A Netherworld Reaper, But I Got Pulled Into a Horror Game — Written by Xiao Baqian
Exclusively Published on Jinjiang Literature City, January 1, 2026
Xu Moyang’s hands and feet felt icy. Passersby came and went as though he were nothing but air, and some even walked straight through his body!
So he was already dead.
He remembered now. Before he ever got into the ride-hailing car, that car had already struck him. He had died before getting inside.
Xu Moyang looked at Lu Jin, his voice trembling. “Brother Lu… are you a Reaper?”
Lu Jin nodded.
“Am I going to the Underworld too?”
“You do need to make a trip there.”
The terror of death seized him instantly, and Xu Moyang’s eyes reddened. He was only twenty-one. His life had not even had a chance to take off, and he had already dropped dead?
“Brother Lu, Yaoyao and Bun are still waiting for me… Can you let me see them one last time?”
“And the money I saved. I was going to buy Yaoyao a bag…”
“And my scholarship! I died before I even collected it!”
Listening to him ramble, Lu Jin rubbed his temple impatiently.
“Who said you died?”
“Aren’t you taking me to the Underworld? Isn’t that where dead people go… Wait!” Xu Moyang’s eyes widened. “You mean I’m not dead yet?”
Lu Jin pulled an unusually textured identity card from the inner pocket of his suit and casually tossed it to Xu Moyang.
At almost the exact same moment, the heartbeat-less “Xu Moyang” being resuscitated nearby suddenly jerked as his chest rose!
“He has a heartbeat! We can still save him!”
The paramedics cried out and immediately lifted him into the ambulance. The sirens gradually faded into the distance.
Xu Moyang clutched the card, his fingers trembling. “I’m not dead? I can still go back?”
“Mm,” Lu Jin said. “Being killed by a malicious ghost counts as an unnatural death. We just have to go to the Underworld and complete the revival paperwork.”
Xu Moyang jumped up in delight. “Brother Lu, why didn’t you say so earlier!”
Lu Jin glanced at him. “You didn’t ask earlier.”
The revival paperwork had to be handled in the Underworld. A faint mist rose around Lu Jin, and his crisp suit gradually disappeared, revealing once again the youthful university student in a T-shirt and jeans.
He walked to the roadside and lifted his chin. “Come on. If we hurry, we might still make it back for barbecue.”
*
A silver-gray bus approached without a sound and stopped steadily in front of them.
The doors slid open automatically. Lu Jin stepped aboard, and Xu Moyang hurried after him.
The bus was completely empty.
Once the two boarded, the doors shut on their own. Lu Jin found a seat in the back, folded his arms, and closed his eyes to rest.
Xu Moyang immediately scooted closer and began firing off questions. “Brother Lu, you’re really a Reaper!”
“Reapers have to attend university too? That’s so modern!”
Lu Jin had not intended to answer him, but at that comment he opened his eyes helplessly.
“Because I failed the political background review.”
“?” Xu Moyang looked utterly lost.
“For the Netherworld Reaper exam, I passed both the written test and the interview, but I got stuck at the background review because I don’t have a university degree.”
“The Underworld checks that too?”
“Yeah.” Lu Jin was depressed about it himself. Why did a civil-service exam in the Underworld even care about university credentials? Because of that ridiculous requirement, he was still only a temporary Reaper and had been forced to come to the human world to earn a degree before he could become permanent staff.
“Don’t ask anything else,” Lu Jin said, shifting into a more comfortable position. “You’ll forget all of this after you’re revived anyway.”
After that, Lu Jin genuinely fell asleep.
Xu Moyang did not disturb him again and instead watched the view outside with great interest. The bus drifted through the city like a ghost, and the scenery beyond the windows raced backward.
After passing through a large stretch of urban scenery, the bus became enveloped in dense fog. Everything around them turned hazy and indistinct.
Lu Jin suddenly opened his eyes.
At the exact moment he did, six human figures abruptly appeared inside the bus!
“What the hell?!”
Xu Moyang shrank closer to Lu Jin. “I thought passengers had to use the doors to get on!”
They could just float straight inside?
Lu Jin stared expressionlessly at the six people in the front. If encountering a ghost in the human world counted as a horror story, then meeting living humans on Netherworld transportation ought to count as one too.
And six had appeared at once.
Suddenly, a piercing blue light illuminated the dim bus. A huge translucent screen appeared in the center, and a mechanical yet childish voice rang out:
[Welcome to the Yellow Springs Game!]
[All 8 players have arrived. D-rank instance Clear River Guesthouse will begin shortly!]
[We wish all players an enjoyable game~]
Xu Moyang’s head filled with question marks.
Weren’t they going to the Underworld to fill out paperwork? Why were they suddenly playing a game? Were they still going to make it back in time for barbecue?
He looked at Lu Jin in bewilderment, hoping this Netherworld insider could give him an answer.
But Lu Jin looked no better than Xu Moyang. Surprise flickered in his usually lazy eyes.
If anything, he seemed even more confused. He tilted his head and asked Xu Moyang, “What is the Yellow Springs Game?”
Xu Moyang pointed at himself. “You’re asking me?”
