Chapter One: The Underground Cavern

“Is anyone there? Where am I? Can someone come and save me?”
“I’m knocking on the wall next to me. Is anyone there, can you hear me?”
“I’m so hungry. Does anyone have food? I’ll trade you my pickaxe for something to eat.”
…
…
In the pitch-black cavern, a sheet resembling a newspaper lay spread out on the ground, radiating a blue glow. Lines of information leapt continuously across its surface, brimming with a sense of advanced technology.

Beside it rested a mattock, one end sharp like a bird’s beak, the other flat.

In front of these was a makeshift tent.

Fang Tang stared blankly at the three items.

[Stop staring. Since you woke up, you’ve been fixated on this newspaper for a full minute. Even if you’re not bored, I certainly am. You’d be better off spending this time looking for something useful.]

Golden letters flashed before Fang Tang’s eyes, snapping him back to reality.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen these subtitles, but they still startled him.

He waved his hand in front of his face; his palm passed right through the words without the slightest resistance.

“Virtual? Like a holographic projection?”

[Let me remind you, noble eyes, don’t compare me to that trashy holographic projection. Otherwise, I’ll go on strike, got it?]

“Heh, pretty temperamental, aren’t you?”

Fang Tang grinned, amused.

Still, he had gleaned something useful.

It seemed...

I can talk to my own eyes?

In this strange environment, that meant he wouldn’t truly be alone.

Prompted by his “eyes,” Fang Tang stopped reading the newspaper’s messages and turned the page instead.

There wasn’t much useful information; he could only start by analyzing his initial gear.

The newspaper comprised three pages. The first page was divided into three sections: chat, private chat, and trade.

Chatting required a megaphone, just like in a game. He currently only had one, which he certainly wouldn’t waste on a call for help.

The second page listed various blueprints—all of them grayed out, unsurprisingly, since he hadn’t acquired any yet.

The third page surprised him most.

Because this page could store things.

This, of course, wasn’t the newspaper’s doing, but his “eyes.”

[Of this whole lousy newspaper, only this page is any good. It can store the resources you find. Don’t be surprised by its magic. The most magical thing here is—yours truly, the omniscient, omnipotent eyes!]

“Oh, omniscient and omnipotent, are you? Then why don’t you tell me where this place is?”

He waited a long while, but no new subtitles appeared. Fang Tang chuckled, having managed to put the arrogant “eyes” in their place, which improved his mood considerably.

He folded the newspaper and tucked it into his pocket, then walked over to the shabby tent.

[My goodness! Is anyone actually supposed to sleep in this thing? Don’t even think about making me spend a night in this trash heap. I suggest you start gathering resources to upgrade it—fast. Otherwise… hmph!]

Once again, his “eyes” provided an important clue.

The tent could be upgraded?

To be honest, he also thought the tent was rudimentary.

Seven iron rods and a scrap of cloth made up the A-frame shelter. If there were any wind in this cave, it wouldn’t last a second.

If it could be upgraded, then at least sleeping would be more comfortable in the future.

On this point, he and his “eyes” agreed.

Atop the tent was a red button. When he pressed it, the tent instantly contracted into something resembling a backpack.

“Tsk, this technology is outrageous!”

A newspaper, a tent—all loaded with technology beyond anything on Earth.

Only the mattock on the ground seemed ordinary.

He hefted it; the weight was manageable. With his current strength, he could work three or four hours without trouble.

He was lucky; he’d woken up in a safe environment and wasn’t thirsty or hungry yet.

If this were a game, the rules would be simple:

Find resources. Survive!

“So, which wall should I dig through first?”

The cavern was a perfect cube with six sides. The ceiling was six or seven meters up—no way he could climb that.

That left the four walls and the floor.

His “eyes” stared at the wall ahead for a second, and golden letters appeared.

[I advise you not to mess with the wall in front of you. Whatever is inside isn’t something you can handle right now, and I have no intention of dying with you. The right wall is a better choice. There’s water and food there—enough to last you two days.]

Of course!

His “eyes” could see what lay beyond the walls. That would help him avoid many dangers—a pleasant surprise.

Fang Tang smiled slightly, walked over to the right wall, and swung the mattock with all his might.

To his surprise, there was no resistance, nor did any dirt fall away.

After the mattock struck, a pit appeared in the wall, and the earth simply vanished.

“…Why does this feel so much like a game?”

Fang Tang mumbled to himself, but didn’t dwell on it.

He had already encountered plenty of oddities; this wall was just another one to add to the list.

He continued swinging the mattock, and the pit in the wall grew larger.

After ten blows, he’d opened a hole big enough for a person to pass through.

A layer of mysterious black mist obscured the entrance, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Fang Tang paused to consider, and suddenly understood the rules here.

In adventure games, you couldn’t just dig for information before you were supposed to.

The black mist was odorless, and passing through it felt no different than walking through air.

He entered a new cavern, empty except for a box in the corner.

Fang Tang didn’t rush to open the box; instead, he turned to look back at the hole he’d dug.

The hole remained.

But when he tried to go back, he felt a resistance.

The rules wouldn’t let him return!

[You actually discovered a rule without my help. What a surprise! I give you a round of applause—clap clap clap…]

Fang Tang: “…”

If he could, he’d drag these “eyes” out and give them a beating.

“Sigh!”

Fang Tang sighed, muttering to himself, “If I run into danger and my eyes accidentally get poked out, I wonder if this guy will still pop up.”

[What are you planning? I warn you! Don’t do anything rash. If you push me too far…I’ll lose it!]

“Heh.” Fang Tang sneered, “Go ahead, let’s see you lose it.”

[Waaah waaaah waaaah…]

Fang Tang: “…”

Watching the screen fill with the word “waaah,” Fang Tang’s eye twitched.

That’s it?

When the screen finally cleared, Fang Tang walked over to the box.

Inside were three bottles of mineral water and two packs of sliced bread.

A generous haul—enough to last him two days.

But of course, he wasn’t about to settle for that.

He stored the water and bread in the newspaper, planning to continue digging.

He glanced at the wall in front of him, and subtitles appeared.

But his “eyes,” apparently still sulking, only gave a two-word response:

[Empty.]

Fang Tang’s lips curled up as he looked to the right wall.

[Blueprint, bananas, cigarettes.]

“Hey, didn’t expect to find a blueprint already.”

Fang Tang was delighted, and just as he raised the mattock to dig, his “eyes” popped up again.

[Are you sure you don’t want to check the other sides?]

“Hm? Is there something better elsewhere?”

Fang Tang paused and looked at the wall behind him.

[There’s a good blueprint here, but there’s also something dangerous inside. You’ll need to deal with it to get the prize.]

“Another blueprint?”

Fang Tang hesitated.

The two blueprints were in opposite directions. Which should he choose?