More and more game-related content spilled from the mouths of 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】.
Closed beta, no data wipe, no walkthroughs—everything relied on the players’ own exploration.
This group was the very first batch of closed beta players, and they had just “entered” this world yesterday.
They were hidden among the crowds. Some were eccentric and easily identifiable, like the idiot who had dropped his pants in public.
Others were low-key and inconspicuous, blending into the crowd as ordinary passersby.
The golden vertical mark between Yue Shi’s brows surfaced once more as he scanned the crowd.
Using the movement of raising his arm to mask his actions, he looked through his vision. Those with names above their heads were like lit lamps scattered throughout the crowd.
Some were taking photos, some were chatting, and others were buying things from street stalls.
Most of their behavior was perfectly normal; if not for the glowing names above their heads, one wouldn’t even give them a second glance.
...
As 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 chatted, they suddenly took the initiative to walk toward Yue Shi.
“With this level of modeling, he’s definitely not a typical extra. He might be an important NPC from the newbie village, the kind with a hidden mission.”
“Let’s go. We’ll try striking up a conversation.”
Yue Shi’s hand paused as he petted the snow leopard.
“Hey, handsome.” 【Tom】 leaned in toward him, his voice as enthusiastic as if he were meeting a long-lost brother.
【Jerry】 followed close behind. Both of them had a light in their eyes that only players possessed.
It was a mix of curiosity, excitement, and a reckless sense of, “You’re just an NPC anyway, so you can’t actually do anything to me.”
“Hey there, mind if we get to know you?” 【Jerry】 reached out a hand with a smile.
Yue Shi looked at the extended hand but did not take it. A strange arc slowly curved across his lips, and the pseudo-human feel was instantly dialed up to the max.
【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 both felt a shiver run down their spines—an instinctive reaction as if facing a natural predator.
However, they didn’t back down. They were players; they wouldn’t be intimidated by an NPC’s expression.
“You—” 【Tom】 had barely uttered a word when he heard a sharp whistling sound from above.
He realized something was wrong, but it was too late.
Thud!
A flowerpot that had fallen from some unknown floor smashed squarely into 【Tom】’s forehead.
Ceramic shards flew everywhere, and soil scattered across the ground. The unknown green plant lay tilted on the pavement, its leaves still trembling slightly.
【Tom】’s body swayed, his head bleeding from the wound.
Thud!
Another sound followed. This time, it was a bucket falling from a height—and it was full of water. It slammed directly onto 【Jerry】’s head.
Water spilled from the bucket, drenching him completely. 【Jerry】 staggered forward a few steps from the impact, only staying upright by grabbing onto a nearby streetlight.
He was also bleeding from a head wound, the blood mixing with the water on his face to create a truly pathetic sight.
“Holy crap!” 【Jerry】 cursed, pulling the bucket off his head and throwing it onto the ground.
Even though his head had been split open, his expression didn’t change at all.
They couldn’t feel pain. This was a player privilege. The server launch announcement had stated very clearly that to optimize the gaming experience, players would not feel pain; instead, the game would only display health bars and injury prompts.
At this moment, the health bars for 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 were nearly empty; they were on the verge of death.
The surrounding crowd burst into cries of alarm.
“Oh my goodness! Who would be so heartless as to drop objects from heights?”
“Quick, call an ambulance!”
“Both of them have split their heads open. There’s so much blood...”
Several helpful bystanders gathered around. Some were calling emergency services, while others reached out to support 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】.
The falling objects were, of course, Yue Shi’s doing. With a simple test, he could see the extraordinary nature of players—they were perfectly fine despite being smashed like that.
Yue Shi’s eyes darted as his mind filled with wicked ideas. He pointed at 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 and shouted his slander: “These two are monsters in disguise! Look at them—they aren’t afraid of pain at all. A normal person would have passed out long ago after being hit in the head like that!”
The surrounding crowd froze.
That was true. Why weren’t they afraid of pain?
Their heads had been split open by a flowerpot, blood was streaming down their faces, and yet they didn’t even flinch. They were even standing there cursing.
This wasn’t right. This definitely wasn’t right.
It was possible that adrenaline allowed a dying person to ignore the pain, but no one wanted to risk that possibility.
The helpful bystanders who had intended to assist quickly backed away. The person calling for an ambulance switched their call to the police.
The crowd retreated from 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 like a field of wheat blown by the wind, leaving a wide, empty circle on the ground.
【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 didn’t care at all. As players, who cared about the feelings of NPCs?
Seeing their indifferent attitudes, the crowd became more convinced that they were contaminated mutated creatures.
Someone had already dialed the Investigation Bureau’s hotline.
【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 stood their ground. Passersby watched from a distance, while only a few bold individuals remained nearby to film with their phones.
【Tom】 sighed. “Do these people really have to go that far? It was just a little bump.”
【Jerry】 also wiped the water from his face and pushed his blood-matted hair aside. “This just shows that this game is indeed high-fidelity. The NPC reactions are very realistic.”
Even knowing that someone had called the police, the two did not leave.
They were players. If they died, they could respawn; if they were injured, they could use potions. Even if they were caught by the Investigation Bureau, the worst that could happen was being forced to log out and wait to come back online later.
Perhaps they could even take the opportunity to explore the Bureau’s internal structure and unlock a few hidden achievements.
The investigators from the Investigation Bureau arrived quickly. A car pulled over at the curb, and three people stepped out.
The lead investigator had a serious expression. Holding a detector, he scanned 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】.
The detector emitted a series of beeps and showed a green light. They weren’t mutated creatures.
However, 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 were clearly behaving abnormally. Detectors weren’t infallible; it was very possible that some monsters could evade detection.
The investigator decided to take the two back for further testing.
“Take them away.”
The other two investigators flanked 【Tom】 and 【Jerry】, grabbing them by the arms.
【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 didn’t struggle. In fact, they were somewhat excited, winking at each other and whispering in low voices.
“See? I told you this was a hidden plot.”
“Once we’re in the Investigation Bureau, we might be able to pick up the main mission.”
“Don’t push, don’t push. I can walk on my own.”
Someone in the crowd whispered, “I’ve never seen such moronic monsters. They just stood there waiting to be caught. It looks like the falling objects really did break their brains.”
Another person scoffed, “Maybe their brains were broken to begin with. They looked stupid even before they got hit.”
【Tom】 and 【Jerry】 were shoved into the back seat of the car. The doors slammed shut, the engine roared to life, and they soon disappeared at the end of the street.
The crowd gradually dispersed, discussing the incident in small groups while cursing the person who had dropped the objects from above.
Rate on N.U.
