Chapter 8: Entering a New Instance

It was already noon.

Su Qi didn’t immediately return to the game pod. After ordering takeout, he wandered around the room.

"That mysterious power sounds very mystical, I wonder if my eyes can see it."

He wandered for a while and then was surprised to find that

Everything in the room was normal.

There was nothing special at all.

Su Qi walked to the bedroom and opened the cabinet.

The segment of hand bone and the sheet of music were still there, unchanged.

They remained in a chaotic state, [.].

Just as Su Qi was about to put these two items back in the cabinet,

He suddenly paused, turned his gaze back to the game pod in the living room, and had an idea.

Half an hour later.

Su Qi finished his lunch and lay back into the game pod.

[Neural connection in progress]

[Connection successful]

[Welcome, player Su Buxian, to your personal space]

[You have unlocked the matching function and can choose the instance mode and difficulty]

Several options appeared before Su Qi.

[Single-player instance mode]

[Note: Single-player instances yield 20% more experience and game currency than multi-player instances]

[Multi-player instance mode (unlocked at level 6)]

[Note: Multi-player instances require players to explore together, with shared main quest progress. If a player kills a teammate, their main quest will be blocked, and they will not receive the completion reward]

Both modes allow for difficulty selection: Normal, Hard, Nightmare.

"Huh?"

Su Qi noticed that the Nightmare option was grayed out and could not be selected. The prompt read: [When matching, there is a 1% chance of entering a Nightmare-level instance. The higher the average rating of the instance, the greater the probability]

"It turns out this is a rare difficulty. I hit a Nightmare-level instance on my first try. I don’t know whether to call it good luck or bad luck."

After reading all this, Su Qi didn’t rush to enter the instance. He had something else to verify.

Opening the inventory, Su Qi’s eyes flickered.

In the inventory, two familiar items had appeared.

[Contaminated finger bone] [Contaminated sheet of music]

"Sure enough."

The two special items he obtained in the real world could actually be brought into *Abyss Paradise*!

Su Qi’s expression became serious.

This implied something significant.

It also confirmed what Xu Linqiu said, that *Abyss Paradise* was not just a game.

"The other side of the world he mentioned is probably inside *Abyss Paradise*."

However, these two items did not seem to be equipment, as they had no attribute panels, and their uses were currently unknown.

He closed the inventory and began to make his selection.

[You have chosen single-player hard mode, matching in progress]

[Match successful]

Single-player mode offered higher experience and game currency, allowing players to adapt to the game mechanics and level up, while also building a foundation of attributes and advantages.

After unlocking multi-player mode, players could reduce the burden on others.

Soon.

The lights in the login room flickered.

The next moment, the room plunged into complete darkness, with no trace of light.

A low laugh echoed, indistinguishable as male or female, and a hoarse voice said,

"Welcome to the Abyss."

—

The darkness before Su Qi’s eyes slowly dissipated.

When he opened his eyes,

He found himself in an apartment room, with a weak light illuminating the somewhat dirty floor. The bed and table were crammed together, making the room feel very crowded.

The strangest thing was,

There were no windows.

Or rather, the windows were completely sealed, not only with iron sheets crudely welded over them, but even the gaps where glass was visible were painted black, making it impossible to see outside.

This time,

The CG scene did not provide any explanation.

"It seems I need to explore on my own to trigger the main quest."

Su Qi looked around the room. Apart from a suitcase on the bed, there was nothing else, indicating that he had just moved in and hadn’t even had time to clean up.

"Click."

He opened the suitcase and found, besides some clothes, a rusty small clock.

[Name: Clock]

[Type: Instance item]

[Quality: Poor]

[Function: For five minutes after winding the spring, you will be immune to 90% of contamination. Can be used three times per day]

[Can it be taken out of the instance: No]

[Note: Hold it tightly at all times; it will be key to your survival]

This item could not be stored in the inventory.

Su Qi hung it around his neck and searched the suitcase again, but found nothing else.

"It seems there are no more clues in the room."

Su Qi’s gaze naturally fell on the door. He was curious about what was outside, but the eerie atmosphere suggested he should not act rashly.

He cautiously pushed the door open.

Outside was a dark corridor, illuminated only by the light from his room. He could barely see that there were five other doors, all tightly closed.

Each door seemed to have a number.

Su Qi was number 5, and the door opposite was number 4.

At that moment,

A [?] appeared on the door opposite, number 4.

It displayed:

[The occupant of door 4 is peering at you through the peephole]

Is someone there? Not necessarily a good thing.

[It is waiting for you to knock]

The [?] information changed again.

What a 'it.' How am I supposed to knock?

The entire apartment exuded an eerie atmosphere. The other five occupants were likely not ordinary people. Before understanding what was happening, it was best not to do anything unnecessary.

At that moment,

A bell rang from the stairs at the end of the corridor, like a copper bell being shaken. Such a sound usually indicated some kind of information, such as a gathering, mealtime, or class.

Then,

Footsteps echoed from the stairs.

The sound was heavy, as if someone was walking in wet shoes on wooden boards.

This rhythmic sound reverberated through the dark corridor.

Su Qi looked over, sensing that something was about to happen.

And the next moment,

Something unexpected happened. The door opposite, number 4, suddenly opened, and a tentacle extended out.

It pulled Su Qi directly over.

Without hesitation, Su Qi held his knife in front of him and heard a voice.

"Don’t panic, I have no ill intentions."

The next moment,

With a "bang," Su Qi was pulled into room 4, and the door closed.

But Su Qi was not one to be passive. As soon as he entered, he swung his knife with explosive force, pinning the entity that had pulled him in against the wall, the menacing knife at its throat.

The tentacled being was actually human, wearing glasses and looking somewhat scholarly. He was pale and trembling, immediately kneeling without hesitation.

"Don’t, don’t kill me!"

(End of Chapter)