Black Book

Today is the seventh day since Old Zhou passed away.

The relatives and friends who came were few, numbering only a few dozen in total.

After all, the old man was stubborn and obstinate during his lifetime; even if he had some acquaintances in the past, most had drifted away over the years.

Yet, even with only these few people present, Zhou You thanked each one of them with the utmost sincerity. Though he could not hide the sorrow in his expression, he maintained a smile throughout, and his every gesture remained perfectly polite.

However, after softly thanking a distant relative who had traveled from afar, he suddenly began to cough for no apparent reason.

It started as a few light coughs, but quickly escalated into violent gasping. In the end, he seemed unable to bear it any longer; his waist bent like a shrimp, and his chest cavity began to heave rhythmically like a bellows.

At the same time, whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

There was little genuine grief for the funeral in those voices; instead, there was a great deal of pity and regret.

"The Zhou boy only just graduated from X University, right?"

"That's right, he's only in his twenties, a top student from X University."

"The poor kid. Both his parents died when he was young, and now his grandfather, who raised him single-handedly, has passed away too."

"It's not just that. I heard he's suffering from an incurable illness himself, sigh."

"Misfortune always strikes the most vulnerable."

Zhou You paid no mind to the whispers around him. After catching his breath for a long while, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. By the time he looked up again, there was no trace of discomfort on his face.

It was the same peaceful smile, the same polite tone.

Everything was no different than before.

Over an hour later, the final farewell ceremony finally concluded. After seeing off the various aunts and uncles, Zhou You was finally able to let out a long sigh and plop down in front of Old Zhou's grave.

Unlike the earlier bustle, the cemetery was now cold and desolate, with not a soul in sight. Zhou You leaned his back against the tombstone and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket.

But as he reached for his lighter, he suddenly paused.

The doctor had told him not to smoke.

Yet, a moment later, he smiled, shook his head, pulled one out, and lit it.

Amidst the swirling smoke, the polite and courteous expression vanished from Zhou You's face. He spoke slowly, his voice calm and even indifferent.

"Old man, to be honest, it was really for the best that you died when you did."

"Don't blame me for being blunt, but if you had dragged it out any longer, I'm afraid the roles would have reversed, and you would have been the one burying your own grandson."

"As for this illness of mine, the doctors still haven't found the cause. They only know there's a mass growing in my brain. While it's not cancer, judging by the pressure on my nerves, I reckon I only have about two months left to live."

"I don't want to die, but there's no helping it. There's no money left at home, and the doctors have already said it's untreatable. So don't blame me for being unfilial; you can forget about having a great-grandson. The best I can do is bring a few bottles of good wine when I go, consider it an apology."

"..."

The cigarette was soon finished. Zhou You patted his backside and stood up. However, just as he was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and pulled a few old books from his backpack.

Old Zhou, his grandfather, had loved collecting odds and ends, though none were particularly valuable. Most had been sold off to pay for the old man's medical bills, and these few tattered books were all that remained.

Zhou You had originally intended to keep them as a memento, but recalling the doctor's diagnosis, he decided it would be better to burn them all.

An orange glow slowly ignited. The paper blackened in the brazier, turned to ash, and finally drifted away on the cold wind, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Watching this, Zhou You sighed almost imperceptibly. But just as he turned to leave, he noticed something amiss.

Most of the contents in the brazier had burned to nothing, but for some reason, something remained at the very bottom, completely unscathed.

Oh? Fireproof material?

Curious, Zhou You picked it up with the fire tongs. After brushing off the ash, he realized it was one of the books from earlier.

It was black, with no patterns or titles on the cover.

He flipped it open and saw a few blood-red characters written in standard print on the title page.

"Do you wish to live?"

...What is this? The old man's final prank on me?

But recalling his grandfather's stern and rigid face during his lifetime, Zhou You immediately dismissed the possibility.

"This print, this fireproof material... could it be another piece of junk the old man got scammed into buying? Whatever, it's none of my business. Besides, look at what it says—if one could live, who would want to die?"

However, just as Zhou You finished speaking, whether by coincidence or not, the wind suddenly blew the page over.

On it were more characters, deep red as blood.

"Since you wish to live, then please press your fingerprint on this page."

Is this really not a prank?

Zhou You looked up and scanned his surroundings, finding no one else present. In the vast, empty cemetery, only the cold, mournful wind howled and echoed.

After a long while, curiosity overcame his caution. Zhou You dipped his finger into some incense ash from the nearby burner and pressed it onto the page.

...Nothing happened.

"What is this? Just a gimmick."

The faint, imperceptible hope was quietly extinguished. Zhou You gave a bitter smile and picked up the book, intending to toss it into the furnace.

Yet, at this very moment.

Right at this instant.

Before Zhou You's eyes, the book suddenly flipped open on its own.

