In Virtual Reality 67 ☆ The Library of Eternal Life (1/10)

"Have you fixed it?" Xu Jin Yi asked the mobile phone shop assistant as he flipped her smartphone back and forth on the table, taking more than ten minutes without finding a way to get rid of the black screen issue.

"You..." he hesitated, his voice carrying a tone of helplessness. "You should consider purchasing a new phone."

Xu Jin Yi frowned, feeling irritated at the thought. Who did they think they were, implying that she should just give up on her current phone? With a fake smile, she took her phone back. She left the store, ignoring the constant calls from the assistant as she quickly left the store, her feet not stopping until she reached the elevator in the corridor, passing by the security room.

Xu Jin Yi tapped the black screen with her finger but only received a crisp, slightly echoing sound in response. The phone appeared undamaged, yet the black screen remained unresponsive, vaguely reflecting the person holding the phone.

As she examined her reflection, the girl's bangs, which had been pushed aside, revealed nothing distinctive about her appearance except for her eyes. They were darker and brighter than the screen, shining with an intensity that contrasted with her muted reflection.

It had only been a short while since her nightmares had subsided, but Xu Jin Yi's sleep quality had improved significantly. For someone who had suffered from nightmares for years, just getting a good night's sleep should have been a relief, making her want to cry out, "It's good to be alive."

Yet, Xu Jin Yi did not feel particularly secure. In fact, she had a nagging feeling that something significant would happen soon. Was it possible that the aftermath of her nightmares was causing her mental state to weaken, making her doubt things?

Despite her trepidation, Xu Jin Yi had always been able to find a way out of desperate situations. However, recent events had been different from what she was accustomed to.

"Ding," the elevator announced. "The first floor has arrived, and the elevator doors are opening."

Xu Jin Yi pinched her phone and stepped into the elevator, skillfully pressing the button for her destination floor. As the doors closed slowly, just like usual, she was forced to stare at the floor indicator screen, bored out of her mind since she did not have her phone to pass the time.

Suddenly, her right hand felt vibrations, and she lowered her head to investigate. Without warning, the phone, which had previously been unable to turn on due to a black screen, suddenly came back to life. It was not a special effect for turning on after being frozen, but the familiar original phone interface.

She recalled the reason for her phone's abrupt shutdown - many notifications from the gaming website. Yet, now, only one message remained in her inbox.

【Game website: You have received a new message.】

Upon reading it, Xu Jin Yi's heart skipped a beat, but her fingers still clicked on the notification. It was a post on the gaming website's forum, containing a video solely. She was unsure if it was a recent post since the comment section lacked any comments.

Her eyes scanned the video's contents, but no other information was available. This post was an official endorsement from the gaming website, similar to the one she last received for « The Red Staircase. »

**

【Do others truly exist?】

【Do they remain tangible even when beyond your perception?】

A voice emanated from the phone, its tone and gender unfathomable.

Hordes of people congregated, their faces blurred as they swarmed back and forth. A figure dressed in black, their back facing the camera, loomed in this vivid and unfamiliar realm.

Amidst this world of vibrant hues, only the enigmatic black figure persisted.

The heavens opened up, and raindrops cascaded down. Xu Jin Yi could even distinguish the water droplets rolling off the black robe and onto the ground.

The camera zoomed in, but the production team shielded the person's face from view.

With bated breath, Xu Jin Yi beheld the exquisite image on her phone.

【I doubt everything,】 The black-robed figure shifted slightly, and the person inside raised their head and began walking. 【even my friends】.

A familiar visage materialized before the person in black.

The lanky boy, Wang Zhou Zhou, gaped at the figure in black, then beamed in elation.

Xu Jin Yi's pupils dilated, and she promptly took a screenshot.

—It was Wang Zhou Zhou!

However, the person in the video continued onward, ignoring Wang Zhou Zhou entirely. The boy behind him was left disoriented and attempted to grab the robe, but the person proceeded undeterred. The hand that reached out for the robe eventually fell to his side.

Following were two girls shivering in the rain, clasping each other's arms.

"Shen Xi and Qin Yue Qing," Xu Jin Yi whispered.

They were the new interactive characters introduced in « Eternal Bus.»

In the video, it was Shen Xi who first caught sight of the black-robed figure.

As soon as the newcomer appeared, Shen Xi's eyes brightened. She gave Qin Yue Qing, trembling beside her, a reassuring pat, urging her to steady herself. Shen Xi's lips moved, and she seemed to say something to her companion, but the video only captured the person's voice in the black robe. Whatever words passed between Shen Xi and Qin Yue Qing, Xu Jin Yi couldn't discern.

