Strange Uncle

Wei Nan opened the wardrobe and found a set of school sports uniforms to change into. It was a simple dark blue tracksuit with the school logo on the left side of the chest.

In his opinion, since this was a survival game, although he wasn't sure what kind of survival game, wearing a loose and comfortable outfit is much more suitable. Of course, it would be even better if there were weapons to protect himself.

Just as he finished changing his clothes, there was a loud announcement made through the speakers in the hallway and throughout the campus buildings.

The person who spoke seems to be a middle-aged woman, her voice appearing rather solemn.

[Attention, students. I have some bad news to share with all of you. It is with a heavy and broken heart that I inform you that one of our beloved students, Qi Xiaofan from class A, has sadly passed away.]

Wei Nan, who carefully listened to the announcement, clearly noticed a strange silence that enveloped the school. He went to the window again and peek through the gaps of the louvers.

Although he couldn't see the faraway campus buildings, his sharp eyes were able to notice the group of students that were busy kicking balls on the field just a moment ago, now standing still, looking at each other with a strange smile on their faces.

Wei Nan frowned and silently backed away from the window. He had a bad premonition. The middle-aged woman paused, then spoke again in a somber voice.

[Qi Xiaofan was one of our brightest and most talented students. She was not only a gifted student, but she was also an inspiration to many of us, both inside and outside the classroom. Her presence will be greatly missed.

This is a tragic loss for our school community, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the student's family and friends. I ask that we all keep the student's family and our community in our thoughts and prayers during this trying time. Thank you for your understanding and support.]

Obviously, there was nothing abnormal about this. The school simply made a memorial announcement to honor the memory of the passing student, expressing their heartfelt condolences. However…

Wei Nan glanced at the window. The reaction of the students was simply too strange.

In fact, he felt a bit itchy to investigate. Wei Nan would sometimes find himself unconsciously approaching risky situations. Otherwise, he wouldn't have died by climbing over a gate. He could've called the security uncle to open the gate for him. Thinking about this, he felt pain in his heart again.

He was the typical person who acted before his brain and thought with his muscles. His physical abilities can be said to override his cognitive process.

'Well, it couldn't be helped.'

Knowing his shortcomings well, Wei Nan scratched his head and didn't want to think about it anymore.

Just then, a buzz in his pocket interrupted his thoughts. He used his hands to pat down his pocket and realized there was indeed a slight bulge.

'If I remember correctly, there was nothing in my pocket before…'

Pulling out the familiar sleek black phone, he looked at it strangely. There was a huge crack on top of the screen, most likely because it was put in his back pocket and due to his fall, it received quite a heavy blow.

His heart ached, it would cost him three meals to fix and change the screen.

The system in charge of monitoring the newbie, "….."

What's wrong with the head of this newbie? It couldn't be that his heavy concussion caused a strange side effect? Shouldn't he worry about the survival game?

As if to announce its existence, the phone that couldn't be opened just before, was lighted up with a bright light and the familiar five icons he saw in the void before was now installed in his phone.

A mini chat box appeared at the bottom with rows of texts and below was an input box where he could type a reply.

[Greetings, Player Wei Nan. I am Night, a subsystem who's in charge of issuing missions and rewards for each game. Would you like to view the missions?]

Wei Nan didn't hesitate to type 'Yes' in the chat box.

[Mission:

1. Survive in Changzhou High School for 6 days.

2. Find the truth about Qi Xiaofan's death.

Note: The above tasks can be optionally completed. After completion, the player will be randomly transmitted back to the real world.]

'So simple?'

Wei Nan was surprised. He couldn't be blamed for having such a reaction, after all, his brain hole conjured up all sorts of worst case scenarios such as surviving an earthquake, being chased by murderers, surviving a zombie apocalypse, etc. What was in this school that he needed to survive for 6 days?

The subsystem, Night, almost wanted to laugh. It just wanted to say four words, you are too naive.

