Major Upgrade, v20!

Major Upgrade, v2.0!

[Welcome to Paradise].

"Ha--------!"

Zhang Zhiyuan abruptly opened his eyes and sucked in a breath as though waking from a nightmare. The words in his vision gradually faded until they vanished completely.

What had just happened? He only remembered putting on the VR headset that had arrived in the mail, then instantly losing consciousness.

The sensation was hard to describe, as if all five of his senses had been cut off.

Suppressing the lingering dizziness in his head, he looked around—the familiar office had become a dim wooden room, and aside from himself, five other people were sitting or lying inside.

Could this be... the legendary Paradise?

"Fuck..."

Zhang Zhiyuan could not help blurting out.

His training allowed him to remain composed in any situation, but such training clearly had its limits, especially when what he saw was too shocking.

Of the four applications submitted by the organization, only one had been genuine, and Paradise had ultimately offered only one spot. That did not surprise him, but he had never imagined this so-called game could achieve such a level!

He could smell the rotting wood in the air and feel the rough cloth rubbing against his skin. As for the people sitting opposite him, they looked like living humans in every respect, not characters fabricated from graphical data.

When had virtual reality technology advanced this far?

Or perhaps... this was not virtual technology at all, and he was somewhere in a real corner of the world?

But he had put on the headset inside the police station. If the Paradise organization could spirit a living person out of the police building without anyone noticing, that ability was no less astonishing than virtual reality.

It took him a long time to suppress his shock. Just as he was about to carefully assess his situation, the other five suddenly began to move as well.

Zhang Zhiyuan instantly raised his guard to its highest level!

He pressed himself against the wall and readied himself to fight—if these strangely dressed foreigners showed even the slightest hostility, he would strike first and knock them out.

"Heh... another body this time?" A fat man rubbed his neck, speaking in the Russian Zhang Zhiyuan knew well. "But why do I feel so dizzy?"

"Who are you people? State your names." Another middle-aged man muttered, "I'm Qiao James."

"Zhou Zhi."

"Asahara Naruko."

The others spoke up in turn.

Zhang Zhiyuan immediately understood. These people were all participants from the previous game! And the man calling himself Qiao James was precisely the target he had been assigned to surveil!

"I'm Anthony. I assume you all remember me." The second Russian to awaken turned his gaze toward Zhang Zhiyuan and the person beside him. "Looks like we have two newcomers this time."

By now, he was speaking fluent Chinese.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhang Zhiyuan coughed twice and calmly said, "Zhang Zhiyuan. Is there anything else I need to say besides my name?"

In fact, before deciding to participate in the game, the police station had created an entirely new identity for him as a wealthy man. His family background and origins had all been fabricated. After all, Paradise game knowing his identity did not mean the other participants did. Some degree of disguise was still necessary.

"Whether you say anything is up to you. We're only here to have some fun, no need to get too tangled up in things." Anthony waved dismissively and looked at the last person. "What about you? You're new too, right?"

"His name is Jason Taylor," James introduced him on his own initiative. "A friend I brought in."

"That's right, I'm from England." The man nodded repeatedly. "When Qiao told me about this, I didn't believe him at all. I thought he'd had too much to drink and was talking nonsense. I never expected his description couldn't even convey one ten-thousandth of this world... This game is incredible!"

Zhang Zhiyuan wholeheartedly agreed.

He even suspected the police station might have gotten the whole matter completely wrong—Qiao James was not holding secret meetings here. He was simply enjoying a game only rich people could afford to join.

But backing out now was impossible, so he could only play this role to the end.

"Paradise lets us invite people to participate?" Naruko asked curiously.

"I don't know. But I filled in his information when I applied, and he received a VR headset in the mail too." James shrugged.

"Can this window be opened?" Jason Taylor walked around the cabin and stopped before a sealed wooden window. "Don't misunderstand... I just want to know where we are."

They exchanged glances, and no one objected.

In truth, they all wanted to know.

Seeing this, Jason tried pushing the window. The wooden shutters were not locked, and he soon pushed them open a crack. Light streamed in from outside, brightening the room that had previously been lit only by an oil lamp.

He eagerly leaned forward.

"My God... Jesus bless us! There's a city outside!" Almost at the same moment, he cried out in amazement.

"A city?" The others crowded over.

Zhang Zhiyuan was no exception. When it was his turn, his reaction was not much better—beneath a blanket of gray fog, a sprawling city unfolded before his eyes. Tens of thousands of houses stood packed together, rising gradually like a mountain ridge. Pedestrians flowed through the streets, and horse-drawn carts occasionally passed by hauling goods, creating a bustling, prosperous scene. Judging by the architectural style, this place was clearly far removed from twenty-first-century Earth, yet the people did not appear particularly different. If all this was merely an illusion simulated by a game program, just how terrifying would the host machine's computing power have to be?

"Could this... be the city we saw last time?" Zhou Zhi murmured.

"Where did you appear last time?" Zhang Zhiyuan immediately asked.

"At sea," Naruko answered. "We played Pirates."

"Uh... Pirates?" As a law enforcement officer, Zhang Zhiyuan immediately felt uncomfortable.

"That's right, but we had barely landed before a patrol wiped us out." Naruko said flatly. "At the time, we could only see a barren village and towering city walls in the distance."

"So what are we playing this time?" James rubbed his hands, anticipation already filling his voice. "Terrifying criminals infiltrating the city? Or master thieves robbing a bank?"

"Mate, can't you think of something better?" the Englishman said disdainfully. "Please don't bring reality into the game."

"Ha, I just can't wait."

Zhang Zhiyuan looked unconcerned, but sneered inwardly. That was right—this man was definitely Wayne Jance from the wanted list, a criminal accustomed to breaking the law. This Jason seemed quite familiar with Qiao. If he could draw out his identity, it might offer a new direction for the investigation.

"By the way, where's the Host?" Anthony said. "Last time, he said it was only a trial run, and this time would be very different."

"I just hope he gives us a few more useful weapons." Naruko seemed to still resent having to fight the patrol with a rusted weapon last time.

"Of course. I believe this time will not disappoint you." Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.

Everyone was startled and turned around in unison.

At some point, a man in a red-and-black cloak and a Sichuan Opera Mask had appeared in one corner of the room.

Was this the Host of the Paradise game!? Zhang Zhiyuan immediately fixed his eyes on him. Though he knew this was only a virtual avatar, he still hoped to find some clue from the man.

"Come on, tell us what roles we have this time," James urged.

"Don't rush. First, I'd like everyone to look at the upper-left corner—yes, the upper-left corner of your vision," the Host said unhurriedly.

Though puzzled, Zhang Zhiyuan followed his instructions and looked toward the upper-left corner.

Then he noticed a pale number slowly appearing.

The number was "1000."