The black-robed figure passed the two girls while the rain continued to pelt down. Another familiar face emerged from the faceless crowd: a male student clutching a pink umbrella, pushing his glasses up his nose, and scanning the surroundings with an anxious gaze as if searching for someone. [Hey, somebody copy pasted my translations on another site! Please show some love by liking my work on https://puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon. Without it, I may think that nobody is reading my work and consider abandoning it, which means you won't be able to find it anywhere else.]

Suddenly, a pink figure darted past the black-robed figure and dashed under the umbrella held high by the male student. She wore a pleated skirt and beamed at him as she spoke.

Tian Si De and Fang Wen Wen...

The girl inside the umbrella giggled and gazed at the camera with deer-like eyes, slightly widened. She pointed excitedly in the dark figure's direction and patted the boy beside her. The black-robed figure strode on, ignoring the girl's elated expression and continuing ahead. The girl's face shifted from elation to confusion to annoyance as she attempted to turn around and pursue the person. Someone behind her intervened, preventing the girl from lunging at the black-robed figure.

The scene was so entertaining that Xu Jin Yi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The scene was awash with familiar faces - Shen Jia, Xu Qin, Peng Jia Lang, Ah Ma, Long Xiao Hui, and more. They were the new cast of characters in «Death Notice.»

As Xu Jin Yi followed the path of the black-robed figure, he thought it would carry on without incident. But then, it stopped abruptly, and the shadow crossed its path. That's when he saw her, a girl with a green tea leaf pinned to her chest. She stood silently, waiting for the figure to pass by.

Suddenly, the girl raised her right hand, bent her thumb twice, and pointed directly at the figure. Her eyes closed, and a smile lit up her face as her body gradually became transparent, fading away until she disappeared from view. The camera panned back to the black-robed figure and continued forward.

Xu Jin Yi pressed the screen and realized that only one and a half minutes had passed. She scanned the surroundings, and to the side and in front of the figure were Huang Yang, a deliveryman on his electric bike, and Zeng Zhi, who walked quickly with a camera in hand. Both men glanced briefly at the figure before returning to their own affairs.

Then a couple, hidden beneath a large black umbrella, approached the figure. Although their faces remained obscured, Xu Jin Yi could sense their gentle and inquisitive tone as they spoke to the figure. She assumed the figure would stop, but instead, it lifted its head, gazed briefly at the couple, shook its head, and sidestepped them, moving forward in the pouring rain, undeterred by anyone.

Until someone finally grabbed them.

Xu Jin Yi jumped at the sudden appearance of a hand as if the production team had allowed a player to break the dimensional barrier, make it seem first POV and reach out to grab the Shenanigans figure. But as the camera pulled back, revealing the figure's face, Xu Jin Yi's surprise turned into shock.

"Bloody hell!!" she exclaimed, unable to contain her astonishment.

The sight before her was too much to bear.

"Players default avater?!" she gasped.

The person holding onto the hem of the black robe smiled with a sense of impending victory. But their once-handsome face twisted with a grotesque expressions.

【I suspect my enemies,】 came the voice of the black-robed figure from the video, still not turning around. The person holding the robe suddenly looked panicked and disappeared like a shattering mirror.

【I feel tired,】 the black-robed figure's voice continued without any hint of emotion.

【As I suspect everything, the world is suspecting me.】

**

The three-minute video ended, leaving Xu Jin Yi staring blankly at the pitch-black screen. Would the game website really make the black-robed figure the protagonist? It appeared that they aimed to unify all games with novel characters and forge a new, amalgamated worldview. She closed the video and focused on the developer who had posted the thread.

The ID was distinct, with the game website's official gold mark as its suffix.

But once she clicked it, she found that the moderator had only published this single thread. The official introduction was: "The production team for the game «Homecoming»?" This person was not only a game website moderator but also a part-time game developer? However, after a quick search on the official website, she discovered that «Homecoming» was still in production and had yet to be launched.

Xu Jin Yi followed "Yu Zheng Yi," the moderator's name, and pocketed her phone.

"..."

"..."

Had she pressed the elevator button?

It had been at least three minutes. Could the elevator still not have arrived?

Xu Jin Yi lifted her head and gazed at the electronic screen.

【888】

"What on earth?"

Her mind still hazy, she glimpsed a scarlet flash behind her in the elevator's glistening surface.

Was it... a balloon?

Abruptly, she spun around, only to hear an ear-splitting blast. Red balloon debris scattered soundlessly onto the floor.

The elevator door behind her emitted a distorted ding. Xu Jin Yi spun around once more. On the 888th floor, a grotesque, painted clown face appeared outside the elevator doors, flickering with an eerie glow.

"Surprise--"

"Eeeeeek!!!"

Xu Jin Yi shrieked, jutting out her tongue and throwing a punch. Her forceful fist collided with the painted face through the narrow crevice, causing a resounding thud reverberating in the confined space.