The city lights blazed brilliantly, its night view breathtakingly beautiful. A couple stood on the balcony, admiring the river of lights that shimmered like a reflection of the stars. Behind them was a real “television wall”—a wall entirely covered with television screens—playing the news. The female anchor spoke with unusual seriousness: “Breaking news, breaking news. A widespread power outage has suddenly occurred in the Xi’nan region of our country. All civilian power lines are suspected to have malfunctioned. The power supply department is working hard to identify the issue and expects to restore power before midnight tonight.”
“It’s been so long since the last large-scale blackout,” the couple murmured, turning their heads in confusion.
Beyond Xi’nan, countless people were listening to this broadcast, speculating about its causes.
Meanwhile, Nan Gong Chong stared in horror at the culprit responsible for all this. His mouth hung open, unable to close, and only one thought echoed in his mind: “I must be seeing ghosts! The boss from the game is chasing me from online to the real world… I must be dreaming, definitely dreaming…”
Smack! He raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face, the pain numbing half of it and bringing tears to his eyes. He had never felt more awake, yet when he looked ahead, the slightly weathered man in the blue robe still stood there, hands behind his back, watching him with an ambiguous half-smile.
Nan Gong Chong’s vision darkened, nearly causing him to faint, but a surge of electric energy coursed through his body, instantly sobering him up with an indescribable tingling sensation.
“Would you mind explaining what’s going on?” Meng Qi gestured toward the large box labeled “Breakthrough Masterpiece: Black Mountain Demon King,” asking with a smile.
As he spoke, Meng Qi reached out and pulled down a decorative metal longsword from Nan Gong Chong’s room. Sparks flew as his palm touched the hilt, crackling with electricity.
Within less than a breath, Nan Gong Chong saw the sword begin to melt, as if molten iron were about to drip from it.
His mouth once again slowly opened into an “O” shape. It really was that hidden boss from the game, terrifyingly powerful!
But how could he possibly come out of the game?
At that moment, Meng Qi added meaningfully, “You should understand that no thoughts of yours can escape my notice.”
Before his words had even faded, Nan Gong Chong saw the buildings outside the window gradually light up again, their brilliance illuminating the city like an inverted starry river. The glow poured through the window, falling precisely on the mysterious figure in the blue robe, making him appear almost divine or demonic.
“I, I, I know! I know!” Nan Gong Chong finally managed to reply, using all his strength. His legs trembled, weak with fear.
What should I do? What should I do? A boss from the game has come into the real world!
Without his “martial arts” or “treasures,” Nan Gong Chong felt utterly hopeless. If only he had started over from the beginning!
Meng Qi pointed at the large box again, glancing enviously at the metal pod: “What is that?”
His voice carried a powerful sense of persuasion, calming much of Nan Gong Chong’s fear and despair. It was as if, after reaching the peak of terror, he had somehow grown less afraid.
Nan Gong Chong carefully chose his words: “That’s ‘Black Mountain Demon King,’ a groundbreaking new game developed by Cangqiong Games. It’s hailed as the most realistic game ever, the pinnacle of virtual reality technology. The metal pod and helmet are part of the supporting equipment. Uh, uh, Senior, do you understand what a company is? Or virtual reality? Or supporting equipment?”
“Just get the gist. Continue,” Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly. He couldn’t believe he was being mistaken for a country bumpkin!
Nan Gong Chong continued: “In short, in short, Senior, you are a character—an NPC—in this game, while I am a player. Does that make sense?”
Interesting… Meng Qi repeated those four words inwardly. He pointed at the metal pod: “So your ‘time rewind’ ability comes from this?”
“You, you know!” Nan Gong Chong exclaimed in shock. So this mysterious boss already knew about his ability to save and reload the game, to relive events repeatedly!
Then, in his eyes, hadn’t he always been a ridiculous jester?
He really was a game bug, no—a real-world bug now…
“Let me try,” Meng Qi said, walking to the pod and gesturing for Nan Gong Chong to demonstrate.
In theory, a virtual reality game world should fall under the category of illusion since it lacked actual material support, simulating only sensory experiences that felt real. Yet when he had used “Only I Reign Supreme” and “Primordial Heart Seal” within the “Black Mountain Demon King” world, he had sensed nothing unusual. Either Nan Gong Chong’s world had reached technological heights beyond imagination, making its virtual reality more realistic than even the illusions of high-level martial cultivators, or there was something deeper at play.
Both possibilities were worth exploring, especially the latter. If he wanted to sever the past and break free from karmic chains, mastering the concept of time was crucial.
With a numb expression, Nan Gong Chong demonstrated the operation. He watched helplessly as “the hidden boss from the game, now in the real world, played the very game he came from.”
Though the sentence was convoluted, it accurately reflected his inner thoughts, filled with absurdity.
Meng Qi tried starting the game. Instantly, his consciousness extended along with the helmet and pod to a mysterious place, expanding infinitely, piercing through indescribable thick barriers, and connecting more clearly with his physical body.
Interrupting the selection process, Meng Qi’s consciousness returned. Thoughtfully, he chose to reload Nan Gong Chong’s save file, simulating his consciousness traits.
His senses plunged into utter darkness, a void of blackness, then glimpsed a shimmering river of unknown origin and destination. It had countless tributaries, each splitting into many more, covering all places.
After that, Meng Qi sensed nothing at all. Then he saw “himself,” Du Qingqing, Yan Chixia, and Ning Caichen, who always seemed to be urinating endlessly.
