The Damn Position

The bright moon hung high above a sea of stars, and heaven, earth, rivers, and streams gleamed white.

All living things vied to flourish.

When Xu Yuan opened his eyes, this was the beautiful sight he saw.

"What a view! Just my kind of thing!"

He voiced his approval, excitement and hope rising in his heart.

A few hours earlier—

He had just reached the top of the global esports league, becoming the annual champion and most valuable player in multiple games.

He had been about to celebrate with his friends.

Then his plane had crashed into the sea.

He had not survived, but he had come back to life in another world.

The owner of this body was also called Xu Yuan, an ordinary high school senior.

He had crossed into this world and taken the student's place.

Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it.

Beneath this beautiful night sky—

Xu Yuan swore to live well and savor all the vitality and beauty of youth.

So.

First things first.

A selfie for his social feed!

Xu Yuan took out his phone, adjusted the angle, and snapped a photo. He was just about to post it.

Suddenly.

His soul finished settling into the body.

Pain beyond anything a human could bear struck him.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood. Bewildered, he instinctively looked down.

A sword was lodged in this body's chest.

He had never heard of anyone crossing into another world with a sword stuck in their chest.

Other people opened their eyes, got up off the ground, nodded gravely, and said, "So I've crossed into another world."

But pinned in place by a sword—

How was he supposed to come back to life?

Xu Yuan forgot about his post. He reached out with difficulty and pulled hard at the sword.

The sword did not budge.

It was stuck in there that firmly?

...Was there some reason for it?

Enduring the searing pain, Xu Yuan looked around and immediately discovered the truth—

This was a three-tower, two-span suspension bridge with a steel-concrete composite girder, stretching across a great river.

At the highest point of the bridge tower, glowing decorative lights formed four large characters:

"Mountains and Rivers Bridge."

Xu Yuan was pinned beside those four characters by a sword.

The long blade was driven deep into the bridge's steel structure, leaving him suspended high above the river.

Once he understood the situation, Xu Yuan sucked in a cold breath.

Hanging up this high, he could enjoy the river breeze and take in the night view, all while setting off the words "Mountains and Rivers Bridge."

Who had such refined taste?

Who would kill an ordinary student and choose such a flamboyant spot to display him?

For Xu Yuan, though, it was a little awkward.

The concrete bridge deck below him was roughly ten stories away.

If he pulled out the sword—

He would fall and be smashed to pieces.

And if he did not pull it out?

Well, guess what?

He would hang here in midair, watching the night view while he bled to death!

"Couldn't I have gotten some other corpse? Any position where I can move would do!"

Xu Yuan muttered resentfully.

The wind swept across ten thousand miles and did not give a damn about him.

The bright moon hung high and did not give a damn about him either.

Nobody gave a damn about him.

His eyes were full of indignation.

For fuck's sake.

Dying once on Earth was bad enough.

But after tricking him into crossing over, they were going to make him die again.

What was the point?

"I stake my life in protest... against this seriously bugged..."

Xu Yuan uttered his last words.

Then he slipped toward death.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Suddenly—

An unseen, vast power gathered between heaven and earth. It became a soundless, immense and uncanny resonance in the void, making even the corpse tremble faintly.

The resonance born of that power had no consciousness or intelligence—

It seemed to have come in answer to the corpse's call.

Xu Yuan, his head hanging low, opened his eyes.

It was as though a switch had been flipped inside his body.

By some intuition he could not explain, he knew at once that the body's two consecutive deaths had awakened a potential it had never possessed. Together with his soul, it had summoned something.

Summoned...

What?

He did not know.

All he knew was that he had awakened some kind of ability.

Xu Yuan lifted his gaze toward the void.

Two lines of glowing text appeared in the dark night sky, flashing without cease:

The situation on the battlefield is critical. Enter the match immediately?

When you are ready, say "Ready."

Xu Yuan gave a rueful laugh.

Admittedly.

In his previous life, he had trained in the gaming room every day or competed in esports tournaments.

Forget hallucinations like this—

He had even played matches in his dreams.

But now.

He had crossed into an unfamiliar world. Why was he still hallucinating about an esports match?

This was insane.

Xu Yuan's vision darkened in waves. More and more bloody froth came from his mouth, gradually threatening to block his windpipe and leave him unable to breathe.

There was nothing he could do.

With the sorrow of dying before his campaign had even begun—and perhaps an even fiercer unwillingness to accept it—

At death's door.

