My name is Lin Ming, thirty years old. I live with my parents and do nothing all day. I don’t have a job and no capabilities. Every day, I rely on my parents to support me. My parents always urge me to find a job, but I always dismiss them, saying "I’ll find the time." I know full well that I’m just a "NEET"(Refers to young people who do not work, do not go to school, do not participate in social activities, and still stay at home after adulthood) and will never amount to anything in life. Even though my parents constantly encourage me to go outside more, I ignore their advice, choosing instead to stay in my room playing video games, immersed in the virtual world.

That night, as usual, I stayed in my room playing video games. From time to time, I could hear my mom calling out to me from outside, "What time is it? Still not asleep?" I pretended not to hear and kept focusing on my game. Halfway through, I suddenly felt a bit bored, so I decided to step out for a bit to buy some instant noodles.

I groggily turned off my computer, threw on some clothes, and walked out of my room. This was the first time I had gone out in three months. Usually, my mom would cook and bring food to my room. She often said she wished I would come out to eat, but I never listened. The weather outside was cold, and the night was as dark as ink. There was hardly anyone on the street, and the streetlights cast a dim, yellow glow on the empty road, swaying in the wind. For some reason, I felt a bit restless. The desolate night made me even more uneasy. To reach the convenience store, I had to pass through a dark alley. The cold wind howled through it, making the alley look even more terrifying. "When did the streetlight in the alley go out?" I thought, puzzled, but had no choice but to proceed in the dark.

Suddenly, I heard a faint sound of footsteps behind me. I turned around to look, but there was no one there, nothing at all. I took a few more steps, thinking maybe I was just being paranoid. Shaking my head, I continued walking. However, the footsteps started again, this time closer and more hurried. I turned around once more, but the sound vanished without a trace. After a while, the footsteps returned. I quickened my pace, my heart racing, but the footsteps sped up as well. At that moment, I had an ominous feeling.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around, shouting loudly, "Who’s following me?" My voice trembled a little. There was no response. The only answer I received was that strange and terrifying sound of footsteps.

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind me. He was wearing a black trench coat, and a mask covered his face, so I couldn’t tell what he looked like. I mustered up some courage and asked, "Who are you?" There was no response. I asked again, and this time, the man in black suddenly charged toward me as if he had lost his mind. I realized something was wrong and immediately tried to run. Adrenaline surged through my body, and my heart raced wildly. "Who is he? Why is he chasing me? A human trafficker?" To my surprise, he didn’t chase me but instead stood still. I didn’t know what he did, but suddenly, I couldn’t move. He slowly walked up to me, placed his hand gently on my shoulder, and I suddenly felt a sharp pain, as if something was being drawn out of my body. "You..." I tried to speak, but no words came out. My vision began to blur, and my consciousness started to fade, until everything plunged into darkness.

When I woke up, I found myself lying at the doorstep of my house. A sharp pain shot through my chest, and instinctively, I reached up to touch it, only to feel a cold, empty hollow. My heart was gone! I quickly sat up, looking around in terror, only to realize I was still alive. Looking at where my heart used to be, my breathing became rapid—wait, I wasn’t breathing at all, because I no longer had a heart. As I thought about this, my vision slowly faded to black, my body became too tense to move, and my consciousness started to slip away. I fainted.

The next morning, I woke up again. Maybe I had gotten used to it, but I wasn’t scared anymore. Suddenly, I noticed a note lying quietly on the ground beside me, with crooked handwriting:

"You have two days to trade two billion for your heart, or death will be your only fate."

These words nearly made me lose my balance. Two billion? I don’t have that much money! My vision went blank, and my mind was filled with fear. What am I supposed to do without a heart? If I don’t comply, I’ll die. This all feels so unreal, like a dream. I reached out and touched my chest again. No, this is real. It’s not a virtual world, and it’s not a prank—this is the real world.

I rushed into the house without a second thought, collapsing in front of my mom. When she saw the hollow in my chest, she immediately fainted, falling to the ground. Seeing my mom lying there, I fell into despair. Our family was poor, and my dad was working away. I had no ability, just a NEET, and there was no way I could come up with two billion! It felt like death itself was right beside me, and I thought my life would end like this. I began to give up on myself. I even thought about calling the police, but I didn’t have the courage. Even if I did, no one would believe me. There was no way out now. I could only figure out how to get two billion. But how could I do that? At that moment, I couldn’t think straight. I even thought about ending it all. "After all, my existence has no meaning..." I had lost it. I slammed my head into the wall, trying to end my life. Suddenly, a thought flashed into my mind. I could rob a bank! My mind was completely broken. I could no longer think rational

I grabbed the kitchen knife, hardly giving any thought to the consequences, and rushed out of the house. It was already night. The streets were empty, with only the dim streetlights quietly illuminating the road. I couldn’t stop. The more I thought about it, the more I feared that if I stopped, I would disappear forever. I walked into a small bank nearby. The security guard at the door didn’t notice me; he stood there with a dazed look in his eyes, almost asleep. I nervously walked in, my heart racing, my legs trembling. Inside, the employees were still busy, and only a few people were in line at the counter. I walked to the back of the line, forcing myself to calm down. Every second felt like centuries. I was on the verge of losing my mind. No, I had already lost it.

