Chapter One: You Are Already Dead

The internet café was thick with smoke and stench, the air saturated with the odor of unwashed feet propped on desks and the acrid tang of cigarettes. In the furthest corner, Jia Zhengjin was glued to his computer screen, his fingers dancing nimbly over the keyboard and mouse.

“Jia Zhengjin!” Someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

“Wait a minute! Can’t you see my castle is about to be finished?” Without turning his head, Jia Zhengjin waved the person off. “If you’ve got something to say, wait till I’m done!”

“Jia Zhengjin!” The person tapped him again.

“I said wait!” Jia Zhengjin brushed the hand aside, still focused intently on controlling his in-game character.

Half an hour later, he finally exhaled in relief. “Over a month of hard work, and I’ve finally finished building my castle! Ha!”

“Jia Zhengjin!” The person behind him tapped him yet again.

“Who is it?” Annoyed, Jia Zhengjin spun around, only to see a man dressed in black, wearing sunglasses, regarding him calmly. He didn’t recognize this man, and wondered how he knew his name. Besides, who wears sunglasses at night? Wasn’t that a bit too flashy? Could he even see through those?

“Jia Zhengjin, are you done now?” The man in black smiled.

“I’m done! What do you want?” Jia Zhengjin sized him up, curiosity edging out his annoyance.

The man in black pulled out the adjacent chair and sat down facing him. “Do you know who I am?”

“If I knew who you were, why would I ask? Are you out of your mind?” Jia Zhengjin thought to himself that this guy was a bit off.

The man in black merely chuckled, unfazed. Looking at Jia Zhengjin, he spoke amiably, “I’m an emissary from the Underworld, number DF10019. I came here today specifically for you.”

“You’re really something, aren’t you? So you mean I’m about to die?” Jia Zhengjin laughed, unconcerned.

“You’re not about to die,” the man in black spread his hands, “you’ve actually been dead for almost three days. I’m here to escort you to catch the last Six Paths Train of the month.”

“You sound so serious! And what’s this about a Six Paths Train? Then give me my ticket!” Jia Zhengjin scoffed, not believing a word.

“In fact, the train has already left.” The man in black looked at him. “I called you several times just now, but you were so absorbed in your game that you missed the last train of the month.”

“Isn’t that a contradiction? If I’m already dead, how could I miss the train because I was playing games? You must think I’m a fool! If you’re looking to scam someone, pick a better target.” Jia Zhengjin shook his head dismissively.

“I’m not lying,” the man in black replied, “Jia Zhengjin, although you died suddenly from excessive gaming in this life, you never did anything truly bad. You even helped others from time to time, so you barely qualify as a good person. Adding your past eight lives together, you’re just about a nine-lives good man…”

“If I’m a nine-lives good man, then why do you have to say ‘barely’?” Jia Zhengjin asked exasperatedly.

“If it weren’t for my boss wanting to boost his stats, you wouldn’t quite make the cut,” the man in black said earnestly. “But to make his record look better, you were lucky enough to be chosen! If you can be reincarnated, my boss will earn a lot of merit and get a promotion and a raise, and I’ll benefit as well. But now that the Six Paths Train to the Hall of Reincarnation has left, you can’t be reborn at the moment.”

“So what now?” Jia Zhengjin simply played along.

“It’s simple! Even though you missed the train, you just barely count as a nine-lives good man, so if we grant you one wish, we’ll still earn plenty of merit.” The man in black smiled. “So, whatever your heart desires, speak it, and I will make it happen.”

“Is this for real?” Jia Zhengjin asked. “If the train has left for this month, why can’t I just wait for the next one?”

“Absolutely not!” The man in black shook his head. “If a nine-lives good man isn’t reincarnated within a month, he’ll turn into a terrifying super-ghost! There aren’t enough civil servants in the Underworld to deal with such a menace, and the mortal world would fall into chaos. But as long as we fulfill a wish for you, and your lingering attachments and resentment fade, none of that will happen. So, tell me one wish—whatever it is, I’ll make it come true.”

“So if I say I haven’t gamed enough in this life and want to live inside a game forever, you can make that happen too?” Jia Zhengjin mocked.

The man in black thought for a moment, then took a strange device from his pocket, tapping it rapidly. “If that’s your wish, I’ll grant it! However, since you’ve already died in this world, I can only send your soul to another.”

“Come on, man, are there really that many worlds?” Jia Zhengjin laughed, derisive.

“Did you think the saying ‘three thousand worlds’ was a joke? It doesn’t literally mean three thousand, but an endless multitude! There are infinite worlds in the universe; the one we’re in is just one of them. Of course, mortals can’t understand and don’t need to.”

“Yeah, right. You make it sound so convincing!” Jia Zhengjin stood up. “Look, I’m done here. I just want to save my castle’s data and build a villa when I get home!”

“Don’t go yet!” The man in black reached out to stop him, looking up. “I’ve already set the program. Your wish is about to come true. This device will send you to a random world, resurrecting you in the body of a native creature there. In that world, you’ll have the settings of your favorite sandbox game. You’ll be the main character, able to do anything you could in a sandbox game! You can live with complete freedom, playing however you want for the rest of your life. But remember: once I receive the merit and your wish is fulfilled, your connection to this world will be severed. After you die again, your soul won’t be under this Underworld’s jurisdiction. So you’d better hope that the random world has a soul management system—and a friendly one at that. Otherwise, you’re on your own!”

“Man, you really know your lines! I give you credit!” Jia Zhengjin didn’t believe a word of this nonsense. “But I need to get home and have a good sleep before I build my game city. So I’ll take my leave—go find someone else to fool!”

“No need to hurry! The program has already started. I’m sending you off right now!” The man in black raised the device, which flashed a blinding light. “Once the merit is settled, your connection to this world will be cut. So, good luck!”

Jia Zhengjin tried to protest, but a searing light struck his eyes. He cried out in pain—and then, in an instant, lost all consciousness.