Read Novel Full Chapter 656
Hey everyone, I noticed some of you felt the ending was a bit abrupt and rushed, but don’t worry, there’s an arc in the extra chapters that is a continuation of the main story. Hope it gives better closure
^_________^
In 2029, a major breakthrough was made in the gaming industry.
After four years of relentless efforts, the Sun Group’s game team developed a brand-new fully immersive holographic virtual game—”Yesterday Reappears.”
This game combined puzzle-solving, adventure, and mild horror elements. Once released, it instantly became a global sensation, and after six months of beta testing, it achieved a 99% positive rating on gaming channels.
To celebrate the official launch of the game, the two executive directors of the Sun Group, Sun Ning and Sun Yan, gave away 100,000 game cabins for free.
Today was the first day of the public beta for “Yesterday Reappears,” and at 10 a.m., the game officially opened.
In a clean and tidy apartment, a tall young man attached two metal pieces to his temples and then lay down in the game cabin.
As the cabin door slowly closed, the young man’s consciousness began to sink, and the scene before his eyes quickly changed.
[Ding! Welcome, player, to the game lobby. I am your assistant, Xiao Le, and I will guide you through the game.]
A small winged creature appeared in front of him. Its design resembled a cat, though its ears were larger, its tail thicker, and it was only the size of a palm, floating right in front of the young man’s eyes.
The young man stared at the little creature in amazement. Each strand of fur was so lifelike, just like a real furry animal in reality.
He reached out to touch it, and a hand appeared in his field of vision.
The young man looked down at his hands, which were identical to his own. He tried pressing his hands together and could even feel the pressure as if it were real.
His body was still in the game cabin, yet he could feel his body in this virtual game. It was so realistic and magical.
Xiao Le explained: [Our game is designed to provide a realistic experience. If players do not like this level of realism, they can turn off the “sensation” option in the system settings. To protect players’ mental health, we have set a safety range. In the game, players can feel pressure, touch, and various sensations, but there will be no pain. Please rest assured, player.]
Following Xiao Le’s guidance, the young man opened the system and found the sensation settings, but he didn’t choose to turn it off. Why would he turn it off? This was so exciting! Experiencing the most realistic touch in a mild horror game—awesome!
Xiao Le: [The character attribute panel allows players to view their personal attributes, and this is where you can name your character. In the game, there is a game mall where props can be exchanged using points earned by clearing levels. The game lobby of “Yesterday Reappears” is a 999-floor tower. Players can not only earn points but also performance scores during gameplay. Performance scores allow players to ascend to higher floors. The higher the floor, the higher the difficulty level a player can challenge. Players can choose the difficulty and horror level of the stages.]
[By the way, all points and performance scores can only be earned by clearing levels. There are no recharge channels or hidden consumption traps in this game. We guarantee absolute fairness for players.]
The young man asked curiously: [How do I select the horror level?]
Xiao Le: [There are four levels to choose from: none, light, medium, and heavy. If you select ‘no horror,’ all monster-type NPCs will appear in cute virtual models, like me. The environment will also turn into a harmless and beautiful fairytale setting. Heavy horror, however, will display the monsters in their true form, and the environment will become realistic and terrifying.]
The young man hesitated for a moment, then, as if he had made up his mind, gritted his teeth and said fiercely: [Give me heavy horror!]
He couldn’t let Tan Yue look down on him. Wasn’t it just mild horror? Did Tan Yue think he, Xia Chi, was easily frightened?
[No, you can’t,] the cute little cat swayed its tail, its furry paws waving repeatedly. [Not every player has the chance to activate heavy horror. To protect players’ mental and physical health, we conduct scientific and rigorous tests. Only players who pass the test have the right to enable heavy horror.]
[Additionally, the game cabin is equipped with a health monitoring system. Once the system detects any physical discomfort, the game will be immediately interrupted, and the game cabin will provide the player with the most timely treatment. If the situation is severe, the game cabin will even send an emergency request to the nearest emergency center.]
Xia Chi: [That’s quite rigorous. Then hurry up and test me.]
Xiao Le: [Dear player, the test has just been completed. Congratulations, you have earned the right to activate heavy horror.]
[The basic game introduction is now complete. After confirming the information is correct, click ‘Enter Game’ to enter the game lobby. Xiao Le will stay by your side. Whenever you need assistance, click the ‘Xiao Le’ icon at the bottom right, and I will appear to assist you.]
[I wish you a pleasant time in ‘Yesterday Reappears!’]
Xia Chi checked the attribute panel again and, after confirming there were no issues, clicked ‘Enter Game.’ The scene before his eyes shifted, and he found himself standing in a circular hall.
All around him were white walls, and the place was filled with players who had just entered the game, just like him. Everyone was looking around curiously, feeling the realism of this virtual game.
At the far end of the hall was an inconspicuous café. There weren’t many people inside, and waiters dressed in bow ties and cute animal masks were moving around the café.
Xia Chi’s gaze drifted for a moment, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
A voice echoed in his mind.
Go there, walk to the café.
Xia Chi unconsciously walked to the café. He stood at the entrance, glanced around, and instinctively walked to a six-person booth in the corner.
After sitting down, he finally came to his senses, staring blankly at the empty seats across the table.
Strange.
This was his first time playing the game, so why did it feel like he had been here before and it was so familiar?
