A wave of intense dizziness washed over her. Bai Ci instinctively clutched the bouquet in her arms as the scene before her eyes began to twist and blur. The outline of the florist's shop gradually faded, and the sunlight, the scent of flowers, and the chiming of the wind chimes rapidly receded.
As the dizziness subsided, Bai Ci opened her eyes.
There was nothing here—no walls, no floor, and no source of light—yet every corner was blindingly bright. It was vast and desolate, carrying a raw, unadorned coldness.
A familiar metallic chill came from her finger. She looked down to see the plain band ring Lin had personally slipped onto her finger resting quietly against her skin. Its surface temperature had returned to normal.
Bai Ci curled her fingers. The sensation of the ring against her knuckle was terrifyingly real, instantly bringing back the memory of Lin resting his forehead against her shoulder before he dissipated, along with his promise: “I will protect you.” Her nose tingled, and tears nearly spilled over again.
Just then, a light blue, semi-transparent screen materialized out of thin air before her eyes. The header read “Instance 《The Diary》 Clearance Report” in an elegant serif font.
“Just an instance...” she murmured softly, her voice echoing faintly in the empty space. “He was just an NPC...”
Bai Ci curled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms, letting the complex emotions churn in her chest. Her guilt didn't lessen in the slightest just because it was defined as an instance; instead, it gained an added layer of absurd powerlessness.
Just moments ago, she had been blaming herself on the floor, cursing herself for treating a living, breathing person as a mere game NPC and for using a DM's calculating mindset to measure Lin's pure intentions. Yet now, the cold prompt of the system was telling her—it really was just an instance.
Lin's existence, his embrace, his sacrifice... perhaps they were all defined as part of the “instance plot” from the very beginning.
This realization was like a blunt knife, slicing open her newly scabbed guilt and plunging her into an absurd, contradictory state of mind.
Yet the dull ache in her chest was so real. The cold scent when he embraced her, his trembling during the confrontation, his gentle soothing before he dissipated—every single detail was so clear, as if etched into her mind.
Even if it was just an instance, even if Lin was a character set by the system, could that genuine warmth and protection really be wiped away so easily?
The cold touch of the empty space seeped through her thin clothes, gradually settling her chaotic thoughts. She needed to calm down. Whether it was Lin's sacrifice or this sudden clearance, she needed to sort it all out.
Silence flowed through the empty room for an unknown length of time. Once the stinging in her nose finally faded, Bai Ci finally lifted her head and wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.
Her gaze fell upon the screen. Her fingertip hovered in midair for a couple of seconds before she tapped it gently. The screen expanded in response, and black text began to appear line by line.
【Instance Settlement
[Instance Name: 《The Diary》]
[Basic Information]
Player: Bai Ci
Time Elapsed: 4 hours 27 minutes
Overall Grade: D
Clue positioning deviated; core task completion rate is insufficient. Heavily reliant on non-player characters to clear the instance. Self-risk avoidance and active exploration skills require improvement.
[Basic Rewards]
Experience Points: 10
Points: 20
[Special Rewards]
Item: Withered Flower and Ring (Bound)
When the cold mist sweeps over your fingertips, it will remember the wind it once shielded you from.
(Effect: Capable of defending against low-tier spiritual entity attacks. The ring will generate a burning sensation when triggered.)
Initial Class: Ghost Bride (Incubating)
Roses may wither, but promises do not. Life may dissipate, but bonds endure forever. By accepting the ring that carries a cold scent, you have taken upon yourself a contract that spans life and death. This incomplete wedding will become your bond with the non-human world.】
Bai Ci's gaze lingered on the descriptions of “Withered Flower and Ring” and “Ghost Bride.” Her fingertips gently rubbed the ring. This was the only trace left by Lin's absurd yet pure engagement, and her newly calmed heart began to ripple with emotion once more.
It was the D-grade evaluation that brought her back to reality. She had indeed taken too many detours. If she hadn't stumbled into the Sunflower Florist by chance, and if she hadn't met Lin, she might have met a “game over” the very first time Mary broke through her door.
Insufficient core task completion rate—to this day, she didn't even know what the core task of this instance actually was. Was it to find the little girl's whereabouts, or to expose the father's crimes?
While she was deep in thought, the settlement panel suddenly dissolved into spots of blue light and vanished, replaced by a letter floating in midair.
Bai Ci opened the letter. Its content was in a standard template format with neat handwriting, yet it carried an emotionless, official tone. It was clearly a mass-sent notice:
【“Anomalous Infection” Player Welcome Letter
Dear Player,
Hello.
When you receive this letter, your physical life in your original world has already ended. Do not panic. “Anomalous Infection” is not a disease, but an opportunity for rebirth. This is the hub connecting countless shattered dimensions, where all who have passed away due to accidents will find the meaning of existence once more.
Regarding the game rules:
Instance Mechanism: The game will periodically open instances in a unified manner. The scenes and difficulty of the instances are randomized. All players enter the instances at the same time, and players of the same batch have a probability of entering parallel spaces of the same instance. Opened instances will not be opened a second time.
Evaluation Mechanism: Each instance has its own independent plot and clearance conditions. Instance evaluations are divided into six grades: S, A, B, C, D, and E. The evaluation will directly affect points earned, item rewards, and ability unlocks.
Return Mechanism: Collecting 10 S-grade instance evaluations will trigger the Return Mechanism, allowing you to return to the world you left behind, restoring your original identity and health.
Death Mechanism: There is a risk of death in the instances. Players are advised to familiarize themselves with the game mechanics as soon as possible and actively participate in instances to avoid true death caused by points dropping to zero.
We wish you a pleasant game and an early return.
Attachment: Initial Furniture Pack (has been automatically sent to your personal independent space)
—— “Anomalous Infection” Game System】
The contents of the letter resolved all the doubts in Bai Ci's heart. It turned out she really was dead, killed by an outdoor air conditioning unit falling from a height, likely from excessive blood loss. This so-called instance was her only chance of survival.
Only now did Bai Ci belatedly realize that the clothes she was currently wearing were the very ones she had been wearing before her death.
Returning was like a lighthouse on the shore, helping Bai Ci find her purpose once again. She still had her parents, and there were too many people and things she cared about. They were still waiting for her to go home. The guilt and self-blame that had brewed in the florist's shop now transformed into a powerful will to survive.
She couldn't drown in sorrow. She had to obtain those ten S-grade evaluations.
Ten S-grade evaluations sounded incredibly far out of reach, but as long as she had a goal, it wasn't a true dead end.
Lin had traded his “existence” for her clearance. She couldn't let his protection go to waste. At the very least, she had to carry this memory, strive to survive, and return to the real world where her loved ones were waiting.
Rate on N.U.
