Chu Guang, Male, Age 26
When Chu Guang was young, his parents divorced, and he was raised by his grandfather. In his second year of college, his grandfather passed away, leaving him completely on his own.
Thankfully, he was born in a time of peace. By working part-time, he managed to finish school. After graduation, he found a job in sales. His excellent performance earned him the respect of his boss, and it wasn't long before he was promoted from a newcomer to a supervisor.
He had survived the toughest days. Just when Chu Guang thought he could finally enjoy a few peaceful days, fate threw him a curveball—this time, one that was hard to believe.
About five months ago...
Chu Guang still remembered it vividly. He was negotiating a contract worth 20 million with a client, and his boss was in high spirits, drinking a bit too much. Before he knew it, Chu Guang had passed out at the table.
When he woke up, he was lying in the middle of a barren wilderness.
And it wasn't just any ordinary wilderness.
He walked two miles without seeing a soul and narrowly escaped being attacked by a two-headed dog.
That two-headed creature turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The fear jolted him awake, shaking off his drunkenness as he bolted in the other direction.
Luckily, the dog couldn't keep up, maybe because its two heads were too heavy. After chasing him for a while, it gave up, howling before disappearing.
Not daring to turn back, Chu Guang pressed forward, not knowing where to go. He soon realized that his wallet and phone were missing, and he was now wearing a strange blue jacket instead of his usual clothes.
By a small puddle under the moonlight, he looked down and realized he hadn't just changed clothes; his entire face was different!
He couldn't understand who would go to the trouble of knocking him out, changing his face, and leaving him in the middle of nowhere.
As Chu Guang wandered aimlessly in the wilderness, he spotted smoke in the distance. Looking back, he now felt a chill. At the time, all he had on his mind was finding help, so he ran toward that faint sign of life, desperate to call the police. In hindsight, he was lucky to have found an actual survivor settlement.
If he'd encountered ruthless raiders, cannibals, or a mutant tribe, he might already have been boiling in a pot—maybe even with his shoes already softened.
Through his interactions with the local survivors, Chu Guang pieced together bits of information and realized he wasn't in Huaguo anymore—he wasn't even on Earth!
In this parallel world, a war two centuries ago had devastated civilization, leaving only desolate wastelands and the survivors who scraped by on them.
It was now the year 2340.
And it was the 211th year since the beginning of the Wasteland Era, which had started in early 2129 when human civilization collapsed.
Shock. Confusion. An indescribable fear.
But Chu Guang had a strong will and gradually adapted to this new life.
After surviving in the wasteland for five tough months—scavenging, going hungry, and fighting off mutated creatures and raiders—Chu Guang thought his life was doomed to be like this. But just a few hours ago, something extraordinary happened.
In the ruins of an abandoned asylum, he stumbled upon the entrance to Vault 404.
Or, to be precise, the Vault 404 facility found him.
A voice in his mind had guided him there. And as he approached the asylum, he realized with shock that this was the exact place where he had first woken up in this world!
If he hadn't wandered off aimlessly that night or if it had been just a little brighter, he might have found this place sooner!
Either way, the long-awaited "cheat" had finally arrived, albeit five months late.
At the same time, a new job had been laid out in front of him.
The vault seemed to have been prepared just for him, waiting for his arrival.
From the moment he set foot in Vault 404, his identity shifted from a mere scavenger to the sole resident and administrator of Vault 404.
And his job was simple.
Using Earth's internet, he was to attract—or rather, lure—a group of beings known as "players" to this world to work for him.
Yes, this vault's advanced technology could not only connect to Earth's internet but also had its own "official website"!
Players who signed up for the game would automatically receive a unique identification number, which would be registered in the administrator's system under the Vault Resident Directory.
As the administrator, Chu Guang could choose specific IDs to grant "game access." The system would use a unique method to deliver a game helmet to the player. Once the player put on the helmet, they would connect to the vault's incubation pod and awaken in the game world as a clone.
It was very user-friendly. And incredibly convenient!
Though players faced no penalties for quitting, the rewards for completing missions were too enticing for Chu Guang to ignore.
Take that bulletproof vest, for example.
After struggling for five grueling months in the wasteland, Chu Guang knew how valuable life-saving items like this were.
Additionally, the points earned from mission rewards were quite useful. They could be exchanged in the **Administrator's Stipend** page for "mystery boxes."
