The Real World

Chapter 1: How Real is a 100% Realistic Game?

“…How real is a fully immersive 100% realistic game?”

On Earth, in a university game room.

Looking at the group chat messages, Ye Shi immediately imagined something that wasn't the game, but the pale justice.

To be more specific, it was his Skyrim modded to 200+, and over 100 wives he personally created, all revived from the saved files.

If we go into even more detail, we’d better stop here, or his account might get banned.

His nickname in the group was "Wakes up 10+ times a night," and due to its length and lack of elegance, the other members simply called him Ye Shi.

"It's literally real."

"Vision, hearing, smell, touch, taste... all just like the real world. The game’s time flow is 1:1 with the real world, with a time difference of about 12 hours. And since the technology is based on dream interference, playing the game is basically like sleeping."

The one typing these lines was an old friend named "Guang."

This straightforward single-character nickname seemed out of place next to the group name "Ox and Horse Club," so the silly members of the group sometimes called him "Ultraman," "Gaia," or even "Brother Kai" or "Cow Genius."

Level 8 Gale (Administrator): "Is this a fantasy setting? (laughs)"

Long Time No See (Administrator): "It sounds a bit old, like an early web novel’s take on virtual reality games."

White Horse Passing (Group Owner): "Haha, you're talking about wearing a virtual headset, right? I used to enjoy reading those back in school."

Wakes up 10+ times a night (Administrator): "Honestly, this setting doesn't make sense. The operators wouldn't be doing it just for players’ enjoyment, would they? If it were really 100% real, how would you showcase the prestige of the pay-to-win players? Everyone would be getting everything for free!"

Ye Shi wasn’t really into these types of novels, but he’d received nine years of mandatory education, and unlike others, he valued logic over pleasure.

So, he preferred reading fantasy and supernatural genres.

Long Time No See: "Dude, you’re taking this too seriously. If we’re talking about logic, then the real reason for the fictional operators to make money is so the readers outside the novel can enjoy it, right?"

Level 8 Gale: "No more meta!"

The conversation quickly veered off course.

Though the Ox and Horse Club was a gaming group, it rarely discussed games so seriously like today.

Especially about a game that didn’t even exist, a completely fictional "game."

However, even though the topic had completely strayed, the originator of the discussion—the guy named "Guang"—persistently steered it back.

Guang: "I mean, what if?"

Guang: "What if there really is such a game? Would you want to play it?"

Looking at the group chat, Ye Shi shook his head with a smile.

Was there any question about that?

Wakes up 10+ times a night: "Of course! Why not? A 100% realistic game, who wouldn't want to try it? You know what I mean. (laughs)"

Level 8 Gale: "+1, but I still have some doubts about the setting you mentioned. If game time is equivalent to sleep time... wouldn't this technology be more useful in work-related applications?"

White Horse Passing: "Holy crap, are you a devil???"

Long Time No See: "Then I’ll just sleep properly. (bitter laugh)"

Quit Smoking: "You guys aren’t sleeping at night, you’re just dreaming in the group."

"That’s hilarious."

More and more people started chiming in.

Some were actively participating, while others were silently lurking.

In a group of 200, the active members usually numbered between ten to twenty, and occasionally, there’d be two "he knows you, but you don’t know him" new faces, who would later admit to having been lurking for over two years.

Guang, however, ignored them and continued with his own world.

"Actually, the company I recently joined is developing a fully immersive virtual reality MMORPG."

The lively group chat fell silent for a moment.

But soon, as if on cue, a series of messages popped up.

"Holy crap?"

"Is this for real?"

"Bro, I almost believed you! (laughs)"

Ye Shi felt this guy was too dramatic.

A fully immersive virtual reality MMORPG?

100% real?

What nonsense.

As Brother Kuang Feng said, if such a thing existed, would it really be made into a game???

Of course, he didn’t think such technology would be used in the office. In his mind, if such an amazing technology existed, it would definitely first be used in the military.

Imagine how awesome it would be to train special forces!

The guy named Guang didn’t respond further and simply dropped a website link.

Ye Shi clicked on it casually and found it was actually a game’s official website.

The website’s design was basic at best, looking like they couldn’t even afford a graphic designer, with just three lines of text.

"100% Realistic Virtual Reality Game — Wasteland OL"

"Current Reservations: 0"

"Reserve: yes/no"

Ye Shi laughed.

Nice, so all the buildup was just an ad.

Not sure if it’s a scam or an online gambling site.

But at least the reservation number was realistic; they didn’t make up some eight-digit online number or claim that even Zha Zha Hui was playing.

"Fine, let’s see what this game is about."

He clicked "yes" with the mouse.

But to his surprise, the expected registration page didn’t pop up. The only change was the reservation number increasing from 0 to 1.

"This crappy game doesn’t even need to register an account???"

This bizarre operation confused Ye Shi. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out whether it was an advertisement or not.

Had he been infected by a virus?

It didn’t seem likely.

This was the modern age; antivirus software was practically obsolete, and who would still get a virus from clicking "yes" on a website?

Not to mention, he was in the school’s computer lab.

Even on his personal computer, he wouldn’t worry about such things.

"Current Reservations: 11"

Wasteland, Shelter 404, Resident Hall.

Looking at the numbers on the website’s backend, Chu Guang let out a sigh of relief and released the mouse he had been holding tightly.

"Is this enough?"

The answer came in the form of two lines of floating text.

"Quest Completed."

"Reward: A set of carbon nanotube bulletproof vests, +5 reward points."

The wall on one side of the room vibrated slightly. As the arc-shaped alloy door opened, a black vest appeared on the platform behind the door.

The conveyor belt delivered the vest.

The alloy door closed again, and the room returned to its usual stillness.

Chu Guang immediately got up from the computer and walked over to pick up the vest.

It was incredibly light, and the texture felt similar to ice silk pajamas. It was delicate and soft to the touch—hard to imagine this thing could stop a bullet.

Name: Carbon Nanotube Bulletproof Vest

Description: Effectively absorbs bullet kinetic energy and disperses impact force within durability limits, protecting against moderate piercing and cutting damage.

Durability: 100%

Rewards from the shelter system were logged into the inventory, complete with product descriptions and instructions.

Chu Guang quickly took off his shirt and put the vest on.

It was a little chilly at first, but he soon got used to it.

At this moment, the cylindrical metal object in the corner of the room emitted a flat electronic tone.

"Congratulations, Master, it seems you’ve completed your first quest."

"Can you not start talking out of nowhere?"

"Okay, Master."

The robot, shaped like a trash can, was named Xiao Qi.

As the assistant to the manager of Shelter 404, it technically didn’t have a name, only a number—777.

But Chu Guang found it troublesome, so he gave it a name.

As for who Chu Guang was and why he was in Shelter 404, that story began on a dark and stormy night…