Buddhist player

Although the two worlds are very similar, there are many subtle differences. This change is not only reflected in the changes in one's family background, but also in many other aspects.

For example, games.

As the god of tower defense, Plants vs. Zombies was a global phenomenon in its previous life, but in this world, such a game does not exist.

Or to put it another way, the game still exists, but it is presented in a distorted, catastrophic form.

"...Differences between parallel worlds?"

While eating the now-cold instant noodles in his hand, Bai Chen pondered in his mind.

Although he couldn't be sure that the disaster described in the post was the game "Plants vs. Zombies" from his memory, it didn't stop him from making the connection.

"It's a pity this disaster only occurs in North America, otherwise I'd really like to go and verify it..."

After secretly noting down the poster's ID, finishing the last bit of noodle soup in his bowl, and temporarily hiding the screen, Bai Chen got up and went to the restroom.

A bowl of instant noodles wasn't enough to fill him up, so he planned to order takeout later. As for being short of money... he was kidding. He had never worried about money since he was a child. To him, money was just a number.

...Although he has no money now.

"However, judging from the information I saw on the forum, that severed hand is indeed not that significant. I wonder if I'll be able to find any disaster level classification comments on the forum later..."

While washing her hands, Bai Chen also washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror.

Although his severed arm was gone, his face was still pale, and due to long-term malnutrition, he looked somewhat listless, with heavy dark circles under his eyes... but he was still quite handsome.

Bai Chen reached out and touched his chin, nodding in satisfaction.

Delivering food has no future and is also very dangerous. You never know when you'll get some weird food delivery. So he plans to apply for jobs at those big bars in a few days. With his looks, he thinks it would be easy to hook up with a rich woman and solve his financial crisis.

In his previous life, he had tried being a male escort before, and he was quite adept at returning to the profession. It would be a waste not to make good use of such a great advantage.

He has always been a pragmatist.

"Since I'm going to the job interview, I need to be in good spirits. After I finish my takeout, I'll go back to my rented apartment to eat...?"

Bai Chen suddenly stopped and frowned as he looked at the internet cafe outside the restroom.

He sensed something was wrong when he pushed open the toilet door.

It's too quiet.

It wasn't the kind of quiet where no one was around—at least the computer case fans were still humming and the air conditioner was still blowing air—but rather it lacked a certain "vitality."

Just a few minutes ago, the lobby was filled with the sounds of keyboards clicking, the footsteps of the internet cafe manager delivering snacks, and the occasional chatter of the online users. But now, all those sounds have disappeared.

Bai Chen stopped and looked towards the main hall.

Although there were fewer people in the evening, about one-third of the seats in the internet cafe were occupied, mostly by students enjoying their summer vacation. When he went to the restroom earlier, these people were all wearing headphones and immersed in the world of online games, but in the few minutes he went in and out of the restroom, every single one of them had fallen asleep.

The internet cafe was eerily quiet.

...Again?

Seeing this strange phenomenon outside, Bai Chen's face immediately darkened.

Although he had just learned that this world seemed quite dangerous, it didn't have to be this dangerous, did it? He had just dealt with a severed hand, and then he ran into another one... Was he really this unlucky even in a different world?

Just as Bai Chen began to question his existence, he suddenly caught a faint, pleasant fragrance. Then, an inexplicable drowsiness welled up from the depths of his mind, making him want to lie down and fall asleep.

However, this weariness was nothing compared to the overwhelming drowsiness that his severed hand had brought him before.

"This thing...is it a sleeping potion?"

Looking up and squinting at the faint colored smoke floating in the room, Bai Chen covered his nose with one hand and frowned.

Banishing drowsiness was easy, since he had experience with it before. He just bit his tongue hard, and the sweet and metallic taste in his mouth cleared away most of the fatigue. However, although the drowsiness was gone, a sluggish feeling remained deep in his brain, as if his thinking speed had been forcibly reduced by a level. He felt dizzy and groggy until he splashed cold water on his face and felt a little better.

"I wish I hadn't gone out tonight..."

Looking at the crowd of people who had fainted outside, Bai Chen sighed.

Without risking returning to the lobby, Bai Chen went back to the toilet stall, locked the door, and then took out his phone.

He had previously connected his phone to his computer to transfer data and charge it, which was originally unintentional, but now it saved him a lot of trouble...

A few minutes later, the scene in the internet cafe lobby outside was clearly displayed on his phone screen. It was just transmitting a monitoring signal, which did not require much effort.

