Chapter 1: Rebirth After the Game Invades Reality

Is everything finally coming to an end?

At this moment, Lin Chen saw a desolate city through his eyes.

Various buildings were all shattered and collapsed.

Countless people, like ants, were being harvested by the monster, which was over a hundred meters tall, in large numbers.

His mind was like a slideshow…

He knew that he was about to die soon!

Just like everyone else, he would fall under the merciless trampling of this monster!

At this moment, Lin Chen was very regretful…

He knew the name of this monster.

Not just him, many people knew it.

Dark Dragon!

This was an 80-level boss in the century-spanning online game "New World" that was popular across the entire Blue Planet!

Half a month ago, "New World" announced it would cease operations.

Thus, many people were devastated.

The entire internet was filled with cries of sorrow!

After all, this was a holographic and realistic online game that had been running for twenty years!

It could be said that it was the memory and youth of two generations.

And on this Blue Planet, there were over a billion players of this game!

So people frantically sold their equipment and gold coins.

Everyone had only one thought: to recoup their losses!

Some even deleted their accounts in anger!

Lin Chen was one of them.

Before the game ceased operations, he sold all his equipment, materials, and gold coins at low prices.

After all, he still had to live.

But who could have thought that when "New World" officially ceased operations, everything changed…

First, the landscape of the Blue Planet rapidly changed and expanded.

A crescent of crimson blood moon hung high in the sky.

Then, the bosses from "New World" actually invaded reality.

They treated human lives as grass, wreaking havoc everywhere.

The entire world was like a hell!

Not far from Lin Chen, a person dressed in game attire was spitting blood continuously.

This person was also a player of "New World."

Unlike Lin Chen, this person did not delete their account and did not sell their equipment.

Therefore, they inherited the abilities from the game.

However, this person seemed to have a low level.

"I only have an 80 rating, inheriting only 80% of my strength, and my level dropped from 80 to 64. I can't hold on at all… I'm out, you guys take care of yourselves!"

The person complained and then directly summoned a mount and ran away.

Since the game invaded reality…

Players could also inherit abilities!

If Lin Chen hadn't sold his account…

Lin Chen was very regretful.

His mind couldn't help but think of his account.

And…

The comrades he met in the game.

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard.

Lin Chen was thrown backward, spewing blood continuously.

His lower body was already gone…

His consciousness seemed to be on the brink of death.

At this point…

Regret was useless.

In his dying moments, Lin Chen used his last bit of consciousness to make a phone call.

Soon, a worried voice came from the phone.

"Lin Chen, where are you? Hold on, hide! I'll come to save you right away!"

"Goodbye… Meng Yao!"

Lin Chen slowly closed his eyes.

His world began to fall silent…

No one knew how long it had been.

Lin Chen opened his eyes.

But a voice came to his ears: "What do you mean 'goodbye'? You're talking nonsense! It's just that 'New World' is going to shut down, can't we play other games? Besides, the game can still be played for another half a month!"

Liu Meng Yao?

At this moment, Lin Chen had an expression of disbelief.

How could he hear a voice after dying?

This was indeed… Liu Meng Yao's voice!

He knew it all too well.

Liu Meng Yao and he were teammates in "New World."

Of course, there was another layer of relationship…

Game partners!

But that wasn't important, what was important was…

What was the current situation?

Why did Liu Meng Yao say that "New World" would only shut down in half a month?

Lin Chen subconsciously looked at the date on his phone…

2150.

April, 13th!

Boom!

Lin Chen was immediately shocked.

What was going on?

Could it be that the scenes of the game invading reality in his mind were just a dream?

But those scenes were so vivid…

Even the memory of this phone call with Liu Meng Yao…

He remembered that he was about to tell Liu Meng Yao that he was selling his account…

And Liu Meng Yao's response was…

Lin Chen decided to try it out. He said to the phone: "But without this game, there won't be much connection between us… I'm going to sell my account, what about you?"

"Ahh? No way!"

Liu Meng Yao's voice came from the phone: "Why sell it? You won't get much money now! Besides, there are many memories in this game, I plan to play until the last second before it shuts down."

Sure enough, Liu Meng Yao's response was the same…

This conversation was already in Lin Chen's memory…

That meant…

Lin Chen wasn't dreaming!

He must have… been reborn!

He had returned to the time before the game shut down!

And his account was not sold.

All the equipment was still there!

At this moment, Lin Chen was very excited.

However, Liu Meng Yao's voice came from the phone: "Hey… why aren't you saying anything? You're not… really thinking about selling your account, are you?"

It was clear that Liu Meng Yao's voice was filled with disappointment.

