Chapter 1: The Black Book

Today was Old Zhou’s first seventh day after death.

There were not many relatives and friends who came, only a few dozen in total.

After all, the old man had been stubborn and obstinate while alive. Even if he had once had some relatives and friends, most had gradually drifted away over the years.

Yet even with only these people present, Zhou You solemnly thanked each one in turn. Though the sorrow on his face could not be fully concealed, he maintained a steady demeanor throughout, and there was not the slightest lapse in etiquette in any of his actions.

However, after quietly thanking a distant relative who had traveled far to attend, he suddenly began coughing for some reason.

At first it was only a few coughs, but it quickly turned into violent gasping. In the end, it seemed he could no longer endure it. His back bent like a shrimp, and his chest began heaving violently like a bellows.

At the same time, murmurs arose from those around him.

There was little sadness for the funeral in those whispers. Instead, there was considerable pity and regret.

“The Zhou boy only graduated from university not long ago, right?”

“Yeah, he’s only in his twenties. He was even a top student at X University.”

“The poor kid. His parents died when he was young, and now the grandfather who raised him single-handedly has passed away too.”

“Not only that. I heard he developed an incurable illness at such a young age. Sigh.”

“A rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune always finds those with the hardest lives.”

Zhou You paid no attention to the whispers around him. After taking a long time to recover, he wiped away the blood he had coughed onto his lips. When he raised his head again, there was no sign of discomfort on his face.

The same gentle expression.

The same courteous words.

Nothing was different from before.

More than an hour later, the final farewell ceremony finally ended. After sending off all the elderly aunts and distant female relatives, Zhou You at last let out a long breath and dropped heavily onto the ground before Old Zhou’s grave.

Unlike the earlier bustle, the cemetery was now cold and deserted.

No one else remained.

Leaning against the gravestone, Zhou You pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket.

But when he took out the lighter, he suddenly paused.

The doctor had told him not to smoke.

Yet a moment later, he smiled and shook his head. He put a cigarette between his lips and lit it.

Amid the drifting smoke, the polite and courteous expression disappeared from Zhou You’s face.

In a calm, almost indifferent voice, he slowly said:

“Old man, honestly speaking, the timing of your death was really perfect.”

“Don’t blame me for saying something unpleasant. If you’d hung on a little longer, things probably would’ve been reversed, and you’d have had to watch a younger generation die before you.”

“As for my illness, the doctors still haven’t figured out the cause. They only know there’s a tumor growing inside my head. My nervous system has been damaged, and my internal organs aren’t doing too well either. It’s not cancer, but according to the doctors, I probably only have about two months left.”

“I don’t want to die, but there’s no helping it. The family’s out of money, and the doctors already said it can’t be treated. So don’t blame me for being unfilial. You can stop hoping for a great-grandson. At most, when I die, I’ll bring a few bottles of good liquor down with me as an apology.”

“.”

The cigarette quickly burned out.

Zhou You dusted himself off and stood up.

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled several old books from his backpack.

Old Zhou, his grandfather, had loved collecting miscellaneous antiques and old objects. None of them had been especially valuable, and most had already been sold to pay for his treatment.

Only these tattered books remained because no one wanted them.

Originally, Zhou You had intended to keep them as mementos.

But remembering the doctor’s diagnosis, he ultimately decided to burn them as well.

Orange flames slowly rose.

The pages blackened bit by bit in the brazier, then carbonized into ash, and finally scattered into the air with the north wind, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Watching the scene, Zhou You let out a faint sigh.

But just as he turned to leave, he suddenly sensed something wrong.

Almost everything in the brazier had already burned away.

Yet at the very bottom, something remained.

Not only had it survived, it was completely undamaged.

“Oh? Fireproof material?”

Curious, Zhou You used tongs to pick it out.

After brushing away the ashes, he discovered it was one of the books he had just burned.

Black.

But there was no pattern or title on the cover.

He casually opened it and saw several blood-red printed words on the title page.

“Do you want to live?”

What was this supposed to be?

His grandfather’s final prank?

But recalling the stern and rigid face his grandfather had worn throughout his life, Zhou You immediately rejected that possibility.

“Printed text, fireproof material... Could this be another counterfeit item the old man got tricked into buying? Forget it. It’s none of my business. And honestly, if someone can keep living, who would want to die?”

Yet the moment his words fell, whether by coincidence or not, the book suddenly flipped another page in the wind.

There were still only a few dark-red words.

“If you wish to live, then please leave your fingerprint on this page.”

This really isn’t a prank?

Zhou You looked up and surveyed the surroundings.

There was no one else.

Within the empty cemetery, only the mournful wind howled and echoed.

After a long while, curiosity finally overcame caution.

He dabbed some incense ash from a nearby burner and pressed a fingerprint onto the page.

Nothing happened.

“So that’s all? Just a gimmick.”

The faint hope that had quietly emerged vanished once more.

With a bitter smile, Zhou You picked up the book and prepared to throw it into the brazier.

Then, at that moment.

At that very instant.

