bookpub Chapter 1 Black Myth: The Book of Past Events
Chapter 1 Black Myth: The Book of Past Events
In early September, the sweltering summer in Jiangcheng showed no signs of abating, with temperatures so high they could melt you.
Wujiang District, Jiangcheng University.
Chen Fu, a sophomore who had just started the new semester, was chatting on WeChat in his dorm room while enjoying the air conditioning.
The other party is a game streamer with millions of followers on Douyin.
Chen Fu: "Sponsor, the game walkthrough video and commentary text are finished. Please check them when you have time."
This is Chen Fu's part-time job, working behind the scenes as a game streamer.
He provides the materials and scripts, and the other party only needs to read them aloud to publish them on the platform and make money.
The two had been working together for several months, and Chen Fu had earned nearly 20,000 yuan from the other party.
These days, streamers not only need to be talented, but also proficient in games. Due to the inability to be in two places at once, behind-the-scenes workers like Chen Fu have emerged.
Of course, Chen Fu did this mainly because he enjoys playing games, especially exploring various storylines.
This gives him great satisfaction.
Sponsor: "Received."
This message was followed by a bank transfer of 500 yuan.
The salary is decent for a college student's part-time job, though it's certainly not as much as a live streamer's.
However, Chen Fu's motivation was to enjoy the game, and he didn't care about these things.
Sponsor: "There's a game beta test today. I'll send you the link. After you complete the game, send me the rewards."
Having just finished work, Chen Fu was immediately presented with a new task, which he was naturally very happy to accept.
Chen Fu: "What type is it? Is there a lot of plot?"
This is what he cares about most.
However, the investors had absolutely no professional ethics and only treated this thing as a tool to make money, without understanding it at all.
Sponsor: "I don't even like games, why are you asking me? If I asked you the latest lipstick shade this year, could you tell me?"
Chen Fu recalled carefully: "Nude milk tea, mocha, rose pink?"
He had overheard his roommates discussing what color lipstick to give their goddesses for Qixi Festival.
He happened to have a female classmate he was close to at the school next door. He thought that she would give him gifts during holidays, so it would be inappropriate not to reciprocate. Therefore, he wrote it down.
The sponsor did not reply.
Chen Fu: "What's wrong?"
The sponsor still hasn't responded.
Just when Chen Fu thought the sponsor was getting angry, he suddenly saw a new link in the chat box.
The client said, "Send it to me quickly, or I'll dock your pay."
After sending this message, the sponsor immediately ended the chat.
Chen Fu didn't take it seriously. He usually didn't communicate with the other party except for work, so he clicked on the link.
Download complete, install, and start the game.
The phone screen went black, and then a line of text appeared.
Black Myth: The Book of Past Events
The text disappears, and the next line follows.
"The myths you know are all embellishments; welcome to witness the real world."
There was no opening animation... Chen Fu muttered to himself, turned over, and lay comfortably with his right leg crossed over his left.
Then, lines of text appeared again, without any character models.
This is a text-based game.
You wake up in a temple where dilapidated clay sculptures are enshrined.
"From afar came the celebratory drums, celebrating the birth of a new myth."
"But your memory is frantically sending you messages: it's all fake!"
"You remembered more."
"The so-called Journey to the West is nothing more than the transformation and taming of a rebel by immortals and Buddhas."
"The so-called suppression of the white snake is actually a forbidden love between a monk and a scholar."
"Those beautiful legends are all just sugar coatings carefully prepared by demons and monsters."
"Once, your ancestor, the Lord of the Mortal World, wanted to expose all of this, but was besieged and killed by demons and monsters, and was devoured."
"They use beauty as a cage, continuing to imprison everyone in the world."
"As a descendant of the Lord of the Mortal World, as the only sober one in the mortal world, you, now known as the Chosen One, have stepped back into your homeland."
"Now, you have two choices."
"It is about exploring the world alone, experiencing various storylines and dungeons, uncovering the truth hidden beneath the festering wounds of history, and becoming the new ruler of the mortal world."
"Or should I allow myself to remain confined to this small space, hesitating and stagnating as time goes by, wasting my remaining years in loneliness and pain?"
Please make your choice: 'Move forward' or 'Stay'.
The basic worldview unfolded through text, which piqued Chen Fu's interest.
Although there is no other information, it looks surprisingly good.
According to the text description, the role he plays is called the Chosen One, a descendant of the Lord of the Mortal World.
We need to choose between "revealing the truth" and "stagnation".
Whether as a player or a reviewer, Chen Fu knows how to choose.
His goal, naturally, was to uncover the truth and become the ruler of the world.
Chen Fu clicked "Forward" to continue the game.
"You stood up, the familiar air slid into your lungs through your nostrils, your spirits began to soar, and you felt a connection with your homeland once again."
