Long Ming held the helmet in his hands and examined it carefully. The whole outer shell was made of titanium alloy and felt solid to the touch. On the right side, near the ear, there was a slightly sunken switch button; apart from that, there were no other buttons.
Looking at the helmet in his hands, Long Ming felt doubt stirring in his chest. The thing was admittedly well made, but he still had trouble believing it could give a person a truly immersive, lifelike experience.
Just then he noticed a thick manual in the box. He put the helmet back and picked up the manual to read it carefully.
Name: XS-01 virtual game helmet.
Note 1: This game helmet is designed exclusively for Civilization Paradise. Disassembly or modification by the user is strictly forbidden; otherwise, all resulting consequences are the user's own responsibility.
Note 2: This game must not be used by persons with severe mental defects.
Note 3: This gaming device can regulate the body's metabolism, and play time can be extended to a maximum of 24 hours. If you require longer play sessions, please purchase professional gaming pod equipment and the matching nutrient injections.
Note 4: During gameplay, please make sure you are in a safe space. A forced disconnect may cause unpredictable consequences.
A moment later, Long Ming closed the manual, walked over to the computer desk, sat down, and opened the official website of Civilization Paradise (Shanchengshan).
Honestly, after reading the manual, he was growing more and more interested in this game.
Long Ming checked the announcements on the Civilization Paradise official site: the game would officially open at midnight tonight.
He glanced at the time displayed on his phone. It was 4:30 in the afternoon, which meant he would be able to log in in a little over seven hours.
Seeing that he still had so much time, Long Ming browsed the official site, hoping to find some information about the game. After poking around for ages, though, he turned up nothing useful. Their secrecy was exceptional, to say the least.
Just then, a new announcement suddenly appeared on the game's official site.
"The Civilization Paradise forum is now officially open."
Curious about this newly posted announcement, Long Ming clicked on it, and a prompt box immediately popped up.
"Notice: You have logged into the Civilization Paradise forum. At present only the posting function is available. Further functions will be opened up gradually in the future. Please look forward to them."
Long Ming read the notice without paying it much mind and simply used the mouse to click the prompt box away.
An empty forum interface filled his view—but the next second, posts came sprouting up like bamboo shoots after rain.
"Haha, first!"
"So this is the Civilization Paradise forum. Simu City finally did something decent for once, developing a halfway decent game."
"Brother who posted above, is your brain short-circuited? This game was developed by our City of Sin!"
"Bah, it was obviously developed by our Shanchengshan."
"What the hell is going on, the networks are connected? I'm not seeing things, am I? I can actually see people from other cities."
"I must be seeing things!"
"Quit arguing. Buying game helmets at a high price."
"Selling the latest top-secret Civilization Paradise information, only 100."
"The United Front Guild is recruiting. If you're a brother, come chop up the world with us!"
"Cute girl player looking for an expert to carry her."
Long Ming skipped right past these worthless posts and kept scrolling down.
He soon found a popular discussion thread and clicked into it.
Gray Fox: Don't you guys think the way this Civilization Paradise is being promoted is a little fishy?
Mountain Angler: I think it's weird too. Do we really have technology that advanced?
Swimming Fish: It's not a scam, is it?
Tianxia: It can't be a scam. After all, every shelter city has opened this game.
Gray Fox: Since when are the shelter cities on such good terms? They can actually run one game together. Usually they'd count it a good day if they didn't beat each other to death over resources.
Tianxia: No idea, but I have a guess.
Swimming Fish: What guess?
Tianxia: There's a saying: when things turn strange, there's sure to be something odd behind it. Since every shelter city is taking part in this game, then most likely everyone reached an agreement—put down the fighting offline and switch to fighting online.
Gray Fox: That makes some sense. Anyone know what this game is actually about?
Tianxia: That I don't know. I heard all the related information is top secret.
Long Ming browsed the forum for a long time, and his anticipation for the game only grew. Sometimes the unknown is the most tempting thing of all.
Before he knew it, the time had come to 11:55 at night.
Long Ming locked the door, checked over the room, then went to the bathroom. Only then did he slowly return to his bed, hook the helmet up to the power supply, put it on his head, and lie down.
Then he reached out and pressed the power switch on the helmet.
Instantly, a virtual projected prompt appeared before his eyes.
"3 minutes 15 seconds until the game opens."
Long Ming watched the countdown ticking steadily down, and his heart began to race on its own. At the instant the countdown hit zero—
A faint electric current swept through Long Ming's brain. His consciousness went black, and his whole body felt as though it had suddenly lost all weight, plunging into an endless abyss.
The next second, Long Ming's eyes snapped open.
Whoosh!
A vast, resplendent sea of stars rushed into view.
Only then did Long Ming notice that he was standing on an enormous circular mechanical platform. At its center stood a huge mechanical obelisk, densely covered in intricate star marks. The ground was seamed everywhere with irregular cracks that gave off a peculiar halo. The whole mechanical platform was encircled by three interlocking mechanical rings, and out in the surrounding star field were scattered numerous small, top-shaped mechanical platforms, each one also topped with a small mechanical obelisk.
At that moment countless beams of white light came falling down, and player after player was teleported in.
Looking around, the crowd burst out in exclamations of wonder.
"Whoa, where is this place!"
"So magnificent!"
"God, I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Have we arrived in the future world?"
"Wait, this is the game world, right? Go on, hit me and see."
"Smack~"
"Ow, ow!"
"Holy shit, that's awesome. The pain is this realistic."
Long Ming was stunned by the sight before him too. He couldn't believe a game could be this lifelike; for a moment he could hardly tell reality from illusion.
He raised a hand and pinched his own cheek. The clear sensation of pain left him utterly astonished.
Long Ming drew a deep breath and did his best to calm himself.
Then he noticed a futuristic-looking wristband on his left wrist—he had no idea when it had gotten there.
He was just about to examine it when a mechanical, synthesized broadcast rang out.
"Respected players, welcome to Civilization Paradise. Here you will be able to pursue the light of civilization and experience a world unlike any before. As for the detailed rules, please read the newbie tutorial in your wristband. Enjoy yourselves."
When Long Ming and the many other players heard the broadcast, they immediately pricked up their ears and listened intently.
Chapter 7