As for finding the truth about Qi Xiaofan's death....recalling the reaction of the students in the football field, Wei Nan guessed it wouldn't be so simple.

However, glancing at the words 'transmitting back to the real world', he heaved a sigh of relief. The question of whether he could return back to the real world has been occupying his thoughts and now he can finally rest assured.

'If I could return back to the real world after this mission then…what's the point of paying off the debt?'

Such a thought appeared in his mind and he immediately typed in his question in the chat box. The reply, however, was like a cold bucket of water pouring onto his head.

[There is a required amount of debt each month that each player has to pay. As for failing to pay off the monthly debt….if we can revive you, naturally we can also kill you. We advise the player to not be ungrateful to the Lord of Terror and work hard to pay off your debt.]

If the subsystem could speak, it would have spoken the last sentence with a tone of voice filled with disdain. It had seen too many ungrateful players and their end wasn't pretty.

'Oh.'

Wei Nan didn't say anything more and put his phone back into the pocket of his tracksuit. First, he wasn't planning on not paying off the debt, he simply wanted to test the bottom line of this so-called survival game. Second, his instinct told him not to make trouble with the Lord of Terror. Just the mention of this name gave him a headache.

Thud. Thud.

The sound of heavy thuds of boots caused Wei Nan to turn his head towards the closed doors.

The next second, the doors were swung open with a forceful push by a tall middle-aged man. His figure was well-built and at a glance, he was not someone to be trifled with.

Wei Nan ignored the man's glares toward him and ignored the handgun holstered at his waist, but he couldn't ignore the ugly school uniform that was stretched tight by the man's muscular build. It looked as though it was about to burst apart at the seams from the sheer size of his arms and chest, and the fabric had clearly been stretched to its limits.

Wei Nan: "…."

'Oh, uncle. Even a person like you could get accepted to this school?'

The appearance was simply too blinding.

Qiao Lei's right hand rested on the handgun as he vigilantly stared at the only person in the room. He has followed the map to seek out other players, however, he found it strange that this guy was staying in his room for so long. Could it be a newbie?

In fact, it was a reasonable assumption on his part. After all, unless it was a newbie, other players who have experienced at least one game would have known better to immediately seek out other players and gather together.

'But then again…this guy is too calm to be a newbie.'

The young man appeared surprisingly relaxed as he gazed at him. Qiao Lei scanned him from head to toe, much like girls on a diet who obsess over the figures of other women, men who workout often find themselves comparing their bodies to other men.

He took in the young man's well-built physique with a critical eye, sizing him up as one who must be working out regularly. Qiao Lei silently windrew the hand resting on his gun.

Usually, new players would be too shocked by their death to even comprehend the current situation.

Not to mention, faced with his fierce appearance and the pistol on the side of his waist that was almost impossible to ignore, more than once, the newbies who had never seen guns before had peed their pants.

His conclusion was, this young man was just like him, an experienced player.

Qiao Lei strode into the room and extended his hand out, "You must be an experienced player? I am Qiao Lei, this is my 4th game."

Wei Nan paused for a bit at his words before returning the handshake, "Wei Nan. First game."

Qiao Lei was surprised. He took back his hand and asked with a complex look on his face as he started to doubt his judgment, "Are you really a newbie?"

Wei Nan took a look at this man that suddenly intruded into his room strangely. What's wrong with being a newbie? Could it be that new players are disdained by experienced players?

Seeing the young man nodding his head, Qiao Lei patted the newbie's shoulder, his eyes held a hint of appreciation, "Hey, you look promising. Compared to those newbies outside, I still prefer a brave young man like you. How about joining my team?"

Wei Nan frowned. He hated being touched the most but he thought it would be a bit too rude if he were to slap the hand away so he said politely, "Uncle, please remove your hand."

Qiao Lei's face turned stiff, the next words he was about to say were choked up in his throat.

'What uncle?! He was only in his 30s!'