The pages rustled and rolled over at a speed the naked eye could no longer track, finally locking onto a single page.

"--So, welcome to the Weird Game!"

In that instant, right beside Zhou You, an ink-like darkness abruptly spread.

By the time he regained consciousness, he was no longer in that graveyard, but in a strange space.

Bright incense candles burned all around, making it look like a temple, yet there were no doors or windows. The surrounding pillars were plastered with dark talismans. At the very back stood a pedestal, but it held no statue of a deity or Bodhisattva; only a withered, yellowed page floated in mid-air.

It appeared to be one of the pages from that Black Book. It still bore the same standard printed text, but unlike before, there were no questions. Instead, it displayed several lines of text like an introduction.

"Novice Scenario: Escape Building No. 4."

"Type: Urban Legend."

"Corruption Level: Extremely Low."

"Resurrection Count: Unlimited (Special Novice Perk)."

"Background: You are an ordinary office worker who just found a job and is in desperate need of a place to stay. Unfortunately, your pockets are empty, and after searching for a long time, you haven't found anything suitable. But one day, you suddenly see a rental listing on a website. The rent is low and the location is excellent; the only requirement is a long-term lease. Overjoyed, you quickly pack half a year's rent and rush over, never expecting that—you are about to step into the most terrifying nightmare of your life..."

"Reward One: 100 Soul Stones, one random White-grade common item."

"Reward Two: Extend your lifespan by one month."

"Do you wish to enter? If you choose no, the player will log out immediately and will never be able to enter this game again."

What kind of nonsense is this?

--This was the first thought that occurred to Zhou You.

Have I encountered aliens?

--This was Zhou You's second thought.

But soon, all his stray thoughts faded away, and his entire focus was drawn to that final paragraph.

A month of life.

This body, already sentenced to death... could it really be extended by another month?

Zhou You slowly raised his head, scrutinizing the page.

To be honest, this thing looked suspicious from every angle. If it were before, Zhou You probably wouldn't have even thought about it before choosing "no," then handing this thing over to some research institute to see if he could get some money for it. But now...

He recalled the doctor's death-sentence-like prognosis, then recalled his increasingly frail body.

Then, he suddenly revealed a peculiar smile, and without the slightest hesitation, he chose "yes."

--No matter what you are, I only have two months left to live anyway. For the sake of this ethereal, illusory hope, why not play this "game" with you once?

The next moment, the page burned away instantly, and a mechanical female voice echoed in his ears.

"Player has entered the game for the first time. A random novice reward active skill will be drawn."

"Skill drawing in progress... Skill drawing successful."

"Active Skill: Wuwo Ruding."

"Effect: When this skill is used, you will be forced into a 'Senseless' state. In this state, you will ignore all effects of fear and sanity damage, and you will not die from ordinary damage effects."

"Skill Duration: 10 seconds."

"Please note: This skill can only be used once per scenario (death resets the count; novice reward skill will expire after three scenarios)."

When he opened his eyes again, Zhou You was in another world.

--The first thing he saw was a dilapidated stairwell.

The stairwell looked very old; the steps were slightly sunken, most of the wall plaster had peeled off, and many small advertisements were plastered randomly everywhere. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary, unremarkable old residential building.

Buildings like this might be rare in big cities, but Zhou You had lived in such an environment with his grandfather since he was a child, so he didn't find it too strange.

He carefully observed his surroundings and realized he must be on the first floor. To his left was a notice board, also covered in dense layers of small advertisements, with the unit number of the building at the very top.

"Garden Residential District, Building No. 4, Unit 4."

"1st Floor."

Below that was a tattered notice, the paper yellowed and looking as if it had been stuck there for a long time. It was covered in grotesque mold spots and dark brown stains. The text was already illegible, save for one deep red title that could barely be made out.

Unit 4 Resident Notice

...There were no clues whatsoever.

Zhou You turned back around and glanced outside.

The sun was bright, the flowers and grass swayed, and although there were few people around, he could faintly see children laughing and running in the distance. It looked like a perfectly ordinary residential complex, with nothing abnormal to be found.

"So, I'm supposed to escape from here?"

He scratched his head.

--But that doesn't seem to be a problem at all, does it?

After thinking for a while, Zhou You felt he should at least give it a try.

How did that saying go again?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, right?

Zhou You took a step toward the unit door. The warm sunlight was right before his eyes, and he could almost hear the laughter of children ringing in his ears—

Then, right beside his ear.

Suddenly, there came the sound of coarse, grinding metal.

An intense, mind-warping pain struck him out of nowhere, and then, the world in Zhou You's vision suddenly flipped upside down.

The final image projected onto his retinas was a headless corpse, spurting blood as it slowly toppled over.

It took a few seconds for the reality to sink in.

--Ah, that is my corpse.

Then, his vision plunged into total darkness.

"You have died."