It was a lively sunny day of the winter season. The sun hung lazily in the pale blue sky, rays reflecting off rooftops, glinting like scattered shards of crystal. The streets bustled with life — people wore thick sweaters, down jackets, scarves coiled around their necks like vigilant snakes. Vapor puffs drifted from mouths as laughter and chatter blended into the cold air.
On the sidewalk, a young man in his early twenties stepped out of a convenience store, adjusting the straps of a small grocery bag in his gloved hand. His dark hair swayed gently as he walked, and his clean, defined features attracted a few side glances from passersby. He was handsome, the kind of good-looking that didn't feel forced — sharp yet warm, eyes deep as if carrying silent storms.
Ye Tian.
He glanced at the sky, exhaling softly.
"Ah, winter sun... not bad," he murmured to himself.
He was heading home early today — his boss had released everyone before lunch, citing "good performance" as the excuse. Ye Tian didn't complain.
As he rounded a corner, something strange happened.
A voice.
An echo, not from the street speakers, not from someone's phone.
But directly inside his mind, as though it vibrated from his bones outward.
[Attention All Humans.]
The voice was flat, mechanical, yet carried a strange authority that silenced the entire world.
People around Ye Tian froze. One woman dropped her hot coffee, the paper cup tumbling across the sidewalk and steaming against the concrete.
Ye Tian frowned, adjusting his earphones.
"Another street marketing campaign? VR games are getting weirder," he muttered, tapping at his phone. He tried to turn up his music volume.
But no matter what he did — no matter how many times he pressed pause, pulled out the earphones, or covered his ears — the voice continued.
[This is an urgent system-wide notice. In exactly five minutes, all current residents of Earth will be transferred to the Frozen Apocalypse Game World. Please prepare.]
[Survival is mandatory. Death means permanent elimination.]
Ye Tian blinked, half-amused.
"Nice immersion. Who's the marketing director? Hideo Kojima's long-lost cousin?"
Other people on the street had started to panic. A man staggered into a wall, frantically pressing his phone against his ear. Someone else screamed, running into the road. Car horns blared, but even those seemed small compared to the echoing declaration.
Ye Tian felt an odd chill prickling up his spine despite his warm jacket. His fingers curled unconsciously.
[Cooldown Timer: 00:04:59]
A bright blue holographic countdown suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes. Floating, unwavering.
Ye Tian's smirk faltered.
"This... isn't an ad, is it?"
The numbers ticked downward relentlessly.
[00:03:45]
[00:02:30]
[00:01:00]
Panic spread like a virus. People smashed shop windows to grab jackets, sprinted toward subway stations, clawed at locked bus doors.
Ye Tian stood still, heart hammering. His breath came out ragged, visible as small, desperate clouds.
[00:00:10]
[00:00:05]
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
The world around him exploded into a swirl of white light. His body lost all sensation — it felt like being sucked through a narrow tunnel, spinning endlessly, blood rushing to his ears until he heard nothing but an oppressive, static silence.
When he regained consciousness, Ye Tian fell forward and slammed into something soft.
He groaned, pushing himself up, snowflakes clinging to his eyelashes.
His vision adjusted.
A barren, frozen wasteland stretched in all directions — jagged icy peaks like dragon teeth pierced the gray sky. The ground was layered with crusted snow and frost, the wind howling like a thousand tortured souls.
Nearby, a small campfire flickered desperately, emitting a thin orange glow that looked pitiful against the endless white. Behind it, a makeshift "camp", if you could even call it that, stood shivering. Just a few sticks tied together with some thin cloth scraps flapping in the wind.
Ye Tian's teeth immediately began to chatter. He hugged himself, shivering violently.
[Region: 1082A98 — Frozen Barrens]
A line of transparent text appeared in front of him.
[You have been assigned to Region 1082A98. Current companions: 1]
He froze. "Companion? Someone else is here?"
Ye Tian turned.
A figure lay a few meters away on the snow, half-buried. Long, raven-black hair scattered like ink across the ice. A young woman — around nineteen or twenty — her slender figure was wrapped only in thin cloth strips similar to his own. Her skin looked pale as porcelain, trembling.
She slowly lifted her head, revealing delicate features that seemed sculpted by the gods themselves — soft lips tinged blue from the cold, eyelashes heavy with frost, and doe-like eyes that shimmered even in despair.
Ye Tian's breath caught.
"Is this really happening...?" he whispered.
[Initializing Survival System...]
Another screen popped up, lines of data flooding past his eyes.
[Status: Initializing...]
[Assigning Class...]
[Scanning individual potential...]
Ye Tian waited anxiously, cold seeping deeper into his bones. His teeth clacked like a broken typewriter.
Suddenly..
[Error. Error. System Overload.]
[Warning: System Overload! Class assignment failed!]
[Attempting Recovery...]
[Recovery Failed.]
Ye Tian felt his heart drop straight into his stomach.
"Are you kidding me?! Failed?! No way! Am I bugged?!"
He checked his interface frantically, but no class, no items, no starter kit — nothing. Only the constant, mocking wind and the small, flickering campfire.
Meanwhile, the girl next to him let out a faint groan, pushing herself upright weakly. Her lips trembled, her eyes unfocused as she tried to gather her surroundings.
Ye Tian gulped, fighting the urge to panic. "Focus... stay alive first..."
He stumbled toward the campfire, stretching out his hands. The feeble warmth barely reached his frozen fingers, but it was better than nothing.
His mind raced. "If I don't get assigned a class, I'm dead... I can't even craft a stick, let alone fight those frost beasts they mentioned..."
Just then —
[Hidden Class Recovery... Initiating backup protocol...]
Ye Tian froze.
A new, bright golden window blinked open.
[Congratulations! You have obtained a Hidden SSS-Rank Class: ChatBot User!]
[Access to exclusive Command Console granted.]
[You can use system commands to create items, enchant, spawn entities, and manipulate certain aspects of your environment. Note: Every command consumes Command Points (CP). Earn CP through combat achievements, survival feats, and hidden missions.]
Ye Tian stared at the interface, his lips parting slowly as if to form words that refused to come out.
The frozen wind howled across the barren field, tearing at his thin clothes, but he didn't feel it anymore. His entire mind blanked except for one thought:
SSS-Rank Class? ChatBot User? Command Console?
His eyes slowly widened, and then —
A grin split across his face.
"This... might not be so bad after all."
Beside him, the young woman slowly turned her head toward him, eyes wide and lips quivering, completely unaware of the monster that had just awakened beside her.