“Chapter 1”

"Chapter 1"

"Fang Zhou felt as if she had been thrown onto a tumultuously rocking boat in the sea, her head splitting with pain and her stomach churning violently, feeling like her bones were about to fall apart."

"Struggling to emerge from the haze of consciousness, her blurred vision began to take in her immediate surroundings."

"She was in the passenger seat of a moving vehicle, which explained the jarring bumps she felt."

"Seconds later, her vision cleared, and through the windshield, she was confronted with an apocalyptic scene."

"Outside, the murky air was tinged with grey, visibility was extremely low, and the surrounding buildings and structures were only visible at a very close range. Collapsed skyscrapers were everywhere, not a single green plant in sight, and the few standing buildings were, without exception, weathered and dilapidated, tainted with the scent of decay and age under the dreary sky."

"In such conditions, Fang Zhou couldn’t fathom how the driver could see the road ahead."

"The discomfort in her body intensified as her consciousness returned, making it difficult for Fang Zhou to focus and understand her current situation, feeling nothing but pain. Despite this, she forced herself to recall."

"If her memory served her right, she was on an operating table just a moment ago, undergoing a heart surgery with only a fifty percent chance of success, only to wake up in a completely different place."

"…Surely, she hadn't run into some unscrupulous doctor who took her kidneys."

"The acute pain throughout her body was too real, and she was acutely aware that she was not in a dream, nor was it a post-anesthesia delusion."

"Fang Zhou tried to turn her head to see who was in the driver's seat, but aside from the overwhelming discomfort in her body, it felt as if she was using this body for the first time, struggling to make even this simple movement."

"As if in response to her confusion, a somewhat cold male voice sounded from beside her."

"“Sister, are you awake?”"

"After a few seconds of adjustment, she finally managed to control her head and turn it to the side, unexpectedly meeting a pair of dark and deep pupils."

"The driver was a young man who didn't seem very old, dressed in a black and coffee-colored jacket, with hands clad in black fingerless gloves resting on the steering wheel. His pure black pupils and hair color made his exposed skin appear as white as snow."

"Noticing Fang Zhou looking at him, he paused and averted his gaze, continuing, 'Just bear with it a little longer. We're injecting a new antigen this time; your body might have some rejection reactions. It'll take a while to take effect.'"

"'I've urged them to develop the final antibody as quickly as possible. Once it's ready, sister, you'll be just like a normal person.'"

"Fang Zhou opened her mouth but couldn't muster the strength to speak."

"Receiving no response from her, the young man didn't get annoyed. He spoke slowly, with a comforting tone that seemed habitual, 'Don’t be afraid, sister, I will always be on your side.'"

"As he finished speaking, the vehicle came to a stop. She hadn't had time to process the information in his words."

"The view in front of the windshield gradually became clear. A huge metal wall stood ahead, with two massive mechanical gun arms suddenly pointing their barrels at the car, exuding an intimidating presence."

"Fang Zhou's previously muddled head instantly cleared."

"The young man in the driver's seat remained unfazed, and the next second, the car's driving system emitted a cold mechanical voice."

"'Identity confirmation complete.'"

"'Authentication: A-001 Shelter's Supreme Commander 'Joker.''"

"'Granted passage.'"

"As the system finished announcing, the mechanical arms rotated their guns away, lying in front like slumbering lions."

"The tightly sealed metal gate slowly opened, the car drove in, and the bumpy journey smoothed out. The previously deserted world immediately came to life upon entering the gate."

"Visibility was still low, but the surrounding buildings were mostly new, starkly contrasting the ruins outside. Besides, Fang Zhou could vaguely make out numerous figures."

"After a while, they arrived at a white building that stood out from the rest of the scenery along the way. The young man parked the car, opened the door, and got out. Fang Zhou wanted to follow, but her limbs were too heavy to move."

"In a few seconds, the passenger door opened, and the young man lifted a cloak, wrapping her securely in it, putting the hood on her, then adeptly picked her up as if he had done it countless times."

"Aware that her situation was abnormal, with her legs feeling as heavy as lead and unable to exert any strength, unable to even move, let alone walk on her own, Fang Zhou made no unnecessary movements. She just tilted her head to the side to avoid pressing her face against his chest."

"Exiting the car, there was a wheelchair placed next to it, with a man standing beside it."

"This man had blood-red hair, sharp facial features, and an aggressive appearance."

"He raised an eyebrow at the young man, his tone frivolous: 'Yo, finally back, Commander.'"