A basic mystery box required 1 reward point, an intermediate box 10 points, and an advanced box 100 points.
According to the "Vault 404 Administrator System," each box would contain a random assortment of items. Although the quantity and type of items varied, there were no "thanks for playing" outcomes. Each tier of box guaranteed a minimum reward.
For instance, the lowest prize in a basic box was food supplies; an intermediate box at least guaranteed medicine, and an advanced box offered weapons.
There was no mention of the possibility of winning items from higher-level boxes in a basic box, but Chu Guang figured if that was possible, the odds were probably slim.
Just as he was debating whether to use his 5 points to open basic boxes or save up 100 points for a weapon, the "trash can" in the corner spoke up again.
"Master, a new mission has been added to your Administrator Log. Please be sure to check it promptly."
"I got it," Chu Guang replied impatiently.
Who's the boss here?
Rolling his eyes at the corner, Chu Guang put aside the mystery box dilemma and mentally opened the Administrator System.
A pale blue holographic screen projected onto his retina.
**Administrator Log**
> **Mission:** Vault 404 activation requirements met. First group of "residents" confirmed for transport. Ensure at least one player logs into the game.
> - **Type:** Main Quest
> - **Reward:** Biomass Extractor
> **Mission:** Obtain a generator with a power output greater than 10kW.
> - **Type:** Side Quest
> - **Reward:** +100 reward points
Whoa! 100 reward points?!
Seeing the updated missions in his log, Chu Guang's eyes lit up. But what intrigued him more was the main quest reward.
"Biomass Extractor… what does this thing even do?"
Xiao Qi responded, "Biomass is used as a raw material for creating clones. As for how to use it, there should be a manual or something."
As an AI assistant, Xiao Qi's knowledge was limited.
Currently, Chu Guang's access only reached the B1 level of the vault, and he needed to complete main quests to unlock access to other floors.
On a side note, if he tried to break through the vault's wall structures and forcibly access other levels, the vault's power and air circulation systems would be cut off.
The "Vault System" had informed him of this rule the moment he entered the vault.
But even without that warning, Chu Guang figured he wouldn't do something as stupid as tearing down his own place.
No way.
If he trashed this place, where would he live?
Besides, this vault, "the pinnacle of pre-war technology, designed to withstand strategic nuclear attacks," probably wasn't easy to break into.
Forget nukes; he didn't even have a gun.
"Alright, I think I get it."
In other words, biomass functions like a "revival token," a resource consumed when players need to reassemble their clones.
Currently, there are 100 incubation pods on B1, all ready for activation, which likely each contain one unit of biomass for the initial clone synthesis.
Based on the system's "one machine, one ID" rule, Chu Guang could summon up to 100 "players" to this world in clone form.
Of course, he knew it wouldn't be as straightforward as it sounded.
First of all, *Wasteland OL*'s official website didn't have any traffic.
Most people would think a "100% real immersive virtual reality game" was just a scam, if not an outright fraud. After all, no such technology existed in reality, and even the wildest influencers couldn't come up with something so outlandish.
Second, even if he managed to sweet-talk eleven people into signing up, he couldn't be sure they'd listen to him.
The players had control over whether they entered or exited the game; Chu Guang could only kick out troublesome players, ban access, or revoke game qualifications. He couldn't actually force them to put on their helmets and come online to work for him.
Therefore, the choice of candidates for the game—especially the first "closed beta" players—had to be made with care.
Better to have fewer reliable people than a chaotic mess.
Otherwise, he'd just be creating trouble for himself!
Most critically, conditions here on the wasteland dictated that *more people wasn't necessarily better*.
Each extra person meant another mouth to feed.
Right now, he was as broke as could be; he could barely support himself, let alone feed a hundred mouths.
Even if he could activate all 100 pods right now, it would only mean more food for the mutants and raiders.
No point at all.
Chu Guang sat back down in front of his computer.
After pondering for a while, his thoughts began to clarify.
Logging back into his account, he opened a gaming group called the "Moo Club" and set up a chat with the group owner and three moderators.
He then typed out a message in the group:
**[Send me the IDs that showed up on the website when you registered.]**
**[There are only four beta slots. I pulled some strings with the company to see if I can get the beta slots and helmets sent directly to you guys.]**
These were his old teammates from countless chicken dinner matches, so it didn't feel too out of place to help them out.
