Huang Yi looked down at the small ring in his hand; it was a ring that was not made of metal, thus it had escaped the metal scans of Rose Prison.
But everyone in the world recognized it.
Because it could connect to another world.
Without delay, Huang Yi slid the small ring onto his right index finger, and after five seconds, his vision went black, and he could see nothing.
"Please enter the correct password. After two failed attempts, a self-destruct sequence will initiate," an electronic synthesized voice soon echoed in his mind.
Clearly, those outside feared the ring falling into the wrong hands, so they had set a password.
"1," Huang Yi uttered a number he was all too familiar with, an agreed-upon secret code prior to his incarceration, which would only be invalidated in the event of some major change.
"Password incorrect! If you fail again, the self-destruct sequence will initiate," the electronic synthesized voice said without emotion.
A sense of heaviness settled in Huang Yi’s heart, the secret code had been invalidated.
This indicated that something significant had happened!
It seemed that the only option for the password was the one written on that slip of paper. Huang Yi breathed out the second password: "Bird!"
"Password correct!" In the next moment, the delightful synthesized voice rang out, "Fingerprint scan complete! Binding with Golden Ring successful!"
Now, Huang Yi was finally free!
Although this freedom was merely of the mind, he now possessed a chance to free his body as well.
Immediately after, a completely new Virtual World materialized before Huang Yi’s eyes, and at this moment, he found himself soaring freely through vast skies like a mountain eagle. The ground below swept past with all manner of fantastical lakes, mountains, grasslands, and other landscapes, as warm sunlight filtered down and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance, refreshing with every breath; Huang Yi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Compared to the cold, damp cell, this place was heaven!
Just then, a Little Elf suddenly flew towards him from the horizon. She was no bigger than a palm, flapping her glittering little wings and perching on Huang Yi’s shoulder, saying softly, "Hello! This is the Second World, created by Era of Corporation for humanity. It is the crystal of science and culture, the crowning achievement of human civilization, another form of human society. I hope you enjoy your journey in this brand new world."
Huang Yi nodded in response.
The Virtual World is what the internet was to humanity 100 years ago—the ultimate incarnation. A century ago, humanity couldn’t live without the internet, but now, humanity can’t live without the Virtual World. The Virtual World affects every aspect of human life, from politics and the economy to everyday living. Many people have even given up on the real world, putting themselves in Cold Storage, living their consciousness in the Virtual World, never logging off.
"Before entering the Virtual World, there is a letter I must give you!" At this moment, the Little Elf waved her hand and immediately conjured a letter, thrusting it into Huang Yi’s hands.
Huang Yi opened it to read—
1:
I am 7, and if you are reading this letter, that means our plan has finally succeeded.
First, it pains me to inform you that 3 and 8 were sacrificed in our last operation, and our strength is dwindling. This plan has exhausted all our resources, and we must recuperate for a while. Humanity’s focus has shifted towards the Second World, and we will also shift our focus, developing our full strength in the Second World and temporarily ceasing any plans related to you. But the organization will never give up on you, and all of our sacrifices were to secure your freedom, though it will take some time. Please be patient and wait.
Now, the only person in the world who can grant you immediate freedom is Mr. Huang Sha, the president of Era of Corporation. He just needs to say the word, and the Federation will release you.
But as you know, Mr. Huang Sha never makes public appearances, and his wealth and status are far beyond our reach. Even at the organization’s peak, we couldn’t contact him with all our resources, let alone convince him to meet our demands. We can’t offer him anything in return either, for he could buy anything that could possibly exist in the world, including the Second World, which his company created.
Not long ago, 4 received intelligence of a mysterious gift within the Second World, a gift that Mr. Huang Sha will personally distribute. This is the only known way to make contact with him to date.
And to obtain this mysterious gift, one must complete a Rare Quest with the Golden Ring.
Since the Second World has been open for several days already, and we had completed the Rare Quest with other virtual devices before we received the intelligence, we are not able to attempt it again.