"The young man completely ignored him, placed Fang Zhou in the wheelchair, and leaned on the armrests, saying, 'Sister, I have some matters to attend to. You go with Caesar to the research center for a check-up.'"

"After speaking, he gazed at Fang Zhou with his deeply black eyes, motionless as if paused."

"Feeling somewhat wary, she tried to squeeze out a response from her throat when he didn't react, '...Understood.'"

"Upon her response, the young man seemed wound up, standing up to leave, with Caesar taking over the wheelchair."

"Fang Zhou glanced at him."

"His gaze towards her was clearly hostile, and seeing her look his way, he didn’t hide it, raising an eyebrow and giving her a malicious smile, 'What’s the matter, looking at me like that, ‘sister’?'"

"Although she hadn’t figured out exactly what was happening, the man in front of her was definitely not her 'brother.' His use of 'sister' was filled with sarcasm, starkly different from how the young man had said it."

"This guy clearly disliked, even loathed her."

"Fang Zhou immediately came to that conclusion."

"The white building was tightly secured. Just getting inside, Fang Zhou passed through several layers of identity verification, with every door being an explosion-proof steel gate. More and more people appeared in her line of sight."

"Seeing her, those who were originally talking stopped their activities and fell silent."

"Only after she had moved further away did they start whispering among themselves again."

"The whispering voices seemed to be amplified, continuously reaching Fang Zhou's ears, causing a pain in her temples like needles."

"Her senses had become extremely acute, enabling her to hear clearly what those people were saying, even from a distance."

"'The Commander took her to the Central again. Wonder how many alien reports we have to hand over this time to complete the deal.'"

"'So many in the Vanguard team died just to gather that information…'"

"'Yet the one who should really be dead is still alive.'"

“……”

"'Dragging around a body with old human genes, she should have been eliminated by this world long ago!'"

"Their words, both spoken and implied, all conveyed the same message—'Hurry up and die.'"

"'Shelter,' 'Joker,' 'sister,' 'Central,' 'antigen.'"

"Fang Zhou pieced together the key information she had gathered since regaining consciousness. Combining these familiar words with the disdainful and disgusted attitudes of those people, a rather grim conjecture began to form in her mind."

"Her surgery had failed."

"And there was another, even worse conjecture – she had transmigrated."

"—Transmigrated into the interactive movie game she once played, 'Old City Ruins,' becoming an early, significant cannon fodder character in the game."

"The young man who had called her 'sister' was one of the main characters of the game 'Fang Xunjiang,' known by the codename 'Joker.'"

"'Old City Ruins' is set in a high-tech future world, where a disaster has struck, destroying vegetation and causing widespread devastation. The unbearable radiation covers the Earth, and even with advanced technology, escape from the planet is impossible."

"The world's safe zones are confined to the mainland of Country C. Along with the natural disasters, countless monsters appeared on the mainland, with some humans awakening abilities to combat these alien creatures."

"This day in the game is known as 'The Fall.'"

"As time passed, the principle of natural selection and survival of the fittest prevailed, and human genetics evolved with the environment. Most people developed antibodies to some extent against radiation, including all newborns."

"Some old humans who couldn't adapt to the new world were eliminated, and the body that Fang Zhou now inhabited belonged to these soon-to-be-extinct old humans, whose constitution regressed to that of the nearly extinct old humans after leaving the protection of their original mother."

"This game was heavily criticized in its early beta phase, mainly due to the character Fang Zhou now embodied."

"In the game’s beta storyline, she repeatedly emotionally blackmailed the protagonist, her younger brother, into using the majority of the shelter's resources to exchange for expensive antigens to sustain her."

"This act caused the collapse of the shelter’s combat system, leading to a rebellion where the inhabitants ultimately betrayed and expelled the protagonist and her."

"The player's journey in the game starts from here, having to rebuild power while caring for such a frail sister."

"'Fang Zhou' became the protagonist's biggest obstacle, adding countless difficulties to his adventures, dragging through half of the plot half-alive before being devoured by an alien."

"Not only did the NPCs in the game wish for her early demise, but the players outside the game were even more relentless."

"Shortly after the beta storyline was released, her brother was mockingly called 'the sister-obsessed fool' by the players, who mostly despised her for continuously emotionally manipulating the protagonist."

"The reason she remembered the game’s plot so clearly was because the character shared her name, and every time she saw players cursing the character on game forums, it felt like she was being scolded."

