In a quiet hospital room of Linyang CentralPeople'sHospital, the rhythmic beeping of a cardiac monitor was the only sound that broke the silence.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Lin Mo lay motionless on the hospital bed, his body connected to a web of medical equipment. Electrodes were attached to his chest, an intravenous line was secured to his arm, and a pulse oximeter continuously monitored the oxygen saturation in his blood.
His breathing was shallow but steady.
The stab wound on his chest had been carefully sutured and dressed, though the injury was far from fully healed. Beneath the layers of gauze, the damaged tissue was slowly beginning to recover.
It had already been a week since he was brought into the hospital. A week since he had been found at death's door.
And somehow...
He was still alive.
The door to the room opened quietly.
A young nurse stepped inside, holding a clipboard containing Lin Mo's medical records. She had been assigned to monitor his condition and perform his routine checks.
She glanced at the monitors before approaching the bed.
"Let's see..."
Her eyes moved across the readings.
"Heart rate is stable. Blood pressure is within acceptable range. Oxygen saturation is good."
She carefully checked the intravenous line before looking at the wound dressing.
"Still no sign of infection."
The nurse shook her head in disbelief.
"I honestly can't believe he survived."
She glanced at Lin Mo's pale face.
"He lost an enormous amount of blood, and the knife penetrated his chest."
Her gaze shifted toward the medical report.
"Fortunately, the blade missed the heart and the major blood vessels. A few centimeters deeper, and he wouldn't have made it."
She let out a quiet sigh.
"Talk about surviving by the skin of his teeth."
The nurse continued checking his vital signs, occasionally recording the readings on her clipboard.
Then—
She froze. Her eyes widened. One of Lin Mo's fingers had moved. It was barely noticeable.
A tiny twitch.
The nurse leaned closer.
"Did you just...?"
She watched carefully. Another movement. This time, there was no mistaking it. His finger moved again. The nurse's expression immediately changed.
"He's waking up."
She quickly pressed the emergency call button beside the bed. A sharp alarm sounded throughout the room. Moments later, the telephone inside the room rang. The nurse immediately picked it up.
"What is it?"
The voice on the other end sounded irritated, as if the sudden alarm had interrupted something important.
"The patient in Room 307," the nurse quickly explained. "He appears to be regaining consciousness. His fingers moved, and I think he's trying to open his eyes."
There was a brief silence.
"Are his vital signs stable?"
"Yes. Heart rate and oxygen saturation are stable. He's breathing on his own."
"Good. I'll be there shortly."
The call ended.
The nurse placed the receiver back in its cradle and released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
She glanced toward the door. The doctors in this hospital were strange people.
Brilliant, perhaps.
But strange.
They were the kind of people who could spend an entire day buried in medical journals and research papers, forgetting that the outside world even existed. Their dedication to medicine bordered on obsession.
Still, when a patient's life hung in the balance, none of them would hesitate.
Saving lives was the one thing that seemed to be etched into their very bones.
The nurse returned her attention to Lin Mo.
And then—
His eyes opened.
Lin Mo's eyes snapped open. His first sensation was pain. A sharp, searing pain erupted inside his head, as if someone had driven a red-hot iron rod straight through his skull.
His consciousness was hazy. His thoughts were scattered. He tried to move.
Nothing.
His body refused to respond. He tried moving his fingers.
Nothing.
His arms.
Nothing.
Even his legs felt as though they belonged to someone else.
'What... happened to me?'
He tried to speak. His lips moved. But no sound came out. His throat felt dry and raw, and his chest burned with every breath. Panic began to creep into his mind.
'Why can't I move?'
He struggled desperately, trying to force his body to obey.
Nothing happened.
The more he tried, the more intense the pain became. In the end, Lin Mo could do nothing but endure it.
He gritted his teeth.
'Calm down.'
'Don't panic.'
'There's nothing else I can do.'
His mind was still trying to piece everything together when the sound of footsteps approached.
The door opened.
An old man entered the room.
He wore a white doctor's coat over a wrinkled shirt. A pair of glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, while his messy gray hair looked as though he had spent the past several days running his hands through it.
He looked less like a doctor and more like a researcher who had forgotten what sleep was.
The nurse immediately stood straight.
"Doctor."
The old man glanced at Lin Mo.
"How is he?"
"He regained consciousness a moment ago. His fingers moved first, then he opened his eyes."
