Return to reality

Morning sunlight streamed in, and his phone alarm rang.

Xiao Hao felt as though his blanket had sealed him away. It took every ounce of strength he had to turn off the alarm and struggle out of bed.

The old rental consisted of a bedroom and a bathroom. Together, they did not even measure twenty square meters.

As usual, Xiao Hao shuffled into the bathroom and brushed his teeth groggily.

Halfway through brushing, he suddenly snapped awake.

He seemed to have...

Taken part in some kind of survival game?!

Memories surged like a raging tide. Xiao Hao mentally summoned the game panel, and a pale red panel actually appeared in midair!

The toothbrush slipped from his mouth into the sink. Xiao Hao stood there, utterly stunned.

He remembered.

Those seven days in the game had been brutal. Under Ghost's relentless pressure, Xiao Hao had barely gotten any rest.

Since the game's break had begun, Xiao Hao had not planned on sleeping. Instead, he had wanted to see how he would return to the real world.

So he had spent the entire day waiting to cross back over.

Yet as he waited, he had somehow grown groggy and forgotten everything. Then he had opened his eyes and found himself back in reality!

Xiao Hao did not believe he had simply gotten too tired to think straight. He still had that much willpower.

That meant his sleep probably had something to do with the game.

[Our streamer actually lives somewhere like this?]

[This place is way too shabby.]

[My poor idol.]

[Have you ever seen an idol that badass, though...]

[We were just as confused the first time we crossed over.]

[You get used to it afterward. The game forces you to sleep before you can cross over. Even we can't watch the stream during the crossing.]

[No matter how you look at him, our streamer is still so handsome...]

Xiao Hao sighed, picked up his toothbrush, and kept brushing.

With [undying body] constantly unlocking his body's potential and purging toxins, not only was his physique gradually improving, but his looks were getting better by leaps and bounds too.

His skin really was so smooth that it looked as if he had a beauty filter on.

After brushing his teeth, Xiao Hao checked his phone.

Looking at the date, he sensed something was wrong.

Seven days had passed in the survival game. Why had only two days passed in reality?

He was already a corporate slave. He had finally made it to the weekend, only to be told to go back to work before he had even gotten to enjoy it?

How was that fair?

Give me back my weekend, you damned game!

Although he knew the apocalypse was coming, it would still unfold gradually. If Xiao Hao did not want anyone finding out he was a player, he had better keep going to work.

He was an orphan with neither money nor influence. Quitting out of the blue at such a critical moment would easily arouse suspicion.

With so many players in the game and so many people suddenly disappearing for two days, rumors were already flying everywhere. The survival game would probably be exposed soon.

He did not know whether to call it good luck or bad luck, but as an orphan with hardly any friends, no one had even noticed his two-day disappearance.

The last time he had grilled meat, the slices he took out had been exactly as they were when freshly cut. That had told Xiao Hao that time stood still for supplies stored in a space slot.

And once taken out, his Thorn Shrimp meat would be enough to fill an entire building, so he had no need to stockpile supplies at all.

In other words, if he did not want to be dissected or saddled with some inexplicable responsibility, Xiao Hao had better keep himself hidden.

And the best way to do that was to carry on being a miserable wage slave, just as before...

Once he worked that out, Xiao Hao's face fell into a sour scowl.

Fine. Get dressed and go to work!

Squeezed into the packed subway, Xiao Hao almost gave in to the urge to use Shadow Transformation.

It was best not to use supernatural powers lightly. Since he had decided to keep a low profile, he should do it properly, rather than "accidentally" getting discovered, then "having no choice but to show off," and ultimately getting saddled with some inexplicable responsibility anyway.

On the subway, many people were watching news reports with their speakers turned up.

The reports said that many missing people had returned, but over half had come back as nothing more than corpses. A small number remained on the missing persons list, while the other cases were still under investigation.

