After Wren Lux formed a general idea of how she was going to survive, she prepared to leave the riverside.
In truth, the main reason she had run out here was to confirm the differences between this world and her past life, to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Anyone who arrived in this baffling world and turned into this inexplicable appearance would want to verify if they were just living in a dream.
In fact, Wren Lux even suspected she had crossed into a world similar to *The Matrix*…
that right now she was just a bundle of data, while her physical body was generating electricity in some incubator.
But she had no proof.
Speaking of which, if her body really was in an incubator, what did she actually look like right now?
With her mind wandering through these random thoughts, Wren Lux stood up, pulled on a baseball cap, and walked away from the riverbank.
The city lights gradually flickered on in the evening dusk.
Neon signs and bridge lights reflected off the river’s surface, and a patrol boat slowly cruised by in the distance.
The streets remained bustling.
Advertisements played on the glass facades of the shopping malls.
But they weren’t traditional ads.
Most were projected by the system and completely unregulated, though there were also some official broadcasts— [A-Rank Instance “Lone Wolf” Quota Open Today: 47 Remaining] [Recommended Novice Instance “Scavenging” Clearance Rate Increased to 62%] [Frontline Report: Northern Seventh Defense Line Secured.
32 Medium-sized Aberrations Cleared Yesterday] People came and went along the street.
Some carried shopping bags.
Some walked with their heads down, scrolling through their system panels.
Others chatted about the Instances they had just cleared as they walked.
It seemed like nothing had changed.
Yet, it felt like everything had.
Wren Lux walked slowly.
She deliberately slowed her pace because her chest was bouncing…
her center of gravity was completely different.
The sense of presence was overwhelming.
But she didn’t want this kind of presence.
Adaptation.
This was also a part of survival.
Wren Lux pursed her lips and continued forward, keeping a close eye on her surroundings.
While crossing the street, she noticed a bulletin board by the crosswalk displaying official public service announcements: [Abnormal energy fluctuations detected in the city.
Please report to the police immediately.] [Low-Risk Instance Recommendation Leaderboard Updated] [Please be wary of individuals recommending civilian Instances] Meanwhile, two middle-aged men were arguing at the intersection.
“I’m telling you, ‘Lone Wolf’ is definitely the most profitable Instance right now.
It pays way more than the recommended novice ones, and most importantly, it’s not that hard!” “No shit, the military is farming it.
Can you tell me something I don’t know?” “I want to go too…
but unfortunately, the military took up all the slots.” “Are you going to the fucking frontline?
They go to the frontline!
If you want to go, then apply for it!” “…” Wren Lux stood to the side, listening for a moment before looking away.
It was obvious that even though reality had been gamified and faced massive upheavals, there were still people trying to hold things together.
The bulletin boards, the soldiers heading to the frontline to fight monsters, and the relatively peaceful city were all proof of that.
But things had undeniably become chaotic.
For instance, the shady loan ads and the scammy civilian Instances designed to cheat people out of their Survival Points.
Although these were all posted by players through the game system, they indirectly proved that the government’s control was no longer as strong as it used to be.
The light turned green.
Wren Lux continued walking.
An electronic screen above the subway entrance scrolled through footage from the frontline.
There wasn’t any gore.
Just wide shots—defense towers under a gray sky.
Occasional beams of light flashing in the distance.
Wren Lux took one look and withdrew her gaze.
The frontline was too far removed from her reality.
Right now, she didn’t even have the luxury of thinking about next month.
Continuing onward, she walked through a commercial street.
Aside from the usual items she recognized from her past life, the shop windows displayed an assortment of bizarre goods.
These were clearly Instance rewards, such as a “Suit of Adaptation” that claimed to automatically regulate body temperature and prevent energy loss.
The price was 300 Survival Points.
Most of the other goods were also priced in Survival Points.
Four years ago, 300 points might not have been much, but right now, it was a luxury.
Wren Lux covertly observed her surroundings as she walked.
What she didn’t realize was that while she was secretly watching others, others were also watching her.
After all, Wren Lux was quite conspicuous.
Even though she dressed conservatively, bundled up tightly, and even wore a hat, the captivating profile beneath the brim, her fair, rosy skin, and the proud figure that couldn’t be hidden no matter how many layers she wore still drew eyes.
She wasn’t flaunting it.
But precisely because she wasn’t, those fleeting glimpses only left more room for imagination.
However, Wren Lux was completely oblivious to this.
She just kept walking and looking, and before she knew it, she had returned to the residential complex where the original owner of her body lived.
The motion-sensor lights in the stairwell clicked on.
The light was a cold white, casting a chilly glow over the old, stained tile walls.
Wren Lux climbed up to the fourth floor, took out her keys, and opened the door.
A standard one-bedroom apartment appeared before her eyes.
It wasn’t large, about fifty square meters, but it was exceptionally tidy.
A light gray rug lay in the entryway.
