Vol. 1 Chapter 1.2 – Public Indecency

The year 2210, summer, Jinghua City.

Even in the outskirts, the streets of Jinghua City were never free from crowds. Ye Tian Xie walked alone amidst the flow of people, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, his head slightly bowed as he gazed at the ground. His wandering eyes never looked ahead, yet he managed to avoid colliding with anyone. He wore a blue plaid collared shirt, a pair of slightly worn black slim-fit trousers, and light blue slippers—an effortlessly casual outfit. Despite his relaxed appearance, the dangerous aura he unintentionally exuded still caught the attention of many young women passing by.

Today marked the 60th day since the release of the 『Destiny』 game device, as well as the official launch of the game at noon. At this moment, the time was nine in the morning.

Even though it had been sixty days, there was still a long line at the nearest distribution point. Ye Tianxie wasn’t surprised and stopped at the end of the queue. The size of the crowd compared to the first month of distribution was incomparable. Few, like him, had the patience to wait until today. He raised his head, looking at the blue and white sky, and at the centre of it, the long streak—a white scar-like crack that had appeared in the sky a hundred years ago, causing global upheaval and sparking endless speculation from so-called experts. As time passed, people gradually went from being curious to accepting it as a part of life. Nowadays, every human born would look up to a sky with that streak, while a pure blue sky existed only in images from over a century ago.

“Hello, sir. Please provide your DNA sample” the receptionist said with a professional smile. But after a long while, she didn’t receive a response from the man in front of her. Ye Tianxie’s lips curled slightly as he admired the girl in front of him, one who perfectly embodied the phrase 『a feast for the eyes』. Admiring beauty was one of life’s greatest pleasures for any man, and he was no exception.

Under his bold, unfiltered gaze, the girl, who was used to dealing with all sorts of people every day and always remained composed, found her heart rate speeding up. His eyes were deep and dangerous, as though they held an irresistible, mysterious allure. Despite knowing it might lead to a bottomless abyss, she felt herself being drawn in, unable to resist, wanting to fall deeper…

A single broken hair lay in Ye Tian Xie’s palm, which he then presented to the girl. It was as if she awoke from a trance, no longer daring to meet his eyes. With a slight fluster, she took the strand of hair from his hand and the brief contact with his fingers caused a strange sensation to swell within her.

『This man is dangerous… 』a voice in her mind warned her, but her erratic heartbeat couldn’t calm down. She didn’t dare lift her head, fidgeting with the device to cover up her slight panic. “Which type of device would you like… a charm or a wristband?”

Fully immersive virtual games had risen in popularity by the end of the 21st century and peaked in the 22nd century. The virtual world, connected by game helmets and pods, had become humanity’s other world and second life. Now, in the 23rd century, virtual games have made a new breakthrough—the mysterious and much-anticipated game 『Destiny』. The game’s device alone was enough to leave everyone in awe. Gone were the bulky helmets and game pods; now, it was simply a small charm you could hang around your neck or a wristband to wear. Playing the game required no wires, no complicated operations, and not even charging. According to the official explanation, the device’s battery could last for over fifty years. Players could choose their device freely, but each person could only have one, and it would be bound to their DNA.

Even more astonishing was that all the game devices were distributed for free.

Ye Tian Xie tugged slightly at the thin black string around his neck. The girl finally noticed the strange ornament hanging from his chest—a pitch-black charm with a slender and peculiar shape, featuring seven evenly sized holes arranged irregularly from top to bottom. Whether it was a trick of the light or not, she thought she saw faint glimmers of different colours reflected from each of the seven holes. The colours—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—seemed to resemble the spectrum of the sun.

“Sir, please… please wait a moment.” The girl realised she had lost her composure again, her expression and movements becoming more awkward. She placed the hair into the machine and, without meaning to, memorised the information displayed on the screen. Only after pressing the red button to complete the DNA binding did she hand him a black wristband and an elegant business card. “Sir, this is your device. Please take it, and I wish you a pleasant gaming experience. This is the business card of our branch. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us anytime.”

