Wait, I Only Just Got Out?!

Outside the door.

The two staff members from the Jiangcheng Weird Management Bureau did not immediately ask to come in.

Instead, they showed their credentials first.

Shen Niannian spent quite a while checking through the peephole.

Then she checked their credential numbers on her phone.

Only after confirming that everything was in order did she open the door.

(｡ŏ_ŏ)

She couldn't help it.

She had just returned from the Blood Moon Hotel.

Now, never mind a stranger knocking on the door.

Even if a delivery person said, "Hello, your food is here," she would want to ask what color uniform they were wearing first.

The visitors were a man and a woman.

The man was in his thirties. His name was Zhao Cheng, and he was in charge of the Jiangcheng Weird Management Bureau's Player Affairs Division.

The woman was responsible for taking notes.

After both sides sat down.

Zhao Cheng got straight to the point.

"Miss Shen, we're here for three main reasons today."

Shen Niannian immediately sat up straight.

"Go ahead."

"First, to check your physical and mental condition."

"Second, to register your player information."

"Third, to learn about the abnormalities that appeared in the Blood Moon Hotel."

Very direct.

Shen Niannian relaxed a little instead.

"Physically, I'm fine. Mentally..."

She thought for a moment.

"Seeing the word 'hotel' makes me a little nervous now, but otherwise I'm fine."

The corner of Zhao Cheng's mouth visibly twitched.

"That's normal."

Then.

An electronic document was placed in front of Shen Niannian.

[Player: Shen Niannian]

[First instance: A-rank · Blood Moon Hotel]

[Clear rating: S]

[Current official assessment: D-rank player]

Shen Niannian froze.

"Only D-rank?"

(⊙_⊙)

"I just cleared an A-rank instance."

Zhao Cheng explained, "An instance's rank isn't the same as a player's rank. Player ratings also take physical enhancement, weird items, rule resistance, and the number of consistent clears into account."

"Although you completed an A-rank instance, your current physical stats aren't much different from an ordinary person's, and you haven't demonstrated any combat abilities publicly."

Shen Niannian glanced down at her slender arms.

Silence.

That was reasonable.

So reasonable it was a little hurtful.

"However."

Zhao Cheng continued, "Your S-rank clear will be recorded separately in your file. If you consistently clear high-risk instances again, your rating will rise quickly."

Shen Niannian nodded.

She didn't really care about that.

What she really cared about was something else.

"What good is a player rank?"

"Its most direct uses are access and resources."

Zhao Cheng held up three fingers.

"Instance intelligence, eligibility to trade weird items, and authorization to deal with weird domains in the real world."

"The higher your rank, the more public information the bureau can make available to you."

Shen Niannian's eyes instantly brightened a little.

Intelligence!

That was much more useful than an empty title.

Zhao Cheng handed her a black card.

"This is your official player ID."

"From now on, before you enter an instance, if the bureau has relevant intelligence, it will automatically be sent to you through the player system."

"Also, any special items you obtain after clearing an instance can be appraised or traded through the bureau."

Shen Niannian accepted it.

(✧ω✧)

She finally felt a little like a proper player.

Then.

Zhao Cheng moved on to the final matter.

"Next, this concerns you personally."

Shen Niannian's expression immediately turned guarded.

Sure enough.

Here it came.

Zhao Cheng pulled up several recordings.

The first.

After the B-rank doorman saw Shen Niannian, he went from normal to utterly terrified.

The second.

Gu Changsheng personally came to room 701.

The third.

Bai Feiyue said-

[I was your maid for a full seven days when I was little.]

The fourth.

The randomly selected host of the Blood Moon Banquet.

[Shen Niannian]

Zhao Cheng looked at her.

"Miss Shen."

"Do you have an explanation for any of this?"

"No."

Shen Niannian answered without hesitation.

Zhao Cheng was visibly taken aback.

"None at all?"

"None at all."

Shen Niannian spread her hands.

"If I knew why I was so awesome, the first thing I did at the Blood Moon Hotel wouldn't have been to latch onto Zhou Hai for protection."

"Wouldn't it be better to just strut around like I owned the place?"

(￣ー￣)

Zhao Cheng: "..."

That was very convincing.

Shen Niannian didn't conceal the fact that she had no memories of her past, either.

But she didn't mention the existence of the [Identity Archive].

A cheat like that.

It was better not to reveal it if she could help it.

She only told the bureau.

That some of her memories from before she was fourteen were very hazy.

As for why Bai Feiyue, Gu Changsheng, and the doorman knew her.

She wanted to know too.

Zhao Cheng didn't press her further.

Judging by her performance on the livestream.

Shen Niannian had shown no hostility, at least for now.

More importantly.

At the end, she had also taken the initiative to help Zhou Hai and Wang Jianguo complete the third stamp.

So the bureau's current attitude toward her was clear.

Observe.

Protect.

Cooperate.

Not control.

"One last thing."

Before getting up, Zhao Cheng said, "Under normal circumstances, the probability of the same player being summoned twice in a short period is very low."

