It turns out that I misunderstood.
The rewards from the blind box indeed included "five" items.
The system didn't actually "swallow" the equipment, nor did it include a "thank you for your patronage" scenario.
However, the fifth item from the blind box was buried underneath the other four prizes...
What lay before Chu Guang was a vacuum-sealed package containing 100g of compressed biscuits and three 25g lollipops—apple, banana, and mango flavored.
There was also a piece of paper.
The packaging of the compressed biscuits was intact, showing no bulges. While the production date and expiration date were unclear, they should be safe to eat.
These biscuits were actually a good item.
The ingredients list indicated 500 kcal of energy, which could fill his stomach whether eaten dry or boiled into a porridge.
As for the lollipops, while their calories weren't low, they didn't provide much satiety.
But for Chu Guang, who was so poor he could almost chew tree bark, it was already a significant improvement.
By the way, this system was ridiculously stingy. Was it afraid he would eat too much and get full or something? It handed him these paltry items to get by.
Standing next to the delivery slot, Chu Guang stuffed the food into his backpack and then picked up the paper that had been sent down the conveyor belt. He unfolded it and glanced at the text written in the language of this world.
[...Is there any creature more suited to being harvested than a player?
They not only have boundless curiosity, but also endless enthusiasm. They face challenges head-on and never despair in the face of difficulties. Of course, the most important thing is that they can even put themselves in the shoes of the operator and help us harvest them!
Packaging this device as a game, I'm truly a genius!
—Administrator of Shelter 404 (Please place this note in the fifth basic blind box; this is an Easter egg left for my successor!)]
Chu Guang: "…"
To be honest, he wasn't feeling even the slightest surprise at the "Easter egg" he had received—he was just speechless.
However… what did the device mean?
"XiaoQi."
"What's up, master?"
"Do you know the first-generation administrator?"
"No, when you entered the shelter, my main program was only activated. According to the shelter's database, the previous administrator transferred operational rights over a century ago."
Chu Guang continued asking.
"Which year specifically?"
"XiaoQi" responded.
"January 1st, 2157."
The war of 2129 ended, and human civilization entered the era of wasteland. 2157 marked the 28th year of the wasteland era.
That's 183 years ago!
Chu Guang had always been sensitive to numbers, especially key information like this. Once he remembered it, he usually didn't forget.
"So, the first-generation administrator from 183 years ago invented this device that could project the consciousness of parallel world entities into clones and packaged it as a game. But for some reason, it was never used, right?"
Maybe it was because of the nuclear winter.
Or some other reason that prevented the shelter from meeting the activation conditions.
In any case, people from over a century ago should have already passed away.
"XiaoQi" said.
"Probably, yes."
"What was his name? The first-generation administrator."
Chu Guang suddenly became curious about his identity.
Someone who could come up with such a twisted and dark concept might not be a genius, but anyone who invented such amazing black tech after the collapse of civilization would be considered a genius—no, "genius" no longer seemed sufficient to describe him.
Projecting the consciousness of a parallel world into this world and using clones as containers…
Chu Guang couldn't even imagine how that was accomplished.
Technology beyond understanding seemed as magical to him as actual magic.
"I don't know. There are no detailed records about him in the database. Perhaps they were erased?"
"Forget it… asking you is like asking the wind."
Chu Guang felt a little disappointed, but he wasn't discouraged.
So far, only the B1 level of the shelter had been unlocked.
As tasks progressed, the secrets buried in this shelter would one day be fully revealed to him.
He stuffed the note into the desk drawer, tightening the straps of his backpack.
Noticing his movements, "Xiao Qi," crouched in the corner, asked.
"Master, are you leaving?"
Her voice, monotone and without any inflection, sounded somewhat pitiful.
"Yeah, players won't log in for another three days, and there's no point in me staying here. It's better to head back and prepare a bit."
This place might be called a shelter, but there was no food or drink.
