The Protagonist's Ability

"Brother, how did I die?"

Huan Huan stared at the black screen in front of her, dumbfounded.

She spoke with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

The scene that just happened was so sudden that she was caught off guard and couldn't react in time. She was completely stunned and speechless for the entire time.

I only came to my senses after the screen went black and I died. Even now, I still feel a lingering fear in my throat, and I can't stop swallowing.

ox.

That's amazing.

The previous emergency ended in an instant, before anyone could even react to what had happened after the gunshots rang out.

And along with it, several other lives were lost.

Huan Huan is still somewhat taken aback.

Because, to her, this game doesn't even have any sense of martial ethics!

There wasn't even enough foreplay before they came at me with a vengeance, how can anyone handle that?!

She didn't even know how she died!

This is so embarrassing!

And it was in front of my cousin!

Looking at his suddenly deceased cousin, Zai Zong suppressed a laugh and shook his head.

"Young people are still not up to par. If it were your older brother in that situation, I would have been far ahead and left everyone else in the dust."

Upon hearing this, Huan Huan couldn't tell whether it was self-praise or self-deprecation.

At this moment, lines of subtitles appeared on the pitch -Pitch Black screen.

[Death Files - 1001]

[Number: D-9341]

[Cause of death: The individual suffered a fatal cervical spine fracture and showed no facial expression. Preliminary assessment suggests death may have been caused by an attack by W-FBC-0173. Please take precautions.]

[Continue the game]

Return to main menu

Wearing VR headset, Huan Huan looked at the 'obituary' in front of her and finally understood how she died.

Cervical spine fracture

Is that statue's power really that terrifying?

Huan Huan pursed her lips, hesitating whether to continue playing.

Zai Zong seeing this, Zai Zong grinned.

"What's wrong, you idiot? Scared? That's good. This game isn't for little girls like you. Go watch your brother play instead."

Huan Huan hearing this, Huanhuan gritted her teeth and snorted disdainfully.

"Who said I was scared? I just didn't realize it yet. Now I'm fine again, cousin, you just wait and see!"

With that, she chose to continue the game.

Soon, the Pitch Black before my eyes was replaced by a brightly lit screen.

The scene that reappeared before Huan Huan was the same one where the three of them had just entered the control room!

Huan Huan knew that the game had returned to a point before her death.

This refers to the save and load mechanism that every single-player game has.

Generally speaking, loading a save file simply connects the points in time before the save was completed.

The protagonist won't have any of those crazy ideas like "I've been resurrected," "I've been reborn," or "I'm going to change the world."

but

In the game "Control Failure," the protagonist's next line left both her and Zai Zong stunned.

[I've been resurrected once again. But why am I back in the control room? Shouldn't I be resurrected in the prison and starting over? What's going on?]

As he spoke, the protagonist stretched out his hands and examined them carefully.

It seems they're trying to see what's different about it.

But soon, he put it down and said something to convince himself.

[Have my abilities improved? That's amazing. Perhaps I can freely choose when I'm resurrected?]

What the heck?

Huan Huan didn't understand what the protagonist was saying, but Zai Zong seemed to get it.

Could this be...?

Soon, a prompt appeared on the screen, clearing up their confusion.

You possess a powerful and unknown ability to load and save game files. Additionally, you have the ability to save your game at any time and place, marking the time and location.

To others, your ability is merely a remarkably keen sixth sense. Every success you've achieved has been bought with countless failures. Use your precognitive abilities to change your impending fate of death!

Holy crap!

"You can use the save/load function in games like this?!"

The Zai Zong exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening.

He never imagined that the Only Game" would actually rationalize the save/load mechanism, which is present in almost all single-player games, into a power!

Moreover, judging from this prompt, it seems to be more than just a simple matter of saving and loading; it's more like a kind of time rewind.

Because this statement explicitly mentions 'foresight' and 'changing the future'!

Does this mean that every time the protagonist reloads a save file, he can change the outcome of the previous event? In other words, change the future?

In that case, given the degree of freedom that the Only Game has always offered, this ability might have an additional role to play.

At this moment, as if to verify Zai Zong's guess, the game suddenly uttered a low-pitched line from the protagonist.

