010 "Star Abyss Azure Planet" Closed Beta PV "Narrative Edge"
Closed beta testing is about to begin.
This statement immediately sparked a massive frenzy in the live stream chat, but how many of these viewers would actually buy the gaming equipment remains to be seen.
Li Aoz glanced at the forum and saw that some knowledgeable people had already estimated that the 5,000 closed beta test slots were snapped up immediately. Apart from the clubs of veteran professional players, the majority of the slots were taken by some public institutions and state-owned enterprises.
In fact, according to Li Aoz's memory, there were at least two hundred professional soldiers among the first batch of beta testers, and this number increased to fifteen thousand when the civil war started in version 9.0.
These military players undergo standardized training, are subject to confidential missions, and are strictly disciplined. Their training outside is also very rigorous. Compared to soldiers, professional players are at most better at marksmanship, movement, and thinking. In a real battle, professional players are no match for soldiers.
However, military players will not be Li Aoz's main customers. War requires logistical support, and weapons and equipment are durable and reliable. Jewelry and similar equipment will not be purchased in large quantities.
Professional gamers aim to win matches and gain recognition, backed by funding from clubs and sponsors.
Therefore, Li Aoz onto the forum and took a look at the four large clubs that had officially announced that they had obtained beta test slots: Jiangcheng Misty Rain, Braised Beef Noodles, Fragrant Chicken, and Old Godfather.
"These four dishes are still the best," Li Aoz regretfully.
In the first season of the previous life, the Yanxia Zone did not perform well. After all, Azure Planet is a civilization on the Tech Side. In the early stages, it was fighting against various magical and mystical civilizations. It was understandable that the players were not familiar with the Yanxia Zone and were not very adaptable. However, among these four clubs, three teams were sponsored by food companies. They had not made it to the top sixteen in two seasons and were criticized and ridiculed for being "side dishes to accompany rice".
The regional reforms in the Yanxia Zone only began after version 3.0. After entering the universe, professional players experienced the combat styles of various civilizations in space, which is why they made it into the top eight for the first time.
Just as Li Aoz was starting to think about how to expand the market for beta testers, a new post suddenly appeared on the forum, and its popularity soared.
[Breaking News: Veteran esports team ' Vault of Heaven ' has secured two beta test slots! They are expected to be allocated to the former Predatory World champion team.]
"Oh?"
Li Aoz became interested. "In the previous life, the Vault of Heaven Club did not get a beta test slot, and its focus was not on Star Abyss. The formal establishment of a branch was something that happened after version 10.0."
Being in the closed beta means entering the game earlier and faster than others, and being able to reach the Level Cap of the closed beta ahead of others.
From this perspective, Li Aoz's estimate that he entered the game two years ahead of the players is not very accurate. According to the flow of time, the arrival of the beta testers will be at least three months later, which is April of 221 in the year of Azure Planet.
Although it seems like I started playing the game a year earlier than players from the previous life, it's about the same if you take into account the cooldown period of death and trial and error.
The official public beta test won't start until 226 years from now, which is roughly five years from now for Li Aoz.
"Five years is not a long time, but it is enough to overturn an era."
The current host was giving a long, tedious, and sleep-inducing speech, which Li Aoz couldn't be bothered to listen to. He chose to look at the discussions among the users on the forum.
The discussion surrounding "Star Abyss" is particularly high.
They have high expectations for the game's storyline and gameplay. Currently popular games like Predatory World focus on competitive gameplay, which has limited appeal to most casual gamers. However, Star Abyss was positioned from the beginning with the concept of ' Electronic Immigrants,' and many players have begun to discuss whether real-world economic theories and technologies can be applied to it.
During this exchange, the rambling host in the live stream finally finished his platitudes and marketing plan. Executive Director Luo Ming stepped aside to show the large screen and explained, "Next, please enjoy the promotional PV for the beta version produced by our company. Special thanks to the players from Yanxia Country who provided strong support for the ' Star Abyss ' project. We will set aside an independent newbie zone— Azure Planet —as a server and map for players to enjoy."
They've arrived.
Li Aoz's reaction was similar to that of the comments: he immediately switched the screen, zoomed in to full screen, and watched the promotional video with complete concentration.
The sky was shrouded in frost and silence, a dark curtain of light covering the earth.
The drone quickly ascended, soaring over the frigid snowfield.
Terror, mutated monsters roam freely, and the red and black sky is filled with uneasy, lurking breaths.
"Welcome to Azure Planet! A planet without sunlight, but never lacking in cold Frost and Snow."
The emotionless, mechanical synthesized voice, mixed with hissing sounds, resembled a lonely radio broadcasting in the apocalypse.
"As you can see, a red and black cloud called ' Malefic Calamity ' has covered the sky, completely sealing off the entire planet. Humanity has lost the ability and qualification to travel into the universe."
Frozen statues lie scattered along the roadside, passing through the seabed frozen into icebergs. Orcas and dolphins leaping out of the water are frozen in the ice, forever frozen in time.
