Prison

  Mira took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

  She glanced around the prison, its architecture resembling something out of the Middle Ages.

  The stone walls enclosed a cramped and stifling space, with windows high above that allowed in some light and air, but they were barred with wooden fences, preventing any escape.

  At that moment, a wave of heat and a gnawing hunger from her belly began to well up, causing Mira to settle down somewhat. But she couldn't help but constantly marvel...

  This game was so real!

  Incredibly real!

  Soon after, Mira began searching for clues around her.

  Since this was a game, she reasoned that this prison was likely just the first level players had to face. Theoratically, she could find a way to escape the prison by uncovering clues.

  With that in mind, Mira flipped over the dry grass beneath her.

  Sure enough, there was a note underneath.

  After seeing the crooked lines of blood-written characters on it, Mira fixed her gaze on her right hand, discovering a thin, healed cut on her index finger. 

  Considering the time it took for the blood to dry, these words were most likely written by the original owner of this body.

  Though she had no idea what this person had been through, Mira, had somehow possessed her body. 

  "These characters..." Mira's heart sank suddenly, because she couldn't understand the language of this world.

  However, the words on the paper began to wriggle and rearrange themselves continuously, transforming into a language she could comprehend:"

  Help me.

  Sandringham Town, caravan, desert buses.

  Lisa Jane."

  Mira pondered for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

  "My former self was named Lisa, and right now, I should be in a place called Sandringham Town. Even if I'm not within the town, I must be close by.

  After all, judging by the vivid crimson color of the blood, this note couldn't have been written more than a few hours ago, and during that time, my position haven't changed."

  Mira had already begun to naturally treat this place as a world of games. 

  The difference between games and reality was that, in order to ensure players could progress, these puzzle levels usually wouldn't put players in dire straits. Typically, they just needed to find key items and do some elemantary calculations to pass.

  However, this game called "Wasteland Survival" was clearly different. 

  Judging from the surrounding environment, there weren't many clues apart from this note.

  "How do I trigger clues?" Mira hesitated for a moment, then abandoned her initial playful attitude and began to think cautiously. There was no way around it. The game's sound effects, visuals, and various details had a tremendous impact on her.

  "Is there any water? I need water!" Mira shouted.

  She was waiting for the guards to arrive, hoping to extract information from them.

  However, over the next hour, no matter how loudly she called, no one responded, making her even wonder if the game was bugged.

  She had attempted a violent jailbreak, but she the door's firmness was insane. It looked like wood but was actually much harder than stone.

  Realizing that it was a futile effort, Mira sat down where she was and began to explore the game's menu.

  In front of her, a panel appeared, displaying her current character status and a series of common game settings, such as levels, skills, and professions.

  But Mira had no interest in these details right now because she knew that if she didn't get something to eat soon, her hunger level would hit rock bottom.

  Once it happened, she would meet her end.

  Just at that moment, the prison guards finally arrived.

  They had short daggers hanging from their belts and were dressed entirely in black with white pants, and their skin underneath their clothes had an eerie gray hue.

  In front of Mira's prison cell, one of the guards rattled off something in a rapid, incomprehensible language. Then, a few guards behind him approached and opened the prison door.

  While Mira was still trying to figure out what on earth these people were saying, her mind automatically translated the words the guard had just spoken.

  It seemed like the guard had said, "Come here, slave."

  Slave?

  What did that mean?

  Mira lifted her head in bewilderment, only to meet the chilling gaze of the prison guard.

  The screams of fellow inmates filled the air, and an atmosphere of fear began to spread through the prison. Even though she knew it was just a game...

  The guard waved his hand in the air, and suddenly, sparks erupted, crackling and hissing. He merely placed his hand on an iron tool handed to him by another guard, and the tool began to emit smoke, slowly glowing red as it reacted to the intense heat.

  Magic?

  Sorcery?

  Mira was utterly stunned, but she was quickly restrained by those guards on either side, rendering her motionless. At some point, she had even forgotten that this was a game.

  Fear, death, a multitude of negative words raced through her mind:

  "Help! Somebody, please!"

  She could do nothing but watch in horror as the guard slowly brought the red-hot iron tool closer to her right thigh, as if her flesh was about to be seared, the excruciating pain...

  ...

  "Uh?" Mira slowly opened her tightly closed eyes, only to find that the pain she had expected didn't come as she had imagined.

  "Oh, yeah...it's just a game."

  It was as if she suddenly realized this fact. Why would a game company make players endure such pain?

  As she regained her consciousness, she found herself surrounded by darkness. A line of red text appeared before her:

  "Game character has fallen into unconsciousness.....

  Next reconnection: 10hr: 21min: 3sec."

  After removing the gaming headset, Mira realized that her back was drenched in cold sweat, as if she hadn't fully returned from that prison.

"Damn it..."

Was it really just a game?

In the dark room, her computer on the desk was the only source of light, and the livestream on it was still running.

There were only a few viewers, but who would watch a streamer sleep? Even if she was an adorable girl.

Mira absentmindedly stared at the computer screen for a while, then lowered her head to look at the headset in her hand.

Siren.

Wasteland Survival.

It seemed like...

She might have a good way to get famous.