Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Red Star Tower.

From the depths of the fourth-floor restroom, a faint, intermittent dripping sound beckoned, tempting one to investigate. Yet, the sole occupant was fixated on the mirror before him, oblivious to all else.

Reflected in the glass was a beautiful face—delicate features, skin flawlessly pale, and lips a morbid, unnatural black, lending an unsettling, almost alluring,病态美.

Ying Yuanxing couldn’t shake the feeling that his reflection was smiling at him, a smile both unsettling and seductive.

*Wait, how could he possibly be smiling right now?*

The thought flickered and vanished. Ying Yuanxing didn’t dwell on it. He simply sighed deeply, staring at his reflection, a grim realization dawning: he had truly transmigrated.

As for the *why*, the sharp chest pain before he lost consciousness provided the answer: *karōshi*—death from overwork.

The memory alone made his heart ache faintly, and soon, his head throbbed as fragmented memories violently surged into his mind.

After absorbing the body’s memories, Ying Yuanxing fell silent.

This transmigration was… indescribable. He had gone from an overworked corporate drone who died from exhaustion to another, trembling on the brink of collapse under the relentless pressure of a high-stress company.

No—perhaps not *on the verge* of collapse, but already broken.

The chest pain earlier wasn’t an illusion; it was the lingering agony of this body. Even now…

Ying Yuanxing glanced down at his fingers. His nails still bore traces of cyanosis from oxygen deprivation, though fading. It was proof of how dire the situation had been.

Realizing his body wasn’t in good shape, Ying Yuanxing decided to visit a hospital. After all, while his soul had crossed over, it couldn’t heal physical ailments. If something happened again, he doubted his luck would stretch to a second transmigration.

He turned to leave, stepping over a puddle of water that had somehow crept to his feet.

In the mirror, the young man watched Ying Yuanxing’s retreating figure. The smile on his face finally cracked, revealing an icy coldness beneath.

…………

[Xia State Livestream]

On the screen, Ying Yuanxing’s figure gradually receded. Only when he was nearly out of frame did the invisible camera follow.

“This streamer’s got guts—didn’t make any unnecessary moves and slipped away before the Weird could act. But don’t try this at home, folks. Any slower, and the Toilet Weird would’ve gotten him.”

“Ughhh, that scared me! I thought this contestant was gonna get wiped out instantly. Glad he escaped!”

“Seems like this guy’s got decent luck. Faced two weird entities and walked away unscathed.”

“Wait, just the Mirror Weird? There was another one?”

“Did the person above skip class? Didn’t you notice the dripping sound was off? Low vigilance like that’ll get you killed fast if you’re chosen for a Weird Game.”

……

Comments scrolled rapidly.

It was Year 4 of the New Calendar—or Year 4 of the Apocalypse.

Four years ago, monsters and weird entities began appearing on Earth.

No one knew exactly when the first weird entity emerged. By the time humanity became aware of them, their numbers had already grown.

Governments had tried to eradicate them, but firearms only worked on some monsters. Against most weird entities, they were useless.

Then came the Eerie Domains—areas corrupted and reshaped by the weird entities, encroaching on Earth’s land. Humanity realized this was a war for survival. If they lost, Earth would become a playground for the weird entities.

As humanity retreated, a self-styled "Salvation Game" appeared, randomly selecting people to enter livestreamed supernatural trials. Through these broadcasts, the world could learn about the monsters and how to survive encounters with them.

Thus, the livestream became essential viewing. Other streams could be skipped, but the Weird Game broadcasts had no replays. Even if governments later compiled the information, nothing compared to real-time viewing. Missing even a single detail could mean death when facing a weird entity.

Yet, nearly three years had passed since the livestreams began. Common weird entities were now well-documented, while the rarer, deadlier ones were both infrequent and nearly impossible to escape even with prior knowledge. As a result, viewership had declined.

Most people now tuned in only to veteran contestants. Newcomers, selected monthly by the *Salvation Game*, only drew crowds at the start of their streams. Once the novelty wore off, few remained—their content was too similar to past broadcasts.

