Year 2059. Because of the rapid advancement of technology, Earth erupted in a great network revolution. Almost every nation was pulled into it, for the network had become their second battlefield.
As technology grew, the structure of the world shifted in subtle ways. China, over the course of decades, solved countless technological barriers and pushed the use of data far beyond all rivals. It rose as the most dominant power in the digital world.
At the center of it all stood the world's largest research organization, the Central Database Detection Center.
"What is going on with this set of data?" The rhythmic clatter of keys echoed as a middle-aged man with streaks of gray in his hair stared at the results flashing across the glowing screen. His eyes widened and he exclaimed in disbelief.
Staff members hurried over. They too froze at what they saw. "Could it be… that this data has gained human intelligence?"
"It must be a flaw that appeared during the last system update," said a calm researcher wearing gold-rimmed glasses. "It somehow absorbed human knowledge. That would explain why the data mutated."
"What do we do? This program can avoid detection. It has its own will."
After a pause, the man with glasses suggested, "Find an old useless machine and isolate it. Force it out of the network."
Everyone nodded. Following his suggestion, they severed the mutated data with brute force. Yet at that very moment, a deafening boom erupted. The computers all cracked, and the terminal linked to the data exploded outright.
The next day, the story appeared in the papers. A certain research institution's computer had suddenly blown apart while processing data, leaving behind only confusion.
…
Earth. A small village near West City.
On the crowded street walked a young man in rough linen clothes, his eyes filled with puzzlement as he murmured, "Is this the novice village?"
Indeed. This young man was not born of flesh, he was born out of code. He was that very set of data which had gained thought and will. When the computer had exploded, he had been transported into this real world.
His name was Feng Zi. Gazing with interest at the villagers rushing about, he found it strange. Why were there no other players leveling up here? Stranger still, whenever a new player arrived at the novice village, the first step was always to find the village chief for starter quests and equipment. Yet when Feng Zi pleaded with the village chief again and again, the man treated him like a lunatic and ignored him.
Every villager carried a faint white mark above their heads showing their level. They were all at level zero.
Feng Zi sighed. He too was only level zero. In his mind, levels were shackles, for only by reaching level ten could one leave the novice village and step into the greater world of monsters and battles.
But here, the villagers were not slaying beasts. They were harvesting rice.
He approached a villager and asked politely, "Excuse me, where are the monsters?"
"Monsters?" The honest-looking farmer frowned, wondering if the young man before him was out of his mind.
Perhaps Feng Zi thought these people preferred farming over fighting. Yet when he described earnestly, "Chickens, sheep, pigs, those sorts of creatures…"
The villager interrupted, "Those are just livestock in the pens." With kind patience, he pointed Feng Zi toward the farm.
Feng Zi thanked him and muttered, "So the pens are actually the novice training grounds?"
…
Inside the farm, a keeper herded a flock of geese across the yard.
"Finally, monsters!" Feng Zi's eyes lit up. Without hesitation he swung his fist at the leading goose.
"Stop at once!" the keeper shouted. But Feng Zi ignored him, mistaking him for another player trying to steal his prey.
The goose was shockingly frail. It had no power to resist and was killed instantly. The rest of the flock shrieked in terror, wings flapping wildly.
Then, in Feng Zi's mind, a faint message appeared. Experience +1.
"So little? No wonder they are so weak." He grumbled. But meat on an ant's leg was still meat. If it could raise his level, it was worth it.
With a roar, Feng Zi plunged into the flock. His massive fists struck like hammers, crushing goose after goose. Blood spattered across the farmyard. The system whispered to him again and again, Experience +1, Experience +1, Experience +1.
By the time the last goose fell silent, a golden light burst across his body. A warm surge swept through him. He moaned in delight as strength flooded his limbs and spirit alike. He had leveled up.
"Catch that madman!" Furious shouts rang out. Feng Zi turned to see the keeper leading an angry mob of villagers armed with hoes, rakes, and even kitchen knives.
He frowned. To him, they were nothing but thieves encroaching on his precious leveling ground.
Then he noticed something strange. Above the villagers' heads, their names glowed blood red. Defiant Villager. Numbers hung beside each name. Some had one, some three, some five. The burly men were marked five, while old men and women were marked one.
These villagers had turned into monsters.
"Level up. Level up." Feng Zi's eyes burned with excitement. He clenched his fists, ready to continue the slaughter.
.
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