Countdown to the Open Beta / Players!!!

The speaker might not have meant anything by it, but the listeners did.

Bai Ye's words left everyone at Penguin Logistics silent.

What kind of life had this guy been living in the past?

Public Beta Countdown

Bai Ye had not slept well.

The game panel's notification sound jolted him awake from his dreams.

Ding—

Arknights Online public beta countdown: 31:59:58

Test version: Beta

Bai Ye pulled open the curtains, and the glow of the game system panel—visible only to him—reflected in his eyes.

The countdown on the panel continued ticking down.

At eight tomorrow morning, the twenty-four-hour public beta with no data wipe would begin. The time would follow Terra time, 8:00 AM. The test area included Earth, the Moon, and the low-orbit floating cities.

Although he had long prepared himself mentally, Bai Ye had not expected the public beta to arrive so soon. He had originally thought there would be at least another month.

The release of "Arknights Online" was destined to cause a massive stir, because no new full-dive game had been released for over a year.

No new games to play, I'm going to die.JPG

As everyone knew, one of the selling points of full-dive games was realism. So, in the early days, all kinds of game developers stuffed their games with copious 18R content to attract players. At first, everyone showed some restraint, mostly going for visual stimulation—look but don't touch. But later, the arms race grew fiercer and fiercer, and the industry's rat race reached absurd levels. In the end, visual stimulation was finally transformed into physical stimulation.

They really took that step!

The emerging industry lacked regulation, and disorder ran rampant until it spiraled completely out of control. Meme-loving netizens made all kinds of cursed images to mock the situation, such as:

The full-dive game you imagined: 2022 "SAO"

The actual full-dive game: electronic prostitutes

In the end, the Earth Alliance came down hard and halted all full-dive game development. Games of this type had to undergo strict approval procedures before release, and they also needed age ratings to ensure the physical and mental health of minors.

The full-dive game industry entered a year-long period of stagnation and rectification, historically known as the "Ice Age."

The upheaval even affected other industries. According to online rumors, experts from every field and all kinds of geniuses had been gathered together and sent to the central city of the Pan-Asian region for half a year of completely closed-door discussions.

Because of confidentiality agreements, no one knew what those people had discussed or done—only that, a year later, "Arknights Online" had burst onto the scene.

It was also because of those closed-door discussions, whose details could not be verified, that people online constantly stirred things up by claiming Arknights OL was actually a massive human experiment conducted by the Earth Alliance.

There were even rumors that the Earth Federation's upper ranks had been brainwashed by alien lizardmen, and that every player was a test subject...

No matter what, the arrival of "Arknights Online" was a carnival.

Earth's internet must be buzzing right about now, huh?

After people had held it in for so long, a full-dive game using brand-new technology, boasting exceptional quality, and offering 100% realism suddenly appeared. This icebreaker was undoubtedly a heavyweight.

No wonder people jokingly called it "a young person's first game."

Bai Ye stared at the constantly ticking countdown on the game panel before him and could not help sinking into thought.

In his previous life, he had also been part of that carnival. Unfortunately, he had been cursed with terrible luck and failed to secure a public beta slot. He could only watch streams to satisfy his cravings while waiting for the official 1.0 release.

Who would have thought that now, he had become one of the game's natives—an NPC in the players' eyes.

What a slippery twist of fate.

With a sigh, Bai Ye found that he could no longer sleep. He simply got up, walked over to his desk, and began writing and sketching.

In just over a day, he would have to face players from Earth. These cute, inexperienced newcomers might not seem like much yet, but after several versions, they would grow into a force that could not be ignored across Terra.

Bai Ye wanted to leave the players with a sufficiently deep impression from the very beginning.

To him, it was like a carefully prepared performance. After all, Bai Ye believed he held a far more obvious advantage than Terra's natives—no one understood players better than he did!

At four in the afternoon, Bai Ye received a notice from Rhodes Island's Lungmen branch office. The operators dispatched by Rhodes Island would arrive in Lungmen tomorrow.

"Mr. Bai Ye, please come to the office tomorrow morning. Our dispatched operator will arrive tomorrow." The receptionist's gentle voice came through the terminal. She spoke the common language, though with a slight Lungmen accent. It was rather cute.

"I understand." Bai Ye set down the terminal. He was currently seated at his workbench, maintaining the light crossbow he had taken from Penguin Logistics' safehouse.

The Emperor seemed to have tacitly allowed him to keep the equipment he had "purchased for zero dollars" from the stronghold and had not asked for it back.

Bai Ye naturally did not bring the matter up either. He genuinely lacked equipment right now.

The weapon he had used in his previous life had been exchanged with military merit. With a huge amount of merit, he had managed to ask people from Tianji Tower to find an incarnation of some giant beast to forge him a sword.

He had also gotten a set of "forbidden-class" special weapons from Rhine Lab's weapons R&D department.

"By the way, Mr. Bai Ye, although I assume you have already learned about our company's special nature, I would still like to ask about your views on the Infected." The receptionist's tone turned serious.

Upon hearing that, Bai Ye answered without hesitation, "I don't have any particular views. To me, they are no different from us. It's just that some of them need our help, because they are sick."

After a moment of silence on the other end of the terminal, the receptionist said, "Please be prepared. The operator arriving in Lungmen tomorrow, and the one who will be acting alongside you, is an Infected."

"Since you have not officially joined Rhodes Island, this cannot be considered a joint operation. However, the head of our branch office is pleased that a warmhearted Lungmen citizen is willing to help us. Once that operator arrives, we will speak with her."

"Alright, I understand. By the way, could you tell me when that operator will arrive?" Bai Ye asked.