Finally, it was my turn. I walked up to the counter, where the teller was a young girl who smiled and asked, "Sir, how can I help you?" Her voice sounded so calm, as if nothing had happened. "I... I..." The teller gave me a strange look. Her gaze... it reminded me of the lifeless eyes of the man in black. I mustered all my courage, reached into my pocket, quickly pulled out the kitchen knife, and slammed it down onto the counter. The cold light flashed, and everyone around froze, their eyes filled with terror.

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"Give me all the money!!! Hurry!!!" I shouted like a madman, my voice trembling. My fingers gripped the knife handle tightly, my mind racing with the thought that as long as I got the money, I could survive.

The bank teller's face went pale instantly, her hands trembling as she hurriedly grabbed the money bag. The customers screamed and ran out, the alarm blaring throughout the bank. The security guard rushed in, his taser crackling with blue sparks, his eyes alert and focused. I had no idea where I found the courage, but I shouted, "Don't move! Give me the money, or I'll kill you!"

I lost all sense of reason. The teller finally handed me the bag, and without waiting for her to let go, I grabbed it, backing away quickly. After a few steps, I felt like I could finally breathe again. I turned and bolted out of the bank, every step feeling like I was dragging heavy chains behind me. My heart was gone, yet there was still a powerful, overwhelming urge to survive pulsing through me.However, the loud siren also attracted the police.

As I sprinted through the streets, the blaring sirens of police cars grew louder behind me. Panic surged through my veins, but the weight of the money in my hand anchored me. I had done it—I had escaped. The bag was heavy, filled with the two billion I desperately needed to reclaim my life. But even as I ran, I knew this was just the beginning. The black-clad figure wouldn’t let me go so easily, and my fleeting victory was only a temporary reprieve.

I pushed myself harder, my legs burning, my breath ragged. But it didn’t matter. Every step felt like the only thing keeping me alive.

I came home and sat on the bed, the weight of the money on the bed felt like an anchor, but it couldn't quiet the storm inside me. The guilt gnawed at my insides, sharper than any knife, as if every dollar was a silent reminder of the person I had become. A man who once did nothing, who once dreamed of a life that was safe in its own mediocrity—now he was capable of unspeakable acts.

The voice in my head, still trying to rationalize, whispered again: It’s for your life. You had no choice. But the hollow feeling in my chest, the space where my heart should have been, told me a different story. No, I had a choice. And I had chosen this path, one that would cost me far more than just money.

I looked at the money, the lifeblood of my temporary survival, and realized something chilling. The man in black hadn’t just taken my heart. He had taken my humanity, piece by piece.

I didn’t know what would come next, but I felt it—whatever it was, I wasn’t going to be the same again. And no matter what I did, I would never escape this feeling of emptiness inside me. The money might save me from death, but it could never undo the monster I had become.

Now that I have obtained 200 million, the next step is to exchange my heart with the man in black. So I picked up the phone and called the man in black.

"I have 200 million!" My voice seemed a little hoarse.

"Very well, come to me and ask for your heart back," the man in black said coldly.

I hung up the phone, my mind a chaotic mess. I tightly gripped the two billion in cash, as if it were my only lifeline. But the closer I got to the man in black, the more I couldn’t shake off the fear within me. Who was he, this man I had never seen before? What was his purpose? Could my heart truly be returned to me? These questions swirled in my mind, but there were no answers.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the house. The air outside was cold and biting, and the street was eerily quiet. Each step felt like I was walking toward the abyss, and I had no way back.

I arrived at the designated location—a deserted old building, lifeless and silent. The empty hallway echoed with my footsteps, and I could almost feel the man in black watching me from some hidden corner. My heart pounded, and the sounds around me began to fade, leaving only his cold voice echoing in my mind: “Did you bring the two billion?”

I clenched the money bag tighter, walking to the end of the hallway. In the darkness, I could faintly make out a figure standing there, as if waiting for me.

I closed my eyes, my heartbeat accelerating. The money—this two billion—could it really buy back my heart? I didn’t know, but I had no other choice.

“This is the two billion you wanted.” I threw the money bag on the ground, nervously watching him. “Give me back my heart!”

 He didn’t rush to act. Instead, he glanced at the bag, then at me, his cold smile curling at the edges. “You think that just by getting this money, everything will be restored?”

 I lost control in an instant, shouting, “You promised! You promised to give me my heart—give it to me now!”

 He chuckled again. “Did I ever promise? You were just a pawn in my game.”

 I froze, and in that moment, I realized the awful truth: I was nothing but his prey. And the two billion were just part of the trap he had set for me. Enraged, I lunged at him, trying to kill him, but once again, he froze me in place.

Slowly, he approached, his eyes gleaming with cold contempt. What could I do without a heart? He raised his hand, full of disdain, and muttered, “Filthy humans, only caring for themselves,” before casting a spell. In an instant, I collapsed to the ground, dead in this real world.

Sure enough, as my parents said, I died without any achievements. What is the purpose of the man in black? Why do you want to steal my heart? I never understood it until my death. Maybe this is the retribution of being a "NEET"? I don't know, and I won't know anymore.

            Chapter one           

 [The first game: Lost Heart]

Completed