Fang Zhen watched the countdown on the screen, his heart pounding violently.
It had been a long time since he'd felt this kind of adrenaline rush, this physical sensation of his heart hammering away.
In an instant, a flood of thoughts and scenes filled Fang Zhen's mind.
When he was a kid, after getting a new comic book, he'd fantasize about entering those wondrous worlds while reading. No, it wasn't even a fantasy. He believed those worlds were real, that those people truly existed somewhere—that maybe *those* were the real worlds.
He had adventured with Urameshi Yusuke in a modern world of Spiritual Power and yokai. He'd fought alongside Wukong in the Martial Arts Tournament. He'd traveled with Nobi Daisuke and his robot cat to the world of dinosaurs to change its destiny. He'd sought out special abilities in the world of Hunters and felt true terror in the world of Resident Evil.
Those were all memories from his childhood and teenage years.
When he got a little older, even after becoming an adult, Fang Zhen still had a couple of good friends. They'd talk about fun topics, like what they would do if they could really enter other worlds, like in an "Infinity" novel. They'd discuss how to prepare, how to train physically, how to get the resources they wanted from those worlds, and how to survive. They'd even scheme about how to get the Gold from the bank vault in Resident Evil, bring it back to sell, and how to safely use something like the T-virus in the real world.
These were happy memories to look back on.
But at some point, Fang Zhen had started to slowly let go of these fantasies and think more about the real world.
The world also seemed to be growing increasingly gray, mundane, and realistic, with no room for imagination or more diverse ideas.
Originally, money was just a tool, a safety net that allowed one to better enjoy the world and comfortably immerse oneself in games, novels, and anime. But at some point, making money had become the goal itself, rather than the means to an end.
Fang Zhen didn't think money was a bad thing. Money was great! It could provide more material goods and pleasures. Fang Zhen liked money, and he liked making it.
But when the means became the end, Fang Zhen wasn't as happy as he used to be.
He could accept all this. Gradually, he came to understand the reality of life.
And yet, somewhere deep in his heart, Fang Zhen still felt an impulse.
He wanted to transcend this mundane life, go somewhere more exciting, and live a different kind of existence.
But that inner voice was growing fainter and fainter.
Now, however, everything happening before his eyes caused a part of himself—a part he had buried deep inside—to suddenly awaken.
"31 seconds,"
"30 seconds..."
Fang Zhen's heart raced. He could feel the heat of the blood rushing in his ears and the violent THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! of his heart. The muscles in his arms were trembling—truly trembling. Where he had rolled up his sleeves, he could see the muscles twitching constantly beneath his skin.
At this moment, a fierce struggle raged within Fang Zhen.
He realized this might be the most important choice of his life.
When you're young, you always mistakenly believe that life is full of endless opportunities. But the truth is, unless you're one of heaven's chosen, a normal person only gets two or three real chances in their entire life. And once they're gone, they're gone forever.
Fang Zhen already had a premonition. If he didn't choose to enter the world inside the Light Gate now, he would never get a second chance like this in his life.
Fang Zhen had thought countless times about what he would do if faced with the chance to truly enter a wondrous world, whether it was a movie world or an "Infinity" world.
But now that he was actually facing such a choice, the safety of his comfort zone was shattered in an instant.
Choosing to enter the Light Gate might lead to an exciting life, but it was also a true unknown.
Fang Zhen didn't know if he was all talk, professing a love for adventure while secretly fearing it. He also didn't know if he was truly ready for a world of adventure.
'But if I lose this chance, I'll never get another one.'
"12 seconds"
"11 seconds"
As the countdown hit 10 seconds, Fang Zhen's mind suddenly went blank. His thoughts seemed to stop, and the world became crystal clear.
"Prepare my ass!"
"I'm fucking doing it!"
A sudden rush of heat surged through Fang Zhen, and he bolted out of the computer room.
