Chapter 1

【Repeat the URL three times, do you remember? If you haven't, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It would be great if you could share it on Facebook.】

<!--go-->In the year 2155, over a hundred years after the great war, Earth was in ruins. People rebuilt their homes on the ruins, but the loss of heavy industry and the radiation contamination of arable land made the human living environment increasingly harsh. The once bustling major cities had vanished, replaced by city-states rebuilt from the ruins. Resources essential for human survival became extremely scarce, including fuel, energy, water, food, and clothing, all of which were out of reach for ordinary people.

The world was reorganized into four major regions: Huaxia, Sumer, Nile, and Aryan. As the living environment worsened, humans signed a ceasefire treaty and established the United Earth Government.

With the widespread application of artificial intelligence, the few remaining light industries and farming jobs were taken over by AI, leading to widespread unemployment. To address social issues caused by population growth and resource shortages, the United Earth Government approved the launch of a metaverse-level game called "Tianxia" by the Chinese Online Group's "Chinese Meta" in the Huaxia region. All people on Earth would be able to participate in this game, which would allocate resources and exchange goods, reconstructing a second world to change the increasingly severe rules of human survival.

…

On August 21, 2155, one month before the official launch of "Tianxia".

In the Huaxia region, in the southeastern coastal area, in Suzhou City, S District, a poor neighborhood.

The wall on the shady side of a staircase was covered in moss. A four-story building, long neglected, had an attic that stood out from the surrounding structures. In the early morning, sunlight streamed through the attic window onto a young man's face, warming him from his dream. He rubbed his eyes and slowly woke up.

The young man's name was Lin Zhao. His parents had passed away, and he had grown up in the slums.

“Sigh…”

Lin Zhao didn't have the habit of sleeping in. He leaped out of bed with a kip-up, glanced at the display of the diary robot, and frowned. Today was another day for testing the performance of motorcycles, which would likely leave him bruised and battered. But there was no choice; this was his job as a magnetic levitation motorcycle performance tester, and earning a meager salary to support himself was already a blessing.

…

In the early morning, Lin Zhao rode his magnetic levitation motorcycle onto the street. As he turned back, he saw a little girl holding a worn teddy bear, no more than five or six years old, with a rosy, doll-like face. She was sitting on the stairs, watching Lin Zhao from a distance.

“Hey, Little Orange!” Lin Zhao waved his helmet.

The girl stood up, smiling and waving back, “Big Brother Lin Zhao!”

“Why are you waiting outside?” Lin Zhao asked.

“Um…”

Little Orange's face showed a hint of fear as she pointed to the security door and said, “An uncle came, so… Mom didn't let me stay inside…”

“Oh, I see…”

Lin Zhao frowned and then heard a man's heavy breathing and the sound of furniture being knocked over inside Little Orange's home. A few seconds later, a man with a scar on his face walked out, zipping up his pants and cursing. Behind him was a woman, about 30 years old, with a somewhat attractive appearance, but her face was expressionless, showing warmth only when she looked at Little Orange.

“Spit!”

The man spat and threw a loaf of bread at her, then pulled out a ten-dollar universal coin from his jeans pocket and threw it at the woman, angrily saying, “Take the money and go wash up on the opposite street. You stink, damn it! What bad luck I have today!”

“Thank you… sir…”

The woman clutched the ten-dollar universal coin, her face expressionless.

The man passed by Lin Zhao, looking at his worn-out jacket and sneered, “Get out of the way, good dog!”

Lin Zhao's expression turned cold, suppressing his anger, and said coldly, “Who are you calling a dog?”

“Lin Zhao!”

From a distance, the woman shook her head, signaling him not to cause trouble.

The man, seeing Lin Zhao's cold gaze, lost his bravado and didn't say anything more, turning and walking away, only to start cursing again at the alley entrance.