The old man immediately walked toward the bed. He examined the cardiac monitor. Then the pulse oximeter.
He checked Lin Mo's pupils with a small penlight before examining his breathing and carefully inspecting the surgical dressing covering his chest.
His eyes narrowed.
Then widened.
The old man stared at the readings. He looked at Lin Mo. Then back at the monitor. Then at the medical chart.
Finally, he pushed his glasses higher up his nose.
"You're finally awake, little boy."
Lin Mo stared at him.
The doctor smiled.
"Your vital signs are stable. Heart rhythm is regular. Oxygen saturation is good. Your blood pressure is within acceptable limits."
He flipped through the medical records.
"No signs of internal bleeding. No evidence of infection. Your bloodwork is improving, and your hemoglobin levels are recovering faster than expected."
The old man's eyes suddenly lit up.
"This is incredible!"
Lin Mo blinked.
The doctor leaned closer.
"I've seen patients survive severe trauma before, but your recovery is something else entirely."
He pointed toward the medical chart.
"You suffered massive blood loss. You had a penetrating injury to the chest. You should have required extensive transfusion support and weeks, perhaps months, of rehabilitation."
He shook his head.
"But your body is producing blood at an extraordinary rate."
The old man looked genuinely fascinated.
"Your bone marrow activity is unusually high. Your red blood cell count is recovering far faster than normal, and your inflammatory markers are steadily declining."
He paused.
"Of course, you're nowhere near fully recovered."
Then he smiled.
"But considering the condition in which you arrived..."
The doctor laughed softly.
"Recovering this much in a single week is nothing short of amazing."
He looked at Lin Mo as though he had discovered a medical miracle.
"You're one lucky boy."
The doctor continued talking.
And talking.
And talking.
Lin Mo could barely keep up. His mind, however, had stopped listening.
Only two words had managed to penetrate through the haze clouding his consciousness.
'A week?'
His eyes widened slightly.
'I've been unconscious for an entire week?'
His thoughts raced.
'Wait...'
'What happened?'
'Did I really die?'
He remembered the knife.
The pain.
The darkness.
Then—
Nothing.
His memories were fragmented, like pieces of a broken mirror. Lin Mo desperately wanted to examine his own body.
He wanted answers.
What had happened to him?
Why was he still alive?
Why couldn't he move?
And most importantly—
What was that strange voice he had heard before? The doctor seemed to notice the confusion in his eyes.
"You must have a lot of questions."
The old man adjusted his glasses.
"But don't force yourself to speak. Your body has just regained consciousness, and your nervous system needs time to recover."
He gave Lin Mo a reassuring smile.
"Rest for now."
"I'll explain everything once you're in better condition."
With that, the doctor turned and walked toward the door.
The nurse followed behind him. The door closed. Silence returned. Only the rhythmic beeping of the monitor remained.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Lin Mo stared at the ceiling. The pain in his head had not disappeared. If anything, it was becoming more noticeable.
He closed his eyes.
And then—
A familiar voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Emotionless.
System: Scanning player...
Lin Mo's eyes immediately opened.
'What?'
The voice continued.
System: Scanning complete.
System: Physical appearance may change inside the game.
Lin Mo froze.
A strange, translucent display appeared in front of his vision.
System: Please proceed to the Log-in Menu.
[Proceed?]
[YES / NO]
Lin Mo stared at the words. His mind went completely blank.
'What the hell is this?'
He stared at the floating interface.
'Is this some kind of hallucination?'
Perhaps his brain was still recovering from the trauma. Maybe the combination of blood loss, medication, and unconsciousness had finally caused him to lose his mind.
Lin Mo couldn't think of any other explanation.
'Well...'
A strange thought crossed his mind.
'If this is a hallucination...'
He smiled faintly.
'Might as well play along.'
Besides, what else could he do?
He couldn't move.
He couldn't speak.
He couldn't even get out of bed.
At least this strange hallucination gave him something to occupy his mind.
Lin Mo focused on the word YES. He wanted to click it. But then he remembered something.
'I can't move.'
He sighed.
Right.
His body was still completely unresponsive. Lin Mo closed his eyes.
'Forget it.'
But deep inside...
He still wanted to press it. He wanted to know what would happen. Perhaps it was curiosity. Perhaps it was boredom.
Or perhaps, after spending a week hovering between life and death, he simply wanted something—anything—to happen.
'Come on.'
He focused his mind.
'YES.'