"You've just finished an A-rank instance, so you should be fairly safe for the near future."

Shen Niannian's eyes instantly lit up.

(☆▽☆)

"How long?"

"There's no exact time."

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment.

"But after their first instance, most newcomers aren't selected again for at least several weeks, or even several months."

Shen Niannian let out a sigh of relief on the spot.

Great!

Then she could finally live like a normal person for a few days.

Go to school.

Eat.

Sleep.

And study the Identity Archive's upgraded abilities while she was at it.

Perfect.

After seeing the two bureau staff members off.

Shen Niannian closed the door.

The first thing she did was throw herself back onto her bed.

"Nobody's getting me out of the house today."

(つω｀)

"Even if the sky falls, it can wait until tomorrow."

She switched off her phone.

Pulled up the covers.

She had just closed her eyes.

Three seconds.

[Ding!]

Shen Niannian opened her eyes.

"..."

Something was wrong.

That sound...

Was a little familiar.

The next second.

Her phone screen lit up on its own.

A glaring blood-red light instantly illuminated the entire bedroom.

[Weird recruitment has begun!]

Shen Niannian: "..."

(°ー°〃)

She sat up silently.

She read it again.

[Player selection for this round complete!]

[Player: Shen Niannian]

"..."

What had Zhao Cheng just said?

Most newcomers.

A few weeks.

Even a few months.

Shen Niannian slowly picked up her phone.

She really wanted to call him right now and ask-

"Shouldn't your bureau update its data?"

But the system didn't give her a chance.

New information had already popped up.

[Current instance: Lightless Train]

[Danger level: A-rank]

[Participating players: 12]

[Historical clearance rate: 11.4%]

Shen Niannian's eyelid twitched violently.

A-rank again?!

"No!"

"I put up with it being A-rank the first time!"

"Why is the second one A-rank too?!"

"What happened to newcomer protection?!"

[Teleportation countdown: 5.]

Shen Niannian: "???"

It had been three seconds last time.

Why had it considerately bumped it up to five seconds this time?

"Do you think I should thank you for giving me two extra seconds?!"

[4.]

Shen Niannian snatched up her player ID.

[3.]

She grabbed the power bank by her bed and stuffed it into her pocket.

[2.]

Then she remembered she was still wearing pajamas.

"Wait!"

[1.]

"At least let me change my-!"

Whoosh!

Scarlet light swallowed the room.

Meanwhile.

At the Jiangcheng Weird Management Bureau.

Zhao Cheng had just returned to his office.

He had barely even sat down.

A red alert suddenly flashed on his computer screen.

[Detected a player from Jiangcheng City entering an A-rank instance!]

Zhao Cheng frowned.

"Someone else got selected?"

The next second.

The player's name popped up.

[Shen Niannian]

Zhao Cheng: "..."

The office fell silent.

A staff member beside him couldn't help reminding him.

"Director Zhao."

"Didn't you just tell her ten minutes ago that she basically wouldn't be recruited again anytime soon?"

Zhao Cheng stared at the screen.

He said nothing for a long while.

Finally, he slowly picked up his thermos.

And took a sip.

"Delete that statistical pattern."

"Delete it now."

[A-rank instance-Lightless Train livestream begins!]

[Participating players: 12]

[Current viewers: 3.17 million!]

The livestream had only just begun.

The comments had already exploded.

"Lightless Train?!"

"Wait, isn't that Shen Niannian?!"

"Didn't she just come out of the Blood Moon Hotel?!"

"I was watching her check out at lunch, and now she's going in again?!"

"Two A-ranks in a row? What the hell kind of luck is that?!"

"Here we go, here we go! Shen Niannian's walkthrough, part two!"

"Guys, remember the core principle from part one-"

"Don't copy Shen Niannian!"

In the darkness.

The sound of train wheels rolling over the rails rang out continuously.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

Shen Niannian slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw.

Was an old train carriage.

Dim yellow light.

Twelve players.

And outside the window, darkness so complete that nothing could be seen.

She looked down.

Great.

White pajamas.

Slippers.

Her hair was even a little messy.

Shen Niannian:

(╥﹏╥)

"My image for my player debut is completely ruined."

Just then.

The Identity Archive suddenly popped up on its own.

[High-risk target detected.]

Shen Niannian froze.

At the very front of the carriage.

A tall man in a black conductor's uniform was slowly turning around.

Beneath the brim of his cap.

There was no face.

Only a mass of constantly churning black fog.

[Target: Lightless Train conductor]

[Danger level: peak A-rank]

[Identity: highest authority on the Lightless Train]

[Current status: normal]

Shen Niannian's gaze instantly turned serious.

The second instance.

It had come.

But the next second.

The conductor got a clear look at her face.

His body abruptly froze.

The Identity Archive refreshed at the same time.

[Current status: shocked]

[Current status: terrified]

[Current status: wants to jump off the train]

Shen Niannian: "..."

(⊙_⊙)

Wait.

Hold on.

This train...

You're the one running it, right?