Chapter 2
Chi Lin was still captivated by the novel surroundings when a sharp pain shot through her wrist as the person she was holding forcefully pulled away.
“Sis, it’s just a game, no need to get so worked up,” the young man, one eye now bruised purple, said peevishly, gesturing behind Chi Lin. “You kicked the door off its hinges! Doesn’t your foot hurt?”
His words jogged Chi Lin’s memory. She had kicked the door. That explained the throbbing pain.
But why had she seen herself kicking an assassin?
The young man pointed at the surrounding people and scolded, “And you lot! I tank for you in games, but when there’s trouble in real life, you all run away like cowards! How could I have such useless teammates?”
Chi Lin was startled again. This young man, barely past twenty, had several children old enough to be her teammates?
And how had the scenery changed so completely in an instant?
She turned and noticed two metal pieces on the floor.
Picking them up, she examined them closely. They were smooth and sleek, with a striking sheen. Could they be…?
Chi Lin looked at the young man. “Did you remove these from my temples?”
The young man blinked. “Temples? What are you talking about?”
Chi Lin leaned closer, and the young man instinctively recoiled.
“What are these?” Chi Lin held up the metal pieces.
“Those… those are the game access crystals for ‘Return to Jianghu’,” the young man stammered, looking at the heavily made-up girl with the bright red, spiky hair. He thought she seemed a bit off.
Holographic games had been around for over a decade. How could anyone not recognize the access crystals?
“‘Return to Jianghu’? Access crystals?” Chi Lin asked. “So the assassins I saw were in another dimension? Not here?”
The young man cautiously backed away. “You could say that… yeah.”
The other internet cafe patrons were silent, some logging out of their games after being alerted by their companions, all staring with curious gazes.
The young man tried to escape, but Chi Lin grabbed him again, pulling him into a corner. She lowered her voice. “You have the ability to shift between dimensions. Could it be you also know the Soul-Chasing Secret Art?”
The young man looked bewildered. “What secret art?”
Chi Lin repeated, “The Soul-Chasing Secret Art.”
The young man hesitated. “…Do you need me to call the police?”
Chi Lin frowned. “The police? What is that?”
Fifteen minutes later.
Two police officers stepped out of a patrol car and entered the “Cool Burn Holographic Gaming Center.”
“Who called?” the female officer asked, immediately spotting the girl with the bright red hair sitting in the corner.
The cafe manager hurried over, holding a tablet. “I did, officer. That kid over there caused a disturbance. Seems a little… unstable…”
The manager tapped his head. “And a bit violent. Look, she kicked the door off its hinges.”
The female officer approached Chi Lin and crouched down.
“Hey there, how old are you? Are you an adult? What’s your name?”
The manager winced internally. He had just said she was violent! What if she hurt the pretty police officer?
A child? Chi Lin considered the term.
She hadn’t had a chance to see this body’s appearance, but since the officer called her a child, she would play along.
But she didn’t know this body’s name.
Seeing Chi Lin’s silence, the male officer handed the female officer a flat device.
Chi Lin peered through her thick bangs, observing the female officer’s every move.
She must be a law enforcement officer of this era. The metal device she held had a similar texture to the access crystals, but its function was likely different.
The female officer pressed a button. A beep sounded, and Chi Lin’s face appeared on the device’s screen, along with several lines of text.
“Chi Lin, 17, a sophomore at South Lake Third High School, Class 6. Well, well, a minor skipping school to play games and destroying property. A few days in detention might teach you a lesson.”
How did she know my name? Detention?
Chi Lin’s heart pounded. Every detail in this unknown time amplified her unease.
The words they spoke, the objects they used… everything was beyond her comprehension.
But years of experience on the battlefield and in the political arena kept her composure intact.
The female officer, seeing her silence, chuckled and flicked Chi Lin’s hair. “Just kidding. Nice hair, by the way. But not entirely kidding. Your parents are responsible for you being in an internet cafe underage. And the cafe will be fined, too.”
The manager quickly interjected, “Officer, our system is a bit outdated. We haven’t updated to the latest network security yet. It was a mistake, a genuine mistake!”
The female officer ignored him, continuing to address Chi Lin. “Come on, give me your parents’ phone number. I’m not letting you go until I speak to your guardian.”
“Guardian…” Chi Lin pondered the word.
Someone who supervised and protected a child. Parents. The meaning seemed accurate enough.
“Lin,” the male officer said, and the female officer checked the device again. The scan showed that Chi Lin’s parents were divorced, and she lived with her mother.
Her mother’s name was Peng Ziyuan, born in June 2001, 42 years old, a senior engineer at YHK Machinery, a subsidiary of N-T Group.
A single-parent household. The female officer understood.
She looked up Peng Ziyuan’s contact information and called her.
After a brief lecture over the phone, the female officer returned. “Your mom said she’s out of town and can’t come get you. She’s going to contact your older sister to pick you up. She hung up before I could give her the address, and now her phone is off. Maybe the battery died. I don’t have your sister’s number. Care to share?”