She and Lin Chen had met in the game…

And for Liu Meng Yao, this game was more than just a game…

It was a beautiful memory…

And Lin Chen was a part of that memory…

Now, hearing Lin Chen say he was going to sell his account and not stay with her until the end, she was naturally disappointed…

In Lin Chen's memory from before his rebirth, Liu Meng Yao was indeed disappointed, but after the game invaded reality and she inherited the abilities from the game, she was the first to express her intention to find him…

Thinking of this, Lin Chen smiled and responded: "I was just joking, after all, 'New World' is not just your memory, it's also mine, it's my youth! Don't worry, I won't sell my account, and I will stand by you until the end, playing until the last moment! And this time, I will take you through all the dungeons and scenes we haven't explored!"

"Really? Then it's settled! I'm going to sleep, you should go to bed early too, and take me tomorrow!"

Liu Meng Yao's voice came through the phone.

"Okay!"

Lin Chen nodded heavily.

Reborn.

Such a feeling was wonderful…

After hanging up the phone, Lin Chen didn't go to sleep immediately but logged into the game's forum.

【Ten years of youth, just shut down like that? 'New World' is really inhumane!】

【Selling gold coins and accounts cheaply, with pictures, give a price and I'll sell! By the way, curse: the executives and planners of 'New World' are all idiots!】

【Mental breakdown, starting a live stream to melt equipment, what's the point of playing for another half a month? If you're going to quit, quit now!】

【……】

Almost all the posts on the forum were like this.

Lin Chen could understand the players' current feelings.

As a century-spanning online game, "New World" indeed carried too much…

It was even a generation's youth…

But now, it was shutting down…

Thinking back, Lin Chen, like many others, had posted curses and sold his account. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Now that he was reborn and knew why "New World" was shutting down, his mindset was different.

Lin Chen now felt only relief.

With a good mood, Lin Chen thought about trying to persuade others.

Even if he could persuade one or two people to keep their accounts, it would be a strength for humanity when the game invaded reality…

So Lin Chen posted a thread.

【To be honest, 'New World' is such a big company, running for twenty years, I don't believe it's shutting down. I suggest everyone not to believe it either. It might be a technical issue, and it could be fixed in the next half a month, and the game could reopen!】

Lin Chen had good intentions…

But the players' current mindset was too broken…

His post not only didn't get support, but within ten minutes, it received over ten thousand rotten eggs and various curses…

"Is this thread owner a businessman, trying to protect the market from collapse?"

"Ha, already more than one businessman account, suggesting not to panic and delete accounts, now another one?"

"What technical issue? Has 'New World' ever had a technical issue in twenty years?"

"I'll say, these accounts are everyone's hard work, but if you don't destroy them yourself, are you going to leave them to the executives and planners of 'New World'?"

"……"

Lin Chen was speechless after being harshly criticized…

Well…

Good intentions were taken for granted…

He didn't want to bother with these people, so Lin Chen started to pay attention to the trading posts on the forum.

【Selling, 100 million gold coins = 100,000 RMB, hurry up and buy!】

【10 million gold coins, 10,000 RMB, hurry up and buy, don't miss out!】

【Wind Chaser Deer, rare mount, 300 RMB…】

【……】

Wow, the prices in the game had fallen so quickly…

After all, as a century-spanning online game, the gold coins in "New World" were always pegged to real money at a 1:1 ratio…

But now…

100 million gold coins for 100,000 RMB…

From 1:1 to 1000:1…

It would probably continue to fall…

Besides, the Wind Chaser Deer, a rare mount for priests, used to cost tens of thousands, now for 300 RMB…

Buy!

Must buy!

But there was no rush…

Lin Chen knew that prices would continue to fall…

Especially after the official announcement of "New World" shutting down and the release of the last expansion pack tomorrow, which would confirm the shutdown, prices would fall even more…

Then Lin Chen could buy at the bottom…

Besides, Lin Chen didn't have much money at the moment…

His parents were gone, and he was still in college, without a job, living off the compensation left by his parents. The only valuable thing was the house left to him…

Lin Chen continued browsing the posts and his eyes lit up…

【Hurricane Staff of the God of Magic +12, max-level artifact, the only one in the server, 600,000 RMB, selling!】

Wow…

This was a max-level God of Magic set equipment, and someone was selling it…

And it was +12…

Lin Chen's profession was also a mage…

He wanted to buy it…

But…

600,000 RMB…

Too expensive…

Can't afford it…

"Damn, what am I thinking?"

Lin Chen clenched his teeth and slammed the table: "I'll sell the house tomorrow, anyway, with the game invading reality, it's the end of the world!"

(End of Chapter)