Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 4: Kidnapping

The two looked at each other for a moment.

Shu Jun was only interested in playing the game and had never bothered to think about the official plot. Compared with analyzing the complicated emotions of love and hate, it was more practical to look at more maps and watch more battle examples. In his mind, NPCs like generals and marshals only had names and didn’t match their image at all.

But even if Zhu Yanchen hadn’t shown his face much before, he could still recognize him at a glance.

The reason was simple. Marshal Zhu’s appearance was quite handsome—<Erosion> focused on a wasteland background, and players used their real looks. It was impossible for all the NPCs to be handsome and beautiful, but games were still games, so there had to be some good-looking NPCs to attract players.

Marshal Zhu was one such popular NPC. The female members of the Blackbirds would talk about him constantly in front of Shu Jun.

With this face, coupled with the striking marshal uniform, the name “Zhu Yanchen” seemed to be imprinted on his forehead. There weren’t many young marshals to begin with, so it would be difficult for Shu Jun not to recognize him.

The NPC who had just passionately tried to persuade Marshal Zhu, approached and saw Shu Jun on the edge of the window. He jumped back a few steps and drew his gun with trembling hands, as if he saw a poisonous spider crawling on the bedside.

Zhu Yanchen didn’t react much, but his expression was a bit complicated. Shu Jun didn’t have time to appreciate the meaning of this expression; he was trying to think of a decent way to escape.

Since he was discovered by a marshal-level NPC, it was too late to find equipment to contact the outside world. The distance between strongholds wasn’t far, so he could think of another solution…

The main thing was not to get captured again.

Shu Jun’s mind quickly turned. He loosened his hands, and wind accumulated between his body. He was going to try to escape in one breath, but Zhu Yanchen was even faster and managed to grasp his wrist.

Once a skill was activated, there was no way to instantly stop it. Shu Jun was stunned as he was blown away by the wind with an expressionless NPC hanging on his arm. In theory, NPC intelligence should be no different from that of a real person. Marshal Zhu was known for his strategic abilities and shouldn’t take such inexplicable and reckless actions.

However, the hand on his wrist remained tightly grasped. The violent wind swept the two people away and they flew directly out of the stronghold range.

Seeing that he was about to land, Shu Jun instinctively protected the other party and used himself as a meat cushion. It wasn’t until his back hit the ground that he realized the person in his arms was an NPC and not a teammate that he wanted to protect.

The siren from the stronghold sounded so sharp that he could faintly hear it from here.

“…The sample escaped! The sample escaped! It has kidnapped Marshal Zhu Yanchen. Repeat, it has kidnapped Marshal Zhu Yanchen…”

Shu Jun: “……”

Kidnapping? Wasn’t it this NPC’s fault in the first place*?

*Touching porcelain (碰瓷) Slang referring to a person intentionally causing an accident in order to extort money or compensation from others. It’s usually used as an expression for someone who deliberately sets themselves up to be a victim or to be taken advantage of.

The culprit didn’t continue to press on Shu Jun. Zhu Yanchen neatly stood up with not a single crease on his clothes, and he was even holding a decent-sized briefcase in his hand, as if he were about to step into a conference in the next second.

He simply scanned the surroundings and stretched out his hand to Shu Jun, who was lying on the ground. The hand was covered with white gloves, and there was a little skin exposed at the cuffs, that was almost the same color as the glove fabric.

Shu Jun waved his hands full of sludge and stood up on his own. Zhu Yanchen quietly retracted his hand and turned to pat the dust off his uniform emotionlessly.

Shu Jun decided to size up the other person along with his uniform.

It was the first time he got up close and personal with an important NPC who was famous. Marshal Zhu wasn’t wearing a gas mask at this moment. He was indeed handsome, but his brows were cold, as if they were soaked in frost, making him seem quite unapproachable.

And it looked as if he had facial paralysis. Just looking at his expression, Shu Jun couldn’t figure out what the other party was thinking.

After looking at this bigshot, Shu Jun didn’t feel any excitement but only hoped that this person would have higher-level authority so he could contact an official sooner. Considering the other party’s NPC status, he decided to rule out the reality issue and start from the game perspective.

“Why did you just… Hiss.” He forgot about his mutated fangs and bit his lips again.

“Excuse me.”

Zhu Yanchen stretched out his hand. His fingers moved to the corner of Shu Jun’s mouth naturally. The index finger that was covered with a glove touched the tip of his tooth and then the wound on his lip.

Shu Jun’s mouth was invaded by dry cloth. His tongue was astringent, and his cheeks tensed uncomfortably. If he wanted to, he could immediately shake off that hand. It was just that Zhu Yanchen wasn’t making any dangerous movements at the moment, so it wasn’t good to sour his relationship with an important character too quickly.

Fortunately, this process only lasted about five seconds.

Zhu Yanchen opened his briefcase. The lid blocked Shu Jun’s view. Watching the sporadic movements, Zhu Yanchen sealed the blood-stained gloves in a plastic bag and changed into a pair of longer gloves, which tightly covered his wrists.

Then he took out a dice-size cube, which quickly unfolded like a flower and turned into a familiar gas mask. After putting on the mask and buckling the goggles in place, Zhu Yanchen’s voice became a bit muffled. “There’s an eroded area ahead. The pursuers will catch up soon, so we must leave immediately.”

It seemed that this “deliberate accident” was going to continue. Shu Jun let out a sigh.

“Wait—”

“Mr. Shu Jun, I know you have many questions. You won yesterday, but you can’t leave the game. There’s no customer service representative to receive you in <Erosion>. The NPC’s attitude towards you is no longer friendly.” Zhu Yanchen’s tone was as if he were reciting a speech. “I don’t have time to explain too much now. If you still want to live, please follow my instructions.”

This time, Shu Jun didn’t stay stunned for long.

The situation had gone really wrong—NPCs should follow the settings and know nothing about things outside the game world. Words such as “game” and “customer service representative” shouldn’t have come out of Zhu Yanchen’s mouth, let alone Shu Jun’s real name.

A pile of virtual data suddenly broke through the limitations and had a good understanding of reality, which made Shu Jun break out in a cold sweat.

Zhu Yanchen quickly said, “Follow me.”

