C3 An Unexpectedly Realistic Game!

After shipping the gaming helmet to the lucky recipient's address, Faang Qiubai introduced a forum feature on the game's official website. Almost immediately, a flood of players signed up and started posting, engaging in lively discussions about the upcoming beta test the following day. Whether they had won a prize or not, everyone was buzzing with anticipation. The official website's cool efficiency seemed to win over even the most skeptical players, convincing them that this game was truly something special.

"Sir, your package. Please sign here."

Zheng Jing stared at the box the delivery person had brought into his home, signing for it with a bewildered look. The label on the box read "virtual helmet." He had entered the lottery just the night before; how could the delivery have arrived at the crack of dawn? The speed of the delivery was astonishing, and the dedication of the delivery person was something else.

Upon opening the box and laying eyes on the helmet, which looked like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie, Zheng Jing, a seasoned professional in the gaming media industry, was taken aback.

"Holy smokes... It looks even more high-tech than in the photos!" Despite his initial skepticism and casual entry into the contest, Zheng Jing was having a hard time wrapping his head around the sight of the helmet. "This must have cost a fortune... What's the deal with this company?"

The hundred fortunate players who received the helmets from Faang Qiubai found a simple instruction manual inside, advising them to power up the helmets and to play lying down for maximum comfort. The helmets themselves were sleek and straightforward, featuring nothing more than a single button to enter the game.

Those who had received their helmets boasted on the forums, naturally sparking a wave of envy, jealousy, and bitterness among those not chosen. But with the game's launch imminent, the forums were no longer the center of attention.

Minutes ticked by slowly, each one feeling longer than the last in the wait. At precisely noon, the official site updated with the announcement that the servers were officially live. Eager players donned their helmets, reclined on their beds, and pressed the button to dive into the game.

Zheng Jing hit the enter button, and everything went dark. It felt as if his soul had separated from his body, leaving him completely unaware of his physical existence. Before he could succumb to panic, images began to emerge from the darkness—the same CG scenes previously teased on the official website.

This world was once a haven of peace, home to over 3.7 million species. But that tranquility is now history, shattered by an invasion from the Other Plane. Creatures from the Dark Kingdom have nearly obliterated everything, leaving the few survivors gasping for life under the shadow of darkness. You, a hero from another realm, will join forces with your allies to combat this encroaching evil, and it is you who will pen the future of this world.

As the narrative unfolded line by line, Zheng Jing was struck by a wave of dizziness. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a run-down village.

"Welcome to the game. This game offers an exceptionally high level of realism. Enjoy your adventure."

What was happening? CG with subtitles? Why not include a voiceover? And where were the character customization and class selection options?

Amidst Zheng Jing's confusion, unable to articulate his own thoughts, exclamations of shock and awe erupted around him.

"Oh my God!"

"Incredible!"

"Is this actually a holographic simulation game?"

Turning around, Zheng Jing saw other players materializing amidst flashes of white light, indicating their arrival in the game. Before he could utter a word, a heavy blow to the back of his head sent him reeling, nearly bringing him to his knees.

A towering figure, nearly 1.9 meters tall, stood there, still poised as if slapping someone, muttering, "This game's so lifelike, the sensation of slapping someone feels just like it does in real life!"

"This... this is indistinguishable from reality. The scent of the earth and... that stench! It's so authentic I could kiss the game developers a thousand times over!"

Assessing his own slight frame against the other player's bulk, Zheng Jing decided to let the incident slide and instead focused on figuring out the game's mechanics. There appeared to be no NPCs or map to guide him.

"What kind of bizarre game is this? The environment's incredibly realistic, yet the features are so rudimentary?"

As Zheng Jing sat playing with the mud, unsure of what to do next, a player shouted, "Just think about your personal interface, and you can pull up the data!"

Following the advice of the anonymous player, Zheng Jing managed to conjure a transparent panel before his eyes. Yet the panel was so bare-bones, it might as well have been nonexistent, due to its extreme simplicity.

Level: 0

Experience: 0

Shooting

Video Recording

Pain Sensitivity Adjustment 100/100

Exit Game

Zheng Jing was so deflated he couldn’t muster the energy to gripe. He promptly dialed down the pain sensitivity to the lowest setting, 50/100, and turned to the player next to him. "No private messaging, no option to add friends? And we can't fully turn off pain sensitivity?"

The person beside him just shrugged. "Who knows what's up with that? Maybe those features unlock as we level up? If we can't turn it off, then we can't turn it off."

From his godlike vantage point, Faang Qiubai watched the players' bizarre antics, so engrossed that he momentarily forgot to issue them their first quest. Their behavior was astonishing: one player had retreated to a corner to proudly inspect his 'Jill'; another was sampling the dirt, a mix of who-knows-what, from the ground; yet another sprinted towards the village outskirts like a dog off its leash, covering hundreds of meters in under five minutes, his motives a mystery.

Ding... Main Quest Released:

Rebuild the town as a base, the first step in saving the world.

Every player jolted to a halt, their hands frozen mid-action. The quest prompt was too vague, leaving them exchanging puzzled glances, unsure of how to proceed.

"We don't have any equipment?"

"No weapons is one thing, but not even tools? How are we supposed to rebuild the town?"

"It looks like it's been bombed to oblivion 18 times over. How can we possibly rebuild? I'm struggling to wrap my head around this."

Amidst the buzz of conversation, the burly player from earlier raised his voice. "Everyone, can I have your attention for a moment?"

With no clear leader among them, the players eagerly turned to listen. The big guy slapped his chest with a grin. "In the gaming world, I'm known as Shadow of Wind. Some of you might recognize the name. Right now, debating gets us nowhere, so I suggest we split into groups and explore different approaches."

Shadow of Wind, the deputy leader of the renowned Wind Shadow guild, was a name familiar to many gamers. His suggestion resonated, and the crowd fell silent, waiting for further instruction. But just then, a chilling scream pierced the air.

"Ah!!! Help! There's a monster!!!"

Tracing the source of the screams, a player drenched in blood staggered toward the village. His right hand appeared to have been gruesomely torn off by some unseen force, leaving only the upper half of his arm swinging wildly as he ran—a chilling sight that made onlookers gasp in horror.