Internet Café Girl

Ethan Brooks' eyes snapped open. The world before him was no longer the vibrant, colorful one he had just experienced. Instead, it was dull and monotonous, yet strangely familiar.

He stood in his dimly lit dorm room, which was in disarray with garbage strewn about and the air heavy with the stench of dirty socks. The scene was unchanged from when he had first entered the G1 game.

Ethan was alone in the room, with no one else present.

Looking at his wristwatch, Ethan felt a sense of unreality. The game seemed like nothing more than a dream.

"**Ethan, you weren't dreaming. You truly possess the G1 game console and have experienced it firsthand. I don't want you to develop mental issues from using the G1 game, as this is a common problem among players,**" Sprite Tina's voice echoed in Ethan's ears, though she remained invisible in the dorm room.

Ethan nodded, closed his eyes, and took two deep breaths before exhaling forcefully. When he opened his eyes again, the clarity had returned to his gaze.

He couldn't believe that simply clicking on a webpage had granted him a G1 console...

Wait, webpage?

Ethan suddenly recalled that his computer still had that webpage open, displaying numerous other super - scientific items.

With this thought, he was jolted into action. Grabbing his coat, he rushed out to revisit the internet café and see if the webpage was still accessible, and if he could purchase more alien products.

Ethan charged out of the dormitory. It was impossible to leave through the main entrance now; Old Mr. Wang, the janitor, would have locked the door tightly. His only option was to climb over the wall.

The wall behind the dorm was easier to climb from the outside due to a pile of bricks someone had left there. However, climbing from the inside was challenging. Standing at nearly 3.5 meters with no footholds, it was impossible to scale without assistance.

But Ethan paid no heed to the wall's height. He sprinted towards it, leaped into the air, and kicked off the wall as if it were a staircase. Propelling himself over four meters, he placed one hand on the wall's edge and vaulted over, landing on the other side.

A guy on the third floor of the dorm, having just returned from the toilet, witnessed Ethan's wall - climbing feat through his window. Rubbing his eyes, he muttered, "**Goodness, a flying thief?**"

After clearing the wall, Ethan hurried towards the internet café.

At 1 a.m., the café's door was kicked open as a youth - Ethan - stormed in.

He dashed to the back of the café and stared at a computer screen displaying a classic Windows蓝天草地 (blue sky and green grass) desktop with no open web pages.

...

Ethan lit a cigarette, trying to gather his thoughts, when a delicate hand suddenly patted his upper thigh.

"**Big brother, I really need a smoke. Give me one, please?**" a girl asked.

Ethan turned to see a pretty but slightly world - weary face beside him.

The girl was slender, dressed in an ill - fitting summer outfit despite the approaching autumn. She wore a middle school uniform jacket, though it wasn't hers. Her long, graceful hair framed a lovely face tinged with worldliness. She appeared fifteen or sixteen but seemed older, around nineteen or twenty, because of her demeanor.

She sat on the sofa next to him, her hand resting on his thigh as she asked for a cigarette.

Without a word, Ethan handed her a premium BaiSha cigarette. She deftly placed it in her lips and lit it with a lighter from the table.

"**Puff~**" She blew a smoke ring that drifted past Ethan.

Ethan pretended to browse the web casually, but his attention was drawn to the girl. She then said, "**Big brother, I'm starving. Could you buy me a meal?**" Her hand edged closer to his crotch.

At nineteen, with a youthful appearance and fair skin, Ethan was often mistaken for younger. He coolly replied, "**Out of money? Aren't you a student?**"

"**Dropped out long ago,**" she said, waving her cigarette. "**Big brother, please buy me some barbecue.**" Leaning closer, almost on his shoulder, her hand brushed against his penis.

Ethan remained expressionless but thoughtful. He'd heard from seniors about girls like her who stayed in internet cafés for weeks, resorting to begging or trading favors for money.

Though not aiming for anything romantic, Ethan moved her hand away from his crotch and said, "**I'll buy you a meal. I know how unpleasant it is to be hungry. I won't do anything to you; I've been there too.**"

Ignoring the curious glances, he took her outside. The night was chilly. He asked, "**Which way?**"

There were two routes to the back of Hai Tian University: a well - lit two - kilometer road circling the campus, or a shorter, pitch - black path through a construction site.

"**Take the shortcut. I'm hungry and want to get there quickly. I'm also tired and plan to sleep after eating,**" the girl said.

Ethan understood her hint but had no intention of anything more. She linked arms with him, and they entered the construction site together.