In the pitch-black room, only a sliver of light seeped through gaps in the taped-up window, barely illuminating the messy floor below.
Shattered bowls lay scattered as if from a fierce argument, uncleaned water stains seemed to hide something, and a bulging black trash bag oozed a trickle of red liquid...
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows—shorter than a man (say, 180 cm), taller than a woman (say, 150 cm). She slowly lifted her head, her face hidden under a hoodie and an N95 mask. The girl gripped a utility knife, her eyes glinting with dangerous red light.
The clock ticked, tocked, like counting down someone’s final moments.
*Click.* The blade snapped out, its sharp tip gleaming coldly. Beneath the mask, the girl’s face twisted into an utterly cruel smile. Her chaotic, frenzied eyes deepened to a fiercer red, almost forming three tomoe marks.
Her hunched body froze about a meter from "it." With a grimace, she raised the weapon, trembling as she aimed toward...
Toward...
Toward the door sealed with countless cardboard boxes and tape—and burst into loud sobs. 😭😭
The utility knife snapped shut. She collapsed to the floor, wailing and rolling in despair:
"I don’t want to go out! 😭😭😭"
"I don’t want to go out... (sniffle) ...🥺😭"
"There are no good people out there! It’s all devils! 👿 All old ladies! 👵🏻 No good guys! 😭 I wanna stay home! 😭..."
"Cough, cough, cough... (choking) ...wahhh... 🥲"
Hua Xin pulled off her mask, blew her nose hard, and her wide, watery eyes peeking from under the oversized hoodie looked utterly pitiful.
Minutes later, her sobs gradually quieted.
She pulled out her phone, checked the time, wiped her tears, and silently climbed to her feet.
11:30.
Thursday. The first day of her mandatory two weekly classes. The past three days had been spent in "special training." Today was the test.
Thinking of yesterday... Hua Xin flushed red with silent rage. 😡
After successfully extorting fifty Q coins, she’d been happy for a long while.
But then an obvious problem hit her.
How could Q coins pay for non-game expenses? 🤔
The answer: she’d agonizingly bought a one-month pass for *Wave Echo*. 😭😭
Next time, she’d ruthlessly farm gold from that shrimp-headed guy whose contact was labeled "Water Husband" (unbearable) to make up for this loss!!
Of course, her own contact label remained "World’s #1 Good Son."
Her gaze then drifted to her chest.
...
🐻 Big nothing...
Impossible! 😡
But something more urgent loomed.
Less than two hours until her 1 PM accounting class! 😱
You can do it... Hua Xin... you can do it.
Haha, it’s just going out, right? (sweating bullets) 🤠
Surely no one’s actually scared to go out? (self-hypnosis.)
She grabbed another N95 mask, put it on, and stared resolutely at the sealed door. The utility knife glinted coldly in her hand once more.
Then the spear thrust—
Wrong.
Then Hua Xin remembered a story while staring at the door. 😋
The word "going out" originated from a myth.
Back then, Zeus had holed up on his mountain for five hundred years. After finishing *Black Myth: Wukong* on his computer, 🖥️ he marveled at its polish and realized one plus one equaled two. ☝️🤓 He summoned Prometheus to debate whether the Three Pure Fires were forged from six herbs: [Rehmannia, Cornus, Dioscorea, Alisma, Moutan, Poria].
So, who’d win: the Great Sage Equaling Heaven or Apollo?
Prometheus refused to accept it. Grabbing the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod, he stole fire from Apollo’s chariot and flew east to duel the Destined One and defend Northern gods’ honor. 😡
Midway, he realized he had no money for a visa. He traded rations with a passerby named Wang Xiaoming for 268 yuan and pressed on.
Arriving, he froze. He had an 8 AM class. Was this even abroad?
How had he reached the world’s end? 😨
Checking the date: July 16th. Not yet August 20th.
Ah, *Black Myth* hadn’t even launched yet. Haha. 😃
"Haha..." The girl chuckled dryly, lost in thought. 😃
What was she even thinking? 🤯
Haha?
Hua Xin snapped back to reality, staring at the time.
12:00.
Half an hour gone just like that? 😭😭😭
What to do what to do what to do what to do what to do what to do? 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻😨
This was like going out during gaokao or updating medical records over Lunar New Year.
Back then, she’d brainwashed herself with "If I go out this time, I’ll never have to again." 😇 That got her through the sacred door that had protected her for so long. 🚪 (Gratitude.)
But this time...
No amount of self-hypnosis worked. Aaaahhh! 😭😭
Twice a week, she had to face strangers, unknown terrors, malicious stares, and that suffocating classroom...
Hua Xin shuddered. That long-forgotten chill surged back.
Dusty memories threatened to replay in her mind.
Her eyes welled up, tears brimming, panic tightening her chest.
*Buzz.*
Her phone vibrated with a new message.
Hua Xin shook her head wildly (extremely sensitive), banishing the dark thoughts.
"Huff..." She took a deep breath, 🥺 picked up her phone.
Yunzi (Class Monitor Xia Yan): "Hua Xin, are you at Jindi Xiangshan?"
"Sorry, you didn’t reply earlier. I checked your enrollment address without permission—but it lacked the unit number. I’m at the main gate now. If you don’t mind, we can head to school together. ☺️"
A cute "Hakimi" cat sticker followed.
Is... is this a good person? (Alert.)
Hua Xin immediately checked if this contact was added via her advisor’s recommendation.
No issues... (Confused.)
Could such good people exist? 🧐
Coming to pick her up personally...
Could it be...
She grabbed her pure-black backpack, unzipped it, and revealed a hammer inside. 🔨
If things turned bad.
She’d save herself.
Taking a deep breath.
Tears streaming, she used the utility knife to slice through the taped door.
"I fucking hate you, hate you, hate you... 🥺 You force me out, force me out..."
"Are you stupid?! 😭🤧"
