Switching Protagonists

Upon hearing the sobbing sound, Zai Zong frowned, realizing the source of the sound.

Then, he stepped out of the house.

In an instant, all things came back to life.

A cold wind began to blow, and smoke and dust gradually filled the air.

The trees rustled in the wind, and fallen leaves drifted and swayed.

Everything seemed to have been activated, transforming from lifeless to vibrant.

"Awesome, it really is a forest, awesome!"

Looking at the real environment before him, Zai Zong astonishment.

Because the original version is from a top-down perspective, it doesn't really show much of the denseness of the forest.

But the viewing experience is completely different in the VR version.

The boundless forest, in the dim light, is dense and eerie.

Because of the lack of light, the towering trees are so tall that you can't see their tops; you can only see their trunks and branches, not their lush foliage.

The gaps between the trees are extremely small.

Visibility stopped within 10 meters, after which it was pitch Pitch Black, with only a chilling wind for company.

Zai Zong felt a chill run down his spine from the oppressive atmosphere of the forest outside.

In the VR perspective, the first thing he saw was the wooden railing not far from the gate.

They were scattered and crooked, yet firmly planted in the ground, seemingly providing protection, but not entirely effective.

Beyond that lies a deep and unsettling forest path.

It was as if some unfathomable, unknown entity was hidden in that eerie darkness.

Just looking at it made Zai Zong's throat tighten, and he felt a chill in this July summer.

"Damn, thank goodness it's just a game. Thank goodness it's just a game."

"In reality, I wouldn't go into a forest like this even for a hundred bucks!"

After taking a deep breath, Zai Zong looked back and saw a dilapidated doghouse and a dog lying on the ground whimpering and moaning.

Clearly, the sound we just heard came from it.

The dog was already seriously injured.

Even without getting close, you can see that the filthy body is covered in a pool of dirty blood.

However, out of curiosity about the VR version.

Zai Zong stepped forward and came to the side of the whimpering big dog.

And it was at this moment that the doctor spoke up.

[My dog. It doesn't have long to live. I'd better end its suffering.]

[That bastard did this to it. He's completely insane. We can't let him out.]

Upon hearing these two lines, Zai Zong naturally know what's going on.

That's ' Mr. Jun ' who went to settle scores with the doctor. He chopped up the dog, leaving it disemboweled and on the verge of death.

Of course, the second line is not in the original version.

In other words, this is a new addition to the VR version.

Moreover, if this dog isn't killed in the Prologue, it will be attacked by the mutated version of itself when it returns later in the story.

Thinking of this, Zai Zong stopped looking at the dog and instead looked around, surveying his surroundings.

At this moment, the doctor spoke again.

Furthermore, these are bizarre new lines that were not present in the original game.

It's 6 PM now. I need to get to the Place with Oil before 8 PM, find the oil, and come back.

Upon hearing this, Zai Zong was immediately taken aback.

What the heck?

Didn't we just talk about the East?

How did it turn into Place with Oil?

Why did you even put it in quotation marks?

Is there something wrong with this place name? Why are you saying it inconsistently?

Zai Zong somewhat confused, not understanding why the VR version needed new adjectives in its description.

Does it have any significance?

Or is it...?

Is it related to new content?

The Zai Zong frowned and stopped thinking about it.

After all, they had just entered the game and didn't know anything yet; everything was still new to them.

However, even in the short opening of the Prologue, the differences from the original version are already evident in the dialogue.

Next

What will happen next?

With great anticipation, Zai Zong climbed over the wooden fence and walked into the Pitch Black forest.

On the other side, Xin Xin, who was at the top of the game section, had already switched protagonists before Zai Zong.

In the Prologue, after a harrowing but safe exploration of the forest, she finally discovers the true protagonist collapsed on the ground, thus triggering the plot.

Right now:

The doctor carried the unconscious protagonist away and strapped him to a chair in the room.

Then, based on the protagonist's personal notebook and the tunnel key, it was determined that he was not from the village, but rather an official from outside the forest.

In order to get the protagonist to reveal how to escape the forest, the doctor gave him an injection that would change his fate.

Right now, in the live stream room.

Xin Xin has merged with the true protagonist.

The comatose protagonist slowly opened his eyes, and the previously black VR view gradually became clear as he adapted to his surroundings.

Before she could get a good look, a fist loomed larger and larger in her pupils.

Startled by the suddenness of the attack, Xin Xin screamed and instinctively closed her eyes.

But the protagonist in the game took that punch squarely.

The sound of fists hitting cheeks could be clearly heard throughout the live stream.

Then

Since nothing had happened to her, Xin Xin opened her eyes.