The battlefield was changing rapidly, so there was no time to dawdle. Shu Jun decisively hugged Zhu Yanchen’s waist and held him tightly by his side. “Where are we going?”

“Due north, ten kilometers.” Zhu Yanchen didn’t resist.

A hurricane rose.

Shu Jun was taken aback. This guy didn’t go to the front lines much, but he wasn’t “weak” at all. Zhu Yanchen’s waist was thin and strong, and his physique was just as good as his own. He was even slightly taller. In the shock just now, Shu Jun didn’t pay attention and underestimated the other’s weight, almost causing him to stumble.

“This place is a bit far away. You have to bear with it during the journey. If you need to throw up, let me know.” He was used to moving with the wind, but others usually couldn’t handle this transportation method.

Zhu Yanchen didn’t say a word, acting as honest as a dummy. Thanks to this, it took less time along the way than Shu Jun thought.

Their destination didn’t look very safe.

The gray mist rolled against the ground, and giant stalagmites poked out of the mist. There were oddly shaped caves abound, creating what seemed like a maze, and the creatures were strangely shaped to the extreme. This place was definitely a heavily eroded area.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Shu Jun didn’t let go of Zhu Yanchen’s waist, nor did he hide the suspicion in his voice.

“Mm.”

“Okay, can you explain now?” Shu Jun paused for a moment and added, “…Marshall Zhu? Sir?”

Zhu Yanchen shook his head and pointed to a certain cave in the gap between the stalagmites. “I can’t stay outside for too long. Let’s talk when we go in.”

After he finished speaking, he skillfully flew into the depths of the cave and opened a thick metal door. It felt like an unreal development. Perhaps this was all a dream. Embracing his longing to wake up, Shu Jun pinched his arm hard.

The dream wasn’t a dream, and the pain was real.

Before he could collect his emotions, he was sprayed with disinfectant spray in the isolation room. The two stood in silence for a few minutes before stepping into the real entrance.

There was a small safe house hidden behind the main entrance. It could be seen that no one had been here for a long time. The erosion was all blocked outside as the furniture inside still retained its bright colors. Zhu Yanchen took off his protective equipment and filled up two cups of water from the water filter.

“Have a seat.”

“……” Shu Jun glanced at the clean sofa and then at himself, covered in mud. “How much time do you need to explain?”

“It depends.”

“Is ten minutes enough?”

“Not sure.”

“Then I’ll take a shower first.”

The expression on Zhu Yanchen’s face finally twitched. “……”

“You don’t look like you’re conveying any good news based on this setup.” Shu Jun took the cup and drank all the water in one gulp. “It’s been a rough ride. I want to be as comfortable as possible while dodging bullets.”

“The shower cabin is over there, and there are spare clothes in it.” Zhu Yanchen sighed, unaffected by Shu Jun’s relaxed tone.

The shower cabin was extremely narrow, with only enough space for one person to stand. Shu Jun turned on the water to its maximum, allowing the water to beat down on his skin. Finally, his heart rate slowly began to stabilize.

In this situation, accompanying an important NPC, he appeared relaxed on the surface, but his nerves were already stretched to the limit. If things continued like this, he was unsure if he could appropriately respond—Zhu Yanchen was the most important character in <Erosion>. The current situation was so bizarre that Shu Jun didn’t want to make random mistakes.

Although he knew what was in front of him was an illusion, the warm water still made him feel better.

Is this really an illusion?

Shu Jun gave himself a self-deprecating grin. The nested bugs gave him a terrible headache, and he couldn’t distinguish between truth and fiction. He subconsciously wiped the water from his face and lowered his gaze.

The water rushed and splashed, scattering the remains of his clothes. The communication screen that came with it was still blinking. Wiping away the water mist on the screen, Shu Jun narrowed his eyes. The location tag belonging to “Smoke” was still glowing, unmoving near him.

……This may be the most terrifying “bug” he had ever encountered.

Three years ago, he and “Smoke” met while discussing strategic issues on a certain map. In the beginning, most of the topics were about combat, and Smoke always had some sharp opinions. He was also smart and humble, so it was easy to get along with him.

The two of them gradually became acquainted with each other and developed a relationship where they would chat every few days. Later on, chatting with each other became a regular occurrence.

It was impossible for Shu Jun to say he didn’t feel pressure, as he was known as the “Immortal Legend”. He spent almost all his time on work, and to maintain balance within the team, he couldn’t get too close to any particular teammate.

Slowly, Smoke, who didn’t belong to any team and was good at tactics, gradually became an oasis for him. Perhaps because of their matching personalities, this person could always give Shu Jun just the right amount of support and care. When it came to what kind of person he wanted to live with, Shu Jun’s first reaction was “someone like Smoke”.

After several years of contact, one could see a bit of character based on a person’s words and actions. He decided that Smoke was a girl who was a bit cold but gentle in nature. Even if it were a man, if the other party was willing, he would want to try to see where it went.

But he wasn’t an adolescent who would go crazy for some vague affection. Moreover, he was busy every day, and there was no need to rush to break the current understanding between the two of them as there was still plenty of time ahead.

Relying on text communication was still thin. He wanted to see the other after his career was over, confess his feelings, and everything would follow after that.

Shu Jun naturally thought about many situations where he would be unable to confess his feelings, such as if “Smoke” already had a lover or was already married. He even considered the possibility that “Smoke” could be an old man. Despite all his conjectures, not once did he guess that “Smoke” was an NPC in the game.

Shu Jun raised his face and let the water hit him heavily in the face. Leaving the gender issue aside, the object of his affection was just a pile of data.

…Or there was a possibility of something worse. Shu Jun didn’t want to think about it further until he fully grasped the current situation.

After eating a set of realistic combo punches in just one day, Shu Jun had the confidence to stay rational no matter what Marshal Zhu was about to tell him. After stabilizing his emotions, Shu Jun stepped out of the shower cabin and dried his gray hair with a towel.

“I’m ready,” Shu Jun said solemnly. He wrapped the towel around his neck, freeing his hand to grab a glass of water, with a face like death.

Zhu Yanchen looked him straight in the eyes and cut straight to the point. “Everything you have experienced isn’t a bug.”

“This world isn’t a game. Your world is.”

Shu Jun only felt that something in his mind had exploded. This wasn’t metaphorically, but rather realistically.

