Chapter 1 The Mirror World

The Main Universe, the Mirror World.

As the name suggests, this is a world that exists within a mirror.

Trying to list its specific "geographical location" is impossible. The Mirror World, like conceptual areas such as the "Temporal Domain" and the "Court of Truth," cannot be reached by "walking" or "flying." Entry is only possible through special methods.

At this moment, the four members of Order's Team One, "Drunken Life, Dreamlike Death," are trapped in the Mirror World, unable to escape...

After the teleportation, they found themselves on a vermilion-colored road about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) wide. This "Vermilion Road" hung suspended in the air, as thin as silk. The sides and below were empty, and from a distance, it looked like a wide ribbon floating in the air.

Standing on this Vermilion Road... looking up, the sky was like white frost, punctuated by a black sun; looking down, the abyss resembled a black tide, with a white void visible at the bottom.

The two ends of the road seemed endless, with no visible end in sight.

"We've been walking for over an hour, and the scenery around us hasn't changed at all..." Zui Wo Changran (Drunkenly Lying, Bitterly Regretting), at the front of the group, seemed to be losing patience.

"And we still haven't found Gui Xiao (Ghost Brave) either... hic~" Meng Jingchan (Dreaming of Zen Enlightenment) followed behind him, strolling along with a cigarette in one hand and wine in the other, his demeanor as relaxed as if he were taking an after-dinner walk, completely lacking the tension of being in a script world.

"Don't worry about that kid, he'll be fine no matter what," Sheng Yu Pian (Raw Fish Slices) chimed in. "It's us... what exactly is our situation now?"

"I feel like... something's not right in many places," Wu Si Can Xuan (Contemplating Death, Seeking Enlightenment), bringing up the rear, muttered in a deep voice. "The loading situation was strange, and we still haven't triggered a quest after loading in. A substitute player inexplicably entered the script, and Gui Xiao is nowhere to be found..." He paused. "And... these monsters..."

As he spoke, six figures in armor, wielding long spears, and with robust builds charged out from the front of the group.

In this kind of environment, the players didn't have much of a choice; they could only continue forward along the road... and from time to time, a batch of these obstructing monsters would appear.

"What are these now, Yin Soldiers (also known as Underworld Soldiers, subordinates of Yama, responsible for escorting newly deceased souls)..." Zui Wo Changran said as he prepared his fist.

His fist was as fast as lightning, and the force of his punches was as fierce as thunder.

In an instant, hundreds of golden rays of light bloomed erratically, blasting those Yin Soldiers to pieces, leaving a pile of withered corpses.

"Speaking of which... the monsters here all have an Eastern mythological flavor," Meng Jingchan said casually from behind Zui Wo Changran, like a spectator.

At this point, everyone should understand... why Meng Jingchan, standing in second position, dared to smoke and drink while walking?

Because... the pathfinder in front of him was simply too reliable.

Ever since Zui Wo Changran learned this [Lightning Speed Fist], no ordinary monster could get past him.

The skill description isn't worth listing... simply put, it's an A-level version of the Pegasus Meteor Fist. It has significant advantages such as low energy consumption, good power, and no cooldown time.

With Zui Wo Changran's hard power (specialization, equipment, passive skills, title ability bonuses), a set of Lightning Speed Fists would basically destroy all monsters below the small-Boss level. Even against a small-Boss, this move was the perfect choice for a probing attack.

"Chan-ge, you seem very relaxed..." Hearing Meng Jingchan's sarcastic remarks, Zui Wo Changran turned his head and said, "How about you take a shift?"

"After we encounter two more batches of monsters, if the situation hasn't changed, then we'll switch," Meng Jingchan said, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Hoo... when 'that time' comes... it'll be perfect for me to handle it."

"Oh..." Zui Wo Changran discerned something from his words. "So you've also noticed that 'they' are getting stronger?" His voice rose. "But why is your relaxed state no different from when we encountered the first batch of monsters?"

"Hic~" Chan-ge took another sip of wine and replied, "Because I have confidence in you."

"Tsk—" Faced with this kind of answer, Zui Wo Changran could only express his inner feelings with this one sound.

"Alright, there's nothing to dwell on," Wu Si Can Xuan said, stepping forward half a step two seconds later and raising his voice to address them. "I've also noticed the monster situation. I was just about to tell you... the strength of these obstructing monsters is clearly increasing with each batch." He paused slightly. "If we continue at the same speed for another half an hour, then every batch of monsters will be at the Boss level."

"Although that wouldn't necessarily lead to our team wipe, given that the quest is unclear and we know almost nothing about the script, whether we should continue along this road is worth discussing," Sheng Yu Pian quickly understood Wu Si Can Xuan's meaning and added.

"Tch... if I had known this, we should have split up at the beginning," Zui Wo Changran shrugged. "Maybe if we went in the other direction, the monsters would get weaker and weaker?"