[I can't save those two D-Class Personnel, or the researchers outside. I've tried, I've done everything I can, but I'm powerless. All I can do is protect myself.]

"Holy crap, I knew it!"

"Zai Zong shouted again."

"Brothers, the protagonist of this game is different from the protagonists of previous single-player games! He knows he has the ability to save and load, and it looks like he's already loaded many saves before we even started controlling him. He probably knows a lot of things that we players don't. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of precognition the protagonist will display!"

"Of course, it's also possible that I'm overthinking it. The protagonist is probably just like us, knowing nothing."

Huan Huan was playing games nearby, was a little confused when she heard this.

She was aware of the save and load mechanism, but for someone who didn't play many single-player games, it wasn't anything special.

She even thought her cousin was making a mountain out of a molehill, like someone from a remote mountain village who had never seen the world.

So, Huan Huan shrugged and, following the game's instructions, saved her game here.

Then, my cousin's voice came through.

"Hey kid, let me tell you something. The save/load mechanism in this game is a little different. The protagonist retains the memory of the previous save point after each load, just like us gamers. Remember how you died just now? Don't die this time, let's see what happens."

Huan Huan was a little stunned, but still nodded in agreement.

Soon, the game proceeded as normal as before.

First, a broadcast came on, and then a person in orange approached the human-shaped statue.

Then the mechanical door malfunctioned, and an alarm was heard over the loudspeaker.

Everything was orderly and exactly the same as before.

until

The moment that will decide your fate has arrived!

Zai Zong at the screen, Huan Huan tense.

Meanwhile, viewers and fans in the live stream flooded the chat with comments and sent virtual gifts.

then

Bang--

Gunshots rang out!

Agent Ulgrin was cursing outside the gate.

Suddenly, the scene before Huan Huan's eyes blurred and began to sway slowly.

In the blink of an eye, the humanoid statue that had been standing in the corner moved at a speed that was beyond human comprehension to humans, and arrived behind the orange-clad man at the front.

The next second, a cracking sound came from the headphones.

The man in orange was suddenly twisted 180 degrees and collapsed helplessly to the ground.

"Get out! Get out!"

Zai Zong immediately reminded Huan Huan loudly, Huan Huan did as instructed.

She operated the joystick, keeping her eyes on the statue as she backed out the door.

The situation was urgent and came suddenly!

All the NPCs in the game seemed to react just like Huan Huan did when she first saw them.

But Huan Huan is different; having gone through it once, she already has experience.

Therefore, taking advantage of this moment, she successfully manipulated the protagonist to retreat behind the control room door!

But then, the screen blinked again.

In an instant! The second orange-clad personnel, who hadn't reacted in time, also died tragically on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, two people were killed, leaving no one alive in the control room.

The humanoid statue stood atop the corpse, its eerie face, resembling that of a Peking Opera actress, coldly staring at everyone from another world through the screen!

Immediately, all the players who saw this face went wild.

Viewers in the live stream were amazed by the eeriness and strangeness of the human-shaped statue.

Huan Huan gritted her teeth, took a step forward, and, despite the blurry and clear visuals, forced herself to reach the wall, thus avoiding eye contact with the statue.

Almost simultaneously with shifting their gaze, in the blink of an eye.

Terrified screams came from the second floor.

[Oh shit! It's here! It's coming up! Press the alarm! Quick, notify Nine-Tailed Fox!]

Ka—

Ka—

Ka—

After a few crisp cracking sounds, the control room fell silent.

Huan Huan her lower lip tightly, hurriedly ran to the corner of the wall and squatted down, trembling all over.

At that moment, the brightly lit room suddenly went dark, becoming pitch black.

The power is out.

Immediately following was the deafening blaring of countless alarms.

Then came a large expanse of warning Red Light, filling the entire Pitch Black control room and providing an unusual illumination.

At this moment, all the players in front of the screen knew what was happening.

That is.

Control Failure!

A horde of demons and monsters have been unleashed and are slaughtering everything!

At that moment, the music suddenly changed, and an eerie melody, suggesting impending danger, slowly resounded through the Bluetooth headphones.

This made Huan Huan, who was huddled in the corner, look even more frightened.

