Little Lin watched the surveillance footage from the village entrance, clutching the record notebook in his hands. He pondered for a full half-hour but still couldn’t understand why someone would fight so viciously—literally beating each other senseless—over two hideous resin statues.
"There’s nothing strange about it," the village head reassured him, patting his shocked soul. "Not long ago, five thieves sneaked into the village and lurked for five days just to steal ancestral tablets from someone’s family shrine."
"Young people lack experience," the seasoned officer remarked as he finished taking notes. "A few more years on the force, and you won’t be so easily startled."
A few more years, and you’d realize the world is full of all kinds of bizarre characters.
Little Lin couldn’t argue with his mentor, so he silently copied the surveillance footage for evidence.
The old officer glanced at the four thieves handcuffed in the activity room before turning his gaze to Chao Musheng. "You were the one who discovered the first thief?"
When they dragged the thief out of Chao Musheng’s house, the man had no visible injuries but was wailing louder than anyone else.
"That’s right." Chao Musheng handed them a plastic bag. "The knife inside was what he was holding. The other items were things he threw at me after I subdued him."
"This thief is ruthless—he wanted you to get tetanus!" Little Lin opened the bag and saw the rust-covered blade. "Armed burglary means a heavier sentence."
"Enough chatter." The old officer smacked Little Lin’s shoulder, signaling him to load the thief into the police car.
"Thankfully, Musheng spotted the thieves and alerted us in time," the village head said, looking at Chao Musheng like he was a priceless treasure. "Otherwise, our village would’ve suffered major losses."
Something felt off to the old officer. The surveillance showed the thieves had broken into several homes but stolen nothing. Yet by the time they reached the village entrance, they were brawling over those statues like wild animals.
Their behavior after arriving at the entrance gave him an indescribable sense of unease.
Could these people be…
"Request a drug test from the higher-ups," the old officer closed his notebook and turned to the village head. "Are you sure there are only these four thieves? No accomplices?"
"The footage only shows these four," the village head confirmed before asking Uncle Ming, "Da Ming, these guys came in on your vehicle. Were there others with them?"
"I didn’t notice," Uncle Ming said uncertainly. "Probably not. If there were, they would’ve acted together tonight, right, Musheng?"
Chao Musheng, half-asleep, nodded reflexively. "Right."
"Go get some rest, our village’s hero. Look how exhausted the boy is." The old officer chuckled as he watched Chao Musheng struggle to keep his eyes open. "Rest assured, folks, we’ll investigate these men thoroughly and update you as soon as we have results."
"Thank you for your hard work, coming all this way in the middle of the night." The village head saw the officers off before addressing the villagers. "Everyone, go home and sleep."
Xiaoyou stood on the balcony, watching the police car drive through the village until its taillights vanished into the distance. Only then did she slowly withdraw her gaze.
She sat on the balcony, waiting for the villagers to come knocking.
Time passed, the sky gradually lightening as dawn approached.
[Ding! Players Fatty, Little Jia, and two others have been flagged as anomalies by the NPCs. Mission failed. Ten minutes remain until the dungeon closes. Remaining players, locate the treasure immediately.]
Ten minutes…
Xiaoyou tore open a pack of biscuits she’d bought in the village and devoured them.
[Ding! Player HP: 1]
Laughing and crying, she stuffed more biscuits into her mouth until the sun rose.
[Ding! Player mission failed. Preparing to—zzzt—countdown…]
[Zzzzt…]
Sunlight bathed Xiaoyou’s body, and the emotionless mechanical voice in her head abruptly cut off.
No mission panel. No inventory. No countdown.
She was free.
And she could never go home.
Dazed, she stumbled downstairs and wandered to the village entrance, where farmers were already working in the fields.
Green mountains, clear waters, golden sunlight.
She walked to the banyan tree and knelt before the shrine.
The deity inside smiled gently, as if embracing all who passed by.
"Please… let me go home."
"I just want to go home."
The statue remained still. Xiaoyou hugged her knees, sinking to the ground as she burst into tears.
All she wanted was to go home—even if just to see her parents one last time.
"Big sister, are you crying?"
Xiaoyou lifted her head from her arms and saw a group of children standing before her. She tried wiping her tears, but they wouldn’t stop.
"Don’t cry, don’t cry." The little girl Lulu pulled out a floral-printed tissue and patted her shoulder like a tiny adult. "Tell me what’s wrong. I’ll ask Brother Sheng for help. He can do anything!"
"I want to go home." Though they were just children, Xiaoyou couldn’t hold back anymore. She pressed the tissue to her face and sobbed. "I miss home so much."
"She’s crying so hard."
"Did she lose her money and can’t go home?"
"No, no, maybe she lost her phone."
"She looks so sad. Let’s help her!"
The children chattered around her, and one little boy even offered the lollipops from his pocket.
"Older girls are so hard to cheer up," he sighed when Xiaoyou didn’t take them.
"Brother Sheng is here!"
"It’s Brother Sheng! The sister will be okay now!"
Chao Musheng dragged a heavy suitcase toward the village entrance when he heard the children calling for him.
Stopping, he saw them gathered around the shrine, waving excitedly.
"What’s going on?" He walked over, ruffling each of their heads before his gaze settled on Xiaoyou, who was still sniffling.
"Brother Sheng, Sister Xiaoyou wants to go home," Lulu said, tugging his hand. "Can you help her?"
"I’m sorry for scaring the kids," Xiaoyou said, wiping her nose as she stood up.
"We’re not scared!" The children buzzed around Chao Musheng, asking when he’d return as they eyed his suitcase.
