"Damn it! Everything I said is true!"
Gobao, teased repeatedly, couldn't hold back any longer. He hugged his beloved black gaming helmet and yelled:
"If this isn't true, I won't utter a peep even if I get screwed by you guys tonight!"
"???"
The other five brothers blinked at each other, and then, coordinating perfectly, they all took a step back from the angry Gebao. One of the brothers whispered fearfully:
"Don't be like this, Gebao, we just joke about screwing each other usually. Please don't take us seriously. Of course, we don't discriminate against any minorities.
Just calm down, we're still brothers."
"You traitors!"
The dorm head was so mad he looked furious and yells while swinging a broom handle at the traitors amid their uproarious laughter:
"I'll kill all you sons of turtles..."
"Dorm 2149! Your delivery has arrived! Come and get it!"
Before Gebao could finish his rant, his phone rang. It was the express delivery guy, who was still mocking him while on the phone:
"Are students from prestigious universities buying motorcycle helmets in bulk now? Are there any discounts for buying five at a time?"
"Heh! Bingo!"
Gobao grinned, hung up the phone, and sent his loyal 'sons' to collect the delivery.
A few minutes later, the six dorm brothers all looked at the same model black helmets in their hands. The chubby kid with glasses swallowed and touched the helmet, which had an odd matte texture.
He said softly:
"Damn, this is serious, right? Are you honestly telling me that game is as sick as you say it is, Gebao?"
"No shit, I've tried it. Let me just say this: the game allows you to take off your pants! How cool is that?"
"666! Let's try it and see if we can use it in the game."
"Damn, there's a pervert here! Someone call the police!"
"Wait, wait, it shows 'Test Schedule Pending' inside. Isn't there a forum or something? And this thing doesn't even have a label."
"There is! Inside the helmet, look closely. It's called the 'Alpha' company. And hey, the name and logo do look quite fancy."
While the dorm buddies were having a blast, in a spacious office thousands of miles away in another city in the same country, two middle-aged men who had been drinking heavily stared wide-eyed at the black helmet they had just unboxed.
The two stared at each other.
"That website with the strange domain name? The one Old Yang forwarded a few days ago for game testing? Didn't that page 404?"
One of them asked as he touched the helmet. The other downed a glass, waved his hand dismissively, and said:
"Who cares, if we can play it, we play. If not, forget it. Damn, surrendering the factory I've worked half my life for doesn't feel right. I may be rich now, but I'm not happy!
Damn it Chao!
I guess I'll just have to wait for death lazily for the rest of my life now.
Just heard from Old Yang. He said he tried the game and that it's amazing. We should go and add him as a friend. His name is Meow or something, and he said the game feels just like real life.
It would actually be better if it was real...
Are you keeping fish here?
Come.
Let's drink one for punishment first, then we'll do a round together."
Across the ocean, in a student apartment, a tired, long-haired girl who had just finished her manuscript stared blankly at the black helmet she'd just unboxed.
She rubbed her eyes and wailed:
"What weird stuff have I bought again? My allowance for this month is almost spent. I can't go on like this... Hey, does this thing glow?
It's quite comfortable to wear, looks like it's custom-made.
But can someone tell me what the hell this is?"