Ye Tian Xie extended his left hand, but he didn’t immediately take the items. The girl, gathering her courage, looked up and met his eyes, locking onto his devilishly charming face. His response made her heart race again: “Charms: 『Jasmine Dream』—a perfect blend of jasmine, rose, and lily of the valley, with a warm and fresh fragrance that’s elegant, gentle, and pure, suitable for a girl filled with grace and tenderness. Such a girl is an angel gifted to this world by God. I wonder, do I have the honour of having this angel help me put on this black binding?”

The girl’s soft cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, her head lowered in confusion, her usual professional composure nowhere to be found. Charms: 『Jasmine Dream』—that was the name of her favourite perfume, and from the first time she had smelled its fragrance, her love for it had never faded.

Ye Tian Xie hadn’t expected this girl to be so easily embarrassed, like someone with little experience in romance, which only heightened his desire to tease her further. His deep eyes glimmered with a mischievous smile as he watched her trembling hands fasten the black wristband around his wrist. What should have been a simple action was prolonged several times by her nervousness, her slender fingers slightly shaking. The whole time, Ye Tian Xie indulged in the sight of her charmingly flustered expression.

Finally, the girl gathered all her courage, lowered her head, and placed a thick card into his hand. “Sir, this… this is my personal number. If you have any questions about the equipment, you can… you can call me anytime..”

By the time she finished speaking, her voice was barely audible, like the faint buzz of a mosquito. Even she couldn’t believe that she, someone who had turned down countless suitors every day, had just offered her contact information to a man she had met for the first time.

Ye Tian Xie lightly touched the wristband, which weighed almost nothing, and flashed the girl a smile that left her dazed, then turned and walked away. The girl stood there, eyes glued to his retreating figure, seemingly enchanted, unable to snap out of her trance for a long while.

As he rounded a corner, Ye Tian Xie flicked his wrist, and the two cards he hadn’t even glanced at transformed into shredded paper, fluttering to the ground like magic. His expression remained unchanged as he walked toward his dwelling—a place that could no longer be called 『home.』

In this materialistic world, filled with filth and sin, that girl was as precious as a diamond in the sand. But… for someone who had once owned the most beautiful star in the universe, she was just a diamond.

He raised his wrist, looking at the black wristband. Though he had already learned most of its features through various channels, holding it in his hands for the first time still filled him with a sense of wonder. Perhaps everyone who obtained this device had the same question—could something this small, lightweight, and oddly shaped really connect to the mythic world of Destiny?

As he pondered, hurried footsteps approached from ahead. Ye Tian Xie had just reached the corner when he nearly collided with someone who had just turned the same corner. On instinct, he raised his left hand to block, and his palm made contact with something soft and round. The perfect sensation made Ye Tian Xie’s heart waver for a moment. Almost reflexively, his hand gave a light squeeze, and only then did he realise what he had grabbed. He immediately turned and ran.

“Ahhh—!”

A scream, far louder than Ye Tianxie had expected, rang out behind him. Glancing back, he saw a girl in a blue and white chequered dress, frantically covering her chest. Behind her, four men were now glaring angrily and charging toward him.

All four men appeared to be in their mid-thirties, dressed in sleek black suits with black leather shoes. Two of them even wore dark sunglasses, the classic bodyguard look that practically screamed their profession. They moved with alarming speed, quickly closing in on Ye Tianxie, their hands almost within reach of his back. Ahead of him was a narrow alley between two buildings. Ye Tianxie swiftly turned into the alley, and the four men followed closely, their footsteps echoing behind him.

But as soon as they entered the alley, they all stopped… not because it was a dead end, but because the person they were chasing had vanished!

They had clearly seen him enter the alley just seconds ahead of them, too close to have disappeared. Could he have flown away? Or maybe even turned invisible?

The four men stood dumbfounded for a while, wandering around the alley before one of them shouted, “Damn, could this have been a distraction?” With that, they hurriedly left.

Above them, on the rooftop of the sixth floor, Ye Tian Xie watched them leave, a thoughtful expression on his face. He lifted his left hand, the corners of his mouth curling into a wicked smile. His palm still seemed to retain the unbelievably soft sensation from earlier, and he could faintly smell the intoxicating fragrance of the girl. “It seems this little girl’s identity is far from ordinary. If I hurt your delicate heart, that would be a great sin… because, well, I did it on purpose.”