, Grandma Gu said, “Ah Jiu, if you’re feeling bored, you don’t have to stay at home every day just to keep me company. You can hang out with your friends or visit the Bamboo House. I heard that Jing Yi has adopted a lot of cats. Why not keep a few cats or dogs at home too?”
The Gu family didn’t have pets because everyone was busy. After Song Qinghe married in and soon got pregnant, raising pets became even less feasible.
Walking arm in arm with her grandmother in the garden, Gu Jiu smiled, “Grandma, I’m not bored. I wish I could stay home with you every day! And you’re not an old lady; you’re still young. When we go out together, people often think you’re my mom.”
Grandma Gu’s heart melted at her words, filled with warmth.
Who could resist such a sweet, doting girl? She almost wanted to give her granddaughter her whole heart.
“Grandma, if you want to keep pets, go ahead. Don’t worry about me. But let me say this upfront—I barely take care of myself, so I won’t help take care of the pets.” Gu Jiu warned, to prevent her family from thinking she wanted pets and then making her learn to care for them.
Could the young lady even take care of pets? If she could keep one that took care of her, she’d be more than willing.
Grandma Gu chuckled, “You don’t have to take care of them; we have maids for that. You can just play with them if you like.”
She was already considering whether to get a guide dog for her granddaughter, worried that if she made it too obvious, it might upset her… Her granddaughter was such a sweet child; even if she felt sad, she wouldn’t say it. But it pained them to see her suffer.
×××
Soon, the day to enter the game world again arrived.
That evening, after saying goodnight to her grandmother, uncle, and aunt, Gu Jiu returned to her room to rest.
Even though her vision was blurry in the real world, she had lived in the Gu family home for over ten years. She could move around without tripping, even with her eyes closed. In the past few months, the Gu family had rearranged the furniture and removed small items that might block her way to prevent her from tripping.
Back in her room, Gu Jiu first went to the bathroom to wash up, then changed into clothes suitable for going out.
She leaned against the bed, put on her glasses, and waited for the time to come.
At nine o’clock in the evening, Gu Jiu felt a familiar pull, her vision spinning wildly.
The strange sensation came quickly and passed quickly.
She was back in the familiar gray fog space, surrounded by mist with no one in sight.
[You are about to enter the D-level game field: The Caged Bird.]
[Game Task: Survive for seven days.]
After the mechanical voice of the system sounded, a shop interface appeared, listing a variety of items and products.
[Item 1: Holy Light Talisman, 200 points each, limited to one per person.]
[Item 2: Fright Chainsaw, 500 points each, limited to one per person.]
[Item 3: Enclosure Trap, defensive item, 1000 points each, limited to one per person.]
…
Gu Jiu scrolled through the list. The points required for items ranged from low to high, with the highest-priced item needing 2000 points—she didn’t even glance at those. Her gaze finally settled on a few inconspicuous items in the corner.
[Clothing: 1 point per set, unlimited quantity.]
[Toiletries: 1 point per set, unlimited quantity.]
[Food: Bread, Water, Instant Noodles, 1 point each, unlimited quantity.]
Gu Jiu stared at these essentials, sold cheaply like street stall goods, and spent 50 points buying clothes, toiletries, and food, then tossed them all into her system backpack.
The soft, childlike voice of System No. 387 chimed in: [“Ah Jiu, aren’t you going to buy a Holy Light Talisman?”]
Gu Jiu continued scrolling through the shop, replying casually, “One Holy Light Talisman costs 200 points. It’s not worth it. I’d rather buy more essentials. Even in the game world, I won’t compromise on quality of life.”
System: “…?”
The system began to waver in its judgment. Could this young lady, with such high standards, really become a top-tier player in high-level arenas someday? Every other player entering the game world prioritized using their points to buy items essential for the game. Things like clothes and food were secondary.
Gu Jiu complained, “This game is too stingy. The items are absurdly expensive, as if you can’t wait for players to empty their points. I’d love to buy the items, but then I’d have no points left for necessities. If this game world doesn’t provide us with basic essentials like in the Curse Village instance, I’d be stuck wearing the same clothes for seven days. I’m not doing that.”
System: “….” She made a good point, leaving it speechless.
The system actually knew the setup of the game instance better than the players. The world she was about to enter indeed wouldn’t provide players with essentials, just as she predicted.