Besides, new contestants had low survival rates. Getting attached only to watch them die was emotionally taxing. Research showed that low spirits attracted weird entities—though the reason remained unclear.

For the sake of oneself and others, it was best not to sink into despair.

……

Ying Yuanxing had no idea he was being watched—or that he’d been pulled into a so-called Weird Game.

Exiting the restroom, he saw his coworkers through the glass walls, heads down, working frantically as if they needed extra limbs to keep up. Nearby, a colleague was berating a group of interns, their faces pale with fear at the verbal onslaught.

A quick scan of his memories made Ying Yuanxing consider quitting.

This company was brutally stratified. The colleague who tormented interns would cower just as desperately before a manager.

And verbal abuse was mild. Company policy allowed full-time employees to haze interns with impunity—short of killing them. Managers, meanwhile, could do whatever they wanted to employees, even ‘accidental’ fatalities, with little consequence.

The more Ying Yuanxing recalled, the more he froze.

At first, he’d only skimmed the original host’s memories, missing the world’s true nature. Now, the horrifying reality sank in.

The company was bad enough, but outside? Random beatings and killings were commonplace. The government barely maintained order—victims of violence were on their own.

As for the hospital he’d planned to visit? Exorbitant, opaque fees. With insurance, it was manageable. But the original host, freshly promoted from intern, wouldn’t qualify for company healthcare for another year. Without it, hospitals could bleed patients dry—or take payment in flesh.

*What kind of dystopian nightmare is this?!*

Ying Yuanxing marveled at how the original host had survived this long. Now, *he* had to endure it.

The thought of living in this world sent a chill down his spine.

Glancing at his terrified, overworked colleagues—too afraid to slack—Ying Yuanxing sighed and got to work. With the host’s memories, he could bluff his way through for a while.

Maybe, in time, he’d adjust.

Sure, this world was terrifying, but the original host had made it this far. Survival couldn’t be *that* hard… right?

……

Compared to other livestreams’ thrilling action, Ying Yuanxing’s broadcast was like watching paint dry. Once he started working, the livestream might as well have been a still image. Even his handsome face couldn’t compensate for the tedium.

The occasional shrieks and whimpers only set viewers’ teeth on edge, driving more away. Only a handful remained.

With no movement from Ying Yuanxing, viewers started scrutinizing other details—the office’s bleak décor, the hushed panic in coworkers’ whispers.

Which is when they spotted the name of Ying Yuanxing’s company.

“Is that bespectacled guy talking about Hongxing Company? The Hongxing I'm thinking of?” someone exclaimed in surprise.

“What's this Hongxing Company?” others who were less informed asked in confusion.

Soon, someone explained: Hongxing Company is an A-level Weird Domain in the Weird Game. Unlike other domains, Hongxing Company can split, with smaller domains appearing in different regions, each maintaining a connection to the main domain.

Hongxing Company's primary business is collecting and selling Weird Artifacts from various regions. Some of these artifacts can aid players in the Weird Game, either by enhancing their physical abilities or serving as weapons against the Weird.

However, Hongxing Company's Weird Artifacts are in such high demand that even the Weird sometimes can't get them, let alone humans trying to conceal their identities.

It's not just players who want these Weird Artifacts—governments worldwide also seek them. While the Weird are difficult to study, since players have occasionally brought out physical Weird Artifacts, they have proven easier to research, and even led to some discoveries. Yet, Weird Artifacts are so rare that players in the Weird Game barely have enough for themselves, making it uncommon for them to part with any.

In pursuit of Weird Artifacts, some players even risk joining Hongxing Company, assuming that becoming an employee would make acquisition easier. Unfortunately, most fail at the interview stage, and even those who pass often get eliminated during the internship phase.

Failure as an intern means death. With so many lives lost, other players hold back—after all, lacking Weird Artifacts is dangerous, but Hongxing Company is even deadlier.

But now, a player has entered the Weird Game already as an employee of Hongxing Company—and a permanent employee at that.

Realizing this, the whole livestream blew up.