The astronaut and his spaceship crashed in the snow, and the savage, mutated monster trampled the heroes of the Old Era underfoot. Human civilization seemed utterly ridiculous in the face of nature.
Snowflakes mixed with sandstorm debris, accompanied by the rumbling thunder of red and black clouds, rendered the atmosphere of despair and indifference to the extreme.
"Losing oil means losing industry, losing sunshine means losing everything."
The perspective flashes by rapidly, heading into the long night, as if darkness is the final destination.
"Yet, on this frozen land, humanity still lives on."
Snap—
A raging fire ignited the darkness, the nuclear fusion reactor provided power, erecting a barrier against the blizzard. The mortals, battling nature, donned exoskeletons, their electronic prosthetic eyes nimbly rotating. They picked up Kalashnikov rifles, aimed at the deformed, powerful beasts, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Sparks flew as the bullet transformed into a crimson arrow, piercing through stacks of heavy unequal treaties and penetrating the map of the enemy nation's capital. The marshal in his red and black uniform turned his head indifferently, revealing an arrogant and fierce expression.
"In the Old Era, the gentle and kind country that was invaded and forced to cede territory and pay reparations has been reborn. It has abandoned all its former goodness, donned the crown of iron and blood, and transformed into Red Arrow aimed at the heart of the enemy, tearing apart all the shackles of past inequality."
A mechanized steel frenzy swept across the land, with sophisticated Mobile Armor being dropped from the sky and immediately disappearing into the shadows, then tearing apart the mountains and fields with fierce lines of fire.
The aloof monarch, residing behind the scenes, flicked his finger—and the cold Outland was instantly illuminated by the flames and light of the Hydrogen Bomb.
"The Red Arrow Empire —it is a new overlord launching a revenge against the old world. Those countries that have brought injustice and oppression to the Red Arrow in the past will eventually be trampled by the steel torrent under the emperor's leadership."
On the desolate and deserted battlefield, a male 'mechanic' wearing a military overcoat and with numerous cold data chains wrapped around his body slowly walked into the battlefield. The destroyed armored vehicles and drones, as if they were immortal ghosts, were all awakened in an instant. They struggled, and under the infusion of data streams, their scrapped engines started up again, and they assembled a Mechanical Legion on their own, closely following his footsteps.
"Steel, aluminum alloy, tungsten steel, machinery, data links— the Red Arrow Empire's years of hard work and accumulation have nurtured the weak [Mechanic], unleashing its full war potential. As [Armored Soldiers], they wield weapons of war to reclaim the territories ceded by the incompetent. For the Empire, the servants of machinery will be endless!"
Just as the Armorer was wreaking havoc, the scene suddenly shifted to a soldier crying and screaming on the ground. His legs had been blown off by a bomb, and his left eye had been blinded by shrapnel. The cold trench was filled with the frozen corpses of his comrades. He cried out for help, but the only response was a group of enemy soldiers slowly approaching.
call out--
The nano-threads instantly created a large net, wiping out an entire squad in an instant. Before the Red Arrow soldier could even fall to the ground in surprise, a large hand covered in thick, white armor pressed down on his shoulder.
The soldier looked up as a nano-infusion tube pierced his vein, continuously injecting a large amount of life force into his body. The wound healed, and a small drone lifted him up, flying towards a safe position. He excitedly looked up, wanting to thank the other party, but only saw a figure wearing a white cloak running towards the battlefield—the cloak was billowed by the wind, like outstretched wings.
"If there are no gods in the world, then I will save you in place of the angels—become a [Healer], put on indestructible armor and rush to the front line, use your vigorous life force to save the children of one family after another. You have given up firearms, but the nano tentacles used to heal others are also the protective blades you use to take the lives of butchers."
The scene shifts again, flashing across the technologically advanced Red Arrow Street and the city center, a scene of imperial prosperity and busy people. High-rise buildings are rising from the ground, and more and more young people are collapsing at their posts. It seems that this is not only a celebration of peaceful times, but also a harbinger of some shadows.
"If you crave the essence of gunpowder and martial arts, then Heavenly Ring Nation is the closest place to your dream."
The shadows were torn apart by the long samurai sword, and cherry blossoms slowly fell, drifting into the water, flowing with the corpses and armor wreckage floating downstream into the abyss of no return.
Samurai in suits sat atop mountains of corpses and seas of blood, drinking sake, while commoners kneeling on the ground, trembling like lambs, were used to display the sharpness of their swords.
laugh--
Blood splattered and splashed onto the screen wall, creating a magnificent and colorful ukiyo-e print.
"The Heavenly Ring Nation preserves the most exquisite martial arts skills. This country has explored the power of cold weapons and the human body to a new level. The assassins known as 'Warriors' enjoy generous privileges, yet they are still not satisfied. They keep saying they are fighting for the country, but the swords in their hands never seem to hesitate to cut off the necks of mortals."
In fact, you don't need to look for the prototype of Red Arrow anymore.
I was so bad at the game, I messed up and ended up losing territory and paying reparations to all the Big Brother around me while playing as Germany. In a fit of anger, I turned on a cheat engine.
This inspired the Red Arrow Empire.