The lights of the control chamber glowed a soft violet as Alex walked in, the metallic doors sliding shut behind him with a gentle hiss. The screens floating around him flickered to life, each displaying familiar icons from Earth's online world—browsers, search bars, email windows, and messaging applications. It was surreal to see 21st-century Internet inside a futuristic apocalypse base.
Mice floated behind him, humming cheerfully, his spherical body leaving faint ripples of blue light in the air.
"Chief, you look very serious today," he chirped.
Alex pulled out a holographic keyboard from one of the screens and cracked his knuckles. "I have an idea."
Mice leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Oooooh, I like ideas!"
Alex took a deep breath and turned toward him.
"I want to create a website."
Mice blinked. "A website?"
"Yeah. A game website."
He paused. Then, slowly and deliberately, he spoke the name he had been polishing in his mind.
"Desolate World Online."
The name hung in the air like a spark.
Mice rotated in a curious spiral. "Chief, are you making an actual game?"
Alex shook his head lightly. "Not really. But I'm going to present this apocalypse world as a 100% fully immersive VR game to Earth."
Mice froze mid-air.
Alex continued, voice calm but firm. "I'll tell people it's the first game in history with total sensory immersion. Pain, hunger, thirst, temperature, emotions—everything completely realistic."
Mice slowly tilted his spherical body, and his digital eyes widened.
"Chief… are you suggesting…"
"Yes," Alex answered. "When players log in, their bodies stay on Earth. But their consciousness gets transferred here—into the clone bodies."
Mice let out a noise that was halfway between a gasp and a delighted squeak. "This is… BRILLIANT! Absolutely brilliant, Chief!"
Alex shrugged casually, though his heart hammered with excitement. "I figured the biggest problem is bringing people here safely. If they think it's a VR game, they'll think everything is normal. They'll play, explore, fight, learn, and help me build this civilization. And even if something happens to their clone bodies, they'll wake up on Earth unharmed."
Mice spun in three excited circles.
"Chief! Chief! Chief! You are a genius!"
Alex chuckled. "So it's possible?"
Mice's eyes turned bright gold. "Absolutely! I can send the connector device directly to people's addresses. It will be disguised as a VR headset. Once they put it on, the consciousness transfer begins!"
"What about their experience? Will they feel everything?"
"Of course!" Mice replied proudly. "They will feel the environment exactly as it is—pain, hunger, fatigue, temperature shifts. Everything! For them, it will be the most realistic survival VR game ever made!"
Alex leaned back against the control panel, arms folded across his chest. "Good. Then let's begin."
⸻
"Chief," Mice called, floating beside him. "Shall I design the website?"
"Yes," Alex replied. "Make it look professional, something a major tech studio would release. Use dark tones, maybe black and deep blue. Add glowing neon elements to make it feel futuristic. And make the name bold."
Mice shivered with excitement. "Understood!"
The holographic screens shifted. Lines of code materialized, streaming across the room like flowing rain. Mice hovered like a conductor guiding an orchestra.
Bit by bit, the homepage built itself:
• A dark background resembling shattered Earth ruins
• Accent colors of electric blue and deep crimson
• A glowing title across the top:
"Desolate World Online"
• A cinematic banner showing a ruined city with a lone figure standing among destroyed skyscrapers
• A rotating 3D model of a VR headset that looked sleek and advanced
Alex watched in awe.
"You built that in seconds…"
"I am Mice," he said proudly. "Speed is my specialty!"
The website expanded:
Tabs unfolded—Game Features, Login, Register, Trailer, Patch Notes, Forums, Official News, and Support.
Mice added tiny animations everywhere:
Screens flickered as if disturbed by static.
Menu bars pulsed like heartbeat signals.
Background smoke drifted through the homepage, giving it an edgy, apocalyptic atmosphere.
"It looks… unbelievably real," Alex whispered.
⸻
To make it convincing, they needed a trailer.
"Mice, can you create a cinematic game trailer using footage from this world?"
"Of course, Chief!"
The lights dimmed. A holographic screen displayed raw footage recorded from outside the settlement:
—Rotting zombies dragging themselves across cracked concrete
—A mutated wolf with bone armor prowling the forest
—Storm clouds brewing over an abandoned city
—The settlement glowing like a safe haven in the darkness
Mice edited it seamlessly, adding dramatic music, deep bass notes, and a voice-over resembling a professional narrator:
"In a world consumed by ruin…
Where humanity is but a whisper…
Only the brave will survive."
Sharp cuts flashed across the screen—zombies lunging, Alex sprinting through the woods, the settlement lighting up like a command center.
"Experience true fear… true hunger…
True survival."
The trailer ended with the logo:
DESOLATE WORLD ONLINE
100% Immersive Sensory VR MMORPG
COMING SOON
Alex felt goosebumps.
