Weird, my gaming life

In the real world, in a cramped apartment.

A young man with black-rimmed glasses and messy hair, his eyes widened suddenly. The next second, his body convulsed violently, his limbs trembled uncontrollably, and strange hoarse sounds came from his throat.

After a long while, the convulsions stopped abruptly. The light in the young man's eyes completely disappeared, but his eyes remained wide open, his death unresolved.

The gaming helmet on his head was still connected to the console, and the "Thriller Game" interface that was originally lit up on the screen suddenly turned into a deathly gray.

Immediately afterwards, a line of small, glaring scarlet text slowly filled the screen:

【You're dead!!!】

Meanwhile, across the planet Earth, countless players who held beta test qualifications were completely dumbfounded.

The horror game that had been advertised for half a year and claimed to be a "100% realistic simulation" was supposed to launch its open beta today, but suddenly posted an announcement—the server is undergoing emergency maintenance, and the open beta time has been postponed. Please stay tuned.

"Looking forward to it my ass!"

Inside the rented room, Wang Hao ripped off his helmet, stood up cursing, walked a few steps to the window, and pulled back the curtains with a "whoosh."

Outside the window, traffic flows and neon lights flash; the city remains bustling.

He was just an ordinary office worker and a die-hard fan of "Thriller Games". In order to get one of the first open beta access slots, he stayed up for several nights in a row, and was about to experience the masterpiece that was touted as "revolutionizing the history of virtual games", but what he got in return was this ridiculous maintenance notice.

These days, virtual games from major companies are everywhere, but none of them dare to claim "100% realism." Yet this niche game of dubious origin dares to make that claim openly, and it has become a viral sensation, sparking nationwide discussion.

Wang Hao had been rubbing his hands together, itching with anticipation for so long, only to be met with a bucket of cold water at the last minute. Why did they have to do maintenance right before the public beta? Wasn't this just deliberately trying to drive people crazy?!

He was so angry he wanted to smash things, but he had no idea that in the equally cramped rented room next door, the young man who was about his age, who had managed to squeeze into the beta test list and called himself the "King of the Far East" in the game, had already died silently in front of his computer, without even leaving a trace of struggle.

He had no idea what this stillborn public beta test meant—it was the clarion call for a massive invasion of reality by a bizarre world.

……

Core area, Blood Moon Square.

Lin Yuan stood still, feeling the earth-shaking changes in the world.

The blood moon overhead had lost its ferocious crimson hue and become gentle and warm.

The jagged cracks beneath our feet are slowly healing at a visible pace, and the black stone ground is becoming smooth again.

He closed his eyes, and his divine sense spread out like a tide, instantly sweeping across every corner of the entire game world.

At that moment, he seemed to have transformed into the "sky" of this world.

The slightest breeze in the south, the undercurrents in the north, and the utter silence in the east and west were all clearly perceived by him.

He saw that in a villa, Zhao Qianqian was methodically directing the people of the Demon Suppression Division to collect the strange artifacts from the family's storeroom.

He saw Long Ce pacing anxiously in the temporary command room of the Demon Suppression Division, trying to establish contact with the capital through the Hidden Dragon Abyss Secret Realm.

He could even "see" through the Wheel of Fate that in the real world, a young man named Wang Hao was cursing and swearing, then turned around and made himself a steaming bowl of instant noodles.

The barrier between the two worlds became as thin as a cicada's wing and clearer than ever before under his divine will.

He was like an administrator with the highest authority, able to freely observe the workings of both worlds and even reach out to gently manipulate the rules within them.

But Lin Yuan's face showed no joy whatsoever.

His gaze pierced through the thin barrier and landed on a sea of ​​code woven from billions of laws.

After completely losing control of the world, the so-called GM acted decisively, almost ruthlessly—severing all ties and disappearing without a trace, as if vanishing into thin air.

"They run pretty fast."

Lin Yuan withdrew his divine sense, slowly opened his eyes, and a cold glint flashed in them.

It's a bit of a shame we didn't catch that old fox. But the harvest from this trip has been quite substantial.

Not only did his cultivation level skyrocket to the peak of the ninth level of the Spirit Transformation Realm, but he also gained control of an entire world and even managed to glimpse the existence of the real world.

"A horror game..."

Lin Yuan murmured the name, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Now that the server is mine, I should also be the one to set the rules of this game."

With a thought, an invisible command, carrying his will, tore through the spatial barrier via the Wheel of Fate and precisely transmitted to the real world, entering every login device of "Thriller Games".

……

In the real world, in a rented room.

Wang Hao had just finished making instant noodles and was about to enjoy them when he caught a glimpse of the computer screen suddenly light up out of the corner of his eye.

He instinctively turned his head to look.

