Chapter 1 Deliveryman (1)
"The world is so big, I want to go see it."
"Bang--"
...
Welcome to this bizarre world! Want to be resurrected? Collect enough life points to exchange for a Resurrection Ticket.
"...I want to...live..."
[You have entered a bizarre world, dear cattle and horses, please begin your performance.]
Bai Ye awoke with a start from the pain of her body being squeezed. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a pure white hall.
He floated in mid-air, his feet unable to touch the ground, and a gust of wind blew by, causing him to sway from side to side.
The air was filled with a cacophony of noise and the clatter of keyboards.
Bai Ye quickly saw a line of text appear in the void of the hall: [Complaint: Today's takeout order was weird again! I was almost scared to death. Come in and I'll tell you all about it!]
Soon, the sound of keyboard typing grew louder and louder.
Thump thump thump—
The sound seemed to be ringing right next to his ears, one beat after another, making his eardrums ache.
At the same time, more and more words appeared in the void.
[1L (Original Poster): I didn't want to take orders, but I've been in the lobby for almost three days, and my money is almost gone. I saw my health points had decreased by 2, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and take orders.]
[2L (Original Poster): What bad luck! My first order was for Fenyang Community, Building 13, Unit 10001!!!]
[3L (Survival is the Best): OP is so unlucky. Fenyang Residential Area is notoriously eerie; everyone living there is missing limbs, especially Building 13. Even during the day, it's chilling to the bone when you go in. Can you believe it's 38 degrees outside, but -18 degrees inside the elevator?]
[4L (I'd rather die than take orders): Building 13? I remember the highest floor is 100. What kind of luck did you have, OP? Did you run into a monster?]
[5L (Original Poster): Last time I took the elevator, it was full of broken pieces. Since I couldn't return it after accepting the order, I insisted on climbing the stairs today. But!!!]
Bai Ye was engrossed in reading, but the text stopped moving on.
A line of bright red text slowly appeared: "Enter the dungeon lobby? To browse the forum, please register. After logging in, a wealth of exciting posts await you."
Is this bizarre world a forum?
Bai Ye was no stranger to the forum. Thinking of the voice he heard before he died, the words "resurrection" were too tempting. Without thinking, he chose "yes".
[The dungeon lobby is loading. New players have registered as regular members, and the level 1 forum is now open.]
New players are advised to carefully read the announcement, understand the relevant rules, and strictly abide by them.
The two lines of bright red text disappeared, and Bai Ye finally fell from mid-air, landing firmly on the ground.
The pure white hall had now transformed into a three-dimensional projection forum space, with posts constantly floating around it.
Bai Ye noticed a screen in front of him, and as soon as he touched it, his information immediately appeared.
Bai Ye: Regular player (can be changed to nickname)
Health: 0.1 (If health does not reach 1 within 72 hours, the character will be instantly killed)
Completed dungeons: 0 (New players can choose up to three dungeons)
Forum Level: Level 1 (The higher the level, the higher the salary)
Number of Level 1 players on the forum: 365
After reading the information, Bai Ye roughly understood her situation and then became curious about the posts that were floating around her.
Among them, the red calligraphy scrolls hanging overhead are the most eye-catching.
He raised his right hand and tried to jump up to reach the words. The moment he touched them, the post content immediately unfolded.
[Announcement: Rules for the Mysterious World Dungeon Lobby.]
[1L: Once a player selects a dungeon, they must complete the entire dungeon. Giving up halfway is considered a failure, and failure deducts corresponding health points. If health points reach 0, the player is instantly killed.]
[2L: A score is given upon completion of the dungeon, and Ghost Coins are awarded based on the score. Ghost Coins can be exchanged for health points or used for forum-related expenses.]
[3L: Remember to be civilized, harmonious, dedicated, and friendly.]
[4L: The rules are constantly being updated, please check back regularly.]
Apart from the points mentioned above, the post is completely blank, with no player comments.
Bai Ye tried it and indeed found that he couldn't comment.
He released the post, and the bright red characters immediately floated back up and continued to hang above his head.
Then, he pulled over a black post that was wandering past his hand.
[Just kidding: Today is my 120th day working in this bizarre world, and my mental state is getting better and better.]
[1L (Original Poster): Fellow ghosts, does anyone understand? This is the 77th time I've received a delivery errand dungeon! The 77th time! Today was the worst; it was a three-choice dungeon, and I got three delivery errand dungeons! I have no way out...]
[2L (I'd rather die than take orders): OP, you're incredibly unlucky, I feel so sorry for you.]