…

Lin Zhao glanced at the woman again. A loaf of bread and ten dollars were enough to make her lower her dignity and serve such a filthy man. This was the reality for women in the slums, with no jobs and government subsidies far from enough to support a mother and daughter.

“Leaving.”

Lin Zhao got on his motorcycle and sped away. He couldn't help, nor could he afford to. This was the world, and he was struggling to make ends meet himself.

On the street, huge public screens continuously broadcasted the promotional video for "Tianxia," a game billed as a "metaverse-level" experience. The game was described as a "second world" for humans. Once launched, major groups and conglomerates under the United Earth Government would invest and integrate, and the game's gold coin system would be deeply tied to global banks. In other words, gold coins in the game could be directly exchanged for real money. The promotional video for "Tianxia" was straightforward: in this game, if you were strong enough, you could have everything—money, resources, weapons, and status, all available!

Lin Zhao looked up at the screen for a while, feeling a bit of anticipation.

…

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the water tower's water collection point.

In Suzhou City, water usage for civilians was limited. The government issued water cards to each household, with each card allowing only one bucket of water per day, which had to cover drinking, washing, and cleaning. In short, it was barely enough, and to have more, one had to buy additional water from the water supply company.

Lin Zhao sped over and saw Little Orange crying in front of the water collection point, a bucket kicked over, and water spilled everywhere. Her mother stood there, expressionless, staring at the spilled water, frozen in shock.

“Spit!”

A young man with a nose ring sat on a motorcycle, sneering, “You think you can get water just because you're a lowlife?”

Little Orange's mother, tears streaming down her face, said, “I… I used my water card…”

“So what if you used your water card?”

The young man got off his motorcycle and kicked the bucket, deforming it and sending it rolling away. He laughed, “Can't understand human language? I asked if I allowed you to get water?”

Little Orange held her mother's hand, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how.

…

Lin Zhao recognized this person, a local unemployed youth who later dyed his hair yellow and became a notorious biker in S District, known as Yellow Hair. Behind him were a few other young men, some even from the rich neighborhood, who came here just to bully others for fun.

“This little girl is quite something.”

Yellow Hair glanced at Little Orange, his mouth full of sarcasm, “She'll probably grow up to be a beauty. Tsk, tsk, how about starting to train her from a young age, so she can sell herself with you when she grows up?”

“Shut up…”

Little Orange's mother was sobbing uncontrollably, defending her last bit of dignity. She pushed Yellow Hair away, sobbing, “You can't… You can't do this in front of her… You can't…”

“Get lost!”

Yellow Hair kicked her away, picked up a wooden stick from the ground, and raised it, sneering, “Since you know you're a cockroach, why come out and disgust people during the day?”

…

Lin Zhao felt a chill. He had been bullied as a child, and if he intervened now, he would be at a disadvantage with so many of them. But if he didn't, he would never be able to respect himself.

So, just as Yellow Hair was about to strike, his wrist was grabbed by a strong hand.

Lin Zhao gripped the stick and said coldly, “You're the cockroach.”

“Who the hell are you?!”

Yellow Hair twisted his arm, trying to hit Lin Zhao with the stick.

Lin Zhao struck first, kicking Yellow Hair away, who crashed into the wall, writhing in pain.

“Damn!”

A biker with a nose ring struck Lin Zhao's back with an iron rod, making him stagger forward. Just as he turned back, he was hit on the forehead, causing him to spin and pass out, blood streaming from his nose.

The group of bikers panicked and scattered, causing chaos on the street.

…

Late at night, in the rich neighborhood of Suzhou City, at a top-tier treatment center.

Lin Zhao lay on a hospital bed, still unconscious, with multiple injuries. Standing beside him was a woman in a high-ranking military uniform with two gold stars on her collar, about 27 or 28 years old, with a stunning appearance and a pair of long, elegant legs in boots, exuding an indescribable aura. She was staring at Lin Zhao on the bed, none other than his cousin, Murong Feiyue, who had been "missing" for many years.