"Around eight in the morning, Lungmen District 5."

After confirming the time, Bai Ye ended the terminal call. Looking at the device in his hand, he sank into thought.

What a coincidence.

It was also eight o'clock. It seemed he could head straight to the port district to pick her up.

Because that operator was Infected, she needed to enter the city through the quarantine zone at the Lungmen port checkpoint.

And the public beta players' login location was the port in Lungmen District 5.

Tomorrow looked like it would be very interesting.

Players!!!

Early the next morning, Bai Ye could not sleep again.

He had originally thought that, as a veteran player who had been tempered by so many experiences, he should have developed an unshakable mindset.

But unexpectedly, he now seemed just like those rookie players on launch day, his heart filled with anticipation.

Even Bai Ye himself could not make sense of this strange emotion.

Originally, he had thought he was looking forward to the public beta itself, because that would allow him to test his NPC template.

But only now did he realize that what he truly anticipated was meeting players. He longed to see his own kind.

Even though he had obtained a legal identity in this world, and even though his six-year gaming career allowed him to survive on the real land of Terra without difficulty, deep down, he still viewed this world from a player's perspective and standing.

This was the arrogance of a transmigrator—or rather, of a gamer.

Bai Ye was conflicted. On one hand, he knew this world was real, and that so-called NPCs were living beings of flesh and blood. Yet on the other, his excessively long gaming experience had created a disconnect between him and this world.

That was why, at the beginning, he had instinctively chosen the most dangerous and lawless plans of action. Whether it was a Zero Yuan Purchase or forcibly breaking into the Lungmen Guard Department, those were ways of thinking unique to players. They were too risky, and utterly insane.

After closing the game panel, Bai Ye went to the training grounds to practice swordsmanship.

Mechanical training helped vent emotions and steady one's mindset. Back then, whenever something upset him, he would simply grind monsters for an entire day. He had even driven every Originium Slug in a whole region to extinction.

Half an hour later, he gradually calmed down. After returning to his room to wash up, he set out for the port in Lungmen District 5.

This day was destined to be remembered by history.

At eight in the morning, Terra time, the already uncertain fate of Terra would tilt in an unforeseeable direction. The entire timeline would be altered.

Players from another world descended upon this land plagued by suffering.

They could not be killed."

They were difficult to understand.

They were born pursuing strength, yearning for power.

Perhaps they were still weak now, but they possessed a kind of power. That power would eventually change this land.

Sometimes, they called themselves the "Fourth Catastrophe," and they truly were as unpredictable as a natural disaster.

Alright, no matter how it was put, it could not hide the fact that this bunch was made up of ridiculous idiots.

There seemed to be something wrong with this group. They were seriously unwell.

For example, they liked being different. They would openly walk down the streets wearing all kinds of bizarre clothing. These strange outfits surpassed fashion trends and outpaced modern art by centuries. Even on All Hallow's Eve, they would be considered freakish, yet they did not care about anyone's stares.

Their names were also mostly strange. Some were cringingly dramatic and arrogant, some absurdly long, some especially stupid, and some skirted the line, filled with bizarre profanity and sexual innuendo. Even the relatively "normal" ones did not sound like names any normal parent would give their child.

Sometimes, they looked quite stupid—they would squander Lungmen Dollars on meaningless things, and they loved doing unpaid work and meddling everywhere, all for the tiniest of rewards.

These people would appear at irregular intervals, then suddenly vanish. They came and went like ghosts. They liked adventures and were obsessed with combat, yet whether fighting or adventuring, most of them would chatter endlessly about things no one understood.

In short, they were a bunch of weirdos.

And the nations of Terra and all the major powers had never imagined just how much trouble these weirdos would cause them...

Psychological test passed

The Earth Federation reminds you: The game is not beyond the law. Please play in a civilized, wholesome, and healthy manner.

Welcome to "Arknights Online." Current version: Beta Test

Attempting to establish a mental connection with Terra

0%—60%—100%

Welcome!

"Akunaits!"

As the final inexplicably adorable Low Gothic phrase drifted past her ears, the girl with the ID "Zhai Mao Bu Ge" above her head opened her eyes and found herself standing in an open area.

"I'm in the game?"

Zhai Mao Bu Ge looked at her hands, froze for a moment, then reached up to touch the ears on top of her head.

They were fluffy.

Oh my god, I actually have four ears!

Zhai Mao Bu Ge was utterly shocked. This game could absolutely crush those full-dive games that had once claimed to offer 100% realism!

This virtual character's body operated without the slightest sense of disconnect. It felt just like a real body.

If not for the game menu and livestream interface floating beside her, Zhai Mao Bu Ge might really have been unable to distinguish the game from reality.

Zhai Mao stood there in a daze, but the chat exploded.

MC Is Number One: Holy crap, this sky, this ground, this city... it smells like graphics cards.

There's No Room in the Trash Can: The guy above should just commit seppuku. What era is this? You're still talking about graphics cards? Don't embarrass yourself.

White Foam: Are those cat ears real? I'm curious what kind of structure the tail has.

Star-Seeking Granny: Four ears look way too real.

Luo Tianyi Catches Ghosts: Has kitty gone stupid? By the way, can you take off skirts... change outfits in this game?

Suiyue: Pants Removal Party, that's enough. Do you even know what a wholesome, healthy game is?

The chat scrolled wildly, and effects from all kinds of donations flew across the screen. Only SC messages could remain in front of the streamer's eyes for a while.

That was right—Zhai Mao was a streamer on the Bika Bika livestream platform, Bika for short. She had once been only a small streamer, but because she had luckily secured a public beta slot, her stream was immediately flooded with viewers.