The reporter speculated that a gang of deranged serial killers was responsible. Knowing the truth, Xiao Hao dismissed her words as bullshit.

Whatever the public was supposed to know, they would be told.

Whatever might cause panic, they would not be told.

After squeezing his way through the morning rush, Xiao Hao finally reached the company and returned to his desk.

He had barely sat down when the female colleague beside him asked in surprise, "Xiao Hao, did you get cosmetic treatment?"

Xiao Hao opened a file on his computer and answered, "No."

"Then how did your skin get so good? You look so much more handsome! What brand of skincare products did you use? Or did you get hormone injections? I'm telling you, taking that stuff is bad for you..."

Faced with his colleague's endless chatter, Xiao Hao gave an awkward but polite smile. "No. Maybe it's because I got enough sleep these past two days and I'm feeling better."

His colleague wanted to say more, but seeing that he had already opened PowerPoint and started working on his marketing proposal, she could hardly keep bothering him.

The old Xiao Hao had been a little socially anxious and had not liked talking to people much.

After everything the game had put him through, the current Xiao Hao simply did not want to talk to people.

When he had been weak, he could only bristle with thorns to protect himself.

Now that he was strong, he was a tiger that walked alone, while cattle and sheep gathered in herds.

He was halfway through the proposal when a colleague's voice came from outside the office.

"Xiao Hao, Director Liu wants to see you."

Xiao Hao looked up. "All right."

With that, he got up and headed toward Director Liu's office.

He had a pretty good idea what this was about.

The first thing he heard upon entering confirmed his suspicion.

"Xiao Hao, have you finished the marketing proposal?"

Xiao Hao replied evenly, "You only assigned it last Friday. There was no way to finish it in that little time."

Director Liu immediately frowned. "What were you doing all weekend? This proposal is so important, and you still haven't finished it!"

In the past, just to survive in society, Xiao Hao would certainly have finished the task well ahead of time, enduring constant exploitation and untold misery.

But now, Xiao Hao could not wait to be fired!

Quitting without another job lined up would arouse suspicion. Getting fired for a plausible reason would be so much better!

The apocalypse was coming anyway. He was no longer chasing money.

"The weekend isn't part of my working hours. I have no reason to volunteer for overtime."

The words Director Liu had been about to say lodged in his throat, leaving him deeply uncomfortable.

Xiao Hao was not wrong, and he had no grounds for arguing back.

Considering how tirelessly and uncomplainingly Xiao Hao had worked in the past, Director Liu put on an air of "I'm only doing this for your own good" and said, "Xiao Hao, young people need the courage to work hard and fight for success. Only through your own efforts can you make something of yourself! Just because everyone online talks about lying flat and giving up doesn't mean you should actually give up. You need to think about your future!"

Xiao Hao watched coldly, but Director Liu continued as if he had not noticed. "You need to understand that jobs aren't easy to find in today's economy. Besides, while so many people are lying flat and giving up, wouldn't it be better to seize the opportunity, work hard to improve yourself, and get ahead of the competition?"

Xiao Hao had just thought of a sarcastic reply, but before he could say it, screams erupted outside the office.

"A cockroach!"

"There's a cockroach! Why is it so huge?"

"Run!"

"It went over there!"

"Aah!"

Playing the role of life mentor, Director Liu had been feeling rather pleased with himself. He even felt that, as someone with experience, he was guiding the younger generation, practically radiating wisdom. Having his speech abruptly interrupted filled him with fury.

He strode toward the office door and turned the handle, roaring, "What's all this racket? If there's a cockroach, just kill it!"

Xiao Hao stood inside the office, quietly watching the show.

An ordinary cockroach certainly would not have caused such a commotion.

But with the apocalypse approaching and the people outside screaming so loudly, Xiao Hao knew this cockroach was anything but ordinary.

Perhaps this was a sign of the coming apocalypse.

Xiao Hao watched Director Liu stride out through the door and waited quietly, eager to see him turn into a coward.