Su Mo nodded slightly, took the card, and put it into his pocket before heading upstairs.
Along the way, he encountered one maid after another, each greeting him with a beaming smile.
"Hello, sir."
...
Su Mo felt quite out of place, and soon he reached his private room on the third floor, pushing the door open to enter.
The room was spacious and warmly decorated. In the center was a luxurious game cabin, solidly built, somewhat resembling the space pods in sci-fi movies. The whole structure emitted a soft blue metallic gloss, truly justifying its price of millions.
To the left of the game cabin was a high-end leather sofa, complete with a cinematic level virtual projector in front.
Various drinks and snacks were placed nearby, including a small plate of sliced apples — the treatment was impeccable.
Su Mo walked over to the sofa and lay down directly, as there was still some time before the game began. He set an alarm and closed his eyes to rest up.
Hours later, Su Mo's phone vibrated, waking him slowly. He opened his eyes and checked his phone, less than five minutes remained until the game started.
Su Mo stood up and stretched his body.
At that moment, he heard the deafening noise outside and curiously opened the door to step out.
He saw a giant countdown number appearing on the central platform of the Star Game Cafe.
"Fifty-nine!"
"Fifty-eight!"
...
Inside the cafe, thousands of people shouted excitedly.
In fact, not only here, but in every corner of the world, players awaiting the game were shouting with excitement. From space, Blue Star was brightly lit tonight, one might think it was celebrating the New Year.
Su Mo's originally calm heart began to uncontrollably boil.
He closed the door, walked over to the opened game cabin, and lay down inside.
The game cabin automatically sealed shut.
This was his first time using such a device, and it felt pretty good, somewhat like a sleeping bag, quite comfortable.
A virtual countdown also appeared in front of him.
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
.....
"One!"
Su Mo took a deep breath.
The next second, Su Mo suddenly felt the world go dark before his eyes, and it felt as though he was free-falling from a high altitude.
When Su Mo came to his senses, he found himself on an endless platform.
Beams of light fell from the sky, and one player after another appeared.
Everyone was amazed as they inspected their hands and bodies, which felt incredibly real. Someone even pinched their cheek, feeling a sudden sharp pain. Moreover, the characters' appearances and attire were the same as in the real world, which couldn't be changed thereafter.
"Holy shit, this is so real."
"Incredible, is this really a game?"
...
Countless people began discussing excitedly.
Just then, on a distant platform in the sky, appeared an NPC, a loli dressed in a colorful skirt with an incredibly cute appearance.
Her innocent voice rang in everyone's ears.
"Thank you for coming, players. I am Goli, your guide NPC. I will now introduce the Star Ring Game that you are about to enter."
"This is a one hundred percent real world, where you can see everything that doesn't exist in your world. You will experience shocks like never before, enjoy various wonders, and create epics with your companions. This will be another stage in your lives, so fully unleash your potential here."
"At the same time, the perception of time and sensory experiences in this world is inconsistent with the outside world. There is almost a tenfold difference, meaning that in this world, your life is effectively extended by ten times. No more complaining about life being too short or not having enough time."
"Is it really that magical?"
"It's unbelievable!"
...
Over a billion players discussed Goli's words in shock.
However, at that moment, Goli changed the topic and said,
"Of course, there is something I need to remind you of, this game is extremely challenging. It's not for everyone. If you cannot stand pain, fear, and so forth, please exit the game quickly to avoid unpleasant experiences and trouble."
Hearing Goli's words, the players on the scene shouted excitedly.
"Are you kidding me? It's just a game, why would we be afraid? Man, don't you think that's funny? Haha!"
"Right, what's the big deal, we can crush this game in minutes."
"Exactly....."
...
Some even whistled crudely on the spot.
More outrageously, someone even dropped their trousers right there and started doing the onion dance. They seemed to have taken drugs before coming in and were overly excited.
For a moment, this left Goli somewhat at a loss.
Just then, the pristine sky cracked open, revealing a vast hole. A NPC girl with silver long hair, wearing a blue long dress, a frosty expression, and elegant yet haughty demeanor, in crystal high heels, full of queenly aura, walked on air. She then spoke coldly.
"Hmm~ Based on you all? Just make sure not to cry and scream to quit the game later."
"Wow, that makes us even more excited."
"Right, just wait, we'll smash through the game. Then we'll download your data and turn you into personal maids."
Virtual Servant Technology·Within the High Walls, a special technology spread. It involves creating highly realistic human-like mechanical bodies to host artificial intelligence data downloads. One can download virtual servants with personalities that match their interests and hobbies, commonly known as "development."
"Indeed...."
"I like this cold girl, come dominate me, whip me."
"Haha!"
...
"Oh, really? Then show us what you've really got. I look forward to seeing if you can still laugh afterwards."
Ilovais wasn't angry; she slightly raised the corners of her mouth, proudly addressing the crowd.
As soon as the girl's voice fell, the dense crowd of players turned into streaks of white light shooting into the sky.
The game officially began!
Su Mo only felt dizzy for a moment. When he came to his senses, he found the surroundings had utterly transformed.
He was now in a ruined city, standing on cracked concrete streets, flanked by buildings stained with dark red marks, both tall and short. All around were twisted and overturned cars, broken high-voltage lines overhead, and a few still sparking. The scene looked as though it had survived a great disaster.
It was about dusk at this time, which made it look particularly eerie.
However, the originally quiet city became lively due to the arrival of a large number of players.
As for other areas, Su Mo had no idea.