"It was actually done by someone... Wait, is this cosplay?"

Looking at the scene displayed on the monitor, Bai Chen felt a little relieved, but unconsciously began to ponder in his mind.

Good news, this isn't a disaster. Bad news, the people who came seem even stranger than the disaster itself.

..............................

In the surveillance footage, as the automatic glass door opened, a figure walked in from outside the internet cafe.

The newcomer was dressed in ancient costume, with his hair tied up in a crown, and holding a white paper fan in his hand. He was dressed as a scholar in white robes, and his appearance looked somewhat effeminate.

He's obviously a hypocrite.

—Bai Chen made his own comments in his mind.

"Alright, everyone come in."

He glanced around the deserted internet cafe, his gaze lingering on the glowing metal boxes on the tables for a moment, then closed his manual folding fan and turned to look behind him with a smile.

"Everyone here is asleep. There is one hour left before we return. They will not wake up during this time."

As the white-robed scholar finished speaking, three more people walked in from outside. Like the white-robed scholar, these three were all dressed as ancient swordsmen. However, unlike the white-robed scholar who appeared to be unharmed, these three were all wounded. As they entered, a strong smell of blood immediately filled the entire internet cafe.

The most eye-catching of the four was naturally the white-robed scholar who always carried a folding fan, but the most attention-grabbing was a young girl among them... or rather, a female knight-errant.

The reason was simple: her long, fiery red hair, tied up with a red jade hairpin, was too eye-catching. The main color scheme of her chivalrous outfit was also crimson. Her eyebrows and eyes were sharp as if cut by a knife. Although there was a long, narrow old scar at the corner of her right eye, it did not affect anything. On the contrary, it made the girl's heroic spirit stand out even more.

However, the girl seemed to be injured, her clothes were stained dark red with blood, but compared to the two people next to her who could barely move with each other's help, she was in much better condition.

"Pei Shijing, what did you do to them?"

The girl glanced around the hall, then frowned and looked at the white-robed scholar in front of her.

"Don't worry, I'm just letting them sleep for now."

With a soft chuckle, Pei Shijing opened the folding fan in his hand.

"After all, we are about to return, and you are all seriously injured. It would be bad if you caused a big commotion. Although the people here are not very skilled in martial arts, the hidden weapons of the government officials here are really formidable. We must be careful."

"...Let's hope no one forgets the lessons of Team 3 in the Jiazi Year."

After a brief silence, the girl nodded.

Clearly, she was also quite impressed by the powerful weapons held by the officials here.

"Sister Hongxiao is right. Although this world is not good at internal strength, when it comes to mechanical arts, even the Mo Clan in the forest would have to say that it is unbelievable."

His gaze swept over the girl's pale face, and with a soft chuckle, Pei Shijing turned to look at the iron box on the table, his eyes filled with contempt.

"It's a pity that they were ultimately just ingenious tricks, seeking only pleasure and not striving for progress, making it difficult to achieve great things."

Upon hearing this, the girl frowned, but before she could speak, as if realizing something, Pei Shijing bowed apologetically towards her.

"My apologies, my apologies, it was a slip of the tongue. I should have addressed her as Miss Yin. I was being presumptuous."

Frowning, Yin Hongxiao glanced at the other person but did not reply. After looking around the hall filled with iron boxes, she didn't even bother with the seemingly soft cushions. Instead, she simply sat down cross-legged on the smooth floor, which was so smooth it was almost reflective.

The monster they faced this time was quite troublesome. Of the seven people in the group, three were killed. If it weren't for the thing her master had given her, she would have almost perished there as well.

She had little interest in paying attention to Pei Shijing's sweet talk; her priority was to quickly recover from her injuries by circulating her inner energy. Everything else was secondary.

(...Four time travelers from ancient times? That's really strange...Speaking of that video from the urban legends where ancient people rode horses and fired Gatling guns that spewed blue flames into the darkness...was it actually filmed?)

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow as he looked at the four people in the surveillance footage.

The surveillance footage only showed images, not sound, so he didn't know what the group was talking about. However, judging from their behavior and injuries, going out rashly might not be a good choice.

...We can't just wait for these people to leave on their own, can we?

Just as Bai Chen was pondering whether he should simply call the police through the front desk to handle the situation, his expression suddenly changed slightly when he looked at the surveillance footage displayed on his phone screen.

In the internet cafe lobby, the other two people who were sitting against the wall, supporting each other, suddenly let their hands fall limply down like spaghetti.

...or rather, their hands became pasta.