June 7, 2019. 20:00. M Country.
Despite the hot day, Klement Mallory had spent the entirety of it under a warm blanket with his daughter, watching cartoons. His daughter had woken up this morning with a bad fever, leaving the single dad no choice but to call in a sick day himself and stay behind to care for her.
Klement glanced over at the little girl. It was her bedtime, so seeing that she had fallen asleep, Klement chuckled softly before picking her up and putting her to bed.
Checking that her fever had not worsened, Klement then tip-toed back to the TV and switched on the eight o'clock news.
"...Doctors are still puzzling over this mysterious phenomenon that has taken over our city. Many of the city's hospitals are unable to accept any more patients due to the large number of people who have fallen unconscious.
"The city will soon become a quarantined zone to prevent the spread of this unknown disease. For public safety, we advise that all civilians remain in their homes until told otherwise.
"As well as this..."
Klement immediately turned off the TV and headed towards his daughter's room. Unconscious patients? An unknown disease?
Klement was not the type to easily panic, but for some reason a strange feeling had begun to twist his gut.
Entering the room, he rushed over to his daughter's side and began to shake her gently.
"Sweetie, wake up." No response.
Klement began to shake his daughter with more force as his face began to show traces of panic.
"Come on now; darling?
"Now's not the time to play games, quickly wake up!"
No, this wasn't right; his daughter had clearly been fine just a few minutes ago.
Quickly making up his mind, Klement gently pulled his daughter into his arms as he grabbed his wallet and keys.
He needed to get supplies as well as medical care for his daughter. The hospitals were full, so his number one priority was currently unable to be fulfilled.
After carefully buckling his daughter into her car seat, Klement began to drive off towards the nearest supermarket. Unfortunately for Klement, however, he lived in a relatively remote area, so the drive to the market would take around an hour.
In the first half of his drive, Klement noticed nothing wrong. The moon was still shining, and the people were still laughing.
The second half of his drive, however, was when everything started to go South. He began to hear the occasional cry for help and even saw a child fall from a tree.
But that was none of his business. Children fell out of trees all the time.
With five minutes left of his drive, Klement came across a blockage. Several cars had crashed together in the middle of the road, leaving him no way to get through. At this point, the occasional body could be seen through a car window or laying on the footpath, but Klement didn't care.
The more panicked Klement began to feel, the more steady and mechanical his movements became. Carefully lifting his still sleeping daughter out of the car, he began running towards the nearest market.
He was almost there.
Bang! "Now you stop right there!" A hoarse voice sounded from behind Klement.
Klement slowly turned, covering as much of his daughter as he could with his arms. He looked in disbelief at the man in front of him. Did this quarantine mean that the laws no longer existed?
The young man looked like your average blue collared worker. Nothing to suggest that he could ever hold such a feral look in his eyes.
"Are you crazy! Carrying a diseased around, don't you know this is the apocalypse?
"Quickly, put her there." The man casually gestured towards the pavement with his gun. "I'll shoot her good before she turns into a zombie!"
Klement's face darkened. An hour into quarantine and the worst of humanity had already appeared. Who was the diseased one?! Clearly, it was this man; acting as if he was still in the eighth grade!
Giving the gun a quick glance, Klement frantically went over his options.
Let the man shoot his daughter.Run.
With no hesitation, Klement turned back around and began to run as fast as he could. Maybe he wouldn't give chase?
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!
"Give me that damn girl!"
He was wrong.
Bang! Thud! Thud! Klement heavily fell to his knees, as an excruciating pain washed over him.
He looked down in shock. It felt like all of the bones in his hands had been crushed, but that was nothing compared to the pain of feeling his heart crush.
His eyes unable to move, fixed on the site of the head his hand had once cradled. Despite the difficulty to hear anything over his own raging heartbeat, Klement knew; his daughter's heart beat no more.
Supporting his daughter with his other hand, Klement slowly and painfully turned around to look at the killer. But it was no use; the man had long fallen to the ground, his eyes closed in a peaceful sleep.
