"...According to the latest news, the epoch-making virtual reality game 'Life epoch,' developed by 'Star Ring' company, will officially begin its global open beta tonight at 8 PM! It is reported that the game, with its '100% real sensory experience' technology, has already sparked an unprecedented craze worldwide. Pre-sold game helmets sold out in three minutes, and online reservation numbers have exceeded an astonishing 1.5 billion..."
"...Renowned economists predict that the emergence of 'Life epoch' will completely change human lifestyles. Its built-in currency exchange system may even give rise to a whole new economic system, becoming another global trend after the internet revolution..."
"...'This is not just a game; this is a second world!' the Star Ring CEO stated at the press conference. He expressed that 'Life epoch' will offer everyone the possibility to realize their hope..."
In the dim university dormitory, overwhelming news was playing on the old desktop computer screen. The stirring background music and the host's passionate voice were out of place in this cramped, slightly messy four-person room.
Lin Mo sat on the creaking chair and pressed the pause button with a blank expression.
He reached for the last bucket of "Old Altar Pickled Cabbage Noodles" on the table, skillfully tore open the packaging, dumped the noodles and seasoning packets into a large enamel bowl adorned with an anime girl, then picked up the thermos next to it and poured boiling water into it.
"Whoosh—"
Steam rose, carrying a cheap yet pungent sour aroma that instantly filled the entire corner.
Lin Mo's gaze, crossing over the rising steam, landed on the sci-fi-looking silver-white helmet in the center of the table.
The helmet's lines were smooth and elegant, its surface gleaming with the cold luster unique to metal. In the very center, there was a faintly visible "Star Ring" logo, like a work of art from the future.
This was the game login device for 'Life epoch,' a "treasure" that had exhausted all his savings from the past three months.
For it, Lin Mo slept only five hours a day. While his roommates battled fiercely in the canyon and indulged in hormones at social gatherings, he was washing mountains of dishes in the school cafeteria's back kitchen; while couples enjoyed romantic nights in the campus groves, he was sweating profusely moving bricks at an off-campus construction site; while top students were diligently studying for postgraduate entrance exams in the library, he was handing out countless flyers on the busy streets.
Tutor, power-leveler, delivery driver... In three months, he did every part-time job he could, like a tireless machine, splitting every penny in half to spend, finally accumulating the full ten thousand yuan required for this gaming device.
His roommates all thought he was crazy, working so desperately for a vague game.
"Mozi, why are you going through all this trouble? It's just a game; the price will surely drop once the hype dies down."
"Exactly, ten thousand yuan, that's enough for how much pork ribs? I feel bad seeing you eat steamed buns every day."
"Listen to your brother, return this thing, and I'll take you out to have some fun. The new junior sister in the student council, she's really fresh..."
Lin Mo just smiled, never explaining.
They didn't understand.
For them, coming from affluent families, 'Life epoch' might just be a novel tool for entertainment. But for Lin Mo, this was his only hope to change his destiny.
He desperately needed money.
His parents were ordinary working-class people who had worked hard their entire lives to send him to this mediocre university. But last year, his father was accidentally injured at work. Although his Life was not in danger, he was left with a chronic illness and could no longer engage in heavy labor. The pillar of the family had fallen, and their economic situation plummeted.
The sensible Lin Mo never asked his family for another penny. His tuition was covered by a student loan, and his living expenses were entirely earned by working tirelessly in his spare time.
He had tasted hunger and seen his parents' worried faces as they stayed up all night for a few hundred yuan in medical bills. He was fed up with this hand-to-mouth existence, this Life without hope.
So, when 'Life epoch' appeared, he unhesitatingly gambled everything he had.
This was not just a game; this was a brand-new world, a future with infinite possibilities. With its globally synchronized currency exchange system, as long as he could establish himself in the game, it was entirely possible to achieve financial independence, or even... get rich overnight!
This was Lin Mo's entire plan. Simple, brutal, and with no room for error.
"Gurgle..."
The aroma of instant noodles grew stronger. Lin Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his jumbled thoughts. He picked up a plastic fork, just about to enjoy this pre-"battle" dinner, when the dormitory door was suddenly kicked open.
"Bang!"
A tall youth, dressed in designer clothes, swaggered in, followed by two hangers-on.
The newcomer, Zhao Kai, was the rich second generation in the class and one of Lin Mo's roommates. Relying on his family's wealth, he was accustomed to bullying others in class, especially enjoying making trouble for students like Lin Mo, who came from poor families but had some backbone.
"Oh, isn't this our 'King of Part-timers' Lin Mo? What, didn't go out to move bricks today, switched to eating instant noodles?" Zhao Kai pinched his nose, an exaggerated look of disgust on his face. "Tsk tsk, this smell, it could kill someone from eight hundred miles away! I say, can't you pay attention to your personal hygiene and not make the dorm look like a garbage dump!"
Lin Mo didn't even lift his eyelids, calmly picked up a strand of noodles, blew on it, and put it into his mouth.
