Chapter 27.2 I have been playing this game since I was born
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The entrance to the Boundary was located within the A-level Fusion Zone.
Sane people would prefer to stay as far away as possible from the A-level Fusion Zone. However, due to their job requirements, Lin Zhaohe and his companions had become regular visitors to the zone.
Lin Zhaohe had only passed through this Fusion Zone a few times before and hadn’t delved deep into it. Nevertheless, he was still deeply impressed by it.
Various peculiar structures intermingled with the real subdistrict. At times, they could see magnificent castles, vast grasslands, and even a several-meter-wide waterfall cascading down the subdistrict. There were even a few beautiful mermaids with shimmering scales bathing in the waterfall.
Walking within the A-level Fusion Zone was like roaming through one’s own absurd dreamscape, encountering numerous strange creatures that could only be found in works of fiction.
When Lin Zhaohe drove past at that time, he felt overwhelmed by the sights. If not for considering their danger, this place could have been considered a beautiful utopia.
The entrance to the Boundary was located in the central area of this Fusion Zone, where the city’s original CBD used to be. Now, the once towering skyscrapers had all merged into bizarre and unrecognizable structures, bearing no resemblance to their previous appearance.
Jiang Guan’s friend, Qin Xu, seemed to be a regular visitor to this area and was very familiar with the roads, not needing any navigation assistance.
Inside the car, Yun Yuzi sat in the passenger seat, while Lin Zhaohe and Zhuang Lao sat in the back.
Lin Zhaohe wasn’t surprised that the boss had also joined this venture. Since Zhuang Lao had come for Yuan Liang’s matter, it was only natural for Zhuang Lao to also not neglect the client introduced by Yuan Liang. However, the level of danger seemed to be quite high, and he wondered if they had prepared their wills in advance.
Lin Zhaohe curled up in his seat like an old man, dozing off. It was four in the morning, the perfect time for a deep slumber. As he drifted into sleep, his head leaned onto Zhuang Lao’s shoulder. Zhuang Lao didn’t dodge away. Instead, he gently pulled Lin Zhaohe closer into his embrace, allowing him to sleep more comfortably.
Yun Yuzi caught a glimpse of their interaction through the rearview mirror, and a smile formed on her lips.
The Fusion Zone at night was highly dangerous, with various two-dimensional creatures roaming around the street. Qin Xu casually mentioned, “I heard that ‘Code G’ fused into this place a few months ago.”
Yun Yuzi, upon hearing this, was taken aback. “You mean the ‘Code G’ I’m thinking of?”
“Yes,” Qin Xu replied, “The government is trying to find a solution, but the situation doesn’t look optimistic at the moment.”
Yun Yuzi frowned.
‘Code G’ was a globally renowned zombie film series. It had been speculated that if these things appeared in the three-dimensional world, it would be the end of the world. Over the past three years, there had been no trace of them, and people were relieved they hadn’t shown up.
“Has anyone been infected already?” Yun Yuzi asked.
“Not at the moment,” Qin Xu said, “Or rather, there might be some cases, but no victims have been discovered yet.”
“Then how do they know?”
“The protagonist has appeared,” Qin Xu sighed, “You know, the arrival of the protagonist brings trouble…”
Indeed, the appearance of the protagonist meant the emergence of the Fusion Zone. Some protagonists had already experienced their story’s climax, while others were naive and clueless, just beginning their journey.
“So annoying,” Yun Yuzi muttered, “It’s better if the world just ends.” Their struggles seemed futile in the face of these incessant calamities.
“There’s always a way,” Zhuang Lao said calmly, “We’ll make it through.”
The rest of the journey was filled with silence, until they reached their destination.
The destination was a relatively intact office building, with the entrance located on the fourth floor. Zhuang Lao didn’t wake up Lin Zhaohe. Instead, he carried him up the stairs.
Lin Zhaohe was already light in weight, and becoming older made him even lighter. Zhuang Lao didn’t feel him as heavy as the supplies prepared by Yun Yuzi.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, Zhuang Lao noticed five or six young people standing in the corridor, engaged in conversation.
Lin Zhaohe was awakened by their voices. He blinked his sleepy eyes and found himself in his boss’s arms. Startled, he exclaimed, “Boss…”
Zhuang Lao: “Awake?” Naturally, he put Lin Zhaohe down and gently straightened out the wrinkles on his clothes. In a warm tone, he said, “We haven’t gone in yet. You can sleep a little longer.”
“Oh…” Lin Zhaohe rubbed his eyes, squinting. “We’re here?” He surveyed the crowd and remarked, “So many people.”
Although he had seen the fans’ enthusiasm for this game while browsing the forum, seeing so many people gathered here made him couldn’t help but exclaim, “They really have no fear of death.”
“Haven’t you heard?” Qin Xu chuckled. “To hear the Dao in the morning and die contented in the evening.”
[T/N] The quote suggests that acquiring knowledge and living a virtuous life bring a sense of fulfillment and completeness, allowing one to face mortality without regrets.
Lin Zhaohe disagreed slightly as he glanced at the other people around him. They seemed young, probably around eighteen or nineteen on average.
People of this age often haven’t figured out what they want to do with their lives yet, and now they are dying like this. Isn’t it a pity?
Lin Zhaohe felt that the organizer of the forum event didn’t have good intentions at all.
Compared to their solemn expressions, the other young people seemed like they had come to a fan gathering, full of energy as they discussed the game they loved.
Qin Xu: “Why is our atmosphere so heavy?”
Yun Yuzi sighed softly, “They came to see their idols, and we came to work. Can they be the same?”
Qin Xu: “You have a point.”
Zhuang Lao: “What about Jiang Guan?”
“She’ll be here soon,” Qin Xu glanced at his watch.
After about two or three minutes, Jiang Guan and a few others came up from the stairs.
She was wearing a simple sports outfit, with her shoulder-length hair tied back, appearing slightly different from when they first met. And the man beside her had been talking to her, his expression seemingly trying to please her.
When they reached the fourth floor, they didn’t greet Lin Zhaohe’s group as if they were strangers.
“I am the organizer of the forum,” the man with a pleasing demeanor spoke up, his voice echoing in the corridor. “Has everyone who registered arrived?”
Over a dozen people gathered around him, mixed with discussions.
“He’s the big shot from the forum.”
“That’s right, he organizes every event.”
“I heard he has been in and out more than ten times, quite impressive.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
…
With such conversations happening, Lin Zhaohe also understood the man’s identity.
“The entrance is about to appear,” the man said. “Line up and enter one by one. Once inside, you will be assigned to different rooms like in a game… You’re all experienced, so you know what to do, right?” His gaze swept through the crowd, finally landing on Lin Zhaohe, hesitating for a moment. “Old man, what are you here for?”
Lin Zhaohe: This person is really impolite. “I’ve been playing this game since I was young… cough, cough, cough.”
The man: “…” This game had only been out for five years.
It was only now that the crowd noticed the quivering old man with snowy white hair among them, and they cast admiring glances at Lin Zhaohe.
Some whispered to each other, wondering if Boundary was that popular. How old was he? Why would he come to play such an intense game at his age…
The man didn’t waste much time on Lin Zhaohe. He shifted his gaze away and said, “The entrance is about to open. Is everyone ready to enter our Boundary?”
“Ready!” the young people cheered excitedly.
Then, amidst the noisy discussions of the crowd, a black door appeared out of nowhere before their eyes. The man turned the doorknob, revealing what lay beyond.
It was an endless darkness, as if stepping into another void space. Even shining a flashlight inside couldn’t penetrate the darkness.
“Come on,” the man said, “Who wants to be the first to take the plunge?”
“I’ll go!” The spirited young men eagerly vied for the opportunity to enter the game, and as soon as the man opened his mouth, one of them rushed in without hesitation.
The others began to enter one by one, and Lin Zhaohe and Jiang Guan became the last group.
“Mr. Lu,” Jiang Guan’s voice remained gentle as she spoke, “I’m afraid. You go in first.”
Mr. Lu: “Miss Jiang, even if we enter, we won’t appear in the same room. I need to record the time for the next activity when the door is about to disappear. I can only go in last.”
Jiang Guan replied calmly, “I don’t think it’s necessary anymore.”
Mr. Lu was taken aback.
Jiang Guan remained expressionless as she made a gesture. The several men standing beside her directly lifted Mr. Lu and headed towards the door.
“What are you doing??” Mr. Lu was frightened and almost shouted, “Jiang Guan, have you gone mad—”
Jiang Guan said coldly, “Last one to go in? Who knows if you will actually enter? You love organizing these chaotic activities to deceive children, so how can you not go in yourself?”
Before Mr. Lu could say anything more, Jiang Guan didn’t give him a chance. She had her men throw him inside.
After throwing him in, Jiang Guan took a step and entered the door herself. Her decisive action showed no hesitation. Lin Zhaohe couldn’t help but admire her in his heart. This girl was truly formidable.
“Let’s go,” Zhuang Lao shifted his gaze to Lin Zhaohe, “Stay safe.”
Lin Zhaohe coughed twice and said, “Alright…”
One by one, they entered the game entrance, and the corridor returned to its calm state.
At the moment of entering the boundary, Lin Zhaohe’s vision turned black for a moment, then it shifted, and he found himself in a small room.
This was the starting point of the Boundary. All players would be transported to different starting locations. The lighting here was dim, barely allowing a clear view of the surroundings and how different the rules of the game were from what Lin Zhaohe was used to.
In the center of the starting point, there was a small table with a piece of pristine white paper. On it were the initial rules for entering the boundary.
Lin Zhaohe picked it up but found that the writing was blurry and unreadable. Could it be that there had been a change in the rules? Lin Zhaohe felt a tightness in his chest and brainstormed for three minutes. Then he crouched down and opened his backpack—taking out his reading glasses.
Getting older had its inconveniences, Lin Zhaohe thought, as he placed the reading glasses on his nose.
In the dim light, he could finally see clearly the four rules written on the paper.
Rule 1: Do not enter.
Rule 2: If you unfortunately enter, leave this room within five minutes.
Rule 3: They like you.
Rule 4: Do not stay in the darkness. Do not stay in the darkness. Do not stay in the darkness. Do not stay in the darkness. Do not stay in the darkness.
The last rule was bolded and enlarged with a red pen, densely covering the entire paper. It sent chills down the spine of anyone who read it. As Lin Zhaohe put down the rules, a prominent countdown appeared in the upper right corner of the room—5:00.
He only had five minutes.
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