"Everyone has a target to kill... will it form a closed loop?"
Lucas glanced at the short-sleeved shirt he was wearing. Calmly, he used some of his game points to purchase a wristwatch from the in-game shop. He strapped it on tightly, just enough to cover the bloody number on his wrist.
"Avoiding early exposure of my serial number can reduce unnecessary risks..."
Despite his composed appearance, the dungeon's deathmatch format made Lucas uneasy. He licked his dry lips, his thoughts interrupted by a sudden voice:
"Hey, Jason! What are you doing? Get in the car already!"
Jason?
"Am I still using the same identity as my previous dungeon role...?"
Lucas turned around. He found himself in the middle of a vast wilderness. Tall weeds surrounded the area, and a dusty road ran alongside the brush. Parked on that road was a dilapidated white Dara sedan. A young man with bright red hair was leaning halfway out of the passenger seat, beckoning him.
> [Modeling in progress...] [Danger assessment generated based on player's current strength...] [College Student Sumarokov: Low-Level Danger]
Lucas stared at the unfamiliar name list for a moment before giving up. The red-haired guy's foreign speech was automatically translated by the system into something Lucas could understand.
"Hurry, Jason! It's getting dark!"
Lucas checked his appearance, zipped up his jacket, and walked to the car. Inside, two more individuals were seated in the back.
> [College Student Lomon Losov: Low-Level Danger] [College Student Zhukovsky: Low-Level Danger]
Lucas opened the driver-side door and climbed in.
"Let's go! If we keep driving for another hour, we'll reach the restricted zone!"
He recalled the basics of driving and slowly started the engine. The car rolled forward, tires crunching gravel.
"So, we're still outside the restricted zone... and I'm one of four college students heading into it."
This copy felt different. It was making Lucas extra cautious. He said nothing, opting to play the part of an NPC for now.
"The longer I delay exposing my identity, the better my chances of survival..."
The others in the car were visibly excited.
"Man, I swear... The thought of stepping into the restricted zone makes me wanna crack open some vodka!" laughed the boy in the back.
"Don't get drunk out here! You know what goes down in the restricted zone!" replied the woman, chuckling.
The car filled with laughter. After a few minutes, the red-haired guy turned serious.
"We stick to the plan. We don't end up like the others."
The others nodded in agreement. Their conversation was gradually revealing tidbits about the dungeon.
Lucas took the initiative, his tone casual.
"Other losers?"
The red-haired guy laughed, slapping Lucas lightly on the arm.
"Knew you weren't paying attention during prep! Typical Jason."
Lucas remained quiet. He hadn't expected this persona.
"But hey, hearing it from me isn't the same as seeing it with your own eyes. Keep driving. You'll get the full experience soon enough! Just don't scream and beg to go home, alright?"
More laughter erupted in the vehicle.
Not long after, the environment outside the windows began to change. It had already been desolate before. But now, the vegetation on either side of the road had withered entirely. It felt... lifeless.
In the distance, buildings began to appear. Their dark, empty windows suggested they hadn't been occupied in decades. They loomed like silent monsters.
"Look!" the red-haired guy said urgently, pointing out the window.
Lucas turned his head and saw it: a vast forest.
No leaves. Only black, dead branches and twisted trunks.
From a distance, the forest looked eerie... but up close, it was horrifying.
"Park here!" someone shouted.
Lucas applied the brakes, and the other three immediately jumped out. He followed, stepping out into the still air. Then, he saw the trees clearly.
The strange shapes of their trunks weren't natural.
The tree nearest the road had a human body embedded within it—a middle-aged man, fused with the bark. His torso was seamlessly merged with the tree, as if he had grown there from the start.
At the junction between flesh and wood, blood vessels and internal organs were still partially visible. The man's eyes were shut, and he wasn't breathing.
Lucas turned, scanning the entire forest.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of trees were merged with human remains.
Some had intact torsos. Some were only heads or limbs. Some looked half-born, half-buried.
All grotesque. All wrong.
The red-haired guy, who had been eager to mock Lucas's reaction, was the first to turn pale. He stumbled back toward the road, visibly shaken.
> [Tree: No Danger] [Tree: No Danger] [...]
A string of system messages confirmed the forest posed no direct threat.
"These people... they're already dead."
Lucas examined the trees again. "People and trees fused together... How? Why?"
Suddenly, something on the ground caught his eye—a large, rusted iron sign, lying on the edge of the concrete path.
From a distance, only the first few letters were visible: "Welcome to..."
Lucas walked closer. He crouched down and brushed off the thick layer of dirt covering it.
The full name finally appeared:
> "Cernobel"
"Welcome to Cernobeli."
He stood silently.
"It seems real place names aren't allowed in here. But this... this place is definitely modeled after something real."
The Forbidden Zone had revealed its first secret. The journey was just beginning.
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