Chapter 1: What Mischief Does the Golden Finger Have Now? |
Colin appeared in a decaying wooden cabin.
Cold, damp, and dilapidated.
This was Colin’s first impression of the inside of the cabin.
Then he instinctively looked out the glass window and saw… fog.
Endless gray fog, obscuring the sky and land outside, leaving Colin unable to see anything but the fog. Moreover, the gray fog seemed to have some kind of vitality, flowing silently in an unsettling stillness.
Instinct told Colin that the gray fog was extremely dangerous, and if he dared to leave the cabin and enter the fog, the only outcome would be death.
In intense unease, Colin withdrew his gaze.
At this moment, he realized he was lying on a wooden bed, having no idea how long he had been there. With the creaking of the overburdened wooden bed, Colin sat up.
“How did I end up here?”
A significant portion of his memory was missing, as if erased by some force. All he could remember was a life devoid of familial ties.
This made Colin uneasy and fearful, but he was soon distracted by other matters.
Two items were placed on a table.
A lantern filled with a dark red liquid and a leather scroll.
They looked deliberately placed there, visible to anyone who got up.
Colin did not act rashly but stared at the two items, pondering.
Whatever the intention of the person behind this, the remaining items didn’t seem meant to harm him…
Before Colin could figure out anything, a line of white text suddenly appeared in his mind.
[This is an old-fashioned lantern, fueled not by kerosene but by a blood-like substance.]
The sudden information startled Colin, making him shrink back, and the information vanished from his mind.
“What is this…”
Realizing it, Colin understood that if he stared at something for a few seconds and thought about it, related “hints” would appear in his mind.
The earlier information had been an accidental “trigger.”
Colin looked at the lantern again, and soon, the previous information reappeared.
[This is an old-fashioned lantern, fueled not by kerosene but by a blood-like substance.]
Just when Colin thought that was all and prepared to look at the scroll, another line of text appeared in his mind.
[You realize this might be very important, but there are no tools in the cabin to light it. How do I ignite it then? Looking at the red liquid, you wonder if a drop of blood might do the trick. ]
[Note! You notice it can only burn for one hour!]
“Don’t tell me what you think; I’ll tell you what I think,”
Colin muttered sarcastically, then whispered, “A lantern ignited with blood; what is its purpose?”
The hint didn’t disclose its use.
Maybe the information was in the nearby scroll.
However, Colin didn’t rush to open the scroll but stared at it for a few seconds, triggering the “hint” like a skill.
[A leather scroll containing important information. Don’t mind its material; open it immediately!]
After hesitating, Colin got out of bed, walked over, picked up the scroll, and opened it.
Instantly, a light rose from the scroll, forming lines of small text in mid-air.
[Welcome to the Global Fog Survival game. Here, survival is your primary goal. Please remember the following warnings.]
[1. The cabin can block the gray fog and is your last refuge, but don’t rely on it too much.]
[2. Horrors only occur within the gray fog.]
[3. The lantern can disperse the gray fog.]
[4. All personnel obtained through the system are absolutely loyal, so use them with confidence.]
[5. Beware of the night! Beware of the night! Beware of the night!]
[6. In the gray fog, if you don’t want to become prey, it’s best to become a hunter.]
[7. Always respect the gray fog.]
[8. Cherish your life, for you will not be revived.]
“Survival game?” Colin squinted his eyes.
He had never heard of a game reaching such an extent…
However, these texts were not all the scroll had to offer. After they gradually faded, three options appeared.
[Chat Channel]
[Task List]
[Personnel Recruitment]
Among them, [Chat Channel] kept flickering, giving a lively impression.
Wanting to communicate, Colin didn’t hesitate and clicked it, discovering three sub-channels behind it.
They were [World Channel], [Regional Channel], and [Private Channel].
The [World Channel] flickered the most frequently, so Colin clicked it.
Instantly, within a half-meter-high range, numerous messages from others appeared.
These messages refreshed every ten seconds, allowing for scrolling, stopping, or even speaking on the current page.
“Say important things three times, close the door! Close the door! Close the door! There’s something in the gray fog!”
“Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, please reply if you see this…”
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t know, I just celebrated my birthday, drinking and singing, and suddenly ended up here. I’m totally baffled…”
“I was worse off. I was in the middle of something when I was transported here… But that’s not the point, who knows how to light the kerosene lamp?”
“I also need help with lighting the kerosene lamp; I can’t do tasks without it. Please help…”
How to light the kerosene lamp? Colin wondered at the mass of requests to light the lamp.
“Kerosene lamp… do they mean the lantern? Don’t they know a drop of blood can light it? Just stare at it for a few seconds and…”
He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that others might not have this ability.
The ability to get “hints” by looking at things was likely unique to him… In other words, it could be called a golden finger.
However, this didn’t make Colin happy; instead, he frowned.
Unless assigned by appearance, he did not feel particularly unique in comparison to others.
While he hoped for a windfall, he never believed one would come.
This second-person hint-giving thing—let’s call it a “golden finger” for now—could be good or bad.
In the end, Colin could only shake his head helplessly, not thinking deeply about it.
After all, whether good or bad, he couldn’t do anything about it now; this thing was in his head, and he couldn’t just open his head to see what was inside, could he?
Thinking optimistically, maybe he really did get a windfall, and it was just a harmless hint.
What harm could a little hint possibly do?
Regardless, Colin remained cautious.
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