Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
Puppet Master's Trading Game: Who Is the Next Prey?
墨書 Inktalez
Ye Feng slouched in the worn-out swivel chair in his dormitory, his eyes bloodshot after eight hours of relentless gaming. The moonlight streamed through the window, casting a pale glow that highlighted his slightly gaunt face. The vast game interface flickered before him, stimulating his already exhausted nerves.
"Another all-nighter?" his roommate, Xiao Chen, yawned and asked.
Ye Feng rubbed his sore eyes and mumbled, "Just one more game, then I'll sleep."
He had said this at least five times already, but each time it felt like an addiction—just one more round, just one more round. Gaming was the only spice in his otherwise mundane college life; the sound of keystrokes was the only thing that brought him a fleeting sense of satisfaction.
Xiao Chen shook his head, wrapped himself tighter in his blanket, and turned away. Ye Feng sighed and prepared to shut down his computer. Just then, his phone vibrated.
"Who’s messaging at this hour?" Ye Feng grumbled as he picked up his phone.
A notification popped up on the screen: "Try 'Life Restart' and experience a life you’ve never lived."
Normally, Ye Feng despised such nonsensical ads, but for some reason, this one piqued his interest. Perhaps it was the mental haze from staying up too late or simply boredom; he clicked the link and downloaded the app.
The interface was surprisingly simple, with only a flashing button that said "Start Experience" in the center. There was no registration, no payment prompts, not even a software description.
"Just some gimmick," Ye Feng scoffed, yet his finger couldn't resist tapping it.
What happened next completely exceeded his expectations.
A wave of intense dizziness washed over him; Ye Feng felt as if he were being thrown into a massive whirlpool. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a small, filthy rental room. Mold covered the corners of the walls, and the fluorescent light on the ceiling flickered ominously, casting a sickly white glow.
"What kind of place is this?" Ye Feng instinctively tried to get up but found his body heavy and unfamiliar. Looking down, he saw that his once youthful and fit physique had transformed into that of a middle-aged man with a protruding beer belly; his hands were calloused and wrinkled.
Stumbling to his feet, Ye Feng groped his way to the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror nearly made him scream—a balding man in his forties stared back at him, with sagging bags under tired eyes and unkempt stubble etched with the marks of life’s hardships.
"What the hell! What is going on?" Ye Feng slapped his face, the pain feeling terrifyingly real. He looked around, trying to find a way back, but found nothing.
Just as he was about to lose it, his phone on the bedside table rang. Ye Feng rushed over to grab it, and the screen displayed a text message: "Dear Puppet, your mission has begun. Today, you need to act as a clown and perform in the central square, creating some 'little chaos.' Upon completing the task, you will earn a chance to return. Signed: Puppet Master."
"What kind of joke is this? Is this some kind of prank?" Ye Feng muttered to himself, unable to believe what was happening. But aside from following the instructions in the message, he seemed to have no other choice.
To his surprise, there really was a clown costume in the wardrobe—brightly colored in an eye-watering red and yellow combination, along with a mask smeared with face paint. Looking at the outfit made Ye Feng's stomach churn.
"Who has the time to do this kind of thing?" he complained but slowly began to change into the costume.
The central square was bustling with people; it was peak shopping time on the weekend. Wearing the ridiculous clown outfit, Ye Feng stood awkwardly in the middle of the square. Passersby cast strange looks at him; some laughed, others shook their heads, and children pointed at him giggling.
"Create chaos? What chaos?" Ye Feng thought to himself before deciding to muster up his courage and perform a few tricks. He fumbled with the balloons he had brought along, clumsily shaping them into various forms, which made the surrounding children burst into laughter.
A little girl timidly approached him: "Clown uncle, can I have a balloon?"
Ye Feng paused for a moment, an inexplicable feeling welling up inside him. The little girl wore a pink dress and had two little braids; her eyes were pure as if untouched by the world. In that instant, he suddenly understood what "chaos" meant—not destruction but breaking conventions and creating something different.
He bent down and handed her a carefully shaped balloon dog: "Here you go, little princess."
The girl's eyes lit up as she reached for the balloon, but Ye Feng suddenly let go, and the balloon soared into the sky. The girl looked up in surprise, and Ye Feng took this opportunity to pull out a Paper Flower from his pocket and stick it in her hair.
"See? This is much prettier than a balloon," Ye Feng said with a smile.
The girl jumped up joyfully as applause erupted around them. It was as if Ye Feng had flipped a switch; he began performing wholeheartedly. He was no longer just a college student holed up playing video games or some Middle-Aged Down-and-Out Uncle; he was now a clown who could bring joy to others.
He danced with strange steps, sang songs he didn’t even know where he had learned them from, and even climbed onto the fountain sculpture in the center of the square. When security rushed over to stop him, Ye Feng had already jumped off the fountain and dove into the crowd.
"Catch that crazy clown!" the security guard shouted.
The crowd immediately erupted into chaos, and Ye Feng seized the opportunity to slip into a corner, his heart pounding. He had never done anything so outrageous before, and an indescribable thrill coursed through him.
At that moment, his vision began to blur, his limbs felt heavy, and his consciousness started to fade. The last thing he saw was a mysterious figure standing in the distance, smiling at him.
When Ye Feng opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on his dormitory bed, the computer screen still lit up, displaying the game over screen.
"Was that a dream?" Ye Feng rubbed his eyes and looked around; everything was just as usual.
Xiao Chen's snoring came from the upper bunk, and outside the window, dawn was breaking. Ye Feng picked up his phone to check that strange app but found it had vanished without a trace.
"Could it really have been a dream?" Ye Feng murmured to himself, but the vivid sensations, the experience of living as another person, and the innocent smile of a little girl made it hard for him to believe it was all just a dream.
Filled with doubt, Ye Feng opened his browser and searched for "Life Restart" and "Puppet Master," but found nothing. No relevant links, no similar apps—nothing at all.
Just as he was about to give up, a new message popped up: "Did you enjoy the experience? See you next time. — Puppet Master."
The message flashed and disappeared before Ye Feng could take a screenshot; he could only stare in shock as the screen returned to normal. At that moment, he was certain that everything he had experienced was real, and this was just the beginning.
Ye Feng shut down his computer and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't know what this so-called "Life Restart" really was or what the mysterious "Puppet Master" intended, but one thing he was sure of—his life would no longer be ordinary.
Comment 0 Comment Count