After checking the quest in her system panel, Lu Qiuchen gloomily chose to leave that space.
Her figure immediately appeared atop a mountain peak, her mind replaying everything that had happened in that space.
Previously, guided by the plot quest, Lu Qiuchen had teleported to that space. After seeing a group of players with leader-level titles and nicknames, she confirmed that this truly was a game world.
The way the players reacted to her was completely different from the natives of Eternal World, making it easy to tell them apart.
Now that she was in a dungeon space where everyone she faced was a player who could revive, Lu Qiuchen felt no psychological burden about the slaughter she was about to commit.
Watching the players fall one after another, Lu Qiuchen actually found herself enjoying it, lost in the thrill of the carnage. It wasn’t until she flew above a Revival Point and saw a player standing dazed inside that she remembered she had come here with the purpose of communicating with players.
But when she descended to interact with the player, the system dealt her a heavy blow, shattering her previous plans.
Staring at the flashing crimson warning in her vision, Lu Qiuchen felt disappointment and anger surge within her. Yet the threat of the takeover countdown before her forced her to leave immediately, abandoning her intention to speak with the player.
After that, she had run into an old friend… Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, Lu Qiuchen chose to escape from these memories and ended her recollection.
‘What should I do next?’ At this moment, Lu Qiuchen was lost in confusion.
She had never imagined things would develop like this.
Not long ago, she had resolved to uncover the truth and reunite with her family on Earth as soon as possible. But now, she actually felt a sense of dread at the thought of returning home.
It was as if two opposing voices were whispering in her mind, tangling her thoughts into a mess.
“Your parents will always love you. Once you succeed in returning to Earth from this other world, is there anything you won’t be able to handle then?”
This was the Angel, encouraging her in a gentle voice not to give up and to bravely face her difficulties.
“Better give up on that idea now. Could you accept your own child becoming a butcher who’s killed countless people? The higher your hopes are now, the greater your pain will be then!”
The Demon’s words made sense, too. Lu Qiuchen knew her parents’ personalities, and from a human perspective, what she had done was already an unforgivable crime.
“Seeking the truth isn’t just for yourself, but for all lives in both worlds! If a game company can connect to another world, there must be a huge conspiracy behind it!” The Angel’s voice grew anxious.
The Demon retorted loudly, “You can’t even protect yourself anymore—you’re under system control! What matters most now is figuring out how to survive!”
Lu Qiuchen shook her head hard, trying to clear away these chaotic thoughts. She had already made up her mind: whether she could return to Earth or not, she would continue to investigate the truth behind her transmigration!
The Demon clan seemed to hold some secrets, and the Dragon clan likely knew something as well. Her own Dragon Bloodline Transformation Ceremony had been presided over by Pat and Alduin!
Right, could the problem be with the Dragon Bloodline Transformation Ceremony? She remembered Andola saying that the previous transformation ceremony before hers involved a Blue Dragon, who had been transformed from a Sea Dragon.
That Blue Dragon had always lived in his pre-transformation territory—he might know something, too!
‘Once I finish the main quest, I’ll go find that Blue Dragon and ask for information!’ Lu Qiuchen resolved in her heart.
*****
After logging out of the game, Zhang Cheng uncharacteristically slowed down, not rushing out to do things right away. Instead, he walked back to his bedroom and sat seriously at his computer, searching for information.
By the time Zhang Cheng imported the data he’d gathered into his phone, the sun was already sinking in the west.
Time to go! Two years ago, his dad had brushed him off, but now that he had evidence, there was no way his dad could keep the truth from him this time! Zhang Cheng put on his jacket and stepped out the door.
In the living room, Zhang Yu, who was on the phone with Qi Wen, noticed how he was dressed and curiously asked, “Going out?”
“Haven’t seen Mom and Dad in a while, thought I’d go visit.” Zhang Cheng tried to hide his excitement, keeping his expression natural as he replied.
Zhang Yu responded, glanced down at her phone, and said no more.
Seeing this, Zhang Cheng quietly started putting on his shoes.