The organization had spent a long time on this, selecting twenty confidants who had never entered The Second World, each receiving a Golden Ring, to make the attempt. However, the Rare Quests undertaken by the Golden Ring users had double the difficulty. Even I was without complete assurance, and despite the considerable abilities of those twenty individuals, not a single one was able to accomplish the mission.
Given that the Golden Ring is the most expensive type of virtual equipment, the organization is now severely weakened. Moreover, having to evade our enemies’ search, we have no strength left for further attempts. We can only take the risk of entrusting a Golden Ring to you, to take matters into your own hands.
Once you have completed the Rare Quest and met with Mr. Huang Sha, ask him if he might order your release. Afterwards, regardless of the outcome, please go to Dragon City first to contact 9. Her name in The Second World is "Qin Shiyu," and she will take you to our stronghold there.
All of us are waiting for your return!
—7
After reading this letter, Huang Yi felt a pang in his heart and closed his eyes.
The situation was worse than he had imagined; both 3 and 8 had been sacrificed, an unprecedented and painful loss.
Moments of fighting side by side with them once again surfaced in his memory. The images of 3 and 8 were clearly etched in his recollections; each time before an operation, Huang Yi would personally straighten their collars, ordering them to survive at all costs, and they had always completed their missions successfully, never once failing.
But now, those times were gone forever!
Two crystal-clear tears slowly streamed down from Huang Yi’s eyes.
"Number 3, Number 8, you can finally rest," whispered Huang Yi, his voice dissolving into thin air along with his tears between heaven and earth.
...
A minute later, Huang Yi opened his eyes, and all traces of sorrow dissipated instantly, leaving no mark.
Tears are shed for loved ones, blood is left for the enemy.
Next, he was to undertake the task that would involve bloodshed.
Huang Yi turned to look at the Little Elf on his shoulder and said firmly, "I’m ready, let’s start!"
The Little Elf nodded and said, "Before you officially enter The Second World, you must complete your identity information. Please choose a name for yourself."
"Random."
"Alright, the system has randomly generated your name: Instakill. Now, please customize your appearance."
"Random."
"Alright, your appearance has been randomly set! Please choose your nationality."
"China," said Huang Yi solemnly. Everything else could be left to chance, but not this one thing.
"Alright, in The Second World, each country has its own exclusive continent. Once you officially enter The Second World, you will arrive on China’s exclusive continent. Next, you can choose your Race and Class. We offer three tiers of Races and Classes for selection. The stronger the Race and Class, the higher the corresponding requirements. The first tier includes the weakest, Common Races and Classes, available to everyone; the second tier includes Advanced Races and Classes, only available to players like you who possess an Advanced Virtual Device. Of course, if you’re still not satisfied and wish to become even stronger, you can opt for the third tier. The third tier offers the strongest Rare Races and Rare Classes. Anyone has the opportunity to choose from them, provided they complete a Rare Quest!"
"I accept the Rare Quest!" said Huang Yi immediately.
"A serious reminder! As a distinguished Golden Ring user, there are some peculiarities. Normally, you would automatically qualify for an Advanced Race and Advanced Class, but if you accept the Rare Quest, the quest difficulty will double, and you will be seen as having forfeited the Advanced Race and Advanced Class. Failure results in only being able to choose from Common Races and Classes. However, upon success, in addition to selecting a Rare Race and Rare Class, you will also receive an additional mysterious gift to reward your courage. Risk and opportunity coexist. Are you sure you want to accept the Rare Quest?"
"Confirmed!"
"We respect your choice. You will now be teleported to the quest area. You have three months to complete this quest. Success is not solely based on your strength; there is some shortcut involved. During the quest, you may die up to 10 times. Should you exceed 10 deaths, or fail to complete the quest within the allotted time, you will be considered to have failed, and you will only be able to choose from Common Races and Classes."
As the voice faded, Huang Yi’s floating body suddenly began to fall at an accelerated pace. The scenery around him whirled by quickly, becoming a blur of lights and shadows until, after a long while, his descent slowed abruptly, and he landed steadily on the ground. Without a clear view of his surroundings, he heard the voice of the Guiding Spirit—
"Your mission is: to kill a criminal in Heroes’ Prison."