Chapter 2

Chu Guang, male, 26 years old by Chinese reckoning, grew up with his grandfather after his parents divorced when he was young.

After his second year of college, his grandfather passed away, leaving him completely alone.

Fortunately, he was born in a peaceful era, and he managed to complete his studies through a combination of work and study. After graduation, he found a job in sales. Due to his outstanding performance, he was highly regarded by his boss and was promoted to a managerial position not long after.

He had endured the toughest times, and just when Chu Guang optimistically thought he could finally enjoy a few days of ease, fate decided to play a trick on him.

And this time, the joke was a big one.

About five months ago.

Chu Guang still remembers that he was negotiating a 20 million contract with a client. His boss was in high spirits, and he drank a bit too much at the dinner table, eventually passing out.

When he came to, he found himself lying in a desolate wilderness.

And this was no ordinary wilderness.

He walked for two miles and didn't see a single person, and he almost got eaten by a dog with two heads.

Thanks to that two-headed beast.

Chu Guang was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat, which sobered him up instantly. He turned and ran for his life.

Perhaps because the two heads were too heavy, the dog's running was uncoordinated. It chased him for a while but gave up after a couple of barks.

Not seeing the beast, Chu Guang didn't dare to go back and had no idea which way to go.

It was then that he realized his wallet and phone were gone, and his clothes had been replaced with a blue jacket from somewhere.

Finding a small puddle, he looked down at his reflection in the moonlight and was shocked to see that not only had his clothes changed, but his face had too!

He must have been drugged by someone with a screw loose, who had changed his face and dumped him in this desolate place.

As Chu Guang wandered aimlessly in the wilderness, a wisp of smoke in the distance caught his attention.

Looking back now, Chu Guang still feels a bit scared.

At the time, he was determined to call the police and ran towards the smoke without a second thought. Later, he realized how lucky he was to have encountered a legitimate survivor community.

If he had run into ruthless raiders, cannibals, or mutant tribes, he might already be stewing in a pot.

Or even his leather shoes might have been cooked!

After interacting with the survivors, Chu Guang learned from bits and pieces of information that this was no longer China, or even the Earth he knew!

In this parallel world, a war two hundred years ago had destroyed all the fruits of civilization, leaving behind a desolate wasteland and the struggling survivors.

It was now the year 2340.

And it had been 211 years since the beginning of the Wasteland Era in 2129.

Confused.

Shocked.

Indescribable fear.

Fortunately, Chu Guang's adaptability was strong, and he managed to survive the initial days and gradually adapted to life here.

Living a hard life in the wasteland for five months, he often went hungry and had to outsmart mutated creatures and malicious raiders.

Just when Chu Guang was pessimistically thinking that this was his fate, a turning point came a few hours ago.

In the ruins of an abandoned sanatorium, he discovered the entrance to a shelter numbered 404.

To be precise, it wasn't Chu Guang who found it; the facility called "Shelter 404" found him.

A voice in his mind guided him to this place.

When Chu Guang approached the sanatorium, he suddenly realized that this was the exact spot where he had woken up in this world!

If he hadn't run around aimlessly or if it had been a bit brighter, he might have found it earlier!

Regardless, the "cheat" that was five months late finally arrived.

At the same time, a new job was presented to him.

The shelter seemed to be waiting for him, and from the moment he stepped through its doors, his identity changed from a scavenger to the sole resident and manager of Shelter 404.

His job was simple.

He had to use the internet to guide—or rather, trick—a group of beings called "players" to come to this world and work for him.

Yes, the black technology in the shelter could connect to the internet of the parallel Earth and even had its own "official website"!

Players who reserved the game would automatically receive a number and be registered in the manager system's "Shelter Resident Directory."

As the manager, Chu Guang could choose specific numbers to grant "game access."

The system would deliver the game helmet to the players through a special method. Players only needed to put on the helmet to connect to the incubation pods in the shelter and wake up as a clone.

Very user-friendly.

And very convenient!

While there were no penalties for quitting, the rewards for completing tasks were something Chu Guang couldn't refuse.

