Chapter 1 : An Invite
The area was filtered in red as the beam hit the Android's face.
The world arould him went dark.
A golden text floated in the air.
[You Win! ]
[Congratulations, player Yan Wei for winning the battle of Pani and gaining the title of World Leader for a month. Title privileges will be displayed in in-game mail box. Please check-]
"Remove Visor"
[Please enter Removal code]
"YanWei".
[Code conformed. Please stand by]
A small beep was heard.
Yan Weiluo removed the red shaded Visor and laid on his bed.
This was his fourth winning of the world title. Yan Weiluo was sure his was not that great of a player. The only reason why he won all his titles was because all the real game masters were playing Primordial Online exclusively now. The shift had been happening for years but opening the Primordial Tournament had become a World series. Playing in it was equal to playing to make it to Olympics. Gaming like this was no longer fun.
BANG! BANG!
"Get up! Up! Xiao Yan, up! Your father and brother are waiting for you".
Yan Weiluo groaned and tumbled down the bed. The dim light in the basement made it hard for him to find his way to the door.
The door banged again.
"I am up, second mother. It's dark inside, could you please switch on the lights."
"If you hadn't made such a big scene at your brother getting to go to college, you wouldn't be in there!"
The woman made a huffing noise and went away.
Weiluo looked at the calendar on the wall. May 1st. A week to his birthday. He would turn 19 soon. He couldn't muster up any excitement though. It wouldn't change his living condition. He still had a year before he could escape from this hell, thanks to his idiotic maternal grandfather who stipulated that he could only have Yan company's financial aid only after he turned 19 because then he would have supposedly lived as an adult for an year by then. Only then he could go to college like his mother wanted him to because his own father did not care for his education. He wouldn't have to go through same old routine of watching his father dote on his illegitimate child and play house with that woman.
Everyone knew Gao Xuxin was Weiluo's father's own kid, no matter what that woman and father said. Xuxin looked too much like his father after all. But they tried to hide this fact because Xuxin was only 4 months younger than Weiluo. Luo Rongqiu only married Weiluo's mother for her money. Sure, he was the heir. But that didn't matter to Luo Rongqiu. In their hearts, XuXin was their father's only child. And Weiluo only had a dead mother symbolised an evil they didn't want to be reminded existed. Probably why they hated Weiluo and enjoyed his failures so much.
Weiluo cleaned up and went down. The rest of the family were already seated. His father, Rongqiu at the head, his mistress to his left and Weiluo's half-brother to Rongqiu's right.
It was difficult for Weiluo to keep his face blank as he saw them huddled together. He knew where his place was, far away from the perfect family picture that they made.
"Why are you always late, Elder Brother" came the sqeaky voice of XuXin. "Father was waiting for you to come down."
Weiluo raised an eyebrow. Right. They were waiting for them, considering their almost clean plate.
He wondered what they wanted from him. He didn't have even a penny to his name after all.
Weiluo looked at Rongqiu, who looked as refined and arrogant as always. "Sorry father. I overslept."
"I see" Rongqiu's voice dripped in vitriol. "Today I am taking your mother and brother to a gaming expo, do you want to come with us?"
She is not my mother, Weiluo wants to scream. However, his attention was on Rongqiu's words. They usually go to such events twice a week, yet this is the first time in ten years that he was asked to join them. Usually they make excuses so as not to take him.
"The expo is being hosted by Li Wang, an old friend of your first mother."
It clicked. They were taking him because they wanted to curry favours.
I was about to refuse.
"They are giving out free game pods to the top 1000 sponsors of the game Primordial Online" Gao Xurou dashed to say as she saw Weiluo was about to refuse. "You have always wanted to play the game right?"
"Mother! You promised me I could have the new pod!" Xuxin whined.
Gao Xurou twitched. She glared at her spoiled son. Did these people think that he was blind? He could literally see their interactions.
"You already have a game pod, Ah'Xu" Rongqiu said in a placating manner. "Let your elder brother have this one."
"But it's the latest model. They are lauching a new server, there are talks that there are new scenarios in the latest update! The pods that are the newest are the best!"
Gao Xurou hesitated. "Then maybe we can give Ah'Xu's old one to Xiao Yan and the new one can be given to Ah'Xu, honey?"
"That's imposible" said Weiluo. "A game pod is forever tied to a single user. Or you have to format the entire memory of the pod. Unless Xuxin backuped all his gaming progress, he will loose everything he gained till now. Have you backuped your account, Xuxin."
"No", he muttered.
"Then that's settled. The gaming pod is Ah'Wei's as long as he comes to the event with us", said Rongqiu. His face was twisted. He didn't like denying Xuxin anything, especially when it was something Weiluo was getting.
He thought for a while and then his face cleared. He turned to Xuxin. "How about I buy you a new pod later in the week, Ah'Xu?"
Xuxin looked at the man with glittering eyes. "Really dad?"
Rongqiu nodded.
"It should be before May 7th though. That's when they launch the new server!"
"Of course! Of course! Anything for my darling!"
Weiluo tightened his grip on the spoon. Perhaps this was a good chance to ask for a reward.
"I don't want the pod".
The room fell silent. The three of them looked at Weiluo in shock. They all knew of Weiluo's desire for a gaming pod. It was one of the reasons why Xuxin had one and he didn't. He had the one gaming helmet that his mother used when she was pregnant with him. A pod, which made VR gaming so competion heavy was something he coveted.
Weiluo felt a bit of regret as he said it. But to him, there was something more important. Something that would give him the power to buy all the pods he wanted.
"Xuxin can have the pod…"
Xuxin gave a gleeful grin. He nodded enthusiastically at Weiluo's words.
"I want to go to college-"
"No…" said Xuxin.
Weiluo sneered at him. "I wasn't asking you".
"Mom…" XuXuxin whined
Gao Xuruo jumped to her feet. "No! Absolutely not! You didn't get the scholarship so obviously you are not talented enough! We are not wasting money on useless things!"
Rongqiu nodded and sighed. "Ah'Wei, you didn't get the scholarship so I'm sorry but -"
"Xuxin didn't get it either! But he gets to go?!"
"How dare you shout at your father!" said Xuruo "And Ah'Xin is a smart boy, it's just that on that day he had a fever. We are not wasting money-"
"It's my mother's money! You and your son are enjoying the money that my mother's family gave her! Yan Weiwei is my mother!"
"Enough!" shouted Rongqiu. "Weiluo, you will get the pod for your presence. That's it. If you want to go to college do it with your own hard-earned money".
Weiluo snorted. He pushed the plate away and walked off. Xuruo was shouting something but he wasn't in the mood for her black words.