Chosen Paradise, Global Game

Perfect-clear reward: free body restoration. Please relax.

Those were the final words. After hearing them, an irresistible wave of drowsiness instantly overcame Lu Ce, and he lost consciousness.

Ding ding ding dang dang ding ding~~

He did not know how long had passed—perhaps only a few minutes—when Lu Ce, still asleep, was suddenly awakened by his alarm.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the familiar dim room and the familiar ten-square-meter dormitory washroom.

The familiar moldy corner of the wall, the old secondhand Redmi phone by his bed... Lu Ce jolted awake and looked beneath him—his legs were intact.

"Was it a dream?... It felt so real."

There was a trace of disappointment in his sigh. As he pondered it, he casually slapped his phone to turn off the alarm, only to produce a deafening bang.

The sound was so loud that it completely woke him. He curiously switched on the light, then stared in confusion at the deep dent in his bed.

If not for the extra layer of bedding, the "luxury item" in his hand—his phone—might really have been scrapped.

Lu Ce seemed to think of something and quickly unlocked his phone, connected to the dorm Wi-Fi, and casually opened a social media platform.

The top trending search beneath the search bar burned in a fiery color. Its description was simple, consisting of only eight words.

—Chosen Paradise, Global Game!

The number of searches beside it had already reached a horrifying 180 million.

One had to know that the highest trending topic in this platform's history had only reached forty million. One hundred and eighty million... no celebrity agency would even dare make up a number like that while manufacturing hype!

Lu Ce hurriedly tapped into it and began browsing the flood of reposted news.

"Starting at midnight, large numbers of people vanished into thin air. An Air Canada plane crashed, and crew members stated that both the captain and first officer disappeared from the cockpit."

"Live broadcasts suddenly appeared on many people's phones, computers, and electronic devices. Some even had screens appear directly on their corneas, impossible to shut off."

"An Australian man displayed superpowers and claimed to be someone who had perfectly cleared the game. He declared that a new era had arrived and that he would become the ruler of the world in the future."

"Large numbers of people claimed to be Chosen Ones, but they were not forced into the game. They said they could choose to join later."

"Experts say this may be a case of mass fraud. The police are investigating and hope that those who truly participated in the game will proactively contact the authorities."

Message after message filled the screen, most of them direct announcements from official media outlets, fully demonstrating the seriousness of the matter.

Lu Ce checked and discovered that the earliest post about this news had been published less than twenty hours ago. Yet it had already spread so widely.

There was almost no other news on the entire platform. Self-media accounts of every kind had swarmed in, and all sorts of mystical, inexplicable videos flooded the app.

For the first time, everyone witnessed firsthand what it meant for the world to undergo a drastic upheaval.

And Lu Ce himself was among the first to experience that upheaval firsthand. He was even... the first one!

"According to all current interviews, every firsthand participant has stated that after the first game ended, that screen suddenly entered their eyes. They can use their thoughts to check their data and the time of the next game at any moment."

"However, none of the volunteers currently in hospitals have shown any abnormalities in their eyes or brains..."

Only after reading the interview reports did Lu Ce realize something was wrong. With a thought, that screen appeared before his eyes.

Controlling it felt completely natural, like instinctively controlling his own body. He needed no instruction at all.

At that moment, the screen was empty save for a few simple lines.

Rest Mode.

For every game, you may choose to become a spectator or a player.

Of course, we believe the world welcomes players, and players will ultimately possess the world.

Time until the next game begins: 47:54:43.

This is the challenge of the gods. Chosen Paradise welcomes your arrival!

"So that's how it is? There are only two days until the next game begins?"

"According to the news, time in the game and time in reality run continuously. The time spent in the game is the same as the time outside."

"If contestants vanish into thin air to enter the game, then this game is more like traveling to another world rather than merely sending one's consciousness in..."

As Lu Ce gathered information and muttered to himself, he suddenly realized that although he seemed to have taken first place, he apparently knew nothing.

Those other contestants online seemed to know quite a lot.

Emmmm... according to what they said yesterday, there was supposed to be a guide in the initial game, but it seemed I killed him...

That had been the first time he had ever killed someone, yet for some reason, he did not feel the slightest psychological burden.

He could also vaguely sense that the moral standards and order of the entire world were likely about to be reshuffled.

After looking for about half an hour, he suddenly realized he was probably late. He hurriedly jumped up, got dressed, and washed up.

Five minutes later, he successfully headed out.

"Yo, Little Lu. Why did you get up so late today? I thought you'd already left."

Most of the students had already gone. The dorm manager, Old Wang, who had begun tidying the rooms, greeted Lu Ce.

Because he was an orphan, Lu Ce was a poor student and had ultimately applied to live in the building's janitor's cubicle.

Although the environment was terrible, it at least saved him an expense and spared him plenty of complicated social relationships.

"Mm-hm, you carry on."

He hastily gave a perfunctory response and ran toward the school.

"Reporting in."

Lu Ce, already late, stood at the door of Senior Year Class Seven and called inside.

The atmosphere in the classroom was somewhat different today. It felt as if one could smell a restless excitement in the air.

It was a senior-year class. Their homeroom teacher, Old Liu, still stood at the podium, but everyone below was whispering among themselves. The homeroom teacher kept looking at his phone and did nothing to stop them.

After that report, however, the entire classroom seemed to have been muted. Every pair of eyes turned toward the door in unison, and Old Liu put down his phone as well.

The silence lasted at least five seconds before Old Liu took a deep breath and asked,

"Why are you late?"

Lu Ce had never seen his being late receive this level of attention. He paused before answering,

"I overslept."

In an instant, the classroom returned to its noisy state. Some people even made dismissive "Tch~" sounds.

Old Liu's gaze dimmed as well. He had originally thought that someone in his class might be one of those rumored players.

After all, based on the information available, the game had ended around this morning.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him anymore, Lu Ce returned to his seat and sat down.

Because of this matter, an entire senior-year class had cast aside their studies and lessons. Everyone discussed it with excited expressions, as though they were all looking forward to the arrival of a new world.

"Ahem. All right, everyone's here. Quiet down for a moment."

"According to the requirements of the school and the Ministry of Education, classes are suspended today so we can discuss and organize some matters."

"As for future class arrangements, that will depend on how society organizes itself. Even how the college entrance examination will be conducted depends on the situation."

"At present, the importance of 'that matter' surpasses everything!"

The homeroom teacher's solemn expression did not make anyone below take things seriously. Instead, they became even more excited.

"All right, everyone should know what I'm talking about."

"That Chosen Paradise."

"Is there anyone in our class who was chosen and became one of those so-called Chosen Ones?"