Aren’t you a Reaper? You’re seriously asking me?!
“You play more games than I do,” Lu Jin said with complete confidence. “You should understand it.”
Xu Moyang: “…”
Understand his ass! Sure, he liked video games, but he had never played one aboard a ghost bus!
The two stared at each other, equally baffled.
The “players” in the front were not doing any better. They had suddenly been thrown onto an unfamiliar bus surrounded by endless fog, and every face was filled with fear and confusion.
“Wasn’t I sleeping at home?”
“I was clearly scrolling on my phone…”
“Is this some kind of prank show?”
Only two people appeared unusually calm. They casually sat down, looked over the others, and spoke with obvious disdain.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Why are there so many newcomers in this instance?”
“Wasn’t this supposed to be D-rank? The percentage of newbies is absurdly high!”
Everyone else turned toward them. “You know what’s going on? Where exactly are we?”
The man sitting beside the aisle snapped his fingers and swung one leg carelessly. “Ever heard of an infinite-flow game? We’ve been dragged into one. This game is called Yellow Springs, and you can only leave after clearing the instance.”
The explanation was too abstract, and the players remained confused. Most of them were office workers exhausted from grinding through everyday life. Who had time to play games?
Xu Moyang, however, sucked in a sharp breath and leaned toward Lu Jin’s ear. “Brother Lu, I know this kind of thing! In games like these, players who fail to clear the instance die!”
He had deliberately lowered his voice, intending only Lu Jin to hear, but the bus was so quiet that every other player heard him too.
In an instant, everyone’s faces turned deathly white. It was as if their blood had frozen, cold spreading inch by inch toward their hearts.
Only the two experienced players remained calm and nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s right. This game is the same.”
“You either clear it, or you die.”
The bus fell into deathly silence.
Under ordinary circumstances, most people would not believe someone who claimed they had been dragged into a death game.
But right now, they had inexplicably appeared on an empty bus surrounded by thick fog. Everything was far too strange.
A muscular man suddenly rushed forward and pointed furiously at the two veteran players.
“What era do you think this is? A driverless bus proves nothing! We already have self-driving taxis! This has to be some prank! Let us out, or I’ll sue you for kidnapping!”
The veteran player shrugged. “Believe whatever you want.”
“You—!”
The big man glared and tried to step forward to hit him, but the newcomers held him back.
“Whatever. Whoever wants to play this garbage can play it. I’m out!” As he spoke, he yanked open a window, climbed onto the seat, and prepared to jump.
“Wait!”
Lu Jin stood to stop him, but he was too far away. By the time Lu Jin reached him, the man had already leaped out.
“BANG!”
A cloud of blood exploded outside the window, spraying the players in the back rows with scalding crimson liquid.
One of those players had also been considering jumping out. Now blood covered his eyes. He instinctively reached up to wipe his face… and his hand came away completely red.
The bus erupted into chaos. Screams, sobbing, and frantic footsteps crashed together.
At that moment, the System’s icy childlike voice sounded again:
[Ding—]
[Player Zhao Kuan has died.]
…
After the System announcement, the players instantly fell silent.
With an actual death before their eyes, the newcomers finally understood that this was not a kidnapping or a scam. This was a horror game in which they could truly die.
“That’s what happens when you act recklessly!”
The veteran player closed the window and warned them, “I already told you. You can only leave after clearing the instance. Panicking won’t help. Just play the game properly… What are you doing?!”
His voice suddenly rose because the young man who had rushed over earlier had opened the window too and stuck his hand into the dense fog.
The heavy smell of blood drifted inside, and several drops of hot blood splashed onto the veteran player’s face.
Lu Jin pulled his hand back. Warm blood still coated his fingers.
“Looks like we really can’t get out.”
Veteran player: “?”
Was Zhao Kuan’s death not enough proof? Wasn’t it painfully obvious players could not leave?
But Lu Jin said nothing more. He simply accepted a tissue from Xu Moyang and slowly wiped the blood from his hand.
He was not surprised that players could not leave.
What surprised him was that a Reaper could not leave either.
…
The bus remained deathly quiet. The newcomers had finally accepted reality and understood that clearing the instance was their only option.
The System panel lit up again and began introducing the instance background:
[You are newly hired employees of Clear River Guesthouse and are currently on your way to work!]
[Boss Huang has had a lot on his mind lately and is in a very bad mood! As employees, you must work hard to cheer him up and solve his troubles~]
[Mission One: Discover what is troubling Boss Huang and solve his problem~]
[Time Limit: 6 hours]
[If the mission is not completed before time expires, one player will be randomly punished~]
After the introduction, another line appeared on the panel in red:
[Friendly Reminder: Players in the Danger Zone for this round — Lu Jin, Xu Moyang, Yu Nan]
The earlier information had been written in blue. This final line was red, immediately putting all the players on alert.
“Danger Zone player? What does that mean?” asked a bespectacled young man in a trembling voice.
“Exactly what it sounds like.” The veteran player leaned against the seat. “The System has judged these people the weakest and believes they’ll die the fastest. Boss punishments also tend to target them.”
The player who had asked stiffened instantly. He was already thin and frail, and now his face was white as paper.