As she listened to the piercing alarm and peered warily at the Pitch Black environment flashing Red Light, a chill ran down her spine when she caught a glimpse of the two corpses with their heads twisted in the control room.

For a moment, she was too afraid to move!

She was terrified that the statue monster would appear and force her to reload her save.

"Brother, are you still there?"

"I'm here, stop squatting and hurry up and leave."

"Waaaaah... It's so dark and shiny!"

"Scared now? I told you not to play with it. Here, take the VR headset off."

"No, I can't. I was just asking. It's good that you're here."

As she spoke, Huan Huan gritted her teeth and stood up.

Luckily, her cousin was there, which gave her the courage to play.

If her cousin wasn't around, she would never play this game by herself!

In her haste, she glanced at the two corpses in the control room, swallowed hard, and stepped forward, intending to leave first.

However.

Just as she pressed the joystick and took a step,

A corpse suddenly fell in front of her, making a loud thud.

At the same time, it also triggered a huge sound effect.

Because it was so sudden, and Huan Huan was already a little frightened.

So this unexpected jump scar terrified her, turning her face pale, her fur standing on end, and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

The noise was so loud that it startled a delivery rider who was passing by outside.

"No, no, we're just playing a game."

"I really didn't bully Huan Huan. I even let her use my computer."

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll be more careful, Mom. I didn't bully my sister!"

Zai Zong wiped the sweat from his forehead, explained, and then turned and went back to his room.

"My goodness, are you trying to yell me to death?"

Zai Zong kept poking his ear. Then he looked at his cousin squatting on the ground and found it somewhat amusing.

It's obvious without even guessing that this girl has her eyes closed right now.

Clearly, the body that had suddenly fallen had frightened her.

The Zai Zong suppressing a laugh and was about to comfort his cousin when...

Suddenly, a beastly roar, unlike anything human, rang out from the computer speakers.

The game's screen then began to shake violently.

The incandescent bulbs in the control room, which had already been de-energized, exploded one after another, sparking continuously.

Everything suggests that what emitted that beastly roar was extraordinary!

Upon hearing this sound, Huan Huan screamed in fear again.

The Zai Zong's expression also changed. What the hell is this thing?!

Why does a simple call make such a big commotion?

"Huan Huan, if you can't play, then don't play. Be good and let your brother do it."

"I... I want to play a little longer."

Zai Zong:

As she spoke, Huan Huan a deep breath and stood up again.

She glanced at the fallen body and swallowed hard when she realized it was one of the agents who had been guarding the second floor.

Then, she carefully avoided the fallen corpse and walked along the wall out of the outer gate.

This is the spacious space she came from.

Compared to the control room, this place is very clean.

There was neither a corpse nor blood.

Only the occasional screams of fear and unidentified roars from afar indicated that this place was no longer safe.

At this moment, under the dim, flashing Red Light, Huan Huan saw that the surveillance monitor on the wall was still working.

The monitored office area was empty, with only scattered files and documents of various colors on the floor.

It seems they must have fled for their lives.

In addition, Huan Huan also discovered that a previously closed ordinary mechanical door in another direction had been opened at some point.

And in front of the door, there was a person lying down.

A person wearing orange clothes,

Huan Huan didn't know who this was, but Zai Zong immediately guessed his identity.

The protagonist of "The Skyhill" is D-5671!

That powerful man who descended 100 floors inside the Z-FBC-0825 Illusion Helmet!

But now...

He looked so pitiful, coupled with his backstory of being separated from his wife and children. Players who had played Skyhill felt a strange sense of sorrow.

A sense of loss for heroes and the loss of their great deeds.

The protagonists of two different games met in this unexpected way.

This has really dampened the spirits of most players who love Skyhill.

Zai Zong was about to have Huan Huan go over to examine the body up close, a face appeared on the wall's surveillance screen the next second.

A face that looked like a negative, lifeless.

He was staring blankly at the game's protagonist's every move.

At the same time, three serial numbers appeared on the display screen in the form of a malfunction flashing.

No one knows how a surveillance monitor can display things without the control of a computer.

But he could still see those three strings of numbers very clearly.

'D-9341', '1001', 'W-FBC-0079'.

It's finished. The 3400 words have been revised to 4000 words.