He let out a yell, snatched an expandable baton and a karambit from the shoe cabinet by the living room door, and plunged into the curtain of light in a single step.
…
…
Fang Zhen felt like he passed through a brief moment of darkness. He recovered quickly, and the scenery around him had changed.
He had gone from his living room to a strange, unfamiliar place.
The sky was dim and visibility was low. Fang Zhen found himself on a small path in a forest. The surrounding woods were dense, with thick branches and lush leaves that blocked out what little light there was, making the area feel even more secluded.
Fang Zhen looked at his surroundings. It was all very strange.
Strangely, just a moment ago, Fang Zhen had been emotional and impulsive. But now that he had actually arrived in this strange place, as if he'd been transported, he felt calm instead.
He even felt a refreshing sense of relief wash over his mind.
Fang Zhen could feel a tranquility that came from breaking through his limits, along with a sense of certainty.
After savoring the feeling for a moment, Fang Zhen smiled.
'Heh, I guess I was in my comfort zone for too long.'
With this newfound feeling, Fang Zhen understood that he had just been going through a rough patch. His confidence and courage had been lacking, and he'd been stuck in a rut.
Now that he had taken a step into the unknown, the experience wasn't as bad as he'd feared. In fact, the act itself had given birth to more confidence and courage.
Fang Zhen quickly calmed down completely.
He had always been a courageous person; he had just been suppressing it for so long that he had almost forgotten.
Now composed, Fang Zhen carefully observed his environment.
The sky was dim, with no sun visible. It was hard to tell if it was merely overcast or if the sun was setting. The surrounding forest was dense and eerily quiet. The air was cool, though not yet cold, and carried the faint, not-too-pungent scent of burning wood.
'I don't recognize any of the trees here, but they look like they're from the northern temperate zone. The temperature matches, too.'
Fang Zhen rolled his shoulders and turned to look behind him.
The large Light Gate was stable behind him, the black vortex on its surface rotating slowly.
Seeing this, Fang Zhen felt much more at ease.
'Heh, the first step is always the hardest. As long as I had the courage to take it, that's what matters. Since I've crossed this threshold, the 'life dungeon system' won't be removed.'
'As long as I can go back, I have nothing to fear.'
'Now, let's see what this dungeon is all about. An 'easy' dungeon in a Nameless World... it can't be that hard, right?'
Knowing the Light Gate was there and that he could go back anytime, Fang Zhen felt even more relieved.
Fang Zhen checked his equipment.
A black-and-white hoodie, a pair of jeans, white skate shoes, an expandable baton, and a karambit.
Fang Zhen had bought the expandable baton online a few years ago for self-defense, back when there was some social unrest. It was solid steel, quite sturdy, and more than enough for basic self-defense.
'This is all the gear I have,' Fang Zhen thought. 'There was nothing else at home more suitable to bring. For an 'easy' dungeon in a Nameless World, the difficulty can't be too high, right?'
With a sharp flick of his right wrist, the solid steel baton extended with a FWHIP.
Fang Zhen gripped the baton tightly, his confidence growing.
He headed forward along the dark and quiet forest path, exploring this unknown world.
Fang Zhen walked for a while, glancing occasionally at the fitness tracker on his left wrist.
Though he had only been walking for a few minutes, it felt like a very long time to Fang Zhen.
It was similar to that old joke about Einstein's theory of relativity: an hour with a beautiful woman feels like a minute, but a minute next to a hot stove in summer feels like an hour.
As Fang Zhen explored this unknown world, his Spirit was highly focused, making the few minutes seem incredibly long.
Fang Zhen reached a bend in the path and rounded it.
Suddenly.
Fang Zhen stopped in his tracks.
His breathing grew slightly ragged.
About twenty meters ahead of him was a horse-drawn carriage—or rather, the wreckage of one.
Wisps of smoke were still rising from the carriage, as if it had been set on fire.
Fang Zhen's gaze sharpened abruptly.
He noticed dark red bloodstains near the carriage!