"…Just how real is a one-hundred-percent realistic, fully immersive game?"
Earth. A university computer lab.
Staring at the group chat, the first thing that popped into Ye Wei's mind wasn't gaming, but gleaming white justice.
To be specific, it was his copy of *Maiden Scrolls V*, loaded with over two hundred mods, along with the hundred-plus waifus he had personally customized, coming to life straight out of his save file.
Going into any more detail than that would get his account banned.
His screen name in the group was Up Ten Times a Night. Because it was both a mouthful and somewhat indecent, the guys in the chat simply shortened it to Ye Shi.
"Real in the most literal sense."
"Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste… everything is identical to reality. Time flows at a one-to-one ratio with the real world, with roughly a twelve-hour time difference. And because the underlying technology operates by interfacing with dreams, playing is equivalent to sleeping."
The guy who typed out these two lines went by the screen name "Light."
Such a serious, single-character handle felt completely out of place in a group named the "Ox and Horse Club." As a result, the goofy members would occasionally call him "Ultraman," "Gaia," or even "Brother Kai" or "God-tier."
Level 8 Gale (Admin): "What kind of fantasy setting is this supposed to be? (laughs)"
The Days Ahead (Admin): "It sounds pretty dated, too. Reminds me of the VR game premises from web novels years ago."
Fleeting Steed (Owner): "Haha, you mean with the VR helmets? I used to read a lot of those back in school."
Up Ten Times a Night (Admin): "Honestly, a setup like that doesn't make any sense. Why would an operator do it if not to make money? Just to please the players? If it were truly a hundred percent realistic, how would pay-to-win whales flex their superiority? Everyone would just be freeloading!"
Ye Wei didn't read those kinds of novels. Having gone through nine years of compulsory education, he felt he was different from the rest; he prioritized logic over pure wish-fulfillment.
That was why he preferred fantasy and supernatural fiction.
The Days Ahead: "Bro, you're taking it too seriously. If we're talking about logic, pleasing the readers in real life is far more logical than whether a fictional company makes a profit in a story, isn't it?"
Level 8 Gale: "No nesting dolls allowed."
The conversation soon derailed.
Even though the Ox and Horse Club was a gaming group, they rarely discussed games with such straight faces.
Especially an imaginary "game" that didn't exist at all.
Yet, even though the chat had drifted completely off course, the one who started the topic—the guy named Light—stubbornly steered it back.
Light: "I said *if*."
Light: "If a game like that really existed, would you play it?"
Looking at the screen, Ye Wei chuckled and shook his head.
Did he even need to ask?
Up Ten Times a Night: "Hell yeah! Why wouldn't I? A hundred percent realistic game—who wouldn't want to try it? You know what I mean. (smug)"
Level 8 Gale: "+1. But about that premise, I still have some doubts. If game time equals sleep time… wouldn't it make more sense to apply that technology to work?"
Fleeting Steed: "Holy crap, are you the devil???"
The Days Ahead: "In that case, I'll just stick to sleeping like a normal person. (wry smile)"
Quit Smoking: "Instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, you guys are daydreaming in the chat."
"LMAO."
More and more people began chiming in.
Others, while not sending messages, lurked and watched with keen interest.
In a gaming group of two hundred, there were usually around ten to twenty active members. Occasionally, an unfamiliar face would pop up—someone who recognized everyone, but whom no one recognized—only for them to reveal they had been lurking for over two years.
The guy named Light paid no mind to the jokes and remained immersed in his own world.
"Actually, the company I recently joined is developing a fully immersive virtual reality online game."
The lively chat went quiet for a brief moment.
Then, as if on cue, a barrage of messages erupted.
"Holy shit?!"
"For real?!"
"Impressive, bro! You almost had me convinced. (smug)"
Ye Wei thought this guy was being way too dramatic.
A fully immersive VR MMO?
A hundred percent realistic?
Total nonsense.
Just as Gale had pointed out, if something like that truly existed, would they really use it to make a video game???
Of course, he didn't quite agree with the idea of putting it toward office work, either. In his mind, if such incredible technology were real, it would definitely be used by the military first.
Think how amazing it would be for training special forces!
The user named Light said nothing more, dropping only a website link into the chat.
Ye Wei clicked it casually, only to find that it actually led to an official game website.
The webpage looked crude, as if they couldn't even afford a graphic designer. The bare screen contained no media whatsoever, just three plain lines of text:
[A 100% Realistic Virtual Reality Game — *Wasteland OL*]
[Current Pre-registrations: 0]
[Pre-register: Yes / No]
Ye Wei laughed.
Man, all that buildup just turned out to be an ad.
Who knew whether it was for shady gambling or online betting.
Still, the pre-registration count was refreshingly honest. At least they hadn't fabricated an eight-digit player count or slapped on a celebrity endorsement claiming everyone was playing it.
"Fine, let's see what you're really up to."
Gripping the mouse, he clicked "Yes."
To his surprise, no registration page popped up. Aside from the pre-registration count ticking from 0 to 1, nothing else changed.
"This garbage game doesn't even make you register an account???"
The bizarre setup threw Ye Wei off completely. For a moment, he couldn't even tell if this was an actual advertisement.
Could it be a virus?
That seemed unlikely too.
What era was this? Antivirus software was practically fading into history. Were there still viruses that infected your system just from clicking 'Yes' or 'No' on a webpage?
Not to mention he was in the school computer lab.
Even on his own PC, he wouldn't have been worried.
…
[Pre-registrations: 11]
The wasteland. Shelter 404, Resident Hall.
Looking at the numbers on the website's backend dashboard, Chu Guang sat in the cramped room, let out a breath of relief, and released his grip on the mouse.
"Is this enough?"
Two lines of floating text materialized before his eyes in response:
[Mission accomplished.]
[Reward: One carbon nanotube bulletproof vest, +5 Reward Points.]
The wall on one side of the room vibrated faintly. As a curved alloy door panel slid open, a black vest lay on the platform behind it.
A conveyor belt pushed the vest forward.
The alloy door closed once more, and silence returned to the room.
Chu Guang stood up from the computer immediately, walked over, and picked up the vest.
It was remarkably light, with a texture reminiscent of ice-silk sleepwear. It felt smooth and soft to the touch; it was hard to imagine that something like this could stop bullets.
[
Name: Carbon Nanotube Bulletproof Vest
Description: Effectively absorbs bullet kinetic energy, disperses impact force within its durability limits, and resists a degree of puncture and slashing damage.
Durability: 100%
]
Rewards obtained from the shelter system were registered in his inventory, complete with product descriptions and user instructions.
Chu Guang promptly stripped off his shirt and slipped the vest on against his skin.
It felt a bit chilly at first, but his body soon adapted to the temperature.
Just then, the cylindrical metal object resting in the corner of the room emitted a flat, monotonous electronic voice.
"Congratulations, Master. It appears you have completed your first mission."
"Could you not speak up so abruptly?"
"Understood, Master."
The robot that looked like a wastepaper bin was named Xiao Qi.
As the assistant to the manager of Shelter 404, strictly speaking, it had no real name—only the serial number 777.
Chu Guang had found that inconvenient, so he had given it a proper name.
As for who Chu Guang was and why he ended up in Shelter 404, that story began on a dark and stormy night…