Before Zhou You’s eyes, the book suddenly opened by itself.

The pages flipped with a rapid flap flap flap, so fast that the naked eye could barely follow them.

Finally, they stopped on a certain page.

“Then, welcome to the Bizarre Game!”

And in that instant, ink-dark shadows suddenly spread around Zhou You.

When he regained consciousness, he was no longer in the cemetery.

Instead, he found himself in a strange space.

Bright incense candles burned all around him, making the place resemble a temple. Yet there were no doors or windows. Dark talismans covered the surrounding pillars.

At the innermost end stood a platform.

There were no statues of gods or bodhisattvas upon it.

Only a yellowed sheet of paper floated in midair.

It appeared to be a page torn from the black book.

The same printed typeface remained, but unlike before, it no longer asked questions.

Instead, several lines of text were written upon it like an introduction.

“Beginner Scenario: Escape from Building Four.”

“Type: Urban Legend.”

“Erosion Level: Extremely Low.”

“This scenario is a beginner simulation scenario. The number of revivals is unlimited.”

“Background: You are an ordinary office worker who recently found a job and urgently needs a place to live. Unfortunately, money is tight, and you have not found anything suitable for a long time. Then one day, you suddenly discover a rental advertisement online. The rent is cheap and the location excellent. The only requirement is a long-term lease. Overjoyed, you immediately bring six months’ rent and rush over. Therefore, you never expected...”

“...that you are about to step into the most terrifying nightmare of your life.”

“Reward One: 100 Soulstones and one random common white-grade item.”

“Reward Two: One additional month of lifespan.”

“Would you like to enter? If you choose no, the player will immediately log out and will never again be able to enter this game.”

What is this thing?

That was Zhou You’s first thought.

Did I run into aliens?

That was his second thought.

But very quickly, all other thoughts faded away.

His entire attention was captured by the final reward.

One additional month of lifespan.

Could this body, already sentenced to death, really gain another month to live?

Zhou You slowly raised his head and examined the page.

Honestly, every aspect of this thing radiated strangeness.

Under normal circumstances, he would never have hesitated to choose no and then hand it over to some research institute to see if he could make money from it.

But now...

He recalled the doctor’s death sentence.

He recalled his increasingly weakened body.

Then he suddenly revealed a peculiar smile.

Without the slightest hesitation, he chose yes.

No matter what you are, I’ve only got two months left anyway. For the sake of this faint glimmer of hope, what’s wrong with playing your little “game” once?

The next moment, the page suddenly burst into flames.

Then a mechanical female voice sounded beside his ear.

“The player is entering the game for the first time. A beginner reward active skill will now be randomly selected.”

“Drawing skill...”

“Skill successfully obtained.”

“Active Skill: Selfless Meditation.”

“Effect: Upon activation, you will be forcibly placed into a Numb State. While in this state, you will ignore all fear and sanity damage effects, and ordinary damage effects will not cause your death.”

“Skill Duration: 10 seconds.”

“Please note, this skill may only be used once per scenario. Death resets usage count. The beginner reward skill will expire after three scenarios.”

When Zhou You opened his eyes again, he was already in another world.

The first thing he saw was a dilapidated stairwell.

The building looked extremely old.

The steps were somewhat sunken.

Most of the wall paint had peeled away.

Small advertisements were plastered everywhere.

At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary old residential building.

Such old buildings might have become rare in major cities, but Zhou You had grown up living with his grandfather in exactly this sort of environment, so he found nothing unusual about it.

Carefully examining his surroundings, he determined that he was on the first floor.

To his left was a bulletin board, likewise covered in layers of advertisements.

At the top was the unit number of the building.

“Garden Community Building 4, Unit 4.”

“1st Floor.”

Below that hung an old notice.

The paper had yellowed with age and appeared to have been posted there for many years.

Bizarre mold spots covered its surface.

Dark brown stains marked it as well.

Most of the writing had become illegible.

Only a single dark-red title could still barely be read.

“Resident Guidelines for Unit 4.”

...No clues whatsoever.

Zhou You turned around and looked outside.

The sunlight was bright.

Flowers and grass swayed gently.

Though there were few people nearby, he could vaguely see children running and laughing in the distance.

It looked like a perfectly ordinary residential complex.

Nothing seemed abnormal.

“So I just have to escape from here?”

He scratched his head.

“But there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong at all.”

After thinking for a while, Zhou You decided he should at least give it a try.

How did that saying go again?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Zhou You took one step toward the entrance.

Warm sunlight lay just ahead.

He could almost hear the children’s laughter beside his ears.

Then, right next to his ear.

A harsh cutting sound suddenly rang out.

An overwhelming agony struck him, so intense that it seemed capable of twisting thought itself.

The world in Zhou You’s vision abruptly flipped upside down.

The final image reflected in his pupils was a headless corpse slowly collapsing as blood sprayed from its severed neck.

Several seconds later, he finally comprehended the truth.

Ah.

That’s my corpse.

Then darkness completely engulfed his vision.

“You have died.”