Chapter 2: The Illusory World Storm

After enjoying his breakfast, Wang Yu began to consider his life. No matter what happened, life must go on... The first issue to resolve was his source of income. However, this wasn't a big problem for him. He wasn't the type to live paycheck to paycheck, and during the years he worked, he never had a girlfriend, so he had saved a considerable amount of money in the bank. This would allow him to live comfortably for some time. The reason he never had a girlfriend wasn't because of his appearance; he was rather introverted and quiet. Although he was above average in looks, he wasn't attractive enough to make girls chase after him, which was also one of the reasons he wasn't popular at his company.

"I'm not short of money, why should I rush to find a job? I might as well take a break!" Wang Yu realized that his bank account wasn't short of money, and unemployment wouldn't affect his normal life in the short term. He could always look for a job later. Since he had been unemployed, he felt he should enjoy life a bit. He found it amusing that he had such thoughts, but then again, he did deserve to enjoy himself. What was the point of earning money if not to enjoy it?

With his mind made up, Wang Yu felt much better, as if he had completely shaken off the shadow of unemployment. He went out alone, looking around, and realized that life was meant to be enjoyed and that it was indeed beautiful. As he walked, he suddenly heard a place bustling with people. Curiosity being a human trait, Wang Yu headed towards the source of the noise.

Turning a corner, Wang Yu was stunned by the scene before him. Five long queues stretched far into the distance, with five windows at the end of each queue. People at the front paid happily and carried away a silver box, while those behind looked on enviously. Most of them were students... Wasn't it class time?

As a "talent" in network technology, Wang Yu naturally knew what these boxes contained—virtual reality helmets. A year ago, a gaming company had developed a virtual reality game. The so-called virtual reality game allowed players to enter a virtual world, no longer relying on keyboards and mice but using brain waves and electronic signal receivers. However, the initial games suffered from low virtuality, often criticized for not being realistic enough. Some virtual reality games even had fewer players than traditional online games. Despite this, the share of virtual reality games grew over time, but the price of virtual reality helmets remained high. The sight of people queuing to buy them was truly unbelievable.

What game could attract so many players to buy virtual reality helmets? Wang Yu thought of a name: Illusory World. As a network technician, he was very sensitive to the virtuality of online games. Two months ago, this game, Illusory World, began its promotion with just a few simple sentences:

1. Virtuality: 90%

2. Global synchronization.

3. No beta test, official launch on December 1st at midnight.

That was all. The 90% virtuality figure was once considered a huge joke by Wang Yu and his colleagues. A 90% virtuality level would allow players to do almost anything in the game. Was this really possible? Global synchronization, what a joke. What server could handle such pressure? No beta test, impossible for a game to have no bugs! Unless all the world's super conglomerates invested and the most elite game development teams started working on it ten years ago, it might have a chance. Wang Yu thought this at the time but quickly dismissed the idea. How could that be possible?

However, why were so many people buying helmets now? The game would launch in five days, and he hadn't heard any news about it until yesterday. Was it the official website announcement?

Wang Yu hurried home, turned on his computer, and opened the Illusory World official website. The website had only one sentence: "Please turn on your TV!"

What's going on, Wang Yu thought. What does the game have to do with TV? But he still pressed the remote.

"Welcome to the first globally synchronized online game, Illusory World. The game helmet is now on sale. Illusory World was funded by 18 game conglomerates worldwide, developed over ten years by over 100 game development teams, and has a virtuality level of 90%. Welcome to this fantastical world..." Wang Yu was completely stunned. He never thought his joke would come true. The TV continued to introduce the basic information of Illusory World, the characteristics of different base classes, and the effects of various attributes. Wang Yu was deeply captivated by the game's visuals. This was truly a world-class game!

Of course, this was an advertisement on the gaming channel, but such a large-scale, long-term ad campaign was enough to create a sensation. Judging by the setup, this ad would likely repeat for five days. At the bottom of the screen, it clearly showed: "4 days 15 hours 35 minutes 24 seconds until the official launch," and the countdown was continuously decreasing.

Of course, no information medium would escape the influence of Illusory World. Opening his phone, he found ten free text messages, all introducing Illusory World. Wang Yu now understood the reason for the long queue. No young person could resist the allure of such a game. It was a whole new world... Wang Yu had played online games in college and was familiar with the characteristics of different classes. Since his goal was to enjoy life, this game seemed like the best choice. However, Wang Yu was still rational and didn't join the long queue immediately. Who knew how long it would take to buy a helmet? Instead, he decided to buy one early the next morning.

Meanwhile, similar scenes were unfolding around the world. All other online game companies wisely abandoned their games, offering players compensation before shutting down. Players also put aside their other games and waited for the arrival of Illusory World.

At a conference table, seven people of different ethnicities sat, their eyes fixed on the large screen showing the game's promotional video.

"Guys, we succeeded, didn't we?"

"Yes, friend, I think we succeeded."

"A new world is about to be born. Did we really accomplish such a great feat? My God, we created a new world!"

"Yes, a fantastical world is about to be born, a world that will not only belong to games but will also change reality!"

"Indeed, this game can completely replace reality, but is what we did really right?"

"Don't worry, buddy. Where there are people, there will be wars. We just opened a new battlefield."

"A battlefield where no one dies?"

"I think so!"