For example, the bulletproof vest.

After struggling to survive in the wasteland for five months, he knew how important such life-saving items were.

Additionally, the points earned from tasks were valuable, as they could be exchanged for "blind box" rewards on the "Manager Allowance" page.

A basic blind box cost 1 point, an intermediate one 10 points, and a high-level one 100 points.

According to the "Shelter 404 Manager System," the contents and quantity of blind boxes varied, but there was always something, meaning there was no "thank you for your participation" scenario.

Different levels of blind boxes determined the guaranteed rewards.

For example, a basic blind box could at least yield food supplies, an intermediate one guaranteed medicine, and a high-level one could produce weapons.

The system didn't specify if a basic blind box could yield intermediate rewards, but if it did, the probability was likely very low.

As Chu Guang pondered whether to use his 5 points on basic blind boxes or save up for a high-level one, the "wastebasket" in the corner spoke again.

"Master, a new task has been updated in your manager log. Please check it promptly."

"Got it," Chu Guang replied impatiently.

Damn.

Who's the master here?

He rolled his eyes at the corner and mentally called up the manager system.

Soon, a light blue holographic screen projected onto his retina.

—Manager Log—

[Task: The activation conditions for Shelter 404 have been met. The first batch of "containment objects" has been confirmed for delivery. Ensure at least one player logs into the game.

Type: Main.

Reward: Active Substance Extractor.]

[Task: Prepare a generator with a power output greater than 10kw.

Type: Side.

Reward: +100 Reward Points.]

What the hell?

100 reward points?!

Chu Guang's eyes widened as he read the updated tasks in the manager log.

What he was more concerned about, however, was the reward for the main task.

"Active Substance Extractor... What is this thing used for?"

Xiao Qi answered.

"Active substance is the raw material for creating clones. How to use it should be explained in a manual or something."

As an AI assistant, Xiao Qi didn't have much information either.

Currently, Chu Guang's access was limited to the B1 level of the shelter, and access to other levels required completing main tasks.

Incidentally, if he tried to forcibly break into other levels, it would cause the shelter's power and air exchange systems to shut down.

This was already explained to him when he entered the shelter.

But even without this warning, Chu Guang doubted he would do something as stupid as destroying his home.

Come on.

If he destroyed this place, where would he live?

And a shelter designed to withstand strategic nuclear strikes wouldn't be easy to destroy.

Not to mention, he didn't even have a gun.

"Alright, I get it."

In other words, active substance was similar to a "revival coin," a resource needed for players to re-synthesize their clones.

Currently, the B1 level had 100 incubation pods, all in an active state. Each pod likely contained 1 unit of active substance, enough for the initial synthesis of a clone.

According to the system's "one pod, one number" rule, Chu Guang could summon up to 100 players as clones.

Of course, Chu Guang knew things weren't as simple as they seemed.

First, the official website for "Wasteland Online" had no traffic.

Most people, upon hearing about a "100% realistic immersive virtual reality game," would either think it was a scam or a scam.

After all, such technology didn't exist in reality, and even social media couldn't come up with such a ridiculous story.

Second, even if 11 players were tricked into reserving the game, he couldn't be sure they would all follow his instructions.

The players had the freedom to enter and leave the game.

His authority only allowed him to "forcefully kick out," "ban login," or "revoke game access," but he couldn't force them to wear the helmet and work for him.

Therefore, the selection of players for game access—especially the first batch of "beta testers"—had to be done carefully.

Better to have fewer than to have chaos.

Otherwise, it would just cause trouble!

Moreover, the conditions in the wasteland meant that more people weren't necessarily better.

More people meant more mouths to feed.

He was as poor as a ghost and could barely support himself, let alone 100 more people.

Even if he had the means, activating all 100 pods would just provide food for mutants and raiders.

It would be meaningless.

Chu Guang returned to his computer and sat down.

After a long, calm deliberation, his thoughts became clearer.

He logged into his QQ account, opened the "Nima Club" game group, and created a discussion with the group owner and three managers.

He typed in the group chat.

[Send me the numbers that refresh on the official website when you reserve the game.]

