Zhu Yan looked through two pages. Eight out of every ten posts were from people asking questions in confusion.
He thought for a moment, then went back and found the post titled "Attention, newcomers."
After staring at its cover for three seconds, Zhu Yan entered the post and saw the full version.
"I'm a player. I've already been through two rounds of instances."
"What I want to say is, none of this is an illusion. Don't doubt what you've seen."
"There are no hallucinogens on the badge or card, and you don't have food poisoning."
Zhu Yan studied the post intently.
"I know a small number of you may feel as though you've been brainwashed or experience dizziness."
"When the game starts, don't panic."
"Make good use of your abilities!"
"Also, whatever you do, don't call the police, don't go to a psychiatric hospital, and don't tell anyone around you about what you've experienced."
"Don't expose your identity, and definitely don't expose your ability!"
"This advice comes from experience. That's all I can do to help you!"
The post had been made five days ago.
Zhu Yan's feelings were complicated. For a moment, the sheer absurdity of it made him want to laugh.
The post was right. Faced with those sounds and images, any normal person would probably think they were having visual and auditory hallucinations.
He scrolled down through the comments and found that many profile pictures had already gone black.
"I found my envelope at the internet café outside my residential complex. I have an addiction, and with this worthless life of mine, I won't live long anyway, so I chose to become a player. I'll leave my address and name. I'm all alone, so everyone, please remember to call the police tomorrow and have them collect my body."
The comment had been posted two days ago. The profile picture was black, and the username was "User Has Been Deregistered."
Zhu Yan took a look. There really was a name and an address, right down to the door number, in a residential complex he had never heard of.
He searched for it on his phone's map app. The complex actually existed.
Photos of the location showed that the complex was in a relatively run-down part of the old city center. Outside its gate was a small, dilapidated internet café.
Zhu Yan fell silent.
Something that could be verified in reality couldn't be called a hallucination.
"I found my card on my older sister's desk. She died suddenly a few days ago. I couldn't clear my Beginner Instance, and these are my last ten minutes. Good luck, stranger!"
The comments section was fairly lively. Besides those two, another seven or eight people had shared how they found their envelopes.
Some found them in the pockets of newly bought clothes, some found them in gifts they received, and one person's envelope had been tucked among banknotes withdrawn from a bank.
There were all sorts, each more outlandish than the last.
"The original poster is right. Don't call the police. Our area seems to have been hit hard. My neighbor called the police, and the officers took the card and badge away. Calling the police won't affect the newbie mission, but it will expose all your private information."
"I paid to ask around. The police didn't find any leads related to [Lazybones Craft Shop]. There's no such shop in the real world."
They couldn't find [Lazybones Craft Shop]?
Zhu Yan glanced at the commenter's account and saw that it had also been deactivated.
Zhu Yan browsed a little longer. After finding no advice that would help with the "Beginner Instance," he left the post.
At this point, he no longer thought that believing or disbelieving could change anything.
If it was all an illusion, then choosing to become a player wouldn't have any effect. Either way, he would end up in a psychiatric hospital.
But if it was all real, did choosing to become a player sooner mean he could fuse with and familiarize himself with his ability sooner, giving him more of an advantage in the Beginner Instance?
After all, judging by the proportion of black profile pictures and "User Has Been Deregistered" accounts on the forum, the survival rate for the Beginner Instance was only around forty percent.
...That's lower than the fifty percent cutoff for high school placement in a certain province.
Zhu Yan continued browsing.
He went in and out of various posts and found a comment that could verify his guess.
"I recommend choosing to become a player in advance. That way, you can fuse with your ability sooner."
"Don't underestimate that. Your everyday talents aren't your abilities. Using an ability feels completely different."
Zhu Yan drew a soft breath.
He slowly calmed down, took the badge out of his pocket, and carefully pressed his left index finger against it as instructed.
One.
Two.
Three...
Bang, bang, bang! Someone knocked on the door. Zhu Yan turned his head, and his aunt's voice came from outside.
"The meat and vegetables I ordered are here!" she shouted. "Hurry downstairs and get them."
"Coming," Zhu Yan answered.
A deep warmth seeped into his palm. He looked back and saw that the badge had melted in his hand like chocolate.
The golden liquid seeped into his skin bit by bit. Heat traveled along his blood vessels, flowing through the soles of his feet and up between his brows.