[3L (Survival is the Best): OP, could you elaborate? Which hand did you use to draw? Did you buy the "Misfortune Be Gone" card?]
[4L (Original Poster): I can't bear to buy it. I have to earn 100 to exchange for 1 health point, and my health points are almost in single digits...]
[5L (Earn Money to Level Up): I suggest you buy this. It seems you're not suited for the delivery/errand-running dungeon right now. Continuing will easily lead to a mental breakdown. Once you get stressed out by those things, you might give up halfway, resulting in even more health deductions and the possibility of being eliminated.]
[6L (Survival is the best): To the kind person on the 5th floor, although this dungeon makes money quickly, the amount deducted is also high, and several places are really terrible.]
...
Bai Ye looked at the content, extracting useful information as he went.
First, new players must accept dungeon quests to survive, and once a dungeon is opened, it must be completed. Abandoning the dungeon will result in a higher health penalty.
Secondly, the three dungeons can be randomly selected, and there are so-called "misfortune warding off" cards, which are most likely purchased with Ghost Coins and can increase the probability of drawing the dungeon you want.
Third, as can be seen from the content of the initial post, you cannot stay in this dungeon lobby indefinitely; your health will be deducted based on the length of time you stay.
Bai Ye glanced at his information again; his health points were a pitiful 0.1, which was simply appalling.
What does 0.1 mean? Does it mean brain death?
[Player's health is insufficient. Please start the dungeon immediately. Time countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7...]
It's that voice!
Bai Ye remembered that when she was on the verge of death, the invitation she heard to enter the strange world was from this voice.
So the current situation is that my 0.1 health points are not enough to stay in the dungeon lobby any longer?
【5, 4, 3, 2——】
"Activate the dungeon!"
With the countdown ending in one second, Bai Ye shouted loudly.
The dungeon lobby fell silent instantly. The posts that had been hovering around disappeared one by one, while the most eye-catching red post at the top of the screen seemed to have been splashed with water, the text gradually spreading and blurring.
The bright red liquid, varying in shades, dripped down from top to bottom.
The once pure white hall now had an entire wall hanging in blood red.
"Tick-tock...tick-tock..."
Bai Ye could clearly hear the sound of liquid dripping.
The red lettering spread even faster, and the blood color seeped in more and more. In an instant, a huge wave of crimson rushed towards him.
Bai Ye was unable to dodge in time and was engulfed by the wave of blood.
A dark red tabletop rose up.
There are three cards on it, each with a blood-red handprint on it. Pressing the card will select the card.
In the first instance, Bai Ye had no experience, so he randomly placed his hand on the middle card.
All three cards were flipped over at the same time. The card he chose read "Happy Deliveryman," while the other two cards read "I want to study hard and get first place."
Before losing consciousness, Bai Ye was extremely relieved: thankfully, it wasn't a learning instance.
...
When Bai Ye woke up again, he was standing in front of a fried chicken shop.
Behind him was the road, and cars honked their horns as they sped past. Once the cars were far away, a voice drifted through the air: "Looking for death? Can't you watch where you're going to cross the road?"
An old woman retreated, trembling, and leaned against a nearby concrete pillar, panting, "Driving so fast, are they in a hurry to be reborn?! They're going to die! There aren't even traffic lights or crosswalks on this road..."
"Mom, I want to eat fried chicken."
"No, I have to go home for dinner soon, I can't eat anything else."
Bai Ye turned his head and saw a little girl in a school uniform skipping along. Next to her was a very young woman, who was carrying a schoolbag in one hand and stretching out the other hand, trying to catch the child who was running too fast.
"Slow down, there are many cars, hold your mother's hand tightly."
Skyscrapers, street food stalls, bustling traffic, schools and shopping malls, those hurried figures, those voices chatting and laughing...
Bai Ye had a vague feeling that he was still in the same world.
What weirdness, what dungeons, it's all nonsense.
"Hey buddy, your order is ready."
A shout from the fried chicken shop clerk snapped Bai Ye out of his thoughts. He took the bag and glanced at the note attached to it.
[Dead Me Delivery: Devil Spicy Fried Chicken, 1 serving, 68 yuan]
[Address: Room 8004, Building 13, Fenyang Residential Area, Ms. Ruan]
Fenyang Residential Area!
Bai Ye shuddered. He remembered this address; it had been mentioned in a post he hadn't finished reading before.
The players discussed that Fenyang Community was very eerie, and that many people living there were missing limbs, especially in Building 13.
