"Are you awake?"

Jonathan curled up in bed, staring at the glowing screen of his phone.

Despite the late hour, sleep eluded him. The day's peculiar events sent shivers down his spine, forbidding any chance of sleep.

Throughout the day, Jonathan kept refreshing the forum, reading posts made by beta players.

He didn't understand the posts in other languages, so he tried to take screenshots and translate them using an app. However, his phone indicated that screenshots were prohibited on the webpage. Jonathan had to write down it and then take a photo to translate.

As registration numbers climbed, so did the frequency of posts, and many people shared their confusion. People had started questioning the "Six Point Announcement for Players" and the ominous "10,000 survivors" count pinned at the forum's top.

Players are receiving game cards one after another. Just like Jonathan, some had never provided their addresses to the game's official site, yet the cards had miraculously found their way to their doorsteps.

Jonathan clicked on the English post with the highest number of replies.

OP: "Even though we live in the era of big data where privacy is almost non-existent, isn't it too much for the game officials to act this way? If the officials do not respond to the issue of address acquisition, I don't mind taking legal action."

A chorus of agreement echoed in the comments.

But then someone replied: "I think something is off, it's like it's haunted. I live in the countryside where deliveries are rare, but guess how I received my game card? My cat brought it home after a wander outside. I took a look and it turned out to be my game card, with my real name and forum number on it. It's just crazy!"

24l: "I also live in the countryside, I found the card when I was collecting eggs from the chicken coop, it gave me a shock..."

36l: "I ordered an appliance from Amazon. When I opened the package, there was an extra box. I thought it was a bonus from the seller, but it turned out to be the game card!"

The situation was not only outrageous but also eerie.

The forum number is based on the registration order on the forum, and it takes time to make the card. How could it be possible for the card to be ready and delivered immediately after someone just finished registering and got their number? Moreover, the ways players received their cards varied greatly, and an inexplicable eerie atmosphere enveloped everyone.

Jonathan exited the post and clicked on another card-sharing post. The poster had mosaiced their real name and player number before showcasing the card

The card in the post differed slightly from Jonathan's. The pattern on the silver card in the post was not a mechanical hand, but a pair of scissors, a pair that looked incredibly sharp.

Whereas Jonathan's card bore the prefix "Dispossessor", this poster's card displayed "Walker".

Why was there a difference? What separated a Dispossessor from a Walker?

Puzzled, Jonathan furrowed his brows.

As he browsed the forum for a while, he noticed something. Every card-sharing post he'd seen carried the "Walker" prefix. Not a single one was a "Dispossessor" like his.

Jonathan retrieved his own card from the bedside table. It shimmered silver, and his real name and player number were inscribed on it. It was like his ID, with a name and an identification number, but the only thing he didn't understand was the meaning of the word "Dispossessor".

The events of this day left him feeling like he was in a mist.

He glanced at the time, 23:59, less than a minute before midnight, the official beta testing day was about to begin. Heaving a sigh, Jonathan rubbed his temples, exhausted, preparing to sleep as he needed to find a summer part-time job to earn money the next day...

The life of a poor guy was just so plain and dull.

Just as he was about to put his phone away, it buzzed with a notification. He looked at it and saw that the forum had posted a new announcement.

"Detection of 10,000 beta players has been completed, and game identity cards have been issued."

"This beta test will not charge any fees and will not delete data. There are no shortcuts in the game. Please remember the six pieces of advice and explore your own ending.

"Wishing all players a happy gaming experience. Now, the game begins."

Does the game begin?!

Jonathan was thrown off by this abrupt statement.

He froze, barely processing the change when his surroundings abruptly shifted.

Suddenly, his hand felt empty, the weight of the phone disappeared, and he was no longer lying on his bed, standing in an enveloping darkness, he couldn't see anything when he looked up, nor could he hear any sound. His worn-out house with its peeling walls had disappeared, the window, faintly lit by the streetlight, was nowhere to be found, and the fan's soft whirring had ceased. Everything was eerily calm.

Darkness enveloped Jonathan like a tide, swallowing him bit by bit. His instincts screamed for him to call out, to seek help, but like a person drowning, no sound escaped his lips.

Finally, his consciousness slipped away.

...

"You have entered a new world."

"Please check your identity settings in this world."

"Name: Jonathan

Faction: Federation·Resistance

Identity: Core member of the Mechanical Dawn Organization, probationary patrol security officer of the seventh squad of the Federation Investigation Department's field group, federal first-level wanted a criminal, undercover agent for the resistance.