Pain surged like a tsunami, sweeping his nerves.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 3: Eyes Facing Each Other

When Shu Jun woke up for the second time, he was met with a hungry stomach. The sky in the erosion zone was always overcast. The fog on the ground hadn’t dissipated, and the surroundings were as quiet as an old cemetery.

He yawned. The inside of his lips tingled, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

Shu Jun frowned and touched the wound. Another problem was exposed—his canine teeth had become a bit sharp. If he really bit the mutant beast last night, he might actually be able to tear through its throat.

Yesterday’s mood was mostly helpless, but now, Shu Jun felt a bit of anger. There were more abnormalities in front of him, but there had been no feedback from the outside world for nearly 24 hours. <Erosion> shouldn’t have such a low-level problem.

His protective equipment was completely broken, and the physical and energy data were unknown. The air quality here was acceptable, but it was still in the scope of the erosion zone. He didn’t know what the consequences of dying in the game would be, so it was better to leave as soon as possible.

Shu Jun crawled out of the cave and began to move in the direction of the NPC stronghold.

Now that his condition was stable and his physical strength had recovered a little, he began to try to activate his skills. The originally calm air became turbulent, and the familiar whistling wind rushed into his ears. Since there was no problem with his skills and the stronghold wasn’t far away, even if he encountered an elite monster, he still had the ability to escape.

‘A beautiful vacation was just ahead,’ Shu Jun thought as he quickened his pace.

According to last night’s estimate, it would only take about six hours to reach that stronghold. The situation was smoother than he expected. There were no dangerous monsters on the road, and before he left the stone forest, human voices came from not far away.

Two NPC soldiers were patrolling nearby.

Shu Jun raised his hands in surprise and greeted them loudly. “I’m Shu Jun, captain of the Blackbirds, number S-001. Please take me to your stronghold. Also, if it’s convenient, can you lend me a communicator…”

Before he finished speaking, a bullet passed by, followed by a burning sensation on his ear. The gunfire didn’t stop. As a seasoned fighter, Shu Jun subconsciously manipulated the wind, and the sudden wind quickly pushed him away.

If he had been slower by half a second, the ensuing rain of bullets would have turned him into a sieve.

The fingers on his right hand twitched twice instinctively. Shu Jun gritted his teeth—the weight that should’ve accompanied him wasn’t in his hands. There was no greatsword and no mechanical armor—there were only tattered clothes that covered his shame* and provided no defense at all.

*Figuratively, as in his privates.

But no matter how embarrassing his image was, the NPC should always recognize him as an individual. This kind of offensive intensity was simply unreasonable. Shu Jun had to use his limbs like a real beast and hide himself behind a boulder. <Erosion> had emphasized many times that attacking NPCs would have serious penalties, so it wasn’t time to take risks.

“Hey!” Shu Jun raised his voice. “Stop attacking. I need to contact the game administrator—emergency contact code 4072…”

However, the patrols didn’t plan to let him finish.

He didn’t know what weapon the other side took out, but the boulder was directly shattered. Shu Jun planned to create some distance again but found that he couldn’t move.

There was a faint light shining under his feet. He recognized this thing. It was a top-tier hunting net used to capture large, elite monsters, and its price was quite staggering. The Blackbirds were one of the largest teams in <Erosion> and the number of top-tier hunting nets in their warehouse didn’t exceed three.

God knew how these NPCs had this kind of thing.

Faced with this thing, if he had equipment, he could still fight. Unfortunately, at the moment, Shu Jun was bare-handed and close to naked. The claws at his fingertips could tear fibers, but when the hunting net wrapped tightly around him, his struggle became futile.

A current flickered along the net, causing Shu Jun to arch his back. He forcibly tried to retain his consciousness under the continuous electric shocks as he tried to tear through the net.

“You’re seriously violating the ‘VR Game Management Regulations’—ah—”

Seeing that he was tearing too fiercely, the restraints bound his limbs tighter and gagged his mouth. Shu Jun became like a flopping fish caught in a net and could only raise his middle finger at the two NPCs.

“Erosion index?”

“It’s still the same as before. Maybe the machine is broken.”

The NPCs ignored him and spat out some words behind their gas masks.

“Take it back first. This kind of… thing has never appeared before.”

Judging from the results, Shu Jun entered the stronghold earlier than expected. It was just that instead of stepping through the doors with his own feet, he was pushed into a metal cage and transported in on a cart.

The metal cage bars were thicker than his wrist.

This was no longer a problem that could be solved by complaints. After he successfully withdrew from the game, he would find a lawyer—the prison cell was as narrow as a cargo box; certainly not as good as the cave he was hiding in before. Shu Jun’s limbs were firmly chained to the wall in an extremely uncomfortable position.

The group of NPCs didn’t even bother to give him some decent clothing.

Shu Jun looked around. The ground was wet without even a speck of dust that could be blown up. The cell observation window was made of reinforced glass, and two heavily armed guards stood on either side.

The pale white light poured down from the top of his head, and through the accumulated water on the ground, Shun Jun saw his current appearance clearly for the first time.

The game character was 100% true in line with reality, so his facial features hadn’t changed. His body was perfectly toned, and there were no strange blood vessels protruding or overly swollen muscles at the moment.

Not to mention the sharpened teeth and nails for the time being, the biggest change was his hair and eyes.

Shu Jun originally had normal black hair and eyes, but now his hair and eyes had turned ash-like gray, and his round pupils were lined with thin cracks. He had never seen anyone with a similar appearance, but at least he still looked human and not like a grotesque mutant beast. The NPC’s attitude was really suspicious.

He had to find a way to escape.

This place was similar to the cage where dangerous monsters were held in the game setting. Smoke was a meticulous strategist. After being inculcated for a long time, Shu Jun also had some understanding of this strange equipment. Such cages were usually equipped with physiological monitoring devices, so faking death or pretending to be sick was unlikely to be effective. His condition was already bad, and the longer he dragged it out, the more unfavorable it would become.

Shu Jun glanced at the surrounding surveillance cameras and suddenly had an idea. The wind swirled and violently twisted the camera off its bracket. The glass of the cell was smashed and rattled, and sirens blared incessantly.

The defense mechanism was immediately activated.

At first, it was an anesthesia bomb, but it was deflected by the wind and failed to hit Shu Jun. Then came the live ammunition. Shu Jung pulled up the chains on his wrist and barely managed to block his critical areas, though there were a few blood holes in his arms and shoulders.

The blood dripped and turned pitch black the moment it touched the ground.

At this moment, Shu Jun didn’t have time to observe the ground as there were more anomalies in front of him—was his ability always this strong?

The broken camera was thrown around by the wind like a large bullet and almost hit Shu Jun several times. It slammed against the observation window, leaving a spider web-like crack in the tempered glass. The chain-fixing bolt let out a shrill sound as Shu Jun tore off the chains.

Shu Jun was aware of his own physical strength. He didn’t have the energy to do such a feat again.

He took a breath and pulled the chain out with all his strength, hitting the center where the glass cracked. Shards of glass scattered around amidst the cracking sound. Shu Jun gathered the wind at his feet and ejected himself out of the cell.

The guards tried to stop him, but one was knocked out with his elbow while the other was kicked away. The two guards fell unconscious and slumped to the ground.

The entire process took no more than half a minute.

He went against his ban on attacking NPCs that he had compromised earlier since he found that it was pointless.

Not wanting to leave any room for hesitation, Shu Jun quickly stripped off the clothes of one of the guards, picked up the spoils, and ran. Before anyone arrived, the nearby surveillance and lighting were completely destroyed by the violent storm.

The NPC’s standard clothing didn’t fit him well. It was a little tight in the shoulders and a little loose in the waist, but it wasn’t a big deal.

In <Erosion>, the player’s residence was located in a stronghold on the edge of the contaminated areas. The structure of this stronghold was much the same, so it wasn’t difficult to find an escape route. But before escaping, he had to get some supplies first and also try to find a way to contact the outside world.

Since this was the cell floor, there had to be a lounge for the guards to change shifts nearby.

There was no time for him to breathe a sigh of relief. The alarm hadn’t reached its highest level yet, so it was prime time for action. Shu Jun braced himself and moved quickly down the corridor.

The lounge was empty.

Shu Jun swept all the gadgets he could use into his pockets and then turned on the contact light screen on the table. In response to unexpected situations, <Erosion> issued emergency contact codes to all players. As long as they reported the string of numbers to an NPC, an out-of-game customer service representative would intervene. Unfortunately, based on the situation not long ago, it seemed that the NPC route could be considered useless.

40721. A string of numbers flashed in the input box. Time moved slowly forward, but no customer service representative appeared.

Shu Jun quickly entered the team channel, but no one was online. Opening his friend list only showed all the names grayed out.

Wait. Someone’s name lit up. The system showed that the other party was online, and the waiting interface displayed the map and the location of where they were. The geometric patterns used for decoration changed around the map.

…Smoke was nearby.

Strange. Shu Jun raised his brows. Smoke always stayed in the inner city, out of the reach of combatants, and had never appeared in a border stronghold. Due to their distance from each other, the game never gave an exact location. Shu Jun always defaulted that he or she was a casual player.

How could a casual place run to such a place?

But since Smoke was nearby, it was better to go and meet first—the current situation was really abnormal, and a friend around him would make things feel more at ease. Since his account was abnormal, Smoke may be able to contact the outside world normally.

The game wasn’t reality, but there was no difference between the game character and the real person. Shu Jun smiled bitterly, thinking that this first meeting was quite embarrassing.

According to the positioning displayed, the point belonging to “Smoke” was moving to a certain room on the top floor. Shu Jun dexterously jumped out of the window and climbed to the top floor with the help of his wind.

“You should go back first.” An anxious voice rushed into his ears first.

“No need.”

“That thing ran out, and its erosion index hasn’t been determined. If the situation changes, this stronghold will probably be locked down. You just arrived here, and the special car hasn’t left yet, so it’s better you leave now.”

“I said, no need.”

The voice that responded was cold and sounded a bit familiar. Shu Jun grabbed the edge of the windowsill. The curtains completely obscured the indoor scene, and the sound inside wasn’t very clear.

Smoke’s location was just a few steps away.

…Looking at the frame, was Smoke an assistant to some bigshot?

The positioning stopped by the window, only a few steps away from Shu Jun. In order to hear more clearly, Shu Jun held his breath and climbed up the windowsill. The mutated nails made this a lot easier.

“In short, find it first. If I stay here, it’ll heighten your sense of alertness,” the cold voice continued. “I brought a lot of special equipment. There’s no way the entire base can’t catch a single mutant.”

The sound was getting closer, giving Shu Jun a bad feeling.

Swish.

The person in the room opened the curtain. The two looked at each other as their gazes met.

The anxious persuader was standing at the door, so there was only one person in front of the window, who was obviously not the casual player Shu Jun had guessed—the NPC in the uniform of the Marshal was staring directly at him; a trace of bewilderment flashed across his pale face.

Zhu Yanchen: “……”

Shu Jun: “……?”

Are the bugs in <Erosion> getting more serious?

The author has something to say:

The prologue is over (^ρ^)/

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 2: Virtual and Reality

When Shu Jun woke up again, he saw the cloudy sky that belonged to night.

He wasn’t in the place where he had fallen into the Erosion Swamp. The huge Erosion Swamp was nowhere to be found, replaced by jagged and weird rocks that surrounded him. As far as the eye could see, the world was only black, white, and gray. There was no one around; only deformed monsters that were pacing slowly in the stone forest.

Shu Jun was a little confused.

The mechanical battle armor had fallen into pieces, exposing his entire upper body, and his injuries were slowly healing. The communication device on his forearm barely functioned and emitted an occasional crackling static sound.

His gaze moved along the broken metal.

His skin should be a healthy wheat color, but now it looked like it was covered with a layer of dust, slightly whitened but also somewhat dull. Shu Jun subconsciously rubbed his forearm, and this action left a bloody mark on it.

His fingers weren’t right either. The nails that were originally trimmed had become sharp, a bit like the claws of a beast, and the color had turned opaque black.

Shu Jun gulped and swallowed. He did what any normal person would do—tried to open the communicator and contact the administrator.

However, the broken communicator only crackled with no intention of working.

Shu Jun, who had lost his goal, slowly laid back down and looked up at the night sky. If this was a dream, it was almost time to wake up. At some point, a contaminated mutant beast approached and looked down at him.

