C26 Return to Reality!

As the morning sun spilled in, Xiao Hao's phone alarm pierced the silence. It felt like he was trapped in a cocoon of blankets, and it took a Herculean effort to finally silence the ringing and wrestle himself out of bed.

His cramped rental was nothing to write home about, with a bedroom and a bathroom that together barely made up 20 square meters.

Stumbling into the bathroom, Xiao Hao began brushing his teeth in a half-awake state. Midway, a jolt of realization hit him. He had been in some kind of survival game, hadn't he? Memories flooded back, and as he silently summoned the game panel, a faint red interface materialized out of thin air. The toothbrush tumbled from his mouth to the sink as he stood there, dumbfounded.

It all came back to him. Those seven grueling days in the game, with barely a moment's rest under the relentless pursuit of ghosts. Now, during the game's downtime, Xiao Hao was determined to figure out his return to reality rather than catch up on sleep. He had waited all day to cross back.

But to his surprise, he had dozed off, forgotten everything, and then—just like that—awoke in the real world.

Xiao Hao refused to believe it was mere exhaustion that had muddled his mind; he prided himself on his resilience. His sleep must be tied to the game somehow.

Could a streamer really live in such a place? It was so spartan.

His heart went out to his idol.

Ever seen an idol this formidable?

He remembered his own bewildering experience with transmigration. Eventually, you adapt. The game required them to fall asleep before crossing over, and during that transition, not even the live broadcast was accessible.

Yet, no matter what, the streamer remained undeniably charismatic...

Xiao Hao exhaled a sigh, retrieved his toothbrush, and resumed his routine. The Immortal Body was at work, honing his physical potential and purging toxins. His physique was improving, and his looks? They were on the rise as if enhanced by a filter.

Teeth brushed, he checked his phone. The date caught his eye, and a sense of unease crept in. The survival game had lasted seven days, so why had only two days passed in the real world?

He was a corporate drone, and weekends were his rare respite. Yet before this one could even end, he was already being summoned back to work?

Was it in the river?

Damn this game—give me back my weekend!

Even though he was aware that the apocalypse was on the horizon, there was a gradual progression to such events. If Xiao Hao wanted to keep his identity as a player under wraps, it was imperative that he kept showing up for work.

Being an orphan with neither wealth nor influence, quitting his job abruptly at this pivotal moment would only raise eyebrows.

With the sheer number of players in the game and so many disappearing for two days, the rumor mill was churning. It was only a matter of time before the survival game was out in the open.

Whether it was fortunate or not, Xiao Hao's status as an orphan with no friends meant his absence for a couple of days went unnoticed.

He had realized during a barbecue that the slices of meat he pulled from his storage space were identical to those freshly cut—time stood still for items within that space.

And with his stockpile of prawn meat enough to fill a skyscraper, there was no need for him to hoard supplies.

In essence, if he wanted to avoid being dissected or burdened with some bizarre duty, Xiao Hao needed to stay under the radar.

The best way to do that was to keep grinding away at his job, just as he had always done.

With this realization, Xiao Hao's face fell.

Fine, time to change and head to work!

Packed into the crowded subway, Xiao Hao nearly gave in to the urge to use his Shadow Vanishing ability.

It was best to refrain from using his extraordinary powers carelessly. If he was committed to staying hidden, he needed to do it right to avoid an accidental slip-up that would force him into a pretentious display and saddle him with unwanted responsibilities.

On the subway, many passengers were engrossed in the news broadcast.

The reports indicated that while many of the missing had returned, over half came back as nothing more than corpses. A few remained unaccounted for, and investigations were ongoing.

The journalists hypothesized a spree by a deranged killer gang. Xiao Hao, privy to the truth, dismissed their claims as nonsense.

The public would eventually learn what they needed to know.

Fearing a public panic, they kept the truth hidden from the masses.

After braving the morning rush, Xiao Hao finally made it to the office and settled at his desk.

No sooner had he sat down than his female colleague exclaimed, "Xiao Hao, did you get some cosmetic work done?"

Booting up his computer, he responded, "No, I didn't."

"Then how come your skin looks so amazing? You seem way more handsome! Are you using a new skincare line? Or did you get hormone treatments? You know, using drugs isn't good for you..."

Confronted with her relentless questioning, Xiao Hao offered an awkward yet courteous smile. "Actually, I think it's just that I've been sleeping well lately, which has improved my overall appearance."

She appeared ready to probe further, but noticing Xiao Hao diving into his PowerPoint to work on a marketing plan, she thought better of interrupting him.

Xiao Hao used to be somewhat socially anxious, preferring not to engage in conversation.

But after his experiences in the game, he simply chose not to converse.

As the underdog, he had to put up defenses to protect himself.

Now, as the top dog, he walked alone, while others flocked together like sheep.

Midway through his planning, a voice echoed from outside the office.

"Xiao Hao, Chief Inspector Liu is asking for you."

He glanced up, acknowledging, "Alright."

With that, he rose and headed to Chief Inspector Liu's office, having a hunch about the reason for the summons.

The first words upon entering confirmed his suspicion.

"Xiao Hao, is the marketing plan ready?"

Xiao Hao replied calmly, "You only assigned it last Friday; it's impossible to have finished it in such a short time."

Chief Inspector Liu's brow furrowed at once, "What were you doing over the weekend? This crucial plan isn't done yet!"

The old Xiao Hao would have completed the task early to endure the societal grind, constantly overworked and miserable.

But the Xiao Hao of today almost wished to be fired!

Resigning outright would raise suspicions, but being let go would be a relief.

With the end of the world approaching, he had lost interest in chasing wealth.

"Weekends aren't workdays, and I have no obligation to put in overtime."

Chief Inspector Liu was on the verge of speaking when the words got caught in his throat, causing him an uncomfortable sensation.

He couldn't deny the truth in what was said; he had no grounds for rebuttal.

Considering Xiao Hao's history of dedicated service, Chief Inspector Liu adopted a paternal tone, "Xiao Hao, young people need to be daring and tenacious. It's only through your own efforts that you'll carve out your own path! You can't just adopt this defeatist attitude that's all over the internet. You need to think about your future!"

Xiao Hao observed with a detached gaze, yet Chief Inspector Liu, oblivious to his reaction, pressed on, "You must realize, in today's job market, opportunities are scarce. And with so many people choosing to be complacent, why not take the chance to advance yourself, to overtake others on the curve? Isn't that a better approach?"

Before Xiao Hao could unleash his biting retort, a series of screams erupted from outside the office.

"A cockroach!"

"There's a cockroach! It's huge!"

"Get away from it!"

"It went that way!"

"Ah!"

Chief Inspector Liu, basking in the role of a life mentor and feeling rather self-satisfied, as if he were illuminating the path for the less experienced, had his lecture abruptly cut short, which left him seething.

He strode toward the office door and, with an angry twist of the handle, bellowed, "What's all this commotion about? Can't you just squash a cockroach?"

Xiao Hao remained inside the office, silently enjoying the drama unfold.

An ordinary cockroach wouldn't have caused such a stir.

But with the apocalypse looming and the screams growing louder, Xiao Hao sensed that this was no ordinary pest.

Perhaps this was a harbinger of the end times.

Xiao Hao watched as Chief Inspector Liu marched out the door, waiting quietly, anticipating the moment he'd witness the Chief Inspector's moment of weakness.