Chu Guang had only a small piece of flatbread and half a bottle of water left, along with the compressed biscuits and lollipops he had just gotten from the reward points.
These supplies wouldn't last three days.
He had a simple shelter in a nearby survivor gathering area, where he had some supplies and useful tools.
Chu Guang planned to return and gather whatever he could. This would be his new base in the future.
"By the way, Xiao Qi."
"What's up, master?"
"I need you to help me with something."
After a brief pause, Chu Guang continued.
"Our official website is too basic. I need you to add a forum function and a materials/encyclopedia section. Can you do that?"
To put it simply, he wanted the players to have more understanding of the "game."
It would be difficult to convince people to join with just words. At the very least, they had to make a good surface appearance.
"Of course, you have editing rights to the official website. Besides the game reservation page, you can add sub-pages or modify existing ones."
"Great, then it's up to you."
"It's on me!" Xiao Qi seemed quite pleased with the task her master had assigned, even increasing the volume of her speakers by half a decibel.
Though it could also be that Chu Guang was just misinterpreting the situation.
"Master, when will you be back?"
Chu Guang thought for a moment and replied.
"By the latest, in three days."
"If everything goes well, maybe before tomorrow night."
Present day, in the "Cow and Horse Club" group.
The guy named "Guang" who had dropped the website link had disappeared. It wasn't clear whether he logged off or was lurking in the background.
The topic about the "completely immersive virtual reality game" was about to fade away when, a few minutes ago, this guy pulled a stunt by creating a smaller group and dragging a few of the group managers into it, which brought the conversation right back to the main group.
戒烟 (Quitting Smoking): "What the hell, is this guy serious?"
戒烟 was a frequent and active group member, though not a manager.
白驹过隙 (Time Flies): "Yeah, after you all made the reservation, he made a small group and added all of us admins in. (Scratches head)"
白驹过隙 was the group owner, so he was naturally in the small group.
As soon as this was mentioned, the group members went into a frenzy.
[Damn! Is this a blackmail scheme?]
[Do any of you know what company 'Guang' works for? I'm going to report him for fraudulent dealings! (sarcasm)]
[Cut the nonsense, last year there was a VR company with cancer stock that made such a loss the owner ended up in jail! The current trend is no longer VR!]
[Shut up, don't let 'Guang' hear you, he might be lurking. (Sarcasm)]
[What's his deal? Is he just joking around?]
[Who knows, maybe he's leading you guys to a betting website, waiting for enough people to join and then he'll cut them off!]
[I bet this guy is up to no good! Kick him out!]
The conversation gradually took a darker turn.
It even escalated into personal attacks.
Just as Ye Wei was about to speak, the group owner intervened and pressed the brakes.
(Entire group muted)
白驹过隙: "Guys, stop, the new guy probably doesn't know 'Guang,' but he's alright. He's just bad at aiming, a bit blind, not the best player, but otherwise fine."
来日方长 (The Future is Long): "Indeed, I believe 'Guang' is not involved in anything shady. We just aren't sure if he's been hacked. If it turns out to be that, our admin team will handle it. I'll delete all my messages, let's change the topic. (Laugh)"
(Group unmuted)
The group owner and admins came forward to calm things down, and the members, in respect, dropped the topic and quickly shifted to discussing the European Cup.
Ye Wei didn't watch football, at least not soccer.
He glanced at the time on the bottom right of his screen, it was already 6:00 PM, just in time for dinner.
Uploading his unfinished assignment to the cloud, Ye Wei pushed back from his chair and headed downstairs to the cafeteria to order a spicy chicken fried rice, savoring it as he ate.
When he leisurely returned to his dorm, he was suddenly stunned upon seeing a cardboard box on the desk.
A package?
"Hey, Wei, what did you order? It's pretty big!"
His dormmates gathered around, and the other two also focused on the box.
They were all respectful people.
Normally, they wouldn't touch his things when he wasn't around, but now that he was back, it didn't matter.
They were