Gentle laying his daughter down, he gingerly picked up the dropped gun. He seemed to recall someone telling him that if the diseased were not shot, they would turn into zombies.
*
June 7, 2019.
Human society was slowly descending into chaos.
One by one, humans around the world began to fall into a deep sleep.
At first, people still attempted to send their unconscious loved ones to hospitals or wake them up. But it was of no use as more and more of the human population began to fall asleep.
The number of accidents occurring seemed to grow exponentially.
Drivers in cars and other vehicles began to fall asleep and major accidents occurred. Cars smashed into each other at high speeds; planes fell from the skies.
Within the first hour, conspiracy theorists began looting stores as if it were the beginning of an apocalypse. But slowly, as more and more people began to fall, the chaos began to die down.
A tacit understanding had passed through what was left of humanity. No one would survive this, there was nothing they could do.
There were no zombies or aliens; only a deep sleep.
The unknown had always been humanity's greatest fear, with the vulnerability of unconsciousness being a great instigator of this fear.
As the Earth began to quiet, the last few people all turned to look up at the sky. They looked around. Nothing had changed apart from the human's themselves.
The last person gently laid themselves onto the ground. There seemed to be no difference between them and the countless other bodies lying beside them.
Lying next to strangers, the last person couldn't help but wish that at this moment they had been alone, blissfully unaware of the chaos that had just descended.
The eyes gently closed, and the last difference was eliminated.
Ding~ The gentle twinkling of a bell rung through the humans' ears, encouraging them to wake up.
A motherly voice soon followed. "My children, you have been forsaken by one of your own. Giving you this warning has expended much of my energy; we may not meet again. You have been given up to my good sister and will have to fend for yourselves now. Do not worry about your siblings– animals and plants–for they have been spared. Your aunt is kind and she has promised me to send some of you back. Good luck~"
A strange feeling washed over humanity. They knew; this was the Earth speaking to them.
Deep despair seemed to hover over everyone's minds. Those who were sharp noticed the gleeful undertone in the Earth's voice and felt a doubtful and fragile hope rise within. Those who were even sharper caught onto the word "some" and began to prepare themselves for whatever would come ahead.
Preparation, however, was not accomplishable as a few seconds after the finishing sentence "Good luck", their eyes were opened to an unfamiliar world.
Ding! Ding ding! Ding! A harsh and mechanical bell forcefully rung through their minds.
"Children, are you listening? Your great aunt has arrived!" The voice was that of a young girl's but was filled with a malicious tone that perhaps even the foulest of humans could not imitate. "Unfortunately, one of you was unable to make it and meet me, their almighty aunt. So like the good little human they are, they sent off their brothers and sisters to meet me instead! I have promised your mother to send some of you back, but first, let's play a game!"
『Ding! June 7, 2019. Game 'Escape to Earth' has opened.
Loading, loading.
Ding! 7 000 001 009 players loaded.』
The great aunt tutted before speaking in a malicious tone. "My, my, I thought there were more of you. What happened to make your brothers and sisters unable to come and play?"
『Ding! Game Rules:
Earn 1 000 points to be granted an ability. Earn 10 000 points to learn the method needed to escape from Yuyan Zhi Di to Earth. Earn 7 000 001 009 points to instantly clear the game and escape to Earth.Tasks will be triggered depending on the player's actions and luck. Tasks are not compulsory but will provide rewards. 』
No one was comforted by these words. However, before they could mull over the meaning of the rules and what their 'aunt' had told them, one last interruption was given.
『Ding! Beginner's pack has been received.
Beginner's pack opened. Halo received.
