K City Development Zone, in front of Funny Pet Store.
Mu You stuffed the large dog cage in his hand into the trunk of the van.
"Master, this is the last cage. I will call you after the shipping fee."
"No problem, Boss Mu. If you have cats and dogs for sale in the future, please contact me anytime!"
"good."
…
Watching the driver leave with a car full of cats and dogs, Mu You turned around, looked at the mostly empty pet shop behind him, and silently lit a cigarette.
Two years ago, his parents died in a car accident and left him this pet shop.
In order to fulfill his parents' wish, he quit his job and returned to his hometown to run the store full-time, hoping to start a pet store again.
It's a pity that times are changing too fast. Under the impact of the epidemic, it has become hellish for those in the real industry.
Since a few weeks ago, the pet store has been unable to make ends meet. One day's income can't even make up for the feed. In desperation, he had to sell all the cats and dogs in the store and prepare to switch to a lower-cost flower and bird business. Fish and insect shop.
"Hopefully things will get better."
After putting out the cigarette, Mu You turned around and returned to the store.
As soon as I walked in, I saw a girl with a ponytail and an apron standing at the front desk, staring blankly at the rows of empty cages in the store.
"What's wrong, Xiaoya?"
The girl's name is Shen Ya, and she is the only employee of the pet shop.
"Boss..." Xiaoya looked at Muyou and hesitated: "Our store will close down like this..."
"What did you say?"
Mu You tapped her head with his finger and said amusedly: "It's just a contraction of the business scope."
Seeing the girl holding her forehead in grievance, Mu You sighed.
Xiaoya was an employee recruited by her parents when they opened the store, and she has been working in the store for four full years.
Other employees have resigned one after another in the past six months, but she is the only one who has stayed on.
When it comes to her feelings for this pet shop, Xiaoya is by no means worse than herself.
"Don't worry, I won't sell the store unless I'm really desperate."
This shop was a memory left to him by his parents, and it was a place where he grew up. Of course, Mu You would not let it close easily.
What's more, he doesn't only do offline work.
He operates self-media accounts on major mainstream video websites. He earns a lot of income every month by regularly posting pet videos, so it is not difficult to sustain it.
"Oh, that's good!"
Xiaoya then smiled and said, "I'm going to wash the turtle's back!"
Watching this cute employee run into the pet bathroom, Mu You walked into the store, glanced at the front desk, and was suddenly stunned.
"Xiaoya, is the USB flash drive at the front desk yours?"
"USB disk? No!" The girl's confused voice came from the bathroom.
"Did the guests leave it behind?"
Muyou didn't think much and was about to put the USB flash drive into the lost and found box.
But after picking up the USB flash drive, I found a note underneath.
"Open it and you'll find a new world."
Looking at the words on the note, Mu You was stunned for a moment.
What's the meaning? Is this USB flash drive just for him?
Out of curiosity, he sat back at the front desk and inserted the USB flash drive into the computer interface.
After opening it, there were only two files in the 16G USB flash drive.
An APP file named 'The Fool (internal beta version 2.41)', and a 'Game Invitation Code' in TXT format.
"Mobile game?"
Mu You looked strange.
Are mobile games nowadays working so hard for promotion? Does downloading a mobile game come with a USB flash drive?
Out of curiosity, he opened the anti-virus software and checked it. After confirming that there was no virus, he imported the APP to his phone.
Skilled installation and registration.
Then enter the activation code to start the game.
The exciting background music and exquisite game CG graphics did not appear.
Instead, an extremely crude box interface popped up.
There was no picture or sound, just text with black background and white surface, as if someone was clumsily tapping on the opposite side, they popped up on the screen one by one.
[On a snowy night, you wake up in a forest covered with heavy snow. 】
[The cold wind howls in the forest, the hoots of owls come and go, the cold moonlight falls under the feet, and every dead tree around seems to have a twisted and crying face. 】
[In the scene of falling snowflakes, you gradually recall the past that you have forgotten. 】
[This is a magical world called the "Star Spirit World", where werewolves, vampires, elves, witches, wizards riding broomsticks, heartless tin men, talking mirrors, ghosts in the castle...these legendary things Magical creatures together form this strange and dark world. 】
[A long time ago, you were also residents of this continent. But because your ancestors did not have the ability to release magic, they were nicknamed 'Fools' by wizards. 】
[The proud Wizards Association refused to coexist with fools. They launched a war, collected magic power, and built a "high wall" to isolate ignorance and true knowledge. A heavy rain that wipes out all your memories, and you are forever sealed in a forgotten land without magic. 】
[Now, you luckily passed through the crack in the 'wall' and returned to this homeland. 】
[Here, you are a hated person and are not tolerated by this world. Every step you take next, you need to be careful, every choice you make will directly affect your destiny...]
