Chapter 5

Huang Yi looked down at the small ring in his hand. This ring was very special, made of a material that was neither gold nor stone, neither wood nor leather, and different from any material in the world. Yet, everyone in the world recognized it.

Because it could communicate with another world.

Huang Yi immediately put the small ring on his right index finger. Five seconds later, everything went dark, and he could see nothing.

"Please enter the correct password. After two failed attempts, the self-destruct program will be initiated." Soon, an electronic voice sounded in his mind.

Clearly, the people outside were afraid that the ring would fall into the wrong hands, so they set a password.

But Huang Yi didn't know the password.

The air seemed to stagnate for a moment, as if all the joy had dissipated. God had opened a door, but had not left the key.

Huang Yi furrowed his brow. After a long while, he tentatively opened his mouth and spoke a very familiar number: "1."

"Password incorrect! If you fail again, the self-destruct program will be initiated." The electronic voice was emotionless.

Huang Yi closed his eyes and continued to think. The people outside were always meticulous, so they must have told him the password in some other way; he just hadn't remembered it yet. His thoughts spread like a fog, enveloping all the memories in his mind.

Suddenly, he remembered the small piece of paper from earlier and couldn't help but smile and say, "Bird!"

"Password correct!" The next moment, a beautiful electronic voice sounded, "Fingerprint scan complete! Successfully bound to the Golden Ring!"

"Phew!" Huang Yi let out a long breath. He was finally free!

Although this was only a mental freedom, he now had a chance to free his body as well!

Immediately, a new world appeared before Huang Yi. He found himself in a vast sky, soaring freely like a mountain eagle. Below, various fantastical landscapes such as lakes, mountains, and grasslands passed by continuously. Warm sunlight shone down, and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance, making him feel refreshed. Huang Yi couldn't resist taking a deep breath.

Compared to the cold, damp prison cell, this place was heaven!

At that moment, a small fairy suddenly flew over from the horizon. She was only palm-sized, with shimmering wings, and she perched on Huang Yi's shoulder, speaking softly, "Hello! This is the new second world created by the Era Corporation. Before this, there is a letter for you!" She waved her small hand, and a letter immediately appeared, which she handed to Huang Yi.

Huang Yi opened it and read:

1:

I am 7. If you can read this letter, it means our plan has finally succeeded.

First, I have to tell you with great sorrow that 3 and 8 were martyred in the last operation. Our strength is weakening, and this plan has exhausted all our resources. The situation is dire! Now, the focus of humanity has shifted to the second world, and we will also shift our focus to fully develop in the second world. We will not implement any more plans related to you for the time being. But the organization will never abandon you. All our sacrifices are to secure your freedom, though it will take some time. Please be patient.

Currently, the only person in the world who can immediately grant you freedom is Mr. Huang Sha, the CEO of the Era Corporation. He only needs to say a word, and the Federation will release you.

However, you know that Mr. Huang Sha has been in seclusion for a long time and never appears in public. His status is far beyond our reach. Even at the height of our organization, using all our resources, we could not contact him, let alone make him agree to our request. We cannot offer him any reward, as he possesses everything that can be found in the world, including the second world, which he created.

Recently, 4 obtained some intelligence. In the second world, there is a mysterious gift that will be personally distributed by Mr. Huang Sha. This is the only known way to contact him.

To obtain this mysterious gift, the user of the Golden Ring must complete a rare task.

Before we received this intelligence, we had already completed the rare task using other virtual devices, so we could not attempt it again. The organization worked hard for a long time, selecting twenty trusted members who had never entered the second world, each given a Golden Ring to try. However, the difficulty of the rare task for Golden Ring users is doubled, and even I had no complete confidence. Despite their strong abilities, none of the twenty managed to complete it.

Since the Golden Ring is the most expensive virtual device, priced at ten billion dollars each, and the organization is now severely weakened and must avoid enemy pursuit, we can no longer afford more attempts. Therefore, we took the risk of sending a Golden Ring to you, so you could take on the task personally.

After you complete the rare task and meet Mr. Huang Sha, ask him if he can order your release. Regardless of the outcome, please first contact 9 in Longdu. Her name in the second world is 'Qin Shiyu.' She will take you to the organization's base in the second world.

We are all waiting for your return!

—7

After reading the letter, Huang Yi felt a sharp pain in his heart and closed his eyes.

The situation was worse than he had imagined. Even 3 and 8 had been martyred, a unprecedented and heavy price.

Memories of the times they fought side by side resurfaced. The images of 3 and 8 were clearly etched in his mind. Before each operation, Huang Yi would personally straighten their collars and order them to stay alive. They always completed their missions flawlessly, never failing.

But now, those times were gone forever!

Two crystal-clear tears slowly rolled down Huang Yi's cheeks.

"In my life, I have only nine tears. For each brother who dies, I shed one. 3, 8, you can finally rest!" Huang Yi's murmured words, along with his two tears, dissipated into the world.

...

One minute later, Huang Yi opened his eyes, and all the sadness immediately vanished, leaving no trace.

Tears are for loved ones, blood for enemies.

Next, he was going to do something that would draw blood.

Huang Yi turned to look at the small fairy on his shoulder and said firmly, "I'm ready, let's start!"

The fairy nodded and said, "Before formally entering the second world, you need to complete your identity information. Please choose a name for yourself."

"Random."

"Alright, the system has randomly chosen your name: Sekill. Please customize your appearance."

"Random."

"Alright, your appearance has been randomly generated! Please choose your nationality."

"China." Huang Yi said solemnly. He could randomize everything else, but not this.

"Alright, next, you can choose your race and class. We have three tiers of races and classes, but the stronger the race and class, the higher the corresponding requirements. The first tier is the weakest common races and classes, available to everyone; the second tier is the powerful advanced races and classes, only available to top-tier virtual device users like you. Of course, if you want to become even stronger, you can choose the third tier, which consists of rare races and classes. Everyone has a chance to choose them by completing a rare task!"

"I accept the rare task!" Huang Yi said directly.

"Important reminder! As a prestigious Golden Ring user, you have some special conditions. You could directly obtain an advanced race and class, but if you accept the rare task, the difficulty will double, and you will be considered to have given up the advanced race and class. If you fail, you will only be able to choose a common race and class, effectively wasting ten billion dollars. However, if you succeed, in addition to choosing a rare race and class, you will also receive a mysterious gift as a reward for your courage. Risk and opportunity coexist. Are you sure you want to accept the rare task?"

"Sure!"

"Respecting your choice, you will now be teleported to the task area. You have three months to complete this task. The task is not related to your current strength; it has a shortcut. You can die up to ten times during the task. If you die more than ten times or fail to complete the task within the time limit, the task will be considered a failure, and you will only be able to choose a common race and class."

As the voice faded, Huang Yi's floating body suddenly began to fall faster, and the surroundings blurred into a rapid flow of light. After a long while, his descent slowed, and he landed steadily on the ground. Before he could see his surroundings clearly, he heard the fairy's voice again—

"Your task is: Kill a criminal in the Hero Prison."