Chapter 1   – Encounter

July 5th, 3100. Beijing, China, noon, with sun scorching like fire.

Yun Feng shook his head covered with beads of sweat, cursing the sun above for the intense heat. Until now, he had been standing under the sun for a whole hour. Getting closer to the distribution desk in front of him, he took a deep breath to comfort himself. Muttering in a low voice, he said, ”Ugh, if not for my stubborn sister, I wouldn’t have come here to suffer even with eight lifetimes. Men with a little sister can’t yield to any injuries.”

Today was the 30th day of the release of <Mystic Moon>’s gaming equipment. Thus, the crowd receiving the gaming equipment naturally could not be compared to the crowds of the first half of the month. Nevertheless, when Yun Feng came, he was still scared and almost ran away at the sight of the very long queue. At last, he still clenched his teeth and got into the queue moved forward one step after another, painfully shuffling forward…

After signing the <Hundred Year Armistice Convention>, it was decided that war in the gaming world would be used to settle international disputes. However, there are innumerable virtual games in the world. To be impartial,  the <Hundred Year Armistice Convention> was drafted so that every ten years, the virtual game used could be changed. This implied that, in the next ten years, any conflicts that had to be resolved via battles would have to be settled in the gaming world. This inevitably led to huge popularity for the game designated by the convention. Even government bodies around the world strongly encouraged its citizens to play the game chosen. They also invested large amounts of money and meticulous training into the top gamers as well as the overall strength of their citizens. Besides a few small countries that rarely had conflicts, the majority of countries did such things. Over time, besides the designated game, other virtual reality games diminished. Humanity only needed one “Second World”.

The virtual gaming world designated by the <Convention>, <Mystic Moon> would go online in two days. Hence, publicity given to <Mystic Moon> filled every corner of the world and the Chinese government also actively promoted in the past month. Similar to previously designated games, <Mystic Moon>’s gaming equipment was free for all to claim. One only needs to bring a DNA sample such as hair, skin etc. and the received gaming equipment would be bind to the DNA and only be able to used by its owner.

The official explanation as to why <Mystic Moon> was named so was because: “The map of <Mystic Moon> was an almost perfect crescent Moon. Eastern gamers start at the east of the crescent moon while western gamers start at the west of the crescent moon. Based on the map’s beautiful shape, the name <Mystic Moon> was born.”

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The scorching sunlight was testing the limit of Yun Feng’s patience. Holding a strand of his sister’s hair, he gritted his teeth and held his spot in line. Occasionally, he would look back to find some comfort in the ever long queue. Born as the oldest son of China’s second largest financial group’s chairman, usually, he only needed to open his mouth to get whatever he wanted. Since his youth, this was actually the first time he had been under the scorching sun for so long.

……4……3……

Finally, when only three people were left before him in the queue, Yun Feng let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at the sweaty, yet still professional receptionist before mumbling, “Her features are nice but compared to my sister, she’s less than average.”

Losing interest after a glance, he casually turned his head. Immediately, his gaze froze as his mouth fell open. He let out a uncontainable shout, “That girl is so cute!”

What he saw was an angel-like girl, with a pure and genuine beauty. He strongly believed that anyone who saw her would be captivated by her intricate otherworldly face. She looked to be fifteen to sixteen years old and was eating ice cream that was the same shade of snow white as her skin. A smile that was enough to melt anyone’ heart was plastered on the corners of her mouth. Her sparkling eyes were like crystals – He was sure that he had never seen such clear pupils.

The image in his vision seemed too beautiful to be real. Yun Feng was gaze became rooted for a while… She looked just like an angel that walked out of a painting. Her otherworldly beauty should not have belonged to this world because the polluted air in the world would only dirty her.

Yun Feng finally awoke from his daydream when a light push came from the person behind. He quickly walked two steps forward and only two remained in the queue before him. Yun Feng turned his head, his gaze once again fell on that girl….He only now noticed that the girl was stationed on a wheelchair.

Such a pretty girl, once she grows up, she might be more beautiful than Meng Xin. Uh…. Wheelchair? Could this girl be sick or perhaps have a disability?

Hold on….

Her face is pale as a sheet….

Isrock!!

Yun Feng’s pupil slightly contracted…. He was sure that that girl had the world’s scariest terminal illness– Isrock.

