Clouds Engulf

Qing Chen had originally just wanted to pry some information out of Nan Gengchen, but he hadn't expected Nan Gengchen's mindset to shift so quickly.

Just moments ago, Nan Gengchen had been terrified, but after one class, he was already planning to become the protagonist of the world.

What could Qing Chen say? As long as you're happy.

At this point, Nan Gengchen was seriously discussing with Qing Chen, "I mean, hypothetically, if I could transmigrate, could I bring back some high-tech stuff to sell?"

"I don't know," Qing Chen replied. "Maybe you won't be able to."

"But they've brought back mechanical arms and things like that," Nan Gengchen said. "Don't worry, if I really make it big, I'll treat you to good food."

Qing Chen knew that world was dangerous. Although friends should have some secrets, he still hoped the other person would return safely. So, he kindly advised, "You know, many transmigrators have said they encountered danger, so you should be careful. Don't always think about getting rich."

Nan Gengchen was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Where do you want to eat then?"

Qing Chen: "..."

Nan Gengchen was silently contemplating his dreams of becoming rich. Only Qing Chen knew that one couldn't casually bring things back upon return.

He imagined Nan Gengchen inviting him to eat, then suddenly taking off his arm and slapping it on the counter, shouting for two bowls of dandan noodles. That scene would be truly joyous.

Suddenly, someone in the class asked doubtfully, "What are the rules for transmigration? So many people have transmigrated, why haven't we?"

Nan Gengchen muttered softly beside him, "Maybe only those with truly extraordinary talent can..."

Qing Chen raised an eyebrow as he listened.

There were more and more news reports about transmigrators, both domestically and internationally.

Gradually, Qing Chen summarized two rules:

First, all transmigrators had a countdown of 6 hours for their last transmigration and a 48-hour countdown for their return.

This meant that everyone transmigrated at the same time and returned at the same time.

Then, after seeing news of a transmigration event, someone stepped forward to state that they hadn't transmigrated, but after midnight today, a 48-hour countdown had appeared on their arm.

This should be the second batch.

Next time, the first and second batches would transmigrate simultaneously.

The second rule was that all those who transmigrated were young people, currently between the ages of 10 and 35.

Suddenly, a girl said, "There's a streamer who claims to be a transmigrator and is live-streaming their mechanical arm. I'll send the link to the group."

Students these days all carried phones, making communication convenient.

Everyone clicked on the link and saw an outdoor streamer showcasing their mechanical arm.

Qing Chen felt something was off because he had never seen such a plastic-looking mechanical limb...

Before the streamer could show it for two minutes, the mechanical arm fell to the ground with a clack...

"This is a freaking model brought here to get attention!"

Qing Chen was somewhat amused and exasperated. Whenever such a commotion happened, all sorts of shady characters would emerge.

At this moment, he guessed that Nan Gengchen wasn't part of the batch from yesterday at midnight, but a new countdown that appeared in the early morning. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so shocked by Jacob's press conference.

So, there were two possibilities now: either the number of transmigrators was fixed, and when someone died, a new transmigrator would enter.

Or, the number of transmigrators was continuously expanding, and there would be more and more in the future.

Currently, Qing Chen couldn't estimate how many transmigrators there were nationwide.

Gradually, all the classmates arrived. Someone exclaimed, "Transmigrators have appeared on the streets of Luocheng too! I saw it on my social media feed, someone took a video!"

Upon hearing this, all the classmates gathered around.

In the video from the social media feed, a young man appeared to be in a hurry. There were strange mechanical patterns on his cheeks, giving him a unique sense of futuristic beauty.

At this moment, someone noticed that as the person walked, their gray steel ankles were revealed.

Clearly, the young man's legs had also been replaced with mechanical prosthetics.

The person filming tried to continue shooting, but suddenly the young man leaped onto a rooftop about four to five meters high and vanished without a trace.

A female classmate whispered, "So handsome."

"It would be great if there were such transmigrators in our school. Then we could directly ask about that world."

At this moment, Qing Chen suddenly remembered that there was indeed someone in this school who had transmigrated at the same time as him: the son of the chairman of Yongli Group, Huang Jixian.

If he remembered correctly, that person should be in Class 7 of the first year.

After that person broke down, they were taken away by mechanical prison guards and never appeared again. Logically, that person should have already returned; even if they died, their body would still return.

Thinking of this, and with more than ten minutes until class, Qing Chen got up and walked downstairs towards the first-year grades.

Luocheng Foreign Language School was bustling with excitement at this time. Everyone was discussing the transmigration incident, and even the teachers walking by were scrolling through their phones.

Perhaps no one expected that a transmigrator was right beside them.

Qing Chen looked at those people and, for some reason, suddenly felt a sense of detachment, as if he had become somewhat different without realizing when.

In the past, he might have focused on studying diligently, reviewing and previewing when he had time, striving to get into a good university and move far away.