She clenched her teeth and asked, “What's the situation?”

“Still in a deep coma.”

A doctor in a white coat held a report and said, “External injuries and fractures are manageable, but when the incident happened, his brain suffered a severe impact. The trauma is too deep, and he might become a vegetative state patient.”

“How could this happen…”

Murong Feiyue clenched her fists, gritting her teeth, “I was only gone for a few years, and my little Zhao has such a big accident… Doctor, is there a way to wake him up? I'm willing to use any means necessary. If needed, all top medical resources from the Eastern War Zone can be mobilized. All I want is for my little Zhao to survive.”

“…”

The doctor said, “We need to wait for experts from various regions to review the report and hold a meeting to reach a conclusion.”

“Understood, hold the meeting immediately.”

“Yes!”

…

An hour later, in the same top-tier VIP ward, three renowned doctors reported. One of them, an elderly doctor, said, “The brain trauma is too deep. To recover, he needs stimulation, but conventional methods might cause secondary brain damage and complete memory loss. After our discussion, we think there's one method we can try.”

Murong Feiyue turned, her beautiful face showing surprise, “What method?”

“Tianxia.”

The doctor said solemnly, “As you know, Tianxia stimulates brain waves and simulates real-life scenarios to immerse players in the game. If Lin Zhao can enter the game, the in-game plot might promote his brain's self-healing, and there's a high possibility he will wake up after a certain period.”

“Understood, thank you. I'll take care of the rest.”

“Yes!”

…

After the doctors left, Murong Feiyue stood by the window, looking at the bright moon outside, silent. Soon, the VIP ward door opened again, and a young woman in a military uniform walked in, exuding a professional aura. She saluted Murong Feiyue and said, “We've identified the thugs who injured Lin Zhao. They've all been caught.”

“Understood.”

Murong Feiyue sighed, “Handle them as you see fit.”

“Yes!”

Ning Yu frowned, “General… Are you really not going to attend that meeting? If you do, with your current achievements and military service, you could be promoted to the youngest general in the war zone…”

“No.”

Murong Feiyue looked at Lin Zhao, her gaze softening, “Lin Zhao is still in critical condition, and I need to be with him… Also, after dealing with that captain, contact the military liaison for Tianxia. The game hasn't opened yet, and I want to secure a beta test slot for Lin Zhao.”

“Yes!”

Ning Yu looked at her again, “Is all of this… really worth it?”

“It is.”

Murong Feiyue turned to look at the starry sky, “When Fei found me and asked me to become a Star Shepherd and gain eternal life, I felt it was all worth it. Lin Zhao has been asleep for over a hundred years and is now a grown boy. Ha… I can't let anything happen to him again.”

“Yes, General!”

…

A few days later, everything was arranged.

Lin Zhao, now in a vegetative state, was placed in a custom game pod, surrounded by nutrient solution to maintain his vital signs. As the sophisticated game helmet on his forehead flashed green, Lin Zhao's body twitched, as if facing something significant.

“Whoosh—”

A white light enveloped him, and his body plummeted. His consciousness was still hazy, but as he hit the lowest point, he suddenly woke up. His head still ached, but he could think clearly. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a simple wooden bed, the roof leaking light, and he was shivering. Memories flooded his mind.

He sat up abruptly, looking at his arms and legs, which were thin but strong. He rushed to the basin and saw a young version of himself, no more than 14 or 15 years old, with a face that resembled his own, still a boy!

“Did I… travel through time?”

His head throbbed again, and his previous memories faded, leaving only the knowledge that he was called Lin Zhao and lived in an indescribable world. But now, he was a young boy, also named Lin Zhao, who was always hungry and poor, almost down to his last pair of pants!

Lin Zhao sat on the muddy ground by the door, needing to organize his thoughts and memories. He was frustrated—why did others travel through time to become emperors or princes, while he ended up poor and destitute?

He stood up and said to himself, “No, I need to pull myself together!”<!--over-->

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