Chapter 1: 001
【001】Doomsday game loading
【Doomsday Game Loading…】
When Gu Qing regained consciousness, a mechanical voice kept repeating in her mind, accompanied by a virtual screen that appeared in front of her.
This caught Gu Qing off guard. Could it be that the retirement world assigned by the system was actually a highly developed technological world? Wasn’t it supposed to have the same level of technology as her original world?
The thought flashed through her mind before she quickly focused on the screen in front of her, a sense of foreboding welling up inside her.
【999.】Gu Qing called out in her mind.
She might not have eaten pork, but she had certainly seen pigs run.
An Doomsday clearly wasn’t part of a normal world.
【Zzzzz… zzzz… System loading…】
【System 999 at your service.】
【Host, we sincerely apologize. There was a connection error. This world is currently in the civilization evolution assessment phase, and the passage has been sealed.】
“So you’re telling me I have to stay in this world? This is the resurrection reward package I worked so hard to earn by completing all those missions?”
At this moment, Gu Qing felt like she was about to lose her mind.
She had endured all kinds of cannon fodder roles in various worlds, suffering both physically and mentally, just to accumulate enough points to resurrect and choose her ideal retirement world. And now, due to a connection error, this happened.
Had she played the cannon fodder role so often that she had truly become cannon fodder?
【Host, System 999 deeply apologizes. After reporting to the main system, we will compensate you for your loss and do our best to ensure you can enjoy your dream retirement life in this world.】
“Are you kidding me?”
【The main system has issued directives: after the civilization evolution assessment ends, the host will be compensated with a proper retirement world. This world will be reclassified as a vacation world, and the host will be granted a golden finger (special ability) as compensation.】
Hearing about compensation conditions, Gu Qing hesitated for a moment before reluctantly accepting it. Only then did she begin to pay attention to the environment of this world—and, of course, the golden finger.
“999, what’s the golden finger?”
Through this brief conversation, she understood one thing: she was destined to stay in this world, for better or worse.
Since it couldn’t be changed, she could only adapt.
After all, as someone who had completed numerous world-hopping missions, her ability to adjust to new worlds was top-notch.
【You’ll find out once the game finishes loading.】
After saying that, System 999 went silent.
Gu Qing then turned her attention back to her surroundings.
It was a simple, cozy bedroom, perfectly matching her personal preferences. It was the same room she had designed in the system space, now brought to life. Looking at the desk, she found documents prepared by the system, including her legal identity in this world, the property certificate for this house, and even academic credentials.
Everything was in place.
Unfortunately, she had stumbled into a civilization evolution scenario.
Gu Qing had only briefly heard about civilization evolution from System 999 before. Planets that failed the evolution assessment would turn into cosmic dust. She had once sighed over such a fate, never expecting to encounter it in her resurrection world.
It must have been all those cannon fodder missions—her luck had run out.
From bad to worse!
With that, Gu Qing picked up the phone on the desk, intending to check out this world’s situation.
The moment she went online, she found the internet flooded with news about the sudden appearance of virtual screens in front of everyone.
Doomsday Game
Virtual Screens
The End of the World is Here
Following the flow, Gu Qing clicked into a forum and saw a highlighted post.
“A virtual screen appeared in front of me, along with a voice saying the Doomsday Game is loading, urging us to survive. Does anyone else have this?”
“Same here, it’s so freaking scary!”
“Is this really the end of the world?”
“Oh my god! This is terrifying! I feel like something bad is about to happen.”
“People kept joking about the doomsday, and now that it’s here, where are all the trolls?”
“Is this Doomsday Game global or just in Huaxia(China)?”
“Location: M Country. I also have this screen and voice.”
“Location: R Country. Same here.”
“Oh no, it’s global.”
“Could this be an alien invasion?”
“…”
“It’s over, it’s really the end of the world.”
“Are zombies going to appear like in Resident Evil?”
“No! Zombies are so disgusting.”
“Everyone, we should quickly stock up on food! I’ve already seen some people frantically buying everything.”
“Stop posting on the forum, we need to prepare for the doomsday.”
“Don’t forget weapons, everyone!”
“…”
At this point, Gu Qing recalled what System 999 had just mentioned.
The Doomsday Game—it was just turning the entire world into a game. But what would a gamified world be like?
As Gu Qing pondered, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind, and at the same time, the screen in front of her changed.
【Doomsday Game loading complete, entering countdown: 10, 9, 8… 3, 2, 1】
【Friendly reminder: If evolution fails, Earth will be destroyed. Please, survivors, strive to survive.】
Just as Gu Qing thought the world was merely being gamified and everything would only change slightly, the screen suddenly fizzed and new content appeared.
【Doomsday Game fully loaded, congratulations, you are the lucky one, about to merge into the game world.】
In that instant, Gu Qing realized that her surroundings had changed. She was no longer in a normal house but instead found herself in a desolate wilderness. The entire world had shifted in those few seconds.
Looking at the virtual screen in front of her, a new notification appeared.
【Game world fully loaded】
Gu Qing couldn’t help but twitch her mouth. Had she really been transported to another world? She was truly the “lucky one”!
As the notification finished, the sky began to change.
The originally blue sky seemed to be covered by a shadow, and as the shadow cleared, several glowing orbs began to fall.
One of them came straight for Gu Qing.
Her mind stirred slightly.
Was this the “golden finger” System 999 had mentioned?
With that thought, Gu Qing reached out and caught the orb.
As soon as she grasped it, the orb transformed into a token in her hand, and an introduction page unfolded in front of her.
【Item Name: Territory Token】
【Item Category: Limited Item】
【Item Description: Grants the ability to establish a territory upon use.】
【Usage Requirement: Requires an unclaimed territory.】
This was indeed a good item.