Xu Yuan parted his lips in a daze and forced out the word:

"Ready."

Before he had finished speaking.

A strange stillness fell over the entire world.

The wind stopped.

The torturous pain of the sword wound vanished as if by a miracle.

A blue progress bar silently appeared before Xu Yuan's eyes and began filling.

Glowing characters flickered above it.

Ability activated successfully.

Now entering match:

Left 4 Dead: The Revival Match You Have to Play Because You Crossed Over with a Sword Pinning You in Place and Can't Come Back to Life.

Difficulty: Easy (beginner).

Time coordinate: Three hours ago.

Objective: Repel the kidnappers.

Description: The previous owner of this body was killed after being kidnapped. To revive in his body, you must eliminate every threat beforehand.

Failure means death.

Success means survival and a newcomer gift pack!

The progress bar filled.

In an instant.

The bright moon vanished without a trace.

The sound of the wind ceased.

The steel bridge disappeared along with the river view.

Xu Yuan found himself standing in the corridor of a school building.

The sunset's last trace of light faded into the deepening darkness.

Dusk had passed, and night had just fallen.

Time had returned to three hours earlier!

Xu Yuan froze.

This "match" had to be the ability he had awakened.

It was beyond comprehension.

Yet it made him feel a little safer.

As long as he was facing a match, he instinctively calmed down.

First—

What kind of match was this?

A MOBA, a multiplayer online battle arena?

An FPS, a first-person shooter?

Or real-time strategy, collectible cards, a sports simulation, or a fighting game?

He waited several breaths.

No further prompt appeared in the void.

It was as though everything that had just happened had been a dream.

Xu Yuan sighed.

Whatever the case.

He already knew the key to the match.

Stop the kidnapping!

Xu Yuan strode toward the end of the corridor.

Since this was a match—

There was one thing he had to do first.

He went into the bathroom and began to pee.

If he did not take care of this little problem now, needing to pee during the match would turn it into a big problem.

Never look down on any small matter.

As a professional player, he had to take every problem seriously!

With lightning-fast hands, Xu Yuan drew "888" and felt that his micro-control skills were still there. Only then did he finish, satisfied.

He returned to the sinks and turned on a tap.

Splash!

Ice-cold water ran down through his hair, gradually clearing his mind completely.

Xu Yuan caught his breath and looked up at the mirror above the sinks.

The lone incandescent bulb shone down, and the mirror reflected a face marked by both grief and pain.

That was not his face.

It belonged to this world's "Xu Yuan."

What the hell, he was actually kind of handsome?

Xu Yuan rubbed his forehead.

His head felt ready to explode.

He raised a hand.

It was shaking violently too.

He tried to recall what his predecessor had been through, but nothing came to mind.

His predecessor had known nothing when he was kidnapped.

Right now,

all Xu Yuan knew was that the monthly exams were approaching and the teachers were in a meeting.

So there was hardly anyone in the corridors.

It was dark.

In three hours, this body would die.

Tsk...

What a pain.

He had to prepare for a fight!

Just as he thought that, several lines of flickering text appeared in the air:

"Career shop unlocked."

"Congratulations."

"The following shop is now open to you:"

"Alien's Armory."

"Attention!"

"As a novice, you may use your original armory once. After your resurrection succeeds, this armory will be replaced."

"This novice mission is set to easy mode. You will receive novice guidance."

Alien?

Xu Yuan was puzzled.

Countless motes of light appeared in the air, gathering around him until they formed a room.

—It looked a little like a hologram, or VR technology.

Xu Yuan stood inside, surrounded on every side by shelves assembled from wooden planks.

The shelves were packed with a dazzling array of weapons.

AK-47s, M416 assault rifles, AWMs, Barrett sniper rifles, UMP45s, P90s, and other submachine guns, plus SPAS-12 shotguns—

There was even a machine gun like the M249!

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up. He couldn't help whistling.

Brother, I get it.

The so-called alien is me.

This is all gear I use regularly.

And—

This match must be a VR FPS—a first-person shooter!

When Xu Yuan wasn't competing in large-scale real-time strategy games, he liked to climb into a virtual pod and relax with games like this.

The virtual pod simulated reality down to the last detail!

He had to prevent the kidnapping, right?

Let's see what this world's kidnappers are made of—

Huh?

The moment his hand touched an AK on the shelf, two lines of glowing text popped up:

"You may use any item in the shop."

"Once the novice mission ends, the shop will change. All goods must then be purchased."

