chapter 1
When Cheng Miao woke up, she found herself in a huge room steeped in a jumble of odors. Holding her still-dizzy head, she narrowed her eyes and studied her surroundings.
The place resembled a prison dormitory. Mattresses had been thrown across the floor in tightly packed rows, leaving only narrow aisles that one person could barely squeeze through sideways. On a yellowed, peeling wall, several huge words had been painted in a bloodred color: Basic Dormitory (30/50).
Her head was still buzzing. Somewhere nearby, women shrieked and men cursed furiously, their voices mingling with a strange, indescribable sound.
Cheng Miao frowned as she searched for its source. It was high-pitched, almost like SpongeBob’s voice, and sounded unmistakably eerie in a place like this.
She staggered to her feet and followed the sound, trying to remember what had happened before she fell asleep.
She had gone out with friends, had a few drinks, then returned home and gone to bed. When she woke up, she was here.
The sound came from a tall side table against the wall. Everyone had gathered around it, keeping a careful distance as they wailed and broke down. Unease crept into Cheng Miao as well.
She pushed through the crowd. Only when she drew closer did she realize the table was not empty. Perched on it was a glossy, well-fed… cockroach.
There were plenty of things Cheng Miao feared. Ghosts, for one. Insects, for another.
But she had one peculiar trait: the more afraid she was, the calmer she appeared.
It was nothing profound. She had social anxiety and liked using a cold exterior to discourage people from talking to her.
Besides, as an attractive young woman, she refused to let herself be seen making a panicked face.
So while her expression remained icy and goose bumps erupted wildly across her skin, she suddenly saw the cockroach… stand up.
He was no small cockroach. Once upright, his bottom two legs supported his enormous body.
The antennae atop his head rubbed together like a person wringing their hands. Cheng Miao even watched him lean forward and imitate a bow to the crowd.
Behind her expressionless face, Cheng Miao was falling apart. Did someone inject me with a hallucinogen?
Is this some kind of drug-trafficking ring?
“Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Survival Inn. This is the Cockroach Dormitory. Each of you was carefully selected to enter the Game. I hope you’ll work hard, clear your instances, and return to the human world.”
Tired of standing, the cockroach sat on the edge of the table, his tiny, nearly invisible feet swinging in the air.
“You’re all newcomers, so your first accommodation is a Basic Dormitory. I am your Front Desk attendant, Ah Zhang. Dormitories come in three grades: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. I handle check-in for all of them. Anyone who fails the Game loses the right to stay…” Ah Zhang smiled, his antennae swaying cheerfully.
“The Dormitory series isn’t very difficult, so the breaks aren’t long either. Before entering your first Basic Dormitory Game, you’ll have ten minutes to prepare. You’ll get one day between Basic and Intermediate, and three days between Intermediate and Advanced.”
Ah Zhang looked over the crowd, impatience entering his voice.
“Once you leave my Cockroach Dormitory, you’ll move on to higher-tier accommodations. Keep going until you clear the Eden Club, and you’ll be able to return to reality.”
Annoyed by the noise around him, Ah Zhang abruptly stood and stamped one spindly foot. “Those of you afraid of bugs, stop howling! You’re staying in the lowest-tier Dormitory. Were you expecting Mr. Panda to serve you? Only low-class pests like us work this hard without complaint!”
Cheng Miao thought, No, you’ve misunderstood. They aren’t screaming that horribly because they’re afraid of cockroaches.
After his inexplicable outburst, no one dared cry anymore. They covered their mouths and trembled as they stared at the giant cockroach.
Ah Zhang seemed more satisfied. His tone softened as he offered them a small consolation.
“Just remember: clear your instances properly! Perform well and earn enough money, and you’ll have no trouble staying somewhere better. The service, the quality of life at those high-tier places… Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“The cash rewards you receive for clearing instances can pay your room fee, be exchanged for wishes of equal value, or be used to buy Items and necessities at the Grocery Store. Whether you save or spend is entirely up to you.”
Cheng Miao had read her share of unlimited-flow fiction, so she remained far calmer than the others, some of whom looked ready to faint from terror.
