Zhang Qi hummed an off-key tune as he skipped down the street, playing hooky. His backpack straps slapped against his sides, looking like a grade-schooler cutting class early. Normally, he'd never dare skip so blatantly, but today wasn't just any day—it was the release date for Desperate Survival 2: Physical Edition! A day he'd been counting down for one hundred and eighty-three damn days!
"If the RA catches me, he'll rip my head off and use it as a soccer ball…" he muttered, but his steps were light, almost dancing. "Totally worth it! Gotta finish this game today! Can write the apology essay tomorrow!"
He rounded the familiar corner. The neon sign of the game shop glinted in the evening light. A massive new poster covered the whole display window—the protagonist, bloodied, standing on a shipwreck with a tidal wave behind them. The gold-foil title, Desperate Survival 2, shimmered temptingly in the dusk.
"Yes! Finally!" Zhang Qi charged into the store, slinging his backpack onto the counter. "Boss! Desperate Survival 2 Collector's Edition! You held one for me, right?"
Xiao Wang, the clerk, had been dozing behind the counter. He jolted awake, then slowly pulled a black box stamped with a skull logo from under the counter. "Knew you'd show up. But Zhang Qi, it's 2035. Who buys physical copies anymore? Just download it on Steam. Don't even need to wait for the disc."
"You don't get it!" Zhang Qi eagerly tore off the plastic wrap, his eyes gleaming. "The collector's edition has the exclusive sail skin and shark fin cosmetic! Can't get that online! Look at the craftmanship… the feel…" His voice trailed off as he pointed around the empty store. "Wait, it's launch day. Why am I the only one here? The forums said it was selling out! The subreddit's blowing up!"
Xiao Wang rolled his eyes helplessly. "You live under a rock or something? Nobody lines up for discs anymore. It's all online orders or direct download. The good old days of overnight lines for World of Warcraft expansions are long gone…" He suddenly lowered his voice, his expression turning gloomy. "Sometimes I wish the world would change… teach these people who've forgotten the old ways a lesson…"
Catching himself, he coughed twice, changing the subject. "Anyway… go enjoy your game. Remember to leave a good review."
Outside, Zhang Qi felt an inexplicable knot in his stomach. He glanced back at the desolate shop. "What's his problem? Sure, fewer people buy physical, but no need to curse people like that… Creepy."
He hugged the game box close to his chest like a mother hen protecting her chick, afraid someone might snatch it. As he walked, he couldn't resist bringing the box to his nose and taking a deep breath. "Ah… that new plastic smell, the texture… Perfection! This is the soul of gaming!"
By a bench in the central park, his excitement finally boiled over. With a soft click, he opened the case. The disc shimmered with a rainbow sheen in the sunset. The smell of the foam insert wafted out. He closed his eyes, savoring it.
"If anyone saw me smiling at a game box like an idiot, they'd think I'm insane," Zhang Qi chuckled to himself, holding the disc up to examine it. "But it's weirdly quiet today. Not even an old man walking his dog…"
He was admiring the embossed artwork when a shadow fell over him—wham!—Stars exploded in his vision. He stumbled, almost dropping his precious game.
"What the hell! Watch where you're going! In a rush to die?!" Zhang Qi rubbed his aching chest and looked up, then froze.
The person who'd crashed into him was a blonde girl, scrambling to her feet. She wore ripped jeans, her shins scraped and bloody. Her white t-shirt was stained with suspicious dark-red blotches. She was panting like she'd just run a marathon.
"S-sorry!" Her voice trembled. Her golden hair, like a waterfall, brushed against his arm. "I'm in a hurry! Really sorry!" Before Zhang Qi could respond, she bolted like a startled rabbit, disappearing around the corner, leaving only a faint trace of jasmine scent.
"Didn't even see her face clearly…" Zhang Qi stared blankly in the direction she'd vanished. After a moment, he snapped out of it. "But blonde, long legs… totally my type. Damn… didn't even get her number…"
As he bent to pick up his game case, something glinted on the ground. A strange-looking pendant. A silver feather encircling a central blue sapphire. The craftsmanship was exquisite, unlike mass-produced stuff. It glowed with an eerie blue light in the sunset.
"This design… it's exactly like the legendary item 'Heart of the Ocean' from Desperate Survival," Zhang Qi marveled, holding the pendant up to the light. "I'll keep it for now. If I see her again, I'll give it back. Even though I have no idea what she looks like… This isn't stealing, right? More like… finders keepers, temporary safekeeping…"
It was almost dark when he got back to the dorm. Zhang Qi eagerly shoved the disc into the drive. The familiar whirring sound made him feel alive again. He didn't even think about dinner.
"Are you kidding me? The update is this big?!" He stomped his foot, staring at the progress bar. "This crappy campus network! It'll be midnight by the time it's done! How am I supposed to start the grind?!"
Finally, installation complete. He solemnly put on his headphones, silenced his phone. As the game's main menu music swelled, his fingers trembled with excitement. He was fully immersed in the post-apocalyptic maritime world.
"Here we go! Build the ship, scavenge supplies, fight sea monsters… I'm ready! Let the storm rage harder!"
His focus was absolute, fingers flying across the keyboard, lost to the world. Just as he piloted his little raft toward the first island, ready to show his skills—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Since when does the game have a door-knocking feature?" Zhang Qi muttered, not looking up. "The immersion is next-level. They even simulated a neighbor coming to borrow soy sauce?"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound grew louder, more urgent. He finally realized it was real knocking. Annoyed, he pulled off one headphone. "Who is it?! Worst timing ever! Can't you see I'm busy?!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Zhang Dalong, you looking for a beatdown?! If it's not you, get lost!" Zhang Qi yanked the door open, ready to explode. A figure slumped directly into his arms.
Instinctively, he reached to steady them, but a smell hit him—iron and rotting meat. It made him gag.
"What the—"
Before he could finish, the head resting on his shoulder twisted and chomped down on his neck! Blinding pain shot through his body. Warm liquid trickled down his neck, dripping onto the cheap linoleum floor, blooming into little crimson flowers.
"The hell you biting for, you rabid dog?!" Zhang Qi kicked hard at the thing's stomach. It thudded against the corridor wall with a dull crash.
"I'll rearrange your face for free today, you bastard!" He clenched his fist, about to charge, but his legs suddenly gave way. He crumpled to the floor with a thump. Now he could see clearly—the figure was covered in blood, skin an unnatural grayish-blue. Dark red drool dripped from its mouth. Its eyes were bloodshot.
"Wait a minute…" Zhang Qi felt his vision blurring. Strength was draining fast. "This is… those things from the dark web videos…? So He Yu wasn't lying…"
He let out a bitter laugh, looking toward the window. In the night, sporadic screams rose and fell, mixed with the blare of car alarms. In the distance, near the teaching buildings, a plume of black smoke suddenly billowed into the sky, stark against the moonlight.
"Guess you were wrong this time, Dalong…" he mumbled, consciousness fading. "I'm not gonna be… the one who lasts the longest… Should've listened to He Yu… stocked more instant noodles…"
Before the words fully left his lips, the pendant in his pocket slipped out. With a clear clink, it rolled onto the floor. The moment the sapphire touched the linoleum, it erupted in a blinding blue light, illuminating the entire hallway as bright as day, every stain on the walls suddenly visible.