"In the year 2012 of the Tianlong Calendar, the Tianlong Kingdom developed virtual reality technology, revealing a glimpse into the mysteries of the virtual world…"
"Later, with the completion of the virtual reality network and the gradual perfection of VR technology, the virtual world could finally be fully presented before the public…"
"In the year 2019 of the Tianlong Calendar, the Tianlong Kingdom successfully created the first virtual world using VR technology and named it Second World. From then on, the virtual world officially entered the lives of ordinary people…"
"The birth of Second World was only the beginning of humanity's exploration of virtual worlds. Since then, more and more virtual worlds have been created. At the same time, those who made it their profession to create virtual worlds gained a new title—Virtual Game Designers!"
"Every virtual world is a life simulation. People can experience an existence completely different from reality in the virtual world—the Second World, the Third World, the Nth World…"
"Breaking news! Li Tianming, a Level 10 Virtual Game Designer, has released a brand-new game! It's a ship-themed experience unlike anything you've played before!"
…Hmm? Something felt off.
In a luxuriously decorated room, a black-haired young man stared blankly at the bright screen in front of him, scrolling through the information displayed. His body unconsciously leaned forward, eyes flickering non-stop, his finger clicking the mouse repeatedly to switch pages, as if trying to confirm something.
After a while, a voice of disbelief escaped him.
"You're telling me this is 2019, not 9012???""Virtual worlds? Am I dreaming???"
At that moment, strange memories suddenly surged into his mind, as if forcibly shoved in by someone. The rush of information brought a splitting headache that made him feel as if his skull were cracking.
"Hiss~ My head hurts!""Dreams aren't supposed to hurt, right?""Bai Ze? These memories… This isn't a dream?!"
About half an hour later, the foreign memories finally merged completely, and the intense headache gradually faded. Bai Ze now understood his situation.
"It's not a dream!"
His hands dropped weakly from his sweat-soaked forehead. The prolonged pain had left him completely drained, unable to muster any strength, but his eyes were filled with excitement.
"I never thought I'd experience something like time travel!"
With the memories fully integrated, Bai Ze could finally understand the world he had arrived in.
From the information he had just read, it was obvious this world differed greatly from his previous one—most notably in terms of technology.
In his former life, VR technology was still in its infancy. But here, they had already achieved the creation of fully immersive virtual worlds, perfectly controlled and integrated into everyday life. Otherwise, it could never have spread so widely among ordinary people.
And it wasn't just VR—many other aspects of life and technology here were far more advanced.
Most jobs in this world had been replaced by robots, yet the population was even larger than in his original world. This left many people with nothing to do—not because they were lazy or unwilling to work, but simply because there were too few jobs left.
For basic manual labor, robots were several times more efficient than humans, with far better quality. For those controlling the resources, using robots brought countless advantages, making human labor obsolete.
In contrast, professions like writers, singers, directors, scientists, and biologists—roles that could not be replaced by machines—were highly respected. However, most of these careers relied heavily on talent, and there were still vast numbers of unemployed people.
Fortunately, technology here was so advanced that people no longer had to struggle for basic survival. The state provided subsidies, ensuring no one went hungry, though these only covered the most basic living conditions.
Although survival was guaranteed, the pressure of employment still existed. People with jobs or meaningful activities lived far better lives, and leaving the situation unchecked could lead to future problems.
The development of virtual reality technology aimed to change this.
If there were no more jobs in the real world, why not create another?
True inter-world travel hadn't been achieved here yet, but virtual worlds had become humanity's Second World, Third World, and so on.
Though there was always a gap between reality and the virtual, VR had greatly eased social pressures.
As Bai Ze digested the memories, he realized that the virtual world not only helped with unemployment but had become a powerful societal trend.
In just a few years, it had evolved from a pastime for the idle into a force so enticing that countless people flocked to explore it. Those with resources in the real world naturally sought to expand their influence into the virtual one as well.
The real and virtual worlds had become deeply interconnected—much like the guilds and clans from games in Bai Ze's previous life—only now, in VR, they were recognized as legitimate professions: professional gamers.
Bai Ze was still lost in thought when suddenly, a mechanical voice rang in his mind:
"Ding~ Virtual Game Design System successfully bound!"
"A system!"
A smile spread across his face—his golden finger had arrived.
Even without it, Bai Ze felt he could thrive here. After all, this was the ideal playground for a time traveler with creativity but no special technical skills.
Now that he did have a golden finger, his confidence soared.
"Virtual Game Design System? So, my main mission… is to create games?"
Thinking of the world around him, Bai Ze couldn't help but feel this cheat had arrived at the perfect moment.