Mission: Steal confidential information from the Investigation Department, gain the trust of the Investigation Department, and provide intelligence support for the secret operations of the Mechanical Dawn."

An indistinct, electronic voice resonated in his ears, and in the blur, he seemed to see a series of texts flashing before his eyes...

Jonathan gasped in pain, feeling a splitting headache. It was as though an axe had cleaved through his skull, the pain so intense he felt his head would burst.

"Suture needle." a man's voice drifted from nearby, "Stitch his wound. Give him another dose of the special painkiller; he won't last much longer otherwise."

Was he on an operating table? Jonathan couldn't open his eyes, but his consciousness was surprisingly clear.

Jonathan felt a sharp needle pierce his arm. The medicine was injected into his body. The painkiller was very effective and worked quickly, relieving his headaches.

He wasn't dreaming; no dream had ever given him such a clear feeling.

Jonathan understood that his current situation was absolutely abnormal, and his experience was against common sense. Perhaps, he thought, he had indeed encountered the scene of fantasy novels and films - time travel.

He had been whisked away from his humble abode and dropped into an unknown location.

The painkiller shot just now had alleviated Jonathan's physical pain, which allowed him to focus on thinking. Anxiety and panic gnawed at him, but he knew those feelings would not assist him. He had to remain calm.

The beta forum for "Red Soil" announced the start of the game, and then he suddenly changed locations.

Jonathan suspected he had been transported into the game world of "Red Soil".

His identity in this world was something different.

Jonathan focused his mind, and a light screen flickered to life in his pitch-black vision.

Displayed on the screen were the same identity settings he'd heard just moments ago — "Core member of the Mechanical Dawn Organization, probationary patrol security officer of the seventh squad of the Federation Investigation Department's field group, federal first-level wanted criminal, undercover agent for the rebels.."

Well, this... seemed like a rather complex identity.

He read it over and over again, feeling helpless.

He didn't understand what the Mechanical Dawn Organization was, but the term "core member" was enough for the importance. And then there's the Federation Investigation Department...this should be an official organization. What's worse, he actually had another identity as a federal first-level wanted criminal, what the hell was that?

The identity of an undercover agent for the rebels, which sounded very dangerous, made him even more anxious.

Being an undercover agent was a dead-end job!

Jonathan had watched countless spy movies, and undercover agents rarely had good endings. He felt his future was bleak, and a miserable end was beckoning to him.

The clatter of medical instruments echoed in the room. Jonathan could vaguely sense the suture needle drilling in and out of his flesh, tugging at his flesh. His heartbeat gradually became steady and regular from the intensity when he first regained consciousness, his brain was turning, and his emotions were calming down through thinking.

After a while, Jonathan suddenly felt he could control his eyelids, and the effect of the anesthesia was fading.

The man who had been operating on him said, "The drug is wearing off, he should be waking up soon."

Jonathan had to abandon the idea of continuing to feign unconsciousness. He cautiously slit open his eyelids. The glaring brightness made him squint, and a silver light source incessantly flashed in his line of sight.

He blinked hard, adjusting to the light for a while, and found that the flashing silver light was not a lamp, but the reflection from the main surgeon's glasses. He shifted his head slightly, rolling his eyes to take in the doctors and nurses surrounding him.

"Are you awake?" The bespectacled doctor nodded at Jonathan, "The operation was very successful."

Jonathan decided to pretend to be lost memory. He feigned confusion, "What...what happened to me?"

The doctor's face softened, tinged with pity. "Poor kid, you're really unlucky. You encountered armed criminals on your first field assignment during your probationary period... Ah, they got away, but you suffered a skull fracture..."

"Skull...fracture?" Jonathan's face was puzzled, but he was secretly overjoyed.

A skull fracture, such a serious injury, he could logically pretend to have amnesia! Having crossed over without inheriting the original body's memory, he could easily reveal himself if he wasn't careful.

"Yes, skull fracture, a big hole in your head, blood gushing out." The doctor reassured him gently, "But it's alright, we replaced the old with the new."

"What do you mean, replaced the new?" Jonathan asked in confusion, "Sorry, I seem to forget a lot of things..."

"It's normal to be a bit confused for a while, it will get better after the anesthetic wears off. Your skull fracture was quite serious and difficult to repair, so we replaced that part of your skull." explained the doctor cheerfully, "The latest technology of the Federation, ultra-light alloy skull, Once replaced, you'll never have to worry about getting your head cracked open when you go out on field duty to catch criminals!"

"???"