Chapter 1: Widow (1)
The mourning hall.
The candles on the table emitted a faint white smoke, and in the center hung a black and white portrait. Below the memorial was a black coffin, with black funeral scrolls displayed on both sides, creating a solemn and sorrowful atmosphere.
The people who came to pay their respects stood in two rows in front of the coffin, their sobbing voices filling the air.
Shilong knelt at the front, wearing a white robe and quietly changing to a more comfortable position.
He had been kneeling since he entered this world, and his legs were sore.
People lined up one by one to offer flowers. Seeing that the line seemed endless, Shilong took a deep breath and discreetly shifted his gaze towards the central portrait on the memorial.
It was an elderly man in his fifties, with triangular eyes and a chubby face. The corners of his mouth drooped menacingly, giving him a sinister look. His name, Lu Shen, was written on the memorial tablet.
Shilong tapped the system and asked, "Mr. System, is this person who died my father or my grandfather? He looks quite old."
The system's calm and indifferent voice replied, [Your husband.]
"???" Shilong's eyes almost popped out of his head. His rosy lips slightly parted, and a cry of surprise was suppressed in his throat, barely managing to hold it back.
He had so many questions in his mind that he didn't know which one to ask first. Eventually, he chose the most pressing one, "I am a boy, how did I end up marrying an old man?"
"Um, am I still a boy?" Shilong suddenly became uncertain. He didn't know if entering this magical game would change his gender as well.
System: [...]
This was the first time he had encountered a player who got married to an NPC right after entering the game.
And this was the first time he had encountered such a clueless player.
The system calmly replied, [You are a man. Marriage is just a status and not limited by gender. Besides, you haven't registered or had an official wedding ceremony.]
"That's good to know." Shilong breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't prepared for a gender change yet. "Can you tell me about the background story of this game?
[Loading game background...]
[Initiating beginner's instance: "The Otherworldly"]]
[Game background introduction: City A is the capital, where countless celebrities and businessmen gather, including the Lu family. Although Lu Shen, born into a prestigious family, he was incompetent and lustful, he almost ruined the hundred-year-old family business of the Lu family.]
[The Lu family gradually declined until Lu Shen's adopted son, Lu Ran, took over.]
[Lu Ran was ruthless and decisive, taking control of the Lu Group at the age of 24. In just a few years, he expanded the influence of the Lu Group throughout City A, while Lu Shen was exiled abroad.]
[Five years later, Lu Shen returned, in the form of a corpse. Lu Shen died overseas due to unknown causes and was repatriated. By his side, there was his beautiful and delicate young wife.]
[What people don't know is that Lu Shen died from being parasitized by an otherworldly creature. With Lu Shen's body returning to City A, it will bring about a tremendous upheaval...]
[Main quest: Survive for 30 days]
[Personal quests: Not refreshed]
[Hidden quests: Not refreshed]
Shilong: "So, my role in this game is...?"
[The role of the deceased Lu Shen's young wife, who is poor, beautiful, delicate, and fond of the rich, skilled in calculations.]
Shilong: "..."
His mouth drooped again.
When he was born, he was weak and suffered from congenital heart disease, which caused a series of complications. For most of his life before turning 19, he spent most of his time lying in a hospital bed, relying on a ventilator to sustain his life. On his 19th birthday, he finally stopped breathing.
Immediately after, an inorganic voice echoed in his mind.
[Hello, I am System 9617, here to serve you.]
[Detecting that your life index is below the critical point, causing death in the real world. You meet the conditions to enter the Infinite World. If you complete the game, you will be reborn in real life. Do you want to bind to the Infinite Game?]
Shilong chose to accept.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself kneeling in this funeral parlor.
...And he became a rich widow.
*Sob, sob, sob.
Shilong hadn't fully processed the information transmitted by the system when he heard a slow and steady footstep.
"Dah, dah, dah." The sound of leather shoes striking the floor came from outside the door, and a tall figure appeared at the entrance of the funeral parlor, followed by a dozen burly men dressed in black.
Friendly reminder from the system: [Lu Ran, the adopted son of Lu Shen.]
Shilong: "..."
He lowered his head even further.
From the background introduction, it seemed that Lu Ran and his dad, Lu Shen, didn't get along, but he despised him more.
Now that his dad was dead, Shilong hoped that Lu Ran wouldn't just send him on his way as well.
Under the scrutinizing gazes of the guests, Lu Ran nonchalantly walked into the funeral parlor. He stood in front of the dark coffin, casually observing the portrait.
Lu Ran casually picked up a stick of incense from the memorial table and played with it in his hand, smirking. "I was planning to take care of you personally, but I didn't expect you to be such a waste and die early."
He sneered and disrespectfully tossed the incense onto the memorial table. "You got off cheap."
The guests below fell silent like cicadas in winter.
The strained relationship between the father and son of the Lu family was no secret, and the guests all cowered in fear, not wanting to provoke this demon king.