Phone number? What was that?
Chi Lin had a million questions, but she was already perceived as strange. Asking more might expose her, creating unnecessary complications.
Since these officers could access her guardian’s information, they could surely find her “sister” as well.
Chi Lin simply said, “I don’t have her number.”
The officers exchanged a look that clearly said, Kids these days. Not only do they skip school to play games, they lie without blinking.
“Let me see your phone,” the female officer said.
“I don’t have a phone,” Chi Lin replied.
“Don’t give me that. I saw it.” The officer snatched the phone charm dangling from Chi Lin’s pocket, pulled out the phone, scanned Chi Lin’s face, and unlocked it.
So this object was called a phone. And a phone number was likely a number associated with it.
Chi Lin made a mental note.
The officer scrolled through the contacts. There was no entry for “sister,” but there was one for “Mom’s BF.”
Mother’s boyfriend?
The officer dialed the number. It was indeed Peng Ziyuan’s boyfriend.
…
Lou Mi had been up all night for a practice match and woke up at her desk. Her arm, which she had used as a pillow, was numb.
Blearily, she tied back her loose hair.
Before even opening her eyes properly, she noticed her computer screen was still on, displaying the livestream interface from last night.
The stream had ended, but the small window in the corner, focused on her face, was still active.
Gifts continued to flood in, especially as she tied her hair, triggering a morning gift-giving frenzy.
The comments scrolled rapidly:
“Wake up, everyone! Lou-jie is brushing her hair!”
“Ahhhh, Lou-jie is as beautiful as ever!”
“I could watch Lou-jie brush her hair for a year!”
“Don’t lie, I watched Lou-jie sleep all night.”
“Will Lou-jie stream tonight? I’m getting paid today and want to donate!”
Lou Mi had been exhausted last night. After the practice match, she’d passed out without removing her access crystals, leaving the camera running all night.
“Everyone go to school or work. See you later,” Lou Mi said to the camera, waving as she shut down the stream and stretched.
Back from freshening up, she saw messages popping up in the club’s “Nine Heavens” team chat.
Pagoda: “Mi-jie is Mi-jie. Even sleeping, she makes bank.”
Xie Buyu: “Mi-jie, you better come to the club today. Lan-jie is looking for you everywhere. Says she needs to talk.”
Lou Mi grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, sat back down, and chugged it.
HighTowerMiyuki: “Okay, got it.”
HighTowerMiyuki was Lou Mi’s gaming ID. Captain of the Nine Heavens team, current champion of the hottest wuxia holographic game, “Return to Jianghu,” and the first female champion in the game’s history.
Known for her exceptional skills, ruthless gameplay, and few words, HighTowerMiyuki was a goddess to countless fans worldwide. She had once set a record-breaking livestream with over 60 million concurrent viewers and 2.5 billion clicks.
Lou Mi was also naturally beautiful, capable of both sweet and regal looks. Her flawless face radiated a queenly aura, and her occasional sharp remarks, coupled with her love for sweets, created an endearing contrast that captivated her audience.
Whenever she agreed to show her face, the club would set up a hundred cameras to capture every angle.
This was the age of gaming, and HighTowerMiyuki was its darling.
Xie Buyu: “Mi-jie, do you know what Lan-jie is so mad about? She’s been on edge these past few days, like a walking volcano. No one dares to go near her.”
HighTowerMiyuki: “She’s sulking at me. Just stay out of her way.”
Pagoda: “Please, Mi-jie, save us from this torment!”
Lou Mi was about to reply when something felt wrong.
Why was that last gulp of milk spicy?
The initial taste had been normal, rich and milky, but the final mouthful was now burning a path down her throat.
She picked up the carton and examined it. A red residue clung to the bottom – chili paste, without a doubt.
Who else would pull such a childish prank but that little brat?
Thankfully, Lou Mi always locked her door. She shuddered to think what the brat might have done while she was asleep otherwise.
The chili paste had a lingering burn. Lou Mi’s face flushed red, and she couldn’t speak. She rushed to the kitchen and gulped down two glasses of water, finally quelling the fire.
As she contemplated whether to dislocate the brat’s arm or head the next time they met, her dad called.
Her tongue still tingling, Lou Mi answered with an irritated “Hello.”
“Mimi, your Ziyuan Auntie and I are still out of town on business. Could you do us a favor?”
Lou Mi didn’t need him to continue. She could tell from his tone and phrasing whether it was a normal call or one related to Chi Lin.
She launched into her preemptive strike: “Yesterday, that little brat Chi Lin dismantled my most expensive Gundam model without apologizing. The day before, she deliberately opened my game cabinet and let Tiger pee all over my games. The day before that, she tied my shoelaces together while I was in a practice match, causing me to trip and fall ten thousand meters in-game… and just now, she poisoned my milk! My tongue is still numb! I’ve got a list of hundreds of other offenses, big and small, and I’ll be settling the score when you get back. Now, tell me what favor you need.”
Dad: “…”
Leave a Reply