Chapter 1 Mirror World

The Prime Universe, the Mirror World.

As the name suggests, this is a world that exists within a mirror.

It is impossible to list its specific "geographical location." The Mirror World is like conceptual areas such as the "Temporal Domain" and the "Court of Truth." It cannot be reached by "walking" or "flying." One can only enter it through special methods.

At this moment, the four members of Order’s Team One, "Living in a Dream," are trapped in the Mirror World, unable to escape…

After the teleportation, they appeared on a vermilion road about two zhang (丈, a Chinese unit of measurement, approximately 3.3 meters) wide. This "vermilion road" hung in the air, as thin as silk. The sides and below were empty. From a distance, it looked like a wide ribbon floating in the air.

Standing on this vermilion road... Looking up, the sky was like white frost, and a black sun dotted the air. Looking down, the abyss resembled a black tide, and a white cavity could be seen at the bottom.

The two ends of the road seemed boundless, with no end in sight.

"We've been walking for over an hour, and the scenery around us hasn't changed much…" Zui Wo Changran, walking at the front of the group, seemed to be losing patience.

"And we still haven't found Gui Xiao… hic~" Meng Jingchan followed behind him, strolling with a cigarette in one hand and a wine bottle in the other, as if he were taking an after-dinner walk, completely lacking the tension of being in a script world.

"Don't worry about that kid, he'll be fine either way," Sheng Yu Pian replied upon hearing this. "But what exactly is going on with us…?"

"I feel like… something's not right," Wu Si Can Xuan, who was at the rear, muttered in a deep voice. "The loading situation was very strange, and we haven't triggered any quests since loading in. A substitute player inexplicably entered the script, and Gui Xiao is nowhere to be found…" He paused. "And… these monsters…"

As he spoke, six burly figures in armor, wielding long ge (戈, a type of halberd), charged out from ahead of the group.

In this environment, the players didn't have much choice. They could only keep moving forward along the road… And from time to time, a batch of these monsters would appear to block their path.

"What is it this time, Yin Soldiers (also known as Ming Soldiers, under the command of the King of Hell, responsible for escorting newly deceased souls)…" Zui Wo Changran said as he clenched his fist and prepared to attack.

His fist moved so fast that it chased the light, and the wind from his fist was as fierce as thunder.

In an instant, hundreds of golden rays of light bloomed erratically, blasting all the Yin Soldiers to death, leaving behind a ground full of withered corpses.

"Speaking of which… the monsters here all have an Eastern mythical flavor," Meng Jingchan commented casually from behind Zui Wo Changran, like a spectator.

Seeing this, everyone should understand… why Meng Jingchan, standing in the second position, dared to walk, smoke, and drink along the way?

Because… the pathfinder in front of him was too reliable.

Ever since Zui Wo Changran learned this move, [Lightning Light Speed Fist], no ordinary monster could cross half a step in front of him.

There's not much to list in the description of this skill… Simply put, it's an A-grade version of the Pegasus Meteor Fist. It has significant advantages such as low consumption, good power, and no cooldown time.

With Zui Wo Changran's raw strength (specialization, equipment, passive skills, title ability bonuses), a set of Lightning Light Speed Fists would basically wipe out monsters below the small-Boss level. Even if he encountered a small Boss, this move was the perfect choice for a probing attack.

"Chan-ge, you seem very idle…" Hearing Meng Jingchan's sarcastic remarks, Zui Wo Changran turned his head and said, "How about you take the lead for a while?"

"If we encounter two more batches of monsters and the situation hasn't improved, then let's switch," Meng Jingchan said, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Fuu—when 'that time' comes… it'll be perfect for me to handle it."

"Oh…" Zui Wo Changran heard something in his words. "So you've also noticed that 'they' are getting stronger and stronger?" His voice rose. "But why is your relaxed state no different from when we encountered the first batch of monsters?"

"Hic~" Chan-ge took another sip of wine and replied, "That means I have confidence in you."

"Tsk—" Facing this kind of answer, Zui Wo Changran could only use this word to express his inner feelings.

"Alright, there's nothing to dwell on," Wu Si Can Xuan stepped forward half a step two seconds later and said to them in a loud voice, "I've also noticed the monster situation. I was just about to tell you that… the strength of these blocking monsters is obviously increasing with each batch." He paused for half a second. "If this trend continues and we walk for another half an hour at the same speed, then every batch of blocking monsters will be Boss-level."

"Although that wouldn't necessarily lead to our team wipe, in a situation where the quest is still unclear and we know almost nothing about the script, whether we should continue walking along this path… is worth discussing," Sheng Yu Pian quickly understood Wu Si Can Xuan's meaning and continued.

"Tch… if I had known this, we should have split up from the beginning," Zui Wo Changran shrugged. "Maybe if we went in the other direction, the monsters would get weaker and weaker?"