"You have chosen to become a player," the pleasant female voice announced. "Once the badge has finished fusing with you, please place the ability card in your palm."
Keeping his palm facing up, Zhu Yan carefully stood.
He quickly absorbed the rest of the golden liquid. The bird that had been floating on it became a small black tattoo embedded in the very center of his palm.
Zhu Yan rubbed at it a couple of times, but the color didn't come off. It was as though it had grown out of his skin.
The doorknob rattled a few times. His aunt failed to open the door, and anger entered her voice.
"Zhu Yan! Are you deaf?!"
Zhu Yan slipped his left hand into his pocket and gripped his ability card, making sure it was pressed firmly against his palm.
He opened the door, gave his aunt an apologetic look, and hurried outside.
"I'm going right now. Sorry..."
He felt the once-hard card soften in his palm, like a thick sheet of edible rice paper.
"Why haven't you packed your things yet?!"
By the time he opened the door, his aunt had completely erupted.
"Get out! Get out! When you get back with the groceries, get on your knees! You're not allowed to eat dinner without my permission!!"
After all these years, Zhu Yan had long since learned to ignore his aunt's sudden outbursts of anger.
The ability card melted faster than he had expected. When Zhu Yan was halfway downstairs, he saw text floating before his eyes.
"Ability fusion complete."
"[Roleplay] lv.3: You can imitate the behavior of horror creatures of level 3 and below and make them believe you are one of them. There is no time limit on this function."
"You can slightly alter your aura to deceive players of level 3 and below, making them believe you are someone else or a horror creature. There is no time limit on this function."
Whoa, this is exciting.
"During each instance, you can hide your player tattoo for one hour."
I can play both sides? This ability looks really useful!
Leaving everything else aside, pretending to be one of them in front of horror creatures could really save my life at a critical moment.
Zhu Yan felt a little excited, but he quickly suppressed it.
No. I can't let my guard down yet—
After all, the survival rate for the newbie instance was only forty percent or even lower.
"Player: Zhu Yan (nickname can be changed after clearing the Beginner Instance)"
"Player level: lv.0"
A level 0 player with a level 3 ability?
That means I can deceive horror creatures three levels above me!
Incredibly gifted!
A few steps later, Zhu Yan had reached the pickup point.
He lifted the plastic strip curtain at the parcel station and took a bag of vegetables and meat from the food delivery pickup shelf.
The bag hadn't been tied tightly, leaving a small opening.
Zhu Yan saw—
A small black envelope lay inside, its golden design identical to the one Zhu Yan had received!
Is this... my aunt's?
Did my aunt have that strange dream too?
Zhu Yan's heart sped up again.
He looked around, and after confirming that no one was nearby, he quickly untied the bag, took the card out of the envelope, and read it.
"Your ability is [Complaining]."
"You are an older mom whose sole concern is scheming for your giant baby of a son, a resentful woman full of grievances."
"You frequently abuse and complain about others. This is proof of your miserable life, as well as your means of making others just as miserable as you."
Zhu Yan knew that with a crisis approaching, he shouldn't have laughed out loud in delight.
But that's such a good insult!
"Current ability level: lv.2. (Because your eloquence is truly a ridiculous joke.)"
Zhu Yan laughed even more heartily.
He was about to take out the game badge for a look when he heard the female voice again.
"Attention, player. Your Beginner Instance, [Who Is the Crown Prince], is expected to begin in two hours."
"Horror creature level: lv.2 ordinary Pseudo-human."
"Instance mission: Survive for two hours."
"Instance location: Apartment 601, Building 3, Anyuan Village Residential Complex, Bailu City."
The remnants of a smile still lingered on Zhu Yan's face, but his thoughts raced.
The instance location happened to be his aunt's home, and she had also received a badge and an ability card.
Judging by the expected start time, he and his aunt were probably in the same instance.
The instance's name, [Who Is the Crown Prince], seemed like a brilliant piece of irony given the situation in his aunt's family.
Pseudo-human...
Zhu Yan's heart sank slightly, but at the same time, he actually felt excited.
It was a rather subtle feeling.
Two hours from now would be around six o'clock, exactly when his uncle and younger brother were supposed to be home.
If it's all real...
Then who has the Pseudo-human replaced?