Time flies. Seventeen years have passed since I transmigrated to this world.

In my past life, I was an assassin—a hacker-assassin who mastered cyber warfare.

Now, in this life, I’m Su Shunhua, just a high school student.

Orphaned young, my sister and I cling to each other. Between classes, I work odd jobs to make ends meet. I cherish this quiet life… I’ve had enough of blood and gunpowder.

A sister and a roof over my head, no parents, obsessed with part-time jobs, content with the status quo—that’s my reality.

I’m grateful this world is also ruled by humans, resembling Earth with similar technology—though its tech tree branched oddly.

Here, the electronic entertainment industry dominates everything. It’s humanity’s spiritual pillar, crushing all other tech sectors underfoot. It’s the era’s pinnacle industry, merging cutting-edge advancements.

Among these, neural-link game chambers blend socializing, entertainment, and fitness—becoming the core of digital leisure.

In this age, those who don’t play online games are rare oddities. I’m one of them.

Having survived too many real battles, I find no thrill in virtual tension… Peace is bliss. After finally finding calm, why return to scheming against others?

Unfortunately, my sister Su Yingning disagrees.

*Bang!*

My bedroom door slammed open. The girl—dressed in pale pink pajamas, trailing a sweet scent of youth—stormed in. Without a word, she flung herself onto my bed, buried her face in my pillow, and wailed.

What’s wrong with her? I’d never seen Yingning cry so hard.

I rubbed my temples. “Bullied again? Scolded by a teacher? Teased by classmates?”

Yingning sobbed into my pillow for a long while. I sat stiffly at my desk, utterly lost.

*How do you comfort a crying sister when you only know how to kill people?*

Ah—got it!

“Who hurt you? Tell me. I’ll kill them.”

She turned her head, pouting with wounded eyes. Her tear-streaked cheeks flushed crimson. “Kill? You don’t even play games. How would you kill anyone?”

I forced a chuckle. “What game…?”

She buried her face deeper. Her muffled voice dripped with despair: “The game doesn’t matter. We’ve quit anyway… Besides, they’re a top-ten global Guild. Even if you weren’t a total noob—what could one player do against tens of thousands?”

“Tens of thousands? So what?” My little sister underestimating me? Infuriating. I glared. “The ghosts under my gun in my past life numbered far more than that!”

“Bro, you’re full of it again…” Her sobs hitched. “You skip studying to brag all day…”

“I’m not lying…” I sat beside her, sighing as she cried harder.

This girl was a model student—honor roll, three-striped squad leader, the kind who found joy in textbooks. Her morals were pristine. Compared to my lazy, aimless self, we were worlds apart.

Yet no one knew this cold, elegant genius was secretly a hardcore gamer.

“The teachers wouldn’t dare bully me. Classmates rarely bother me. It’s… it’s about the game. Telling you won’t help anyway.” Yingning sat up, hugging my pillow. Her silky hair mirrored her tangled emotions.

“How do you know I can’t help unless you tell me? Back in my day, they called me the Wujiang Little Overlord!”

“Wait.” Yingning narrowed her eyes. “I know Sun Ce, the Little Overlord of Jiangdong, and Wujiang pickled mustard… What’s this ‘Wujiang Little Overlord’ nonsense?”

“Details don’t matter! The point is—”

“Wait again!” She cut me off. “*Your* ‘back in the day’? Bro, you’re seventeen. Were you a ‘Little Overlord’ in kindergarten? Use your brain! Study math! Ignorance is terrifying!”

I rubbed my nose, chastised yet again by my honor-student sister.

But my nonsense had worked—Yingning’s tears slowed.

After a silence, she whispered: “Our Guild… was wiped out.”

My sharp ears caught every word.

I didn’t grasp why a game with infinite respawns mattered so much… but I saw her heartbreak.

“They declared a Guild Annihilation War. Destroyed our territory. Trapped everyone at the Respawn Point… grinding us down to level zero…” Her dry eyes flooded anew. “As Guild Leader… I could do nothing. I just watched everyone… die over and over… respawn… die again… until… until we were all level zero. A year of hard work… gone.”

I stayed silent, gently patting her back.

My little shadow had grown up… with people and beliefs she wanted to protect.

“Most quit. Our 500-member Guild shrank to forty… We disbanded. Everyone left the game.” She leaned on my shoulder, soaking it with tears. Her voice trembled like a wounded creature’s. “We all wanted revenge… but it was *Jian Hui Tianxia*… a top-ten Great Guild… We’ll never get revenge…”

“Then quit gaming. Revenge cycles never end…” I declared nobly.

“No! I’ll play! Those forty are waiting for me!” A flicker of resolve crossed her face. She sat straighter, tears still glistening but hope shining through. “We’ll pioneer the new game soon! *Zhui Xun II*—the era-defining hit unifying all Game Chambers! This time, I’ll seize the advantage! Build a Guild strong enough to protect itself!”

“Oh? What game?” I asked casually.

