Chapter 1: Oracle
"Wu Shaochen, go to the finance department to settle your salary. Don't bother coming to work tomorrow," a middle-aged man with sparse hair and a beer belly sat on a large leather chair in the office, facing the young man standing in front of him.
"Why?" Wu Shaochen asked angrily.
In truth, he had a good idea of what was going on. Wasn't it because he caught his secretary and him in a compromising situation last night? Was that such a big deal?
"Because I'm the boss..." the middle-aged man said smugly.
"He must be afraid I'll spill the beans," Wu Shaochen thought to himself.
Although he wanted to tell him he wasn't one to gossip, he realized it wasn't necessary. This kind of boss would find ways to make trouble for him even if he stayed.
"You can fire me, but according to the law, the company has to compensate three months' salary for unilateral termination of employment," Wu Shaochen said. If he was going to leave, he might as well maximize his benefits.
"You're thinking..." the middle-aged man was about to say something nationalistic, but then he realized if this matter really blew up and the 'tiger mom' at home found out, it would be trouble. He reluctantly said, "What do I care about your measly salary? Go to finance, get your money, and get lost."
Soon, Wu Shaochen settled his salary from the finance department and packed up his things before leaving the company. Looking at the bustling crowds on the street, he suddenly didn't know where to go. Graduated for two years without any achievements, now he even lost his job. In a city like Shenzhen, where one needed money the moment they opened their eyes, he didn't even dare to add sausage to instant noodles without an income.
"Forget it, let's go find another job," Wu Shaochen said to himself.
But just then, a poster flew in his face and stuck to it. Wu Shaochen took it down and saw it was a promotional image for the globally popular game "Oracle."
For the past month, "Oracle" advertisements had been everywhere. The game's main brain was said to be not from existing civilizations but from across eras. The specifics of how the main brain came about were not disclosed. The game was jointly developed by the world's top five network game giants through the main brain, achieving 100% realism, meaning that the five senses in the game were exactly the same as in reality.
"Indeed, it's a game that spans eras," Wu Shaochen sighed secretly. Unfortunately, playing this game required not just a computer but also buying a game helmet.
"Damn it, a helmet costs ten thousand. In two years of work, I've never saved up to five figures," Wu Shaochen cursed.
"Huh, wait a minute, I just got three months' salary, exactly ten thousand and five hundred yuan. What if..." Wu Shaochen's heart was moved. This game was completely different from traditional games and had infinite possibilities. As someone who frequently played games, Wu Shaochen could see that.
He was confident in the game, but not in himself. This game would attract players from all over the world, including gaming gods and wealthy people who had nowhere else to spend their money. Although he had played many games, his skills... well, he definitely couldn't compare with those people.
"This is a high-stakes gamble," Wu Shaochen murmured to himself. For him, ten thousand yuan almost emptied his bank account. After today's salary, he only had two hundred yuan left on his card. If he didn't make money in the game, he wouldn't even be able to pay rent by the end of the month.
"Damn it, let's gamble. Worst case, I'll sleep under a bridge. If it doesn't work out, I'll find another job. Besides, I've always loved playing games. Now that I have this opportunity, I can't give up."
Said and done, Wu Shaochen extravagantly hailed a taxi to the nearest helmet sales point. Despite his financial situation, why take a taxi? Because "Oracle" officially launched today at noon, and it was already nearing ten o'clock. Could he afford to be nonchalant? Once the decision to play was made, falling behind was not an option.
Arriving at the sales point, he beheld the long queues and marveled once again at the game's popularity. The game helmets had been on sale since a month ago, and the daily queues were reportedly overwhelming. With the server opening soon, the crowds were still substantial.
Wu Shaochen waited in line for over an hour before finally acquiring the game helmet. Glancing at the time—11:25—he promptly hailed another taxi back home, urging the driver to speed up. It was a struggle, but he arrived home by 11:50.
Suddenly feeling hungry, he remembered skipping breakfast. Once immersed in the game, it might be a while before he could take a break, and his body wouldn't hold up.
Cooking or dining out was out of the question due to time constraints, so he rummaged around at home and discovered a pack of bread that had fallen under the bed. Without hesitation, he tore it open and devoured it in no time.
Burping contently, Wu Shaochen leisurely put on the game helmet. It was 11:55.
"Huh, why do I feel a bit of stomach pain?"
Wu Shaochen quickly immersed himself in the game. Before him was a grand scene—a battlefield where countless monstrous creatures overshadowed and attacked tiny humans below. On land, numerous monsters chased fleeing humans, tearing apart almost anyone they caught.
Among humans were countless strong defenders resisting the monsters' onslaught. There were mages in noble robes hovering in mid-air, wielding various elements to launch wide-scale attacks on the monsters below. There were archers firing madly at airborne monsters, shield bearers holding their ground in frontlines, warriors wielding battle axes and weaving through the monster horde, assassins stealthily harvesting low-health monsters, and priests in white robes resembling holy angels constantly healing their teammates.
These were the six major professions in "Oracle": Mage, Archer, Shield Bearer, Warrior, Assassin, and Priest.
Although there were many strong humans, they couldn't withstand the legion of monstrous creatures that darkened the sky. Eventually, all the humans on the battlefield perished, and countless monsters roared triumphantly, as if flaunting their victory.
Wu Shaochen stared in shock at the scene before him. The immersive feeling made his hair stand on end; it was terrifying, nothing like a game but as if it were a real event happening before his eyes.
Just as Wu Shaochen was overwhelmed, the scene suddenly changed. He found himself in a grand hall, and then a system prompt sounded:
"Brainwave scanning in progress..."
"Scanning complete..."
"Blood sample extraction in progress..."
Wu Shaochen suddenly felt a sharp pain on his scalp.
"What the hell, does this game helmet also draw blood?" he exclaimed, waiting anxiously for the system prompt.
After a while, he finally heard:
"Blood sample extraction complete, DNA binding in progress..."
"Binding complete"
"Identity verification in progress..."
Name: Wu Shaochen
ID: 32**********8517
Age: 24
Nationality: Huaxia (China)
Bank card successfully linked for in-game cash transactions.
"This is a damn game?..." Wu Shaochen stared at the space in front of him in disbelief. They scanned him so thoroughly, even checking his household registration. How terrifying was this?