Yuchen let go of the curtain.
The yellow gleam of the dog's eyes still lingered in his memory like the aftertaste of a nightmare.
He turned away from the window.
"These animals really are acting strange," he muttered quietly, more to himself.
Yuze was still standing there, fork frozen in mid-air.
"Chen-ge, you okay? You look like you've seen a dead body."
"Not a dead body. Just… something wrong. Anyway."
Yuchen rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'll go to bed a bit later. Tomorrow's a day off—no university. I'll stay up a while longer."
Yuze narrowed his eyes skeptically.
"Just don't stay up till morning again. You know what you're like afterward."
"I know. Go to sleep already, tough guy."
Yuze grinned, grabbed his empty mug, and disappeared down the hallway.
"Good night, Chen-ge. Don't chat with suspicious dogs through the glass."
"Good night, squirt."
The apartment fell silent.
Yuchen spent another hour aimlessly switching channels and scrolling his feed, trying to shake off the sticky anxiety.
Eventually he gave up, brushed his teeth, and collapsed into bed.
Sleep came with difficulty.
Morning burst in with the roar of dozens of voices.
Not the usual city hum.
This was chaos—shouts, sobs, excited babble overlapping.
Yuchen woke up instantly. His heart was already pounding.
Seven thirty in the morning.
He slid out of bed, padded barefoot to the window, and pulled the curtain aside just a crack.
A crowd.
Forty to fifty people formed a rough semicircle on the street—exactly where that German Shepherd had stood last night.
Some were filming on their phones.
Some stood with hands over their mouths.
A few elderly women clung to each other.
Yuchen's stomach clenched.
Footsteps behind him.
Yuze appeared in the doorway—hair sticking up wildly, eyes half-closed.
"What's with all the yelling? Something again?"
Yuchen silently nodded toward the street.
"It's right where that dog was staring last night."
Yuze came closer and peered over his shoulder.
"Damn… That's a crowd."
Yuchen grabbed his hoodie.
"Let's go down and see."
"You sure? Maybe we should wait for the police?"
"If it's nothing—we come right back. If it's something—better to know now."
Yuze paused for a second, then sighed and reached for his jacket.
"Fine. But if it's messed up down there, it's on you."
They took the stairs.
The moment they stepped outside, the air felt thick and cold despite the morning chill.
The crowd parted slightly.
And Yuchen saw.
The dark mass under the streetlamp now had shape in daylight.
A man's body—face down, arms splayed unnaturally.
Blood had spread in a wide, sticky pool; the edges were already drying.
Clothes torn to shreds.
Deep, ragged wounds—like from multiple jaws at once.
The jacket—dark blue with that stupid reflective stripe on the sleeves.
Uncle Zhao.
The first-floor neighbor.
Owner of that very German Shepherd.
Yuze sucked in a sharp breath.
"That's…"
"Him," Yuchen whispered.
Someone in the crowd was quietly sobbing.
An elderly man was explaining to a newcomer:
"He came down to walk the dog around midnight, they say. Then screams. By the time people ran out—the dog was gone. And he was already dead."
Another voice:
"Police say the dog went mad. Turned on its own owner."
"But look at the wounds… that's not one dog. Looks like a pack."
Yuchen felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
He remembered last night's howl—how it turned raspy, alien.
Then silence.
He glanced at Yuze.
His brother was pale as a sheet.
"Let's get out of here," Yuchen said quietly. "Police are on their way."
Sirens were indeed approaching.
Two patrol cars turned the corner.
The crowd began to thin—people backing away, though many were still filming.
Officers waved their hands.
"Move along! Nothing to see here!"
Yuchen tugged Yuze's sleeve.
"Home."
They walked away in silence.
Only after turning the corner, near the store, did Yuze finally speak:
"That was… fucked up."
"Yeah."
"Chen-ge… could a dog really do that?"
Yuchen didn't answer immediately.
"Last night it didn't even look like a normal dog anymore."
They bought instant noodles, eggs, some vegetables, and a couple bottles of tea—for today.
The cashier auntie whispered as she handed over the bag:
"Be careful outside, boys. Animals are acting strange these days."
Yuchen nodded.
"We will."
Back home they kicked off their shoes and tossed the bag onto the table.
Yuze leaned against the fridge.
"I'm not hungry anymore."
"Me neither. But we should eat something."
Yuchen started unpacking the groceries.
He reached for the cutting board.
And froze.
The air in front of his face shimmered.
A cold, transparent haze.
A semi-transparent blue interface appeared right at eye level.
No sound.
No warning.
Just text.
[Global Simulation System activated]
[Loading and synchronizing with host consciousness…]
[Synchronization: 12%… 47%… 89%…]
[Synchronization complete at 100%]
[Welcome, Lin Yuchen]
Beside him, Yuze let out a choked sound.
He had the exact same interface floating in front of his face.
[Welcome, Lin Yuze]
The brothers locked eyes.
Yuchen's heart hammered in his throat.
The interface flickered.
New lines appeared simultaneously for both.
[Important Global Announcement]
[In 60 minutes (real time), all registered inhabitants of Blue Star will be forcibly transferred into the Trial Simulation of Life]
[The Trial Simulation will continue until the simulated age of 30 is reached]
[Only those who survive until age 30 inside the Trial Simulation will gain permanent access to full simulation cycles and the ability to select and retain talents in the real world]
[Those who die in the Trial Simulation before reaching age 30 will permanently lose the ability to interact with the system or receive any benefit from it]
[Reward for successfully completing the Trial Simulation: one selected talent (the only one that can be brought back into reality)]
[Additional talents, items, knowledge, or other rewards are unavailable in the Trial Simulation]
[Time remaining until forced entry: 59:59… 59:58… 59:57…]
The countdown began.
Yuchen felt the blood drain from his face.
"This… isn't a joke?"
Yuze stared at the numbers without blinking.
"In an hour… we get sucked in somewhere?"
"Looks like it."
They fell silent.
The timer ticked.
58:42…
Yuchen swallowed hard.
"So if we die there before thirty—the system is gone. Forever. For us."
Yuze nodded slowly.
"And if we survive… we get one talent. Permanently."
Yuchen glanced toward the window.
Sirens still wailed outside.
Somewhere far away, a dog howled again—long, not quite animal.
"The animals," he said quietly. "This is the beginning. The first sign."
Yuze clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"Chen-ge… what do we do?"
Yuchen took a deep breath.
"Prepare. We've got less than an hour."
He looked back at the timer.
57:19…
"And hope there are no dogs like that one in the simulation."