"This connection reminds you that to become the ruler of the mortal world, the first thing you need to do is have a specific profession."
"Random job generation in progress... Generation complete."
Please select your initial profession from the following options.
"Empty Gate Boxer: Your physical attributes will be greatly enhanced, you will excel in close-quarters combat, and the damage effect will be halved when facing supernatural beings."
"True Martial Arts Master: You are proficient in various Taoist arts and can perform divination once a day to inquire about good or bad fortune, but you need to take medicine to slow down the damage to your body."
"Coroner Walker: For each corpse you dissect, you gain one of the deceased's abilities, and the probability of triggering basic paranormal events increases."
"Please note that your career choice is closely related to your region and family history, so please choose carefully."
Is this to choose a class to prepare for the upcoming dungeon?
Chen Fu had played a lot of games, and he quickly understood what it meant.
But a question arose in his mind: how could this be related to the region or ancestral property?
As far as he knew, there was indeed a martial arts school called Kongmen in Jiangcheng's history, and the true martial arts masters corresponded to Wudang.
Going back a few generations, there were indeed family members who had worked as coroners.
But this is too strange. How does a game know these things?
Could it be obtained through IP address?
Chen Fu kept his questions to himself and began to analyze the three professions.
The Empty Gate Fist Master should be a warrior. They have a great advantage in the early game, but also have significant disadvantages. They are a completely physical damage class.
True martial artists, like mages, have high attack but low defense, and they need to take medicine every now and then, so they don't seem to be in good health.
The Coroner is clearly a doctor. He may not have much of an advantage in the early game, but he can gain various abilities by dissecting corpses, making him a solid late-game class.
For Chen Fu, if he wanted to create a game walkthrough video, it would naturally be better to choose a profession that could trigger more story events.
The coroner fits this requirement perfectly.
After a moment's thought, he made his choice: the coroner.
"Future Lord of the Mortal World, your choice proves your ambition."
"However, due to various factors, you need to complete a specific instance before you can actually take the job."
Are you prepared to give up, or will you accept the test?
Do I have to take an assessment after choosing a career?
Chen Fu had played games with similar mechanics before. Although they were rather tedious, they allowed him to further understand the characteristics of different professions, so he immediately clicked to accept the challenge.
"A specific copy is being generated. Please wait... generation complete."
"Copy: Black Myth: Journey to the West (based on the truth of Chapter 27 of Journey to the West), ID: CN-1-27."
Background: This place is called White Tiger Ridge. A woman was identified as the White Bone Demon by a passing monk and died violently in the wilderness.
"Task: Determine the cause of death and complete the autopsy report."
"Completion Rewards: Become a Coroner and receive additional rewards based on your performance."
"Punishment for failure: Death, erasure of all other people's memories of you."
Chen Fu read it carefully.
Because it's a word game, he's not worried about not being able to determine the cause of death; the subsequent options will definitely be the same as before.
Based on this conclusion, he didn't care much about the punishment for failure.
It's just a game. How could it kill me in real life? So what if I die? I can just start over.
The text indeed refreshed again.
"Mission begins. Please use the tools to dissect the female corpse lying on the ground."
"Option 1: Put on gloves and start the autopsy from head to toe."
Option 2: Use a scalpel to cut open the skin for examination.
Option 3: Write the report based on intuition.
Three choices, three directions.
Chen Fu began to think.
Since we've been prompted to use tools, we definitely can't just write a report directly.
Cutting the skin with a scalpel is not in accordance with autopsy procedures; only the first method is the safest.
He chose one.
"You examined the female corpse carefully and found that she had been beaten and poisoned before her death, but the cause of death was that her third vertebra had been removed."
"Are you preparing to write a death report, or continue the investigation?"
There are only two choices this time.
At this point, Chen Fu could have simply chosen to write a report, which would have completed the task directly.
But wanting to explore more of the story, he chose the second one.
"The female corpse opened her eyes and told you everything."
"She was Li Xiu'e from Li Family Village at the foot of White Tiger Mountain. She was defiled by a monk and identified as the White Bone Demon."
"The villagers tied her up, her biological father forced her to drink poison, and a monk's disciple knocked her unconscious with a stick and took a piece of her glowing bone while she was still alive."
"You are shocked by the truth you have learned and are prepared to write down the cause of death of the woman's body truthfully."
Just as you were about to put pen to paper, a sudden gust of wind arose.
"A monkey covered in black smoke leaps down from the horizon and stands in front of you."
"He pressed the iron bar against your shoulder and questioned the woman about whether she was a monster and how she died."
"You realize that this is the monk's disciple that Li Xiu'e mentioned."