He was already used to such meaningless provocations.
Seeing Lin Mo ignore him, Zhao Kai immediately lost interest. His gaze shifted and was instantly drawn to the game helmet on the table.
"Holy crap! A 'Life epoch' helmet?" Zhao Kai's eyes lit up instantly. He rushed to the table in three strides, reaching out to grab it. "Alright, you little punk, you actually got your hands on this thing? Where did you get the money? You didn't steal it, did you?"
Lin Mo's brows furrowed instantly. He extended the hand holding the fork, blocking Zhao Kai, his voice flat but cold: "Take your dirty hands off."
"Hey! Who the hell are you talking to?" Zhao Kai immediately flared up, swatting Lin Mo's hand away. "I touched it, so what? It's just a broken helmet. Believe it or not, I'll buy ten or eight of them tomorrow and smash them for fun?"
"You can try." Lin Mo slowly stood up.
He was slightly shorter than Zhao Kai and thinner, but in his dark eyes, there was a calmness and ruthlessness that made Zhao Kai's heart race. It was the kind of gaze that could only be honed by long-term struggles at the bottom of society, dealing with all sorts of people.
Zhao Kai felt a little unnerved by his gaze, but he didn't want to lose face in front of his two hangers-on, so he could only bluster, "You... what do you want to do? I'm warning you, don't mess around! Hitting someone can get you expelled!"
Lin Mo said nothing, just looked at him quietly, his eyes like he was looking at a dead object.
The air in the dormitory seemed to freeze.
Just then, another roommate returned from outside and, seeing the situation, quickly stepped in to mediate: "Hey, hey, hey, Kaige, Mozi, we're all brothers, let's talk things out, no fighting, no fighting!"
With a way out, Zhao Kai immediately took the hint. He snorted coldly, pointed at Lin Mo's nose, and cursed, "Fine, today, for the sake of our classmates, I won't bother with you. A poor ghost like you, even if you get into the game, you'll only be bottom-tier trash! When the time comes, I'll just form a guild and be the first to kill you back to level zero!"
After speaking, he glared fiercely at Lin Mo and swaggered away with his two followers.
Silence returned to the dormitory.
"Mozi, don't take it to heart, that Zhao Kai just has a foul mouth." The roommate comforted him.
"I'm fine." Lin Mo sat down again, picked up the bowl of instant noodles that had already clumped a bit, and continued eating.
Only, no one saw the cold glint that flashed in the depths of his downcast eyes.
Trash?
Soon, you will know who the real trash is... Seven fifty PM.
There were ten minutes left until 'Life epoch' opened.
Lin Mo cleaned up his bowl and chopsticks, carefully connected the game helmet's wires, then took a deep breath and slowly lay down on the bed.
The moment he put on the helmet, all external sounds were cut off.
Darkness enveloped the entire world.
Immediately after, lines of shimmering characters appeared before his eyes.
[Iris scan in progress... Scan passed!]
[Brainwave synchronization in progress... Synchronization rate 100%!]
[Welcome to 'Life epoch'! Detecting that this is your first login, connecting you to the guidance program...]
The cold, emotionless system prompt sounded in his mind. Lin Mo felt his consciousness being drawn away by an invisible force, falling into a kaleidoscopic data tunnel.
A feeling of weightlessness came, but it lasted less than three seconds.
When he regained his senses, he found himself in a pure white space.
In the center of the space, a giant orb made of countless data streams floated.
[Please create your character.]
A virtual character panel appeared before Lin Mo, with countless adjustable detail options, from height and body type to hair color and pupils, allowing him to create almost any appearance he desired.
Lin Mo didn't waste time, directly selecting the default template, only reducing the appearance by 10%, then began to enter his game ID.
"Lin Mo."
[ID 'Lin Mo' is not taken. Confirm?]
"Confirm."
[Character creation successful. Please draw your initial talent.]
As soon as the voice fell, five cards, shining with different lights, suddenly appeared in the white space before Lin Mo.
Gold, purple, blue, green, white... Lin Mo knew that these represented the talent levels, from highest to lowest: S-rank, A-rank, B-rank, C-rank, and D-rank.
According to the official data, the probability of an S-rank talent appearing was only one in ten million. Each possessed world-destroying potential and was the ultimate hope of all players.
"I absolutely need a good talent, please!"
Lin Mo took a deep breath, placing all his hope on this draw. He reached out his hand, slowly extending it towards the most dazzling golden card.
However, just as his fingertip was about to touch the card, a sudden change occurred!
The entire pure white space flickered violently without warning, and a piercing alarm blared through the sky!
[Warning! Warning! Unknown data stream intrusion detected!]
[System error! Talent module disturbance!]
[Error code: #%&*@#...]
The five cards before Lin Mo instantly turned into a jumble of garbled code, then shattered. Immediately after, the entire space plunged into a deadly silence of darkness.
"What's going on? A bug?"
Lin Mo's heart instantly sank to the bottom.