—「不...不可能...为什么...」—
No... it can't be... why...
He collapsed onto the floor, heart drumming loud in his chest. He could barely breathe. The photo he had sacrificed, the one that had once been a mere memory, had now become his mission. His best friends—Ren Jie, Yu Fei, and Ling Ling—were being dragged into this nightmare, and it was his fault.
He pushed himself up with shaking hands, barely able to steady himself as he slumped onto the edge of the bed, the card still clutched tightly in his grasp.
「...我真的好怕他们进来」
...I'm really scared they'll get dragged in
As Mo Yu's mind spiraled, he couldn't escape the crushing guilt that weighed him down for dragging his friends into this nightmare. Resentment toward himself bubbled up, a deep, bitter ache in his chest. With numb fingers, he reached for his phone, the weight of what was happening pressing down on him. He opened their group chat, the screen glowing in the dim light.
[Kopi4Lyfe ☕]
[Timestamp: 03/05/25 | 00:17]
Mo Yu:
周日你们有空吗?
Are you all free this Sunday?
Ren Jie:
你要请吃饭我就有空
If you're buying, I'm free.
Yu Fei:你是被外星人绑架了吗? 突然这么温柔
Did aliens kidnap you or something? Why are you suddenly so polite?
Ling Ling:
「周日可以 但我只去有wifi的地方
Sunday works. But I'm only going if there's Wi-Fi.
Mo Yu:
我们聚一下, 我有事说 很重要
Let's meet up. I have something to tell you. It's important.
Ren Jie:
你不会要出柜吧? 我们都知道了耶
You're not gonna come out, right? We already know, bro.
Yu Fei:
别吓我 我不想出席婚礼红包
Don't scare me, I don't have budget for wedding angbao.
Mo Yu:
不是这种事啦!
It's not that kind of thing!
Ling Ling:
那是比你出柜还严重吗
So it's more serious than you coming out?
Mo Yu:
...比这个严重很多
…Much more serious than that.
Ren Jie:
真的假的? 你怀孕啊?
For real? Are you pregnant?
Mo Yu:
滚
Screw off.
Yu Fei:
哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ling Ling:
你快说, 不然我让你变成都市传说
Spit it out or I'll turn you into a creepypasta.
Mo Yu:
到时候你们见到我就知道了
You'll know when you see me on Sunday.
Ren Jie:
听起来像我们要被传销
This sounds like the start of a scam recruitment.
Yu Fei:
对,先发卡片, 再讲感人故事
Yeah, next you're gonna give us name cards and a sob story.
Mo Yu:
真的不是那种事
It's really not that
Ren Jie:
好好好, 随便你说什么
Alright, alright, whatever you say
Ling Ling:
带奶茶来, 我再决定要不要听你说话
Bring bubble tea. Then I'll decide if I'll listen to you
Mo Yu:
我有点开始后悔把你们当闺蜜了
I'm starting to regret being best friends with you guys.
Ren Jie:
太迟了, 我们是你一辈子的宿命
要半糖
Too late. We're your lifelong curse
I want half sugar
Yu Fei:
宿命还要收保护费, 一杯珍奶起跳
Your curse charges protection money. Starting at one bubble tea.
Ling Ling:
我只喝三分糖少冰, 谢谢
Mine's 30% sugar, less ice. Thanks
[Timestamp: 03/05/25 | 00:20]
Mo Yu chuckled at the messages, feeling the weight in his chest lighten just a bit. He typed a quick response.
"好好好, 我请你们喝奶茶, 满意了吧?
Okay okay okay, I'll treat you all to bubble tea, happy now?
It was comforting, knowing they could still make him laugh in the middle of all the chaos. He sent it and leaned back, allowing himself a moment to just... breathe.
「既然他们是因为我才被卷入这个游戏的, 那我就要成为他们的盾牌, 我来保护他们!」
Since they were pulled into this because of me, I will be their shield, and I will be the one to protect them.
With his mind made up, he was determined to find a way to protect them. The only solution that came to him was—items. If that girl's item had been powerful enough to heal her arm, there had to be others with similar abilities. Something, anything, that could help keep them safe. Without wasting another moment, he quickly scrolled the app, hoping to find the key to their survival.
[SHOP FUNCTION UNLOCKED]
Browse items and use your Wen to purchase tools or assets.
Seeing this, he suddenly remembered what Yan Ning told him. He opened up the side bar and texted him.
Mo Yu:
哥,在吗?
5 minutes later…No reply. He waited again, still no reply. He called—no answer as well.
「为什么没有回复?他是不是在忙?」
「看来只能靠自己了.」
Why is there no reply? Is he busy?
Looks like I'll have to rely on myself.