“You totally look like you’re up to something big. I just asked casually, but you’re all tense and shifty-eyed. You’re definitely hiding something from me.” Zhang Yu suddenly seemed to realize something and looked up.
“I’m coming too! If you leave, I’ll be home alone, and I wouldn’t even know what to eat for dinner.”
Finding a random excuse, Zhang Yu said goodbye to Qi Wen, hung up, and hurried to her room to change.
Zhang Cheng was a little embarrassed. He’d already adjusted his demeanor before leaving, thinking his disguise was pretty good, but his sister had seen through him at a glance.
Once they were both ready, the two headed out and drove to their parents’ house.
Though it was called driving, most of the time the car was on AI autopilot.
With today’s technological advances, only a small number of people who enjoyed the thrill of driving still drove themselves. For everyone else, driving had become an occasional entertainment rather than a laborious daily task.
On the way, Zhang Cheng was bombarded by his sister’s questions, as she tried every trick to get him to reveal what was different about him today.
Unable to fend her off—and not wanting to involve his sister in this matter anyway—Zhang Cheng switched to manual driving mode, using the excuse that driving required full concentration to block her probing.
They arrived at a villa in the suburbs of S City and parked in front of one of the houses.
Unlike the other nearby villas, this one’s exterior walls were covered in vines, all neatly trimmed and not at all messy.
This was because Zhang Cheng’s mother loved plants, so the house was always filled with greenery. Zhang Mother always prided herself on personally trimming the branches.
In the siblings’ memories, the garden had always been lush and vibrant, with flowers blooming even in winter. When he was little, Zhang Cheng had always thought his mother could use magic.
When they entered the garden, sure enough, their mother was watering the flowers. Seeing them, she broke into a smile.
Zhang Yu hurried over and took the watering can, helping her mother water the plants.
“You silly child, how many times have I told you, you just don’t remember! Xiao Yu, you have to be gentle when watering flowers. Watch how I do it…” Zhang Mother took the watering can from Zhang Yu and began teaching her.
Zhang Yu listened with a smile at her mother’s advice. She enjoyed admiring the flowers and plants, but didn’t really like watering or fertilizing them. She’d only done it just now to hear her mother’s gentle nagging a bit longer.
Zhang Cheng, having returned home, felt himself getting closer to the truth. Excitement and impatience bubbled inside him. After greeting his mother, he hurriedly left the two behind and strode into the living room.
Mother and daughter exchanged a glance as they saw Zhang Cheng enter the house. They put down the watering can, and a worried look appeared on Zhang Yu’s face as she whispered something to her mother.
After hearing her daughter’s words, Zhang Mother sighed softly, a trace of worry appearing on her face.
Zhang Cheng walked straight to the second-floor study, pushed the door open without knocking, and saw his father, Zhang Guang, sitting in a wooden chair, reading a slightly worn paperback. The stack of books on the desk blocked Zhang Cheng’s view, so he couldn’t see the title.
*****
PS: First of all, thank you all so much for your support!
The stats were really bad before, and I never got a recommendation spot. I’ve basically been running naked for almost a month, but now I’ve actually gotten nearly 3k collections.
As a newcomer with poor writing skills, and writing such a niche gender-bender game novel, I thought even getting signed was a pipe dream when I started, and I was already prepared to just write for myself.
Now, not only was I picked up by Big Mint, but I’ve also received so much support and love from readers. I’m overwhelmed and deeply grateful!
Now, on to the main point.
Starting last week, this book made it onto the game section’s rankings, and the stats have improved a bit. Today, I mustered up the courage to ask the boss for a recommendation, and after getting it, the book has to be put on paid release, or else the next book will run naked again. So this book will go on paid release this week or next.
Since paid release requires a stockpile of chapters, the most I can do is 6k words a day. I still owe extra chapters for monthly tickets, so the daily word count will be reduced a bit in the next few days. I’m really sorry!
Before paid release, the daily update will drop from 6k to 4k, but will return to normal after. I’ll try my best to make up the owed chapters before the release.
These words don’t count toward the 2k word main content.
Thank you all again!