Chapter One: The Call in the Darkness

"哈默,早点休息.""我知道,在路上要小心.明天见.石景翠挥手告别,看着同事的车消失在视线中,才转身上楼.那天晚上的晚宴非常愉快.他酗酒,花了很长时间成为 KTV 的关注焦点.现在他的脚步不稳,他半醉半醒.洗漱完,躺在床上,石景翠习惯性地拿起手机开始玩起来.这是他新买的智能手机,由国内行业领导者制造...由于多年来的贸易冲突和某位总统不知疲倦地在全球范围内做广告,这本应是一场重大危机...反而凭借其硬实力站稳脚跟,享誉全球.趁势,制造商迅速推出了这款配备全新作系统的旗舰智能手机.它一经发行就卖出了数百万美元,名利双收.石景翠也一出来就拿到了一个.尽管存在一些小缺陷,但使用体验非常出色,在各个方面甚至超过了国外的知名手机.他的手指在屏幕上划过,一会儿翻书,一会儿看新闻,或者看一些傻乎乎的视频,偶尔傻笑,有时像床上的死鱼一样翻滚.不知不觉中,困倦和困倦淹没了他.拿着手机,石景翠睡着了.梦中,石景垂微微抽搐,伸出手却一无所获,翻身时有一种坠落的感觉.本能地想:"妈的,我要从床上掉下来了!溅...下一秒,石景翠感觉自己掉进了水里,水进入了他的鼻孔,让他感到窒息.他一开口,更多的水就涌进了他的喉咙.令人窒息的疼痛瞬间将他从半梦境中惊醒.他的双手混乱地挥舞着,他的头像被砖头砸中一样抽搐着,他身体的每一个部位都像刚刚从几层楼梯上滚下来一样疼痛."怎么回事?我住在 23 楼掉进水里了吗?一股压倒性的恐惧在他心中涌动,但幸运的是,石景垂会游泳.在求生欲望的驱使下,他勉强睁开了眼睛.水下一片漆黑,他什么也看不见.他挣扎着移动自己的四肢,用四肢根据本能痛苦地向上游动.溅起水花,石景翠从水面上浮出水面,意识到自己离岸边并不远.他拼命地向水边游去,用尽最后一丝力气爬上了岸.他的下半身仍然浸没在水中,平躺在地上,吐出一大口脏水,贪婪地呼吸着空气,没有任何站起来的力气."活着感觉真好!"这是石景翠那一刻脑海中唯一的念头.直到现在,他才有闲暇思考发生在他身上的事情.周围一片寂静,黑夜深邃而黑暗,只有一轮月亮挂在天空中.月光穿过云层,让他隐约能看出自己是从一条宽阔的河流中爬出来的,在一片长满草的河岸下.望向远方,似乎是一座城市,到处都是闪烁的灯光."妈的,我在哪?"石景翠脑海一片混乱,眼神空洞,仿佛还在梦中.一阵凉风从河里吹来,又一阵剧痛从他的后脑勺射出.他抬起手去摸它,发现它沾满了粘稠的血,让他痛苦地畏缩起来.显然,他的头受伤了,这解释了为什么它这么痛.顿时,石景翠看着自己的右手,愣住了.作为一个三十多岁的单身男人,石景翠绝对不会误会自己的"妻子".他手上的老茧,歪歪扭扭的手掌纹和食指上旧伤留下的疤痕——全都消失了.在昏暗的月光下,那只手虽然显得修长匀称,但长了握着什么东西形成的老茧,石景翠立刻意识到那不是自己的."这不是我的手!"惊慌失措的他摸索着自己湿漉漉的身体,却发现不仅他的手不是自己的,整个身体也不是自己的."我是怎么带着别人的号码醒来的?"石景垂还没来得及弄清楚发生了什么,他的大脑里突然爆发出一阵剧痛,仿佛有人用斧头劈开了它,猛地塞满了不属于他的东西.这些异物杂乱无章,似乎是别人的人生经历与自己的记忆交织在一起.他的头脑就像一个沸腾的锅,试图强行将两种完全不同的东西混合在一起."啊..."The excruciating pain caused him to clutch his head and cry out. Soon, he lost consciousness again. In the darkness, Shi Jingchui faintly heard a low, slippery murmur, the source unknown, as if whispering in his ear, resembling the most disgusting and filthy existence in the world, making him feel nauseous; It was also like sharp metal scraping against glass, producing a tremulous screech that drove him mad with irritation, evoking the greatest malice and madness in his heart.This indescribable murmuring voice seemed to come from the depths of the abyss. He tried to cover his ears but couldn't find them. The sound penetrated straight into his soul... Although he didn't understand its meaning, after listening for just a few sentences, he was deeply captivated. His spirit fell into the depths of agony, seeking the source of the call.Suddenly, a tremor occurred, and Shi Jingchui's reason and intuition told him that he mustn't listen anymore. "Ha ha ha..."The low voice suddenly magnified countless times, turning into a fit of insane laughter. The whole world shook violently, causing Shi Jingchui such unbearable pain that he nearly went crazy, teetering on the brink of collapse. Darkness revealed numerous terrifying mouths, the laughter emanating from them. Each evil mouth was filled with jagged teeth, oozing thick black liquid between the gaps. This black liquid rapidly wriggled and expanded, forming hundreds of oily tentacles that spread out across the sky.This terrible nightmare seemed destined to end tragically... Suddenly, a red glow shone from somewhere unknown. Eight petals-like red glimmers quickly moved, forming a spherical space surrounding Shi Jingchui. Although the petal-shaped protection seemed fragile, it was actually indestructible. In an instant, it blocked all incoming black tentacles, like a reef amidst a vast ocean of black waves, appearing insignificant yet impossible to shake.This layer of red light not only protected Shi Jingchui but also isolated the seductive whispers outside, alleviating the pain and madness.After countless tentacles struck for an unknown duration, emitting wave after wave of insane sounds, they finally retreated unwillingly into the darkness. The eight petals shrunk and restored themselves to a ball of light. Upon closer inspection, there was a small red flower inside, composed of eight petals of varying sizes; At the core of the flower, golden light was hidden, giving it the appearance of a glowing sun, looking rather abstract. "This pattern seems