Chapter Sixty-Four: Coolness

“A horror-themed scenario?”
Yin Jian sniffed the air and caught a faint whiff of decay under his nose.
Looking down, he saw that he was covered with a cotton quilt.
The quilt was yellowed and greasy, mottled with large patches of mold.
Yin Jian felt a wave of nausea and quickly flung the quilt aside.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel—no wonder this game ranked in the top ten.
The textures of the map, the realism of sensory perception, all of it blurred the line between reality and illusion.
The atmospheric buildup at the start was pitch-perfect, drawing players instantly into the world of the game.
“There’s definitely something here.”
Yin Jian knew that, with his current skills, he couldn’t achieve this level of immersion under the same circumstances.
So his attitude toward learning became even more earnest.
He was determined to master the techniques behind “Your Melancholy Game.”
His mind returned to the game.
Yin Jian glanced at his present state.
He wore a cheap, faded white T-shirt.
Combined with the cramped, dim room around him, it was easy to deduce that the character he controlled came from a poor family.
After surveying his condition, Yin Jian quickly got up.
He began to observe the details of the room.
Since the game offered no clear main quest, it meant he’d have to explore on his own.
Just as he stood up, the cold male voice from the beginning sounded again.
[You feel as if you’ve forgotten many things]
[You want to search the room for old items that might jog your memory of reality]
The sudden voice made Yin Jian’s heart skip a beat.
He’d thought it was just an introductory narration.
But now it seemed this was a guiding voice, a sort of system prompt, acting as a narrator.
Compared to standard system prompts, this narration was subtle and did not break the immersion—on the contrary, it drew the player deeper into the experience.
Players unconsciously followed its guidance.
Yin Jian felt he’d learned something valuable.
After grasping the general setup, he began to play in earnest.
The room he was in was quite small.
Just twelve square meters.
Overhead hung a chandelier thick with dust.
He approached the moldy, rotting wooden door and, experimentally, pressed the light switch.
“Zzz—zzz—”
The aged bulb flickered twice, then successfully lit up.
The dim yellow light chased away a sliver of the darkness.
Though still gloomy, it was just enough to make out the furnishings and some finer details.
The rotten wooden door leaned against the corner, and on the same wall was a double window.
For some reason, every crack had been stuffed tight with newspaper.
After checking his side, Yin Jian’s gaze shifted back into the room.
He had just been lying on a single iron-frame bed, pressed against the innermost wall.
At the center of that wall was a red graffiti mural: five little figures holding hands, their mouths stretched wide, almost too wide.
Were they laughing, or crying?

[This drawing feels familiar]
[But you know you didn’t make it]
Prompted by the voice, Yin Jian studied the mural for a while longer, unsure why.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the five little figures were staring straight at him.
“A clue, perhaps...”
At a loss, he looked toward the bedside, where there was a small wooden nightstand, barely knee-high.
The nightstand was relatively well preserved, merely covered in dust and showing no signs of rot or mold.
“What’s this...”
Noticing a protrusion on the nightstand, Yin Jian walked over and picked it up.
It was a palm-sized photo frame.
He brushed away the dust, and what he saw made his eyelid twitch.
In the photo were two people standing side by side.
A man and a woman.
The man had a strikingly handsome face—none other than himself, the dashing Yin.
The girl was only half his height.
Long hair with bangs, dressed in a frilly little skirt, face hidden as she clung to his hand—her features were impossible to make out.
Yin Jian frowned; he sensed a lifeless aura about the girl.
[You found a photo]
[It’s a brother and sister]
[You recall that you might have a younger sister]
[The two of you depended on each other]
[But... where is she now?]
“Searching for someone?”
Yin Jian set the photo down and opened the drawer, searching through its contents.
[A subway card]
[You seem to use it frequently]
He pocketed the cartoon-printed card he found.
Yin Jian turned his attention to the last area of interest in the room.
On the side wall hung three items.
One was a blue-and-white school uniform, another a somewhat worn blue backpack, and the third a wall clock showing seven o’clock.
[This is the uniform of Elise School]
[You remember you’re a student]
[Every day you rush to school before classes begin at eight]
[Because you know]
[Bad things happen if you’re late]
“So I’m meant to go to school?”
“Looks like I’ll find clues about the ‘sister’ at school.”
Muttering to himself, Yin Jian searched the room once more, but found nothing else of value.
He put on the school uniform, slung the backpack over his shoulders, and opened the door to leave.
“Bang!”
The decaying door slammed against the wall with a heavy, burdened thud.
“Tap, tap, tap...”
As his footsteps faded, the room fell into silence.

“Click!”
The light switch snapped crisply.
The old bulb flickered twice.
The room returned to its original darkness.
“Bang!”
A few seconds after the switch was pressed, the wooden door was suddenly shoved open from the outside with tremendous force.
“Forgot to turn off the light... hmm?”
Noticing the darkened room, Yin Jian looked surprised.
“Automatic?”
He raised his eyebrow, quickly switched the light back on, then closed and reopened the door.
Nothing changed inside; the light was already on.
“A tripped circuit? The attention to detail is impressive.”
He muttered under his breath, closed the door, and left again.
“Tap, tap, tap...”
“Click!”
“Bang!”
“Heh!”
Watching the room plunge into darkness again, Yin Jian stroked his chin, then turned to leave.

Leaving the small building, Yin Jian glanced back at the house shrouded under gloomy clouds.
“So there’s a supernatural angle to this as well.”
He’d grown up being startled by his elderly relatives with all manner of bizarre creatures—his courage was far from ordinary.
If this game thought such tricks could actually depress him, it was wishful thinking.
“No, no, I’m here to learn. Stay calm.”
He exhaled, pushing down his swagger.
[You notice some unusual things]
[But you aren’t afraid, in fact, you find it almost funny]
[You instantly put it out of your mind]
[Now, you only want to visit Elise School]
[To see if you can recover your lost memories]
“Strong AI?”
Noticing the narration reacting to his mindset, Yin Jian muttered.
Still, he didn’t mind—after all, a top-tier game paired with an advanced AI was only natural.
He refocused on the game.
He now found himself in a fairly busy part of town; it seemed only his own residence was dilapidated.
Pedestrians hurried past.
Yin Jian frowned at the passersby—he couldn’t shake the feeling they were secretly watching him.
“A hallucination, or some kind of hint?”
He pondered as he followed the signs toward the subway—arriving at Elise School would surely unravel many mysteries.