Chapter 1

Hong Kong Island, 1970, Kowloon Walled City.

"Wu Shihao, I, Chen Anlin, have always been loyal to you, yet you accuse me of betrayal! Do you think that by handing over some evidence of your crimes to the police, I can get you arrested? You are too naive."

Wu Shihao held a revolver, pressing the barrel firmly against Chen Anlin's forehead.

"Brother Hao, please spare me, I was wrong."

With a thud, Chen Anlin knelt on the ground, sobbing and repeatedly bowing.

Wu Shihao sneered, and instructed his men, "Throw him down. Let the people below see what happens to those who betray me, Wu Shihao."

"Yes, Brother Hao."

"No, no, Brother Hao, please spare me, I was wrong, I really was wrong, please spare me……"

Bang!

Chen Anlin was thrown from the rooftop, landing heavily on the ground, his bones shattered.

"Game Over."

"Hisss……"

Chen Anlin suddenly woke up from his nightmare, staring blankly at the ceiling above him.

"Having this dream again, so the original owner died because of a game failure?"

Chen Anlin lay on the hospital bed, feeling how weak the original owner's body was.

Indeed, he had traveled through time.

The world he had traveled to was very similar to Earth, both being technological civilizations.

However, this planet, called Water Blue Star, was not only a technological civilization but also a gaming civilization.

People here would automatically activate a game panel at the age of fourteen, entering various game worlds.

In these game worlds, they could obtain the technology, cultivation methods, and even the ability to move mountains and fill seas of that world.

The original owner was also named Chen Anlin, eighteen years old, a high school senior with average academic performance. He had entered ordinary game zones with low risk, and had never completed a mission or received any useful rewards.

He had been lying in the hospital bed for fourteen days.

The reason was that the original owner had entered the "Chasing the Dragon" game zone, with the mission to send Wu Shihao and Lei Lo to prison.

Relying on some cleverness, the original owner became one of Wu Shihao's subordinates, collected some evidence of Wu Shihao's crimes, and then handed it over to the police.

He thought he could complete the mission smoothly, but he encountered an unexpected twist.

He had no idea about the plot!

He didn't know that at that time, the police and criminals in Hong Kong were in cahoots. After betraying Wu Shihao, he was captured by Wu Shihao's men an hour later and thrown from the rooftop.

So Chen Anlin realized something important.

The game zones entered were all from the virtual worlds of the previous world, such as films, novels, and anime.

The people in this world knew nothing about these virtual worlds.

"No wonder the original owner foolishly went to report the crime, it turns out that no one here knows the plot!"

Dying in the game meant dying in reality.

The original owner had all his limbs broken and internal organs ruptured, and had already died.

This was why he could take over the original owner's body.

"Only one day left. After one day, I have to enter the game again; only then can I heal my injuries."

Chen Anlin thought silently.

Completing a game zone successfully would heal any injuries upon return.

However, there was a cooldown period of 15 days after each game zone, during which no further games could be played unless special items were obtained.

For example, a cooldown card could negate the 15-day cooldown. A game card could be used to ignore the cooldown and enter a game zone directly.

It had been fourteen days since the last entry into the "Chasing the Dragon" game zone, and one more day would allow him to enter again.

At this moment, the door to the hospital room suddenly opened, and his father, Chen Ziqiang, and mother, Yang Ping, entered.

Just now, his parents had discussed for a long time. Upon entering, Chen Ziqiang said, "Anlin, your mother and I have discussed it. Entering game zones is too dangerous for you. From now on, just live a normal life."

"Yes, Anlin, you are our only child. Listen to your mother and don't worry your parents. Just the other day, your aunt's daughter entered the 'Disaster of the Python' game zone, and her teammates watched her being swallowed by a python. She died a terrible death. We have to attend her funeral tomorrow, and they say there's no body, just a pile of her photos. Sigh……"

"A few days ago, ten of your classmates entered a game zone called 'Bloody Steel Ridge.' Three were blown to pieces, five lost their legs, and two were riddled with bullets. In the end, only two with broken legs survived, but they were left disabled."