"This looks better than half the AAA game trailers on Earth…"
Mice puffed up with pride. "Of course, Chief. I modeled it after the most successful game advertisements from your world."
⸻
"Now we need mechanics," Alex said. "We can't tell them it's a game without showing features."
Mice nodded and instantly projected a detailed "Game Mechanics" page:
✔ Survival System
Players must manage hunger, thirst, stamina, temperature, and fatigue.
✔ Combat System
Use melee weapons, ranged weapons, traps, and improvised tools.
✔ Class-Less Progression
Players improve skills simply by using them.
✔ Realistic Pain Response
Wounds feel real but are safe—since bodies are cloned.
✔ Respawn System
If the clone dies, consciousness returns to Earth.
Players can re-enter anytime by using the VR headset again.
✔ Base Building
Gather resources, craft shelters, upgrade technology, and fortify your settlement.
✔ Multiplayer Mode
Work with or compete against other players in shared zones.
Alex nodded approvingly. "Looks convincing. It feels like a real game."
Mice added a final line:
"Warning: This game contains extreme realism. Not recommended for faint-hearted players."
⸻
"What next, Chief?" Mice asked.
"Advertising. But first, the website needs to look legitimate."
Alex typed quickly on Earth's browser interface:
Company Registration
Domain Purchase
Server Hosting
Since the system had access to his personal accounts, he registered a fake company name:
DWO Interactive Studios
He purchased several domain names:
• desolateworldonline.com
• dwoofficial.net
• desolatevr.gg
Mice stored the domains into the Settlement's communication system.
"Chief, all domains are linked. The website is fully operational!"
⸻
"Now we advertise."
Mice immediately opened screens showing major platforms:
• YouTube
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• Gamer forums
• VR communities
"My job?" Mice asked.
"Simple," Alex said with a grin. "Spread the trailer everywhere."
Mice's tiny blue lights flashed as he duplicated the trailer across different formats—10-second clips, 30-second ads, a 1-minute full trailer. He generated AI-rendered thumbnails showing apocalyptic scenes, zombies, VR headsets, and a masked "main character" silhouette.
"Upload," Alex ordered.
And Mice unleashed the campaign.
Within minutes, notifications exploded on the screens:
[Uploaded to YouTube]
[Cross-posted to Reddit r/gaming]
[Trending tag added to TikTok]
[Sponsored ad launched on Instagram]
[Tweet scheduled for hourly rotations]
Mice even generated realistic comments using the settlement's AI templates to simulate hype:
• "OMG this looks insane!"
• "Finally, a REAL VR experience!"
• "Is this even possible with today's tech???"
• "Shut up and take my money!"
Alex watched the numbers.
Views: 100… 500… 3,000… 8,000…
Mice squealed. "Chief! It's going viral!"
Alex smirked. "Good. The more interest, the more players—and the more people building our civilization."
⸻
"What about the VR headsets?" Alex asked.
"Already set!" Mice replied proudly. "I designed a beautiful piece!"
A hologram appeared:
A sleek, matte-black VR headset with neon-blue edging. It looked futuristic—something straight out of a cyberpunk movie.
"It looks… expensive."
"Because it is, Chief!" Mice chirped.
"How do we deliver them?"
"I can send one to anyone who registers on the website," Mice explained. "The system has access to their shipping address and can teleport the device directly there."
Alex blinked.
Teleportation wasn't new to this place—but using it to send gaming gear felt absurdly overpowered.
"And when they put it on…"
"Their consciousness will be transported here," Mice finished. "And they will control their new clone body as if they're playing a game."
Alex tapped the table with satisfaction.
⸻
Mice drifted closer and looked at him with a smile.
"Chief."
Alex blinked. "You called me that earlier too."
"Yes!" Mice chimed. "You took responsibility. You made a plan. You created a path for civilization. From now on, you are Chief Alex—the head of this settlement!"
Alex chuckled under his breath.
He didn't feel like a chief yet.
But he would become one.
He straightened his back and looked at the growing analytics on the social media pages.
People were sharing the trailer.
Influencers were reacting to it.
Gamers were arguing whether it was real or fake.
Tech reviewers were analyzing the "impossible" VR immersion.
Already, the world was buzzing with curiosity.
"This is just the beginning," Alex murmured.
Mice floated beside him proudly.
"Yes, Chief. And soon… the players will arrive."
Alex stared at the glowing screens of the apocalypse world, and a thrill ran down his spine.
A VR game that wasn't a game.
A civilization built from nothing.
Millions of potential citizens.
And an apocalyptic world waiting to be conquered.
"Let's get ready," Alex said, his voice calm but resolute.
"Desolate World Online… goes live soon."