[There are only four beta test slots. I'll apply to the company to see if I can send the beta test access and game helmets directly to you.]

These were his usual teammates for playing "PUBG," so it didn't seem out of place to take care of them.

Most importantly, Chu Guang couldn't think of any real-life acquaintances to rely on, so these netizens, whom he had never met in person but had some rapport with, were his best bet.

Relatives?

After his grandfather passed away, they hadn't been in touch for years. If the police hadn't notified them, they might not even know he was gone.

Landlord?

He was probably looking for him to collect rent.

Classmates?

He hadn't been in touch with them since graduation.

Colleagues?

Ha.

They had probably already deleted him, thinking it was bad luck.

Besides, even if they hadn't, Chu Guang couldn't message them, as he had passed out at the dinner table.

A dead person messaging a living person would be too creepy.

In comparison, these silly netizens were the best choice.

They didn't know him in real life, so they wouldn't think too much if he hadn't been online for five months.

White Horse Passing: [Dude, you're awesome!]

Level 8 Hurricane: [Awesome, awesome!]

Long Road Ahead: [666!]

Enemy of All Girls Night Ten Times: [Sure thing, bro! Looking forward to your game helmet! (Funny face)]

Chu Guang continued typing.

[But I need to clarify one thing: the equipment is only lent to you. Don't lose it or take it apart, or I won't be able to explain to the company.]

[Also, the equipment will be linked to the user's identity. In principle, one device can only register one account and be used by one person.]

Actually, he wasn't worried about the players not following the rules.

According to the system, the helmet would recognize the player's identity, and only the player could use it.

As for the equipment...

He didn't care about that.

Since the system could deliver the helmet to the players, it must have a way to handle "after-sales service," which wasn't his concern.

Long Road Ahead: [Is it free?]

Chu Guang: [No fees during the beta test, but there's no salary due to budget constraints.]

Long Road Ahead: [6666, I've sent you my number. Send me one.]

White Horse Passing: [Awesome, awesome, haha. Send me one too. If it's really a fully immersive VR game, I'll do a live stream of me doing a headstand while having diarrhea!]

Level 8 Hurricane: [Ha, I'll support you too.]

Enemy of All Girls Night Ten Times: [(Funny face.jpg)]

Although these four clearly didn't believe him and doubted the existence of a fully immersive VR game, they still sent their numbers, thinking it was just a joke.

It was just a number generated by the official website.

Not a bank account or password.

Besides, they were curious about what he was up to...

After receiving the numbers, Chu Guang didn't hesitate. He immediately called up the manager system, found the "Shelter Resident Directory," and selected "grant game access" for the four numbers.

It would take three days for the incubation pods to synthesize the clones.

During this time, the system would deliver the game helmets to the players through special means, without even needing an address.

As for how it would be done, whether it would attract attention in modern society, or whether it would be considered illegal, Chu Guang didn't care.

He hoped more people would notice the official website and cause a stir, giving him more options.

"Master, we already have 11 players reserved on our official website. Why are you only granting access to 4?"

Xiao Qi, noticing the activated incubation pods in the adjacent room, expressed her confusion.

"Because I don't need that many for now."

Chu Guang closed the "Shelter Resident Directory" and opened the "Manager Allowance" page, spending all 5 reward points on "basic blind boxes."

Saving up for a high-level blind box was pointless.

The reward for Task 2 was 100 points, so these 5 points didn't matter.

The light blue holographic screen flickered, and a section of the wall vibrated. With a soft click, the alloy door of the "dispensing port" opened.

Looking at the items on the platform, Chu Guang was slightly stunned.

"Is... this the blind box?"

Xiao Qi replied.

"Probably."

Chu Guang steadied himself and said,

"I thought the prize would at least be in a box."

Xiao Qi tried to explain.

"Maybe the blind box is just a concept?"

But what was the point of a blind box that didn't need to be opened?

Why not just call it a lottery?

Staring at the reward on the conveyor belt, Chu Guang fell silent.

"I understand the concept."

"But why did I only get four items when I redeemed five?"