Is this an apology for getting me stuck on that sword?

Xu Yuan picked up a sniper rifle and tested its feel.

It was light.

—This world placed enormous importance on students' physical fitness, so this body was fairly strong.

Tsk.

It felt almost exactly like the virtual pod's simulation.

Add his combat instincts, tactical awareness, reaction speed, and strategic judgment—

They were a perfect match!

"Attention."

"The first wave of enemies is about to arrive."

"Current time: 7:48 p.m."

"At exactly 8:00 p.m., criminals from the Underground Human Trafficking Syndicate will infiltrate the school."

"They will climb over the eastern wall, assemble in the bamboo grove behind the gymnasium, then spread out to the classroom buildings and use specialized equipment to search for you."

"The match is about to begin."

Xu Yuan glanced at the combat briefing and swiftly began choosing weapons.

A sniper rifle was essential.

Then grenades.

A submachine gun.

A shotgun too.

Wait, there was something good in this crate!

He quickly armed himself.

A few minutes later.

The eastern side of campus.

The perimeter wall.

With a large camouflage pack on his back, Xu Yuan crouched behind a trash can in a corner and watched the street outside.

No telling whether that briefing is reliable.

What if the criminals decide it's too cold, the moon is too beautiful, and it's time to turn over a new leaf? I'll have waited here for nothing.

Suddenly,

Xu Yuan's gaze sharpened.

"They're here."

Across the street, seven or eight figures hurried over.

They vaulted the wall without a sound and landed in the bamboo grove below.

"Is all the surveillance equipment down?"

"Don't worry, boss."

"Even if we run into those teachers, they're pushovers. We'll just kill them."

"Good. Get ready to move—what happened?"

The leader's hushed voice rose sharply.

Several of them looked down.

Two of the companions who had climbed over with them lay on the grass. They twitched a few times, then went still.

"Boss, they're dead."

The subordinate checking them spoke in a trembling voice.

Xu Yuan smiled silently.

While the men had been vaulting the wall, he had fired two shots from his sniper rifle.

Two headshots.

On this cool, pleasant autumn night, I'm taking a few potshots so everyone can get off work a little earlier.

But why had there been special effects?

Xu Yuan had clearly seen several gold coins pop out of the two criminals he had shot in the head.

The coins floated in midair, then gradually faded away.

"Hey, wait. Can I earn money in this match?"

Xu Yuan asked silently.

Two lines of flickering text appeared at once:

"Killing enemies grants gold coins."

"From now on, refreshing any item in the shop will cost gold coins."

I see.

Xu Yuan lowered his rifle, bent low, and moved swiftly toward the other side of the wall.

In the darkness,

his tactical helmet's infrared imaging let him see the enemies clearly.

In the distant bamboo grove,

muffled shouts had already broken out:

"Damn it!"

"It's an ambush!"

"An assassin! Hell, show yourself!"

"Bastard, we've been set up!"

The group fell into turmoil.

Xu Yuan toyed with a grenade, watching the traffickers with curiosity.

Will they abandon the mission?

If they do, I'll have completed mine.

In weather this cold, getting back to the dorm early and lying in bed scrolling through my phone would be nice—

"Silence!"

The leader barked, "This mission cannot fail! Everyone, form a defensive battle formation!"

Xu Yuan's eyes darkened.

Oh, come on!

You really want to work overtime?

Still crouching, he edged forward and pulled the pin from the grenade.

On this cool, pleasant autumn night, I'll toss a grenade so everyone can get off work even earlier.

The explosion would be enough to alert the entire school.

The teachers would certainly be on guard.

Forget grading papers.

Forget cramming for the college entrance exams.

Come protect a minor!

Xu Yuan glanced down at the grenade—

To confuse the enemy, he had hidden it inside a hollow dart.

When they saw a dart, they would either sidestep it or swing a weapon to block it.

They wouldn't hit the ground.

And they certainly wouldn't see a dart and shout, "Oh no, run!"

Granted,

that might be a little impolite.

...Polite?

Xu Yuan sighed and murmured,

"May Allah protect you, may Jesus forgive my sins, and may you be reborn in paradise."

With that, he threw the grenade.

"Watch out! A dart!"

The leader shouted and swung his blade at the incoming projectile.

The other professionals perked up too, fixing their eyes on the dart.

Some assassin.

Hiding in the dark and throwing darts.

Though his aim doesn't seem all that good!

Which means—

We can take him!

Their fighting spirit surged. One after another, they drew their weapons, eager for a fight.