He bent down, hugging each one and making them giggle. "I’ll be back during the holidays. I’ll bring gifts."
Xiaoyou stood awkwardly to the side. As a mission player, she had never paid attention to the emotions of NPCs before.
"The bus is here." Chao Musheng tousled the kids’ hair again. "Go on back. Don’t play near the road—it’s dangerous."
Obedient as sparrows, the children scampered off toward the village.
"Musheng, hurry up!" The rickety bus stopped under the tree, its doors creaking open as Uncle Ming leaned out and waved. "Don’t be late for school."
"Thanks, Uncle Ming." Chao Musheng hauled his suitcase aboard before turning to Xiaoyou. "Do you want to go home now?"
Xiaoyou stared, then nodded slowly.
"Would you like to come with me?" Chao Musheng placed his suitcase neatly in place. "Uncle Ming's car can take us straight to the station—it’s much more convenient than the bus. If you want to go home now, go pack your things. I’ll wait for you in the car with Uncle Ming."
Xiaoyou stumbled back to the homestay in a daze, picked up the bag she had brought into the instance, and numbly walked downstairs.
The big yellow dog in the courtyard wagged its tail at her. She glanced toward the village entrance, then suddenly broke into a desperate run.
Even though she knew it was all futile, she still set foot on a path called "going home."
The rickety bus swayed and jolted, just like the day she had arrived, with passengers boarding one after another.
But this time, Xiaoyou was no longer afraid of any NPCs.
The bus passed through village after village, then one traffic light after another.
"We’re at the station."
Xiaoyou followed Chao Musheng as he stood up and silently stepped off the bus.
"Musheng, next time you come back, remember to call me. I’ll pick you up again." Uncle Ming stood by the bus door and handed Chao Musheng a bag of snacks. "Eat these on the way."
"Got it." Chao Musheng took the snacks. "Uncle Ming, remember to smoke and drink less."
"I know, I know." Uncle Ming waved his hand. "The bus can’t stay parked here too long. I’ll head off now."
Chao Musheng stood still, watching Uncle Ming’s car drive away before turning back to Xiaoyou. "Let’s go."
The station bustled with people, and the large screen scrolled through train schedules. Xiaoyou stared at it over and over, her eyes gradually dimming.
She must have been insane—how could there be a train to the real world inside an instance?
"Where are you headed?" Seeing Xiaoyou’s despondent expression, Chao Musheng guessed she might be short on money and tactfully avoided pressing the issue.
"I’m going to…" Xiaoyou lowered her head, her eyes reddening. "My home is in Guizhou."
"Guizhou, as in 'return'?"
Xiaoyou nodded, her voice choked with tears.
"Wait here." Seeing Xiaoyou on the verge of breaking down, Chao Musheng strode toward the ticket counter with his long legs.
"Hello, one ticket to Guizhou, please."
The ticket clerk frowned. Where was Guizhou? He’d never heard of it.
But when he looked up and saw the buyer’s handsome face, he suppressed his impatience and searched the system.
To his surprise, the place actually existed.
The clerk printed the ticket. "This train arrives in fifteen minutes. Please proceed to the boarding gate as soon as possible."
"Here."
A paper ticket appeared in front of Xiaoyou.
"A ticket to Guizhou." Seeing Xiaoyou’s disbelieving stare, Chao Musheng smiled. "It wasn’t expensive. Take it quickly."
Xiaoyou’s hands trembled as she accepted the ticket. The words "Guizhou" printed on it made her tears fall again.
Even if this Guizhou wasn’t her Guizhou, just the sight of that familiar name was enough to overwhelm her with emotion.
"Thank you, Chao Musheng. Thank you." Xiaoyou wiped her face roughly. "Please be careful… this world is—"
"What?"
Chao Musheng didn’t catch what she said.
Xiaoyou opened her mouth, only to find she couldn’t utter a single word about the Infinite System.
"Never mind." She unclipped the thumb-sized keychain from her bag. "Take this as a thank-you gift."
Her items had vanished along with her inventory space. The only thing of value left was this S-rank lucky charm she always carried.
"Then I’ll accept it without hesitation." Not wanting her to feel indebted, Chao Musheng took the keychain. "The ticket says this train departs from Gate 0. I’ll take you there."
Chao Musheng found Gate 0 in a secluded corner—no staff, just an automated ticket scanner.
"Go ahead." The gate slid open, and Chao Musheng waved. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye." Xiaoyou stepped through the gate, glanced back at Chao Musheng one last time, then resolutely walked onto the platform.
"All passengers, please board immediately. The train to Guizhou is about to depart."
The platform was empty, save for a dilapidated green train idling on the tracks.
Xiaoyou climbed aboard, her foot slipping slightly—and suddenly, the world around her erupted into noise. The train’s announcement played on loop: "Now arriving at Guizhou Station. Please disembark in an orderly fashion. Now arriving at Guizhou Station…"
This was—!
Staring at the familiar scenery outside the window, Xiaoyou staggered off the train.
This was her Guizhou!
She whirled around to look back, but the green train had vanished. In its place stood a sleek, modern bullet train.
Clutching her face, she burst into loud, unrestrained sobs. Those kids hadn’t lied to her—Chao Musheng really could do anything!
Chao Musheng sat contentedly in his seat, pulling out the keychain Xiaoyou had given him to snap a photo for his social media.
[Day and Night: Today, I was a good Samaritan. Feeling great. [Photo of keychain]]
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Chao Musheng: Today, I’m once again a bright and kind-hearted boy~