More importantly, Chu Guang couldn't think of anyone in real life he could count on, so these online friends—people he'd never met but had a decent rapport with—were his best bet.
Family?
Since his grandpa passed, he hadn't seen any relatives in years. They probably didn't even know he'd disappeared.
Landlord?
She was likely just hunting him down for rent money by now.
Classmates?
He hadn't spoken to any since graduation.
Colleagues?
Ha. They'd already deleted him from their contacts, maybe considering him bad luck.
And even if they hadn't, he wasn't about to message them, not after passing out at the table. A dead man messaging the living—that would freak anyone out.
By comparison, these online buddies were the ideal choice.
They didn't know him in real life; even if he'd been offline for five months, they wouldn't read too much into it.
**White Horse Blazing Through the Gap:** *"Boss, that's epic!"*
**Category 8 Windstorm:** *"Boss, too awesome!"*
**Long Days Ahead:** *"666!"*
**Night's Nemesis, Ten Times Over:** *"Got it, bro! Can't wait for the game helmet! (lmao)"*
Chuguang continued typing his instructions.
[But there's one thing I need to clarify: the equipment is only being lent to you. Don't lose it, and don't dismantle it, or I won't be able to explain it to the company.]
[Also, the equipment will be bound to the user's identity information, which means that, in principle, one device can only be registered to one account and used by one person.]
Though it sounded like a warning, he wasn't really worried that the players would break the rules.
According to the system, the helmet recognizes the player's identity, and no one else can use it.
As for the equipment…
He wasn't going to worry about that.
Since the system can deliver the helmet to the players, it must have a way to handle "after-sales service," and that's not something he needed to care about.
Lai Ri Fang Chang: [Is there a fee?]
Chuguang: [No fees during the closed beta phase, but since funds are tight, there won't be any salaries either.]
Lai Ri Fang Chang: [6666, I've sent you my number privately, send me one.]
Bai Ju Guo Xi: [So cool, haha, send one to me too. If what you're saying about the fully immersive VR game is true, I'll livestream doing a handstand and diarrhea!]
Ba Ji Da Kuang Feng: [Haha, we're supporting you too.]
Shaonu Gongdi Ye Shi Ci: [(meme.jpg)]
Although these four guys clearly didn't believe what he was saying, and didn't believe that a truly fully immersive VR game even existed, they still sent him their numbers, thinking they were just humoring him.
It was just a number generated by the official website anyway. It wasn't like it was a bank account or password.
Besides, they were curious about what kind of trick this guy was trying to pull...
After receiving the numbers, Chuguang didn't hesitate. He immediately opened the management system, found the [Shelter Resident Directory], and checked off "Grant Game Qualifications" next to the four numbers.
The cloning chamber requires three days to synthesize a clone.
During this time, the system would use special methods to send the game helmets to the players... without even needing a shipping address.
As for what methods would be used, whether it would attract attention from modern society, or whether it might involve illegal operations—Chuguang couldn't be bothered to worry about those issues.
In fact, he hoped more people would notice the official website. It would be even better if it caused a stir. That way, he would have more options.
"Master, didn't our website already have 11 players who signed up for the game? Why are you only giving out 4 spots?"
Noticing the cloning chambers activated in the next room, Xiao Qi seemed confused.
"Because we don't need that many for now."
He closed the [Shelter Resident Directory].
Chuguang then opened the system's [Manager Subsidy] page and spent all five of his reward points on the "Basic Blind Box."
There was no point in saving up for the high-level blind box.
The reward for Task 2 was directly 100 points, so it wasn't worth bothering about these 5 points.
The pale blue holographic screen flickered, and one of the walls of the room gently shook. With a soft "click," the alloy door of the "output port" opened.
Looking at what was lying on the platform, Chuguang was momentarily stunned.
"Is this... the blind box?"
Xiao Qi answered.
"It should be."
Chuguang steadied himself and said, "I thought the rewards would at least be in a box."
Xiao Qi tried to offer an explanation.
"Maybe the blind box is just a setting?"
But what's the point of a blind box that doesn't require unboxing?
Why not just call it a lottery?
Staring at the reward on the conveyor belt, Chuguang remained silent for a moment.
"I get the idea..."
"But why did I clearly exchange for five, and only four came up?"