Su Xiao scrambled to stuff the weapon back into the bag, not even bothering to zip it, and tried to bolt.
“Freeze! You in front!”
Two beams of strong light from flashlights hit her, illuminating her figure. Two police officers stepped forward with stern expressions.
Su Xiao froze in place, her mind going blank.
‘It’s over, it’s over! That idiot Xiao Ai really brought the police!’
“Officer, I’m just here for a stroll in the park…”
“A stroll?”
A young officer looked at her bulging bag and then at her attire. “Going for a stroll dressed like that? And carrying all this?”
The other officer said, “A citizen reported someone behaving suspiciously here, possibly carrying dangerous items. Mind opening the bag for us?”
Su Xiao felt like crying but had no choice. She reluctantly handed the bag over. “It’s just some old clothes and… well…”
The young officer took the bag and opened it. He immediately saw the long object wrapped in cloth. His expression sharpened as he carefully pulled it out and unwound the cloth.
A roll of old newspapers, wrapped tightly in clear tape, was exposed under the flashlight beams.
The two officers stared at the object, falling silent for a moment.
The young officer squeezed it to confirm the material.
“What is this?” the older officer asked.
“It’s for self-defense… The neighborhood hasn’t been very safe lately…”
“Self-defense? With a roll of newspapers?”
“I’m pretty poor, I couldn’t afford anything else…” Su Xiao’s voice trailed off as her face turned bright red, her toes curling inside her shoes.
The older officer cleared his throat, picked up the paper roll for a closer look, and then looked at Su Xiao’s outfit. He probably figured out what was going on.
“Do you have your ID?”
Su Xiao pulled out her ID and handed it over.
After verifying her information and asking a few more questions, the officers confirmed she had no real intent to harm anyone or any other suspicious traits. They gave her a verbal warning.
“Young lady, if you have a conflict, resolve it through the proper channels. Don’t go making trouble yourself. It’s unsafe for a girl to be alone in a place like this at night with these strange things, and it easily causes misunderstandings.”
“Yes, yes, you’re right, Officer. My mistake. I won’t do it again…” Su Xiao nodded like a pecking chicken, wanting nothing more than to end this socially agonizing scene.
“Alright, go home. Don’t let it happen again.”
“Thank you, Officer!” Su Xiao grabbed the bag and that shameful roll of newspapers, then sprinted out of the park without looking back. Her bloated silhouette cast a frantic shadow under the streetlights.
It wasn’t until she ran out of the park that she leaned against a streetlight, gasping for air. She felt like she had never been more humiliated in her life.
“That damn food thief! Making me get a lecture from the police!” She blamed everything on the delivery driver who had never shown up, her anger boiling over.
She pulled out her phone to send a few more insults, but she saw that her previous messages were marked as read with no reply.
When she tried to call, a prompt informed her the line was busy—she had clearly been blacklisted.
“Bastard! You dare block me!” Su Xiao was so angry she wanted to throw her phone.
She ruffled her hair in frustration, took off the sweat-soaked down jacket liner, and stuffed it into the bag.
The night wind blew against her body, which was only covered by a thin T-shirt. It sent a layer of goosebumps across her skin and helped her heated brain finally cool down.
Su Xiao carried her humiliating equipment and trudged toward home, dejected.
Once back, Su Xiao stripped naked, threw everything into the washing machine, and took a cold shower.
Today was absolutely wretched!
Her food was stolen, Shen Xixi refused to help and called her a psycho, her attempt to teach the food thief a lesson ended with her being stood up, and her fit of madness against thin air led to a lecture from the police…
The more Su Xiao thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She punched the tiled wall.
“It’s all Shen Xixi’s fault! And that damn food thief!”
She angrily dried her body, wrapped herself in a bath towel, and slumped onto the living room sofa.
In the corner of the living room sat an unopened, luxury cardboard box—a limited-edition gaming pod for *Divine Domain of Huaxia*.