This was an endless Game of fighting monsters and clearing stages. It was simply far more dangerous and difficult than the words made it sound.
Beyond that realization, Cheng Miao had already recovered from her initial confusion. Calm now, she carefully analyzed her situation.
In 2328, an incurable plague had begun spreading across the world. Whether its victims recovered seemed to depend on something closer to mysticism than medicine.
Those infected fell into a deep sleep. When they woke, or whether they ever woke at all, was left entirely to chance. No medicine could help them.
Most patients who successfully regained consciousness wept with joy. They claimed they had finally made it back alive, and had even received rewards… There had been no shortage of such nonsense.
The International Medical Organization concluded that the illness caused psychiatric complications.
Looking back now… those people had not been insane.
They had probably come to this so-called Survival Inn, just as she had.
Cheng Miao’s spirits lifted. Plenty of people had awakened, which meant there was hope of clearing the Game!
“Excuse me…” Ah Zhang turned toward the speaker, a fresh-faced young woman.
Her features were delicate and pleasing. She might not have seemed stunning at first glance, but the longer one looked, the harder it became to look away.
In short, she was beautiful, the kind who only grew more attractive with time.
Tsk. She looks perfectly composed, but even her voice is trembling.
As a prank, Ah Zhang flew onto her shoulder. Predictably, the young woman’s entire body went rigid.
Cheng Miao swallowed and tried to ignore the enormous cockroach perched on her. “Since there are many other types of accommodation, will we enter instances with players from higher-tier ones?”
Ah Zhang waved an antenna. He had not seen a newcomer hold it together this well in a long time. The quality of newcomers had been getting worse lately. They did not even taste as good…
Dividing his attention, Ah Zhang stared at Cheng Miao’s tofu-soft skin while diligently maintaining his professionalism as a Front Desk attendant. “Of course. As for how often that happens, it depends on your luck. Entering an instance with players from a higher-tier accommodation comes with both advantages and disadvantages.”
“One more thing. To ensure the Game proceeds peacefully and amicably, violence against other players is forbidden inside your room. Some Items can admittedly be used outside instances, but the user will suffer severe backlash as well.”
Cheng Miao relaxed slightly. That rule would significantly improve a newcomer’s chances of survival.
As for Ah Zhang’s claim that violence was forbidden, she would take it under advisement for now. She would have to discover the exact limitations herself.
“Thank you. I have no more questions.” Cheng Miao shifted her shoulder and spoke with great care.
You can fly away now. Please stop standing on me. I’m begging you.
In truth, Cheng Miao had a stomach full of questions. Having read so many unlimited-flow horror novels, she could list every possible variation of the genre: livestreams, competitive arenas, metaverses…
But no amount of questioning would be as useful as returning alive from her first Game. Besides…
From the corner of her eye, Cheng Miao glanced at the revolting cockroach still clinging to her shoulder. Something about the way he spoke made her feel he always left half the truth unsaid.
Asking too much might saddle her with assumptions that would only interfere with her judgment.
Ah Zhang took flight. He hovered there, studying Cheng Miao for a long moment. “What’s your name?”
“…Cheng Miao.”
Letting a cockroach that was obviously bad news learn her name could hardly be pleasant. Still, Cheng Miao did not dare refuse a Front Desk NPC’s question.
Ah Zhang did not linger. He turned and flew back to the tall table.
Cheng Miao’s sharp eyes noticed a rectangular opening in the wall behind him. It resembled the service hatch built into some doors, and another identical giant cockroach was perched there.
“Bro, the first and second teams both failed completely. We can have an extra meal tonight.”
“Really? The newcomers lately have been hopeless. Let’s go take a look.”
Only after the two cockroaches disappeared through the opening did Cheng Miao realize that it was set into a door.
The door had no handle or lock and blended almost perfectly into the wall, which was why it had been so difficult to spot.
Thanks to the two cockroaches, the others discovered it as well.
A chubby middle-aged man nearby lunged toward it with astonishing speed, as if he had found a lifeline. He pounded desperately on the door. “Help! Is anyone there? Open the door! Let me out!”