"Are you prepared to tell the truth, even if it means getting beaten to death? Or are you going to fabricate a lie and try to get away with it?"
After reading the text, Chen Fu felt a slight soreness in his shoulders.
He thought it was because he had been in one position for too long, so he rolled over and lay face down on the bed, rubbing his shoulders while clicking on the options.
In this situation, of course, I told the truth.
Even if he were to be beaten to death, Chen Fu couldn't bring himself to lie to a pile of data.
Even if it weren't data, but a real-life situation, he would do the same.
"The monkey is satisfied with your answer."
"He manipulated your hands to write the death report."
"This woman is indeed a mortal, but her fate is cursed, and she has false immortal bones in her spine, making her a target of covetousness."
Many were responsible for the killings, the ringleader being the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada of Mount Ling, and the accomplice being Li Fugui (his father), a villager from Lijiazhuang. The Great Sage was the witness.
So this monkey is called the Great Sage, and he looks like a dark version of Sun Wukong... Chen Fu's shoulders suddenly relaxed, and he looked at the text again.
"Congratulations on successfully completing Black Myth: Journey to the West (based on the truth of Chapter 27 of Journey to the West), ID: CN-1-27."
Rating: Top Grade
"You have successfully unlocked the profession: Coroner".
"You have obtained the Coroner's Bracelet (Unique)."
"You dissected the body of Li Xiu'e, a village girl."
"You have acquired the skill of needlework and embroidery (special skill)."
"Your adherence to your principles has greatly impressed the Great Sage, who has bestowed upon you a single hair."
"You have obtained a hair from the Great Sage."
"Chosen One, please continue your journey, go conquer, go plunder, let this land remember you, let demons and monsters tremble with fear of you."
The game has no graphics or sound effects; the opening and class-specific dungeons are presented entirely through simple text.
But this well-placed blank space inexplicably stirred excitement and exhilaration within Chen Fu.
It was as if he were really going to become the ruler of the mortal world.
Having played this far, Chen Fu felt pretty good about the game overall and was about to continue when he suddenly felt a chill on his wrist.
He raised his hand and noticed that a bracelet had been tied to his wrist at some point, with a small gold plaque hanging in the middle. The front of the plaque depicted a doctor wearing a mask and holding a scalpel, while the back was inscribed with the words "Coroner's Traveler".
Chen Fu has never bought a bracelet. He is a grown man and does not need such things, nor does he have the habit of wearing jewelry.
How did you get this bracelet?
Chen Fu looked through the game records with surprise, his gaze lingering on the text.
"You have obtained the Coroner's Bracelet (Unique)."
Things from games can actually appear in real life?
Before he could figure it out, WeChat notification sounds started ringing incessantly, and messages kept popping up.
Class group: Counselor: "@Everyone, notice: High temperatures continue recently. Returning students, please take precautions against heatstroke, stay away from lakes and other bodies of water, and ensure your personal safety! Dormitory heads will organize safety training for their dormitory members tonight."
Squad leader: "Chen Fu, after everyone in your dormitory arrives tonight, remember to relay the safety instructions and make sure they are followed."
A post from the Jiangda Paranormal Association group reads: "My girlfriend and I were taking a walk by the lake last night when we thought we saw something moving in the water, but the security guards couldn't find anything unusual. The lake is currently closed off, so please be careful."
444 Male Dorm Group: "Brothers, have you heard about what happened by the lake? There are all sorts of rumors going around. Let's try to stay in the dorm tonight."
Mom: "I went for a walk just now and heard that the area around your school isn't very safe. Try to avoid going to secluded places and be careful!"
Teachers, classmates, family, and roommates all approached Chen Fu at the same time.
The game has become a reality?
Chen Fu looked at the new chain on his wrist, then looked down to check his game records.
"The probability of triggering basic paranormal events has increased."
As a series of strange events unfolded before his eyes, he realized, not being stupid, that the game "Black Myth: The Book of Past Events" was not simple.
Thinking back to the "failure penalty" mentioned in the game, and the faint ache in my shoulder...
Chen Fu suddenly felt a layer of fine sweat on his neck.
He just had a brush with death!
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Boom...boom...boom...
The knocking was dull and slow, sounding more like something hitting the door than like a hand knocking.
Chen Fu swallowed hard, thought for a moment, and then pretended not to hear.
The knocking didn't stop; it continued with a steady rhythm. At the same time, a faint sound, like water droplets falling to the ground, could be heard.
It felt as if someone soaking wet was knocking on the door.
This stalemate is not an option.
If we continue to ignore it, it might attract the attention of other students passing by, making the situation even more complicated.
Should we report this to the school's security office or public order department?
But what if the people outside break in before they arrive?
Chen Fu's mind was in turmoil. A few seconds later, his gaze returned to his phone screen.
……