Lu Ran took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his hands, then casually walked down from the dais, saying, "I heard that my dear father took a new wife on his deathbed."
His tone was calm, neither hurried nor continuous, like the prelude before a storm. The calmer it was, the more intense it became, causing Shilong to shiver involuntarily.
"Where is he?" The guests' gazes involuntarily gathered on the slender figure kneeling at the front. Lu ran raised an eyebrow.
A pair of leather shoes appeared in front of Shilong, on top of which were neatly tailored trousers and black socks wrapped around the ankles.
"Is it you?" Lu ran looked down at the figure kneeling on the ground from a higher position. From his angle, he could only see Shilong's soft, slightly long brown hair, and his fair and delicate back of the neck, as smooth as creamy jade.
The kneeling person didn't answer, their body trembling slightly, like a rabbit being stared at by a fierce beast, frozen in place.
Lu ran's lips curled up with malice. "What have you become that even that old lecher is interested in you and wants to marry you?"
Lu ran's tone carried malice. "Or perhaps, your skills are so unforgettable."
Lu ran, with a silver ring on his hand, pinched Shilong's chin and forced his face up.
The moment he looked at that face, Lu ran instantly stopped his movement.
Born into the Lu family, Lu ran had seen countless beauties, but he had never seen such a beautiful young man.
Every inch of his body seemed to be carefully crafted by the god. His eyes were a shallow amber color, clear like a pool of water, with a slight hint of red at the corners. His skin was fair and delicate, even more so than the most precious porcelain. There was a small mole on his left earlobe, and his lips were perfectly shaped, enticing for a kiss.
Delicate, gorgeous, stunning, naturally endowed with beauty.
There is an ancient saying that goes, if you want to be beautiful, you have to be filial.
With Shilong's face paired with a snow-white mourning dress, purity and allure merged together, evoking the strongest desire in people's hearts.
To destroy him, to claim him, to leave his mark on him.
Shilong was also observing Luran.
He was dressed in a well-fitted suit, tall in stature, with a straight spine. There was not a single wrinkle on his clothes. Under the well-ironed designer suit, one could see strong and smooth muscle lines.
His looks were extremely handsome, with superior brow bones and a prominent nose bridge. He had a darker complexion, black eyes, narrow and long, emitting an undeniable aura, exuding a strong sense of oppression.
What's the use of being good-looking if the hand that pinches his chin is so heavy?
Shilong instinctively recoiled backward. He was already fair-skinned, and his skin was delicate. Lu ran had left two red finger marks on his face.
Shilong pouted unhappily and spoke softly and gently to negotiate with Lu ran. "Can you please let go first? It hurts a bit."
With an expression, this beautiful and delicate face became even more vivid.
Vivid, lively, beautiful, and fragile.
...and even more tempting to destroy.
Lu ran suddenly became interested in Shilong.
He raised his hand, back facing outward, and casually waved it. "You all can leave now."
The more than ten black-clothed men he brought with him responded in unison, "Yes." Then they skillfully retreated, taking all the guests with them.
The crowded memorial hall suddenly became deserted. Only Shilong and Lu ran remained in the vast space.
He turned Shilong's face, as if examining a beautiful object, and said maliciously, "Your face really is quite good. Now that the old man is dead, you can follow me from now on, how about it?"
He casually patted Shilong's cheek. "I guarantee it'll be more comfortable than following that old man."
At this moment, a sudden change occurred.
The tightly closed coffin of Lu Shen exploded with a loud bang, revealing a pale arm. The skin was loose, with purple-blue corpse spots, and the fingers were curved like claws, struggling to stand up by grabbing onto the coffin.
How could the dead come back to life?
However, the reality was that Lu Shen's obese and bloated body stood up unsteadily like a puppet on strings. His eyes had opened at some point, and they were dark as they looked ahead.
Lu Shen watched them silently, his eyes devoid of any human emotions, like an alien creature experiencing the world for the first time.
He took a step forward, his movements stiff and clumsy, almost tripping over himself.
A strange protrusion traveled from Lu Shen's left arm to his neck, forming a fist-sized lump, as if something was hidden beneath his skin.
[System prompt.]
The flat mechanical voice of 9617 sounded in Shi Long's ear: [The monster in the instance has been activated. As this is a beginner's instance, there will be only one prompt when the monster first activates.]
Shi Long suddenly realized that this was the awakening of something abnormal within Lu Shen's body.
Seeing Lu Ran furrow his brow and seemingly not reacting, Shi Long felt a strange sense of superiority.
Ever since he entered this instance, this man in front of him had insulted him, pinched his chin, and even made a cuckold gesture in front of his father's coffin.
Shi Long's wickedness grew, and he wrinkled his nose, saying fiercely, "You unfilial child, it's all because of you that your father's anger has made him fake his death!"
Lu Ran: "..."