Xiao Jingyan had always believed his life would stay inside the barbed-wire fences of the military base.
Gunfire, shouted commands, clouds of dust rising from the training ground.
Sweat, scars, the roar and laughter of his comrades.
He had lived there for seventeen long years. His memories were soaked in the smell of rust and gunpowder, and the only thing he was sure of was that he was a trainee soldier.
But when he opened his eyes this time, the world was white.
No walls. No ceiling. Even the air felt scrubbed clean, leaving nothing but a blinding emptiness. It wasn't like the orderly training grounds of the base. It was more like... a void shaped into a square.
Crowds filled the space, yet there was no noise.
—Some stood in small groups, whispering.
—Some kept to themselves, watching coldly.
—Most stared upward at the giant screens hanging in the air.
The screens floated high above, like the eyes of a judge, staring down at everyone. Words flickered across them:
"Abandoned Hospital"
"Black Cruise Ship"
"Underground Altar"
"Night Walk in the Village"
Each came with a letter grade, from the lowest D up to S.
"...Looks like they're recruiting soldiers," was Xiao Jingyan's first thought.
Then his wristband—his standard-issue military tracker—suddenly beeped.
That sound meant mission start or emergency alert back in the base. Reflexively, he tapped it.
But instead of a familiar display, a strange holographic screen appeared in midair.
Name: Xiao Jingyan
Age: 28
Occupation: Trainee Soldier
Experience: —
Stream Level: E
Xiao Jingyan frowned.
Stream? E-level?
He had never been on a TV show, let alone a livestream. What did this mean?
While he was still puzzling over it, he felt eyes on him. Not hostile, but... warm.
He lifted his head.
And saw him.
A boy with a clean, fresh look.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses, lenses spotless, his gaze clear. Soft ash-brown hair brushed his forehead, as if freshly dyed. A loose white shirt, light-wash jeans, plain sneakers.
So ordinary he should have vanished in the crowd. Yet somehow, he stood out more than anyone.
Xiao Jingyan glanced down at himself.
Black t-shirt stretched tight over years of hard-trained muscle.
Combat pants with too many pockets.
Heavy black boots that thudded when he stepped.
Cropped military hair.
Two people from two different worlds, staring at each other.
And to Xiao Jingyan's surprise—he felt a flicker of... liking?
Maybe it was because, back at the base, he had only ever seen tough, scarred men like himself. This boy looked fragile, like the wind could knock him over. Clean, soft. It stirred something unfamiliar in his chest.
The boy spoke first.
"You're new here, aren't you?"
His voice was as clean as his look, without a trace of harshness.
Xiao Jingyan nodded.
"I'm Gu Qingchen," he said with a small smile. "Before I came here, I was a doctor. I've cleared two dungeons so far. Both D-level."
Gu Qingchen. Xiao Jingyan repeated the name silently.
Gu went on, calm but not boasting: "Each dungeon is like a livestream arena. Everyone has their own channel. Viewers see everything we do inside. If you die in the dungeon..." He paused, as if testing Xiao Jingyan's reaction, then added softly, "You die in real life too."
A heavy chill settled in Xiao Jingyan's chest.
But Gu looked as if he had long accepted it. "Every dungeon has rules. To survive, you must clear the mission. The system scores you by performance and by your stream's popularity. Points upgrade your channel. Viewers can send gifts, but those points only buy supplies. They won't raise your level."
His tone dropped, quieter now. "It took me two dungeons—barely surviving—to climb from E to D. I don't dare touch C yet. But when I saw you just now... you looked strong. Would you team up with me? One more D-level run?"
Xiao Jingyan stayed silent, listening.
Gu's eyes flickered, almost embarrassed. "Most of us won't ever leave. They say only one in a hundred thousand survives an S-level. I... I don't know if I can. But I don't want to just die here. Even if I'm weak, I'll keep going. Maybe—just maybe—there'll be a miracle."
He stopped, eyes dimming as if he had revealed too much.
But the plea in his words was real.
Xiao Jingyan looked at him.
Seventeen years of training had hardened him, made him reserved. Yet something in him tightened painfully.
Back home, no one had ever made him feel anything beyond brotherhood. But this boy—this soft, ordinary boy—looked like someone the world would crush without mercy.
And Xiao Jingyan realized something startling.
He didn't want to see him die.
So he said, simply:
"Alright. I'll team up with you."
Gu's head jerked up. Hope lit his eyes, brighter than the white screens above.
"Thank you," he whispered, and actually bowed.
"I don't have much experience, but I know the rules. I'll do my best to help you survive."
Xiao Jingyan gave him a rare smile. "Good."
It was a quiet, reassuring smile.
Encouraged, Gu went on: "The dungeons are... strange. Normal morals, laws, logic—none of it matters inside. Only the mission. Sometimes, you even have to fight other players to the death."
His voice dropped lower. "The survival rate of a D-level is five percent. And the scariest thing inside isn't people. It's..."
He swallowed, forcing the word out.
"...ghosts."
Ghosts?
Xiao Jingyan blinked. He had trained in every kind of extreme environment—dark tunnels, mock-terror drills, sleep deprivation. But this? This was beyond anything the army had prepared him for.
Above them, the floating screens flickered.
A new dungeon name appeared:
[D-Level Dungeon: The White Waiting Room]
—Opening Soon.
A cold countdown glowed before their eyes.
The crowd stirred. Some trembled with excitement. Others dropped to their knees in terror.
Gu Qingchen looked at Xiao Jingyan, his eyes clear but pleading.
Xiao Jingyan inhaled sharply and gripped his wristband tight.
The countdown ended.
The White Square shattered.
And they were dragged, helpless, into the next world.
The story had begun.
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