Bai Ye checked the delivery address, looked at the community name, and then at the specific floor. His heart sank.
Is this takeout delivery absolutely necessary?
"Beep! Please note the timeout. There are 30 minutes left before delivery."
A mechanical sound suddenly came from my pocket.
Bai Ye reached inside and pulled out a mobile phone. The phone screen was lit up, displaying a simple food delivery operation backend, currently showing his delivery order, specifically Ms. Ruan's order from Fenyang Community.
The specific route is shown above, and below the route is a countdown timer.
The broadcast had just finished, indicating 30 minutes remaining; the time was now 29:36. Meanwhile, the clock continued to tick away...
At the very bottom, there is a line of small print, a friendly reminder.
[A 100 RMB commission is awarded for on-time delivery and a 5-star review. A 50 RMB deduction is applied immediately for any late delivery.]
50!
My health is only 0.1 right now!
Bai Ye immediately abandoned all distracting thoughts, found the delivery scooter parked by the roadside, put on his helmet, and headed straight for Fenyang Community.
Fortunately, the navigation was accurate, and Bai Ye finally arrived twenty minutes later.
However, he was ruthlessly stopped by the security guard at the entrance of the residential area.
"A food delivery person? This is an upscale residential area; delivery drivers aren't allowed in."
Bai Ye used to work as a food delivery driver and knows that some residential areas have very strict rules. Delivery vehicles are not allowed to enter, and the security guards keep a tight rein on them.
Rather than getting into a fight with the security guards, it's better to park your car at the entrance of the residential area.
"Okay, I'll carry it in myself."
Bai Ye got off the bike, took off his helmet and put it in the basket of the electric bike, and then took a bag from the takeout box on the back seat.
As I passed the security guard, I asked again, "Excuse me, sir, how do I get to building 13?"
The security guard casually pointed, "That's the building at the very back, see it? The blood-red one."
Bai Ye ran inside carrying the bag. Fenyang Community should be a pretty high-end community. The whole community is very large, and apart from the 13 buildings, the rest is all greenery.
Building 13 is the innermost and the tallest, and its blood-red exterior facade is very eye-catching.
Three minutes later, Bai Ye arrived at the foot of Building 13.
Stepping into the open-air lobby, the sweat that had been pouring down my body from the sun instantly evaporated, as if all the sweat had been absorbed back into my body.
What followed was an indescribable damp cold.
Bai Ye couldn't help but rub his arms. The hairs on his body stood on end. The temperature must be below 10 degrees Celsius, right?
Bai Ye reached the elevator and pressed the button.
But as he pressed the button, he remembered the post: 38 degrees outside, -18 degrees in the elevator.
Most importantly, some players have mentioned that the elevator is full of debris.
The floor numbers on the elevator display kept jumping, from 45 to 38 to 26...
It's almost here.
To go in or not to go in?
Bai Ye was in a dilemma.
If you go inside, you are very likely to encounter an extremely cold environment and some unspeakable limbs.
Having grown up in a peaceful environment, Bai Ye had only ever seen similar scenes in crime dramas; otherwise, she had never witnessed anything like it.
But this delivery order has to be delivered; abandoning it halfway through will directly deduct health points, and my 0.1 health points are negligible.
Regardless of whether the voice's claim of "resurrection" was true or false, he didn't want to give up even if it was only a one in ten thousand chance.
I just bought a motorhome and decided to take a year off. I haven't had a chance to properly see the beautiful landscapes of our motherland yet.
How could I accept this...
Bai Ye glanced at his phone, which showed that there were five minutes left.
He began to estimate his physical abilities: he could climb 4 floors in one minute at most, and if the strange world abandoned science, he could climb 20 floors in five minutes, and 80 floors would take 20 minutes.
Great, the stair-climbing plan has failed.
"bite--"
The elevator doors opened.
It was empty; there wasn't a single person inside.
There was no one else there but myself in the elevator waiting area.
After struggling for a while, Bai Ye decided to go inside.
After pressing the "80" floor button, he chose to stand against the wall, right next to one side of the elevator.
The elevator doors slowly closed, and the screen displayed the floors as it gradually ascended, numbered "1-2-3-".
Bai Ye kept his eyes straight ahead, silently counting in his mind, thinking that there was no one around now, one floor per second, and he would arrive in eighty seconds.
Just as I was enjoying my daydreams, the elevator lights suddenly flickered.
He subconsciously looked up and saw a pair of bright red eyes hanging there.
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