Boom—

The earth shook and the mountains trembled!

The entire wall collapsed.

All the snow in the bamboo grove blasted into the air.

The blast was more powerful than expected!

Xu Yuan scrambled dozens of meters away, yanked the earplugs from his ears, patted his chest to calm his racing heart, and shouted:

"One clap of spring thunder heralds peace, and an auspicious snow promises a bountiful year!"

When he was little, the elders had always said that if something gave you a fright, you should hurry and say a few lucky words.

What a good son of the homeland I am.

Even while killing people, I'm remembering the customs of home.

Lines of glowing text quietly took shape in midair.

The mission should be done.

Xu Yuan rubbed his hands together.

But the notice was nothing like he had expected:

"Unexpected development!"

"Another squad of the assassin group's members just climbed over the northern wall."

"Your friend was practicing martial arts alone in the gymnasium. The criminals couldn't find you, so they kidnapped her instead. They've already taken her away!"

"What? My friend?"

Xu Yuan was stunned.

"You were originally going to practice martial arts in the gymnasium, but you didn't go. This happened as a result of that chain reaction."

"Will you rescue your friend?"

"After them," Xu Yuan barked.

It was a competition, anyway. He might as well see it through.

"The enemy's vehicle is about to pass the school's rear gate!" the glowing text warned.

Beginners really did get good treatment.

At least the intelligence arrived right on time!

Without another word, Xu Yuan broke into a run.

As he picked up speed, he pulled several long components from his large camouflage bag and assembled them with a series of clicks.

By the time he finished, he had climbed onto the wall by the school's rear gate.

A gray van came roaring toward him.

"That's the van—wait! Don't blow it up! Your friend is still inside!"

The glowing text turned bright red.

Under the frosty white moonlight.

Xu Yuan stood atop the wall, holding a freshly assembled shoulder-fired rocket launcher in both hands.

Naturally, he had brought the rocket launcher so he could finish the competition early, clock out, and go eat hot pot.

Surely everyone could understand.

He was about to press the launch button when the beginner's warning pulled him back.

Fair enough.

The hostage was still in the van.

"What a pain. Who designed this part of the competition?"

Xu Yuan couldn't help complaining.

"This isn't a scripted scenario. This is happening in reality. Please take the current crisis seriously!" the glowing text warned.

Xu Yuan sighed.

If that van got away, there was no way he could catch it!

And even if he did, he would have to fight for his life.

Might as well—

He raised the rocket launcher and pressed the trigger.

BOOM!!!

The rocket streaked away and blasted a huge crater in the road ahead.

The van slammed on its brakes, but kept skidding across the frozen road. It finally stopped just short of the crater.

"Ambush!"

Someone shouted from inside the van.

The door slid open with a clatter, and several criminals jumped out, weapons in hand, scanning their surroundings warily.

Perfect chance!

Xu Yuan's eyes suddenly went blank, as though he had entered a state cut off from the world.

He tossed aside the rocket launcher, lifted his heavy sniper rifle, and fired four shots in quick succession without using the scope.

Amid sounds almost too faint to hear—

Blood burst from the heads of four criminals. Their bodies went limp and fell to the ground.

Xu Yuan slowly let out a breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Stay calm.

It was only a no-scope shot.

Though I seem a little rusty. That last shot nearly missed the forehead. Pretty nerve-racking.

Good thing none of my teammates are here to watch, or they'd never let me hear the end of it.

Xu Yuan discarded the sniper rifle too, took a tactical knife from his bag, picked up five grenades, and jumped down from the wall. Watching his surroundings, he moved slowly to the van door and looked inside.

A girl lay asleep on the seat.

This is my friend?

...I remember now. That's right, it's her.

Xu Yuan said nothing. He reached in and pulled the girl into his arms.

Lines of faintly glowing text appeared on his retina:

"Congratulations."

"Beginner mission complete!"

More notices kept appearing.

But Xu Yuan had no time to read them.

The sniper rifle had a suppressor, but that rocket had made a very real explosion.

To avoid unnecessary trouble—

He had to leave the scene immediately!

Carrying the girl, he ran from the van at nearly a full sprint.

And without looking back, he threw all five grenades.

BOOM!!!

Firelight lit up the night sky.

Just destroying the bodies and wiping away the evidence.

Nothing fancy.

In the darkness.

A weary voice rang out from far away:

"One clap of spring thunder heralds peace, and an auspicious snow... promises a bountiful year..."