The previously lifeless gray login screen suddenly turned into a deep, seemingly all-consuming black.

Immediately afterwards, lines of blood-red text, with twisted and eerie patterns, slowly appeared in the center of the screen, wriggling slightly as if they were alive:

[Game rules reset...]

[Closed beta tester status has been removed...]

The one and only deity has descended...

The gates to a new world are about to open to all souls yearning for power...

[The Chosen Ones will begin in ten days.]

Wang Hao was completely stunned. The instant noodle fork in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," and the scalding noodle soup splashed onto his trouser leg, but he was completely unaware.

What... what is this? A new promotional CG?

He rubbed his eyes hard, but the blood-red text on the screen was still clear. He could even feel a cold, oppressive aura emanating from the screen, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

This isn't a game advertisement at all; it's more like a declaration.

Wang Hao frantically opened various game forums and social media platforms, and sure enough, the entire internet was in an uproar.

Countless players like him were frantically spamming the chat, discussing this sudden turn of events.

"Holy crap! Did you guys see that? Has the official website gone mad?"

"A single deity? That's way too over-the-top with its chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur)! Has the new planner lost their mind?"

"I feel a chill down my spine... That line of text looks really eerie, it doesn't seem like a joke."

"Chosen One? What does that mean? Does it mean we have to compete for a public beta qualification again?"

Various speculations arose, and the arguments became heated.

Everyone took this as a gimmick by the game's official team, a clever marketing campaign.

Only the nine beta testers who died silently knew what this rule reset meant.

Unfortunately, they will never be able to speak again.

……

Megacity, core area.

Lin Yuan was completely unconcerned about the turmoil in the real world.

He took a step forward, and his figure disappeared from Blood Moon Square. When he reappeared, he was already hovering in the sky above the South City.

He looked down at the city below, a city ravaged by war, yet being rebuilt by the Demon Suppression Division with an iron fist, his gaze calm and unwavering.

Two figures suddenly sprang out from the ruins below, knelt on one knee in mid-air, and bowed their heads respectfully.

"teacher."

It was Amu and Atong. Their voices were filled with barely suppressed fervor and reverence.

Although they didn't know where the teacher had gone, the aura emanating from him at this moment was a thousand times more terrifying than before. Just his presence alone made them tremble with fear.

"How's the matter in Nancheng going?" Lin Yuan asked calmly, his voice carrying across the entire sky.

"Reporting to the teacher, all awakened beings and resistance forces have been eliminated. The aristocratic families' assets are being inventoried and handed over, and it is expected to be completed within three days," Amu replied respectfully.

"Hmm." Lin Yuan nodded slightly.

"What should we do with the rest of the Zhao family?" Atong asked cautiously.

"Keep it."

Lin Yuan's answer surprised both Amu and Atong.

"The demonic veins within them have been removed; now they're just ordinary people." Lin Yuan's voice was completely calm. "Apart from my adoptive mother and eldest brother, the others... let them fend for themselves."

"Yes!" Amu quickly replied, not daring to ask another question.

Lin Yuan ignored these trivial matters and turned his gaze to the north of the city, in the direction of the northern part of the city, where a cloud of mist swirled.

"How much have you found out about the situation in Beicheng?"

"Teacher, we've gathered almost all the information we need," Atong replied quickly. "Although the four districts—east, west, south, and north—belong to the same megacity, there's very little communication between them; it's almost as if there's an invisible wall separating them."

"So far, we've only found out that the North City is controlled by an organization called the 'Blackwater Chamber of Commerce.' This chamber of commerce is far more powerful than the aristocratic families in the South City—it not only has more than a dozen S-level Awakened individuals, but also involves many long-established families with centuries of history."

"Blackwater Merchant Guild..." Lin Yuan repeated the name softly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

He naturally knew why the four districts were so isolated from each other.

This is simply a partitioning design for the "game map".

If players could freely travel between the four major urban areas, how could geographical restrictions be used to create different fear experiences for players?

However, he no longer takes these so-called S-class awakened individuals seriously.

As long as these people don't actively cause trouble, he doesn't mind letting them off the hook for now, and dealing with them after he's processed what he's gained.

After all, the Southern City alone contributed a million Source Points to him. This enormous resource was enough for him to cultivate diligently for a long time.

What he's really concerned about now is the escaped GM and the power he represents.

Those people will never let this go.

Lin Yuan looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barriers of the world and landing on the direction of the real world.

"Pass down the order." His voice carried an unquestionable authority. "The Demon Suppression Division is to undergo a full-scale reorganization and guard the southern city."

"If the other districts remain unchanged, we will remain unchanged. We must restore order to the southern city as quickly as possible to prepare for the new changes in the world ten days from now."