The veteran player looked him over with interest. “Which one are you? Lu Jin?”
The player quickly shook his head. “Yu Nan.”
“That’s not too bad!” The veteran player shrugged. “You’re third in the Danger Zone, not first. You still have a chance. In this game, the player ranked first in the Danger Zone is also called the bottom-ranked player. They die fastest. The death rate is one hundred percent.”
Xu Moyang blurted out, “How is that possible?”
The veteran player gave him a sideways glance. “That’s experience countless veteran players paid for with their lives. It can’t be wrong.”
Xu Moyang frowned deeply and could not help glancing at Lu Jin beside him.
He could accept being labeled a Danger Zone player. He had just been hit by a car, and his body was still being resuscitated. It made sense for the System to judge him weak.
Yu Nan looked sickly too, so putting him in the Danger Zone was reasonable.
But Lu Jin? Was this a joke? Brother Lu could beat two of him at once!
“So…”
The veteran player, unaware of Xu Moyang’s thoughts, looked at the remaining players. “The one who should be most worried right now is our friend called Lu Jin!”
Whether they could clear the game at all remained uncertain, but judging by the death rate of bottom-ranked players, Lu Jin would not be walking out of this game.
…
The bus continued forward. The fog around them thinned slightly, and faint light appeared in the distance.
“How much longer is this bus going to drive?” Yu Nan asked.
“Not long,” the veteran player said. “There are always a few minutes of preparation time before an instance begins. Since everyone understands the situation now, why don’t we introduce ourselves? We may have to work together later.”
Introducing themselves meant little more than giving names so everyone knew what to call one another.
The talkative veteran player spoke first. “My name is Xie Zhi. I used to work in renovations, but I quit. This is my fifth instance.”
“Jiang Heng,” the other veteran player, who had remained silent, said. “This is my fourth instance.”
Jiang Heng was sitting to Xie Zhi’s right, so everyone naturally continued introductions clockwise.
Next was Yu Nan. He looked dispirited. “My name is Yu Nan. I don’t have a job. My health isn’t good, so I’ve mostly stayed at home.”
Xie Zhi nodded. With circumstances like that, it was no surprise Yu Nan had been placed in the Danger Zone.
Then it was Xu Moyang’s turn.
Everyone looked at him.
Xu Moyang had also noticed that all the players on this bus could see him. When the System counted the number of players, it had included him too.
Neither he nor Lu Jin knew why, but after whispering about it, they had decided not to reveal that Xu Moyang was currently a ghost and to pretend he was an ordinary player.
“My name is Xu Moyang. I’m a university student.”
Next came Lu Jin.
He lifted his eyelids slightly, both hands still in his pockets, his gaze heavy with the fatigue of someone who had not properly woken up.
“Lu Jin. Also a university student.”
The moment he gave his name, everyone looked toward him. Their gazes held pity, sympathy, and even a little schadenfreude.
This was the bottom-ranked player, the weakest existence among them and the person most likely to die inside the instance.
Yet Lu Jin was tall, the exposed muscles of his forearms powerful and defined. Lean muscle beneath his T-shirt hinted at strength, and aside from his eternally sleepy eyes, he looked extremely healthy.
But the System’s judgments were never wrong. He must have some fatal weakness.
He was going to die anyway, so Xie Zhi had no interest in asking further. Between him and Jiang Heng, they had entered nine instances, and neither had ever seen a bottom-ranked player survive to the end.
There was no reason to learn too much about a dead man.
The next player introduced himself as Fang Yuan. He was a programmer with thick glasses and a mild, gentle way of speaking.
The final player sat farther away, behind the driver’s seat.
He had remained seated the whole time. Only when everyone looked toward him did they realize he was even taller than Lu Jin, around 190 centimeters. The narrow seat could not contain his long legs, forcing him to stretch them partly into the aisle with his knees bent.
He turned toward the others, one eyebrow lifting slightly, his tone careless.
“Me? I’m Jiang Sui.”
“As for my job… I suppose I’m an editor.”
It was an utterly ordinary introduction, nothing memorable about it. Jiang Sui was neither a Danger Zone player nor a veteran, so everyone treated him as another newcomer making up the numbers.
At most, they thought his face was striking. His curls fell to his shoulders like untamed vines, setting off deep, sculpted features that would have been more than good enough for a celebrity.
But this was an infinite-flow game. Good looks could not keep anyone alive. Lu Jin was handsome too, and wasn’t he still going to die?
The other newcomers crowded around Xie Zhi and Jiang Heng, hoping to follow the experienced players to safety.
Only Lu Jin lifted his eyelids and let his gaze settle on Jiang Sui in the front.
Few people had noticed that when the words “Danger Zone players” appeared, most newcomers had reacted with either alarm or confusion, aside from the veterans.
Only Jiang Sui had reacted differently.
This man, who had remained completely unruffled since appearing on the bus, had briefly shown a rare flash of surprise.
And that surprise clearly had nothing to do with the words “Danger Zone player.”
Lu Jin had seen it clearly.
What surprised Jiang Sui were the two words that made up the name “Lu Jin.”
