Chapter 3

Well.

It turned out that it was a misunderstanding on his part.

The reward from the blind box was indeed "five" items.

The system did not engage in the despicable act of "swallowing equipment," nor did it use the phrase "thank you for your patronage."

It was just that the fifth item from the blind box was buried under the other four items…

What was now in front of Chu Guang was a vacuum-packed, 100g compressed biscuit, and three 25g lollipops—flavored apple, banana, and mango.

And a piece of paper.

The packaging of the compressed biscuit was intact, not bulging. Although the expiration date and production date were a mystery, it should not be lethal to consume.

This was a good thing.

The ingredient list indicated 500 calories, and whether eaten dry or cooked into a paste, it could fill one's stomach.

As for the lollipops, although they contained a fair amount of calories, they did not provide a sense of fullness.

However, for Chu Guang, who was so poor that he was almost eating tree bark, this was already quite good.

Speaking of which, this system was really too stingy. Was it afraid that he would eat too much, or something? It was using this small amount of food to get rid of him.

Standing next to the dispensing port, Chu Guang stuffed the food into his backpack, then picked up the paper that had been conveyed by the conveyor belt and unfolded it for a look.

It was written in the language of this world.

[...Is there any creature in this world more suitable to be harvested than players?

Not only do they have a strong sense of curiosity, but they are always full of enthusiasm, facing difficulties head-on and not despairing at their current predicament. Of course, the most crucial point is that they can even consider the problem from the operator's perspective, helping the operator to harvest themselves!

I am a genius for packaging this device as a game!

—First Manager of Shelter 404; (Please place this note in the fifth basic blind box, it's an Easter egg I left for my successor!)]

Chu Guang: "…"

To be honest, he not only did not feel a bit of the surprise of finding an Easter egg, but he was also a bit speechless.

However…

What did he mean by "device?"

"Xiao Qi."

"What is it, Master?"

"Do you know the first manager?"

"I don't. When you entered the shelter, my main program was just activated. According to the records in the shelter's database, the previous manager transferred the operational authority over a century ago."

Chu Guang continued to ask.

"Exactly which year?"

Xiao Qi answered.

"January 1, 2157."

The war ended in 2129, and human civilization entered the Wasteland Era. 2157 was the 28th year of the Wasteland Era.

That was…

183 years ago!

Chu Guang had always been sensitive to numbers, especially such critical information. Once he remembered it, he would not easily forget it.

"So, 183 years ago, the first manager invented this device that can project the consciousness of a parallel world into a clone, and packaged it as a game, but for some reason, it was never used, right?"

Perhaps it was due to the nuclear winter.

Or perhaps for other reasons, the shelter did not meet the activation conditions.

Regardless, a person from a hundred years ago should have long passed away.

Xiao Qi said.

"Probably so."

"What was his name? The first manager."

Chu Guang suddenly became curious about his identity.

The person who came up with those twisted settings might not be a genius, but the one who, after the decline of civilization, single-handedly invented such an incredible black technology, was beyond the word "genius."

Projecting the consciousness of a parallel world into this plane and placing it in a clone as a container…

Chu Guang could not imagine how this was done.

Technology beyond his understanding was no different from magic to him.

"I don't know either. The known database does not have detailed information about him. Was it deleted?"

"Never mind… Asking you is like asking for nothing."

Chu Guang was slightly disappointed but not discouraged.

Currently, the shelter was only unlocked to the B1 level.

As the missions progressed, the secrets buried in this shelter would eventually be revealed in full.

He casually stuffed the note into the drawer of the computer desk and tightened his backpack.

Noticing his actions, Xiao Qi, who was squatting in the corner, asked.

"Master, are you leaving?"

The flat tone sounded rather pitiful.

"Yes, the players won't log in for three days. There's no point in me staying here. I might as well go back and prepare."

This place, called a shelter, did not even have food or water.

Chu Guang now had only half a palm-sized biscuit and half a bottle of water, along with the compressed biscuit and lollipops he had just exchanged for with reward points.

This supply would not last until three days later.

He had a makeshift nest in a nearby survivor settlement, where he stored some supplies and useful tools.

Chu Guang planned to go back and gather everything he could bring over.

This place would be his new base from now on.

"By the way, Xiao Qi."

"What is it, Master?"

"I need your help with something."

Pausing, Chu Guang continued.

"Our official website is too simple. I need you to add a forum function and a database and encyclopedia function. Can you do it?"

In short, he wanted the players to understand this "game" better.

It was a bit difficult to trick people into the game with just words. At least some surface work needed to be done.

"Of course, you have the editing permissions for the official website. Besides the game reservation page, you can add sub-pages or modify existing pages."

"Great, I'll leave it to you."

"Leave it to me!"

Xiao Qi seemed very pleased with the task given by the master, even raising the volume of the speaker by half a decibel.

Of course, this might also be Chu Guang's misunderstanding.

"When will you come back, Master?"

Chu Guang thought for a moment and said.

"Latest in three days."

"If everything goes smoothly, maybe by tomorrow night."

…

In the present world, the Niu Ma Club group.

The group member called "Guang" posted the URL and then disappeared, not knowing if he had logged off or was hiding and watching the screen.

The topic about the "fully immersive virtual reality game" was almost over, but a few minutes ago, this member's move of creating a small group brought the topic back to the main group.

Quit Smoking: [Holy cow, is this guy for real?]

Quit Smoking was also an active group member, though not a moderator.

White Horse Passing: [Yeah, after you clicked the reservation, he created a small group and pulled us, the group moderators, into it. (Scratching head)]

White Horse Passing was the group owner and was naturally in that small group.

Hearing this, the group members instantly became agitated.

[Damn! Black curtain!]

[What's the name of the company Guang joined? I'm going to report him for a deal! (Funny face)]

[Don't be ridiculous, it's a company! Last year, a VR company lost so much that the boss was locked up! The current trend is not VR!]

[You guys talk a bit quieter, maybe Guang is watching the screen. (Funny face)]

[What does he want? Just for a joke?]

[Who knows, maybe he's引流ing you guys to a gambling site and then harvesting you when there are enough people!]

[I think this guy is no good! Kick him out.]]

The topic gradually became unpleasant.

It even escalated to personal attacks.

Ye Wei frowned, just about to say something, when he saw the group owner stepping in to calm things down.

(All group members muted)

White Horse Passing: [Everyone, don't be like this. The new group member might not know Guang. He's actually a decent person, just a bit bad at shooting, a bit blind, a bit weak, but otherwise fine.]]

Long Road Ahead: [Indeed, I believe Guang is not leading us astray to a gambling site. We're just unsure if his account has been hacked. If so, we, the management team, will handle it. I'll retract the message in a bit, let's change the topic. (Smile)]]

(Group mute lifted)

With the group owner and moderators speaking up, everyone politely stopped discussing the topic and quickly shifted to the European Cup.

Ye Wei didn't follow sports, at least not football.

Glancing at the time in the bottom right corner of the screen, it was already 18:00, and it was time for dinner.

Uploading the unfinished assignment to the cloud, Ye Wei pushed his chair back, went downstairs to the cafeteria, and ordered a spicy chicken fried rice, which he enjoyed thoroughly.

When he leisurely returned to the dorm, he was suddenly stunned by the cardboard box on the table.

A package?

"Wei, what did you buy? Such a