Chapter 6

"I am an NPC."

Saying this to the mirror, Chuguang took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and tried to make his appearance look sufficiently authoritative.

And he kept a poker face.

It had been three days since that day.

In a few minutes, it would be time for the players to log into the game.

As for the blue coat he was wearing, it was the one he had on when he first arrived in this world.

Old Charlie from Bet Street had told him that the residents who came out of the shelters all seemed to wear this.

"I am an NPC."

Chuguang practiced this again in front of the mirror he had picked up from outside.

The nature of this "new job" was completely different from the sales job he used to do. A warm and polite demeanor should not appear on a manager.

After all, this was a wasteland that followed the law of the jungle.

To survive in this wasteland, his image didn't necessarily have to be that of a tough guy, but it had to give people enough confidence and security.

Touching the lines on his cheeks, Chuguang pondered whether he should get a scar on his forehead.

Or maybe he should style his hair into a punk mohawk?

After all, this was a wasteland that followed the law of the jungle.

Too handsome.

It would affect the immersion.

"Master."

Chuguang, still posing in front of the mirror, lifted his chin expressionlessly.

"What is it?"

Xiao Qi said softly.

"According to the information I found, NPCs in the game usually don't call themselves NPCs."

Chuguang's expression froze slightly, and he cleared his throat.

"Of course I know..."

He muttered to the mirror again.

"...I am the manager of Shelter 404."

It was almost time for the appointment.

Three hours ago, the cloning process in the cultivation pod had been completed.

He had also agreed with the four "lucky ones" who received the beta test qualifications on QQ to put on their helmets and lie down in a comfortable position before 9 PM Beijing time, and to log into the game at exactly 9 PM.

Just as Chuguang was thinking about how to make his grand entrance, a "ding" sounded in his mind.

Then, a line of text appeared before him.

[Task Completed!]

Chuguang's heart tightened.

It's here!

...

"Grass, grass, grass, grass! Amazing!"

In the living area next to the residents' hall, in a nondescript room, four cultivation pods simultaneously unlocked and opened their semi-transparent doors.

Sitting up from the open pod, Ye Wei stared around in shock, his face filled with astonishment and even a bit of daze.

This—

Is the game world?!

Until a minute ago, he was still wondering if this could be a carefully planned prank.

But just as he was about to fall asleep, a beam of light pierced through the darkness and shot at him.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a strange room.

His body was wet and sticky, as if he had just been pulled out of a pool.

The wind from the vent above his head blew onto his shoulders, and he could feel the liquid gradually drying, taking away the heat from his body.

There was also a faint, unpleasant smell.

Ye Wei suddenly realized, his eyes wide open.

Vision!

Smell!

Touch!

Taste!

Hearing!

All five senses!

Awesome!!

The immersive experience made his eyes well up with tears.

He never thought that in his lifetime, he would actually see fully immersive virtual reality technology!

This was beyond amazing!

He wasn't the only one.

The other three players who sat up from their pods also showed the same shock.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn."

"...I thought it was a joke."

"Damn! It's really fully immersive!"

"Is the technology really this advanced now? Why haven't I seen it in the news?!"

"Ouch... even the sense of pain is there." A player pinched himself.

"Who are you? An NPC?"

"Ha, what NPC, it's me, Lao Bai! Bai Ju Guo Xi! Who are you, buddy?"

"Damn? Lao Xi?! It's me, Kuang Feng! Level 8 Kuang Feng! What's with your appearance? Hahaha, you're killing me."

"Get lost! If you call me Lao Xi again, I'll show you what Lao Cu is... Hey, this game is interesting. The appearance is already set? I wonder if the open beta will allow character customization."

Lao Bai also pinched himself, wincing in pain but with a happy expression.

Excitement!

Thrilled!

Unbelievable!

Dreams have come true!

Ye Wei, on the adjacent bed, stared with wide eyes, trying to digest the shock.

Apart from him, another player was still sitting, probably Lai Ri Fang Chang from the group.

This guy was staring at his legs, lost in thought.

"Are the characters set as male by default? There's no character customization? I mean... can we create a female character?"

"Damn, you're so perverted! You must be Ye Shi."

"I'm Fang Chang..."

"Damn?! Fang Chang?! Good brother... you get what I mean, right?"

"Get lost, I was just asking. Is the guy next to me Ye Shi... Are you all here?"

Seeing the three players looking at him, Ye Wei finally came to his senses.

Realizing he was still naked, he quickly put on the uniform hanging next to the pod and said casually.

"Yeah, just arrived... How do you play this game? No beginner tutorial?"

"Don't know, we just got here too."

As he spoke, the door to the room opened.

A man in a blue coat walked in, followed by a robot shaped like a wastebasket, with a cylindrical body that looked somewhat cute, but its streamlined shell and polished silver paint gave it a sci-fi feel.

The four players stared in amazement.

"NPC!"

"Exactly like a real person!"

"Is this really the game world?"

"This is too real!"

"Quiet," interrupting their chatter, Chuguang glanced at the four players and slowly said, "Welcome to Shelter 404."

"I am the manager here."

"Code name—Dawn."

The air became silent.

The four players were unexpectedly well-behaved, staring at him with bated breath, afraid to miss any plot details.

It seemed his presence had successfully controlled the scene.

Chuguang breathed a sigh of relief and continued according to the prepared script.

"First, I have some good news for you. The war is over."

"But the bad news is, our world has changed beyond recognition. If you expect to grab your luggage and go home to your mom, it's not going to happen."

"It's the 200th year after the apocalypse. Fortunately, we have survived the toughest times. You are more fortunate than 12 billion people, and now I need you to quickly understand the situation and fulfill your declaration under the Human Union flag—rebuild our home!"

"The one next to me is my assistant, its name is Xiao Qi. If you have any questions about the shelter or anything you don't understand, you can ask it."

This was the opening speech.

When the next batch of players arrived, Chuguang would say it again.

After all, it was hard to come up with.

As for Xiao Qi, Chuguang had already informed it what could and could not be said, so there was no need to worry about slip-ups.

Actually, even if there were slip-ups, it wouldn't matter.

Any unexplainable issues could be brushed off with "it's a game setting." In this day and age, no setting is perfect. If you nitpick, you can find bugs in the news.

Seeing that Chuguang had finished speaking, the player with the nickname Ye Shi quickly asked.

"Where is Brother Guang? I mean, the game designer who gave us the helmets."

"I don't understand what you're saying." Chuguang replied expressionlessly.

"How do you log out of the game?" Lao Bai followed up.

"Lie down in the pod, and you can log out normally."

Actually, there was another way—unconsciousness, sleep, or death would also disconnect, but Chuguang didn't want them to try it casually.

Lying in the pod was more energy-efficient, and randomly lying down would be a hassle to deal with.

"Levels? Where is the player system interface? I can't find it."

Just as Kuang Feng asked this, Chuguang hadn't even had time to answer when Fang Chang quickly chimed in.

"Character customization? Can't change the character settings? And the gender—"

"Enough, go ask the designer... cough, it's not your turn to ask questions yet."

Interrupting their endless questions with a black line on his forehead, Chuguang put on a stern face and, without further ado, threw four small booklets into their hands.

"I will show you around and tell you what to pay attention to."