Shocking! I'm the VVIP in the Survival Game!

The Gongjiang government decided to begin releasing nuclear-contaminated water from the No.1 Nuclear Power Plant into the sea on the 24th. Although five different treatment plans for the nuclear wastewater were proposed, the Gongjiang government insisted that discharging it into the ocean was the only viable option. They claimed that, after using the ALPS water treatment system, the nuclear wastewater met the required discharge standards. However, to this day, the Gongjiang side has failed to provide sufficient scientific evidence and factual proof that the treated water is indeed safe. In response, the United Alliance government issued a policy halting the import of seafood from the Gongjiang region. “Good evening, dear viewers. Today, we will analyze the ocean currents and examine the path and impact of the nuclear wastewater after its release…” A delicate hand held the remote control, changing channels every few minutes. The content on each channel varied, but all focused on the same topic—nuclear wastewater. In April 3022 AD, the Gongjiang government announced the release of nuclear wastewater into the ocean. At first, there was widespread condemnation, some remained fearless, others worried that nuclear pollution would bring about the end of the world, while some continued their days in a daze... Until a gray fog enveloped the globe. This was no ordinary fog; it was a thick, black drizzle. The Nuclear Crisis Monitoring Bureau detected trace amounts of Carbon-14 and tritium in the rain. The Gongjiang government, eager to continue its discharge, presented its own research, predicting that the black rain would last no more than three days and, as long as precautions were taken to avoid contact with the rain, it would pose virtually no harm to human health. But now, it was the fifth day of the black rain. Work stoppages across the country extended, and people spent most of their time indoors. Yet, despite these measures, many elderly and children fell ill, with ambulances speeding through the streets several times a day. Chu Yi’an rose from the sofa and went to the bathroom to rinse her face with warm water. The mirror reflected her milky white skin and slightly chubby cheeks, giving her an endearing appearance. A tiny red mole at the corner of her eye, combined with her delicate features, naturally evoked a sense of fondness in others. Her face was undeniably beautiful, but her fashion sense left much to be desired. She paired a bright red thermal set with her grandmother's winter-exclusive cotton clothes. Wrapping herself in a padded coat and donning a gas mask, she ensured she was fully covered before preparing to step out. The food at home was nearly gone; she had no choice but to go out and buy supplies. As she reached the bottom of her apartment building, she noticed through the glass door that the rain and fog outside seemed to have intensified. The black fog was so thick it resembled flowing ink, like the gaping maw of an abyss. She hesitated, an inexplicable aversion to going outside welling up inside her. A strange, buzzing sound like static electricity rang in her ears. Was it tinnitus? Chu Yi’an tapped her ears and reached for the password lock to open the community gate. But at that moment, a cacophony of screams erupted from outside. Shrill, agonized, accompanied by the blaring of car horns, the sound was piercing! What’s happening? Chu Yi’an recoiled in shock, quickly retracting her hand. She peered through the glass door, where the black fog had grown thicker than ink. Suddenly, with a loud thud, a bloody handprint appeared on the glass! Chu Yi’an staggered back several steps in fright. “Help me!” A man, his flesh and blood a ghastly sight, appeared on the other side of the glass. The black rain was slowly corroding his skin, exposing muscle and bone. In mere seconds, his flesh melted away, revealing organs and bones, along with a puddle of red and yellow liquid… Ugh—! Chu Yi’an covered her mouth, stifling the urge to retch. Forget buying supplies—she dashed back to her apartment, the screams outside still echoing in her ears. Her phone had no signal, and when she tried to call the police, all she got was a busy tone. The desperate cries outside sent chills down her spine, as if she were trapped in a living hell. Chu Yi’an kept redialing the emergency number until the screams abruptly ceased. With a soft “click,” the power went out. The room plunged into darkness, the silence so profound that she could hear her own heartbeat. Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed from all directions— **"The Survival Game is now online."** **"The three fundamental rules of the game:"** **"1. Refusal to play results in the player's death."** **"2. Failure in the game results in the player's death."** **"3. Contact with the black fog results in the player's death."** **"All rights to interpret the rules belong solely to the game."** As the voice faded, a transparent blue screen appeared before her. Still shaken, Chu Yi’an cautiously tossed a packet of instant noodles at the screen. The noodles passed through and fell to the floor, and in the next moment, the content on the screen changed. **"The beginner’s trial is about to begin. A global beginner’s gift package is now being distributed."** As the voice concluded, the blue screen vanished, replaced by a wall of densely packed lottery cards. The sheer number of cards extended infinitely in all directions, with cards flipping over and disappearing, as if billions of people were drawing at that very moment. Chu Yi’an only observed for a few seconds before feeling dizzy. She blinked hard, then randomly selected one of the identical cards. The chosen card flipped over and enlarged, while the others disappeared instantly. **"Congratulations to beginner player Chu Yi’an for acquiring the rare ability: Treasure Chest."** **"Description: The player can summon the Treasure Chest both in the game and in reality. The Treasure Chest cannot be dropped or destroyed."** **"Function 1: Storage"** **"The Treasure Chest can hold up to 1 cubic meter of items."** **"Function 2: Creation"** **"This skill can only be used in the game. It randomly generates an item, with a cooldown period of three days after each use."** The description faded, and a searing pain shot through her palm as a box, about the size of a wireless earbud case, appeared in her hand. The box was heavy, made of solid gold. Its six sides were inlaid with twelve gemstones of various colors, tempting one to exchange it for money. “Is this all it is?” As soon as she thought this, the box instantly expanded to the size of a cubic meter. Its weight increased accordingly, nearly breaking her hand. After a moment, she roughly understood how the box worked. The Treasure Chest could shift between the size of an earbud case and a cubic meter. Regardless of its size, as long as her palm touched the box, it would immediately disappear and reappear as a pattern on her palm. Quite cool! As she was marveling at this magical box, the game system's voice rang out again, **"The lottery draw has ended, the beginner’s test is about to start."** **"Beginner’s Game: The Road to Survival."** **"Game Objective: Reach the safe zone within five days."** **"Starting Funds: 200 coins."** **"Starting Supplies: ID card, 1 set of clothing, communication device."** **"Current total number of beginner players: 6,103,455,781."** **"Attention!! Only by completing the game will you obtain survival supplies. Please take this seriously!"** ## The world spun around her. Chu Yi’an found herself in a dormitory, a standard four-person room with bunk beds. “Yi’an, what are you spacing out for? Get ready to go.” “Huh?” Chu Yi’an looked over, and her three unfamiliar roommates were already waiting by the door. One of them, a round-faced, slightly chubby girl, grinned and said, “Did the exams fry your brain? We said we’d go out for a meal after the exams, remember?” Before she could react, the three of them dragged her out, hopping onto the campus shuttle bus and heading straight for the school gate. “Where to?” “The mall!” “Let me call a cab…” While the three were busy discussing, Chu Yi’an checked her pockets: two 100-yuan bills, an ID card with her name on it, and a passwordless phone. As they waited for the cab, she began searching for keywords like “Road to Survival” and “Safe Zone,” but found nothing useful. Just then, the cab arrived. Chu Yi’an took the front seat, her mind still preoccupied with the game, barely registering the conversation around her. It wasn’t until an ambulance sped by, its siren blaring, that she snapped back to reality. “There sure are a lot of ambulances today. That’s the eighth one I’ve seen,” the driver muttered beside her.