"Li Wu!"
"Present."
"Your penalty has been decided. You need to make up 42 hours of online time within 7 days, plus the regular 42 hours quota for this week. That means you must ensure 84 hours of online time in these seven days, which is roughly 12 hours a day."
"I can't accept this!"
"Whether you accept it or not doesn't matter. Citizens aged 14 to 60 must guarantee 42 hours of total gaming time per week. This is a newly enacted law, and all other criminal and civil laws must make way for it."
"Officer Zhou, you know my situation. They say the law should be tempered with humanity. I'm really struggling here. I work three jobs a day and only sleep four hours. I truly don't have time to play games."
"Sigh, Li. We live in the same neighborhood, so of course, I know your situation. But this time, the enforcement is too strict. Even we, as police officers, have to ensure 42 hours of online time per week. Otherwise, we'll not only be dismissed from our positions but also face penalties."
"This is just outrageous! Forcing citizens to play games? I've never heard of such a ridiculous thing in any country!"
"Well, you're mistaken. This new law isn't just being implemented in our country; other countries have enacted similar regulations."
"This is unreasonable!"
"Whether it's reasonable or not, you're not the only one who hasn't completed the required game time. The detention centers are full now, all because of people being detained over this issue. If it weren't for your special circumstances, even with my plea, you'd probably have to make up your online time in a detention center."
"Officer Zhou~"
"Alright, enough said. Take this money and quickly make up your game time. If you get caught next time, it won't be as simple as detention."
"I can't accept this..."
***
In the end, Li Wu couldn't refuse Officer Zhou's kindness. He tightly clutched the 500 yuan as he walked out of the police station.
Looking at the sky that had completely darkened, Li Wu couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness in his nose.
Li Wu wasn't lying; he truly had difficulties.
Last year, his sister's family of three, along with both sets of parents, went on a road trip and unfortunately got into a car accident. Only his one-and-a-half-year-old niece, Tuantuan, survived; everyone else perished.
That year, Li Wu had just started his sophomore year in college.
At the joint funeral for the six family members, Li Wu didn't cry, but when Tuantuan called him "Uncle," he broke down and cried his heart out.
As Tuantuan's only close relative, Li Wu naturally took on the guardianship, balancing school and taking care of Tuantuan.
If that were all, it would be manageable. Although his brother-in-law was drunk driving and collided with someone, causing the car to fall off a bridge, the insurance company didn't pay a penny. Fortunately, both families had some savings, enough for the two of them to live on for a few years.
But misfortune never comes alone!
Not long after, little Tuantuan was hospitalized with a high fever and diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.
Patients with this condition must take medication for life. The doctor offered two treatment options: one with medication covered by insurance, still expensive but affordable for Li Wu in the short term. This option could ensure survival for over ten years under normal circumstances.
The other option was a newly developed foreign special drug, also requiring lifelong medication but with excellent results, allowing patients to live like normal people. Due to time constraints, there was no precise data on survival time, but conservatively estimated at over twenty years.
The special drug wasn't covered by insurance, costing 20,000 yuan per box, one box per month, totaling 240,000 yuan a year.
Without hesitation, Li Wu chose the second treatment option, not out of gratitude to his sister, but because Tuantuan was his only family, and he was her uncle.
The next day, Li Wu sold his parents' house and his sister's house, which had just had the down payment paid off after three years of loans. Only Tuantuan's grandfather's old house was left, as it was difficult to handle due to generational inheritance and the inheritor being a minor.
Being a house in a small county, the property prices were low, and the sale of one and a half houses only brought in 400,000 yuan.
With both families' savings, Li Wu had over 500,000 yuan in savings.
There would have been more savings, but the car accident affected more than one party. Although the other party wasn't injured, their vehicle was severely damaged, and it was an expensive car.
However, this wasn't the reason for the reduced savings. Because the other party understood the situation, they only symbolically asked for 20,000 yuan out of a 200,000 yuan compensation.
Li Wu experienced the kindness of humanity but soon also experienced its cruelty.
The real expense came from the funerals, burial plots, and various miscellaneous costs for the six family members.
At the time, Li Wu was just a sophomore student, completely unaware of the intricacies involved, and ended up spending a lot of unnecessary money.
500,000 yuan sounds like a lot, but it would only last two years.
Two years wasn't even enough for him to graduate, so Li Wu resolutely chose to drop out of school, working three jobs a day. Although still unable to achieve financial balance, it was better than sitting idly by.
What was even more frustrating was the government's introduction of the National Gaming Program a month ago.
Despite massive public opposition and even multiple large-scale protests, the plan's implementation couldn't be stopped.
Free gaming helmets were delivered to every citizen aged 14 and above a week ago, and the national game "Blue Star Online" officially launched a week ago.
With his dwindling savings, Li Wu had no time to play games. He thought that with over a billion people in the country, perhaps only the young would fully support it, and others wouldn't. Eventually, the law wouldn't punish the masses. But just a week later, the police came knocking.
If it weren't for Officer Zhou's plea, he might have had to make up his online time in a detention center.
***
Running half an hour late to pick up Tuantuan, Li Wu immediately apologized to the kindergarten teacher.
"Teacher Leilei, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
Teacher Leilei, aware of Tuantuan's situation, couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness looking at the young man before her.
"Why don't I take Tuantuan home with me from now on, and you can pick her up after work?"
As soon as Leilei finished speaking, little Tuantuan in Li Wu's arms protested in her childish voice, "No, I want to be with Uncle."
"Alright, with Uncle," Li Wu said, pinching Tuantuan's little nose, and politely declined Leilei's offer.
After leaving the kindergarten, Li Wu took a long scarf from the electric scooter's seat compartment and skillfully strapped Tuantuan onto his back, securing her small body with the scarf.
He then put on his helmet, opened the phone on the handlebar mount, and started taking orders.
"Let's go!"
With Tuantuan's childish command, the electric scooter sped into the night.
***
At ten o'clock at night, Li Wu returned home with the already asleep Tuantuan on his back.
After placing Tuantuan on the bed, instead of going out to deliver more orders as usual, Li Wu turned to look at the unopened cardboard box in the corner.
He had considered making money in the game. He had played games for a few days while in school. The reason he hadn't acted on it was that ever since Blue Star Online launched, his coworkers had been praising the game's quality while complaining about how it was a money pit. Forget making money; even drinking cold water in the game cost money.
Now, with no choice but to comply, if he ended up in detention, there would be no one to pay him.
Following the instructions, he activated the brand-new gaming helmet and put it on. A system voice followed:
[Retinal scan in progress...]
[Brainwave scan in progress...]
[Identity confirmation in progress...]
[Name: Li Wu]
[ID Number: 15.........0015]
[Age: 21]
[Nationality: Huaxia Nation]
[Bank Card Auto-binding in progress...]
[Bank Card has been bound.]
[Online Time: 0]
[Online Time: Negative 42 hours.]
[Warning: Please make up the online time within seven days, or you will be penalized according to the law.]
A series of electronic sounds left Li Wu dumbfounded.
"Damn it, this is too much!"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan