Chapter 1: Talent: 100% Critical Strike!

[Oh my God! Unlawful imprisonment is a jail time offense!]

[? Where is this? I want to go home, *sob sob*, I want my mom...]

[Let me out! What on earth is this place? Is this a prank?]

[Help!]

[I'm going to call the police and have you arrested! Let me out now!]

[Liu Wei! Are you there? If you are, reply to me!]

......

Message after message flashed by, scrolling up before she could even read them clearly.

Ning Yun stared at the chat box in the bottom-left corner, her fair, delicate face wearing a grave expression. Her almond eyes, which usually curved with smiles, were now slightly narrowed as her mind raced.

Pursing her lips, she did not join the others in venting their emotions in the chat channel. Instead, she carefully examined her surroundings.

She was currently inside a cramped thatched cottage. The low ceiling gave off a suffocating, oppressive feeling.

At a rough glance, the entire room was less than five square meters. It was completely bare and empty, devoid of any furniture. Even a mouse would sigh at the sight of it.

Through a small window, she could see only pitch darkness outside.

There was also a narrow door, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, which was currently tightly shut.

Just staying inside the room felt suffocating. To make matters worse, there were no lights, leaving the room shrouded in darkness.

Looking down, she realized she was not wearing her usual pajamas. Unbeknownst to her, they had been replaced by a gray tracksuit—long sleeves and long pants made of an unfamiliar fabric that fit snugly without restricting her movement.

In Ning Yun's field of vision, messages rapidly scrolled through the chat box in the bottom-left corner. Forcing herself to ignore them, she noticed something else.

In the top-right corner of her vision, the current weather and time were displayed.

"Clear, Windless, 07:49"

This setup felt strangely familiar, like playing a first-person game on a computer. Except she wasn't controlling a character; she had been physically dropped into the game itself.

When the time ticked to 7:50, an androgynous voice suddenly rang out in her ears right on cue.

"Welcome, lucky humans of Earth, to the closed beta of this apocalyptic survival game~"

"Here, you will all start from the same line. Your sole objective is to survive~"

"Next, I will share some friendly tips with you. Make sure to remember them~"

"First, during the beta test, treasure chests will drop randomly in the wilderness. If they aren't picked up within twenty-four hours, they will disappear~"

"Second, the sun rises at 08:00 and sets at 18:00. Do not stay out in the wilderness after dark~"

"Third, during the first three days of the beta, remember never to wander into the misty zones, or you must bear the consequences~"

"Well, that is all for our friendly tips. Have fun playing~"

Although the voice was clearly inhuman, its playful tone was enough to incite fury.

That person... No! Was *It* really just letting them play a game?

Ning Yun certainly didn't believe it, and neither did the other Earthlings dragged into this game.

The chat channel was filled with all sorts of theories.

[Were we kidnapped by aliens?]

[Did you guys hear that voice just now too?]

[What kind of bullshit game is this, &%￥*%￥%&￥&...￥]

The user had probably cursed so foully that the system censored it.

The messages sent by players were all in white text. But now, a striking yellow message appeared.

[Beta Player 250 has been muted for three days due to offensive language. Let this serve as a warning to other players!]

Obviously, this message came from the system.

Though the punishment was merely a mute, it served as a stern warning. Everyone realized that in this game, they were nothing but meat on a chopping block.

Rational voices gradually began to emerge.

[That's right. The system just said the sun doesn't rise until 8:00. Don't go out early. We don't know what's out there, so it's best to follow the rules on the first day.]

[Based on my experience reading web novels, since the system said this is a beta test, there probably aren't many players. Don't panic, everyone, let's stick together!]

[I've tried it—we can't send private messages, only chat in the public channel. Let's exercise some restraint and stop spamming so the experts can speak.]

[Seconded.]

[Agreed.]

[To the ones above: we just said not to spam, so stop posting useless comments like that.]

[Heh, what you just sent is also useless.]

It seemed there was still a long way to go before the players could reach any kind of consensus.

Ning Yun tried to close the chat channel, but she was unsuccessful. She could only stretch her arms and legs before walking over to the door.

The ten minutes flew by. The moment the clock struck 08:00, she threw open the door and rushed outside!

The rising sun wasn't blinding, but Ning Yun still squinted instinctively before she could clearly see her surroundings.

Before her lay an endless forest, with lush, vibrant grass and flowers growing abundantly on the ground. To the right of the thatched cottage was a clear stream. The soothing sound of running water brought a sense of calm.

Not far away, a thick fog blocked the view of the distance. However, Ning Yun thought she could make out the silhouette of mountains, though she had no idea how far they were from her cottage.

Looking back, her thatched cottage was indeed just that—low-roofed and rickety, looking as if a gentle push would bring it tumbling down.

Her starting location was excellent. Dense woods meant no shortage of food, and the river meant plenty of water.

Yet, instead of exploring further, she walked in a circle around the cottage.

Just as she reached the back of the house, she spotted a multicolored glow shimmering behind a large tree nearby.

Gathering the strength she had once used for her middle school physical education 800-meter sprint, she dashed toward the tree.

Sure enough, there was indeed a light!

Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed the light. A mechanical voice chimed in her ear.

[Congratulations, Player, on obtaining a Newbie Gift Pack!]

[Ding! As you are the first to discover a Newbie Gift Pack, you are rewarded with Lucky Wheel Spin ×1!]

She got it!

Ning Yun's heart pounded wildly. She hadn't expected to be the very first to find a newbie pack.

Not stopping to check her rewards, she quickly sent a message in the chat channel.

[111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111]

This was the secret signal she had agreed upon with Xiao Qichen: as soon as either of them obtained their newbie reward, they would send this code to notify the other.

Xiao Qichen, who had been keeping a close eye on the channel, smiled when he saw the signal. He raised his right hand and touched the multicolored glow in front of him. The system's voice rang in his ears as well.

Meanwhile, a physical "Lucky Wheel" floated in front of Ning Yun. It was entirely golden, divided into countless segments, but completely blank of any text.

Ning Yun had no idea what kind of rewards it held. But she knew one thing: every single reward on it would be incredibly precious.

Only those participating in the beta test who were among the first three to find a Newbie Gift Pack would receive a spin.

Keeping her composure, she gave the pointer a gentle flick. It spun rapidly around the wheel. Within a few seconds, the speed slowed down, and it finally came to a gentle halt at a certain spot.

[Ding! Congratulations, Player, on drawing the S-grade talent: 100% Critical Hit!]