novelraw Chapter 3 The Disappearing Game Exit Button
Chapter 3 The Disappearing Game Exit Button
"How the hell is this possible?"
The intense pain caused Chen Huai to swear twice. The pain feedback in the company's game was adjustable, but the maximum was only 40%, and there was an additional pain threshold setting. Once it was exceeded, the game would automatically disconnect.
This is the most fundamental and ironclad rule, and there must be absolutely no exceptions. Otherwise, a single oversight could lead to a matter of life and death.
But that last attack clearly exceeded the threshold, yet he remained perfectly fine in the game.
This is not a symbolic response to being hit, but a real injury.
As a tech geek living in a peaceful era, Chen Huai had never felt the breath of death so real and oppressive.
Strangely, after the extreme fear subsided, his heartbeat was forcibly calmed down amidst the excruciating pain and crisis, and an unusual calmness enveloped his thoughts.
"Panel... Properties..."
He endured the pain, concentrated his mind, and stared intently at the other person.
In his field of vision, a semi-transparent attribute panel suddenly popped up and hovered next to the "big cat" figure as he "looked at" it:
[Target: Cat Demon (Virus Species)]
[Level: LV14]
【Strength: 88】
[Physical Fitness: 64]
[Agility: 104]
【Spirit: 5】
……
[Skills: Keen sense of smell, mastery of stealth, razor-sharp tearing claws, ???]
[Threat Level: Extremely Lethal]
"Level 14?!"
Are you kidding me? He's a level 1 newbie, hasn't even left the starting village yet, and he's already encountered a level 14 monster?! Forget about life simulation games, even horror games shouldn't be designed like this.
The difference in attributes is so exaggerated that there is no need for comparison. Apart from having a slight advantage in spirit, he is far behind in all other attributes. His opponent's strength and agility are several times that of his!
He had no doubt that the opponent could easily tear his throat open with the next blow.
However, to his surprise, the mutated cat demon, which was comparable in size to a lion, did not take the opportunity to pounce. Instead, it stopped its approach.
Its amber vertical pupils first swept over Chen Huai, and then its gaze fell on the right front paw that it had just slapped Chen Huai with.
On the edge of the paw pads, there were a few fresh smears of blood belonging to Chen Huai.
The cat demon lowered its head, its nostrils twitching very slightly, and brought its paws closer.
It seemed to hesitate for a moment, then extended its tongue, whose barbs were faintly visible, and gently licked the bloodstains on the tip of its claw.
In that instant, Chen Huai clearly saw the subtle change in the cat demon's expression.
The originally cold, hunting gaze froze with an extremely human touch.
It wasn't disgust, nor the excitement of tasting delicious food, but a pure sense of bewilderment.
Its licking motion abruptly stopped, its massive head tilted to one side, and its ears were turned back at a slightly odd angle. When its amber eyes looked up at Chen Huai again, the murderous intent and hunger within them receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable scrutiny and curiosity.
Chen Huai's heart raced as he was being stared at, but for some reason, he suddenly felt as if the crisis had been averted.
He had never owned a cat, or even a pet, but somehow he "understood" what the other party meant; this cat demon had no ill intentions towards him.
"This taste...it feels...wrong? It's strange...what is it?"
A strange sound suddenly entered Chen Huai's ears, but when he looked around, apart from the roar of the cat demon in front of him, it seemed that no one was speaking.
Then, something even more astonishing happened to Chen Huai.
The cat demon made a gurgling sound in its throat, and then it suddenly moved.
It was still incredibly fast, but the way it pounced on had completely changed.
It didn't aim for Chen Huai's vital points. Its huge claws slammed down with wind pressure, but at the last moment it clearly pulled back, and its paws "lightly" pressed down on the ground next to Chen Huai's head, stirring up a small puff of dust.
It nudged Chen Huai's shoulder with its broad head, controlling the force just enough to make him sway rather than be knocked away.
It even used the tip of its tail to tentatively brush against Chen Huai's calf.
The feeling... if you ignore its massive size, comparable to a lion, and its claws and fangs that can easily tear through steel, its flapping, headbutting, and tail-sweeping movements are just like a curious big cat trying to interact with a "new toy" that has piqued its interest but seems a bit fragile.