[Halo: Citizen of Yuyan Zhi Di]
[Owner: Humans]
[Quality: None]
[Level: None]
[Attack: None]
[Function: Masks humans as citizens of Yuyan Zhi Di]
[Restrictions: Soaking in water will create a 'wet human smell'. Citizens with a strong sense of smell will be able to discover humans with 'wet human smell']
[Note: Almighty Aunt Yuyan Zhi Di, "Stinky brats! Without this halo, every one of my children would be able to smell your delicious flesh and would eat you!] 』
After reading the note provided, the humans as a whole suddenly appeared to have become a shade paler. But the dings hadn't finished yet.
『Ding! Task received.
[Task: Survive for three days]
[Mode: Beginner]
[Reward: 100 points] 』
With the release of the task, humans finally found themselves free to move around. People who fell asleep near each other found themselves awake near each other.
Families and friends regrouped and wept together as the despair that had been building up in them was finally released.
Other's warily looked on before quickly joining different groups as they noticed that there were more than just humans standing around.
Staring at them strangely were the inhabitants of Yuyan Zhi Di.
Some people were lucky enough to spawn near normal, but unfamiliar looking people or cute animals. Those with bad luck, however, spawned near terrifying creatures such as dragons and were instantly killed.
Li Wen, however, did not notice the strange creatures around him as he continued to walk on in a daze until a loud ding interrupted him.
『Ding! June 7, 2019. Game 'Escape to Earth' has opened.
Loading, loading.
Ding! 7 000 001 009 players loaded.』
『Ding! Game Rules:
Earn 1 000 points to be granted an ability. Earn 10 000 points to learn the method needed to escape from Yuyan Zhi Di to Earth. Earn 7 000 001 009 points to instantly clear the game and escape to Earth.Tasks will be triggered depending on the player's actions and luck. Tasks are not compulsory but will provide rewards. 』
『Ding! Beginner's pack has been received.
Beginner's pack opened. Halo received.
[Halo: Citizen of Yuyan Zhi Di]
[Owner: Humans]
[Quality: None]
[Level: None]
[Attack: None]
[Function: Masks humans as citizens of Yuyan Zhi Di]
[Restrictions: Soaking in water will create a 'wet human smell'. Citizens with a strong sense of smell will be able to discover humans with 'wet human smell']
[Note: Almighty Aunt Yuyan Zhi Di, "Stinky brats! Without this halo, every one of my children would be able to smell your delicious flesh and would eat you!] 』
『Ding! Task received.
[Task: Survive for three days]
[Mode: Beginner]
[Reward: 100 points] 』
Li Wen had not been privy to what the other humans had previously heard. These dings were new to him but it didn't matter. All they did was tire his mind.
Li Wen was sick of being tired.
He slowly sat down, uncaring, as one more ding disturbed him.
Ding~ My dearest son, thank you for giving me a break from your bratty siblings. You are the most caring, mother loves you the most. Mwah~
『Ding! Gift received.
[Gift: 1 000 points]
[Owner: Cui Changbin]
[Quality: None]
[Level: None]
[Attack: None]
[Function: Unlock rewards]
[Restrictions: No restrictions]
[Note: Mummy's kiss is the best!]
Transaction loading. Transaction complete. +1 000 points.
[Points Balance: 1 000] 』
Li Wen's eye twitched. What was this, Cui Changbin? Tired? Who's tired? Certainly not Li Wen! It's Cui Changbin that's tired!
A deep rage built up within Li Wen. Escape this, escape that! For his whole life, he had been escaping things. One of which was his name, Cui Changbin.
At first, as a young man in a remote village, Li Wen felt grateful that his parents had not given him a terrible name such as Gou Dan or Ji Bianbian.
But in his attempt to escape the shadow of his parent's death, Li Wen quickly left the Northern village for the South of Z Country. There, in the Cantonese speaking regions, he quickly realised what Cui Changbin sounded like!
Who dares to suck a long penis! Your mother sucks a long penis!
Ever since that moment, Cui Changbin became Li Wen, and he quickly adapted to life in the South.
Li Wen continued to silently fume before he was interrupted by another terrible ding.
『Ding! Store opened! Points detected, scanning player Cui Changbin.