Gu Qing looked around. She was in the middle of a wilderness, surrounded by small patches of grass, clearly not a good place to establish a territory.
According to the description, this territory would become her base in the future, so she had to choose carefully.
In the next moment, Gu Qing quickly put the token away.
After securing it, Gu Qing turned her attention to the glowing orbs falling from the sky, quickly vanishing as they hit the ground. She knew without a doubt that these orbs were game items, likely the initial resources given to the survivors in this game.
She needed to gather some while she had the chance.
Gu Qing quickly searched the area, remembering where she had seen the orbs fall earlier, and indeed, she found several.
When she collected these orbs, they turned into various skill cards. According to the system’s evaluation, the cards were categorized into four levels: White, Green, Purple, and Orange. Orange was the highest level, and no matter how many orbs there were, they could all be collected. However, each person could equip only 3+1 skill cards—three can be freely chosen, while one must be an auxiliary skill.
Perhaps as Gu Qing had suspected, her luck seemed to be running out. Most of the skill cards she found were white, with an occasional green card, but purple and orange cards were nowhere to be seen. No matter the color, Gu Qing quickly placed every card she found into her inventory.
After the initial selection, Gu Qing chose four green skill cards: Chain Attack, Swordsmanship, Chain Sprint, and Stealth. Stealth was an auxiliary skill, allowing for short bursts of movement. When using green cards, the corresponding attribute points temporarily increased by 2.
Once she had made her selections, Gu Qing instinctively picked up more green cards and wondered whether she should replace any of her current skills.
While Gu Qing was happily collecting the cards, suddenly, a “ding” sound rang in her mind. Without thinking, she looked at the screen in front of her.
The notification had updated.
【Beginner’s Gift Pack has been distributed. The game is officially merging. Countdown: 10, 9, 8… 3, 2, 1.】
As the countdown reached 1, Gu Qing realized that her surroundings had changed again.
This time, it wasn’t a scene change, but the appearance of several small monsters.
After they appeared, they charged directly toward her.
Gu Qing froze for a moment but quickly reacted. She pulled an attack skill card from her inventory—a group attack skill—and instantly wiped out the small monsters in front of her. They were red-eyed rabbits.
When the red-eyed rabbits were killed, their bodies vanished, and a voice echoed in her mind.
【Congratulations, you have killed several level 1 Red-Eyed Rabbits and met the login conditions. Would you like to log in?】
“Login.” Gu Qing responded quickly.
As soon as the words fell, the voice in her mind continued.
【Confirm login, loading game module, loading character module.】
Soon, Gu Qing saw that the screen in front of her had completely transformed into a simple game interface, containing sections for character info, team, squad, inventory, map, wealth, shop, events, private messages… and so on.
Gu Qing quickly checked her character attributes.
【Name: Gu Qing】
【Race: Human】
【Level: lv0 (14/100)】
【Health: 100/100】
【Stamina: 100/100】
【Skill Cards: Chain Attack, Chain Sprint, Stealth, Swordsmanship (Max: 4)】
【Talent: Leadership (Lord’s Token functionality bonus)】
【Attributes: Constitution 5 (10), Intelligence 8 (10), Strength 4 (10), Defense 3 (10), Agility 7 (10), Charm 9 (10)】
As Gu Qing logged in, the game system made an announcement.
【Experience 114, meets upgrade requirement, do you want to upgrade to lv1?】
Gu Qing quickly confirmed, and then saw the level and attribute bar on her character sheet change.
【Level: lv1 (114/1000)】
She leveled up?
At this moment, the 999 system popped up.
【Host, would you like to default to merging the 999 system with the doomsday game subsystem?】
“Yes,” Gu Qing quickly responded. Compared to the doomsday game system, she would clearly be more in sync with the 999 system.
As soon as she spoke, the screen in front of her displayed: 【System merging…】
Meanwhile, small monsters not far from Gu Qing began to continuously charge toward her.
Gu Qing didn’t have time to worry about whether the system was merging, recalling the usefulness of the green-card Chain Attack skill, she continued using it to attack.
A moment later, the area around Gu Qing was filled with light orbs.
As she prepared to collect them, Gu Qing realized she couldn’t even touch these items.
Thinking about the system that was still merging, Gu Qing waited and vigilantly observed her surroundings.
【System integration complete.】
With this announcement, a series of notifications began broadcasting in her mind.
【Congratulations, host, you have mastered the skill Chain Attack.】
【Congratulations, host, by killing the Red-eyed Rabbits, you have obtained 60 carrots, 30 rabbit meat, and 30 rabbit skins. These have been placed in your inventory.】
【Congratulations, host, you have earned the “Rabbit’s Enemy” title. You may be attacked by rabbits upon encountering them.】
“Rabbit’s Enemy?”
As soon as Gu Qing thought of those words, suddenly, a Red-eyed Rabbit jumped out from a nearby bush. Upon seeing Gu Qing, it let out a sharp scream and began making a series of angry sounds.
The noise was so annoying, she might as well kill it and get some food.
As Gu Qing thought this and acted on it, the voice of the 999 system sounded again.
【Host, congratulations, you’ve stirred up the rabbit’s nest.】
Before Gu Qing could react, she saw one rabbit after another leaping out of the bushes, all screaming at her.
The rabbits kept multiplying, and Gu Qing lost count.
She immediately stopped, then started to retreat.
Without thinking, Gu Qing ran backward, but halfway through, when she looked back, she saw a never-ending swarm of rabbits behind her.
Gu Qing: “…”
—Rabbits do bite when they’re desperate. This was true.