“You don’t believe? My real name is Han Bi, ID number 3301XXXXXXX… Residence, Hangzhou City West Lake District… I study in the XX twelfth high school. My trip this time was done to represent my school in an international aircraft model competition. Your seating position in the First Class cabin is one beside the window. The reason I am able to remember you is because of the beautiful little loli that was sitting beside you. Am I right? As you can see, I can remember everything clearly. If I am one of them, I should not be able to remember those things.”
Chen Xiaolian listened as his tightly clenched fists slowly lightened.
He asked. “Then, how did you…”
Han Bi did not reply immediately. He first moved to one side and checked his surroundings. After ensuring that there was no one around, he waved to Chen Xiaolian. “Come with me, this place is still too close to the camp. Let us find somewhere we can talk.”
…
After walking downstream for a few hundred metres, the two of them sat down face to face behind a huge rock in a rocky area beside the stream.
Han Bi began his narration.
“When the plane crashed, I fainted. However, there was a peculiar feeling, akin to having electricity flowing through my entire body, causing my heart to beat rapidly!” He pointed to his chest. “My heart seemed to have transformed into a large water pump, and I felt as though every blood vessel in my body were going to burst. After that… the airplane landed and I realized that those around me were all in the same condition as me. All of them had expressions of discomfort on them.”
“After the plane successfully landed, the pilot, Newton came out from the cockpit. It was then that I realized that something was wrong with the people around me.”
“En, how do I put it? It was as though they had turned into strangers. It was as if…”
“They were no longer who they were.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?” Chen Xiaolian asked.
Han Bi smiled bitterly. “You have seen the skinny woman in our group of newbies, right? She is the teacher in charge of our competition participation. But, after the airplane landed, she suddenly could not recognize me.”
A cold shiver ran down Chen Xiaolian’s spine… it was a somewhat terrifying feeling.
“In the beginning, I did not understand what had happened. But then I saw that everyone was very calm. It was as though… they did not just recently experience a plane crash, but had successfully completed a journey and had arrived at their desired destination.”
“Everyone was feeling excited. In addition… the one known as Newton quickly brought everyone away from the plane. En, there were some people who seemed to know one another. These people then came together to form a number of groups.”
“Back then, I was terrified. I realized that I was the only who was different. Thus… I dared not do anything that was different from them and could only remain in silence.”
“Due to that, they assumed that I am a ‘newbie’.”
Chen Xiaolian asked thirstily. “And then?”
“After that… I was invited by Newton into his team. He is a Navigational Staff and seemed to be willing to accept ‘newbies’. Let me tell you, the other teams were all unwilling to accept newbies. With the exception of our group, no other teams have newbies in them.”
“What then is a newbie?” Chen Xiaolian.
“The meaning of newbie… it probably meant that it is their first time joining this ‘game’,” Han Bi smiled bitterly. “I have been pretending to be a dull and reserved person. Sometimes, I also pretended to be a little stupid; I also did not engage in too much conversations. Thus, the information that I gained is unlikely to be detailed. Most of the time, I maintained silence and tried to eavesdrop on the conversation of others, making speculations bit by bit.”
Having said that, Han Bi laughed. “Take this protective suit , for example. In the beginning, I too do not know how to wear it. I deliberately acted sluggishly, lazing away as I observed the other newbies wearing it first. Then, I learnt how… that was how I did not get exposed.”
Chen Xiaolian asked in a heavy tone. “Then, what is this ‘game’? Where exactly are we, are we even still on Earth? Or, could we have transmigratedinto another world?”
Han Bi laughed. “That is also the one thing I wanted to know right at the beginning.”
He then produced a peculiar looking thread and placed a few thin hooks on it. Next, he took out something thick and sticky that seemed to be a medicine of sorts. Han Bi carefully applied it on the hooks before throwing the thread into the creek, his hand holding onto the thread.
Chen Xiaolian nodded. “En, why could the others recognize each other?”
“Exactly!” Han Bi replied. “Clearly, they have experienced this ‘game’ more than once. They have teams and their own organization. En, it is just like the guilds that we have in online games. If that is true, then comes another problem… who exactly was it that organized this game? In this world, what powerful organization could create such a magical game? You should have already obtained some super powers, right? And then there are those strange monsters. Have you ever encountered such an incident in our present reality?”
“No,” Chen Xiaolian firmly shook his head.
“That is why… I feel that not even the current US government could have the ability to create this game.”
“Then, perhaps we have really transmigratedto another world, thus explaining the strange monsters and these super powers?” Chen Xiaolian asked.
This matter is within his line of work after all. As an online web writer, the cross over setting was the first thing to cross his mind.
“Perhaps your speculation is correct. However, I have another opinion.”
“Do tell,” Chen Xiaolian squinted his eyes.
“Look around, there is only one sun in the skies and one moon in the night. There are also the seas, land, plants and temperature; day and night lasts for 24 hours… it seemed as though there are no differences between our Earth and here, right?”
