Alex woke up and sat on his bed. It had already been three days since his operation. Even though he hadn't gotten his own game yet, he knew from the website that new game slots were already in action. It was only a matter of time before he would get into his first game.
In these three days, although he hadn't entered the game, the green line in his eyes had increased to cover 9/10 of the red line. According to his calculations, by around 12, the green line would completely overlap the red line.
He didn't know exactly what would happen, but he was certain that this was some kind of loading bar.
As he was thinking about his eyes, he heard multiple knocks on his door.
Alex frowned. Who could it be? Before he could think further, he heard a shout: "Hey, computer master, what's going on? Open the door!"
Alex sighed, realizing these were his construction site buddies. He rushed to the door, afraid they might break it down.
He quickly opened the door and saw three people staring at him from head to toe with wide eyes. Not caring about their scrutiny, he moved back into his room, while the three of them didn't bother asking him anything and rushed in, carrying some plastic bags they had been hiding behind them.
He frowned and pointed to the wall clock. "This early?"
The dark-skinned man in his early thirties rubbed under his nose and shouted at him, "You bastard, why didn't you tell us?"
Alex tilted his head. "Tell you what?"
Solmb gritted his teeth and looked at the other two beside him. "Does he think we're fools?"
The smallest of the group, Russell, a tan-skinned 21-year-old, shouted, "Big bro, why didn't you tell us you got the capsule?"
Alex raised an eyebrow.
The third guy, Carl, who was the same age as Alex, punched him lightly in the chest. "You're still pretending, you bastard?"
The others moved a step closer to him, ready to pound on him.
Alex raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry."
All of them shook their heads and sat down, ignoring him.
Alex sighed. He wasn't in the mood to entertain these guys, but for the past four years, they were some of the few people who were willing to talk to him.
They were all his construction mates, and unlike him, who only knew how to carry things around, these guys had different levels of expertise in construction.
To be honest, it was because of these guys that he avoided getting injured many times, so no matter how annoying they were, he couldn't just throw them out.
Alex sighed in defeat and plopped down next to Russell. The other three forgot about ignoring him and stared at him with bright, eager eyes.
Russell asked excitedly, "Big brother, did you get the dream capsule?"
There was no point in hiding it now. Alex bent down and showed them the blue bandage that was barely sticking to his scalp. One more bath and it would probably fall off.
Solmb shouted, "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Well, I was going to tell you after my first game. Before that, I just wanted to be at my peak focus."
The others nodded in understanding, as they had already met a few people who couldn't even complete their first game.
Carl asked, "Did you enter any games? What's your in-game name?"
Alex shook his head. "Nah, I'm still waiting for the game. I believe today, or at most tomorrow, I should get pulled in."
Solmb added in a soft voice, "Don't go anywhere near the construction site during this time. You don't want to start your game in a place like that."
Alex smiled and nodded. "Mm. By the way, what about you guys? When's your appointment date?"
Carl grinned. "Mine's at the end of the month."
Russell added with frustration while clenching his fist, "Ah, I still have to wait three months to get that damn capsule."
Solmb patted Russell's back to console him. "There is no need to be sad. You'll get an extra three months of training, you know."
Alex squinted at him. "What about you? Don't tell me you didn't even apply."
Solmb looked sideways and mumbled, "No, I already applied, and it's next month, but..." He looked up with a sad face. "My wife will also get her capsule the day after me."
Silence engulfed the room. Everyone knew Solmb's wife; she was the ugliest devil, both in appearance and personality.
Alex had heard of forced marriages where men forced women, but Solmb's situation was the opposite. His wife had forced the poor guy to marry her.
Alex glanced at Carl, and both of them blinked in understanding. They knew their big brother had screwed up.
Still, Carl said to Solmb in a consoling tone, "Well, I don't think both of you will enter the same game."
Russell, who knew the most about Solmb's wife since he was their neighbor, said in a dreadful tone, "I think sister-in-law will force brother to form a team."
Alex tried hard not to laugh. He found Solmb's situation fascinating, but when he saw tears forming in Solmb's eyes, he joined the others and said, "Does it matter? Just hide your game ID. No one can form the team before the first game, so just hope someone loses in their first match."
Both Carl and Russell chimed in, "Yes, big brother, we'll also pray for you!"
Solmb looked grateful and pulled a bottle from the bag.
Alex warned them, "I will not drink before my game."
Russell looked at him and said, "We know that, big brother." It's not what you think; it's homemade fruit juice from brother Solmb's house."
Still suspicious, Alex snatched the bottle and sniffed for alcohol. After making sure it was truly just fruit juice, he handed the bottle back to Solmb.
None of them took offense, as they all understood the importance of the game. They knew it was only this game that gave them hope of escaping poverty.
Soon, Solmb poured the juice into four disposable glasses, and they all cheered and started the celebration. As soon as Alex took a sip, his eyes widened.