Back to the app again. He clicked on the Shop function and the tab flickered open.
Thousands of items. Weapons. Charms. Trinkets. Buffs. He blinked at the dizzying selection, swiping slowly until something caught his eye:
[Item #458 – Elysian Necklace |极乐项链]
Grade: Celadon (Grade 7)
Cost: 50,000 Wen
Description:
As long as the user is not dead, all injuries will be healed at the end of a mission.
[Item #999 – Phoenix's Embrace凤凰之拥]
Grade: Porcelain (Grade 10)
Cost: 100,000 Wen
Description:
An item blessed by the gods. Blocks in-realm death once.
Shocked by the immense power of the items, Mo Yu felt an overwhelming urge to buy four of each immediately, but reality quickly set in. He couldn't afford them—not in the game world, and certainly not in the real world. He quickly checked his bank balance: SGD $200. That was all he had left to last the month. Living in Singapore isn't cheap, with rent, bills, and food eating up most of his income from part time jobs, there was barely enough to scrape by. He bit his lip, frustration welling up as he stared at the screen, keenly aware of the painful chasm between his desires and his financial reality.
Most of the shield items and weapons were far beyond his financial reach. With no other viable option, he was left with no choice but to settle for the next best thing.
[Item #212 – Whisperstone Jade Bangle| 语幽玉镯]
Grade: Bone China (Grade 4)
Cost: 100 Wen
Description:
For instant mental communication with registered users. Works across any distance.
「尽管我负担不起盾牌和武器,这个通讯物品在我们进入时应该会有很大的帮助.」
Even though I can't afford shields and weapons, this communication item should be helpful when we are inside
He scrolled back to the Jade Bangle, his finger hovering over the purchase button. Without hesitation, he clicked on it. In an instant, a * TING and a flash of light appeared before him, and the item materialised amidst swirling smoke, slowly descending. Mo Yu couldn't help but smile, relieved to see the shop actually working. Eagerly, he reached out to claim it. Without wasting a moment, he clicked three more times, watching as 400 Wen disappeared from his balance. He had no idea how much that would translate to in SGD, but at that moment, all he knew was that this item could be the key to saving them—and it was worth every last bit.
With 1000 Wen remaining, he scrolled the shop again. And under the material tab.
[Item #005 – 24K Gold (1g) | 24K金 (1克)]
Grade: Copper (Grade 1)
Cost: 10 Wen
Description:
Materializes into the real world. Can be exchanged for real-world currency.
Gold! The shop was selling gold! Mo Yu had never noticed it before, he was focused on the shield and weapon tabs and had missed it. And now, seeing the description of the item, the realization hit him. If 1g of 24k Gold equaled to about 100 SGD, then buying gold could be the game-changer he needed. If the item really materialised as promised, he could buy 100 grams of gold! A staggering 10,000 SGD. The possibilities flooded his mind, his heart racing at the thought of how much this could change everything.
「就买一克来试试看...」
He tapped.
* TING
The same bright light appeared once again, and the item materialized before his eyes. Mo Yu's breath caught in his throat as he watched in disbelief. On the floor, right beside his desk, lay a tiny bar of real gold. It gleamed under the dim light, smooth and cold to the touch. His fingers brushed over it, feeling the weight of it in his hand.
「天啊…居然是真的?」
Holy shit... it's actually real...?
His mind raced—bills, rent, groceries. He didn't have to worry about any of it anymore, at least not for the next few months! His eyes lingered on the strange insignia engraved on the edge of the gold bar, but in that moment, it didn't matter. The only thing that truly mattered was whether it was real. He needed to have it checked professionally, but it was already 1 AM, and no goldsmith shop would be open at this hour. He had no choice but to wait until morning. It wasn't the worst thing; fatigue was beginning to settle in. He didn't even remember the last time he'd gotten proper sleep. With everything that was happening, his sense of time had become a blur.
「算了,既然现在什么都做不了,那就先休息一下吧,明天一早醒来,我第一时间去金匠店检查一下.」
Never mind, since I can't do anything about it now, I'll just rest. Tomorrow morning, as soon as I wake up, I'll go to the goldsmith store and get it checked
Although exhausted, Mo Yu still dragged himself to wash up before bed. He felt too sweaty and sticky to just jump into bed, and besides, he had his usual skincare routine to go through—something he always did morning and night. Once he was finally done, he collapsed into his bed, the cool sheets providing a welcome relief against his heated skin. He sighed in relief, grateful that he could finally rest. But as his weary eyes fluttered shut, his mind was heavy with one thought—one he desperately hoped wouldn't come, at least not now.
「拜托,别再有下一张卡了!」
Please, don't let there be another card