Chapter 1: The Assassin’s New Life and a Puzzling Game

Time had flown by; it had already been seventeen years since I transmigrated to this world.

In my previous life, I was an assassin, one who specialized in both offensive and defensive hacking techniques.

In this life, however, I was now Su Shunhua, merely a high school student.

My parents had passed away early, leaving my younger sister and me to rely solely on each other.

Beyond attending school, I worked part-time jobs to support us.

I cherished this tranquil existence; I had long grown weary of a life steeped in blood and gunpowder.

A sister, a home, no parents, immersed in work, content with the present — this was the true reflection of my life.

I was fortunate that this world I had transmigrated to was also dominated by humans, resembled Earth, and possessed a technological level not significantly different from my previous life, though its tech tree had branched off in a slightly peculiar direction.

In this world, the electronic entertainment industry reigned supreme, almost serving as humanity’s spiritual pillar.

It mercilessly suppressed all other technological sectors, grinding them into the dust, and had emerged as the foremost industry, integrating all the era’s cutting-edge technologies.

Among these, capsule-based online games, which integrated social interaction, entertainment, and even physical exercise, had become the core of the electronic entertainment industry.

In this era, individuals who didn’t play online games were truly rare, practically anomalies, and I counted myself among them.

Having experienced far too many real life-and-death struggles, I harbored no interest in the tension and thrill that online games could offer.

A simple, uneventful life was true fortune.

Having finally found peace, I had no desire to re-engage in schemes and rivalries with others!

Unfortunately, my younger sister, Su Yingning, did not share this sentiment.

“Bang!”

The bedroom door was violently flung open.

My sister, clad in a thin, pale pink nightgown, burst into my small room, bringing with her the sweet scent of youth.

Without a word, she threw herself onto my bed, clutched my pillow, and began to sob uncontrollably.

What had gotten into this girl?

It was the first time I had ever seen Yingning cry so heartbrokenly.

Rubbing my temples in a headache, I asked, “Has someone bullied you again? Did a teacher scold you? Or were you picked on by classmates?”

Yingning lay on my bed, whimpering and crying for quite some time, leaving me awkwardly perched at my computer desk, utterly at a loss.

What was I supposed to do when my sister cried again?

As someone who only knew how to kill, I had absolutely no idea how to comfort her!

Oh! I had an idea!

“Tell me who bullied you, and I’ll go butcher them.”

Yingning turned her head, her small mouth pouting plaintively, her eyes and cheeks flushed crimson with grievance from her intense crying.

She sniffled as she spoke, “Butcher? You don’t even play games, so how would you butcher anyone?”

I chuckled awkwardly, “What game are you talking about…”

Yingning buried her head back into my pillow, her voice muffled and utterly aggrieved emerging from within: “What game it is doesn’t matter anymore; we’ve already quit and stopped playing…

Besides, they’re one of the top ten guilds in the world! Leaving aside the fact that you’re a complete gaming noob who’s never even played before… even if you were a gaming expert, what then?

How could you possibly defeat tens of thousands of people from their entire guild!”

“Tens of thousands? What’s so special about tens of thousands?” To be looked down upon by my own sister! This truly infuriated me!

My eyes widened.

“Back in the day, the souls claimed by your brother’s gun were far more than mere tens of thousands!”

“Brother, you’re boasting again… always boasting instead of studying properly…” Yingning’s voice grew even more aggrieved, seemingly disheartened by my lack of ambition as her elder brother.

“I’m not boasting…” I sat beside Yingning, gazing at the little girl who was now crying even harder, and sighed helplessly.

This little girl was a god-tier academic prodigy, a study committee member and a three-stripe class captain, who absolutely adored learning and found joy in it.

Her values were incredibly sound, a stark contrast to a slacker like me, who was neither here nor there; we were like heaven and earth.

However, no one knew that this beautiful, aloof, and elegant academic queen, who presented herself so impeccably in public, was secretly just an ordinary girl utterly engrossed in online games.

“How could a teacher bear to bully me? And classmates… classmates rarely bother me.

Telling you about this wouldn’t help anyway… it’s something that happened in a game.” Yingning sat up, pouting and hugging her pillow, her silky hair a little disheveled, mirroring the turmoil of her emotions.

“How will you know if I can help if you don’t tell me?

Let me tell you, when I was younger, your brother was once known as the ‘Little Conqueror of Wujiang’!”

“Wait,” Yingning stared at me with a suspicious expression.

“I only know of Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong, and Wujiang Zha Cai (TL Note: A famous brand of pickled mustard tuber from Wujiang).

What on earth is this ‘Little Conqueror of Wujiang’ you’re talking about?”

“Oh, don’t mind the details! Anyway, when I was young…”

“Wait!” Yingning interrupted me again.

“When you were young? Brother… you’re seventeen this year.

