Chapter 26.2 Boundary
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Lin Zhaohe stood up and went to buy a cane. He couldn’t miss out on company perks. He decided to buy the most expensive one! Made of pure gold!
Lin Zhaohe went to the store and really selected the most expensive cane, ready to head home.
Perhaps it was his elderly appearance, but people around him treated him kindly. They let him go ahead at the checkout counter. As he left the mall, Lin Zhaohe was about to cross the street when he felt someone grab his arm. A soft voice said, “Grandpa, let me help you cross.”
Lin Zhaohe looked down and saw a small red square holding onto him. It was wearing a cute little dress and had a large bow on its head. This distinctive attire reminded Lin Zhaohe of their first encounter at the supermarket…
Although the little red square wanted to do a good deed, it was too short. Even though it tried to stand on tiptoes, it couldn’t reach. It didn’t look like it was helping Lin Zhaohe cross. It seemed more like it was hanging onto him.
Lin Zhaohe felt deeply moved. Leaning on the cane and supporting the little square with his arm, he slowly crossed the street.
“Thank you, young one,” Lin Zhaohe expressed his gratitude to the little square.
“No need to thank me, Grandpa,” the little red square said. “Why are you alone? It’s not safe outside. Should I accompany you back home?”
Lin Zhaohe declined its offer. “No need, my home is nearby.”
The little red square said, “Then, Grandpa, please remember to stay safe.”
After these incidents, the world became extremely dangerous, and the number of elderly people sharply decreased. Now, in the subdistrict, you can hardly see any elderly individuals. Lin Zhaohe stood out from his surroundings, no wonder people around him always looked at him strangely.
He leaned on his cane, worth 3,200 yuan (reimbursable by the finance department), and when he arrived at his building, it was already dark.
Due to yesterday’s unexpected events, their apartment complex didn’t even have a security guard. The entrance was empty and desolate, making Lin Zhaohe feel a sense of nostalgia for the days when Uncle Chen was around.
“In my time, you must have had a difficult experience too,” Lin Zhaohe wiped away a tear of melancholy.
He was about to enter the residential area when he heard a faint scream from behind. Lin Zhaohe turned around and was surprised to see the little red square that had helped him cross the street earlier. It seemed to be avoiding something and appeared very frightened as it ran forward.
Lin Zhaohe waved at it and called out, “Little square, what are you running from?”
“Grandpa, grandpa!” the little red square cried anxiously, beads of sweat forming on its face. “There are bad people chasing me…”
Lin Zhaohe: “Quickly, come here and hide.” He swiped his access card to open the entrance gate and let the little square in.
Shortly after it took refuge, several squares of similar shape and size rushed into the street. They were dressed differently, indicating they were distinct individuals.
“Thank you so much,” the little red square expressed its gratitude. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
Lin Zhaohe: “I’ve been meaning to ask you this before, which anime or manga series are you from?”
The little red square: “That one…”
Lin Zhaohe: “Which one?”
The little red square hesitated for a moment and whispered, “Block Crush…”
When Lin Zhaohe heard the name Block Crush, his eyes instantly lit up. Perhaps his expression was too fierce, causing the little red square to look scared. “Grandpa?”
Lin Zhaohe tightly held its hand and exclaimed, “Little square, I’m your fan!”
The little red square: “…”
Block Crush! The best-selling game in the apocalypse! No doubt about it!
In a world where anything from anime and manga could appear in the real world, their presence was truly refreshing. You could happily eliminate them without worrying about them destroying the world. Despite their immense popularity and fan following, they were just colorful squares.
Lin Zhaohe was a die-hard fan of this game. He had already reached over 10,000 levels and belonged to the category of veteran players who eagerly awaited updates from the development team. Now, seeing his favorite character from the game, he couldn’t help but feel tears welling up in his eyes as he asked, “Could you give me an autograph?”
The red square hesitated, thinking, “Humans are really strange.”
Lin Zhaohe, who planned to get an autograph, brought his idol back home. He even splurged on a serving of cola and fried chicken, and the two of them happily ate and chatted together.
From the red square, Lin Zhaohe learned that it was a small red block and hadn’t been doing well since coming to this world. It was currently working in a fast-food restaurant.
Lin Zhaohe asked about its job responsibilities, and as it wiped away a tear, it said it worked as a fully automated AI stool.
Lin Zhaohe: “…” These wicked capitalists, they don’t even spare a little square and continue to exploit their last bit of value.
Along with it came a few other companions. They used to live happily in this world until recently when many identical squares suddenly appeared.
“You know, three squares of the same color should not be stacked together,” the little red square said. “Those new squares have gone mad and insist on stacking with us.” It spoke while shedding tears and stuffing another piece of fried chicken into its mouth, mumbling, “I don’t want to disappear. I find this world quite beautiful.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Indeed.”
“Oh, by the way, is she your roommate?” The little red square suddenly pointed at the ceiling.
