Nowhere to Escape

In the end, Zuo Cheng'an chose to have the little boy show him around.

Through their conversation, he learned that the little boy's name was Yu Le, though his voice was rather high-pitched and did not sound like a little boy's.

Zuo Cheng'an had no desire to pry into other people's secrets. What surprised him was Yu Le's background.

Yu Le had been born and raised in the game, and both his parents were players. There were many other children with backgrounds like his in Safe Zone 7.

Zuo Cheng'an worked out the timeline. The mass disappearances in the real world had happened two weeks ago, which clearly was not enough time for a human to carry a child for ten months, give birth, and raise that child to this age.

Either the game had existed for over ten years, or time passed faster in the game than in reality.

Born and raised in the game, Yu Le sometimes wondered why some adults still wanted to leave when they clearly had everything here. "You came from the 'real world,' right, big brother? What's actually over there?"

Zuo Cheng'an thought for a moment, then settled on explaining the point that mattered most to people in the game:

"The real world is pretty similar to this place, but people earn money to buy food by doing jobs that don't put their lives at risk."

"So that's why." Yu Le made a face of sudden understanding. The game's only currency was points. Aside from transfers between players, the only way to obtain points was to enter instances.

And when entering an instance, even with an incredibly detailed guide in hand, it was easy to lose your life if you were not strong enough.

But this put Zuo Cheng'an on his guard. "Haven't the newcomers you've guided before told you about this?"

Guides frequently interacted with newcomers. He should not have been unaware of things like this.

Was he pretending? Or did he really not know?

Yu Le shook his head. "I only turned ten yesterday and got kicked out of the 'Temple' instance by the game. You're my first customer."

In the game, pregnant women and children under ten did not have to clear instances.

They lived together in Instance Zero, called the Temple. Apart from having no freedom, they never had to worry about food or drink.

"Oh, we're at the Instance Hall." Yu Le led Zuo Cheng'an to a stop before an egg-shaped building at the very center of the safe zone.

At the same time, he explained to Zuo Cheng'an, "Every player in the safe zone has to enter an instance once a week. If you don't want to go, you have to pay 100 points to waive it."

Yu Le led Zuo Cheng'an into the enormous egg-shaped building.

"Be careful not to step into the circles of light on the floor. If you do, the game will assume you want to participate in an instance. Once you're in, you can't come back out."

The Instance Hall was a little like a train station's waiting room.

But instead of boarding gates, there were large screens, each corresponding to an instance.

Each screen helpfully displayed the instance's name and level, as well as the number of people required to enter. They even played instance promotional videos on a loop to help players choose.

For example, on the screen closest to Zuo Cheng'an,

the image showed a luxury cruise ship in the middle of the ocean: the sea, the ship, the setting sun, and the bustling passengers.

The overall composition was just right, conveying a serene, peaceful beauty.

The images and videos playing on a loop also showed only the pleasant side.

They featured either aristocratic balls or lavishly decorated suites with ocean views. There were also private screening rooms, bars, and even a golf course!

Beside them was the instance's name, [3-1588 Nowhere to Escape]. It was a large-scale instance that required a full hundred people to begin.

The 3 meant it was a level-three instance, and 1588 was its serial number. As for the name and images, those were clues the game gave players.

Players could use these to make a rough guess as to whether an instance was survival-based or mission-based. In the former, they only had to stay alive; in the latter, they had to complete missions stipulated by the game.

Noticing Zuo Cheng'an's interest in the Nowhere to Escape instance, Yu Le hurriedly warned him:

"Big brother, don't let the promotional video fool you. This level-three instance only came out recently, and nobody's cleared it yet! There isn't even a complete guide.

"Everyone's waiting for the big guilds to pioneer it so they can buy the guides afterward. It's not too late to go once a guide is out.

"Besides, newcomers aren't advised to enter instances above their level before they've even climbed the Ladder. If your stats aren't high enough, you might not even be able to break the monsters' skin."

Zuo Cheng'an nodded. He had not been fooled by the pleasant scenes the game displayed.

The ocean, a cruise ship, and the instance name, Nowhere to Escape.

Put those three together, and it was clear that this instance was not as simple as it looked.

While Yu Le was explaining other details of the Instance Hall to Zuo Cheng'an, a wave of exclamations came from the entrance:

"Fuck! Why is Waves Chasing Guild here?! What rotten luck!"

"If you think they're bad luck, don't buy their guides next time! This is great. A big guild's finally willing to step in!"

"I heard the player leading this time is from Dawn Moon Guild. They've already reached the Fourth Ladder, right? They really do look different from ordinary people."

"Why are people from those two guilds walking together? Are they going to team up for an instance?"

The two groups entering through the doors were sizable, all players at the peak of the Second Ladder or on the Third Ladder. Their imposing procession numbered at least a hundred.

After entering the Instance Hall, they headed straight for the circle of light corresponding to the level-three instance, Nowhere to Escape.

As more and more people entered the circle, the number above it gradually changed from '0/100' to '37/100'...

Once everyone from the two guilds had entered the circle, the count finally reached '100/100'.

The instant the required number was reached, all hundred people inside vanished, seemingly transported into the instance.

Meanwhile, the screen that had been displaying images of the level-three instance Nowhere to Escape changed to '2-0873 Blue Hat Granny's Circus'.

This instance required fewer people. It could begin with just twenty.

The nearby players who had been watching the commotion discovered that the next instance to appear was an old, low-numbered instance that had been open for a long time. It could even yield items!

One by one, they began considering their options, and some people openly hawked instance guides.

"B-rank rating! Full collection! A guide to obtaining Blue Hat Granny's hidden reward! Produced by Dawn Moon! A name you can trust!"

"How to unlock the side mission! Steal the Blue Hat item without taking damage!"

"Come take a look! No risks! No unorthodox tactics! Follow my guide, and I guarantee you'll survive and come out in one piece!"

Different versions of the guides had different prices.

Before long, twenty people had snapped up their preferred guides and stepped into the circle of light.

Once their figures disappeared, everyone saw that although the next instance to appear was also level two, its serial number was very high.

Although a big guild had already cleared it, the guide had yet to circulate, so very few people entered.

During all this, Yu Le had not been idle either.

He seized the chance to expand Zuo Cheng'an's knowledge. "Dawn Moon, Waves Chasing, and another one called Thousand Hunt are all famous big guilds in Zone 7. They have at least a thousand instance guides!

"If you can become a member of one of their guilds, not only will you have veteran players guiding you through instances, making them safer, but you'll also enjoy all sorts of benefits, including instance guides.

"That's over a thousand guides!

"If you only entered once a week, right at the deadline, you wouldn't have to risk your life pioneering an instance for twenty years!"