A player bought a second-life simulator called Gotham Online. Its tags were simulation, action, casual, single-player, mild horror, and high freedom.
After entering the game, the player cautiously decided to start on Easy Mode.
Having learned from their experience with Earth Online, the first thing they did before logging in was pour a hefty amount of money into the game. (Good kids, don't try this at home. Spend responsibly.)
[Day One: You were born. For some reason, you are a blood relative of the Wayne family, Gotham's wealthiest family, who was left behind in the outside world.
New player tutorial detected. Please choose:
A. Find a way to return to the Wayne family
B. Explore on your own
C. Maybe you have a better idea
Tempted by the new map, the player decisively abandoned the main quest and went off to explore and hunt for treasure alone.
They didn't expect the place to be so dangerous. Just after stepping outside, they ran into a guy called the Condiment King committing a crime in broad daylight. He dropped from the sky, cackling as he drove the crowd away. Unable to dodge in time, the player got a generous coating of ketchup all over their pristine white clothes.
Player: ...
Just then, a bat dropped from the sky, effortlessly dodged the sprays of mustard and hot sauce, grabbed the Condiment King, and subdued him in an instant. (Not really.)
When the fighting stopped, all that remained on the street was the player, covered in a mess, the Condiment King sprawled on the ground, and Batman lurking in the shadows.
In the silence, the human-shaped bat standing in the shadows gave a low greeting:
"Kid, do you need help?"
Player: ...
Without any further complications, the player ultimately decided to return to the warm embrace of their billionaire family first and figure out the rest later.
On their first day home, a boy with a long knife stood on the stairs, regarding them with a dangerous gaze.
"Father, is this the replacement you chose?"
Bruce: ...
"Damian, show some manners. This is your... great-great-uncle."
Damian: ?
*
Life after returning to the Wayne family was even easier than the player had imagined.
With all their immediate family members dead, the remaining collateral relatives didn't know how to treat them yet. Besides, their great-nephew's household was very small: apart from the player, there was only their great-nephew, his son, and a butler.
With financial support from the Wayne family, the player decided to take a flashlight and explore Gotham again on a dark and stormy night.
Three minutes later, unable to open the front door, the player regretfully abandoned their plans to go out.
*
Daily life unfolded without too many scares. Since both children longed to see the outside world, Bruce, unable to bear watching the elderly butler battle the kids at home every night, finally made up his mind and sent them to school to be enlightened by knowledge.
In class, though their body was small, the player's mind was still sharp, and they soon started daydreaming. While pretending to rummage through their schoolbag in an attempt to pull out some handy gadget to get through the boring lesson, the player unexpectedly found a tiny round sticker.
Player: (o-O)?
After fiddling with it for ages without figuring out what was so special about the little circle, the player casually tucked it into their deskmate's hat.
That night, Batman discovered that the tracker he'd installed on the child was extremely close to him: ???
--Reader's Guide--
(The protagonist appears at age five.)
1. The world order is reversed, and the story contains extensive original settings.
2. The player thinks they're just playing a game. Please be forgiving if they cause offense.
3. There are countless great stories on Jinjiang. If this one isn't for you, just move on. No need to tell me you're dropping it.
Theme: Be kind to yourself
