Chapter 1 Welcomed Product

【Welcome to our company's product. Scanning has begun, please wait.】

【Scanning complete. Citizen ID confirmed: sh13***313, Name: Feng Bujue; Access device: nL2055 Luxury Single Game Pod, no abnormal external hardware detected; Cardiopulmonary function within normal range; Neural connection program ready, please select access type.】

【Access type set to non-sleep mode, adjusting... Adjustment complete, please confirm game loading or return to the previous menu.】

【Program starting, loading game in ten seconds...】

After a series of familiar system prompts, Feng Bujue arrived in the game's login space.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon on November 23rd.

The server had just opened, and Brother Jue logged in.

He was the only member of the Infernal Frontline team to log in at this time... the others all had things to do during the day.

Of course, Feng Bujue was actually very busy too. It was just... he hadn't felt like writing these past two days, so he put his energy elsewhere.

It had been two days since Ruo Yu left. Brother Jue and Ruo Yu hadn't contacted each other at all during those two days. And Xiao Tan, Xiao Ling, and Miss An... seemed to be deliberately avoiding the two of them, it seemed... they already knew about it.

Yesterday afternoon, the moving company came and took the game pod that Ruo Yu had left at Brother Jue's house. Feng Bujue didn't say anything, just cooperated with them.

As for Asathoth, he didn't leave anything behind, after all, that cat spent most of his time eating on the table and used the human toilet...

In short, in just two days, Feng Bujue had returned to his previous solitary life.

He comforted himself, saying... finally, he didn't have to sleep on the sofa and in the game pod anymore; finally, he could have his room back; finally, he didn't have to share a bathroom with anyone; finally, he didn't have to cook and clean every day; finally... he was so free again.

Free?

Maybe.

Lonely?

He didn't feel it before, but now... maybe.

【Limited-time experience has begun. You have 47:59:30 of game time remaining.】

When Feng Bujue walked up to the touchscreen, this prompt sounded first.

Then came another: 【You have been granted one opportunity to reselect a title. You may choose one from all the titles you have previously used and adopt it, or keep your current title.】

Before the voice finished, a game menu automatically popped up in front of Brother Jue. The menu listed a row of titles that Brother Jue had used before, including...【Cold-Blooded Headshot Maniac】, 【Unpredictable Maniac】, 【Story Explorer】, 【Dark Vanguard】, 【Hate Magnet】, and the 【Devious Schemer】 he was currently using; in addition, there was a "Pending" option, which meant... he didn't have to choose immediately, he could consider it further, anyway, this privilege could be reserved for twenty-four hours.

"Hmm... the game menu has been upgraded too..." Feng Bujue muttered, moving his gaze. When he moved the focus to a certain title, a small window would immediately expand next to the title, listing its inherent title abilities and detailed descriptions.

Brother Jue didn't bother to look closely at each option, because he remembered the abilities of these titles very clearly. Therefore, he chose the title 【Dark Vanguard】 almost without hesitation.

【You have chosen——Dark Vanguard】 In the next second, the voice prompt sounded again, and "Confirm" and "Cancel" options popped up in front of Brother Jue.

After confirming his choice, his title changed immediately, and the system also prompted: 【Your title has been changed】.

After completing this matter, Feng Bujue's expression didn't change much. He somewhat blankly turned his gaze to the touchscreen and prepared to join the queue...

Normally, Brother Jue might have gone to the storage room to prepare, or cleaned up his emails as usual, but not today... he wasn't in the mood.

There was only one thing he wanted to do now—throw himself into the script world of a single-player nightmare, and focus his attention on the plot and puzzles. That was better than thinking wildly and adding to his troubles all day.

【Madness is a Virtue, Level 50】

【Please select the game mode you wish to join.】

【You have selected Single Survival Mode (Nightmare), please confirm.】

【Confirmed, generating script...】

【Loading begins, please wait.】

At this point, Feng Bujue had lost control of his body and was clearly starting to teleport.

"Welcome to... Thriller Paradise..." Next, he heard a hoarse, young man's voice in his ear.

【Loading complete. You are currently in Single Survival Mode (Nightmare).】

【This mode provides a script introduction and has a chance of spawning side hidden quests and a special worldview.】

【Script completion reward: Randomly draw four puzzle cards】

【The script introduction will now be played. The game will begin immediately after playback is complete.】

Squeak——Creak——

Accompanied by the sound of a metal door being pushed open, the opening CG began.

A corridor appeared before Feng Bujue's eyes. The corridor was made of concrete, the tone was gray, and above it was a row of white, seemingly very old hanging lamps.

"Haa... hoo..." Immediately afterward, a heavy breathing sound entered Brother Jue's ears.

At the same time, the camera began to move forward at a slow speed with slight undulations.

So far, Feng Bujue could confirm that he was watching the CG from the perspective of "a character in a script," and the breathing he heard was the character's own voice.

【In the 1940s, a top-secret experimental project unfolded in an underground experimental base.】

"The 1940s..." Feng Bujue's mind raced, "The Manhattan Project? Unit 731 of Japan? Or one of the countless terrible attempts of some German Führer?"

【A group of former Soviet scientists decided to conduct an experiment on "what kind of reactions humans would have after being deprived of sleep."】

"Oh~" As soon as the narrator's second sentence was finished, Feng Bujue understood, "The Soviet Sleep Experiment."

Brother Jue knew a little about this so-called "Soviet Sleep Experiment," but it was hard to say what kind of script Thriller Paradise would generate, so Feng Bujue still listened attentively to the narrator's introduction.

【They selected five political prisoners from World War II as experimental subjects.】

【These people were told that as long as they could stay awake for thirty consecutive days, they would be granted freedom...】

Clang——

Suddenly, the sound of metal colliding came from behind the camera.

