Mysterious Parchment

"My name is Fang Yue. I'm twenty-three years old, just graduated, and currently unemployed. However, I do have a bit of talent for gaming."

"So, I've decided to become a professional gamer."

"And today is the release date for Tengli Company's latest full-immersion masterpiece, Blue Sea."

"I'm currently riding my beloved electric scooter, rushing to the nearest game watch distribution point."

"Just then, a strong gust of wind blew by, and a strange piece of parchment stuck itself to my face."

"I took down the parchment and saw what was written on it, immediately feeling confused and curious."

"But after a moment's thought, I still threw away the strange parchment."

"Ten minutes later, I died."

...Who died!

You died!

Fang Yue's face darkened, but the action of throwing away the parchment stopped.

He stopped his electric scooter and looked around. There were only cars coming and going on the road.

Knowing my name... it must be a prank from a friend.

Never mind, buying the game watch is more important.

I heard Tengli Company also released lucky gift packs this time, hidden in randomly numbered game watches. If I'm late, someone might snatch them up.

Just as Fang Yue was about to throw the parchment away again, his expression suddenly froze.

He saw the text on the parchment fade line by line, then reappear line by line.

What the hell?!

What kind of black technology is this?!

"I thought this parchment was just a prank from my friends."

"But I didn't expect that this parchment was actually my last lifeline!"

"I didn't believe the words on the parchment and treated it as a prank, throwing it away."

"Nine minutes later, I died."

"Before dying, for some reason, the parchment I had just picked up kept coming to mind, and I was filled with regret."

"If... if I had believed the parchment back then, the outcome would definitely not have been this!"

Fang Yue was a bit stunned.

Does this thing have mind-reading abilities? That's terrifying!

Fang Yue examined the parchment closely.

The parchment looked very retro on the outside, like something a medieval nobleman would use.

But to the touch, the texture was incredibly smooth, like silk.

This thing... is probably worth a lot of money?

Fang Yue started having greedy thoughts.

He had just graduated from university and was completely broke, even renting a cheap shared apartment. He was genuinely in need of money.

As if sensing Fang Yue's thoughts, text began to appear on the parchment once more.

"I thought the parchment was very valuable and planned to contact the seller to sell it after I got back."

"Eight minutes later, I died."

Died again?!

Fang Yue's face darkened.

Are you sick! Believe it or not, I'll tear you up!

This time, the text on the parchment faded very quickly, and new lines of text appeared.

"I was getting a bit frustrated, but after much consideration, I decided to keep this strange parchment and follow its instructions."

"I survived."

"One year later, I became a millionaire."

Fang Yue: ???

You're acting very strange!

Became a millionaire just like that? That's ridiculous.

Fang Yue looked unconvinced.

The text on the parchment disappeared and reappeared.

"I kept the parchment, but in my heart, I didn't believe its contents."

"Ten seconds later, a text message arrived, from the distribution store, informing me that only ten thousand game watches were left in stock and urging me to purchase one quickly."

I was very anxious, worried I wouldn't be able to buy a game watch.

Just then, a bus drove by.

I put down my portable stove, got on the bus, and prayed I'd reach the game watch distribution store quickly.

Five minutes later, the bus got into an accident.

I...

Damn it!

It's cutting off the story now?

What happened to me? What happens after I get on the bus, tell me! If you don't, I'll tear you apart!

Just as Fang Yue's anger was about to erupt, his phone suddenly vibrated, and the screen lit up.

A short message appeared before his eyes.

"Tengli Group, Jianghai City Branch #399: We have only 10,000 units of the Blue Sea game watch left. Players are advised to purchase quickly."

What the hell!?

The game watches are really going to be gone! What should I do, what...

Beep beep!

Just then, a bus drove by ahead, and it was Bus Route 33, which went to the distribution store.

Subconsciously, Fang Yue wanted to wave it down.

But halfway through extending his hand, his movement froze.

Wait!

Isn't this exactly what the parchment said!

In his haste, his mind became flustered, and Fang Yue almost got on the bus.

Beep beep!

The bus driver clearly saw Fang Yue's gesture, slowed down, stopped by the side of the road, and honked twice.

The people on the bus also turned their attention to Fang Yue, but he stood in place, not getting on.

The wide-open doors felt like the entrance to hell, making Fang Yue afraid to move.

In the middle of summer, his hands and feet were ice-cold...

Oh, it's the bus's cold air conditioning, that's fine then.

But it was still a little cold!

The coldness cleared his head!

He gave the driver a sheepish smile and Fang Yue looked down at the parchment...

"The bus stopped, but I hesitated whether to get on."

"Soon, I made a decision."

"To buy the game watch as soon as possible, I got on the bus."

