Her movement had not been particularly fast. Li Xuan had seen everything clearly, yet the pistol had seemed to appear out of nowhere. She had not drawn it from any visible pocket or holster.
A spatial storage artifact?
That thought surfaced from memory—one of the many concepts he had encountered in the cultivation novels he had read in the past. In those stories, cultivators carried storage rings, mystical items capable of holding objects in a separate space, allowing users to retrieve items at will.
Of course, it could also be a special ability.
Li Xuan's thoughts flowed without restraint. He did not find any of these ideas strange. After all, his worldview had been shattered the moment the sign-in system activated on his eighteenth birthday. Ever since then, he had learned to accept the inexplicable.
The seductive woman noticed the surprised look in his eyes. Her impression of this particular newcomer was already quite favorable. She raised the hand holding the pistol and explained with a light smile.
"Storage ring."
Only then did Li Xuan notice the black ring wrapped around her slender finger.
"Alright, enough screaming." She lifted her hand and fired a shot into the air. The sharp crack echoed through the space, silencing the panicked screams and agonized groans of the newcomers.
The effect was immediate. Those who had been crying out moments ago now trembled silently, not daring to breathe too loudly. Their eyes were locked on her, wide with terror, like helpless lambs before a stalking wolf.
"Greetings, newbies. I'm Ye Miaoyi, a member of Team Four, Central Province." Her voice carried a mocking tone, and she plucked the cigarette from her lips, extinguished it against her boot, and flicked it aside carelessly.
"Central Province Team Four?" Li Xuan caught something noteworthy in her words and asked.
"Yes. Right now, we are inside a place known as the Main God Space. That glowing orb beside you is the Main God. It selects individuals from the real world and transfers them into this space. From here, we are sent into various worlds to complete the missions it assigns. This space is divided into many regions depending on where one was selected from. We are in the Central Province, so all selected individuals from here are assigned to squads from this region."
"You have all been added to our team — Team Four of the Central Province."
"You're actually quite lucky to have ended up with us. Ours is one of the gentler teams."
"Gentle?" The bespectacled man glanced at the obese newcomer, who had fallen unconscious again from blood loss and pain. He could not help but curse silently. What kind of gentleness was this supposed to be?
"Do not doubt me. I'm not joking. Some teams don't care whether the newbies live or die. They use them as cannon fodder or treat them like livestock." Ye Miaoyi laughed softly, then added, "We are at least somewhat humane. That's why I was sent to take care of you all."
Take care? Li Xuan glanced at the fat man.
That guy was half-dead already.
"Of course," Ye Miaoyi continued, "we're also looking to recruit fresh blood. If any of you prove capable, you might be offered a spot as an official member of our team."
As she said this, her gaze flicked subtly toward Li Xuan.
"Now, I want each of you to introduce yourselves. Be thorough. Any skills or talents you have should be mentioned. That way, when we go on missions, I can determine whether or not you're worth keeping an eye on. It's for your own good. These tasks are not easy, you know. A single misstep could get you killed."
Her tone carried a strange amusement, as if she enjoyed toying with their fear.
"Killed?" The newly awakened ones looked even more uneasy now.
Ye Miaoyi pointed at Li Xuan. "You start."
He had no objection. They would need to cooperate sooner or later. Introducing himself now only made sense.
Remaining seated, he responded calmly.
"My name is Li Xuan. I've trained in some hand-to-hand combat. That's all."
Technically, he had never received any training. But his sign-in system had granted him Mastery in Combat Arts, so it was not a lie.
The young schoolgirl, nervous and trembling, introduced herself next.
"My name is Lin Danwei. I'm a student. I… I know how to dance."
…
After everyone had finished, Li Xuan had a better understanding of the others.
Lin Danwei, the schoolgirl, could dance.
The bespectacled man was named Huang Ming, an accountant skilled in mathematics and calculations.
The casually dressed woman was Hu Yan, a novelist with a talent for storytelling.
The fat man remained unconscious, so they could not learn anything about him. Judging from his earlier behavior, Li Xuan doubted he had any useful skills.
Ye Miaoyi's earlier explanation made it clear that their situation was anything but safe. The tasks assigned by the Main God would undoubtedly be fraught with danger. Li Xuan had already begun to consider possible alliances.
Compared to veterans like Ye Miaoyi, who clearly had their own circle and agendas, the other newcomers seemed like safer partners, even if they were not competent.
Still… none of them were remotely useful.
Li Xuan rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
"Alright. Aside from Li Xuan, who might be useful, the rest of you are dead weight." Unlike Li Xuan, who kept his criticism internal, Ye Miaoyi had no such restraint.
Her blunt assessment caused a mix of anger and humiliation to rise in Lin Danwei, Huang Ming, and Hu Yan. Yet they did not dare speak up. After all, this was a woman who had shot someone without blinking.
"Now, listen closely. I will explain the specifics of the Main God Space. You had better pay attention."
Just as she was about to continue, Li Xuan raised a hand.
"What about him?" he asked, pointing to the unconscious fat man, whose bleeding had slowed.
Ye Miaoyi chuckled. "He'll be fine. The Main God won't let him die."
"I see."
…
Ye Miaoyi went on to explain things in detail.
Li Xuan organized the information mentally as she spoke.
The Main God Space selects individuals called Reincarnators and sends them into alternate worlds to complete main storyline missions. Completing these missions earns them Reincarnation Points and Plot Rewards. Failing a mission results in deductions. If a Reincarnator returns with negative points, they are erased on the spot.
These Reincarnation Points and rewards can be used to strengthen one's body or exchange for bloodlines, skills, and items.
The worlds they enter follow existing storylines. Changing these storylines creates side missions, which grant additional rewards based on the impact of the change.
Every new Reincarnator starts with five hundred Reincarnation Points. This is why some veterans treat newbies like livestock. They exploit the system's rules. The Main God will not allow a newcomer to die easily, so veterans torture them physically or mentally to break them down. They cannot force a transfer of points directly, but they can manipulate newbies into exchanging for desired items.
After that, the veterans choose one of two paths. The first is to kill the newbie within the world by manipulating the plot, thus eliminating a potential threat. The second is to keep using them as disposable tools until they grow too strong to control, at which point they are eliminated.
Having heard all this, the newcomers finally understood what Ye Miaoyi meant earlier by "gentle." Compared to other squads, this one was indeed more merciful.
The reason Ye Miaoyi had refused to let Li Xuan explain everything earlier also became clear — there was a guide reward for introducing new Reincarnators to the Main God Space.
She never mentioned what the reward was exactly.
As for the question on everyone's mind — whether they could return to the real world — Ye Miaoyi gave a pleasantly surprising answer.
"After your first mission is completed, you are free to leave the Main God Space. Just return on the day the next mission begins."
The news filled the newcomers with joy.
Finally, she turned and gave them one last instruction.
"Those twenty doors are private spaces, one for each team member. You cannot enter someone else's room without permission. If a door won't open, that means it belongs to someone. Once you've exchanged your points, find an empty room and get some rest. We reconvene here in two days, at noon."
And with that, Ye Miaoyi walked away, ignoring their desperate expressions and unasked questions.