“Could it be that the solar system in which this world is located in would ‘coincidentally’ have one sun as its star? This planet also just ‘happen’ to have one moon as its natural satellite? In addition, this planet’s speed of rotation is also similar to Earth. It also happen to have the same level of gravitational pull? Don’t you think that this is too coincidental?”
“Thus, in the beginning I felt that we should still be on Earth.”
“Or perhaps… this is a virtual reality modelled after Earth and we have been sucked into this world by some mysterious force; similar to … things like online games or a movie or even a novel.”
“You mean infinite element?” Chen Xiaolian spoke out the term from his ‘profession’.[1]
“That is right! That is what I meant! You read online novels?” Han Bi laughed.
Chen Xiaolian smiled but did not answer.
“I have only heard of some people being dragged into the infinite element… I have never heard of an entire Boeing plane being sucked into an infinite element virtual world…” Chen Xiaolian smiled bitterly. “This is still just a speculation on our part. After all, infinite element is something that the online novels created.”
“True that,” Han Bi thought about it and agreed with Chen Xiaolian. “We will need to slowly feel it out and find the answers. En… but we need to be careful not to expose ourselves. I feel that these people are not the good type. Since you have read novels on infinite elements, you should know just how brutal and bloody things can get…”
“I still do not understand, why is there such a difference between us and the other newbies.” Chen Xiaolian pondered upon it. “All of us are in this game for the first time, so why is it that the other newbies could seem to understand many knowledge as common sense while we…”
“That is also what is causing me so much distress,” Han Bi smiled bitterly. “I have come to realize something. All of them… newbies included, are all clear on why they are here. They are aware of what they need to do, aware of the ‘common knowledge’ such as the methods of wearing the equipment and those rules. However, the two of us had seemingly entered here by accident… as though…”
“You mean unauthorized entrant?” Chen Xiaolian’s eyes lit up before turning dismal. “If this truly is an infinite element type of world, then those who were together with us in the plane, are those who came from the present Earth, just like us. Do you realize what this means?”
Han Bi was momentarily stunned.
Chen Xiaolian sighed and smiled bitterly. “This means that within our present Earth, there exists an infinite element related organization! Think about it, how terrifying is this?”
Han Bi was dumbfounded and both their faces turned somewhat gloomy. Even the atmosphere had turned heavy.
At this moment, the thread in Han Bi’s hand suddenly shook and he reacted immediately. His hand pulled and the thread that was thrown into the water was brought out. Several frog like creatures with black bodies were hung upon the many hooks below the thread.
Each of them was of the size of a matchbox.
“This… is Firefly Frog?” Chen Xiaolian stared with widened eyes.
“En, they will automatically glow in extremely dark places – I heard others talk about it and had it memorized. I applied the bait that Damon gave me on the hooks. These things are easy to catch. As long as you apply the bait, it will get hooked by itself,” Saying that, Han Bi handed him a hook and a small piece of bait. “You try.”
“Would these things attack?”
“Be careful not to come in contact with the mucus within their mouth. Your skin will turn red and itch. That is all.”
Seeing Han Bi throwing the Firefly Frogs into a bag, Chen Xiaolian had a sudden thought. “I think… their next move would probably be to enter a very dark place that has no source of light!”
Han Bi nodded. “I thought about it as well yesterday. They have been sending people to capture this stuff for the past few days.”
The two of them got busy for a while and finally managed to catch 20.
As they were about to return, Han Bi suddenly asked. “That is right, you said you are called Xiao Lian (face), but what is your real name?”
“… Chen Xiao Lian, Chen (陈) with East (东) on its side, and Lian which means practice.”[2]
Han Bi suddenly frowned, he tilted his head and pondered on something. “Chen Xiaolian, Chen Xiaolian… why does this name sound so familiar?”
He gave Chen Xiaolian a puzzled look. “Eh? I remember there is a rather famous web writer, his pen name is Fatty Uncle Wu. His real name seems to be Chen Xiaolian, could it be…”
“…hehe,” Chen Xiaolian laughed dryly and hesitated for a moment before nodding his head and admitting it. “That is me.”
“What the hell! Aren’t you a thirty something year old fat uncle?” Han Bi jumped. “You are neither an uncle nor fat!”
“Eh, that is simply a joke. I purposely hid my true state.”
Han Bi exhaled, the stare he gave Chen Xiaolian turned more peculiar with every passing moment. “In other words… it really is you? The ‘Law of XX’, ‘Unparalleled XX’ were written by you? I have supported you up to Hegemon before!” [3]
“Really? You have supported me all the way to Hegemon before? Heavens, are you my hard-core fan?” Chen Xiaolian was surprised.
“Fan your sister! You keep leaving your chapters with no update, breaking your promises; this senior had long since turned against you! Back then, the one who got banned after cursing you in the review section is me!”
Chen Xiaolian. “ … ”