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Chen Xu thought about it all night, but still couldn't make up his mind.
The next morning, as the alarm clock woke him, he stared at the familiar ceiling, and the routine of the day ahead naturally came to his mind.
First, a ten-minute walk to the bus stop, followed by a forty-five-minute bus ride to the company, starting the dull and tedious work until getting off at six o'clock...
This repetitive life had already been going on for nearly two years.
Moreover, such a life seemed likely to continue for many years to come.
Suddenly, he figured it out. Since fate offered him a chance to break this routine, why hesitate?
He sat up abruptly from the bed, deciding to enter the dream world that very night.
This dream device, origin unknown, had an anti-addiction system allowing entry only after midnight. Even if one wanted to enter during the day, it was impossible.
......
On the crowded bus, Chen Xu activated the virtual dream device, preparing for entry.
He checked the system-supplied items, showing a dozen types, like a power source with a rated power of 100,000 kilowatts and unlimited electricity, a multi-function knife capable of cutting through anything, a perpetually moving truck with a load capacity of 100 tons, and so on.
If he could have any one of these in reality, that would be fantastic. Unfortunately, they could only exist in the dream world.
Next, he looked at the second option, which was to choose an assistant.
The system offered many character templates, each possessing various skills like doctor, wilderness survival expert, Level 8 Mechanic, chef, etc.
In a post-apocalyptic dream world, these items and assistants could be of great aid.
So, which one to choose?
After much thought, he first ruled out the items.
If the background was a post-apocalypse, it might be hard to encounter other humans. Staying alone in such an environment sounded terrifying, better to choose an assistant, at least someone to talk with.
So, which one to choose?
Chen Xu looked at the dozen assistant avatars, using an elimination method.
Hmm, first remove the males, leaving seven females.
These two looked a bit older, remove them.
These two were too androgynous, no.
Finally, Chen Xu looked at the remaining three female characters, scratching his chin. How to say, their appearances were somewhat disappointing. They simply weren't pretty enough. From his perspective, they'd only score a sixty.
If he had a choice, of course, he would prefer to choose someone more attractive.
Chen Xu glanced at the "more" option, instantly refreshing a new batch of characters before his eyes, whose looks took a step up, all scoring above eighty.
"Choosing this character requires spending fifteen general points. Please recharge first. Transferring to the payment page."
"Sorry, as a guest, you don't have the permission to recharge."
Chen Xu saw the two prompts pop up and his eyelid twitched as expected, regardless of how advanced technology became, these companies always wanted money.
It seemed he could only choose from these three characters.
Just then, the bus reached a stop, and he got off with the flow of people, raising his eyes to see hurried office workers everywhere. He glimpsed a tall girl in the crowd and couldn't help but think that any random person on the street was better than the three female characters.
"That's right."
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head, recalling something, "Isn't it possible to create a character based on a real-life person as a model?"
His eyes brightened, and he became excited.
......
"Damn, it needs a real-life model after all."
Chen Xu sat at his desk, feeling a bit annoyed. Earlier in the elevator, he wanted to recreate a certain actress at her peak beauty.
In the end, he shamefully failed.
The system prompted that it required a real person as a model, who had to be within his sight for scanning to build a model.
Extremely disappointing.
He stared at the computer screen, contemplating whether there was a suitable candidate among the people he knew.
The few female colleagues in his department were first ruled out; their looks were average.
Other known girls were also excluded; in his social circle, there was no one particularly beautiful.
Who to choose?
At that moment, a woman wearing a trench coat and sunglasses emerged from the corridor's end.
His eyes lit up, how could he have forgotten about her?
Fair skin, beautiful face, long slender legs, she was the one.
This woman was Luo Xiyun, around twenty-three or twenty-four, joined the company this year, directly becoming a director. Many speculated she was a direct relative of some big shot from the head office, a classic rich and beautiful woman.
A woman like her was like someone from a different world, according to a normal course of events, there would never be any interaction.
Simply the perfect choice.
Currently, Luo Xiyun was wearing a black trench coat, accentuating her tall figure. Her confident stride was evident.
It was the first time Chen Xu observed her appearance closely. He had to admit, even his picky eyes, worn out by various beauties in photoshopped images and beauty cameras, found her instantly stunning.
"It's her."
Thus, without hesitation, he activated the scanning function of the "virtual dream device."
"Scan successful, character template established."
Upon hearing the prompt, he felt highly exhilarated, eager to enter the dream immediately.
......
A day's time could pass by fleetingly for some, while for others, it stretched endlessly.
For Chen Xu, enduring work until the end was arduous. Eagerly returning home, after dining and freshening up, he lay on the bed, feeling extraordinarily thrilled as he gradually drifted into slumber.
He didn't know how long it had been before he heard a voice in his sleep, "About to enter the virtual dream 'Doomsday Survival,' when the whole world is left with only you, how would you survive?"
"This dream difficulty is level zero, lasting 180 days. May you have a pleasant experience in this dream."
Hold on, 180 days?
Chen Xu suddenly opened his eyes, seeing the familiar ceiling. It'd been two years since he moved into this rental, and every morning he woke up to this somewhat yellowed ceiling.
"Failed?"
He felt puzzled, a bit frustrated, unsure where something went wrong. He tried calling out the "virtual dream device" page, but received no response.
"How could this happen?"
He scratched his head, feeling something was amiss.
He groped for his phone under the pillow, intending to check the time, only to find his phone had turned off at some point.
He powered it on to see it was already half past seven, hurriedly got up for work.
Company's attendance was strict, tardiness not only resulted in pay cuts but also deduction of the year-end bonus. He didn't want his hard work over many months to go to waste at this critical juncture.
Heading to the bathroom, he noticed the light wouldn't turn on, thinking it had tripped, but ignored it. After brushing teeth and washing his face, he glanced at the circuit breaker before leaving. It was fine, not tripped.
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