When Zi Sen opened his eyes, the scent of damp earth filled his nostrils.
Above him was a dense canopy, with sunlight filtering through the gaps and casting dappled shadows. He heard birdsong and a stream, and also... the familiar sound of a guitar coming from far away.
"Xiong Da, Xiong Er, Bald Qiang..."
He murmured the words, sat up, and looked around. He was in a forest, unnaturally green and eerily quiet. The trees were arranged far too neatly, as if carefully designed by some program. Dewdrops on the grass glistened, yet not a single one fell, as though time had been paused here.
"Where... am I?" Zi Sen looked down at himself. He was wearing a VR neural-link suit for testing, but the sensations felt far too real to be virtual.
He remembered testing a new game called "Childhood Corridor." Its tagline was "Return to a carefree childhood and immerse yourself in classic cartoons." He had chosen the "Boonie Bears" setting and clicked "Start."
Then his consciousness went dark.
When he opened his eyes again, he was here.
"System? Exit command," he said quietly.
There was no response.
"Exit! Exit!" He sprang to his feet, his heart racing.
At that moment, a line of blood-red writing appeared out of nowhere on a tree trunk ahead, as if carved there with fingernails:
The writing remained for three seconds, then vanished.
Zi Sen took a step back, cold sweat instantly soaking through his clothes.
This wasn't a game.
A game wouldn't feel this real on a physiological level, wouldn't make his heart race and his breathing grow ragged with such oppressive force. And it certainly wouldn't bring... a chill seeping from deep within his bones.
Forcing himself to calm down, he reached for the item he carried with him