It seemed like this booth was missing people. It shouldn’t just be him—there should be others too…
Suddenly, a figure appeared in his sight.
Xia Chi subconsciously looked up. A middle-aged man dressed in a suit, with his hair slicked back, came into view. The man wore a pair of frameless glasses, and his eyes were deep and wise.
The man’s gaze also carried a hint of curiosity. He looked at the table and asked Xia Chi, “Is this seat taken?”
Xia Chi: “No.”
The man: “May I sit here?”
Xia Chi: “Of course, please have a seat.”
At a table with two long benches, the two sat facing each other, and naturally, they started chatting. Through the conversation, Xia Chi learned that the man’s name was Zhou Guang. He used to be a lawyer and had now become a judge.
Both of them were lucky recipients chosen by the Sun Group, having received the free game cabins from the company.
“Then we might be half-colleagues in the future,” Xia Chi said with interest.
Zhou Guang: “Are you a student at the University of Political Science and Law?”
“Something like that,” Xia Chi raised his arm and clenched his fist. “I’m a senior at City A Police Academy, I’m graduating this year.”
“Haha,” Zhou Guang laughed heartily, “Xia Chi, you finally achieved your dream of entering the police academy.”
The tone was intimate, like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years.
As soon as the words were spoken, both of them froze at the same time.
Zhou Guang stared at Xia Chi and frowned slightly, his expression puzzled. “Um, have we met before?”
Xia Chi pursed his lips. “What a coincidence, I have the same feeling.”
His gaze slowly fell on Zhou Guang’s face, scrutinizing it carefully.
An image flashed through his mind, like a signal glitch on a screen, crackling in and out of his thoughts.
Then, more and more images flooded his brain, and in that moment, he felt as if the sheer amount of information would cause his head to explode.
Horror game lobby.
Trial copy.
Red Spider monsters.
River God Village.
Core Fire Guild.
Zhou Guang.
Liang Xi.
Li Cancan.
And… Bai Lixin.
Xia Chi suddenly stood up, and Zhou Guang rose to his feet almost simultaneously.
They looked at each other, then shouted in unison, “Brother Zhou!!” “Xiao Xia Chi!!”
The curtain outside the booth was carefully pulled aside, and a shy head peeked in, “Um… can I sit here?”
The young man wore a beige trench coat, his handsome face showing a shy expression.
“Liang Xi!” “Brother Xi!”
Zhou Guang and Xia Chi shouted excitedly at the person by the door, each grabbing one of his arms and pulling him inside without giving him a chance to refuse and pressing him down into a seat.
They both looked at Liang Xi, eagerly introducing themselves.
“I’m Xia Chi, Brother Xi, do you still recognize me?”
“I’m Zhou Guang, Core Fire Guild, God Xin, Li Cancan, do you remember now?”
Liang Xi’s dazed eyes gradually cleared. After being stunned for a while, his eyes reddened. “Guild Vice President, Xia Chi!”
Zhou Guang suddenly remembered something and rushed out of the private room.
Liang Xi and Xia Chi had no idea where he was going, and just as they were about to follow him out, the curtain was pulled open once again.
A man and a woman stood outside. The woman had short, slightly wavy hair touching her shoulders, while the man was tall and burly.
As soon as they met, the woman smiled happily at them. “Xia Chi, Liang Xi, long time no see.”
Xia Chi exclaimed in surprise, “Sister Cancan! Li Cangshan! You both remembered too?”
Li Cancan: “Yes, the moment I entered the game lobby, I remembered. I couldn’t believe it—I had forgotten you all for four years.”
Xia Chi’s eyes darted back and forth between Li Cancan and Li Cangshan. “You two… what’s going on here?”
Li Cancan looked a little embarrassed, while Li Cangshan grinned broadly, “She’s my girlfriend.”
“Congratulations!” Xia Chi exaggeratedly gave them a thumbs up. “How did you two reunite? Did you regain your memory earlier, Li Cangshan? Hurry up and tell me how you won over my Sister Cancan.”
This time, Li Cangshan was the one feeling shy. Blushing, he scratched his head and said, “We met three years ago at an international cyber security exchange conference. She was representing China in the competition, and I was on patrol security duty. You wouldn’t believe it, but Sister Cancan’s skills were dazzling during the competition. I was captivated from that moment. I pursued her for a year before she agreed. It wasn’t easy—there were too many rivals, but luckily, she saw through to my true worth.”
Li Cancan’s face turned even redder as she poked Li Cangshan’s waist several times with her finger.
“I’m back!” Zhou Guang returned, panting as he sat down. “So Cancan and Li Cangshan are here too? It looks like you both regained your memories as well.”
“Do you know what I went out for?” Everyone shook their heads in unison.
Zhou Guang smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out soon.”
[Ding! [Core Fire Guild] invites you to join.]
[Accept/Decline]
Xia Chi stared at the sudden pop-up dialogue box, his pupils widening.
He immediately pressed [Accept], and when the guild list opened, five names were already listed.
Guild President: Zhou Guang.
Vice Guild President: Xia Chi.
Vice Guild President: Liang Xi.
Vice Guild President: Li Cancan.
Member: Li Cangshan.
The Core Fire Guild reunited after so many years.
Xia Chi’s eyes stung, and his voice was a little choked, “Now we’re just missing Brother.”