“Ai, should I say god is fair or cruel…. Giving her otherworldly beauty, yet wants to take her life away so early.” Yun Feng sighed inwardly, withdrawing his gaze of pity. He was too distressed to continue looking at the girl who was destined to die young but then his gaze passed by the person pushing her forward.

The moment he clearly saw that person’s face, Yun Feng was stunned still, as if struck by lightning.

The young man looked to be in his early twenties. He was tall and with a sharp face, while vaguely exuded a pressuring aura. He slowly pushed the wheelchair forward. His steps were slow and even, seeming as if he was afraid to disturb the girl before him. As if he felt Yun Feng’s gaze, he turned his head abruptly and immediately, Yun Feng saw a pair of eyes as cold as dead star. That moment of being stared down by those eyes, he felt as if his eyes were being pricked by a sharp sword.

The man’s gaze stopped on him for only a second before focusing back on the girl, where he soften his gaze immediately…. It was the look of someone watching over the most important person in his life.

This person….this look….he….he is….

“Big brother, ice cream.” The girl turned back, bringing her half eaten ice cream to the man’s lips. The man smiled before lowering his head and taking a bite from the portion where the girl left a lip print. The girl smiled before taking a bite of the ice cream where the man had bitten.

A jolt of horror shocked Yun Feng’s heart, he almost unbearably rushed up. Though since the development of the Isrock vaccine, the infection was controlled and infected had lessened considerably. But, even if one got an Isrock vaccine, it was not a guaranteed protection against the virus. That girl obviously had the Isrock virus and furthermore, Isrock spreads from one person to another through saliva and bodily fluids. This all was common knowledge even kids knew! Is he not afraid of being infected….

“Big brother, let’s hurry and get home; it’s so hot out. I don’t want sweat to dirty the clothes big brother just washed for me.”

“Uh, okay.”

Yun Feng’s gaze followed them as their figures and voices went further and further away. However, his eyes didn’t focus on the girl with otherworldly beauty but rather the man.

Are they siblings?

Wait! What am I thinking!

Yun Feng knocked his head with force. When he lifted his head, the man had already progressed quite far and was about to push the wheelchair into a different street, disappearing from his sight.

Crap….

Only one person was left in the queue before him, this one hour’s languishing was finally about to bear fruit. Shaking off the beads of perspiration on his head, Yun Feng is so anxious that his mouth began to experience convulsions. At last, he clenched his teeth and ran out of the queue towards the direction the man vanished.

“Is this person stupid?” The chubby man behind Yun Feng stared at his back, muttered. Suffering so much yet when it was just about to be his turn, he ran off just like that. He could only be an idiot.

After running the corner, Yun Feng breathed a sigh of relief when he finally saw the figure of that man again. However, remembering the powerful sharp gaze from before, he did not dare get too close. He followed from far away and carefully looked at that man’s figure from afar.

After over ten minutes, the man pushing the girl entered a high end villa area. Yun Feng paused before he left out a relieved smile…. Someone from that level, would not be lacking in money.

Still, Yun Feng did not dare to follow too closely. Without entering the area, Yun Feng waited for the two figures to disappear from his field of vision before he rushed to the area’s security room. Politely, he asked, “Uncle, which unit do the siblings that just walked by just now live in? The thing is, I want to get to know the girl from before.Heh heh….”, Yun Feng feigned an embarrassed smile sheepishly.

The elderly uncle looked at him before showing a look of understanding. He looked away before shaking his head and saying, “They live in unit 12. However, I would advise you to give up on that girl. Haizz, that girl is indeed beautiful beyond words but her fate is too cruel. Her father was a doctor, one that specialized working with Isrock patients. When you stand by the river often, it’s impossible to not get your shoes wet. A few years back, her father ultimately couldn’t avoid being infected. However, neither he nor his family members knew and when they finally found out, that girl and her mother had already been infected….Two years ago, their parents passed away one after another, leaving behind the two siblings. Perhaps because their father left behind a sum of inheritance before passing away, the siblings moved here after their parent’s death. Ai, anyways, if you still have any hopes of living for a long time, don’t go after that girl. Nobody dared to approach unit 12 that she lives in; even her neighbors moved away. Once you get infected with Isrock, only death awaits. It’s been tough on her brother to look after an infected but surprising, he hasn’t been infected.”.

The elderly uncle sighed, feeling sorry for that girl’s fate.

It was indeed Isrock….Yun feng nodded his head before shouting, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Then, he eagerly ran away under the uncle’s puzzled stare.