It lacked the ferocity of a predator, instead revealing a playful probing and teasing quality.
Chen Huai leaned against the tree trunk, enduring the pain. In this bizarre and absurd "interaction," that strange intuition resurfaced.
He seemed to hear fragmented voices again:
"Come... play... what are you?"
He barely managed to raise his uninjured arm to deflect another "gentle" slap from the giant claw. His body ached from the recoil, but he felt more of a sense of absurdity and absurdity.
He was actually "playing" with a giant beast that almost killed him? And he even strangely understood the beast's "intentions"!
This scene lasted for about one or two minutes.
The cat demon seemed to have gained some initial confirmation from this interaction, or perhaps it was bored by Chen Huai's lack of further response.
It finally brought its nose close to Chen Huai, sniffed his scent carefully again, let out a deeper, more complex snort, and then slowly retreated.
It retreated into the shadows where the bushes met, gave Chen Huai one last look, and then its massive body disappeared lightly into the dense, twisted vegetation, just as silently as it had appeared.
Only when the cat demon's aura completely disappeared from his senses did Chen Huai truly relax, as intense pain and weakness from blood loss overwhelmed him.
He was panting heavily, his tattered clothes soaked with cold sweat and blood.
Just as his mind calmed down a little—
[Activate exclusive talent skill: Life Affinity (LV1, Active/Passive)]
[Activate General Basic Skill: Basic Combat (LV1, Passive)]
A concise notification sounded directly from the depths of my consciousness.
Two seemingly powerful skills appeared to have been activated during the battle, especially the Life Affinity skill, which seemed to be the key to saving his life.
But at this moment, Chen Huai had no desire to investigate this matter.
His entire being was consumed by even stronger emotions—lingering fear and the ensuing raging anger.
A 100% simulation of pain! The excruciating pain of those claws tearing through flesh, the coldness and weakness brought on by the loss of blood, the fear of my heart almost exploding when facing death...
All of this is so real it's outrageous!
If... if that cat demon hadn't stopped and had continued with its initial killing intent, what would have been the consequences of that solid strike? Would its head have exploded like a watermelon? Or would its throat have been easily severed by its sharp teeth?
With this level of realism, what would happen if that level of pain and trauma feedback were transmitted to the nerves in real life? Shock? Cardiac arrest? Or permanent nerve damage or even brain death?
This wasn't a test! This was murder! A major accident caused by those lunatics in the tech department who went completely overboard!
"The testing must be stopped! I'm going to settle accounts with those guys in the tech department!"
Chen Huai gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain as he struggled to sit up.
Forget the game flow, forget the observation missions, forget this bullshit Second Life! All he wants now is to leave this damn virtual game immediately!
Just then, a rustling sound of footsteps accompanied by a cautious call came from behind.
"Sir...are you...are you alright?"
The four scavengers, who had been chased and humiliated by the cat demon, now dared to approach cautiously.
Their faces were still showing shock, and their eyes were filled with disbelief and a complex mix of gratitude and awe as they looked at Chen Huai.
The one speaking was the middle-aged man who had previously held the rusty machete; his voice was still trembling slightly.
"Thank you so much, sir, for scaring away that cat demon... We have some herbs here for your injury..."
Chen Huai raised his eyes and gave them a cold glance.
According to the plan, he should be able to easily subdue this group of people at this point and then take them back to help him build a base.
But he wasn't in the mood for any plot developments right now, and he was too lazy to even respond, completely ignoring the genuine concern on their faces.
Chen Huai took a deep breath and opened his personal panel.
The panel has a simple status bar, showing his injury icon and the debuff that causes him to lose health continuously. There are empty equipment slots and two newly activated skill slots with grayed-out icons. His gaze quickly and accurately swept to the lower left corner of the panel.
According to the company's general UI design guidelines for games, there should always be a very prominent, red "Exit Game" button there.
However, at this moment—
That spot was empty.
There is no red button.
There are no exit-related indicators or options.
There was only a blank space.
"Holy crap, where's my big game exit button?!"