Chapter 14 People Who Died in the Game

Suddenly, a horn honked behind her. The light had turned green, and the car behind was rushing her. Bai Xiao suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and focused on driving.

After a busy day, she finally had a moment of leisure. As she relaxed, fatigue and hunger surged; she hadn't eaten all day and was truly famished.

It was rush hour, and the roads were congested. Taking advantage of the traffic jam, Bai Xiao looked up the number for the city's largest drinking water manufacturer and ordered enough water to fill eight cubic meters of space—about 200 barrels of 15-liter water—arranging for it to be delivered at the same time and place.

Combined with the 250 cases of 500ml bottled mineral water she had ordered at the wholesale market earlier, which occupied one storage slot, this was enough water for an adult to drink for ten to twenty years.

It was enough for the short term; any more, and her storage space wouldn't be sufficient.

It took over an hour to drive from the wholesale market back to her familiar neighborhood.

Bai Xiao had been hesitating whether to go back and pack for the move or go to the mall to buy clothes first. But she was too hungry; if she went home, she wouldn't have the energy to cook, and ordering takeout would take too long. It was better to go straight to the mall for clothes and grab a meal there.

By the time she reached the large shopping mall, it was already seven o'clock. The sky was mostly dark, and the city lights were just beginning to glow.

She found a random beef noodle shop downstairs and devoured two large bowls, finally satisfying the hunger pangs in her stomach.

Under the owner's surprised gaze, Bai Xiao calmly paid and headed straight for the clothing section upstairs.

Since her goals were clear and there were only a few well-known brands, Bai Xiao moved quickly.

Thanks to it being a weekday, there weren't many people shopping for clothes in the evening. The sports, leisure, and outdoor stores had even fewer customers. With her high demand, Bai Xiao immediately became a prized customer for all the clerks.

With plenty of staff to serve her, finding clothes and getting recommendations was fast. Bai Xiao only had to try them on to see if they fit.

Even so, it took a full three hours to confirm all the styles and quantities. After paying and driving back to her apartment, it was nearly 11 PM.

She didn't have the store deliver the clothes; instead, she arranged a time to pick them up tomorrow after they were packed. She would drive her car to the mall's underground garage. The car had plenty of space, and with several hundred items of clothing, she could finish the pickup in two trips at most.

Each time she finished a pickup, she would find a secluded spot to put them into a storage slot, then drive back for the next load.

By the end of the day, she had spent over 500,000 on deposits and final payments for food and water. The clothes, being from reputable brands, were a bit more expensive, costing over 100,000. In total, she had spent nearly 700,000, and her savings were suddenly halved.

After the shopping spree, Bai Xiao marveled that she had never spent so much money at once. She hoped it would all prove useful.

By the time she showered and lay in bed, it was past midnight. Exhausted, Bai Xiao stopped overthinking and quickly fell asleep.

Just before drifting off, she felt as if she had forgotten something important.

...

Early the next morning, Bai Xiao woke up before the alarm went off. Checking her watch, it wasn't even seven yet. Having slept for six hours, she felt full of energy, and her fatigue was completely gone.

Today, she was supposed to buy medicine, protective gear, various tools, and hygiene products. The hygiene products—mainly sanitary pads and paper—had already been ordered at the wholesale market yesterday, so that was one task off the list.

It was too early to head out, as most shops weren't open yet. Bai Xiao simply boiled two eggs for breakfast.

After eating, she opened the game panel, planning to study "Basic Comprehensive Melee Techniques" for two hours.

At nine o'clock, she finished her study and changed clothes to head out. While changing shoes at the door, she noticed several small advertisements with phone numbers stuck to the door again. Annoyed, she peeled them off.

Wait, a phone number... it was Xu Lingling!

That woman who died at the end of the game—she wanted Bai Xiao to call her parents and notify them of her death.

How could she have forgotten something so important!

Normally, one wouldn't remember a phone number after hearing it once, but the game scenario was so unique that even after a whole day, Bai Xiao remembered that string of numbers clearly.

She thought of an excuse and dialed the number.

Beep—

The call was picked up, and a somewhat aged voice came from the other end.

Bai Xiao cleared her throat nervously and asked, "Hello, is this Xu Lingling's father?"

"I am. Is there a problem?" the voice said.

"Uh, hello, I'm a former friend of Ms. Xu Lingling. I wanted to..." Before Bai Xiao could finish, the other side suddenly interrupted, "Lingling's funeral is the day after tomorrow at nine in the morning at Changlingshan Cemetery in Jinzhou City. Thank you for coming."

Xu Lingling was dead?! How did her father know?

Bai Xiao was stunned for a moment before changing her story. "I'm sorry, I haven't been in touch with Lingling for a long time and just heard about this from a friend. Please accept my condolences. May I ask... how did Lingling pass away?"

The aged voice on the other end seemed to choke up, answering with a sob, "Last night, on her way back from exercising, Lingling accidentally fell into a manhole that was under repair. The manhole was very deep and full of water, and that road was remote and dark. She couldn't save herself after falling in and was drowned alive! The workers said they put up warning lights, but some bastard must have taken them, ruining my poor daughter."

...

After the call ended, Bai Xiao stood there speechless for a long time.

It wasn't the way she died in the game!

Could it be that people who die in the game will die in reality due to other causes? What about the others? Did they all die in reality?

Bai Xiao opened various social media apps and scrolled for a long time but didn't see any reports of bizarre deaths.

Then again, the world is vast. Even if someone died an accidental death, it wouldn't necessarily be a trending topic for national news. It was normal for it not to be reported.

Unfortunately, the game's restrictions meant she couldn't ask about it or even type out specific words for a targeted search. Bai Xiao sighed and put down her phone.

Today would be even busier. The items she needed to purchase were varied, requiring her to visit many places. Additionally, she had to pick up her clothes from the mall at 1 PM and receive the ordered food and water at that abandoned park at 7 PM.

Steeling herself, Bai Xiao took the elevator down and drove out of the garage.

Upon reaching the surface, Bai Xiao was surprised to find that the light mist from yesterday hadn't dissipated. After a night, it had actually thickened slightly. Fortunately, it wasn't heavy fog yet, so it didn't affect driving much.

With the bad weather, she needed to hurry with her purchases.

Bai Xiao planned to buy medicine and protective gear first. Because she needed a lot of each and some medicines had purchase limits, she had to visit over twenty pharmacies throughout the morning to get everything.

At noon, she found a random shop by the street for lunch. When she came out, Bai Xiao looked up at the sky; it was completely hazy, and not a bit of sun could be seen even at noon in the middle of summer.

It really was a bit strange. Bai Xiao couldn't help but recall what her colleague had said yesterday—this fog didn't appear at a normal time; it appeared at noon, when fog was least likely.

She couldn't help but think of the Company Doomsday Game Project she was involved in. It was about a thick fog suddenly appearing one day, followed by harsh weather and various disasters occurring one after another as the world collapsed step by step, with humans struggling to survive.

Although the current situation was different from the game, the experience of that terrifying game had left her in a state of high alert ever since she returned to reality.

A sense of foreboding slowly crept into her heart.