Chapter Five: The Death of Han Luo

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That's right, this game must have hidden dangers!

The moment this thought surfaced in Xiao Jie’s mind, he found he couldn’t shake it off.

But how could playing a game be dangerous?

A game isn’t reality; even if a monster kills you, you don’t actually die. Besides, you can just restart after dying—no, wait! Damn it!

Suddenly, Xiao Jie remembered something: this game seemed impossible to restart. After Han Luo died, he couldn’t be revived, nor could he create a new account. Before, it had just seemed strange, but now, recalling the bizarre fact that skills from the game could carry over into the real world, a sinister suspicion gripped him.

If the game can directly affect the player’s body, granting abilities they didn’t originally have…

Then could it be that negative outcomes in the game also reflect on the player? For example—death?

No! That can’t be! How could such an absurd thing exist in this world…

Xiao Jie muttered to himself, trying desperately to calm his racing thoughts. Yet the growing shadow in his mind only made him more uneasy. Since such strange phenomena as skills transferring to reality occurred, it seemed logically consistent that death in the game might mean death in reality.

The more he tried not to think that way, the more his mind linked these elements together.

No, he had to find Han Luo immediately!

Xiao Jie abandoned buying fruit and dashed toward the Seaside Food Court.

When Xiao Jie burst into the Seaside Food Court, Han Luo had just finished a battle, rubbing his stomach and burping contentedly.

“Ah, that was satisfying! It’s been so long since I ate this well. Hey, Xiao, why are you back? Where’s the fruit?”

Seeing Han Luo in this state, Xiao Jie breathed a slight sigh of relief.

At least he was okay.

Maybe he was just overthinking it?

“How do you feel?” Xiao Jie asked with concern.

“How do I feel? Oh, you mean about the meal? It was great, just… huh? What’s that…”

Han Luo’s expression suddenly shifted, his gaze darting behind Xiao Jie.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Jie glanced behind him but saw nothing.

“I feel... something’s not right, I feel…” Han Luo’s face turned pale as if he sensed something terrible. He anxiously scanned the surroundings, suddenly standing up and retreating backward.

“This isn’t right, seriously not right, Xiao—I—ah!”

A piercing scream erupted from Han Luo’s mouth. Then Xiao Jie witnessed a horrifying scene: an invisible force silently tore open Han Luo’s abdomen as if an unseen blade was slicing through his flesh.

One cut… two cuts… three cuts…

His stomach, diaphragm, chest.

Blood splattered wildly, organs spilling out, and at the chest wound, white bone fragments were visible. Hot blood splattered onto Xiao Jie’s face, burning as it dripped.

Han Luo clutched the wounds with both hands, screaming, his face twisted in terror and agony.

“Xiao... save me... save me!”

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He reached out toward Xiao Jie, but the next moment, his scream abruptly ceased.

Han Luo’s head suddenly flew off, a fountain of blood spurting from the severed neck. His head rolled to Xiao Jie’s feet, eyes wide open, filled with fear and pain, while the headless body collapsed lifelessly.

Xiao Jie stared at Han Luo’s face on the ground, his mind blank as if trapped in a nightmare. For a few seconds, he even felt an urge to slap himself awake.

He touched his face and felt the sticky blood.

Just as he had feared, death in the game meant death in reality.

His suspicion was true...

The terrified screams of nearby diners echoed around him, but Xiao Jie could hear nothing, frozen in place.

————————

“Name?”

“Xiao Jie.”

“Age?”

“Twenty-eight.”

“Occupation?”

“Director of a game studio.”

The police officer across the interrogation table looked at him in surprise, then jotted down “freelancer” on the paper.

“What is your relationship to the deceased?”

“He was my employee, my… friend.”

Xiao Jie spoke painfully, still unable to believe Han Luo was gone—the ever-cheerful guy, his loyal companion who stayed with him even after the studio disbanded.

He still remembered Han Luo’s parting words: “As long as I’m your only employee, the studio remains a studio, and you’re still the boss. But if I leave too, you’ll be all alone. Don’t worry, Xiao, I’ll stick with you from now on. We’ll build this studio bigger and stronger, and make it shine again.”

A sad smile flickered at the corner of Xiao Jie’s mouth, but the memory was cut short by the officer’s question.

“Do you have anything to say about the cause of death?”

Xiao Jie looked up at the officer, opening his mouth but unsure where to begin.

Dying in the game means dying in reality? Just thinking about it sounds absurd—would they believe him? Would they think he was insane?

But how else could he explain it?

Maybe he should just play dumb?

As he hesitated, the interrogation room door suddenly opened.

A man in a black trench coat stepped inside.

“All right, Officer Li, I’ll take over from here.”

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The interrogating officer showed some displeasure, but when the director appeared behind the man and nodded to him, the officer could only scowl and leave.

The interrogation room door closed.

The man in the black trench coat sat down directly opposite Xiao Jie, casually glanced over the case files on the table, then shook his head and tossed the papers aside.

“Want a cigarette?” he asked, pulling one out and offering it.

Xiao Jie politely declined with a shake of his head.

The man paid no mind, putting the cigarette back, leaning back with arms crossed, and stared at Xiao Jie’s face for several minutes as if trying to extract hidden information from his rigid, sorrowful expression.

Just as Xiao Jie grew irritated under the intense gaze, the man suddenly sat upright.

“Mr. Xiao, right? Let me guess—you were playing a game.”

Xiao Jie’s heart skipped a beat. He raised his head sharply, instincts telling him this man knew the truth behind everything.

“That’s right, a game called Old Earth,” he said slowly, watching the man’s face. The black trench coat revealed no emotion.

“Which friend of yours died in the game?”

Xiao Jie was now almost certain the man was aware of the game’s dark secrets.

“Yes. So my friend’s death is related to that game?” he asked cautiously, trying not to seem too informed.

A sly smile crept onto the man’s face. “No one told you the game’s taboo?”

“Taboo? What taboo?”

The man said nothing, instead continuing, “Then how did you get your game activation codes?”

“A friend gave them to me,” Xiao Jie replied, the image of Liu Qiang’s smug face flashing through his mind.

“This friend didn’t tell you what the game is really about?”

“No. He just said it was a lot of fun and would change our lives. In fact, those words were said to Han Luo—it was Han Luo who brought back the activation codes.”

The man’s expression said, “Figures. Sounds like your ‘friend’ isn’t really your friend. Buddy, you’ve been set up.”

Xiao Jie had already come to the same conclusion on his way to the police station. Liu Qiang’s gift of those two activation codes was no kind gesture—he likely wanted them to die inside the game.

Such a high-difficulty game, if players venture outside the village unaware of the death penalty, they would almost certainly die on their first exploration.

Xiao Jie’s survival was only luck, having stopped exploring once he saw Han Luo die and fail to revive.

“Liu Qiang…” Xiao Jie muttered the name, his expression twisting with bitterness.

He clenched his teeth and asked, “What is really going on here?”

The man crossed his arms, studying Xiao Jie’s anguished face as if understanding something. He sighed, then began to explain.