somewhat familiar..."Just as Shi Jingchui was puzzled, the darkness suddenly receded like a tide, and the light bloomed, waking him from this long and oppressive nightmare. He suddenly sat up, letting out a loud scream."Aah!"Blinding light pierced his eyes, and Shi Jingchui raised his hand to shield them. After adjusting, he lowered his hand and saw a golden sun rising from the distant horizon, its rays reflecting on the river surface, creating shimmering ripples."It's morning."He muttered softly, then paused.Because those words were spoken in a language that was both familiar and strange—a language he had never learned... But somehow, he naturally knew how to use it and understood that it was called 'Orienne', the official language of the Orienne Empire, with a hint of accent from the 'Lonsdale Duchy'.Vast memories surfaced in his mind, fragmented and incomplete, but fortunately no longer as painful as before he lost consciousness.A few minutes later, Shi Jingchui took a deep breath. By now, he had realized that he had inexplicably traveled to another world—it was no longer Earth! He didn't know why he had traveled here. He was just an ordinary office worker, employed at the provincial library, earning a modest salary that was never delayed, maintaining harmonious relationships with colleagues, and living peacefully without conflict. Over thirty years old and unmarried, he had become a bachelor by choice. He simply didn't want to get married. How could girlfriends compare to games? Immersed in gaming and various hobbies after work, he led a pleasant little life. How did he end up traveling here? Shi Jingchui truly didn't want to travel, especially not to a dangerous world.From the scattered information in those incomplete memories, he learned that the civilization history of this world was incredibly long and complex, with a high level of productivity development in some areas similar to or even surpassing Earth's. However, there were more differences than similarities between the two worlds. The biggest difference was the existence of a large number of supernatural phenomena and powerful individuals who determined the course of civilization—known as extraordinary beings.As their name suggests, extraordinary beings possessed powers beyond normal humans and were the ruling class of the entire world. Only a select few could become extraordinary beings. Ordinary people hoping to break through social classes could pay money to enter an extraordinary academy, with a chance to ascend to extraordinariness, albeit with a low probability and exorbitant tuition fees.The name of this body was 'Rene', hailing from a small place called Eagle Swamp Town. For the past three years, Rene had studied at an academy without success, remaining an ordinary person. Due to the expensive tuition, his father, Baden, was unwilling to continue supporting him and hoped that his son would return to their hometown to inherit the family grain mill business, which Rene firmly rejected.would return to their hometown to inherit the family grain mill business, which Rene firmly rejected. After a fierce argument with his father, Rene returned alone to the city of 'Lonsdale', renting a cheap apartment outside the academy, hoping to secure a decent job and save enough money for tuition on his own. However, just two weeks after moving in, something happened.In Rene's memory, the content mostly revolved around his life in Lonsdale. What shocked Shi Jingchui the most was that gods actually existed in this world! Various gods had churches in the human realm, whether in the past or present. These churches played extremely important roles, driving historical development... influencing not only the upper echelons of all countries but also penetrating deeply into people's daily lives.Almost everyone had to believe in a deity or multiple deities; unbelievers were considered evil entities deserving of universal