"Spare us the hindsight," Wu Si Can Xuan replied helplessly. "Besides... with this game's nature, how likely do you think that is?"

"Then what do we do?" Zui Wo Changran asked. "After all that talk, aren't we still going to have to continue in this direction?"

"Hmm..." Sheng Yu Pian pondered. "At least we can choose to stay here and rest, can't we?"

Boom—

As if in response to Sheng Yu Pian's words, a loud noise came from behind them just as he finished speaking.

The four of them turned their heads in unison and saw... hundreds of meters away, a pitch-black sphere of black light, radiating monstrous evil, had suddenly appeared, cutting off that section of the Vermilion Road and slowly moving towards the Order members. Wherever it passed... the path seemed to be corroded and disappeared.

Seeing this scene, Meng Jingchan still had the mood to crack a joke. "Yu Pian, are you trying to strengthen your sense of presence by setting up a flag?" (fLAg = foreshadowing or a statement that tempts fate)

"Spare me the crap..." Sheng Yu Pian's bowl-cut hair revealed a pained expression as he retorted, "It's still better than trying to boost your presence by smoking, drinking, and getting burned..."

"Alright..." Compared to his teammates with their strange personalities, Wu Si Can Xuan, as the team leader, was a rare sane person. "Let's hurry up and go. At least we have a clear goal this time... we have to go."

…………

Meanwhile, also in the Mirror World, on a certain section of the Vermilion Road.

Woo woo woo—

Accompanied by a badly played harmonica tune, two figures were teleported here.

"Where is this place?" Gui Xiao asked warily, taking a few steps away from the person beside him and turning his head as soon as he stood still.

"The Mirror World," Feng Bu Jue (Sealed, Not Awake) replied succinctly.

"So... what did you bring me here for?" Gui Xiao asked again.

"To bring you to see your teammates," Feng Bu Jue said.

"Okay~ okay~" Gui Xiao tilted his head and waved his hand. "We better get things straight right now..."

"Go ahead," Feng Bu Jue looked at him with a half-smile and replied.

"First of all, about what happened last time... I heard it from Chan-ge, and I have to thank you." Gui Xiao was naturally referring to the kidnapping incident; because he didn't know that the competition broadcast had been terminated, he didn't speak too clearly.

"You're welcome. You should mainly thank Chou He Tang (Smoking, Drinking, and Scalding) for that," Feng Bu Jue said.

"Mm," Gui Xiao nodded and continued, "But that's ultimately a private matter... and the current competition is my job."

"Understood~ understood," Feng Bu Jue said. "Out of professional ethics and qualities, you would never show mercy in the competition... that's what you want to say, right?"

"Yes," Gui Xiao replied. "Also, I really don't understand... what is the meaning of this series of actions that seem to be 'helping me'? Even if a quest hasn't been triggered, the basic rules of the competition won't change, right? There's only one winning team, and you and I aren't on the same team, so we'll have to fight sooner or later."

"My purpose... hehe..." Jue-ge smiled. "Sorry, I can't tell you. You yourself said... we're opponents."

"Since you know that too, then what's the point of talking nonsense?" Hearing this, Gui Xiao immediately prepared to fight.

"Hold on..." Feng Bu Jue took a step back and raised his hand to stop him.

"What is it now?" Gui Xiao wore an impatient expression.

"I might as well tell you this..." Feng Bu Jue replied. "At this stage, I'm not planning to fight you."

"Is that up to you?" Gui Xiao asked a very good question.

"Good question," Feng Bu Jue replied. "It's indeed up to me..." With that, he raised his hand and patted his backpack. "Right now, Billy's 'Realm-Shifting Harmonica' is in my hands. As long as I want, I can leave this space alone at any time, and you... can't catch me."

"Hmph... wouldn't it be over if I killed you before you teleported?" Gui Xiao snorted.

"You don't even believe that yourself, do you?" Feng Bu Jue laughed.

Gui Xiao curled his lip. "Then what do you want?"

"The choice is yours..." Feng Bu Jue replied. "You have three options—first, follow me to reunite with your teammates; second, attack me, in which case I'll leave without saying a word, and you can do as you please." He paused. "Third... you can pretend to choose the first option and then find an opportunity to kill me during the journey."

After listening, Gui Xiao thought for a few seconds and said, "I choose three."

"Hey hey... if you choose three, shouldn't you say you choose one when you answer?" Jue-ge said with a wry smile.

"I'm just... that honest," Gui Xiao tilted his head, revealing a provocative face. "I just want to choose three... choose three—choose three!"

He said the important words three times, his voice and tone getting higher each time.

"Alright, alright..." Jue-ge shook his head. "Then..." He made a "please" gesture. "Please..."

"Please what? Are you asking me to walk in front? What if you ambush me?" Gui Xiao wasn't stupid.

"Okay~ okay~" Feng Bu Jue felt like he was coaxing a child. "We'll walk side by side..."