Chapter One: This Job Carries Certain Risks

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Lincheng City, Ancient North New Garden, Unit 7, 22nd Floor.

A warehouse manager with an annual salary of ten million?

Fu Qian stared expressionlessly at the letter placed on the table.

[Urgent recruitment for warehouse manager, responsible for daily management tasks.]
[Mr. Fu, if you are willing to accept this job, please sign and wear the work ID, and you can start working without leaving your home.]
[Note: This job involves certain risks.]

After reading the letter, Fu Qian shook the envelope and sure enough, a black work ID fell out.

Is this a joke?

Ten million a year, and I can work from home?

What kind of divine warehouse is this?

Receiving this so early in the morning made Fu Qian feel utterly baffled.

But on the other hand, how wonderful it would be if it were true.

Being a warehouse manager probably wouldn’t be too busy.

Lots of money, little work, and close to home—truly the ideal job!

Money is hard to come by these days, and with his poor financial situation, Fu Qian was on the verge of hitting rock bottom.

Still, he was always good at finding joy in hardship.

With nothing pressing to do, he felt a bit restless and picked up a pen to sign the work ID. With a serious air, he hung it around his neck.

Suddenly, his vision darkened.

When his sight returned, the computer desk was gone. Fu Qian found himself standing in a warehouse-like place.

A vast space, dim lighting, no windows in sight, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night.

Rows of towering shelves reached up to the ceiling, neatly stretching into the distance.

On the shelves, silver-white square boxes of various sizes were evenly spaced.

Is this really an online job?

Is the work ID actually a VR device?

Fu Qian’s imagination was thoroughly challenged as he struggled to comprehend what was happening before him.

[Identity verification successful]
[Name: Fu Qian]
[Age: 20]
[Workday start]
[Job duties: Daily warehouse management and maintenance, ensuring goods are properly stored.]
[Note: Due to the special nature of the stored items, if you see any hallucinations during work, including but not limited to tentacles, eyeballs, patterns, stone tablets, etc., this is a routine breach. Do not panic; follow the prompts to recontain the goods.]

A series of emotionless announcements sounded in his ears.

Tentacles, eyeballs... This is all wrong!

Fu Qian looked at the square boxes on the shelves.

What on earth is inside these?

And no matter how you look at it, the packaging seemed tight. How could it leak?

Beep—

Perhaps sensing his doubt, a space nearby twisted, and a huge blood-red eyeball slowly emerged.

[Warning! Containment breach]
[Item number: 3-2048; Name: Blood Haze]
[Today's task updated: Enter containment scenario 3-2048 and complete recontainment.]

A string of small text appeared continuously in the upper left corner of his vision.

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Already breached?

Fu Qian barely had time to react before the blood-red eyeball slowly turned its gaze, staring intently at him.

Almost instantly, Fu Qian felt a violent blow to his brain, his consciousness quickly draining away.

[Entering containment scenario 3-2048: Full Moon Garden]
[Containment success condition: Survive in the Full Moon Garden for one hour]
[Each entry into a containment scenario consumes a point of sanity (san) value; current san: 20]
[If san reaches zero, you will permanently lose your sanity.]

...

I knew ten million isn’t that easy to get!

San reaching zero means permanent insanity—does that mean if I fail 20 times, I go completely mad?

This workplace injury is quite severe!

Fu Qian raged silently in his mind.

[...1%...5%...50%...98%...100%... Full Moon Garden loading complete]
[For a long time, you have been tormented by increasingly severe pain. Just as you resolve to travel far away seeking healing, you find yourself trapped in an even more dreadful predicament.]
[Identity: Patient]
[Skills: None]
[Weapons: None]

“You’re awake?”

As control of his body returned, someone was speaking nearby.

Fu Qian tried to turn his head and found himself lying in a bed.

By the bedside stood a gaunt old man, hunched over, with an oddly sleazy expression.

“Don’t worry, your illness will get better... after all, our medical skills here are unparalleled, hehehe...”

If you’d just leave out that creepy laughter, you’d sound more trustworthy!

Fu Qian squinted without replying.

Besides, you’re the one who’s sick; I’m perfectly fine—ouch! Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch!

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than an indescribable pain swept over him, nearly throwing him off the bed.

Is this the pain they were talking about?

If this is how the task is to be completed—enduring pain for an hour—that's downright inhumane!

Stifling the urge to curl up, Fu Qian followed the old man’s finger to see a long IV tube.

The tube descended from a nearby rack, with the needle inserted into the back of his hand.

They’re really trying to cure me?

But hasn’t this equipment been outdated for centuries? What’s that yellowish stuff on the bottle—human oil?

Wait, the liquid inside is also off-color!

Blood-red? That’s terrifying!

“Well then... let’s begin.”

Before he could say more, the old man switched on the IV.

Fu Qian’s vision instantly went black.

[Containment failed, survival time: 1 minute]
[Evaluation: Useless person, your performance perfectly exemplifies the truth of ‘hesitation leads to defeat.’]
[Reward: None]

Already dead? The stuff in that IV must be the problem!

Back in the warehouse, Fu Qian was in a sour mood.

This evaluation is downright insulting!

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Before him now was a portal shaped like an eyeball, formed of misty vapor. He reached out to touch it.

[Consume one point of san value to attempt recontainment again? Current san: 19]

Only 19 chances left?

[Yes]

Fu Qian was not one to give up easily.

...

[San decreased by 1, entering containment scenario]
[Current identity: Patient]
[Skills: None]
[Weapons: None]

“You’re awake?”

The old man’s kindly voice came again, but to Fu Qian’s ears it was a jolt.

“Awake my ass!”

Enduring the intense pain, Fu Qian performed a somersault off the bed, quickly reaching for the IV tube.

Slap!

He made it only halfway.

An unimaginable force struck him, slapping him back onto the bed like a noodle.

Fu Qian groaned twice, feeling as if his spine had shattered into pieces.

“Lie still...”

The old man’s voice was flat and emotionless, and Fu Qian’s vision went black once more.

[Containment failed, survival time: 1.5 minutes]
[Evaluation: Useless person. As everyone knows, hesitation leads to defeat, decisiveness leads to failure.]
[Reward: None]

This old geezer really takes the cake!

His back can’t even straighten, yet he’s so strong!

Back in the warehouse again, Fu Qian muttered a heartfelt compliment.

...

[San decreased by 1, entering containment scene]

“I actually feel much better.”

On the third attempt, Fu Qian realized brute force wouldn’t work and decided to try a more rational approach.

“Oh?”

The old man paused and examined Fu Qian carefully.

“Your body... doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“No... it... doesn’t...!”

Though reluctant, Fu Qian forced the words out, feeling his eyelids twitch.

Heh!

Half a minute later, the old man shook his head, looking at him as if pitying a simpleton.

“Your expression has already betrayed you...”

“Young man, you shouldn’t hide your illness or refuse treatment.”

With a flick of the switch, Fu Qian’s vision went black again.

[Containment failed]