“Actually, I’d love to have a stick—something to hit people or ghosts with. It should be lightweight, so it’s easy to carry around. Is there something like that?”
System: [“…All items available in the shop are listed here. If it’s not there, it doesn’t exist.”]
Gu Jiu pursed her lips. After finally finishing her review of the shop interface, she said to the system, “Alright, send me into the game world.”
The system quickly transported her into the game world, as if fearing she might say something else that would make things difficult.
—
The familiar sensation of spinning consciousness returned, and the gray foggy space in her vision vanished, replaced by bright light.
Gu Jiu adjusted her glasses and examined her surroundings.
She was in a European-style living room, a spacious area with a spiral staircase leading to the upper floor. The front door was closed, and the window was open, allowing her to see the sky outside. It was daytime, with bright light streaming in, filling the room with a warm glow.
There were nineteen people in the living room—a mix of social elites, working-class individuals, students, and street punks. Gu Jiu noted the varied expressions on their faces: those with calm expressions were likely experienced players, while those who appeared panicked or shocked were newcomers. There were quite a few newcomers—nine in total.
She recalled that Fatty had mentioned that the more players there were in a game instance, the more dangerous it would be.
Suddenly, her gaze landed on a girl in a white dress nearby. The girl glanced over at her, eyes slightly lowering as she offered a subtle smile.
Lu Ji saw her and walked over without hesitation, standing by her side.
“Miss Gu, we meet again,” she murmured softly.
Gu Jiu’s eyes curved into a smile. “Sister Ah Ji, we really are fated. I didn’t expect we’d meet in a second game world.”
Players enter game instances randomly, and without a team item, the chance of being placed together is slim. In this game, aside from Lu Ji, she didn’t see any familiar faces like Wu Yang or the brothers.
Lu Ji acknowledged her with a quiet “Mm,” saying nothing further.
The other players were also observing their surroundings and sizing up the people present. Seeing Lu Ji approach Gu Jiu, they understood that the two knew each other. Like Lu Ji, other players who recognized each other gathered together.
One striking individual caught everyone’s attention—a handsome man dressed in an impeccable suit, with gold-rimmed glasses, exuding the aura of a high-society elite. Three players immediately approached him and greeted him respectfully.
In contrast to the calm players, the newcomers were visibly shaken. Some shouted, convinced this was a prank and that someone had maliciously locked them here.
A street punk with a flamboyant look yelled, “I don’t care who’s pulling this stunt—I’m not playing along!”
He dashed toward the closed door, yanking the handle in an attempt to open it. But no matter how hard he tried, the door wouldn’t budge. His face flushed as he angrily kicked the door, making loud banging noises.
Several players snickered at the sight.
The rest of the newcomers, lacking the street punk’s boldness, stood in place, visibly distressed.
They weren’t entirely clueless; even though they didn’t understand what was happening or why they were here, the mechanical voice they heard in their minds gave them a vague sense that this was no prank.
They looked to the calm, composed players, realizing that these individuals likely understood the situation.
A woman with a sharp chin scanned the crowd and her gaze landed on the elite man in the suit. Her eyes lit up as she moved closer, only to be stopped by a woman beside him. Undeterred, she cooed, “Big Brother, could you tell us what’s going on? What is this Multiverse Game?”
The other newcomers seemed to latch onto this glimmer of hope, turning their attention to the suited man.
The elite man slowly took a white handkerchief from his suit pocket, wiping his hands methodically, ignoring the newcomers entirely.
Instead, a middle-aged man beside him took the initiative to speak, drawing the newcomers’ attention.
The middle-aged man looked unremarkable, the kind who would blend into a crowd and be easily overlooked. Smiling amiably, he said, “I’m sure you all heard a mechanical voice in your minds just now. Don’t doubt it—that was real, not a figment of your imagination. You’ve been selected as players for the Multiverse Game. You’ll need to complete tasks in the game world.”
“This time, the task is to survive for seven days in ‘The Caged Bird.’ As long as you make it through, you’ll become seasoned players in the Multiverse Game World and can return to the real world…”
Gu Jiu glanced at the elite man and the middle-aged man explaining things. She understood they were likely seasoned players in this game instance, tasked with briefing newcomers for their first game, so the newcomers wouldn’t be completely in the dark.
The middle-aged man’s words didn’t hide any task details from the newcomers, offering a fair introduction.