(In the game zones, whether the mission is completed or not, one can return. The difference is that completing the mission heals injuries, while not completing it does not.)

His father continued, "Not only that, but those two children have developed mental issues. They say the enemies in that world are on an island called the Japanese Imperial Army, all lunatics who shout 'Banzai' and then charge to explode……"

"Banzai…… Isn't that a charge to the death?" Chen Anlin thought to himself.

Chen Ziqiang sighed, his brows furrowed, and continued, "Do you remember the son of Aunt Zhang downstairs? He stopped entering game zones early on and now runs a construction company. Isn't his life good?"

"Yes, look at your mother and me, we are ordinary people. In the future, you can work in our supermarket. If you don't like it, you can play for a few years."

His parents took turns persuading him.

Chen Anlin understood that entering game zones was indeed dangerous, even so-called safe zones were not foolproof.

Dying in a game zone meant really dying.

Living a normal, peaceful life was also a good choice.

If it were before, Chen Anlin might have agreed.

However, the key was that Chen Anlin felt he wouldn't lose.

It was simple: in this world, only he knew the plot!

Knowing the plot put him in an absolutely advantageous position.

For example, if he entered "Chasing the Dragon," he would wait for the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and then report the crimes of Lei Lo and Wu Shihao. He would block their escape routes from Hong Kong, ensuring a smooth completion of the game.

"Son, what do you think?" Yang Ping asked.

Looking at his parents' hopeful eyes, Chen Anlin felt warmth in his heart.

In his previous life, his parents had died in a car accident early on, and he had lived alone.

After graduating and starting work, his life had been going well, but he unexpectedly developed cancer, and his girlfriend left him. He died alone in the hospital.

He never thought he would wake up here.

"Mom and Dad, I'm so injured that I will definitely be left with a disability. I want to enter the game zone again to heal my body."

"Son, you've entered many game zones, and each time it hasn't gone well……"

Chen Ziqiang couldn't help but take out a cigarette, but suddenly realized he was in a hospital room and put it back.

Chen Anlin didn't say anything.

His parents knew their son was grown up and couldn't control everything, so they let Chen Anlin think it over.

Since there was nothing to do, Chen Ziqiang started reading the newspaper.

Chen Anlin's peripheral vision caught some job advertisements, which caught his attention.

"Pinduoduo Company is hiring cross-provincial super couriers. Those with flying skills are preferred. Generous benefits."

"Recruiting thirty players with combat skills to tackle the Normandy Landing campaign. Each successful applicant will receive a million in salary, and rewards will be evenly distributed upon completion. Conditions: Must follow commands. Note: No special abilities or high-tech equipment can be used in this game zone."

"Recruiting ten skilled players to tackle Resident Evil 3. Each successful applicant will receive two million in salary, and rewards will be evenly distributed upon completion. Note: This game zone is highly dangerous. Only serious applicants are welcome."

"Seeking information on the origin of the monsters near the cabin in the 'Cabin in the Woods' game zone. Those providing valuable information will receive a million in salary."

"This is truly a different world."

Looking at these job advertisements, Chen Anlin felt a surge of excitement!

Because he knew the plot of all the game zones listed!

The next day, Chen Anlin looked at the quiet hospital room and silently thought, "Enter the game."

After entering the game space, he found himself in a white space.

There were three areas in front of him.

The green area, known as the ordinary zone, had low risk.

The red area, known as the dangerous zone, had a certain level of risk and required caution.

Because dying in a game zone meant really dying.

The death rate in the dangerous zone was half higher than in the green zone.

Therefore, the school had a specific rule that students were not allowed to enter dangerous zones.

Of course, this rule was just for show, as the school couldn't monitor every student 24/7.

It was like the school rules against fighting, smoking, and drinking; few students followed them, and those who did were often mocked as country bumpkins.

A girl had once cried and said, "I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't go to internet cafes, I don't go to nightclubs, I don't dye my hair, I don't wear short skirts, I come home on time every day, and I never fool around, but…… but why do you still call me a country bumpkin, sob……"