Volume 1. Let the Game Begin
"……Did you really think I would beat it to death?"
Liu Wanqian was stunned for a moment, turned around to glance at me, and I nodded honestly.
"Ah… silly child, although your mom and I never really dated seriously, that kind of affection is something everyone experiences."
"I can naturally understand you, and I wouldn't really beat this dog to death."
"Even if I did, it would only make you even more rebellious, so why would I do that?"
……That was true.
Judging by Liu Wanqian and Liu Yunyan’s past relationship, if he truly beat the dog to death, knowing Liu Yunyan’s personality, they would probably fall out completely.
A dog biting a few fish wasn't a big deal, but if Liu Yunyan really caused a scene, it wouldn't even be impossible for her to set the house on fire.
After that... I talked with Liu Wanqian for a long time.
During that time, perhaps because Liu Wanqian had a slight suspicion, he occasionally brought up things only he and Liu Yunyan would know.
I wasn't sure if he did it on purpose, but I responded naturally.
After all, I possessed all of Liu Yunyan’s memories, and there was no way I would make a mistake on that.
Only in terms of habitual actions, there might be some minor differences, but I tried my best to imitate Liu Yunyan's habits.
This conversation lasted the entire morning.
At noon, we had lunch together.
In the afternoon, Liu Wanqian even canceled several meetings just to talk to me.
Most of the time, we reminisced about the past.
It wasn't until after four in the afternoon, with the sun setting, that we finally wrapped up the conversation.
He was tired, and so was I.
Before leaving, Liu Wanqian asked me what I wanted to do in the future.
I could only say that I hadn't thought about it yet.
Right now, even whether I could survive was uncertain.
I didn't even know if I could continue enduring the monthly permanent missions.
Of course, it was impossible for me to think about the future at this point.
"Then just focus on recovering first."
"Once you've healed, go back to school."
"By the way… one of your classmates called you."
"You were still unconscious then, so I didn’t say anything."
"You can return the call yourself."
"Mm."
Classmate?
Was it her?
Thinking about this, I suddenly remembered something else.
With a trace of anticipation on my face, I turned around and said:
"Dad, I want to buy a motorcycle…"
"You’re not even old enough to drive! What do you need a motorcycle for?"
"I just think it would be more convenient, and I still have some money..."
"Convenient? I'll have your mom arrange a car and a driver for you. A fifteen or sixteen-year-old messing with motorcycles!"
"Got it…"
Tsk!
And so, our father-daughter talk for today came to an end.
I didn't know if it was because the apology really worked.
In any case, over the next week, the communication between Liu Wanqian and me started to increase gradually.
When Gong Lianyu heard about what happened that day, she first called me.
Her voice was filled with incredulous surprise and joy.
Then she immediately said she would have Wang Sisi arrange for a female driver.
A female driver?
I suspected it was actually a female bodyguard and monitor.
Just to prevent me from causing more trouble.
But whatever.
Afterward, I truly experienced why Liu Yunyan had become so arrogant and unrestrained.
To reward this 'daughter who could correct her mistakes,' Gong Lianyu directly approved three million yuan to customize a BMW 760Li.
A 2.5 million luxury car.
And specifically arranged a twenty-something bodyguard-driver named Shao He.
I suspected that this pretty older sister’s father must have been a heavy drinker, leading her mom to name her that to make her dad drink less.
Judging by how much Gong Lianyu spoiled her child, it was already remarkable that Liu Yunyan hadn't gotten involved with anything shady like drugs or gambling.
However, that former classmate of hers… was a bit problematic.
After returning to my room, I flipped through my phone.
I found the number from that classmate.
I hesitated for a moment.
In the end, I called back, just to reassure her I was fine.
But unlike the usual slightly proud tone Liu Yunyan would use, after realizing this classmate had problems, I decided not to maintain any further contact.
A little girl.
She had everything she wanted at home.
Why would she still aggressively ask Liu Wanqian for money?
Actually… a lot of it was spent on that classmate.
Liu Yunyan was a proud child.
Her social skills weren't great.
And her family was so wealthy.
This created a feeling where, despite her pride, she still desperately craved friendship.
However… that classmate of hers was awful.
At present, Liu Yunyan’s identity hasn't been made public.
At school, Liu Yunyan was just a very beautiful, school-belle level ordinary girl.
At least that’s how others saw her.
At first, that classmate also treated Liu Yunyan as just a regular girl.
But after spending some time together, she noticed Liu Yunyan's differences.
At school… everyone wore uniforms, so it was hard to spot any brand-name clothing.
Everyone simply thought Liu Yunyan had good manners but was a little aloof.
That made most people not want to befriend her.
But when they went out privately to have fun, that classmate discovered Liu Yunyan’s real identity.
Sitting in a luxury car, with a private driver, wearing brand-name clothes from head to toe, she bought things without hesitation, casually spending tens of thousands without even blinking.