The person who threw that punch appeared in front of her.

It's a doctor!

At this moment, the viewers in the live stream were able to see what he looked like in the VR version.

Just like the original, he has a thin body, sallow skin, sparse hair, and the signature black-rimmed glasses.

Now, that face is filled with anger and fear.

The punch that had been thrown was still trembling, not yet retracted.

At that moment, Xin Xin understood her situation.

The Village Doctor is interrogating and torturing himself!

Right now, it's real-time rendered animation.

The Xin Xin cannot be controlled.

In the game, the Village Doctor tremblingly picks up a notebook from the ground and hands it to Xin Xin, who is the true protagonist.

Then, through gritted teeth, he opened his mouth to question.

[It turns out the government already knew about the situation inside.]

[You've connected the entire 'forest' with tunnels. You can even freely enter and exit, and you've even established secret entrances and outposts.]

As he spoke, during the real-time calculation, the Village Doctor took out the Key No. 21 that he had found on the protagonist and held it out.

[You are spying on us. You are observing us.]

[You coldly watched us get infected, watched us mutate, and then died in agony.]

[You want to study this ' Strange Area,' so you're using us as live subjects for experiments.]

[You clearly had the ability to help us, but you didn't.]

[You all deserve to die!]

Having said that, the Village Doctor threw down his notebook and punched Xin Xin hard in the face once more.

In an instant, the VR view turned crimson, and the once clear vision became blurry and shaky.

Immediately, I fainted, and the screen went completely black.

Xin Xin stared blankly. Having played the original version, she knew this was the Prologue, a process of interrogation where the protagonist was switched.

But what was with those lines just now?

It doesn't seem to be in the original version?

And why does it keep talking about forests and Strange Area?

Why not just say "forest" directly?

Why change the name all of a sudden?

Soon, the black screen faded away, and the protagonist slowly opened his eyes again.

At that moment, she saw the gaunt Village Doctor squatting in a corner, burying his head and weeping bitterly.

I'm leaving this damned forest.

I don't want to die.

I need to find the government's tunnel. I need to escape. Escape this ' Eerie Forest '.

The protagonist once again slumped over, lost consciousness, and the scene went black.

Now, Xin Xin has also noticed that something is wrong.

Why does the VR version keep changing the wording when describing the forest?

Why can't these names be standardized?

What is the purpose of doing this?

What new content has been added to the VR version?

Driven by this curiosity, the protagonist controlled by Xin Xin weakly opened its eyes once again.

At this moment, the Village Doctor stood in front of the window, his back slightly bent, with his back to the player.

He began to mutter to himself, saying incomprehensible things.

I occasionally hear her voice.

[She is calling me.]

[Calling me home.]

[But she's been dead for a very, very long time. I buried her myself.]

[Now I hear her voice again.]

Let me enter the forest, enter the forest, enter the forest

The protagonist fell into a coma again, unconscious.

But this black screen lasted only a few seconds, because the sound of a fist hitting the cheek immediately wiped the black screen away.

The image became clear in an instant, and Xin Xin immediately saw the Village Doctor standing in front of her.

But he had already hung up his backpack, his face contorted with disgust.

Before Xin Xin could react, the Village Doctor threw another punch, landing hard on the protagonist's face.

Suddenly, the VR view turned a bright red and became blurry.

As a result, tinnitus also appeared and persisted.

[Where's the exit!?]

[Quickly! Where is it!?]

Tell me where you are! I'll let you go if you tell me!

As soon as the doctor finished speaking, a game prompt appeared in front of Xin Xin.

[When you are tied up, you can use the joystick to struggle in order to break free quickly and deal with the crisis.]

Upon seeing this notification, Xin Xin almost instinctively swung the joystick while simultaneously pressing the buttons on it.

Sure enough, the protagonist in the game started making whimpering sounds while twisting his body, trying to struggle and break free.

But when the Village Doctor saw it, he became even angrier.

He immediately swung his fist and delivered two powerful blows to the protagonist's face, instantly rendering him powerless to struggle.

[Trying to leave? Tell me where the tunnel entrance is! Tell me and I'll let you go!]

[Are you going to tell me or not?]

[Will you tell me or not!?]

[I'm asking you a question! Are you going to answer me or not?!]

The Village Doctor was nearly insane, his voice hysterical, constantly roaring.

At the same time, he swung his fist again and slammed it into the protagonist's face with unprecedented force.

This punch not only knocked him and his chair to the ground, but also sent him sprawling.

As a result, Xin Xin's VR view went black instantly.

This means

The protagonist was beaten unconscious once again.

On his deathbed, only the Village Doctor uttered his last words.

It's getting dark.