Lin Zhaohe raised his head and saw Jiang Guan, or rather, the female ghost played by Jiang Guan.
The female ghost clung to the ceiling, her dark eyes staring deeply at Lin Zhaohe. Theoretically, ghosts don’t display facial expressions, but Lin Zhaohe somehow sensed her confusion through her gaze.
“Didn’t I already kill you? Why are you still sitting there eating fried chicken?” If the female ghost could speak, she would probably ask this question.
In a low voice, Lin Zhaohe said, “I am Lin Zhaohe’s grandfather.” He implied that Lin Zhaohe was already dead, and it had nothing to do with him.
The female ghost squinted her eyes, turned away, and ignored him, continuing to cling to the wall like a gecko.
Lin Zhaohe had nothing else to say and wondered why the female ghost hadn’t left yet. Did she insist on stumbling over the same stone twice?
It was clear that the little red square sensed nothing amiss with this roommate, but it hesitated for a while as if wanting to say something.
Lin Zhaohe encouraged it, “Do you have something to say? Tell Grandpa.”
With newfound courage, the little red square spoke up, “Grandpa, can I live here with you? I can pay rent every month… although not much…”
Lin Zhaohe pondered for a moment, realizing that having a square as a roommate wouldn’t make much difference. Besides, if the square didn’t become his roommate, he would be left alone with that thing overhead. Considering this, he saw no harm in agreeing generously.
The little red square expressed its gratitude to Lin Zhaohe with excitement, even wanting to jump up to say thank you… but it was sternly rejected by Lin Zhaohe.
Handing a spare key to the little red square and setting a time for its move-in, Lin Zhaohe climbed onto his bed, put on the reading glasses he bought from the supermarket, and scrolled through his phone, browsing some information about the Boundary.
The Boundary was a relatively niche game with few fans, but each one was a diehard enthusiast. Following relevant keywords, Lin Zhaohe stumbled upon a forum and discovered that the reactions of these people upon learning that the Boundary had appeared in the real world were completely different from what he had imagined.
Almost everyone on the forum was searching for ways to enter the Boundary, with some even posting that they had successfully come out of the Boundary but desired to enter again, as if they were enchanted.
Soon, Lin Zhaohe’s attention was captivated by a particular post—a recruitment thread. The poster claimed to have discovered the pattern for opening the entrance to the Boundary and was summoning players to join and challenge it.
Lin Zhaohe adjusted his reading glasses and couldn’t help but think that these young people were fearless. Nowadays, everyone seemed to avoid anything related to the 2D world, but the most fervent fans saw it as a blessing from above, finally being able to experience their beloved game firsthand.
There were several responses below the post, with some mentioning previous events.
“The people who went in a few days ago haven’t come out yet. Are you sure you want to go in?”
“Why not go in? Are you afraid?”
“The noobs shouldn’t bother going in. Those who can’t even understand the rules are just asking for trouble.”
“I’ve cleared it a hundred times already. I could do it blindfolded.”
“Exactly! Cowards shouldn’t sign up. There are only twenty spots, and they should be reserved for us.”
Lin Zhaohe looked at the post and had some doubts whether the poster was really that Jiang Guan. He wanted to download the game and give it a try, but it had already been banned—every two-dimensional work that appeared in the real world had to be registered and subsequently banned. Their traces became difficult to find online, and they couldn’t attract more fans or increase their influence.
While Lin Zhaohe was still pondering, Zhuang Lao sent him a message, asking him to check his email. When he opened the email, he found the game Boundary inside. He couldn’t help but marvel at how resourceful his boss was, able to find any kind of work.
Lin Zhaohe clicked on the game and was greeted by a black screen. There was no need to create a character in this game—all appearances were default. As his character entered, he found himself in a completely pitch-black room.
Lin Zhaohe fumbled around for a while in the room and discovered a note stuck in a corner. It contained the rules for the game.
Rule 1: Do not enter.
Rule 2: If you unfortunately enter, find the light within five minutes.
Rule 3: Make sure it is the light and not something else.
Rule 4: Keep the darkness away from you. Do not let the darkness approach.
Lin Zhaohe hadn’t fully understood the rules when a countdown appeared in the top right corner. However, after searching the room thoroughly, he couldn’t find any way to progress. When the five minutes were up, he died instantly.
Lin Zhaohe felt speechless and messaged Zhuang Lao, “Boss, I died straight away. There was nothing else in the room, and no flashlight or anything.”
Zhuang Lao replied casually, “How could you read the words on the note without any light?”
Lin Zhaohe was taken aback. Suddenly, he remembered something. He entered the game for the second time, and this time, he found the light. As soon as he picked up the note, the words automatically became visible. Simultaneously, his character, while examining the note, caught a glimpse of a hidden exit in the corner of the room.
That was the rule.
Lin Zhaohe furrowed his brow slightly, feeling that this wasn’t something an elderly person with presbyopia should be doing—his boss should give him a raise.
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