"Spare us the hindsight," Wu Si Can Xuan replied helplessly. "Besides… with this game's nature, how likely do you think that is?"

"Then what should we do?" Zui Wo Changran said. "After all that talk, don't we still have to keep going in this direction?"

"Hmm…" Sheng Yu Pian pondered. "At least we can choose to stay where we are and rest, right?"

Boom—

As if in response to Sheng Yu Pian's words, a loud noise came from behind them just as he finished speaking.

The four of them turned their heads together, only to see… hundreds of meters away, a pitch-black sphere of black light emitting monstrous evil power suddenly appeared, cutting off that section of the vermilion road and slowly moving towards where the Order members were standing. Where it passed… the path seemed to be corroded and disappeared.

Seeing this scene, Meng Jingchan was still in the mood to crack a joke: "Yu Pian, are you planning to strengthen your sense of existence by setting a flag?"

"Less nonsense…" Sheng Yu Pian's bowl-cut hair revealed a pained face, and he retorted, "It's still better than trying to boost your presence by smoking, drinking, and perming…"

"Alright…" Compared to these teammates with strange personalities, Wu Si Can Xuan, the captain, was a rare normal person. "Let's go quickly. At least this time we have a clear goal… we have no choice but to go."

…………

At the same time, also in the Mirror World, on a certain section of the vermilion road.

Wuu wuu wuu—

Accompanied by a poorly played harmonica tune, two figures were teleported here.

"What is this place?" As soon as Gui Xiao stood still, he warily distanced himself from the person next to him and turned to ask.

"Mirror World," Feng Bujue replied concisely.

"So… what did you bring me here for?" Gui Xiao asked again.

"To bring you to see your teammates," Feng Bujue said.

"Okay~ okay~" Gui Xiao tilted his head and waved his hand. "We'd better clarify things now…"

"You speak," Feng Bujue looked at the other party with a smile that was not a smile, and replied.

"First of all, about what happened last time… I heard it from Chan-ge, I have to thank you." Gui Xiao was naturally referring to the kidnapping incident. Because he didn't know that the competition broadcast had already ended, he didn't say it very clearly.

"You're welcome. You should mainly thank Chou He Tang for that," Feng Bujue said.

"Yeah." Gui Xiao nodded and added, "But that's ultimately a private matter… and the competition in front of us is my job."

"Understood~ understood." Feng Bujue said, "Out of professional ethics and quality, you will never show mercy in the competition… Is that what you want to say?"

"Yes." Gui Xiao replied, "Also, I really don't understand… what exactly do you mean by this series of actions that seem to be 'helping me'? Even if no quest has been triggered, the basic rules of the competition won't change, right? There's only one winning team, and you and I are not on the same team, so we'll have to fight sooner or later."

"My purpose… hehe…" Jue-ge smiled. "Sorry, I can't tell you. You yourself said… we are opponents."

"Since you know that, then what's the point of talking nonsense?" Hearing this, Gui Xiao immediately got ready to fight.

"Wait a minute…" Feng Bujue took a step back and raised his hand to stop him.

"What is it now?" Gui Xiao showed an impatient expression.

"I might as well tell you this…" Feng Bujue replied, "At this stage, I'm not planning to fight you."

"Is that up to you?" Gui Xiao asked a very good question.

"Well asked." Feng Bujue replied, "It is indeed up to me to decide…" After saying that, he raised his hand and patted his bag. "Right now, Billy's 'World-Shifting Harmonica' is in my hands. As long as I want to, I can leave this space alone at any time, and you… can't catch me."

"Hmph… wouldn't it be over if I killed you before you teleported?" Gui Xiao snorted coldly.

"You don't even believe that yourself, do you?" Feng Bujue laughed.

Gui Xiao curled his lips: "Then what do you want?"

"The choice is yours…" Feng Bujue replied, "You have three options—first, follow me and reunite with your teammates; second, attack me, in which case I'll leave without saying a word, and you can do whatever you want." He paused. "Third… you can pretend to choose the first option, and then find a chance to kill me during the journey."

After listening, Gui Xiao thought for a few seconds and said, "I choose three."

"Hey hey… if you choose three, you should say you choose one when answering, okay?" Jue-ge said with a wry smile.

"That's just how straightforward I am…" Gui Xiao tilted his head, showing a provocative face. "I just want to choose three… choose three—choose three!"

He said the important words three times, and his voice and tone were higher each time.

"Okay, okay…" Jue-ge shook his head. "Then…" He made a "please" gesture. "Please go ahead…"

"Please what? Are you telling me to walk in front? What if you ambush me?" Gui Xiao wasn't stupid.

"Okay~ okay~" Feng Bujue felt like he was coaxing a child. "Let's walk side by side…"