But now, his path seemed to no longer be here.

Qing Chen arrived at the entrance of Class 1, Grade 7. He casually pulled over a student wearing glasses and asked, "Hello, has Huang Jixian come to school today?"

"No, I haven't seen him yet," the male student replied.

"Oh," Qing Chen nodded. "Do you know where he lives?"

"I only know he lives in Yinrun Central Garden, but I don't know the specific address. Is there something you need him for?" the male student asked. "When he gets to the classroom, I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"No, thank you," Qing Chen said. He guessed that Huang Jixian might not be able to come.

The traumatized young man's mind had suffered severe damage; it was entirely possible he had gone completely mad.

Qing Chen returned to his class, lost in thought. During the first math class, almost all the students had lost the desire to study.

In the latter half of the class, the young male math teacher, Tian Hailong, seeing everyone's inattentiveness, started joking with them. "Your attention isn't on me at all now. It seems I'll have to get a mechanical arm or something before you can listen to me lecture in peace, right?"

The students in the classroom burst into laughter. Then, Tian Hailong began chatting with the students about this hot current event, abandoning the lecture.

If it were just a normal hot topic, the teachers and students wouldn't be like this. However, what was happening now was different because it was changing the world.

Nan Gengchen had been scrolling on his phone throughout the class. When the bell rang, he suddenly handed his phone to Qing Chen. "He Xiaoxiao posted a guide!"

"He Xiaoxiao?" Qing Chen asked in confusion.

"He's a major UP host for gaming, a top player in the gaming world. He often finds Easter eggs and details in games, like teaching you how to find hidden plots, hidden orange weapons, and hidden classes. He has a lot of fans," Nan Gengchen explained. He knew Qing Chen didn't play games much, so he definitely wouldn't be following streamers like He Xiaoxiao.

Nan Gengchen continued, "He posted a game guide video a few hours ago, but no one has ever seen the game he's talking about. Yet, he's earnestly making a guide. Now that the transmigration incident has happened, everyone suddenly realized that the game guide he provided might be related to that world, and he's one of the transmigrators."

The video had no visuals, only a black background and white subtitles.

A young, magnetic male voice spoke in the video, "Because this game is quite special, I can't show you any gameplay footage. I'll call this game... the Inner World."

"And the world we are currently in is called the Outer World."

He Xiaoxiao continued calmly, "I've only just entered this game, so the information I've obtained is very limited."

"So far, I haven't found a way to obtain hidden orange weapons."

"Currently, there are three known ways to acquire classes. The first is to modify yourself using technology, which you can purchase directly at a mechanical hospital."

"Mechanical limbs are relatively expensive because I haven't found a money-glitch yet, so I can't try it. Selling your own organs seems to be the easiest way to get money here, but I don't recommend you try it."

"The second way is to join the Tribunal of Taboos. After injecting gene serum, you can become a new human, but I haven't found any NPCs from that organization yet. This organization is quite mysterious."

"The third known career path is in Prison No. 18. You need to go inside and find an NPC named Li Shutong. This is currently the career path with the highest known potential."

"If there are other career paths in the future, I will continue to share them with you."

Qing Chen became more and more astonished as he watched the video.

He was certain that it was a real world. The fact that he could bring back Nie Qing's injuries proved it wasn't a real world?

But this He Xiaoxiao was acting as if he were possessed, treating that place like a game to be farmed!

He was even treating Li Shutong as an NPC for farming class quests!

Qing Chen didn't know what He Xiaoxiao's identity was in the Inner World. The only thing Qing Chen was sure of now was that Li Shutong's fame in the Inner World was indeed very high, to the point that He Xiaoxiao had heard of him within 48 hours of entering.

And now, He Xiaoxiao had already regarded Li Shutong as the most promising career path.

Nan Gengchen, watching the video next to him, muttered, "Isn't this the same as saying nothing? Buying mechanical limbs costs money, the Tribunal of Taboos can't be found, and Prison No. 18 might be findable, but it doesn't say how to get in either."

Qing Chen suddenly wondered if this video would have a significant impact. When he transmigrated back in 7 days, would someone actually go to Prison No. 18 to farm Li Shutong's questline?!

But if someone really treated Li Shutong as an NPC to farm, their fate would likely be very miserable. Li Shutong himself would probably be utterly confused.

The matter of transmigration remained a hot topic until the afternoon.

Until a piece of news emerged: a young male who had been confirmed as a transmigrator abroad was found dead in his home. His mechanical legs, which had been shown in the video, were cut off and were missing.

This news was like a dark cloud that suddenly enveloped everyone's enthusiasm.

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Thanks to Xiao Xiaomao Li Zi, Meng Ting Mei Er, Shao Xia Yi Zhi Er, and He Gu Shang Qing Tian for becoming new allies of this book!! Bosses are generous, bosses live as long as the East Sea and have blessings as plentiful as the South Mountain!