[If you are sure you are ready to face all this, then click Start and officially embark on this journey! 】
[Click 'Start' to enter the game. 】
"So this is what 'The Fool' means..."
Mu You was a little surprised.
He thought that the "Fool" in the game's name referred to something in the game, but after reading the background introduction, he realized that the "Fool" actually refers to the player.
Needless to say, although the appearance of this game is very simple, the world view of the story is quite grand. In just a few sentences, it shows him a strange and dark magical world.
Players accidentally broke into this world, and next they have to explore, hunt for treasures, and take revenge on the Wizards Association that once expelled them!
"start!"
Muyou clicked the button.
[Under the cover of wind and snow, you officially set foot on the land of your hometown. 】
[But you exude a strong aura of an 'exile'. In order to avoid being discovered by the indigenous people here, you need to disguise yourself as a resident of this world as soon as possible. 】
[A floating gift box appears in front of you. 】
[This is a gift prepared by the ancestors of the Fool for each returnee. After opening it, you can get a random ancestral relic. The ancestral relic can help you cover up the aura of the exile to prevent you from being discovered by other wizards. Open now? 】
Two options, yes and no.
"This should be considered a gift package for newbies, right?"
Mu You thought and silently clicked [Yes].
[Ancestral relics are being drawn...]
[Extraction completed! 】
[You have obtained the 'Time Pocket Watch (Hidden)': Press the pocket watch to go back in time, helping you avoid dangers hidden in the dark. 】
[Note: When drawing relics, there is a one-thousandth chance of drawing a unique hidden relic with powerful effects. 】
"Hidden relics?"
Mu You couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the text prompt.
There was only one thousandth chance of drawing, but he actually got it with one shot... It seemed like he was lucky today!
...Of course, it’s also possible that everyone’s first draw is guaranteed to be hidden, which is a regular routine in krypton gold mobile games.
No matter what, although this is a "little word game", its huge world view and this special game mode of treasure hunting through text exploration give Muyou the motivation to continue playing.
Clicking on the screen, Mu You was about to continue, but suddenly felt something cold in his right hand, as if he was holding something.
Looking down, he saw a small, round pocket watch lying quietly in his hand.
It has a copper shell, a white dial, and a protruding button on the top, with a golden chain fixed on the button.
Mu You looked at the pocket watch in his hand strangely.
Where did this come from?
He didn't remember having this kind of old-fashioned pocket watch at home. Besides, how could a watch suddenly slip into his hand?
"Boss, are you reading your palm?"
There was a sudden sound in my ears.
Looking up, Xiaoya came over at some point and was lying on the front desk, holding her chin in her hands and looking curiously at his open palms.
"Palm reading?"
When Mu You heard her question, a strange thought suddenly came to his mind.
"Xiaoya, can't you see this watch?"
"Watch? What watch?"
"It's just the pocket watch in my hand!"
Mu You also deliberately lifted the pocket watch and showed it to her.
"Old, boss, don't scare me...you obviously have nothing in your hand..."
Xiaoya looked at him as if she had seen a ghost, and subconsciously took a step back. As a result, her arm accidentally touched the water glass on the table.
The water glass fell and Xiaoya hurriedly tried to save it, but it was too late.
"Bang!"
The glass filled with water shattered, and glass shards and tea splashed all over the floor.
"Ah, I'm sorry..." Xiaoya's face was full of shame, and she subconsciously wanted to pick up the glass shards.
"It's just a cup..."
Mu You just wanted to wave his hand and say it was okay, but his finger accidentally pressed the pocket watch button.
The next moment, he felt a flash of light in front of his eyes, and everything around him suddenly began to rewind at a rapid speed.
Cover with water and you will be able to collect it, and the broken cup will be reunited!
When everything calms down, you can open your eyes again.
The debris and water stains on the ground disappeared without a trace.
The broken water glass returned to the table intact.
His right hand kept holding the pocket watch to show off.
In front of her, Xiaoya stood at the front desk again, looking at him with a ghostly look on her face.
"Old, boss, don't scare me...you obviously have nothing in your hand..."
A familiar conversation rang out, and Mu You was stunned on the spot: What's going on? Am I dreaming?
As a result, the next second, Xiaoya's elbow touched the water glass again, and the water glass fell straight down again.
Mu You's pupils shrank, and his right hand reached out like lightning, narrowly catching the water glass flying in the air.
"ah!"
Xiaoya exclaimed, looking at the cup caught by Mu You, and patted her chest with lingering fear: "Fortunately, boss, you reacted quickly, you almost broke it."
"..."
Mu You did not answer, but looked at the cup in his hand in shock.
He actually experienced the same scene twice, and the outcome changed...
He subconsciously looked at the phone screen again.
At this time, a new prompt has popped up in the game interface.
[Time Pocket Watch: A pocket watch blessed by the Time Fairy. Pressing the button can reverse time to five seconds ago. There is a five-second cooldown after each use. 】