"Three minutes later, the bus got into an accident."

"I died."

Damn it!

As expected, it's this ending again. Can't you come up with something new, parchment?

"Young man, are you getting on or not?"

"Yeah, why are young people so indecisive these days!"

The people on the bus waited for a while and complained.

Fang Yue gave an awkward smile and shook his head, "I'm not getting on. Sorry, I misread the number. I thought it was Bus Route 35."

When the crowd heard this, they cursed a few times, and the driver just shook his head.

The bus slowly drove away.

Fang Yue took out the parchment.

"Following the parchment's instructions, I didn't get on the bus, and I survived."

"To buy the game watch as soon as possible, I called for a DiDi ride-hailing."

"The taxi driver was an experienced driver and quickly took me to my destination."

"I successfully bought the game watch as I wished."

Better safe than sorry.

Fang Yue found an excuse for his timidity and caution.

He opened DiDi on his phone and called a taxi.

Three minutes later, the taxi stopped by the roadside.

Just as Fang Yue was about to get in...

BANG!!

Not far away, a violent explosion suddenly rang out.

Flames soared into the sky, and thick smoke billowed up.

Fang Yue looked in that direction; it was precisely where the bus had departed.

No way... could this parchment have actually been right?

His heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt a wave of fear.

"Holy crap! Was that a car crash? A fuel tanker explosion?"

The old taxi driver shivered, startled, nearly dropping his cigarette.

"Driver, let's take a detour to take a look."

Fang Yue's words were exactly what the old driver wanted to hear, and he nodded repeatedly.

A little more fare money, and he could watch the excitement. Why not?

The taxi drove along the road, and soon Fang Yue saw the accident scene, his pupils constricting.

A bus lay on its side, engulfed in roaring flames. There was a clear indentation in its middle section, as if it had been hit by a heavy object.

The three survivors still inside screamed as they crawled out. The rest were either seriously injured or dead.

The vehicle that had flipped the bus was a sleek, luxurious sports car. Fang Yue couldn't identify the make, but he knew it was worth at least tens of millions.

Unfortunately, in its collision with the bus, the sports car had shattered into pieces, and the occupants were so mangled that their bodies couldn't even be fully recovered.

Several vehicles had already stopped at the accident scene, with people rushing to help, some shouting, and others calling for an ambulance.

These adults clearly knew how to handle the situation better than Fang Yue.

"Driver, let's go."

"Okay."

After the taxi had driven away from the accident scene, Fang Yue breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and quietly reached for the parchment in his pocket.

I might have... picked up something extraordinary.

In a dark room, a large screen displayed a video.

The screen showed footage from a dashcam.

No one was visible in the video, but voices could be heard.

"It's gone! How could it be gone!"

"Find it for me, quickly! You must find it, or we'll all die!"

"Drive faster! Faster!"

"Too slow! Too slow! Speed up! Speed up! Go back to where we were before..."

At this point, a bus suddenly appeared ahead.

Without even time to brake, the entire car crashed into the bus.

The screen violently tumbled and flipped, hitting the ground, followed by chaos.

Beep.

Someone turned off the large screen, plunging it into darkness.

The room lights flickered on, illuminating the layout.

It was a room resembling a conference room.

However, only two people were seated in the conference room at this moment.

One was a middle-aged man with a stubbled chin, who lit a cigarette and looked at the other person.

The other was a woman in her early twenties, with an outstanding figure and a delicate face.

The middle-aged man asked, "Xiao Miao, did you see anything?"

Xiao Miao raised her voice, "No way, you can't possibly tell that these two are looking for something, right?"

"..."

"Why isn't Manager Liu talking?"

"Ahem! I just can't quite accept the way young people talk."

After a pause, Manager Liu tapped the table with his index finger.

"I've checked the records for that car. Its last trajectory was from Mingyue Factory, across Jianghai Bridge. Then it passed through Xinfeng Road, Ruoxiang Road, and nineteen other blocks. Finally, on Lianyi Road, it suddenly turned around and accelerated madly back for five blocks, crashing into the bus and dying."

"A 10% discount water bottle? That's it? That's it? That's it? Crashing at only over 200 kilometers per hour?"

"Is that the main point?"

Manager Liu's expression stiffened, and he awkwardly changed the subject. "So, whatever they lost must be in this area. I want you to investigate this secretly."

"Manager Liu, can I refuse? Blue Sea is launching tonight!"

"Is the game more important than work? Don't even think about it. We're a bounty company; once we take a job, we have to do it. Reputation is key."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"I'm only thinking of promoting you because you're young..."

Listening to Manager Liu's nagging, Chen Xiaomiao sighed.

My Blue Sea...

Tonight, I can only play for a little while in secret.