“*Zhui Xun II*. The sequel to the holographic pioneer *Zhui Xun I*. It promises a new era—continent three times Earth’s size, physics engines with lifelike realism, AI NPCs with true logic…” Yingning recited flawlessly, clearly memorized. “Guilds worldwide are itching to start. Bro, you *have* to play. Who doesn’t game these days?”

“No.” I shook my head fast. “Gaming’s exhausting.”

“It’s relaxing! If you hate fighting, be a life-skills player! Most are girls… but who says boys can’t embroider? Pleeease? I’m a pro! I’ll protect you!”

Seeing her spirit return—tears still wet but eyes bright—I finally relaxed. “No.”

“Pleeease?” She pouted, shaking my arm, her watery eyes pleading.

…She’s *begging*.

“Fine… but I’ll only be a life-skills player. No fighting.”

“Mhm! Mhm!” She bobbed her head like a chick pecking rice. “Yay! You’ll finally play~”

“*Zhui Xun II*, huh.” I reluctantly opened my laptop, pulling up a search engine.

Yingning yawned hugely. “Mm… yeah.”

I nodded, scanning details.

*Research everything before acting. Leave no gap.* A professional habit… Without it, ten lives wouldn’t be enough.

Just a game, but old instincts die hard.

“Server opens in half a month. Study guides now so you won’t be clueless at launch…” Her voice faded to a whisper.

*Thump.*

Exhausted from crying and emotional release, she collapsed onto the bed, fast asleep.

I tiptoed over, tucking a blanket around her.

*Sigh… This silly girl. How will she protect herself in a dangerous game world?*

Back at my desk, “Pet System Introduction” caught my eye.

“Pets are essential allies. A great pet can double your combat power!”

“Confirmed top-tier pets: Wind Wolf (Wind-type, Grade A), Rock Python (Earth-type, Grade A)…”

“Beyond these: unrevealed Grade S pets—Heavenly Dog, Flood Dragon. Each is unique, with special skills and higher AI. Grade S pets symbolize ultimate power. One owner can dominate the world!”

“The developers also hinted at an even rarer tier: Hyper-tier Pets. Far stronger than Grade S, each embodies a legend. Apex predators of Yader Continent. Their appearance reshapes the world!”

I stroked my chin, intrigued.

Yingning loves games… A gift, then?

A Hyper-tier Pet would do nicely, wouldn’t it?

My hacking skills… shouldn’t be rusty.

****************************

Time blurred in the cycle of school, meals, sleep, and prepping for the new game. Before I knew it—launch day arrived.

One thing stands out about launch day…

I’m currently inside a game. *Zhui Xun II*.

Some bug must’ve occurred. After pressing “Start Game,” I appeared here—no race selection, no appearance customization, no opening cutscene.

I glanced at the hyper-realistic scenery, plucked a blade of grass. Text floated before me:

*You obtained a Useless Blade of Grass.*

Yep. I’m in a game. These seventeen years weren’t a dream. I haven’t transmigrated again.

This was the game Yingning had forced me to try—a massive sandbox-RPG hybrid designed exclusively for game chambers. And it truly lived up to the hype.

Like most chamber-exclusive games, it scanned player biometrics to virtually eliminate catfishing… or so they claimed.

I stared in confusion at the nine fluffy white tails sprouting from my tailbone, radiating warmth.

So cozy… so soothing…

But that wasn’t the point!

I could’ve accepted being a male Fox Clan player! Yet under Yingning’s coercion, I’d memorized the lore: the Fox Clan, apex beings of this world, had two ironclad rules!

First: No males beyond three tails!

Second: Playable beast-type Demon Clans were limited to Cat, Wolf, Canine, Bear, and Tiger Clans—Fox Clan wasn’t an option! They only existed as summonable companions!

So…

I gaped in disbelief at the pale swell of my chest. Freshly spawned, I wore a snow-white bandeau—the skimpiest outfit among all Demon Clan players—leaving a deep, shadowed cleavage shamelessly exposed.

I reached out with slender, porcelain fingers and covered my chest, giving an experimental squeeze.

A wave of crushing humiliation shattered me. Every ounce of strength drained from my body, forcing a soft, involuntary whimper from my lips—

A voice so delicate and honeyed it could make any man’s pulse race…

Fine. I’d become the first player in game-chamber history with a gender mismatch… assuming nothing horrifying had happened to my real body.

Worse—I was likely gaming’s first player trapped as a pet.

I tried opening my inventory. Instead, a Pet Backpack appeared.

I tried checking my gear. Only a Pet Gear Panel showed up.

I tried viewing my character stats. Pet Profile loaded instead.

Name: 【None】

"None" meant unnamed. Right now, my head must be floating with tags like 【Nine-Tailed Fox—Capturable】 or 【Beibei’s Pet Nine-Tailed Fox】.

Race: Fox Clan

Max Tails: Nine

Quality: 【???】

Tapping the 【???】, a tooltip flickered: *Server quality tier not yet unlocked. Stay tuned.*

Gender: Female

Owner: Beibei

Owner?!

Panic seized me.

Only then did I notice the delicate silver collar locked around my neck.

I tapped its info panel—and my blood ran cold.

【Pet Collar】

What the—?! I’d become an in-game pet?! A fox maiden pet?!