Jimmy had just picked up his phone when he saw an incoming call on his Nokia!
Looking at the familiar number on the screen, Jimmy relaxed his furrowed brows and answered, "Hello?"
"Oh my God! Langzi! Where have you been? Where have you been these past few days?!" A desperate male voice came through the phone.
"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked in confusion. The voice belonged to his best friend, a fat guy named Luo Haha. That wasn't just a nickname—his nickname was "Xiao Pang" (Little Fat).
"What's wrong!? Do you know where you've been this past week? I couldn't find you anywhere! When I called your phone, it said it was out of service, and when I went to your house, you weren't home! Where have you been?!" The fat guy shouted anxiously.
"Uh…" Jimmy fell silent. He didn't expect that he had actually spent a week in that so-called movie world! Jimmy couldn't tell him that; even if he did, no one would believe it!
"I'm fine, wait a minute. I'll come find you now!" Jimmy quickly said before hanging up, rushing to the door. As Jimmy put on his shoes, he suddenly froze. He saw his crimson left eye reflected in the stainless steel door... How was he supposed to go out and meet people now!?
Reluctantly, Jimmy ran back to his room, grabbed a cloth, and covered his left eye before heading out. As for his tongue, as long as Jimmy didn't stick it out, it wouldn't be an issue!
In a hurry, Jimmy ran downstairs and bumped into Su Xiaoqin, who was heading upstairs. "Ah! What happened to your eye?" The girl asked, noticing the cloth covering Jimmy's left eye.
"Uh, it's nothing. It's just been a little painful these past few days," Jimmy quickly shook his head.
"I see! I heard you've been missing for a week. Where did you go?" The girl asked.
"Uh, I've been going to see a doctor for my eye! I just got back today!" Jimmy lied helplessly.
"Oh, I see!" The girl nodded.
"I have something to do. I'm going out for a bit!" Jimmy said, then quickly ran downstairs. The girl looked thoughtfully at Jimmy's retreating figure and wondered, "Why do I feel like... he's gotten more handsome?"
Jimmy went out onto the street and first found a pharmacy to buy a medical eye patch. Then, he found an empty spot, put it on, and realized he now looked a little like a medical patient!
Next, Jimmy rushed to his old spot, which was actually the late-night snack stall run by his fat friend. Usually, after finishing his work during the day, Jimmy would help out at the stall and occasionally eat there.
Since the stall was on the roadside, as soon as Jimmy arrived, the fat guy excitedly hugged him, drawing curious glances from passersby who assumed they were a couple.
"Uh, Xiao Pang, let go!" Jimmy said helplessly.
"Oh, oh!" The fat guy quickly let go of Jimmy and then sized him up. "I was wondering why you looked different. Where have you been this week? What's going on with your eye?" He asked all at once.
"Sigh, it's a long story. Don't ask..." Jimmy sighed and sat down on the chair prepared by the fat guy for the stall.
"Uh, at least tell me what happened to your eye?" The fat guy asked helplessly.
"I'm blind!" Jimmy shrugged.
"What? That bad?!" The fat guy asked in shock.
"Heh, I'm kidding! It's just a bit of floaters in my eye!" Jimmy smiled bitterly.
"Oh! You scared me! Did you see a doctor?" The fat guy patted his chest.
"I did! I'll go back in a few days to check again!" Jimmy said with a smile.
"I see! Well, sit tight for now!" The fat guy said, then squatted down and continued with his work.
"Heh, I'll help out too!" Jimmy said and started helping the fat guy skewer the barbecue.
Jimmy kept helping until 2 a.m., when they closed the stall. The fat guy made some food from the leftover ingredients and then they drank two bottles of beer together.
After taking a sip of beer, Jimmy sighed in satisfaction, "Ah! This feels great!"
"Heh, here! Cheers!" The fat guy raised a bottle of beer.
"Heh!" Jimmy smiled and clinked bottles with him before finishing the beer in one go.
"Feels good!" Jimmy said, then grabbed another piece of meat and put it in his mouth, but immediately spat it out. "What's wrong? Not feeling well?" The fat guy asked in confusion.
"It's nothing! Just a bit too hot!" Jimmy shook his head, though the truth was, he found the meat hard to swallow. He had never been picky before!
Jimmy suspected that he had developed the appetite of a snake! He now craved blood food!
"Oh, haha, then wait until it cools down!" The fat guy laughed.
"Yeah!" Jimmy nodded, frowning as he grabbed another piece of meat, chewing it slowly. In the end, he forced himself to swallow.
"Sigh!" Jimmy sighed again, opening another bottle of beer and clinking it with the fat guy.
After forcing himself to eat until he was about 80% full, Jimmy said goodbye to the fat guy and left alone.
Jimmy made it back home safely. Lying on the bed, he began to ponder. Only when he felt the peculiar sensation in his left arm did he realize that the past week hadn't been a dream!
Jimmy pulled out his Nokia and started looking through it. To his surprise, there were four text messages!
The first one was still from an unknown number. The message read: "Congratulations on completing the mission." The second one said:
[Congratulations, host, for completing the main task in "Anaconda 1", you've earned 1,000 points.
Congratulations, host, for completing the side mission "Hunt the Giant Python", you've earned 500 points.
Congratulations, host, for completing the side mission "Rescue the People", you saved three people and earned 600 points.
Total: You now have 2,100 points and a Level 3 Soldier Honor Badge.]
The third message said: "Points can be exchanged for items, including blood, abilities, weapons, etc. Honor badges can be exchanged for special items."
The fourth message said: "The next mission will start next week. Please be prepared! If you have any questions, you can call back, and the AI will answer all your questions."
After a moment of silence, Jimmy decisively called back the unknown number. The phone quickly connected.
"Hello…" Jimmy asked politely.
"You must be wondering why you ended up in a movie world, went on an adventure, earned points, and now don't know what to do!" Before Jimmy could speak, the voice on the other end quickly said a lot.
"Uh, yes!" Jimmy said, a little surprised.
"Hmm, congratulations! You're now an Evolutionary! Do you have any other questions?" The man on the other end said impatiently.
"Uh, I just want to know why I ended up there!" Jimmy scratched his nose and asked.
"Because you clicked 'yes' on the computer! If you clicked 'no', you would have ended up in an anime world! If I had known, I would have clicked 'no'!" The man said irritably.
"Uh, are you like me?" Jimmy asked in confusion.
"I'm different. I'm a Trial Seeker! I've passed through eight movie worlds! To you, I'm a senior! If it weren't for the 100 points I get every time I answer a call, I wouldn't bother!" The man said indignantly.
"Uh... Hello, senior! I want to ask, will I have to go back into a movie world for another adventure after a week?" Jimmy quickly asked.
"Yes, every week a new movie world opens. You've only completed the first movie, so you're considered a Selector, which means you're not qualified to enter the Main City yet! First, you need to complete three movies, then you'll be considered a Trial Seeker. After that, as long as you keep getting stronger, gold, beauties, and power will all be yours!" The senior spoke with passion.
"Uh… I see! I want to know, is the time I spend in the movie world synced with real-world time?" Jimmy asked.
"Yes! As long as you survive three movie worlds and enter the Main City, you can avoid the time synchronization issue!" The man on the other end explained.
"Can I know what the next movie will be?" Jimmy asked in confusion.
"If you want to know the next movie, you'll need to pay 200 points. A 1,000-point payment will cover the whole year!" The senior said.
"Uh, I'll pay for the year!" Jimmy thought for a moment and said.
"Really! That's great!" The senior shouted excitedly.