The shoe cabinet was low, made of natural wood, and completely dust-free, with a small ceramic dish on top for keys.
The sofa was upholstered in light gray fabric, adorned with two throw pillows—one printed with a cat motif, the other with simple geometric lines.
The coffee table was a small round desk with a few supermarket receipts tucked under its glass top.
The TV wasn’t big, facing the sofa directly.
On the cabinet below the TV sat a potted succulent, its plump leaves looking particularly lovely under the light.
It was full of the traces of life.
Wren Lux stood in the doorway, looking at it for a while.
She felt a bit strange.
Even though deep down she thought of this as someone else’s home, once she closed the door, an unstoppable sense of relief washed over her.
*Well, it’s a place to stay, so it’s normal to feel safe.
It’s definitely not because I’ve adapted to my new identity.* Comforting herself, Wren Lux raised her right hand, brought her slender index and middle fingers together, and swiped down gently.
The familiar game panel floated before her eyes once again.
Wren Lux didn’t bother checking her pitifully low stats.
Instead, she tapped directly into the ad she had seen earlier—[System Announcement: Welcome to becoming an Instance Constructor!] She planned to take a gamble, betting all her remaining Survival Points to create a civilian Instance based on her entire understanding of games from her past life.
If it succeeded, she would turn her life around in one fell swoop.
If it failed, she would just watch three hours of ads every day to drag out her miserable existence for a while longer before finally braving an Instance.
This was the most viable method she could think of to quickly earn Survival Points to stay alive, while simultaneously gaining the ability to protect herself.
Yes.
Self-preservation.
That was crucial.
Although she could survive with just Survival Points, living in such a baffling world meant you never knew when an accident might strike.
Wren Lux felt it was best to have some means of self-defense…
but asking her to enter an Instance with her current body was something she wasn’t used to yet.
She truly had no confidence.
So, she had to find another way.
Browsing through the original owner’s memories, Wren Lux discovered that aside from Instance rewards, players who became Constructors could also earn rewards if the civilian Instances they created were excellent enough.
Rumor had it that these were rewards that would absolutely never drop inside an Instance.
Though, so far, she hadn’t heard of anyone actually getting them…
But that didn’t matter.
Wren Lux’s main priority was just to survive; gaining self-defense capabilities was a bonus.
If worst came to worst, she would just focus on earning Survival Points first.
Civilian Instances also required an entry fee paid in Survival Points, and Instance Constructors received a cut of those ticket sales.
If the Instance was well-made and had a high enough clearance rate, the system would even grant a massive bonus of Survival Points.
Although Wren Lux didn’t yet know how different creating an Instance here was from developing a game in her past life, at the very least…
her past experience should be somewhat useful, right?
Surely she could cobble together a decent Instance?
“Anyone can do this, huh…” Wren Lux clicked on the announcement.
After a redirect, it led straight to the application page to become an Instance Constructor.
As expected, there was no barrier to entry.
Thinking about the state of this world and the Survival Points she had been scammed out of by civilian Instances, she couldn’t help but shake her head.
Her hands didn’t stop, however, and she quickly registered as a Constructor.
In less than five minutes.
A new title appeared in her game identity column.
[Game Identity: Player; Level 1 Constructor] [Would you like to begin constructing an Instance immediately?] At the same time, a prompt popped up.
Rumor had it that Constructors needed to enter a different space to build an Instance.
Wren Lux took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself, before tapping the [Yes] button.
However.
After tapping the [Yes] button, she wasn’t thrown into another space.
Instead, a new window popped up.
[Please enter the basic information for the Instance first] [Instance Name: (Public-facing name)] [Self-Rating: (The Constructor’s rating of the Instance, which the system will use as a reference)] [Ticket Price: (Survival Points required to enter the Instance)] [Style/Genre: (The genre of the Instance)] [Instance Theme: (Summarize the player’s experience in this Instance and establish a theme.
This affects the clearance rewards granted by the system.
It must closely tie into the Instance content.
Please fill this out carefully.)] Wren Lux paused for a moment, then summoned the virtual keyboard and fell into deep thought.
She had pondered the other fields on her way home and already had a good idea of what to write.
But the last item was a bit tricky.
*A theme, huh.* Wren Lux’s hands hovered in mid-air.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally typed out a few words: An Ordinary Person’s Courage.
Then, after some thought, she added another paragraph.
[The player will roleplay as an ordinary person.
When faced with the extreme terror of the Baker family, physical torture, and inhuman monsters, they must demonstrate psychological endurance and a will to survive that surpasses ordinary people.
The only reason the player risks entering this monster’s lair alone is to find their wife, who has been missing for three years.
This conviction is the root of the player’s resistance against fear.
It is also the courage of an ordinary person facing terror for love.] Afterward.
Wren Lux moved the virtual cursor back to the first line and filled in the game’s name—Resident Evil.