Xi Yan skimmed the virtual world's background information, then promptly lay down on the ground, spread his hands, and closed his eyes. “Staying alive in this hellhole is hard enough. Who's going to be in the mood for romance? I'll just wait to die. That'll send me back too.”
[Participant 95627, please adjust your attitude.]
“I'm just a poor little orphan with no mom or dad. Have mercy on me, O Mighty Monitor. Couldn't you let me off?”
[If you return now, your red-name status will remain. But if you complete the mission, this month will count as perfect attendance. You will receive your usual wages, and last month's pay will be restored as well. Good performance may also qualify you for early release from rehabilitation. You do not necessarily have to complete all thirty rounds.]
Xi Yan's eyes snapped open. “Then is there an extra allowance for spending a month suffering and slaving away here? How much? When does it come through? Do you pay on time?”
[...Participant 95627, please adjust your attitude. You are here for rehabilitation, not a holiday.]
Xi Yan scrambled up and narrowed his eyes at the distance. “Bubble, do I get an assigned partner? Would it work if I teamed up with another rehabilitation participant to clear the mission?”
[No assigned partner. To prevent cheating, only one rehabilitation participant is placed in each region. ...Who are you calling Bubble?]
“Thanks.” With that, Xi Yan sprinted away from the towering city walls, stopping abruptly after a hundred meters.
A freshly gouged crater lay before him. Several unconscious people were scattered inside, half buried in the earth, alongside a flying craft so badly wrecked that its shape was barely recognizable.
Xi Yan crouched at the edge and stared for a while. Then he slid down the slope, looked around, and dug someone out.
The man was filthy, but Xi Yan rather liked his looks.
“Hey. Are you still alive?”
The man seemed stunned by the slap. His eyes didn't move.
“Blink if you're alive.” Xi Yan pulled off the man's arm patch. “Your name's Jiang Chen? People always say you should repay someone who saves your life by giving yourself to them. I saved you. How about dating me?”
A ringing filled Jiang Chen's ears. It took him a while to finally register that he had escaped with his life. Blood clouded his vision; he could see nothing clearly. His heart was pounding now, and his face felt hot. Instinctively, he tried to raise a hand to his chest to calm his heartbeat, but the movement tugged at the wound on his arm, and he passed out.
[Participant 95627, what are you doing? Someone is coming this way.] Bubble floated down from above.
Xi Yan brushed the dirt from his trouser legs and glanced up. Then he closed his eyes and pitched headfirst into the soil.
[Hey, hey, hey! 95627, what are you doing?!] Bubble whirled about in panic. As the people drew closer, it finally circled once over Xi Yan, then plunged into the dirt and buried itself.
Xi Yan slept soundly. When he woke, all sorts of strange things were attached to his body, beeping from time to time. Someone was standing beside his bed.
The man's clothes were neat and practical, a simple slate-gray outfit. A few loose strands of hair over his forehead lent him a casual air. He stood tall and straight. Without saying a word, he somehow outshone everything around him.
Xi Yan remembered him. This was Jiang Chen, the man who had been covered in dirt.
“You—”
“I passed out back there, but I remember you. And I remember what I wanted to say but didn't get the chance to! I... I'd like to date you...” Jiang Chen blushed all by himself. He took a deep breath. “I know this is a bit sudden, but I have to admit, I really did... with you... fall in l-love at first sight.”
“Huh?” Xi Yan wasn't quite following. Just like that... he was in love? Was the mission really this easy?
“I know it might seem sudden to you, but I mean it!” Jiang Chen seized Xi Yan's hand. His cheeks were flushed, and the heat of his body passed through his hand so tangibly that Xi Yan didn't quite know what to do.
“Oh... All right! Let's try it for a month, then. After a month—”
Knock, knock, knock!
An urgent pounding came from the door. Xi Yan tilted his head to look as a nurse pushed straight into the room and fastened a blue-glowing ring around Jiang Chen's wrist. “Captain Jiang, you still have a fever. Running around like this makes things harder for us. Please cooperate and come back once your temperature is down, all right? And your hospital clothes were specially made for your constitution. They help your internal injuries. You were wearing them perfectly well before. Why did you change?”
For all the nurse's conciliatory words, they caught Jiang Chen off guard and swiftly injected him with a dose of medication. Once he had lost consciousness, the nurse turned to Xi Yan. “I'm sorry. Captain Jiang's contamination level hasn't come down yet, and the fever has him confused. He may have said something inappropriate. Please don't take it to heart. I'll take him back to his room. If you need anything, wave your left hand. That sensor will notify a nurse.”
“Sure. Don't worry about me.”
The moment the nurse left, Xi Yan eagerly tried to remove the equipment attached to him. He failed to get even one piece off. Suddenly remembering what the nurse had said, he asked, “Bubble, what's a contamination level?”
Earlier, he had only glanced at this world's introduction. He hadn't paid attention to the finer details.
[Exactly what it sounds like. A game invasion subjected this world's soil, oceans, plants, animals, and so on to irreversible toxic contamination. Humans become contaminated upon contact.]
After reading through the background information, Xi Yan was still wondering whether he could actually survive a month in this world when a tremendous crash sounded. The door was forced open, and a group of fully equipped soldiers carrying weapons stormed in.
Their leader produced an ID. Their gaze had been fixed on Xi Yan from the moment they entered, and their voice was stern.
“Please cooperate with our investigation. You'll need to come with us.”