Chapter One: High-Speed Train K0000

Splash! He threw a handful of cold water onto his face, scrubbed hard, and glanced at the mirror. The face staring back was dark-skinned, with sharp, angular features. Xiao Zhang pulled a grimace at himself.

Though his reflection looked somewhat unapproachable, it was still a far cry from truly arrogant. So, every time he had to introduce himself, Xiao Zhang felt a peculiar sense of embarrassment.

He rubbed his head, baffled. Other people grew taller in the army, but why did he seem to shrink? Looking at his head, how had he ended up barely reaching one seventy? He wiped the water from his face and instinctively reached for a cigarette.

Upon seeing the no-smoking sign in the restroom, Xiao Zhang sighed and silently put the cigarette away. He picked up his phone to check his messages and was about to leave when the sound of running water from the faucet stopped. Suddenly—the world seemed to fall eerily silent. His body was frozen in place, unable to move. What the hell, it was happening again! How could this happen in broad daylight? Xiao Zhang felt his mind was clear, yet he had lost control of his body.

He sensed his consciousness being squeezed out, forced to roll right out of his own body. Get out! Desperately struggling, Xiao Zhang began to hear muffled voices.

“Is this the last server?”

“Yeah, looks like the final version is ready, even some merged battlefields are set up. I hear some powerful figures have joined this time.”

“Well, it’s the last one after all. Some old hands are cramming people in with everything they've got…”

Just then, Xiao Zhang’s little finger twitched, and his awareness regained command over his body. Instantly, the sound of running water returned, and cold sweat broke out all over him.

He spun around, slapped water onto his cheeks once more, and took several deep breaths.

“Hey, are you alright?” asked a young man who had just left the restroom, eyeing Xiao Zhang’s pale face.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit of low blood sugar,” Xiao Zhang replied, staring at his own wan reflection in the mirror, perplexed. Was it just a hallucination? Impossible.

As he pondered, the young man handed him a piece of candy. “Take care of yourself out there.”

“Thanks, man!” Without thinking, Xiao Zhang accepted the candy.

“No problem,” the young man said, then walked away.

Xiao Zhang pocketed the candy and left the restroom, spotting a janitor and a middle-aged man with a briefcase chatting nearby. What surprised him more was that their conversation seemed eerily similar to what he’d overheard during his strange episode.

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Even more curious, their discussion was clearly about online games.

…Battlefield instances…players…

Xiao Zhang pretended to dig through his pocket, pausing to eavesdrop on their conversation. After two minutes, he realized he’d misunderstood; they were talking about their children’s school admission.

“Young man, what are you looking for?” the briefcase-carrying man smiled at Xiao Zhang.

Awkwardly, Xiao Zhang glanced at him. Damn, he’d been caught snooping. Anyone would be suspicious if someone lingered nearby like that. Bracing himself, he pulled out the candy and popped it in his mouth. “Just a bit hypoglycemic, looking for some sugar.”

Just then, the station announcement sounded: “K0000 train to XX is now boarding…”

Is that mine? Xiao Zhang hurriedly checked his ticket. Crap, where is it? Did it fall somewhere?

He retraced his steps, when suddenly someone called out behind him.

“Hey, wait! You dropped something.”

He turned to see the janitor picking something up and handing it to him. “Is this your ticket?”

Xiao Zhang took it—sure enough, it was his. He must have accidentally dropped it earlier. He thanked them repeatedly, but the middle-aged man squinted at him. “K0000 train? Seat 1 in Car 1? Interesting, very interesting…”

Why did that sound strange? Instinctively, Xiao Zhang felt the man’s gaze was peculiar. “Uncle, is there an issue?”

“No, nothing… Just, seat 1 in Car 1 is pretty rare.” The man picked up his briefcase and walked out.

Could there be something wrong? Xiao Zhang watched him go. Was it his mind playing tricks, or was he just unstable? But is my ticket really for K0000? Are there such odd train numbers now? Whatever, time to board.

The little episode didn’t faze Xiao Zhang—he was simply excited after years away from home. As he boarded, he saw Car 2 and, to his surprise, the middle-aged man was there, checking his ticket!

Xiao Zhang hesitated. The man suddenly turned, winked at him with a grin, and walked into the car.

Xiao Zhang swallowed nervously. Was something about to happen? No, don’t overthink it. If it’s fate, it’s fate—if it’s trouble, you can’t dodge it! He entered the car, sank into his seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

About two hours later, the train suddenly jolted. Xiao Zhang rubbed his eyes, peering into the darkness. Were they passing through a tunnel? He checked his phone—it had been two hours.

Just then, the carriage lights flickered on. The train attendant came by with a trolley, selling items. “Sis, give me a bottle of water. How much longer till we reach X City?”

“Next stop is X City, but we’re running late,” the attendant replied, handing him a bottle. “Just scan the code on the table.”

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“Alright, sis.”

Normally, train delays were common in rainy season, but the murmuring of two elderly ladies nearby unsettled Xiao Zhang.

“Something’s wrong with this train.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Sis, we’ve ridden this line so many times. When has there ever been such a long tunnel?”

“That’s true. And this half-hour journey has taken over two hours!”

A few minutes later, the train jolted again, then came to a sudden halt. Passengers were clearly anxious.

What’s happening? Xiao Zhang couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

At that moment, a uniformed middle-aged man—likely the conductor—soothed the passengers, explaining in gentle tones that there was a minor issue ahead and the train would be delayed.

After finishing his water, Xiao Zhang felt the urge to use the restroom. Since it was at the other end, he walked over and happened to see the attendant who’d sold him the water talking with the middle-aged man he’d met earlier.

He caught a glimpse of fear and apprehension in the attendant’s eyes, while the man was reassuring her. As he comforted her, the attendant’s tears began to fall.

What the hell? Why was she crying?

Xiao Zhang approached to see what was happening, when the middle-aged man suddenly turned and said, “Game start.”

The train shook violently. Out of nowhere, a thunderous crash resounded! The carriage exploded in shouts and screams.

Xiao Zhang could feel the train accelerate suddenly—

With a bang, it was as if the train had collided with something.

Damn, Xiao Zhang’s face turned ashen. As the train thundered, he clung with all his strength to the nearest handle, but the force threw him forward anyway.

His last thought before losing consciousness was: Can I really be this unlucky? Damn it!