Hourglass Project - Chapter 3

Before the last grain of sand fell, the players remained in a state of fear and unease. Though it was futile, they understood “prayer” was now a meaningless word.

“Caw—!!”

The crows issued their second global cry. As expected, it wasn’t a good sign.

“First Global Micro-Dimensional Space opening complete. All players will be transported into the micro-dimensional space within one minute to complete the mission.”

Before disappearing into the blue mist, Huang Jiajun looked at the three and smiled, “Good luck.”

The system repeated the message three times and with that, the sand ran out.

The First Global Micro-Dimensional Space began at 07:05.

At dawn, the air was fresh. The golden sun wasn’t yet harsh, and its warm light bathed the earth.

There was not a single trace of life left on Earth.

….

Inside Jiangyang No.1 High School’s girls’ bathroom, first floor of the second-year building

From the last stall on the left came a faint sound. The door opened, and a figure in a mask and tactical gear stepped out.

The scent of rusted bl00d on this person clashed with the stench of the restroom, though the latter was stronger.

She reached up, removed her mask, and her appearance shifted as her gear retracted, revealing her true face.

The girl slipped her hands into her pockets and walked lazily out of the restroom. Her relaxed, threatless demeanor was now a rare thing.

She had barely taken a few steps out of the building before she stopped, looking up at the distant hourglass in the sky. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with brooding.

….

On a bumpy dirt road, a bus rattled along at a steady pace.

No “passenger” on board looked pleased. Some shivered, others wept. Only a few remained calm.

There were both adults and children among the “passengers”, and they didn’t seem to know each other. It had been over ten minutes since the bus started moving. During that time, they had shown surprise, confusion, fear, and anger. All of which eventually gave way to resignation.

Pshhh—

The bus hissed to a halt.

A player looked outside in confusion, seeing only a remote wilderness. “Are we there?”

“What?” someone asked, voice trembling.

“S-Someone’s getting on!!” shouted a player near the door.

The entire bus was stunned.

More people?! Wasn’t everyone already here at the start?!!

Or could that person not be human?!

Everyone grew wary, eyes locked on the incoming “person.”

A girl with a schoolbag slung over one shoulder boarded. She stood tall over 180 cm. Her air was unhurried and distant. Her features were strikingly sharp yet beautiful. Her sudden appearance caught the attention of four people at the back of the bus.

Upon seeing her clearly, the rest of the passengers instinctively recoiled as if she were some kind of monster.

The four in the back were stunned. Huang Yuhan, especially, waved her arms excitedly, immediately revealing their connection.

Lin Yi beside her rolled her eyes.

Li Moya scanned the bus, counting the people. Including herself, there were 26.

She made her way to the back and paused halfway, casting a longer glance at a boy who looked about five.

As Li Moya slowly approached, the tension between the four friends drew the eyes of the rest of the passengers.

“Do they know each other?”

“Obviously… If they know her, that means she’s a player.”

“How do you know those five aren’t NPCs from the micro-space?”

“Uh…”

Li Moya had a faint smile on her lips. Her laid-back air seemed to calm some of the players, while also unsettling others.

A player beside Huang Yuhan quickly gave up their seat, knowing she was coming over.

Li Moya put down her bag and collapsed into the seat like she had no bones in her body.

The bus, now restarted, continued down the endless dirt road.

A quiet sigh came from beside her. Huang Yuhan turned to her and said, “So you do remember how to come back.”

Li Moya looked at her, chuckled, and said slowly, “I missed you guys~”

Lin Yi turned sharply to her, “Explain everything once we get off the bus.”

Confused, she asked, “How do you know we’re getting off?”

“The system said so.”

“?”

Indeed, when the players had arrived on the dirt road, the system had announced:

“The First Global Micro-Dimensional Space has opened. Welcome to the micro-space titled Village and Villagers.”

“There is a remote village behind this mountain. The villagers rarely leave. To sustain their livelihoods, they’ve developed it into a tourist destination. Today, a group of tourists (you) will be arriving to experience local customs. After one week, the tourists are expected to enjoy the village and be able to answer the villagers’ questions.”

“In five minutes, a bus will arrive to take you to the village. Please remain calm until then.”

“A whole week?” Li Moya asked, “Does it really have to be that long?”

“No idea,” Lin Yi replied.

“What are the villagers’ questions?”

“Maybe questions about the village. Like a test to see if we paid attention,” Lin Yi guessed.

They didn’t discuss further. For a while, it felt like old times — the five of them together.

But memories were fragile.

Still, at least they had reunited.

They were clinging greedily to this moment. Who knew if they’d be torn apart by death again.

They had been together for 15 years. Was a game really going to separate them?

The future loomed, uncertain and terrifying.

Tao Luo, staring out the window, said, “We’re here.”

The bus stopped with a hiss. Its doors opened, and the players hesitantly got off — only to find an envoy standing at the bus stop sign.

