"Wu Shaochen, go settle your salary with finance. You don't need to come to work tomorrow."
In the office, a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a beer belly sat in a large leather chair, speaking to the young man standing opposite him.
"Why are you firing me?" Wu Shaochen asked angrily.
He had a rough idea of the situation. Wasn't it just that he forgot his key when working late yesterday and accidentally caught the boss and the secretary in the act when he returned to the office? Was it really that big of a deal?
"Because I'm the boss, and I can fire whoever I want," the middle-aged man said smugly.
"This guy is probably afraid I'll tell his wife," Wu Shaochen thought to himself, knowing that the boss's wife occasionally came to inspect the company, making it easy to run into her. By firing him, the boss wouldn't have to worry.
Although he wanted to assure the boss that he wasn't a tattletale, he realized it wasn't necessary. A boss like this would likely make his life difficult if he stayed.
"You can fire me, but according to the law, the company needs to compensate me with three months' salary for unilateral termination," Wu Shaochen said. Since he was leaving, he might as well maximize his benefits.
"You think..." The middle-aged man was about to curse but realized that making a fuss would be disadvantageous to him. Swallowing his anger, he said, "You think I care about that money? Go get your pay and get out."
***
Soon, Wu Shaochen settled his salary with finance, packed his things, and left the company. Standing on the bustling street, he suddenly didn't know where to go. Two years after graduation, he had achieved nothing, and now he had lost his job. In a city like SZ, where every day costs money, he couldn't even afford to add sausages to his instant noodles without an income.
"Forget it, I'll look for another job," Wu Shaochen thought.
Just then, a poster flew into his face. He took it down and saw it was an advertisement for the globally popular game "Oracle."
For the past month, "Oracle" advertisements had been everywhere. It was said that the game's main brain wasn't from existing civilization but a cross-era creation. The specifics of its origin weren't disclosed. The game was developed by the world's top five online gaming giants, achieving 100% realism, meaning the five senses in the game were exactly like in reality.
"It truly is a cross-era game," Wu Shaochen sighed. Unfortunately, playing this game required buying a game helmet, not just a computer.
"Dammit, a helmet costs ten thousand. In two years of working, my savings never even reached five figures."
"Wait, I just got three months' salary, exactly ten thousand and five hundred. Maybe..." Wu Shaochen was tempted. This game was completely different from traditional games, offering infinite possibilities, something an avid gamer like him could see.
He had confidence in the game but not in himself. This game was open to players worldwide. Those gaming elites and wealthy players would undoubtedly choose it first. Though he had played many games, his skills couldn't compare to theirs.
"This is a high-stakes gamble," Wu Shaochen murmured. For him, ten thousand yuan was almost everything he had. With only a few hundred left, he couldn't last long in a city like SZ. Excluding today's salary, he only had two hundred yuan left, meaning if he didn't earn money in the game, he wouldn't even be able to pay rent by the end of the month.
"Screw it, I'll gamble. Worst case, I'll sleep under a bridge. If it doesn't work out, I'll find another job. Besides, I love gaming. Now that I have this chance, I can't let it slip."
With that decision, Wu Shaochen extravagantly took a cab to the nearest helmet store. Why take a cab when he was so broke? Because "Oracle" was launching at noon today, and it was already almost ten. He couldn't afford to be late.
At the store, seeing the long queue, Wu Shaochen marveled at the game's popularity. Helmets had been on sale for a month, and people were still lining up in droves. With the launch imminent, the crowd was still massive.
After over an hour in line, Wu Shaochen finally bought a game helmet. Checking the time, it was 11:25. He quickly hailed another cab home, urging the driver to hurry. By the time he got home, it was already 11:50.
Feeling a bit hungry, he remembered he hadn't eaten breakfast. Once in the game, he wouldn't be out for a while, and his body wouldn't hold up. Cooking or going out to eat wasn't an option, so he rummaged around and found a pack of bread under the bed. Seeing it was unopened, he didn't think twice and quickly devoured it.
After a satisfied burp, Wu Shaochen leisurely put on the game helmet. The time was 11:55.
"Why does my stomach feel a bit off?" he wondered.
His consciousness quickly entered the game, and a grand scene unfolded before him. It was a battlefield, with countless beasts blotting out the sky, attacking the tiny humans below. On the ground, more beasts chased fleeing humans, tearing apart those they caught.
Among the humans were numerous strong fighters resisting the beasts. Mages in noble robes floated in the air, casting large-scale attacks on the beasts below.
Archers unleashed a barrage of arrows at the airborne beasts.
Shield Guards stood firm at the front, holding their ground against overwhelming odds.
Warriors wielded battle axes, charging in and out of beast hordes.
Assassins moved stealthily, finishing off weakened beasts.
At the back, Priests in white robes, like holy angels, continuously healed their teammates.
These were the six classes of "Oracle": Mage, Archer, Shield Guard, Warrior, Assassin, and Priest.
Despite the many strong humans, they couldn't withstand the overwhelming beast army. Eventually, all humans on the battlefield perished, and the beasts roared in victory.
Wu Shaochen watched the scene in shock, the immersive experience making his hair stand on end. It was terrifying, not like a game at all, but as if it were happening for real.
As he was still reeling, the scene shifted, and Wu Shaochen found himself in a grand hall. A system prompt sounded:
[Brainwave scanning in progress...]
[Scan complete...]
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[Blood sample extraction in progress...]
Wu Shaochen suddenly felt a sharp pain on his scalp.
"What the heck, does the game helmet have needles?"
After a while, he heard the system prompt...
[Blood sample extraction complete, DNA binding in progress...]
[Binding complete]
[Identity verification in progress...]
[Name: Wu Shaochen]
[ID: 32**********8517]
[Age: 24]
[Nationality: China]
[Your bank card has been linked, allowing cash transactions in the game.]
***
"This is a game?..."
Wu Shaochen stared at the space before him as if he'd seen a ghost. Just a scan, and it had all his details down to his household registration. How terrifying was that?
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan