Earth Federation, Year 2113
GMT +8 - Beiyang State
Tianjing Province
Night descended like a shroud over Xuanwu City, the center of Tianjing Province, which was already lit up by a multitude of bright neon-colored lights. The high-rise buildings were like lighthouses, illuminating Xuanwu City's night sky.
Screech--Screeeech--
The sound of cars breaking disrupted the silence of the night, and a stream of black cars swarmed out from various streets and avenues. They were all headed toward the same location: a tall commercial skyscraper, which stretched up into the clouds.
"Faster! Faster! Faster!!!"
"That man's on the roof. Our superiors ordered us to capture him alive, so don't kill him!"
A group of men dressed in black got out of the cars. Their leader was a man in sunglasses. He spoke urgently as he rushed over to the building and up to the roof, wanting to get full credit for catching the traitor. The other men in black followed suit. They swarmed out of the cars and charged into the commercial high-rise building in front of them.
A black gun hung from each of their belts...
At the same time, a black-haired youth with a shapely physique and delicate facial features stood quietly at the edge of the rooftop of the commercial high-rise building. He looked down at the commotion below him and sighed softly.
"In the end, they still found me."
Squeak!
Behind the youth, the door to the roof was pushed open, and a gorgeous young woman with blond hair loudly stepped out from the shadows.
"Lacuna, it's the end of the road for you. Hand over the 'Sacred Tattoo'!"
"You finally arrived." The black-haired youth turned around, his eyes focusing on his colleague in front of him. His pitch black pupils reflected her figure, as well as the small pistol in her hands.
"Mu Yeyan, your intelligence gathering abilities are really incredible."
The blond-haired girl shuddered subconsciously when she heard him address her by her name, but she instantly regained her composure. Looking at him with a complex mix of emotions on her face, she said in a gentler voice, "Ye Kong, hurry up and hand over the 'Sacred Tattoo' from the game. I don't want to hurt you."
"What's the difference if I hand it over or not? Even if I do hand it over, the Ethereal Mirage Guild will still kill me, am I right?"
Mu Yeyan couldn't help it as her expression froze. "Ye Kong, I'll plead your case to the Guild Leader on your behalf..."
This time, Mu Yeyan didn't address him by his in-game ID. Instead, she used his real name, just like how he was using her real name. The last time they'd addressed each other by their real names was three years ago.
"You know better than I do what kind of person the Guild Leader is."
Ye Kong shook his head, then turned back around to look over the rooftop. Down below, a large mass of black cars had completely blocked off the nearby areas. Ordinary people weren't allowed to enter, and they had no idea what was happening.
This was the fearsome power of Ethereal Mirage Guild, the strongest guild in the GMT +8 time zone. They held absolute power capable of destroying ordinary people.
It was the year 2113 of the Earth Federation, and also the sixth year since the public release of the game "Demon Realm." Touted as an alternate reality game, "Demon Realm" quickly became the world's largest economy, and gave birth to a large number of business legends and super-rich tycoons.
On the Forbes Billionaires List, at least 60 of the top 100 magnates had investments related to "Demon Realm."
As the strongest guild in the GMT +8 time zone, the power the Ethereal Mirage Guild wielded in the real world was far beyond what an average person could imagine. The Guild Leader of the Ethereal Mirage Guild was even more fearsome, and he was infamous for his ruthless, brutal nature.
As such, Ye Kong was well aware of how they dealt with traitors. After all, he used to be a core member of the Ethereal Mirage Guild.
"He's never going to let me go."
Hearing this, Mu Yeyan immediately fell silent. Ye Kong didn't give her another chance to talk. Instead, he turned around to face the vibrant city skyline and continued talking. "Time sure flies. It's already been six years since the public release of 'Demon Realm,' and four years since I joined the Ethereal Mirage Guild. Next week just happens to be the release of the tenth expansion—with the 'Arrival of the Paladins' update. I really wanted to see for myself what the legendary Paladins were like..."
Ye Kong's voice trailed off quietly. Something in Mu Yeyan's heart stirred, and she felt a sense of foreboding.
"No matter what happens, I promise to help you plead for mercy!" she shouted urgently, an anxious expression on her beautiful face.
"It's no use. The Ethereal Mirage Guild doesn't forgive traitors."
Ye Kong shook his head as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the rooftop. He could hear them because his hearing and other senses had been physically enhanced by the game. It would only take about ten seconds for the staff of the Ethereal Mirage Guild to reach the roof.
"I never would've thought that you'd come to personally send me off. Thank you, Yeyan."
Ye Kong smiled, and with a small wave, he jumped off the roof.
"No!!!" Mu Yeyan screamed. She rushed over to the edge of the roof, but she was unable to reach him in time. She could only look on helplessly as he fell through the sky like a butterfly.
Whoosh!
"Goodbye, world."
The air whistled through Ye Kong's ears as he fell, and he felt at peace. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through his shirt, and a slightly yellowed photograph fluttered out. Just before it flew away, he grabbed it with his hand.
Ye Kong pressed the photograph close to his chest, then tightly closed his eyes.
"I can't lose these memories."
The photograph was of two people. The youth in the photo was Ye Kong when he was a few years younger, around seventeen or eighteen years old. A pretty white-haired girl stood next to him, her arms draped around his neck in an embrace. The two of them looked like they were extremely close.
"Bai, I'm coming to find you."
The whistling sound in his ears grew louder and louder, culminating in a loud, resounding noise.
Bang!
A bright red flower gradually bloomed across the ground...
.....
Darkness.
Ye Kong was submerged in darkness, and he was unable to form a coherent thought. He felt incredibly cold. His sense of time was blurred, and he couldn't tell how much time had passed: it could've been a single second or several years.
Without warning, a sliver of light appeared before him. As he reached out to grab it, colors suddenly filled his vision, and a scene began to take shape.
"What is this place?"
Ye Kong opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but after a few moments, it gradually came back into focus, and he started to take in his surroundings—
A regular hardboard bed, a slightly yellowed ceiling, a few old computer desks, and an LCD TV opposite the bed.
Together, these items formed an extremely familiar sight.
"This... this is my room in Xingheng District?"
Ye Kong froze for a moment. In that instant, a tidal wave of memories surged into his mind, and he recognized where he was.
"Impossible! I sold my apartment in Xingheng District when I left Shangshui City! How can I still be living here?"
Ye Kong shook his head, but the scenery before him remained unchanged.
Eventually, he realized that a variety-style talk show was playing on the LCD television in front of him.
"Mr. Shen Yanxin, as we all know, this evening marks a historic moment, because it's when the 'Demon Realm' will be released to the public. What are your opinions regarding this game?"
A pretty, well-dressed female host posed her question to a charismatic, middle-aged man.
"Meng Die?!" Ye Kong recognized the female interviewer, but the identity of the middle-aged man next to her was even more surprising. He was a prominent television host in the Federation in the past—Shen Yanxin!
"From what I can remember," he thought, "at the start of 2108, wasn't Shen Yanxin caught in a drug scandal and black-listed by the media? And didn't he end up killing himself by jumping off a building?!"
Ye Kong stared blankly at the television screen. Seeing the middle-aged man smiling and talking on the screen was like seeing a ghost, and Ye Kong's eyes nearly popped out of his head!
Regardless, on the screen, Shen Yanxin maintained his smile and expressed his view of the game.
"I am very optimistic about the future of 'Demon Realm.' As you all may know, humanity is now entering into the information age. Factory-scale production is now dependent on artificial intelligence machines, and livestock farmers are also using intelligent mechanical systems. A large portion of the lower class has lost their opportunity to work, and society as a whole has grown anxious.
"Although the Federal Government has been issuing regulations to alleviate this anxiety, they're not addressing the root of the problem. Fortunately, humanity's combined intelligence can solve any problem. The government has developed a new virtual reality technology, 'Demon Realm,' which is the first game to be released by a government. Through this game, we are committed to creating more job opportunities. By turning the entire game into a virtual economy that can replace the current manufacturing industry, we ensure the stability of our entire society!"
After giving such a long explanation, Shen Yanxin finally concluded. "This is why, with the strong support of the Federal Government, I believe that 'Demon Realm' will become humanity's second world. I also believe that it harbors unparalleled economic potential!"
When Shen Yanxin finished his speech, the audience applauded, but Ye Kong ignored it, because the television interview had reminded him of a similar situation from his past—
"Shen Yanxin's interview on the variety show, the promotion of the 'second world' idea, the public release date of 'Demon Realm'..."
"Am I in the year 2107 of the Earth Federation?!"
Ye Kong was shocked, and he immediately looked into the mirror on the bedside cabinet. Lo and behold, the face reflected in the mirror was young and tender. He looked how he did when he was around the age of eighteen!
"I... I was reborn?!"
Ye Kong ran a hand over his chin. The smooth, hairless skin told him the truth—
He had returned to six years ago!
It was the exact time when "Demon Realm" was about to be released to the public!
"Wait a second! If I'm back in that time..."
Ye Kong felt a chill go down his spine as he scrambled off the bed. Just as his feet touched the floor, he felt how weak his body was. This was the inevitable consequence of being a shut-in. He had the physique of someone who had gone a long time without exercising.
As he felt this weakness, Ye Kong's brow furrowed, and he thought to himself, "Sure enough, at this time, I hadn't yet undergone the 'Demon Realm' process of enhancing one's body through the mind, and my real body was incredibly frail..."
"This situation will improve once my mind fuses with the game, and my body receives the feedback!"
In his past life, Ye Kong had dropped out of school to become a shut-in. Before the public release of "Demon Realm," he'd spent all his time playing online games on his PC (computer).
Because he stayed inside all day, even though he didn't grow fat, he grew weak and headed toward the other extreme—he became incredibly gaunt and pale, and he looked like he was sick.
It should be known that the Ye Kong from six years later was the Legendary Swordsman of the GMT +8 time zone. His real life body had received the feedback from his mind, and by pairing that with Ethereal Mirage Guild's proprietary physical training methods, his physical ability could easily rival that of top athletes.
Now that Ye Kong had unintentionally gone back six years in time, he was naturally unaccustomed to his old body.
"I don't have time to worry about this now. I'll just have to retrain myself later."
Ye Kong shook his head, then walked weakly to the door.
When he reached the door of his self-confinement chamber, he couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.
"If she's really still alive..."
Ye Kong swallowed down a mouthful of saliva, his throat making a harsh gulping sound. He then reached out a trembling hand and slowly grabbed the door handle, but he didn't dare to open the door.
He was afraid that he might be dreaming.
If this was all a dream, Ye Kong would be okay with never waking up. At least he could hold on to a thread of hope—the hope of seeing her again.
If this was a dream, he would wake up eventually, but the feeling of the cold metal doorknob in his hands and the sound of the television chatter in the background clearly told him that this was not a dream.
Fortunately, all this was reality.
"Hoo..."
Ye Kong sucked in a deep breath, then forcefully opened the door.
Squeak!
The door swung open, revealing the living room. The room was slightly dim, because the owner kept the lights off to save electricity. The only light came from the fading glow of the setting sun, which shone through a gap in the curtains and onto the table.
A petite figure was sprawled over the table, scribbling furiously. She needed to finish all her homework before nightfall so she'd have time to prepare dinner and go to her part-time night-shift job at the convenience store.
After all, her own older brother was languishing at home, and her parents had passed away unexpectedly. She had to bear all the responsibilities of the household, including paying the bills.
"Real... You're really..."
As Ye Kong looked at the young girl's silhouette in the evening sun, he felt like his heart stopped beating, and he was overwhelmed by an indescribable surge of emotion. In his past life, she was the person he was most indebted to, but because she died from an illness, she only existed in his dreams and memories.
Everything looked so real. Ye Kong could clearly see her familiar figure and her long, snow-white hair. She was exactly as he remembered her. It was his nominal little sister, Ye Bai.
"Hoo... Finally done. Eh?"
She stretched lazily and turned around, revealing her beautiful face. Her face was small, but her eyes were large and watery. She had cherry lips and a pretty nose, and her skin was white like snow. Overall, she was cuter than most girls.
Despite being young and having the features of a sixteen-year-old, she was incredibly gorgeous, and in time, she would break many hearts.
This young girl was Ye Bai, and she had finally finished rushing through her homework.
"Big brother, why are you up so early?"
Ye Bai's expression revealed her surprise. Usually, her older brother was a "night owl." He didn't get out of bed until the moon was out.
"Ah! I know. You must be hungry, right?"
Ye Bai's beautiful eyes flashed as she came up with the "reason" for why her older brother was awake. She hurriedly got to her feet and walked briskly to the kitchen. "Big brother, give me a moment. I'll start preparing your dinner now... Ah!"
Ye Kong didn't wait for her to finish speaking. He rushed up to her and hugged her, saying the words he'd kept bottled up for so long.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!!"
That was what Ye Kong had wanted to say all this time, because simply he owed his little sister far too much.
In his past life, Ye Kong had wasted three years of his life on the internet. He relied completely on Ye Bai's meager salary from her job at the convenience store and spent all his time indulging himself in the online world. He finally came to his senses when Ye Bai died from her illness, but by then, it was already too late.
Ye Kong never got another chance to tell her, "I'm sorry."
He carried this regret with him for the rest of his life.
"Ah?!"
Ye Bai was shocked, and her cheeks flushed red. She didn't understand what was happening. Because she was used to submitting to her older brother, she let Ye Kong embrace her, and the two of them stood like that for a long time.
"Ah, sorry..."
Ye Kong finally reacted. His sister didn't know what was going to happen in the future, so she had no way of understanding his actions. He feared that from her point of view, his current behavior was no different from that of a pervert.
"I... It wasn't intentional..."
Ye Kong immediately released her and attempted to explain his abnormal behavior.
However, Ye Bai took it in stride and said, "It's okay. I know big brother just woke up, and his brain is probably still mush. I mean, big brother's a teenager, and it's normal to have a 'good dream' now and then."
Ye Bai waved it off and acted like she didn't mind what had happened. Clearly, she thought his behavior was normal for a teenage boy.
"Big brother, looks like you must have had a really 'good dream.'"
Ye Bai wiggled her eyebrows at him, the meaning behind her words made perfectly clear. Then, she turned around and went into the kitchen to start preparing today's dinner.
"Looks like I was misunderstood..."
Ye Kong shook his head, but he was in a surprisingly good mood. Now that he had experienced a rebirth, he not only escaped his death, but he also managed to see Ye Bai alive again. It was something he'd never dared to dream of.
However, when Ye Kong thought about the events in the future, he felt sad again.
"There's only a year and a half until her symptoms start to show..." he thought.
"Big brother, dinner's ready!"
Ye Bai placed a dish of stir-fried green peppers and meat on the table, along with two bowls of rice. The dishes were simple, and even the plate of stir-fried green peppers and meat didn't have much meat in it. One could go as far as to say it was a spartan meal.
It was apparent that ever since their parents had unexpectedly passed away, the Ye family's financial situation wasn't that great.
Ye Kong didn't mind, however. He hurriedly sat down, picked up his rice bowl, and engorged himself on the food. As if she'd encountered an evil, reincarnated spirit, Ye Bai's beautiful eyes widened in shock.
Despite once being a core member of the Ethereal Mirage Guild and having eaten uncountable delicacies, the one thing Ye Kong longed for was his little sister's cooking.
"Big brother was hungry..." Ye Bai thought to herself. She then stuck out her chopsticks and used them to pick up the few scarce slices of meat and put them in Ye Kong's bowl. When Ye Kong tried to pass some back to Ye Bai, she quickly covered her bowl with her hands.
"No, no, I'm on a diet!"
Ye Bai shook her small head vigorously like a rattle. She actively refused Ye Kong's offer but continued to stare intently at his bowl. In truth, the siblings normally didn't get to eat a lot of meat, and yet she still talked about dieting?
What's more, Ye Bai had a slender figure, and she had no reason to lose weight...
Fifteen minutes later...
"I'm done eating."
Ye Bai finished the remaining green peppers, then put down the empty bowl she was holding. As she watched Ye Kong put down his empty bowl, she wore a satisfied smile, as though she were overjoyed at seeing her older brother eat his fill.
"Ah, it's almost 6 o'clock. I need to go to work at Uncle Wang's convenience store."
Ye Bai cleaned up the dining table, then changed out of her clothes and got ready to go to her job at Xingheng District's "Night Cat Convenience Store." She was almost at the door when Ye Kong stopped her with a shout.
"Little sister, you don't have to work at the convenience store anymore."
"Ah?!"
Ye Bai was stunned, unable to comprehend what he'd said.
In response, Ye Kong sucked in a deep breath and fluently recited the excuse he'd come up with. "Little sister, I recently found a job online working for a company that offers boosting services in games, so from now on I'll be a professional gamer. Next month, I'll be able to earn a salary of 2000 Federal Credits, more than enough to cover both our daily expenses.
"Now that 'Demon Realm' is about to be released, my boosting company will be stationed in 'Demon Realm.' When my pay comes in next month, we won't have to be so financially strained anymore."
This was the excuse that Ye Kong had come up with. In reality, he had no intention of joining such a company and allowing other people to exploit him in exchange for a pitifully low salary.