CG107

Once all 26 players had disembarked, the bus drove off, destination unknown.

CG107 glanced over them and said formally, “Welcome to the micro-dimensional space titled Village and Villagers. Your task is to complete missions assigned by the villagers. Please follow me into the village.”

The inevitable had arrived. They followed CG107.

Through grass, into forest, birds chirping and cicadas humming, 27 figures wandered through the woods.

“Earth…” Lin Yi looked up at the trees. “Feels like there aren’t any animals anymore, huh?”

“None,” Huang Jiajun said. “Haven’t seen any since that afternoon.”

“Why?” Huang Yuhan asked.

“Because animals are food~” Li Moya said from the rear, kicking a stone as she walked with her hands in her pockets.

“Ah…” Huang Yuhan and Lin Yi were both disheartened.

They walked for another five minutes before exiting the forest and climbing a long mountain path. It took them over 20 minutes to reach the top.

Beyond lay another large mountain, its slopes covered in forest.

Between the two mountains sat a mid-sized village. A few people in villager costumes moved about. The houses looked modest, and there was a subtle air of sorrow in the atmosphere.

CG107 turned and said, “If you enter the village now, villagers will come to greet you.”

“You’re leaving?!” a player shouted.

CG107 nodded. “The envoy’s task is complete. Follow-up missions will be assigned after you finish your tasks.”

He turned to leave.

“Wait!”

A woman grabbed him, terrified. 

“You can’t leave!”

CG107 replied, “The envoy has no role in player survival. Obstruction of the envoy will result in punishment by the system.”

This was a clear warning.

The woman, defeated, let go, her face blank.

CG107 ignored them and headed back down the mountain path.

“…If we follow him, could we go back?”

Someone asked.

That triggered something. The woman from earlier suddenly ran after the envoy.

The other players were stunned.

She’s really going?!

“Should… we follow her?” a girl asked.

“I… I’m scared something bad will happen,” said a boy, not giving a clear answer.

The rest began hesitating too.

Tao Luo looked at Li Moya, who showed no reaction, her lazy expression as if she saw through everything.

Following him back was definitely a bad idea.

She turned and walked toward the village. The other four followed without hesitation.

“…Sigh.”

Behind them, a male player reached out instinctively.

“Should we go?” another asked.

The man stared at the five retreating figures, silent, then said, “Go.”

The two followed them.

With so many heading toward the village, the rest obeyed as well.

Maybe doing as told is the only way to survive.

As they neared the village, a villager waved and cheered.

“You’re the tourists, right?” the villager asked with a smile. Under his warm eyes were two bruised circles.

“Yes,” Huang Jiajun answered.

“Welcome! Come with me, I’ll take you to the village chief.”

They were led to the chief’s house and told to wait outside. Shortly, the villager returned with a man.

He was about 40, plainly dressed, sturdy-looking, and also had dark circles under his eyes.

This was the chief.

“Welcome. My home is humble, so I won’t invite you in,” the chief said with a friendly smile. “I’m the village chief. I usually welcome guests. Let me have someone show you to your rooms. Later, we’ll gather to introduce the village.”

“Thank you,” Huang Jiajun said sincerely.

The chief waved it off, and the earlier villager took over, leading them to their rooms.

Each room housed three players 9 rooms total. The five friends split into groups of three and two, and the rest paired off. Nobody was alone.

The villager said to rest, and they’d be called when the chief was ready.

Li Moya leaned against the doorframe, watching the villager’s back for a while, then turned to look behind their house.

It was right up against the mountain.

She couldn’t tell if it was coincidence or design, but it didn’t feel like a good thing.

The other four came out and joined her.

Li Moya’s gaze fixed on the treeline. “There are graves on that mountain.”

The others were stunned. Huang Yuhan turned to her, shocked. “What the hell?! You can see that far?!”

Even with their enhanced eyesight, spotting graves five kilometers away was a stretch.

Li Moya just smiled.

Huang Yuhan blinked, saying nothing more.

Tao Luo looked around and said, “Let’s talk inside.”

They all entered the room shared by Lin Yi and the Huang twins.

Once the door was locked, Lin Yi slapped the table and yelled, “What’s going on?! Spit it out!”

Li Moya smiled and slumped over the table. “Wait a minute~”

The others all questioned her at once.

Knock knock knock.

Lin Yi turned, wary, and opened the door, and froze.

A little boy stood there, head tilted up, big eyes blinking.

“Let him in,” Li Moya called from behind.

Lin Yi was confused, but let him in and locked the door again.

The boy ran to Li Moya and called her “Yao Yao” as he climbed into her lap.

“……”

Li Moya smiled and said, “Shen Wenyu. My good friend. He’s over 200 years old. You can call him Grandpa.”

No one spoke.

As for Li Moya’s identity… Let’s leave that for now. What mattered was she and Shen Wenyu were the same kind.