Was ‘when you were young’ back in kindergarten?

Please use your brain when you make things up!

You don’t study properly, you don’t learn math properly?

Ignorance is truly terrifying!”

I rubbed my nose, feeling both embarrassed and wronged, not having expected my class captain sister to seize the opportunity to lecture me once more.

However, thanks to my interruption, Yingning’s state had indeed improved considerably.

We both fell silent for a moment.

Then, Yingning sighed and spoke in an almost inaudible whisper, “Our guild… was massacred.”

Fortunately, my ears were sharp, and I caught every single word of Yingning’s murmur.

I didn’t quite grasp why a massacre in a game where one could revive infinitely was such a big deal… but I could see how deeply heartbroken Yingning was at that moment.

“They initiated a guild extermination war, destroyed our guild’s territory, and trapped all of us at the resurrection point, repeatedly killing us until we were level 0… But…”

Yingning’s eyes, which had just begun to dry, welled up with tears once more: “But… as the guild leader… I was powerless… I could only watch helplessly as everyone… watched everyone die again and again… then revive… then die again… until… until all of us were repeatedly killed down to level 0… All the levels we had worked so hard to accumulate over an entire year, all turned back to level 0…”

I didn’t interrupt, merely patting Yingning’s back gently to offer comfort.

Unbeknownst to me, my little shadow had grown up… She now had people she wanted to protect, and beliefs she wished to uphold.

“Afterward, so many people left.

Our guild, painstakingly built up to five hundred members, was reduced to just over forty… The guild disbanded, and everyone quit the game.” Yingning leaned against my shoulder, her tears soaking my entire shirt, as she sobbed like a wounded animal, softly pouring out her pent-up frustration.

“Everyone wants revenge… but… but that’s [Sword Wields the World]… one of the top ten guilds in the world… we’ll never be able to get our revenge in this lifetime…”

“Then don’t play games anymore.

Vengeance only leads to endless cycles…” I advised with righteous conviction.

“No, I will play! Even if over four hundred people left, those forty-plus are still waiting for me!” A flicker of determination crossed Yingning’s face.

Seemingly relieved by the emotional outpouring, she felt much better and bravely straightened her posture.

“In a few days, we’ll start anew in a different game!

This new game is touted as a groundbreaking, universal game, capable of unifying all capsule-based gaming platforms!

This time, I must seize the initiative! I’ll develop the guild to be powerful enough to protect itself!”

“Oh, really? What game is it?” I asked casually.

“[Pursuit II], Pursuit 2, is the sequel to the progenitor of holographic games, [Pursuit I].

Pursuit 2 is touted as ushering in a new era of holographic gaming, boasting a continent map three times the size of Earth, featuring the latest realistic physics engine, and intelligent AI NPCs…” Yingning rattled off the explanation without hesitation, like reciting a text, clearly having researched it extensively.

“Countless guilds are already eager to jump in.

Brother, why don’t you play too? Who doesn’t play games in this age?”

“No way.” I quickly shook my head.

“Playing games is too exhausting!”

“It’s not tiring! Games are meant for relaxation~ If you don’t like fighting, you can be a life player~ Most life players are women, though… but who says male players can’t embroider? Come on, come on~ Brother~ Come play~ I’m a pro, you know! I’ll protect you!”

Seeing Yingning regain much of her spirit, even though her eyes were still glistening with tears, a glimmer of hope now shone beneath them, I finally felt at ease.

“Still not playing.”

“Please play~” Yingning pouted and shook my arm, her large, tear-filled eyes gazing at me pitifully.

‘She was actually pouting and acting spoiled!’

“Alright… but I’m only going to be a life player.

Don’t drag me into fights.”

“Mhm~ Mhm~” Yingning nodded her head cheerfully like a pecking chick.

“Yay~ Brother, you’re finally going to play games~”

“It’s called [Pursuit II], right?” Reluctantly, I opened my laptop and brought up a search engine.

The little girl let out a huge yawn: “Hoo~ah~ Yes, that’s right.”

I nodded, pulling up relevant information.

Before embarking on any task, thoroughly investigating all relevant information, leaving no stone unturned, was a professional habit of mine.

Without such a habit, ten lives wouldn’t be enough to survive.

Although this was merely a game, I couldn’t shake off my professional habits so easily.

“The server hasn’t opened yet; it’s about half a month away.

These next few days, make sure to research thoroughly so you don’t enter the game like a headless fly…” Yingning’s voice grew softer and softer, until it was utterly inaudible.

Thump.

Perhaps exhausted from crying, and with the sudden release of her tension and worries, a long-accumulated weariness surged into her mind.

The little girl fell asleep in an instant, collapsing onto the bed with a soft thump.

I tiptoed over and gently covered her with a blanket.

Sigh… she truly was a heartbreakingly sweet girl.

