It was a silver-white helmet. Lin Yu reached into the package and hefted it.
It was very light.
He raised his hand and knocked on the helmet.
Huh? No sound?
Lin Yu found that hard to believe. He knocked several more times, harder this time, but just like the first knock, they made no sound at all.
At first, Lin Yu could hardly believe it, but then he thought again. If something as extraordinary as a purchase arriving the instant it was made could happen, wasn't a soundless knock perfectly normal?
Putting aside the question of why knocking on the helmet made no sound, Lin Yu began examining the gaming helmet in his hands.
After carefully inspecting the helmet several times, Lin Yu found that apart from a cord for plugging it into an outlet and a button that was probably for turning it on, it was no different from a motorcycle helmet.
When he realized he didn't seem able to learn anything more from it, Lin Yu turned his attention to the black box. Only then did he notice a thin booklet at the very bottom.
Lin Yu set the gaming helmet down on the table, reached into the box, and took out the booklet for a quick look.
It was the gaming helmet's instruction manual. After briefly looking through it, Lin Yu tossed it aside.
Looking at the helmet on the table, Lin Yu took a deep breath and decided to follow the instructions and see whether things would really happen as the manual said.
The manual gave a brief explanation of how the gaming helmet worked. As for whether Lin Yu believed it, all he could say was, Yeah, right. Who are they trying to fool? It sounded fairly scientific, but a little thought revealed it to be pure nonsense.
As an instruction manual, it naturally explained how to use the gaming helmet properly. Lin Yu learned how to use it and also read that logging into the game with the helmet before the servers opened would take him to a test space, where he could try out part of the experience in advance.
After giving it careful thought, Lin Yu decided to use the gaming helmet to enter the so-called test space and see what it was like.
Of course, Lin Yu would follow the manual's instructions to the letter. After all, who knew what would happen if he didn't?
Lin Yu picked up the helmet and returned to his bedroom. He plugged it in, put it on as instructed, and lay down on the bed in a comfortable position. After making all the preparations specified in the manual, he closed his eyes and pressed the start button on the side of the helmet.
When Lin Yu opened his eyes again, he found himself in a pitch-black space.
This must be the so-called test space!
He carefully surveyed his surroundings, and when he found nothing there, Lin Yu turned his attention to himself.
He looked at his familiar body and the clothes he had been wearing before logging into the game.
Lin Yu was only slightly surprised that the gaming helmet had brought his clothes into the test space exactly as they were. His surprise lasted only an instant before he accepted it.
He already knew there was something extraordinary about the gaming helmet. What was so strange about it being able to perfectly reproduce his body and clothes?
Now that he had entered the test space, Lin Yu was determined to explore it thoroughly. He raised his arms and legs, then began making all sorts of strange movements. One moment he ran at full speed, the next he did push-ups on the spot. Sometimes he jumped in place; at other times, he put both hands on the ground and tried to walk in a handstand.
After moving around a little, Lin Yu found that his body in the test space was basically the same as his own. No, it was even better. After testing it out, Lin Yu found that he wasn't tired at all.
To test it, Lin Yu had sprinted at full speed for ten minutes straight. Far from being tired, he wasn't even out of breath.
After doing all that, Lin Yu decided to conduct another test.
If it was a hundred percent realistic, he should be able to feel pain too. Although he knew he could most likely feel pain, Lin Yu still wanted to try it.
Looking at his thigh, Lin Yu reached down and pinched it hard.
"Hiss!"
The pain made Lin Yu suck in a cold breath. After briefly rubbing his sore thigh, Lin Yu's exploration of the test space was almost at an end.
Next, he had to see whether he could log out. He silently prayed he wouldn't end up trapped in the test space like in Sword Art Online, which he had watched.
After doing all that, Lin Yu began following the steps in the manual.
Log out of the game.
As Lin Yu silently recited the words, a blue panel appeared out of thin air before his eyes.
[Log out of the game Yes/No]
Looking at the blue panel before him, Lin Yu didn't immediately choose to log out. Instead, he reached out and began examining it.
I can touch it. Looks like it isn't some kind of projection.
That was what Lin Yu thought as he felt the strange sensation against his hand.
After examining it a little longer, Lin Yu chose to log out.
Everything went black. When Lin Yu opened his eyes again, the pitch-black test space was gone, replaced by the familiar ceiling of his own home.
After taking off the helmet and putting it away, Lin Yu began considering what to do next. Having discovered that something was off about the gaming helmet, he was practically certain that there was something wrong with the company called Starsea Era, and that there was definitely something wrong with the game called "Epochal Shift."
As for what to do next, Lin Yu had already thought it through.
First, he had to buy another login device for "Epochal Shift," and it had to be the highest-end model.
After confirming that something was wrong with the gaming helmet, Lin Yu had begun thinking about the origins of the game called "Epochal Shift."
A game created by aliens? Possible.
The game descending into reality like in a novel? Also possible.
Lin Yu didn't know where the game came from. All he currently knew was that the company that released "Epochal Shift" was called Starsea Era. The only thing he could be sure of was that this game was no ordinary game, and it could very well change the course of his life.
In that case, Lin Yu needed to give some serious thought to what he should do.
First of all, the login devices currently on sale for the game "Epochal Shift" came in six tiers: a basic helmet for 108, an advanced helmet for 588, a deluxe helmet for 2,888, a complete-edition gaming pod for 18,888, a luxury-edition gaming pod for 188,888, and the most expensive of all, a Limited Supreme Edition gaming pod for ten million.
Moreover, unlike the other five versions, which had no purchase limit, the most expensive limited supreme edition was sold in limited quantities, with only one thousand units released worldwide.
As for the six login devices, Lin Yu guessed that the higher-end the device, the better the experience after entering the game would be.
Lin Yu didn't know whether his guess was right, but that didn't stop him from gambling on it.
Lin Yu really coveted the top-of-the-line limited Ultimate Edition on the official website, but after glancing at his bank account, which had only about 680,000 left, he gave up on it.
Setting aside the fact that Lin Yu didn't have enough money, the limited supreme edition was already listed as sold out on the official website. Even if he had the money, he couldn't buy one.
Since he couldn't get the top model, he would buy the next tier down, the luxury edition.
Having decided which gaming pod to buy, Lin Yu placed the order without the slightest hesitation.