"Having processed all this information, Fang Zhou's vision darkened."

"This body was incredibly frail, not a moment of ease since she arrived in this world, with the physical pain intensifying with every emotional surge."

"She tried to suppress those negative thoughts, considering that at least this was better than dying on the operating table, at least there was a chance to live."

"She wasn’t sure how far the storyline had progressed, whether it was nearing the part where she gets expelled, hoping there was still time to find a way out—"

"“Watch out!!”"

"Lost in her thoughts, an urgent shout from behind pulled her back to reality."

"A figure brushed past Fang Zhou and collapsed at her feet, followed by something slithering under her cloak and wrapping around her wrist."

"The cold and sticky sensation jolted her, with countless whispers flooding her mind at that moment, too chaotic to distinguish."

"She looked down, her body instantly tensing."

"What lay there could no longer be called human."

"Dense sprouts of flesh emerged from his exposed skin, covering his entire face. These sprouts writhed and extended outwards, gradually forming the semblance of long worms, desperately reaching towards Fang Zhou."

"She jerked her hand back, freeing it from the flesh sprouts, grasping the armrest of the wheelchair. The acid in her stomach almost rose to her throat, and the strange voices dissipated in that instant."

"A woman immediately followed, the same one who had warned them to be careful. She crouched down and removed the injection from the neck of the 'person' lying at Fang Zhou's feet."

"'The medicine took effect later than expected, almost let him get away,' she sighed in relief, signaling the people behind her to come forward. She then turned to Caesar, scolding, 'Are you blind? What kind of vigilance does a Vanguard team leader have? If you had carelessly bumped into her—'"

"The woman glanced subtly at Fang Zhou, stopping her sentence there, choosing not to continue."

"Fang Zhou clearly understood her implication. Her body was as fragile as a porcelain doll, a mere bump could have dire consequences."

"The red-haired man, who was reprimanded, innocently spread his hands: 'I don’t have eyes in the back of my head.'"

"Fang Zhou knew he did it on purpose. From the first moment she saw him, she could sense his intense dislike, stronger than any bystander’s."

"Caesar glanced at the mutated person, commenting, 'Tsk tsk, such a pity. The least useful devourer only becomes somewhat useful when near death.'"

"'Oh right, didn't scare you, did it, ‘sister’? It must be your first time seeing something like this, right? I hope the Commander won’t blame me later…'"

"Fang Zhou didn’t have time to respond to him, as she saw several lines of text slowly appearing on the body of the man being carried away, just three short lines."

"[Character: Devourer]"

"[Physical Damage Level: 99% (Suitable for Seizing)]"

"[Symbiotic Alien: Line Python]"

"What was that? And what were those voices just now?"

"New information appeared before her eyes. The nausea and repulsion in her stomach had not subsided, and her body was still in unbearable pain, maintaining her sanity was already her limit."

"The text that appeared on that 'person' was like the information bar for minor monsters in a game. She discreetly observed the other people present."

"Neither the researchers who carried the man away nor Caesar beside her showed any related information."

"During the beta test of the game that Fang Zhou had tried, there was no 'Devourer' character."

"In this game, humans were divided into two categories: 'Transcenders' with abilities and ordinary people without abilities, along with alien monsters that didn't belong to the human system."

"'What is a Devourer?' she straightforwardly asked, following Caesar's lead."

"Unexpectedly, Caesar glanced at her, refraining from mockery, and explained with a snort, 'Some ordinary people who desire the power of Transcenders risk symbiosis with alien creatures, temporarily gaining their power but invariably losing their sanity and being devoured by the aliens, becoming monsters with mere husks.'"

"It didn't sound very pleasant."

"Fang Zhou wanted to ask more, but being new, she decided it was better to speak less, stopping herself."

"Combining what Caesar had said about 'being useful only near death,' she could roughly guess that they were probably able to extract some information or other uses from these Devourers who had merged with aliens."

"And she could actually see the information about the alien creature parasitizing that person."

"Before Fang Zhou could ponder further on this connection, an image suddenly intruded into her mind."

"Soon, the blurry image in her mind gradually became clear."

"It was a forum interface, with densely packed words arranged in a way that made it difficult to find the main point at first. As the page became clearer, a large, bold title in the center caught Fang Zhou’s attention, making her heart tighten."

"It read—"

"[Topic: Good News, 'Old City Ruins' public beta storyline has changed, Fang Zhou, the burdensome character, might be getting her send-off earlier!]"