How could such a naive girl possibly protect herself in a dangerous game world?

I sat back down at my computer desk, just as the four words “[Pet System Introduction]” caught my eye.

“Pets are an indispensable aid for all players.

A good pet can even double a player’s combat power!”

“Currently, the top-tier pets with publicly released information include the Wind-element A-rank pet Wind Wolf, the Rock-element A-rank pet Rock Serpent, the XX-element A-rank pet XX… and so on for A-rank pets.”

“Above these, there are S-rank pets with unreleased specific information, such as the S-rank pet Tengu and the S-rank pet Flood Dragon…

These S-rank pets are all unique, possessing their own special attributes and skills.

Their AI is slightly superior to A-rank pets, and their talents are significantly more powerful than A-rank pets.

It can be said that S-rank pets are the epitome of top-tier combat power; whoever possesses one can dominate the world!”

“Furthermore, the official sources have hinted at an even higher-tier pet, for which there is currently no information whatsoever: the Super-tier pet!

These possess far more powerful talents and skills than S-rank pets, with each one representing a legend and a story!

They are the apex predators of the Aydel Continent’s food chain!

The appearance of every Super-tier pet will trigger continent-wide changes!”

I stroked my chin with keen interest.

Yingning loved playing games so much; perhaps I should get her a gift?

As for a gift… a Super-tier pet seemed quite fitting, didn’t it?

My hacking skills shouldn’t have grown rusty yet.

****

Time flew by quickly.

In the endless cycle of attending school, leaving school, eating, sleeping, and researching for the new game, the server launch day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Speaking of the server launch, there was something I absolutely had to mention…

I was currently inside a game—specifically, [Pursuit II].

I didn’t know what bug had occurred, but after pressing the “Start Game” button, I found myself here.

There was no race selection screen, no appearance customization page, and no opening cinematic.

I turned my head, observing the incredibly realistic scenery around me.

I pulled up a blade of grass, and a line of text appeared before my eyes: [You have obtained a blade of grass that is utterly useless.]

Yes, I was indeed inside a game.

These seventeen years hadn’t been lived in vain; I hadn’t transmigrated to yet another world.

This was the game Yingning had so enthusiastically pushed me to play, rumored to be a large-scale capsule-based online game that perfectly blended sandbox and RPG elements.

It certainly lived up to its reputation.

Like most capsule-based online games, it could scan player information, virtually eliminating the possibility of “online shemales” (TL Note: A slang term referring to male players who pretend to be female online, or vice versa)… Really?

Confused, I hugged the nine warm, fluffy white tails that extended from my coccyx.

So warm, so comfortable…

However, that wasn’t the point!

If I were a male fox-race player, I might have accepted it!

But under Yingning’s insistence, I had read the game’s background lore beforehand!

I distinctly remembered two key characteristics of the Fox Clan, a race that stood at the apex of all beings!

One: With three tails or more, there are no males!

Two: The playable beast-kin demonic races are — Cat Clan, Wolf Clan, Dog Clan, Bear Clan, Tiger Clan, and do *not* include the Fox Clan!

The Fox Clan is only available within the summoned beast races!

Therefore…

I stared in disbelief at the two mounds of pale flesh on my chest.

Having just entered the game, I was clad in a snowy white bandeau top, which used less fabric than any other demonic race player’s attire, exposing an abyss of cleavage.

I extended my hand; it was a pair of slender, delicate, onion-white hands.

I placed them over my chest and gave a light squeeze.

An indescribably intense wave of shame utterly overwhelmed me, draining all strength from my body in an instant, causing me to let out an involuntary, delicate “ooh-ing” moan…

My voice was also so soft, captivating, and utterly alluring—the kind of vocal tone that would elicit a reaction from any man who merely heard it…

Alright, I had become the first character in the history of capsule-based gaming whose gender did not match reality… assuming nothing terrible had happened in reality.

Moreover, I was probably also the first player in gaming history to acquire the identity of a pet.

I tried to call up my inventory, but what appeared was a pet backpack.

I tried to call up my equipment screen, but what appeared was a pet equipment screen.

I tried to call up my character attribute list, but what appeared was pet information…

Name: [None]

None meant empty, implying that my master hadn’t named me yet.

At this moment, above my head, there should have been the words “[Nine-tailed Fox — Capturable]” or “[xxx’s Pet Nine-tailed Fox]”.

Race: Fox Clan

Talent Cap: Nine Tails

Quality: [???]

I placed my finger on the [???], and a block of text appeared: [This quality is not yet available on the server; please look forward to it.]

Gender: Female

Master: Ding Beibei

Master?!

I panicked!

It was only at this moment that I finally noticed a delicate silver collar around my neck!

Clicking on its information, I completely panicked!

[Pet Collar]

Huh? I’ve become a game pet? And a fox girl at that?