Shen Xixi had sent it over a few days ago, saying she had bought an extra one and wanted Su Xiao to experience what a “real game” felt like.
At the time, Su Xiao had scoffed, thinking Shen Xixi was just showing off her “virtual priority” theory again, so she hadn’t touched it.
But now…
Wasn’t Shen Xixi spending all day in that game? Didn’t she always brag about how realistic and interesting her game character was?
“Since you treasure your game and your digital puppet so much, Shen Xixi…”
Su Xiao sat up on the sofa, a malicious smile spreading across her face. “Then I’ll just have to go in and see what exactly is so fascinating about it!”
Su Xiao jumped up, ran over to the gaming pod, and tore open the packaging in a flash.
The silver-gray, streamlined exterior was packed with a high-tech aesthetic.
After connecting the power and network according to the manual, Su Xiao lay inside.
The pod door slowly closed, and a soft light flickered on.
**[Welcome to the Divine Domain of Huaxia immersive gaming pod. Scanning user identity…]**
**[User: Su Xiao. Identity verified.]**
**[First-time login detected. Generating character… Please select the initial scenario you wish to experience:]**
**[A. The Beacon Fire to Mock the Dukes (Era of King You of Zhou)]**
**[B. Wine Pool and Meat Forest (Era of King Zhou of Shang)]**
**[C. Zhaojun Crosses the Frontier (Era of Emperor Yuan of Han)]**
Without a second thought, Su Xiao immediately excluded Option A.
Wasn’t that the era Shen Xixi was playing in? She didn’t want to be in the same script as that woman. Seeing her every time she looked up would be bad luck!
Zhaojun Crosses the Frontier? That sounded miserable—being sent far away for a political marriage held no interest for her.
“Wine Pool and Meat Forest… King Zhou of Shang?” Su Xiao rubbed her chin, her eyes lighting up.
A faint-hearted king, tyranny, extravagant pleasure… It sounded very exciting. And who was King Zhou of Shang’s favorite concubine? Wasn’t it Daji?
The seductive consort who ruined a kingdom—a fox spirit!
She liked that setting!
“I’ll choose B!”
**[Scenario selection confirmed: Wine Pool and Meat Forest (Era of King Zhou of Shang).]**
**[Generating character…]**
**[Character generation complete!]**
**[Your role: King Zhou]**
**[We wish you a pleasant journey in Divine Domain of Huaxia!]**
—
*Ring! Ring!*
The piercing ringtone of a cellphone startled Luo Tiantian, who had just returned home and fallen asleep.
He answered in a daze.
“Hello. Your Support Character role has gained a new scenario plot. You will be playing a special role—Daji…”
Luo Tiantian was half-asleep. Hearing the name “Daji,” his brain wasn’t fully functional yet. He subconsciously mumbled, “You’ve got the wrong number. My last name isn’t Su, and I’ve never played Daji…”
There seemed to be a glitch on the other end of the line, followed by a mechanical synthesized voice:
“Hello. This is the Divine Domain of Huaxia AI customer service. Based on closed beta data optimization and player demand expansion, we are now opening the special Support Character role of Daji for the second scenario, Wine Pool and Meat Forest. This authorization is an exclusive benefit for your closed beta account.”
“Please log in to the game at 8:00 AM sharp in real-world time. At the character selection interface, confirm the switch. The new scenario will provide an independent support mission line and reward mechanism. It will be partially linked with your original Baosi character data, such as base Support Points and special attributes.”
“Please note that the personality, needs, and interaction patterns of the support target for this scenario (King Zhou) differ from previous ones. Please be mentally prepared.”
“As you are currently the only Support Character player to have triggered a certain depth of interaction in the King You of Zhou scenario, the system has determined you possess the potential to adapt to higher-complexity roles. Therefore, we are prioritizing this authorization for you. This expansion is also an additional reward for your outstanding performance.”
“You are doing a great job with your support. You’re doing very well~~”