…
As soon as the mysterious man in the blue robe activated the pod, Nan Gong Chong suddenly turned around, as if summoning all his strength, stumbling toward the videophone, and pressing the emergency call button.
A sweet female voice came through:
“This is the XXX emergency platform. Sir, how can we assist you?”
The panic and fear Nan Gong Chong had previously calmed surged back to his face as he urgently said, “It’s terrible! The hidden boss from the game has appeared in my house! He crawled out of the simulation pod! He, he wants to kill…”
“Crazy person!” After an angry voice, the line was met with the unchanging “beep…”
“He wants to kill me…” Nan Gong Chong continued dazedly, his expression frozen, as if he had abruptly stopped in that very moment.
He grabbed his hair, frantically muttering something, clearly overwhelmed with terror.
Suddenly, an idea struck him: “Only the collector’s edition has this hidden boss. Uncle, yes, call Uncle!”
He dialed again, but the line remained unanswered.
“Uncle and his core team are always working overtime…” Nan Gong Chong glanced back at the pod, fearing it might suddenly open again, revealing that terrifying figure in the blue robe.
At that moment, Nan Gong Chong suddenly clenched his fists, anger rising from his heart, determination hardening his resolve. Right—just smash the simulation pod and the neural helmet, destroy the collector’s edition, and see how he comes out of the game world again!
But he was already out. Destroying the pod would only enrage him… Nan Gong Chong racked his brain for solutions.
After thinking for a while, he pressed the emergency call button again.
“This is the XXX emergency platform. Sir, how can we assist you?”
Nan Gong Chong stammered, “A robber has broken into my house. The address is…”
He decided to call the police. They had tranquilizer guns strong enough to knock out a dinosaur. In an emergency, they could even request orbital weapons. Surely they could deal with that terrifying figure?
After reporting, he paced back and forth, wanting to flee his home immediately but fearing the boss might have left some tracking mechanism on him.
After playing “Black Mountain Demon King” for so long, he understood exactly what a “martial expert” could do!
Nan Gong Chong calculated the time. Three minutes later, he suddenly opened his front door and saw a team of police officers emerging from the elevator and stairs.
“Did you report the incident?” The officer pointed his gun at Nan Gong Chong, cross-referencing the homeowner’s information with the person before him.
Nan Gong Chong nodded frantically: “Yes, yes! He’s inside, occupying my simulation pod. I barely managed to escape.”
“Occupying a simulation pod?” The officer clearly hesitated. Another internet addict suffering from gaming syndrome?
The officers proceeded with standard tactics, cautiously entering and surrounding the pod. Under Nan Gong Chong’s extremely anxious gaze, they suddenly lifted the cover.
Inside was completely empty!
Nan Gong Chong’s eyes widened in disbelief. A chill rose from the bottom of his heart, spreading to his head and feet, as if he had plunged into icy water.
Where did he go?
“Nan Gong Chong, right?” After searching the entire house, the lead officer sternly looked at him. “Filing a false report carries legal consequences and you’ll be responsible for our response costs.”
“I’ve seen too many kids like you, addicted to games to the point of confusing reality and fantasy. This is your only warning. Next time, you’d better have your parents or relatives take you to a mental hospital for evaluation.”
Nan Gong Chong nodded blankly, watching them leave and the door close behind them. His heart felt icy cold, his movements sluggish, as if frozen stiff.
It’s over, it’s over. He must have noticed something and now he’s hiding somewhere…
After a while, with nothing happening, Nan Gong Chong, the seasoned homebody, regained a bit of hope. Summoning his courage, he jumped to his computer, quickly booted it up, and posted on the forum:
“Help! A hidden boss emerged from the game and is now at my house, trying to kill me! What should I do? Urgent, online now!”
Surely I’m not the only one who owns the collector’s edition?
“I Laugh Boldly Toward the Sky” quickly replied: “Again, the OP? Using such methods to get replies is truly admirable. I won’t even ask for the first reply, but I must praise you!”
“Wind Meal Dew Stay” chimed in with a sweating emoji: “Ask your uncle to modify the program and eliminate him!”
“Throw money at it until Cangqiong Games is satisfied!” said “Three Born from One.”
“Why not just give him the flower and surrender?”
“Study under him! What a great opportunity! The responsibility of safeguarding world peace will fall to you, OP!”
…
They thought Nan Gong Chong was joking, and the topic was amusing enough that one ridiculous answer after another poured in, nearly bringing him to tears. He quickly replied:
“It’s true! I swear on my ancestors for eighteen generations!”
“Love Nie Xiaoqian” also chimed in: “Hehe, I love how you always look so serious while making things up.”
As Nan Gong Chong was about to respond, he suddenly noticed a reflection in the glass in front of him. The slightly weathered man in the blue robe was standing right behind him!
In an instant, he minimized the forum window and turned around, stammering: “S-senior, did you finish your experience?”
“I want to meet your uncle,” Meng Qi said succinctly.
Nan Gong Chong hurriedly nodded: “Okay, okay! I’ll contact him again later!”
A breath of relief quietly escaped him. At least this hidden boss from the game didn’t understand computers! At least he had developed stealthy gaming skills under his parents’ strict surveillance—first-class concealment!
Just then, he heard Meng Qi say again: “Move aside.”
Nan Gong Chong stood up in confusion, stepping aside, and watched in shock as Meng Qi skillfully located the hidden browser, expertly chose to post, and fluently typed a title:
“Does anyone know about the Seven Kill Stele? Online, pretty urgent.”
Nan Gong Chong’s mouth slowly opened again. He felt he would never forget this night, dominated by fear, helplessness, shock, and disbelief.
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