Almost in the same instant, the camera suddenly turned one hundred and eighty degrees, but in the picture... there was still only the gray corridor, and no one.

"Haa... haa..." The gasping became more and more rapid, and it could be heard that the protagonist of this CG was very afraid. Although he didn't see anything when he turned back to confirm, he (judging from the gasping, it was a man) quickened his pace.

【They were locked in a sealed room, where an exciting gas was continuously present.】

【The scientists communicated with them through the hatch and microphones.】

Thump thump thump——

Two seconds later, another strange noise sounded, this time it sounded like footsteps.

"Oh... God... please..." The man leading the CG screen from the first-person perspective recited a line in a very low voice, in a sobbing tone, and began to run forward.

【They had enough food for a month, some books, running water, a toilet, and a few beds.】

【And so, the experiment began...】

"Haa... haa... almost there... almost there! You can do it, Andrei... you won't die here..." Andrei introduced himself through self-talk and staggered towards a corner ahead.

And then...

"Ah——"

The CG screen shook violently the moment the scream came out, and the lights in the corridor disappeared.

Then, in that oppressive darkness, a face like a dried corpse flashed in the lens; he... or rather "it"... had an excited smile on his face.

After this fleeting but hair-raising scene, the script introduction ended.

This also meant... that the script had begun.

【Main Quest Triggered】

The system prompt came quickly, and the voice prompt sounded in Feng Bujue's ear as soon as he regained control of his body.

He used less than a second to confirm the following things——

First, the inventory and skill bar were locked, and Spiritual Weapons could not be used.

Second, his physical fitness was now no different from that of ordinary people, the equipment bonus was invalid, and the data perspective was also sealed.

Third, the content of the task was——【Escape the Experimental Base】.

"Can't see anything..." In the second second after regaining consciousness, Feng Bujue began to grope around the ground.

At this moment, he was sitting with his back against the wall, and according to the touch from his hand, he should be sitting on the cement floor.

It was pitch black in front of him, and he couldn't see his fingers. As an experienced Thriller Paradise player, Feng Bujue knew very well... under such opening conditions, there was a high probability that lighting equipment such as a flashlight would be scattered beside him.

Clap——

Five seconds later, Brother Jue actually touched something on the ground not far to his right——a cold hand.

Everyone can imagine, after watching a first-person horror video, a person is immediately thrown into a dark and unfamiliar environment, and then touches a cold hand on the ground... if you were this person, what would your reaction be at this time?

Anyway, Feng Bujue's reaction was... to continue groping along that hand.

Soon, he successively touched sleeves, collars, and viscous liquids... he didn't know what these liquids were, but he was sure it wasn't blood, because this thing had neither the smell of blood nor that kind of viscosity.

Brother Jue didn't stop his movements because of the disgusting feeling, he groped down as if nothing had happened. After a few more seconds, he realized that the other party was wearing a pocketless piece of clothing, with a texture similar to long underwear, but thicker than ordinary long underwear.

"A mental patient's straitjacket?" Brother Jue made this guess when he touched the waist.

His hands and feet were extremely fast. In less than five seconds, he found the straps and buckles located at the back of the clothes, verifying his conjecture, and found that... the person he was touching was missing his right foot and head, and the shapes of the two wounds were a bit strange. It was not easy to judge by touching, he had to find a way to "see" it.

"Nothing..." After touching the entire body of the corpse and the surrounding area within a radius of one meter, Feng Bujue still couldn't find any lighting equipment. In fact... besides a handful of unknown liquid, he didn't find anything... which made him a little disappointed.

However, Brother Jue didn't think there was anything strange about this situation. Nightmare difficulty... was unreasonable in the first place.

"Not at hand, then I have to expand the search area..." Feng Bujue thought, standing up and holding on to the wall next to him, "The most efficient way to find out the approximate volume of this space is undoubtedly to shout, but if you do this... there is a high probability that it will attract monsters."

Brother Jue had been paying attention to the "sound" part early on. From the moment he regained his ability to move until now, he had been trying his best to keep quiet. Not only was he quiet when searching the corpse, but he also controlled his breathing, so he would definitely not choose to shout.

"Let's look along the wall..." After thinking for a few seconds, Feng Bujue made this decision.

At this time, most people would choose to start exploring from the left hand side, because people's subconsciousness would have the idea of "staying away from the corpse means staying away from danger." But Brother Jue was different, he directly crossed the corpse and went to the wall on the right.

As a result, after walking about three meters, he touched something on the wall...

"A switch?" It was a very typical concave-shaped light switch, which could be known by touching it, but Feng Bujue hesitated for a second, because his experience and intuition told him, "The moment it is turned on... something will happen, right?"

Of course, even if he knew this, there was no reason not to turn on the switch.

Two seconds later, Feng Bujue slightly adjusted his posture and breathing, changed to a state of leaning against the wall, and then... flipped the switch upwards.

Crack——

Accompanied by a flicking sound, the bright white light lit up.

What came into Feng Bujue's view was a square room with a side length of about eight meters, and the light was emitted by a light bulb at the top of the room.

The room was almost empty. The only exit was a metal door; the door was located next to the light switch. If Feng Bujue walked two more steps forward, he would be able to touch the door frame.

In addition... although there were no windows in this room, there was a mirror on the wall opposite Feng Bujue.

That was a large mirror two meters wide and one meter high. The mirror was completely embedded in the concrete wall, and the height of its bottom edge from the ground was almost one meter.

For some reason, the moment Feng Bujue's sight touched the mirror, he had a feeling... at this moment, on the other side of the mirror, someone... or rather, some 'thing'... was watching him.