Shu Jun and that thing stared wide-eyed at each other for a while. The mutant beast blinked and gathered its six eyes into a pile. Its eyeballs were spinning as its saliva dripped onto Shu Jun’s face.

Shu Jun: “……”

It was too close. This distance wasn’t good to use wind. It was better to be gnawed on by this thing than to drown in the Erosion Swamp. He glanced around with the corner of his eyes but didn’t even catch a glimpse of the hilt of his greatsword.

The mutant beast opened its mouth, and a rancid smell washed over Shu Jun’s face. Shu Jun peeked at the thing’s throat, thinking about whether it was going to bite down, when the thing took its next step…

And firmly licked him.

Seeing that this thing had no intention of attacking, Shu Jun boldly stretched out his hand and decided to try the only thing at hand that could be considered a weapon—the claws on his fingertips.

As a result, as soon as his hand stretched about five centimeters, the mutant beast drooped its ears and ran away.

…The situation was getting more ridiculous.

Shu Jun stood up. Except for fatigue and pain from his wounds, there were no other abnormalities in his body. Once he got rid of this bug, he would definitely file a complaint with the <Erosion> officials.

The cold mud wasn’t suitable for resting. He found a cave that was a suitable size and was slightly higher in the stone forest. Shu Jun threw off most of his torn and tattered shoes and began to climb the weird rocks barefoot, collecting his thoughts during the process.

<Erosion> had been in operation for many years and always emphasized a realistic, immersive experience. They had never encountered such a serious bug before. However, now, when he tried to exit the game, he encountered failures, map errors, and model abnormalities. He only wanted to retire early, but he didn’t expect to receive a gift bundle of bugs in his face.

Shu Jun took a few deep breaths and cranked his neck.

…There was definitely someone out there trying to solve this issue. No matter what, he had to stay calm. Moreover, <Erosion> didn’t focus on an apocalyptic theme, so he wouldn’t be pushed to the brink of survival.

In the setting of <Erosion>, the world was once destroyed. Humans had revived a special life form from the polar regions. This microorganism named “Erosion Substance” accidentally leaked out and rapidly spread, devouring the entire human civilization at a terrifying speed.

They dyed the dead black, white, and gray and led creatures to abnormal mutation directions, which could be considered a type of “living radiation”. The so-called “Erosion Swamp” was a monster formed by gathering such things.

Fortunately, the survivors found a way to deal with it, and the purifier was invented in time to prevent the spread of erosion. The world was now in its first stages of civilized revival. It was easier to come up with interesting designs for the background of this era.

Players were the only group with abilities in the game and belonged to the United Government. Those who remained on the battlefield were mostly soldiers, who were on the front lines of purifying erosion.

The soldiers were equivalent to heroes in the game setting and were treated well. Even if combat players were trapped in the game, as long as they could find an NPC stronghold, they could comfortably wait for rescue.

He didn’t know which aspects the bug specifically affected, but he might be able to pass on some information to the outside world.

After determining his goal, Shu Jun felt a lot more relaxed. It was just that the situation was still a bit odd—there had been no major updates recently, so how could there be such a serious problem?

When it came to the plot update on the NPC side, he only heard one thing from his team members. The Grand Marshal of the United Government broke up with his girlfriend, whom he had been with for many years, but this kind of gossip plot shouldn’t lead to a program crash.

Thinking of the Grand Marshal of the United Government, Shu Jun couldn’t help but snort.

The game setting wasn’t important for these practical combatants. This NPC was their nominal superior, but he rarely appeared in person. Even if he did appear, he remained silent, wearing a gas mask on his face and revealing only a pair of eyes without much emotion.

The Grand Marshal of the United Government, Zhu Yanchen, was a formidable strategic talent in the game setting. His uniform was always tightly wrapped, and he covered himself completely with a mask, collar, and gloves. If it weren’t for the particularly cold look in his eyes when he glanced over, Shu Jun always felt that he was more like a robot.

The game designer really planned a girlfriend for such a person… or rather, an ex-girlfriend.

Shu Jun pursed his lips as he carefully climbed up the cave. The stone platform was cool but dry, which was much better than the muddy ground. The erosion in the heights wasn’t serious. He took a breath of the chilly night air, which dissipated the burning sensation in his lungs as if it had never existed.

A light shone through the stone forest beyond the horizon. That was probably a military stronghold in the game. After finding the destination for tomorrow, Shu Jun nestled into the cave and quickly fell asleep.

On the other side of the horizon, the interior of the stronghold was in chaos.

Zhu Yanchen sat at a desk, feeling as cold as an ice sculpture. No one wanted to stay in that suffocating office; only one person persistently rushed towards it.

“Miss Xia, you can’t go in. The Marshal, he’s now… uh, in a bad mood.”

“Even if we’re broken up, he won’t treat me as an enemy.” Xia Liang raised her teary eyes. “He needs me. Let me see him, please.”

The guard at the door choked, but in the end, he was no match for her tears offensive and let her in. The beautiful girl picked up her dress, thanked the guard pitifully, and disappeared on the other side of the door.

“Sir, is the scene cleared?”

As soon as the door was closed, that weak appearance disappeared instantly, and Xia Liang’s expression turned cold. She stared at Zhu Yanchen, who was behind the table, with an unhappy expression on her face.

“I told you in advance that I have a date with my girlfriend at this time. You specifically summoned your nominal ‘ex-girlfriend’, so the situation must not be good.”

“Something happened to Shu Jun,” Zhu Yanchen said concisely.

Xia Liang crossed her arms in a manner that was very inconsistent with her image and furrowed her brows tightly. “Haven’t you been discussing tactics with him all this time? How can something go wrong fighting that monster?

“In order for his team to win, he fell into the Erosion Swamp. I tried to intercede but couldn’t make it in time.”

“……” Xia Liang was silent for a moment. “Unfortunately, his way of dying leaves no bones behind. There’s no way to find him.”

“It was my mistake.”

Zhu Yanchen lowered his eyes. His handsome face was full of dark clouds.

Despite pretending to be a couple for several years, Xia Liang had never seen him show such obvious emotions. She only liked women, so in order to escape an arranged marriage by her family, she hit it off with Zhu Yanchen, who wanted to avoid a political marriage, and declared they were dating—one of them was a singer who performed all over the place, while the other had rooted himself in his office. They hardly ever met in person, which saved them the trouble of putting on their act.

If it weren’t for the two families urging marriage, they wouldn’t have released the news about their breakup.

Over the years, the two of them became acquaintances. On the opposite side, Marshal Zhu basically had no private life or hobbies and only worked mechanically day by day. Xia Liang thought this person’s feelings wouldn’t fluctuate by nature.

Having said that, Shu Jun was the most powerful humanoid weapon under Zhu Yanchen, so it wasn’t like his emotions were completely incomprehensible.

“If you ask me, you’ve been paying too much attention to that guy. It’s a pity that your weapon broke, but wouldn’t it be nice to get a new one?” Facing an acquaintance, she didn’t bother to hide her bad temper. “So, why did you call me over?”

“Shortly after he fell into the Erosion Swamp, it moved as a whole. The situation is quite abnormal.”

“I see. Those guys above will definitely pull you to study together. You want me to lead your personal team to investigate this matter privately.”

“Yes. Go with the Fourth Squadron to investigate this matter.”

After that, Zhu Yanchen took out a chip and put it on the table. “I called you here mainly because of this—the chip used in the plan. This is now under your care.”

“You want to continue to promote that plan? How troublesome. I should have guessed this day would come when we made that agreement.” Xia Liang put the chip into her satchel and then gave a standard military salute. “Yes, sir.”

Zhu Yanchen nodded. The emotions that seemed like they were illusions had long since disappeared. Xia Liang could tell this guy had sealed himself in a shell again.

However, they weren’t friends, and she wasn’t interested in Zhu Yanchen’s personal matters, so she didn’t intend to pry. It was just that, as a subordinate, she still had to fulfill her responsibilities…

“Oh, by the way, let me remind you. Since I’m now transferred to the Fourth Squadron, I need time to hand over what I have in hand. No matter how many people you have on your side, you have to find someone to guide the Blackbirds.”

Before going out, Xia Liang turned her head.

“There are quite a lot of people who keep in touch with Shu Jun. We can’t let them find out—”

“—They must not be allowed to discover that ‘over there’ is virtual, and ‘over here’ is reality.”

Kinky Thoughts:

Wait, what? The bombshell already dropped? This isn’t like Nian Zhong style. Usually, such huge bombshells are revealed 150+ chapters in.

Note: Zhu Yanchen is the gong in this novel. His alias is Smoke [Yanchen] (烟尘) which translated would be soot/smoke & dust. The Yanchen (延辰) in his name is different Chinese characters. Throughout the novel, Shu Jun would refer to either of them. To distinguish between them, Smoke will be used when he’s referring to the alias, while Yanchen will be used when referring to Zhu Yanchen himself.

Sometimes Shu Jun would call Smoke A’Yan (阿烟) as an affectionate way to address him. This will be kept in pinyin because there’s no good translation for it in English.

So while Shu Jun is talking, he may be referring to either Zhu Yanchen or Smoke, which is the same person. Just keep this in mind.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 1: Game Malfunction

Fifteen minutes before the championship of the large-scale VR game <Erosion>.

The preparation room was set in the erosion zone of the game, with the smell of ashes floating in the wind. After checking his equipment for the last time, Shu Jun’s communicator rang. There was only one person who would send a message at a time like this…

[Smoke]: Remember the strategy discussion last night. Stability is the best policy.

When he saw the other party’s ID, Shu Jun couldn’t help raising the corner of his mouth.

[See You Tomorrow]: Understood, Chief Strategist.

[Smoke]: Good luck.

[See You Tomorrow]: When we win the championship, let’s meet up.

Shu Jun held his breath. This time, the other person’s response was more than ten seconds late.

[Smoke]: Okay.

Staring at the word “okay” for a few seconds, Shu Jun felt a little nervous.

This would be his last big game in <Erosion>. After the game, Shu Jun decided to announce his retirement two years early. Then he would fly to City A, where “Smoke” was located, as soon as possible and meet this person who spoke sparingly and confessed his feelings.

He had spent too much time in the game.

Although he just turned 27, Shu Jun had already spent a decade in <Erosion> and was one of the most experienced players among the older generation.

This was all due to the special provision in <Erosion>—once a combatant was killed in battle, he or she must retire from the battlefield to engage in other occupations. The operator stated that this was to give people a stronger sense of reality and a better experience of “another world”.

Players could only have one character, and there were no such things as save files or rollbacks. This provision directly led to the pitiful few senior combat players. Most combat powers that had persisted until now were close to monsters.

Fortunately, the provision prohibiting saving didn’t reduce people’s enthusiasm.

After all, the game was about the experience. The elite combatants at the top of the pyramid had both fame and fortune, and even their professional lives had their own interests.

On the other hand, the battle itself was harsh enough, and with hardship came income. The rules of <Erosion> were quite peculiar. It didn’t advocate hostility between teams. There was no PvP¹ schedule for the championship; only a vast PvE² arena. Personnel losses, resource consumption, and cooperation between teams must all be included in the evaluation. The team that could reasonably plan tactics and achieve their goal first would win.

¹Stands for Player vs Player. It’s a multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players.
²Stands for Player vs Environment. It’s a term used for both single player and online games where players go against computer-controlled enemies.

Everything was ready and set for this moment. The championship was just around the corner.

Seeing that his crush didn’t reply to him, Shu Jun put the greatsword behind his back, donned a gas mask, and left the preparation room.

The duration of the championship was three days and nights.

Before the night of the third day came, the situation wasn’t ideal. Just like they had previously speculated, their opponent, Groundwater, was moving much faster than they were, and no miracle happened.

“If this continues, we’ll lose.” Vice Captain Hu Yan sighed.

“This map is full of swamps, and Groundwater is good at water-based abilities. Vice Captain Hu, Captain Luo of Groundwater is also a veteran. In such a shitty environment, there’s nothing to be ashamed of losing to the number one support,” a team member closest to him answered.

Shu Jun was good at controlling wind, with rare attributes and top-notch offensive and defensive capabilities. Unfortunately, his skills couldn’t be applied to the whole team. Vice Captain Hu Yan controlled rocks, but on a wetland map with rich water bodies, their opponent still had the advantage—the captain of Groundwater, Luo Duan, was recognized as the number one auxiliary, with enough experience that this was now literally in his element*.

*Like a fish in water (如鱼得水) Refers to someone who is completely at ease in a certain environment or situation, just as a fish is comfortable and happy in water. 

“Anyway, all actions will be counted towards the team’s contribution, so we might as well get any points we can,” another team member tried to encourage.

Shu Jun scratched his face and looked at Hu Yan. “Besides meeting with you, I have also discussed it for a few weeks with A’Yan*.”

*Using an [A] (阿) in front of a name signifies addressing someone affectionately or as a sign of familiarity. || A’Yan is referring to [Smoke], but I kept this pinyin because it doesn’t translate well to English. You can read my Kinky Thoughts in Chapter 2 for more details on this (when the gong is formally introduced).

Hu Yan: “What does sister-in-law… Smoke think?”

“A lot of tactics were discussed. Smoke thinks that we have no chance of winning, and if we’re lucky, we’ll tie at best.” Shu Jun sprayed his breath inside the gas mask.

“Right, just do our best. Groundwater won because of the advantage on this map. Next time—haa, well, you won’t be there. I was hoping for a nice win this match. I know you have a lot of tricks up your sleeves, but with this situation…”

There was no joy on Hu Yan’s face regarding being promoted from Vice Captain to Captain; instead, he looked extremely worried.

“Captain Shu, our team has won so many matches in a row. Can’t you choose a match where we have a higher chance of winning to retire? Can you think about it again?”

“Not all is lost. I just checked the latest terrain information and have some new ideas.”

Shu Jun opened the tent, scanned the grayish land in the distance, and his voice carried a hint of amusement.

“Don’t worry. We won’t lose.”

Outside the game.

The final viewing area was U-shaped and opened to the public. Tickets were more than ten times more expensive than paid live broadcasts. Several giant light screens hovered over the viewing area, filled with bleak and lonely images of the game world.

More than two days had passed, yet the cheers in the viewing area and the excitement were unabated.

As always, the arena was set in an unknown erosion zone in the game. In the game setting, the signal communication in the erosion zone was poor. Because the teams were too close to the center of the erosion zone, the screen would stutter and blur, which only enhanced the atmosphere.

Now, both teams were in the center of the erosion zone—near a monster called the “Erosion Swamp”—the images coming back on the big screen gradually became eerie.

Accompanied by the noise of electric currents, a dark, fluid object flashed past the edge of the screen. From time to time, deformed creatures would pass the cameras, facing the audience with features that couldn’t be distinguished. Even though the screen was filled with all kinds of anomalies, such scenes were still shocking.

On the land that had lost its color, there was a huge, pure black “lake”. Its surface was boiling in the windless world, with thin liquid columns extending towards the sky, slowly wriggling.

On the edge of such a huge Erosion Swamp, the people were almost negligible.

There was a humming sound of air conditioning running from the observation deck.

“As expected of the difficulty for the championship, this is the biggest Erosion Swamp I have ever seen.” It was late at night, but the enthusiasm of the host on the scene remained undiminished.

“It’s the third day of the championship. The scoring will stop after twelve hours. Now it seems that the most reasonable approach is to place purifiers in the surrounding area, as partial purification takes precedence over complete removal.”

As the full picture of the Erosion Swamp was unveiled, even a layman could see that the map was too difficult and complex to be prepared for a single match. There would be another major competition in six months, and the step-by-step processing of the large Erosion Swamp would be a good theme. It remained to be seen which of the two team leaders could steadily lay the foundation for future competitions.

“The decisive battle has entered a boiling stage…! Finally, the ‘Immortal Legend’ Shu Jun has led the Blackbirds to the center of the erosion zone.”

“The Blackbirds have no casualties, 25% of resources remaining, and their cooperation is impeccable, but their overall score is still behind Groundwater—under the leadership of Luo Duan, Groundwater has been purifying the surrounding area for more than five hours… and now, Shu Jun has taken action! Instead of following the usual procedure of purification, the Blackbirds have turned towards the cliff next to the Erosion Swamp!”

As if perceiving intruders, the monsters around the Erosion Swamp gathered and rushed towards the approaching Blackbirds team. In the blurred picture, the Blackbirds took up a defensive formation.

Shu Jun used his skill “wind walk” to float in the air. He wielded his greatsword with the help of the wind and was covered by his tight, but not bulky, mechanical armor. He looked like a knight stepping out of a wrong time and space.

People quickly discovered Shu Jun’s goal.

Several stalagmites stood in the center of the swamp. If the purification machine was installed there, it could force the huge Erosion Swamp into a ring shape so that those who came later could divide it further and break it down.

An incredible scoring opportunity, but it only existed in theory.

The location of those stalagmites was extremely dangerous. They were too far offshore and full of monsters. Only players like Shu Jun, who had the ability to control wind, could barely approach. However, approaching was one thing; reaching them was another. The Erosion Swamp would try its best to eliminate any threats. This Erosion Swamp was particularly powerful, and the monsters were particularly dense, so attacking alone was tantamount to suicide.

“Erosion Swamp… The Erosion Swamp counterattacked. The Blackbirds have blocked the erosion tide on the peripheral, but Shu Jun isn’t resisting, and his armor is beginning to peel off!”

The host’s voice was filled with shock.

“What the hell are the Blackbirds planning to do?! Will the myth of the ‘Immortal Legend’ end today?”

Like adding cold water to boiling oil, the viewing area instantly exploded.

In the image that was close to disappearing, Shu Jun was seen taking a direct hit from the erosion liquid ejected by the Erosion Swamp. Liquid bullets rained down heavily, but he wrapped himself in fierce wind, which formed a barrier of air, blocking most of the attack. Even so, his armor was still torn and tattered. His wheat-colored skin was exposed, revealing glaring burns.

Shu Jun didn’t stop. He firmly rushed towards the cluster of stalagmites. The purifier was firmly on his back, continuously humming.

Finding that it couldn’t block the enemy, the Erosion Swamp let out a sharp cry. The monsters went berserk. Anything with wings rushed recklessly towards Shu Jun. The latter picked up his greatsword and, with the help of wind, lifted the heavy piece of metal, splitting those monsters’ bodies as if he were chopping fruits and vegetables.

Minced flesh and black blood rolled up in the wind, creating a foul-smelling rain over the swamp.

Shu Jun was drenched in blood. The monsters’ corpses were swallowed by the Erosion Swamp while more monsters continued to attack. The liquid column of the Erosion Swamp became entangled, not daring to approach the purifier. It could only form a cage, trapping Shu Jun near the stalagmite.

There was still some distance away.

Shu Jun gritted his teeth and slammed directly into the liquid column. The battle armor turned into soft butter in front of the liquid column and was easily peeled off. As blood splattered, Shu Jun was almost split in half.

His skill was still running. The wind was still supporting Shu Jun, and he didn’t stop.

The Erosion Swamp seemed to sense the fighting spirit of the other side. It decided to abandon delaying tactics and instead crush its opponent before the purifier could fully activate. The liquid column began to deform and attack Shu Jun’s hands and feet.

More and more liquid columns became entangled. Shu Jun began to lose the feeling of his legs and feet. He was running out of time.

Shu Jun threw out his greatsword. With inertia and wind, Shu Jun advanced forward with it. After a grating sound, the greatsword was lodged in a stalagmite.

When he arrived at his destination, Shu Jun completely gave up his defenses and concentrated on activating the purifier. The Erosion Swamp entangled Shu Jun’s lower body and was quickly devouring him, moving upwards. Because Shu Jun’s face was covered with a gas mask, the audience couldn’t see his expression.

Everything happened all at once.

After just a few seconds, the dark fluid almost covered Shu Jun’s entire body; only the part above his chest was still exposed—his left hand clenched the greatsword nailed to the stalagmite to avoid being dragged away by the Erosion Swamp, while his right hand quickly activated the purifier.

Regardless of whether the purification function was successfully activated or not, there was only one fate for Shu Jun. This crazy guy was destined to be swallowed up. The difference only lay in “wasting his life” or “sacrificing himself to win the game”.

The audience invariably held their breath.

Finally, a pleasant beep sounded. Along with the humming sound of mechanical activation, the earth rumbled and shook, and everyone got their answer.

The purifier was successfully activated.

Shu Jun let go of his left hand and stopped resisting. The next moment, he was dragged to the bottom of the swamp.

In order to avoid the purifier, the huge Erosion Swamp turned into a ring, and more dangerous monsters were summoned to the area. The Blackbirds that were on the periphery of the Erosion Swamp caught a steady stream of them, as well as vital purification bonus points, causing their score to soar.

Groundwater also managed to tag a few elite monsters, but the points for this cooperative move would be credited to the Blackbirds. Even if the host didn’t announce it, any random spectator could tell the Blackbirds had won.

…With the price being the sacrifice of their own captain.

“It’s crazy. Shu Jun obviously still has two years before he reaches his retirement period…” After a moment of silence, the host finally found his voice. “The Blackbirds’ points have substantially overtaken everyone. The outcome has been decided.”

After a few seconds of dead silence, the buzzing discussion on the viewing platform became louder. First, there was sporadic applause that gradually turned into excited cheers.

Next, they just needed to wait for the hero of the Blackbirds to leave the VR pod and return to reality. The reporters were waiting in line near the players’ lounge. When Shu Jun appeared, he would be swallowed up by the crowd.

…But this wasn’t what Shu Jun was worried about at the moment.

He was still sinking.

The Erosion Swamp was the most dangerous source of erosion in <Erosion>. According to the game settings, he would undoubtedly die. It stood to reason that the game connection would disconnect, and he would immediately return to reality. However, Shu Jun didn’t see the familiar lights of the VR pod, and he continued to sink into the Erosion Swamp. The erosive substance that made up the Erosion Swamp bit his flesh, dissolving his skin giving him excruciating pain.

In <Erosion>, pain was realistic. Isn’t this a bit ridiculous to even simulate the process of death?

Shu Jun was able to maintain his thoughts at first. Soon, the severe pain beyond the limits of human endurance nearly boiled his brain. Suffocation and corrosive pain struck at the same time, and the cold and sticky erosive substance drilled into his mouth and nose, burning like strong acid.

For ten seconds, the connection wasn’t disconnected.

He was trapped in the depths of this dark foreign body, and even his bewilderment was swallowed by the excruciating pain.

If he really died in this shitty malfunction, it would basically be the same as working diligently all his life and dying the night before retirement, Shu Jun thought in a daze. He didn’t want to leave an image of an unlucky guy who made a fortune but didn’t get to spend it.

Thirty seconds passed, yet the connection still didn’t break.

He hadn’t seen Smoke yet. If he wasn’t sure whether his crush was a man or woman, his fate would truly end in tragedy. That group of bastards in his team even made a bet about it…

His beautiful vacation was gone. His free life was gone. Even his confession that he didn’t get to make was gone…

……

To die now would be too fucked up.

In severe pain, Shu Jun forced himself to hold his breath. He wasn’t sure what the end of his waiting would be, but he had employed a suicidal tactic. The number of people who were following the game from outside wasn’t low. Someone would eventually notice that he wasn’t in a normal state in the VR pod.

‘Have to hold on,’ he thought.

Persist.

Persist…

The surrounding Erosion Swamp made a strange cry, and his body almost completely melted. Shu Jun barely kept his consciousness and continued to wait.

Until he was completely unconscious.

Shu Jun failed to see that outside the game, another “Shu Jun” walked out of the VR pod and waved confidently at the reporters under the thunderous cheers of the viewing area.

The author has something to say:

As with tradition, the subject suffers bad luck at the beginning (x

This isn’t an e-sports novel. Repeating it to avoid misunderstanding √

Kinky Thoughts:

I sense a reoccurring beginning prologue theme in all of Nian Zhong’s works here…

As I’m a big fan of this author, I have decided to pick up this project up. Originally, it was translated by Strictly Bromance, but it seems that it’s been on hiatus for a while. I did contact Michelle (the translator) a while back, who told me to give her a chance to finish it before I decide to start on it, but there doesn’t seem to be much progress after that. I would still encourage you to read her version.

This novel is also known as Saving Unpermitted. With the official signing from a publisher, they have decided to call it Access Denied, so I’m going with that. Below is official artwork for the books. You can order Vol 1 here.

|| Table of Contents || >>>