condemnation. As an atheist, Shi Jingchui found himself momentarily at a loss for how to face this reality. He wanted to return to Earth, but had no idea how, let alone knowing how he ended up here in the first place."Alas..."Shi Jingchui sighed, then thought of another matter. Having traveled here and taken over someone else's body, was his original body on Earth dead? "Tomorrow morning, when everyone discovers I haven't shown up for work and can't reach me, they'll likely find my corpse at home pretty quickly, hopefully before it starts to smell." He thought of his parents, feeling a surge of sorrow, his eyes reddening, then consoled himself, "Fortunately, I'm not an only child. My older sister and younger brother will be there to keep our parents company in the future."After a long while, Shi Jingchui's emotions finally stabilized.The sunlight grew stronger, and his throat became increasingly dry. Although his body still ached, it was much better than before, with only a lingering dull pain at the back of his head. Biting his teeth, he got up and found a shallow spot in the river, bending down to scoop up some water and drink a few mouthfuls, finally quenching his thirst. He washed his face along the way, feeling refreshed. Wiping away the water from his face, the clear reflection of a stranger caught Shi Jingchui's eye, stopping him in his tracks."Fuck!"Upon seeing this face, Shi Jingchui couldn't help but curse under his breath. Judging by appearance, the owner of this face should be under twenty, with a youthful look, sporting short black hair...His complexion was pale due to blood loss, with prominent eyebrows, large eyes, a straight nose bridge, and well-proportioned features, handsome with a touch of elegance. The only flaw was his unfocused gaze and overall listlessness. "You're so handsome!"Out of envy and jealousy as a fellow man, Shi Jingchui blurted out unconsciously, then brightened up, straightening his posture, "Now I'm so handsome. Haha!" Using the river surface as a mirror, he posed a few times, carefully examining this face that was more attractive than before, nodding in satisfaction.Although he was reluctant to travel here, landing on a handsome guy's body was already a stroke of luck among misfortunes, far better than crossing over as a woman or some other bizarre alien race. This world wasn't populated solely by humans. According to Rene's memories, there were dozens of non-human races existing here."Starting now, I am Rene.""If I were to return to Earth now, I could rely on my looks for food. Haha." "With balls of joy, I should easily receive over ten... If I don't want to lose my dignity, becoming a female streamer or posting cross-dressing videos on Bilibili would also have a promising future..." "My appearance is somewhat similar to that actor named 'Lee Pace' from abroad, except thinner and shorter. But that guy is apparently bisexual... Pfft, forget it."Just as Rene was daydreaming and amusing himself in his misery, a flash of red light suddenly appeared before his eyes. He saw his eyes turn red, with an abstract pattern floating in both pupils. Composed of eight red petals, it resembled a blooming flower, with a core of golden light and subtle characters within."Isn't this the thing from my previous nightmare? Was it not just a dream?" The pattern in his pupils disappeared after just a few seconds. Immediately afterward, a translucent interface appeared in Rene's field of vision, looking ethereal. He was startled, thinking it might be a hallucination brought on by exhaustion. He waved his hand in front of his face, turned his head from side to side several times, and discovered that this interface seemed rooted in his brain or existed on his retina, unable to be turned off or shaken off, persisting even with closed eyes.Most importantly, he was intimately familiar with this interface. "Isn't this the startup screen of my phone?"