Mysterious Old Earth

"Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao! Good news, big, big news!"

Xiao Jie was busy taking inventory for the studio when he heard Han Luo shouting as he rushed in.

"Can you stop being so jumpy for once?" Xiao Jie said, feeling a bit helpless.

He really couldn't handle his best friend Han Luo's excitable personality.

Han Luo, however, didn't mind at all. He lowered his voice mysteriously and said, "Guess who I ran into while I was out eating just now?" Before Xiao Jie could even guess, he blurted out the answer, "That kid, Liu Qiang!"

Xiao Jie frowned the moment he heard that name. "That bastard still has the nerve to show his face? Didn't you punch him a few times?"

Xiao Jie had absolutely no love for Liu Qiang, the primary culprit who had indirectly caused their studio to dissolve.

"Don't even mention it. I really wanted to beat him up at the time, but who knew that when he saw me, he was actually quite sincere? He said he felt terrible about what happened back then and wanted to offer us some compensation. He said there's a game-grinding project that urgently needs experts, and he wants to hire me. The salary is fifteen thousand a month, plus full benefits and a year-end bonus."

Xiao Jie sneered. If that bastard Liu Qiang's words were reliable, then pigs would fly.

"Did you agree?"

"Hell no, do you think I'm the type to abandon my principles for profit? Besides, I know what kind of person Liu Qiang is—he's absolute trash. I wouldn't be fooled by him. I told him I was sticking with you, so he should just give up on that idea.

But guess what happened? When Liu Qiang heard I was working with you, he got quite excited. He gave me two activation codes for a new game. He said this game is incredibly fun, that it's the absolute future of the gaming world, the kind of game that can completely change our destiny.

He even swore that this game is a blast to play—in his words, 'it's fun as hell.'

Plus, it's perfect for grinding. The in-game currency is super valuable; just farming a bit can easily net you tens of thousands a month.

I figured this could be our studio's new project, so I rushed back to bring it to you."

With that, he presented a slip of paper and two cards as if he were offering a treasure.

Xiao Jie glanced at the paper; it had a website URL on it.

As for the two cards, he couldn't tell what material they were made of. They were pitch-black and felt quite heavy, with a string of golden numbers engraved on each. The craftsmanship was exquisite; these must be the so-called activation codes.

Xiao Jie took one and examined it, thinking to himself that it actually looked quite legitimate.

He shook his head, however. "What kind of pipe dream are you having? Can you really take that kid's word for anything? Besides, with how advanced information is these days, if a game were really that good, the whole world would know about it already. It wouldn't be his turn to use it as a favor."

Han Luo paused and scratched his head, feeling that made sense. Still, he wasn't willing to give up. "Let's just try it, what if it's real? It's not like our studio has any business lately anyway."

Xiao Jie sighed. "Fine, let's try it."

He opened his computer, typed in the URL from the paper, and hit enter. To his surprise, it really was a game website.

Old Earth? He had never heard of it.

The description suggested it was an Eastern-style immortal and demonic game.

The illustrations on the homepage were quite gloomy, exuding the decadent atmosphere typical of Soulslike games, but other than some simple scenery, there was no detailed introduction to the gameplay.

Looking at the crude website, Xiao Jie had already lost hope, but seeing Han Luo's excitement, he couldn't bring himself to dampen his spirits.

Might as well give it a shot.

The two of them entered their activation codes, created game accounts, and selected the download. The game installed quickly.

Looking at the strange icon on the desktop that resembled a shattered disc, Xiao Jie clicked to enter the game.

It started with a cryptic CG animation.

[Beyond the starry sky, there lies our homeland—Old Earth.]

On screen, a magnificent scene of a vast, primordial land emerged, rising from amidst trees and molten lava.

[That was once the world of the Immortal Ancestral Dragon and the Undying Fire Bird. Yet, that which is immortal shall eventually decay, and that which is undying shall eventually perish.]

The screen showed majestic dragon-kin radiating golden light and phoenixes wreathed in crimson flames, clashing and slaughtering each other in the heavens, creating a tragic and magnificent apocalyptic scene.

[It was also once the world of giants and wild beasts. Yet, the giants eventually fell, and the wild beasts returned to ignorance and savagery.]

Giants wielded weapons, manipulating fire and floods as they fought against equally massive beasts, leaving corpses and blood everywhere.

[It was also the world of gods and Immortals. Yet, the gods were annihilated, and the Immortals went into hiding.]

This time, there were no overly bloody scenes. The screen showed only shattered floating islands, dilapidated palaces and towers, and desolate courtyards overgrown with withered grass, evoking a sense of profound desolation.

[It was also the world of humanity, your old home.]

The scene shifted to the land itself: thatched huts and pavilions, bustling town markets, and people dressed in ancient Chinese attire moving through the fields—a scene of prosperity.

[Yet, as the end times approached, terrifying demons walked the earth. Cities turned to ruins, and blood-soaked bones filled the fields.]

Various monsters appeared on screen, devouring humans. Cities collapsed into desolation, and skeletons and bones littered the fields.

[It was also the dwelling place of the Sages. Only the Sages knew the truth of this apocalypse; only the Sages could discern the mystery of salvation.]

[Yet, when the disaster descended, the Sages vanished. Some say they returned to the void, some say they fled the Three Realms, and some say they scattered into the heavens and earth.]

Seven men and women of distinct appearances appeared on screen—these were apparently the so-called Sages. The images of the seven "Sages" disappeared one by one, leaving only a blank space.

[Oh, you exiled ones returning from beyond the stars, the long-lost homeland has opened its gates once more. The call of Old Earth leads you to embark on the road home, to seek the lost Sages and uncover the truth of the apocalypse.]

As the CG ended, Xiao Jie found his character appearing in a desolate little mountain village.

Xiao Jie stared at the game screen on his computer, and for once, a rare look of astonishment appeared on his perpetually calm face.

"This game... is actually interesting!"

Although the game's CG was a bit baffling, the art style truly caught his eye.

The dilapidated wooden shack, the desolate wilderness, the lush trees, and the dappled light filtering through the branches... the slightly gloomy sky and the sound of the wind in his ears.

Everything was so realistic that it felt as if he were peering from the screen into another genuine world.

Only the game interface displayed at the corners of the screen reminded him that this was not some blockbuster movie or real-time footage, but a bona fide in-game scene.

"How about it? I told you, this game definitely has potential," Han Luo said excitedly from the side, rubbing his hands together with an eager expression. "Now our studio finally has a project."

Xiao Jie nodded slightly. It was true; although he hadn't delved deep into the game yet, based on this visual performance alone, the game held great promise and was well-suited to be Wuji Studio's new project.