From that moment on... that classmate slowly started to cozy up to Liu Yunyan, getting closer while secretly siphoning money from her pocket.
It was just like a parasite that could scratch your itch, making you feel good while sucking your blood at the same time.
Fortunately, Liu Yunyan’s family was truly wealthy.
Even though that classmate leeched off her so much, it was just a drop in the bucket.
But accumulated over time, during the three years of middle school, she had already drained at least hundreds of thousands in cash from Liu Yunyan.
As for other things like clothes, handbags, and electronics, if you added it all up, it reached the million mark.
Liu Wanqian had tried to intervene before, but Liu Yunyan caught on early.
Father and daughter ended up having a huge fight.
However... parasites could never be fed enough.
When that girl realized that Liu Yunyan had even more potential to be exploited, she started making demands.
Ultimately, the car accident that happened to Liu Yunyan had her to thank.
It was because... Liu Yunyan didn’t have much money left.
That girl kept whispering about how good a certain handbag was.
So Liu Yunyan went home and asked Liu Wanqian for money.
Father and daughter had another big fight.
In a moment of anger, Liu Yunyan blurted out that she had a boyfriend.
The situation escalated even further.
Liu Yunyan ran out of the house crying and ended up taking the bus alone, which led to the whole disaster.
After learning the cause and effect of everything, I immediately decided to cut ties with that girl.
I had no plans to retaliate against her.
After all, deep down, Liu Yunyan herself had vaguely realized the truth.
This was one party willing to hit, and one party willing to take the blow.
There was no one else to blame.
During Liu Yunyan’s entire hospital stay, that girl never came to visit once.
Because... she had never treated Liu Yunyan as a true friend.
She only saw her as a walking ATM.
Maybe she sensed something afterward.
She didn’t call me again, and that suited me just fine.
Over the next week or so, the private tutor would come during the day to tutor me according to the academic schedule.
For me, having been fed back by the Evil Spirit Form, this schoolwork felt as easy as child's play.
Photographic memory wasn’t an exaggeration.
The tutor was also amazed.
After all, there was only so much content every day, and the faster I learned it, the easier his job became.
By the way, my room’s display shelves were full.
Everything from Liu Wanqian’s own display shelves had been replaced with a new batch.
Although the price couldn’t compare to the treasures given to me, it still wasn’t cheap.
From this alone, one could see how much Liu Wanqian loved Liu Yunyan.
The first time the tutor came, he was nearly scared to death by the room full of valuable items.
After that, he refused to teach me in the study.
He said he was afraid he couldn’t afford to pay for anything if he accidentally broke it...
Thus, my classes moved to the living room.
These past few days, Liu Wanqian has been very free.
I didn't know if he had deliberately taken time off.
He also smiled much more compared to the memories I had of Liu Yunyan.
Sometimes when I studied, he would even sit in and listen for a bit.
Just like that... two weeks had passed since the first permanent mission.
It had also been two weeks since I was discharged from the hospital.
My leg had finally healed.
And I could finally return to school.
Actually, my leg had almost fully healed a week ago.
I just thought it healed a little too quickly, which felt abnormal.
So I delayed for another week before finally removing the cast.
By the way, I also checked the contents of the APP.
There wasn't much income, only a hundred points.
At the same time, I carefully studied the rules.
The game included four types of mission modes.
The first type was the permanent mission.
There would be one permanent mission every month.
It would usually be announced in advance and leave a path to survival within the rules.
The danger level ranged from D- to C.
The second type was the sudden mission.
Before my leg healed, sudden missions were suspended.
Now they have resumed.
Sudden missions appeared without warning.
There was no pre-published rule.
The danger level ranged from D- to A+.
Each had different ways to survive.
It could be extremely dangerous.
Because you never knew when a horror event would hit you, and there was absolutely no time to prepare.
The third type was the team mission.
This type was the most dangerous, and involved the largest number of participants.
The game would announce a location and require everyone to gather there to perform a survival task.
The danger level ranged from B+ to SSS.
The fourth type was the solo mission.
Usually triggered during the other three types of missions.
When triggered, something bad would happen.
The rules didn’t specify exactly what that bad thing would be.
But it said that completing the solo mission would give you a chance to leave the horror event early.
The bus incident I experienced before was a team mission.
It specified five participants.
The others were all bystander players.
But in the end, I was the only one who survived.
After understanding the rules, I even thought about whether I should become a shut-in again.
But then I thought... I finally had a new life.
Rather than hiding and trembling for the rest of my life, I might as well face it head-on.
I had already died once anyway.
I wasn’t afraid to die again.
Besides, other people dying probably meant real death.
Even their souls would be devoured by the anomalies.
But I was different...
Even if I died, I would become an anomaly myself!
We're all old foxes here.
Don’t try to fool me with ghost stories!