Ding! Player scanned. The player has 1 000 points. Would the player like to exchange for an ability?
[Yes] [No] 』
Li Wen: "..."
At that moment, Li Wen was finally hit with the reality of what had just happened.
Did his brain have a hole? How could he have been so calm?!
Li Wen took a deep breath. Maybe his brain did have a hole. But it didn't matter, as at that moment his brain hole seemed to be swallowing all of his fear and panic, leaving him with only a calm feeling.
Li Wen began to slowly review everything that had happened. He sighed. It looked like he really did have a brain hole.
Wait. Li Wen's eyes brightened. Hadn't he just wanted to escape from his old life? What could be better than this? There was a whole new world for him to explore! Li Wen felt an excitement that he hadn't felt in years. Yes, yes! I choose yes!
『Ding! Ability selected.
Loading.
Transaction complete. -1 000 points.
[Point Balance: 0]
Ability received.
[Ability: Avatar: The Last Firefighter]
[Owner: Cui Changbin]
[Function: Manipulate the elements of earth, wind, and water in whichever way you wish]
[Level: 1]
[Restrictions: None]
[Note: Good boys don't play with fire] 』
Li Wen's eye twitched. What was this trash ability! Daring to call oneself the avatar when one cannot even control all four of the elements!
Trash ability! Trash note! Trash aunt! Li Wen cursed thoroughly in his heart before another ding sounded.
Ding! My dearest nephew, thank you for organising this fun game between your siblings and cousins. Mwah, mwah!
『Ding! Halo received.
[Halo: Goodwill of Almighty Aunt Yuyan Zhi Di]
[Owner: Cui Changbin]
[Quality: Rare]
[Level: None]
[Attack: None]
[Function: All of Auntie's children will have a good impression of the owner]
[Restrictions: This good impression is only limited to the first impression. Any actions the owner takes after the initial meeting will affect this impression]
[Note: A mother's kiss is the best! Magnificent Aunt Yuyan Zhi Di, "Naturally, an aunt's kiss is the best! See how many times I kissed?"』
Li Wen felt as though his head was about to split. Reading so many lines of useless text was simply too much for him!
『Ding! Halo received.
[Halo: Humanity's wrath]
[Owner: Cui Changbin]
[Quality: Rare]
[Level: None]
[Attack: None]
[Function: A one-time point deduction. The owner's points balance is deducted by 7 000 001 009 points, the number of humans who hate the owner. Infants and those unable to hate will have their hate transferred via their guardian or caretaker]
[Restrictions: No restrictions]
[Note: All actions have their consequences! Cui Changbin thought that he could send a few billion humans to their deaths without facing any retaliation! Villain! Incompetent rat!
Transaction complete. -7 000 001 009 points.
[Point balance: -7 000 001 009』
Li Wen who was called an incompetent rat: QAQ, what did I do?
Notes:
1. Yùyán zhī dì, 寓言之地. Land of fables.
2. Cuī cháng bīn, 崔長斌. When spoken by Cantonese speakers, it sounds like 'Chuī cháng bīn, 吹長賓' which means 'suck a long penis'.
3. Gǒu dàn, 狗蛋. In Chinese, this name means 'dog's balls'.
This practice is not as common as it used to be, but in some remote Chinese communities, parents will name their bad names in order to ensure the child's success.This practice was also followed in Taiwan where children could be named Ti sái, 豬屎 to ward off evil spirits. In Chinese, this name means 'pig shit'.
4. Jī Biànbiàn, 姬便便. In Chinese, this name sounds like 'chicken crap'.
5. Insults in China often refer to one's mother. Similar to the English equivalent, 'yo mama', but more vulgar. Li Wen is not using one of the more popular phrases.
Example of a popular phrase: cào nǐ mā, 肏你妈. This means 'fuck your mother'.
6. Lǐ Wēn, 李温. 'Li' means 'plum' or 'plum tree', 'Wen' means 'warm' or temperate.