[Latest news: Developed by the Eclipse Race over ten years, the groundbreaking Virtual Reality game "Darklands" has officially launched. Orders are now open on major gaming platforms and the official website. The base game costs 128,888, ...]
[Hardcore Gamer Chat Group (online: 10)]
So Poor I Eat Dirt (admin): Guys, Darklands sold a million copies in ten minutes. What do you think?
Why Pay to Play?: What else can I do but watch the news? I'd love to buy it and try it, but my wallet won't let me.
Leopard Head, Zero Spender: I've waited eight years for this game, and seeing the price finally killed all hope. That price leaves ordinary players no chance. Apparently, the game also uses all kinds of new anti-cracking technology. Ordinary people like us probably won't get to play it in our lifetimes, unless my plan to land a rich woman makes some progress.
Family-Sharing Godfather: What's even worse is that the game blocks external streaming and recording. We can't even watch gameplay videos over a meal. They've completely eliminated any chance of us commoner gamers watching rich people play.
So Poor I Eat Dirt (admin): Aaaaah, I really want to play! Those early CG videos already had me hyped to the max, and then it launches and they tell me it's 128,888. If you'd priced it at 28,888, I'd have gritted my teeth and bought it. Worst case, I'd actually eat dirt for a few months.
Just as the players in the chat group were lamenting the price of "Darklands," a sudden message caught their attention.
Perks Officer: Actually, if you really want to play, I have a cracked version of "Darklands." You can play online normally.
So Poor I Eat Dirt replied to Perks Officer: Quit bluffing, dude. A cracked version? People still have to queue and fight for legitimate copies. The Eclipse Race only gave our Human Federation a limited quota. How could there be a cracked version on launch day?
Leopard Head, Zero Spender replied to Perks Officer: Are you trying to trick us into downloading SpongeBob and Teletubbies? And who even are you, anyway? How come I've never seen you in this group?
Perks Officer: I've posted the cracked version's link in the group. If you want to play, just download it and log in. Link: ******.
Although they saw that Perks Officer really had posted a download link in the group, none of the members clicked to download it.
Their instinct was that it might be a scam link, and clicking it could lead to devastating losses.
Just as the members were hurling abuse at Perks Officer and preparing to kick the account from the group, one member stepped forward.
Gold-Farming Gamer: Don't panic, guys. Let me download it and test it out. I've only got 20 in my bank account, so even if I get scammed, I won't lose much. As the saying goes, if you're poor enough, you're invincible. The damage a scam can do depends on how much money you have. For someone as poor as me, the damage is pretty limited. Wait for my reply.
Family-Sharing Godfather replied to Gold-Farming Gamer: Hurry back, Godfather. Your children await the good news.
Skywind City, Human Federation.
The Slums, South District.
Moss and vines covered the walls of the narrow alleys. An indescribable odor hung in the air, mingling with cooking fumes, mildew, and the stench of unidentified garbage.
Most of the houses here were low and dilapidated, built from wood and sheet metal. Whenever it rained, they rattled and clattered, as if protesting the dreadful living conditions.
Night fell, and a dim yellow light came on in an old wooden house in a corner.
Through a gap in the wooden house, a room measuring less than sixty square meters came into view.
Slurp!
Li Zheng sucked the remaining instant noodles from his bowl into his mouth in one go, chewed, swallowed, and let out a long breath. He tossed the instant noodle container into the trash can beside his chair, pulled a tissue from its box, and wiped the grease from his mouth.
He glanced at the time in the bottom-right corner of his computer screen. There was still an hour before his scheduled stream, so Li Zheng got up and went to the bathroom to straighten his clothes.
The man in the mirror stood 1.82 meters tall, with fair skin, a black short-sleeved shirt, and a neat buzz cut. He was rather good-looking.
Yet looking at himself in the mirror, Li Zheng couldn't help letting out a dejected sigh.
He currently worked as a game Bricklayer, usually farming in various popular games and supplying resources to paying players in exchange for money. Occasionally, he also streamed to earn a little extra income.
Recently, Darklands had become hugely popular, drawing large numbers of paying players to the game. As a result, his farming income from the games he currently played was dropping at a visible rate.
Nothing in life was more miserable than still being alive when your money had already run out.
He took his phone from his pocket. It displayed his latest payment notification.
[Your debit card ending in 3584 was charged 329 for the purchase of Grade D Nutrient Solution. Balance: 21. Would you like to enable account protection? This feature will keep the funds in your account secure.]
Li Zheng felt there was really no need to protect a two-digit balance with a six-digit bank password.
He returned to his computer desk. The game's download progress bar had reached 95%. In another three minutes, he would be able to try it.
Glancing at the chat group, where "Darklands" was still being heatedly discussed, Li Zheng figured there was a 99.99% chance he had been scammed.
"Darklands" had been made by the Eclipse Race using the most advanced Virtual Reality technology and incorporated a wealth of core anti-cracking technology. The chances of it being cracked on its very first day of release were close to zero.
Even "Land of Sin," the Virtual Reality game released by the Eclipse Race five years ago, still had no cracked version.
But he had decided to download it and give it a try anyway, even knowing that it would most likely turn out to be the Calabash Brothers rescuing their grandfather.
Watching one episode wouldn't hurt.
Five minutes later.
The download finished. Li Zheng extracted the files, transferred them to the Game Pod connected to his computer, and pressed "Game compatibility setup."
Before trying the game, he decided to let his stream's fans know he was taking the night off.
He had originally arranged to stream at eight tonight, but now that he was going to try this "fake game," he was bound to miss the time.
Feeling a little apologetic, he took out his phone, opened his fan group, typed a message, and sent it:
"Sorry, something urgent came up. Tonight's eight o'clock stream is canceled."
Before he could put his phone down, a group member replied:
"It's not like anyone watches anyway. How is one day enough? I'd suggest taking a few more days off. If that's not enough, take a year's leave."
A string of identical replies followed.
Li Zheng: ...
His fans' replies dealt Li Zheng a heavy blow.
Just then, the Game Pod beside his computer desk lit up with a green indicator, signaling that compatibility setup was complete.
"Forget it. I'll watch an episode of the Calabash Brothers rescuing their grandfather to calm my nerves."
After changing into his gaming suit, he approached the Game Pod and pressed the open button. Its translucent lid slowly rose.
He turned sideways and lay down inside the Game Pod. The lid lowered, nutrient solution flowed from holes all around him to envelop his body, and the neural connection tubes automatically attached to various parts of his body.
The scene before his eyes spun before giving way to a virtual interface.
There were twelve games on it. At the very bottom was the newly downloaded Darklands, its icon depicting a monster wreathed in scarlet flames.
"Sure enough, something's wrong."
He had seen the Darklands login icon on the news. It was a pitch-black sword, nothing like the monster icon in front of him.
Damn scammer!
Despite cursing inwardly, Li Zheng still chose to press the game icon and launch the game.
"Calabash Brothers, launch!"