Nothing happened. Lin Mo frowned. He tried again.
'YES.'
Suddenly—
The word YES illuminated.
Lin Mo's eyes widened.
'What?!'
Before he could react—
The world around him disappeared.
His consciousness was suddenly pulled away by an invisible force.
'OH, NO!'
'Damn it! Not again!'
Lin Mo's mind screamed. The sensation was eerily familiar. The same feeling. The same emptiness. The same sensation of being dragged somewhere beyond his understanding.
He braced himself. He expected to fall. But this time...
There was no falling sensation. No endless darkness. No terrifying void.
Instead—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
System: Welcome, Player!
System: Welcome to the Land of the ???!
Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes.
System: Physical appearance may be altered by a maximum of 35%.
"What?"
Lin Mo stared ahead.A large mirror suddenly materialized before him. His reflection appeared on its surface. For a moment, Lin Mo simply stared. The person reflected in the mirror was him.
His hospital gown.
His pale complexion.
His messy hair.
Even the medical tape around his arm was still visible. But something was different. Words and symbols floated around his reflection.
One was connected to his hair.
Another to his eyes.
Another to his facial structure.
Another to his body.
Lin Mo stared at the strange interface.
"A game?"
His brows furrowed.
"Am I hallucinating a game?"
He looked at his reflection.
"Is this some kind of side effect from nearly dying?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"Dammit."
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But after a moment, his curiosity won.
"Whatever."
He stepped closer to the mirror.
"Let's try this."
Lin Mo reached out. His finger touched the option labeled Hair. Instantly, the interface changed. Dozens of hairstyles appeared before him.
Short hair.
Long hair.
Messy hair.
Straight hair.
Even styles that seemed impossible to maintain in the real world. He could also change the color.
Black.
Brown.
Silver.
White.
Blue.
Red.
Lin Mo's eyes widened.
"Wow."
He stared at the interface.
"I can customize myself?"
For the first time since awakening, genuine excitement appeared on his face. What began as curiosity quickly became something else. Lin Mo became completely absorbed.
He changed his hairstyle. Then his eyes. Then his facial structure. He adjusted the shape of his nose. His jawline and his eyebrows.
Even the smallest details seemed to be customizable.
Time passed.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Thirty minutes.
Finally—
Lin Mo stepped back.
He stared at the person reflected in the mirror.
After all that effort, he looked almost exactly like an ordinary young man. No sharp jawline that could cut glass.
No silver hair.
No strange-colored eyes.
No exaggerated features.
Just an ordinary-looking sixteen-year-old boy. Perhaps slightly more handsome than average. But nothing particularly special.
Lin Mo nodded.
"Perfect."
A system notification appeared.
System: Do you wish to save this appearance?
System: Warning. Once confirmed, your appearance cannot be changed.
[CONFIRM] • [SELECT AGAIN]
Lin Mo glanced at the two options.
He didn't hesitate.
"Confirm."
He reached out. His finger touched the button. The mirror suddenly rippled.
Like the surface of a calm lake disturbed by a single drop of water, the entire mirror dissolved into waves of light. The light passed through Lin Mo's body.
Then—
Everything disappeared. Lin Mo instinctively touched his face. His fingers moved across his cheeks.
His nose.
His jaw.
It felt different. He couldn't explain how he knew.
But he knew. This was the appearance he had chosen.
The system spoke again.
System: Appearance successfully saved.
System: Please choose a name.
Lin Mo froze.
"A name?"
He stared at the empty space before him.
So...
He could become someone else here. The thought amused him. In this strange world, perhaps he didn't have to be Lin Mo.
Perhaps he could leave behind everything that had happened to him.
The loneliness.
The pain.
The bullying.
The weakness.
The boy who had been beaten and stabbed. The boy who had supposedly died. That person could remain in the real world.
Here...
He could be someone new. A faint smile appeared on Lin Mo's face. He stared at the empty name field. And then, without thinking too much, he typed the first name that came to mind.
Name: Solus
The system paused.
Then—
System: Name confirmed.
And thus...
On the day Lin Mo stood between life and death, a new identity was born.
The boy who had once been called Lin Mo—
Now entered a world where no one knew his past. No one knew his pain. No one knew the life he had left behind.
To the world of the game...
He was simply Solus.
And Lin Mo, believing that everything was nothing more than an elaborate dream born from his near-death experience, had no idea that this moment would become the beginning of a journey that would change everything.