On the contrary, Ye Kong's plan was to work independently, using the experience he had from his past life to earn unimaginable wealth.
In his past life, he was the GMT +8 time zone's Legendary Swordsman, a core member of the Ethereal Mirage Guild and a first-class professional gamer. And to top it all off, he had an understanding of the future that no on else had.
The matter of his rebirth was of utmost importance and could not be exposed. Otherwise, Ye Bai might think he was mentally ill and send him to a mental hospital for examinations, which would be the death of him. If the truth was exposed, he would definitely be experimented on like a small lab rat.
Therefore, it was wise to use the "game boosting company" as an excuse.
"2000 Federal Credits?!"
Ye Bai froze for a moment, because the working conditions Ye Kong talked about were too good to be true. Now that they were in the age of the Earth Federation, inflation was essentially non-existent, and the purchasing power of the Federal Credits was very strong. On average, a breakfast-sized meal for an adult only cost two Federal Credits.
2000 Federal Credits, when converted to the currency from the last century, was equivalent to about 4500 HXC. For the Ye family siblings, who had no living parents and could only sustain themselves by working after school and on the weekends, it was an unimaginable salary.
In this era of the Federation, a grown adult working a full-time job (an entry-level worker in the service industry) received a starting pay of about 1500 Federal Credits. Many people had to work two jobs (a full-time job was a minimum commitment of five hours per day) to cover the cost of their daily expenditures, their mortgage, their children's tuition, and their contributions to China's social welfare system.
Ye Bai's convenience store job only paid 1200 Federal Credits, and that was only because Uncle Wang was close to their parents. Any other part-time job (a three-hour commitment) paid far less than that amount. It was thanks to Uncle Wang's help that Ye Bai could afford to continue her schooling. Otherwise, the Ye family siblings wouldn't have been able to afford her high school tuition fees.
"It pays that much?" Ye Bai's seemed to be deep in thought, as though she had seen through Ye Kong's plan.
The very next moment, she stood up on the tips of her toes, patted Ye Kong on the shoulder, and giggled. "Big brother, I knew you were capable, and now you've got yourself such an amazing job. But you still need to get married and have kids later on, and that requires a lot of money. You should save what you earn for that, and leave the day-to-day spending to me."
"But, to let you shoulder everything..."
"We're siblings! Don't worry about it! If it bothers you that much, you can return the favor and pay for my future expenses," Ye Bai said generously, and she waved her hand like it was no big deal.
Conversely, Ye Kong's eyes twitched. After so many years together as brother and sister, how could he not see through her act?
Ye Bai clearly doubted what he said, but she didn't want to do anything to hurt her brother's pride. She gave him a way out so that he wouldn't lose face, and so he could maintain his dignity as the older brother.
This was Ye Bai's considerate nature, and it was how she had always handled things.
"Alright, I'm going to head to work now, so that big brother can save up for his marriage expenses!"
Ye Bai waved goodbye, but just as she opened the door to leave, Ye Kong shouted out desperately, "I'll go with you. It's not safe for a girl like you to walk the streets alone at night..."
"Pfft!" Ye Bai burst out laughing. She merely pointed at Ye Kong's body and then at her own. "Big brother, you're still not fully awake, are you? Did you forget than I won the Shangshui City Tang Soo Do High School Championship? It's true that I'm nowhere near as good as the real masters, but I could still easily beat ten of you, big brother."
Ye Bai flexed her arms as she said this, as if proving her strength. It was true that while Ye Bai looked thin and slender, she was stronger than the average boy.
On the other hand, the current Ye Kong was a shut-in, and though he was just as thin and slender as Ye Bai, he was as weak as he looked...
In his current state, it would be Ye Bai protecting him, as opposed to the other way around.
"Crap, I'm an 'internet wastrel' now..." Ye Kong's expression stiffened. He'd forgotten that his current physique was a far cry from what it was in his past life.
"Okay, I really need to leave for Uncle Wang's convenience store now," Ye Bai said, excusing herself. Though she didn't show it, Ye Kong's concern for her made her slightly happy. She waved goodbye again.
"Oh, right," she said before leaving. "I put the new VR helmet I bought inside your bedside cabinet, so you can hurry and go to 'work' too, big brother."
Bang!
The apartment door closed shut, and he could faintly hear the sound of Ye Bai's brisk footsteps as she hurried off to her job.