Chapter 8: The Second Batch of Players | Monsters Are Coming
Human Federation, Yelan City.
Fishing Quarter, 5:00 a.m.
The horizon was beginning to brighten, and the air was filled with the sounds of horns as large fleets of fishing boats returned. Lights wove together outside the window, and the harbor bustled with energy.
Rubbing his sore, tired eyes, Jiang Zhou shifted his gaze from the window back to his computer screen.
A pop-up in the upper-right corner notified him that the compressed file had finished downloading.
He loathed internet scammers, he himself had once been a victim of online fraud.
Originally, the group owner Kindergarten Principal had kicked Welfare Officer from the chat and was about to delete the scam link, but Jiang Zhou had stopped him.
He believed that reporting the scam was the correct way to handle it.
Maybe his actions could save some innocent young souls from being tricked.
But before reporting, he needed to collect evidence related to the scam link.
Federation cyber police dealt with a massive volume of reports every day. Organizing the evidence before submission would not only reduce their workload but also help process the case faster.
He clicked the shield icon on his desktop, activating the computer's network protection mode.
Then he used 'Security Shield' to scan the compressed file downloaded from the link for viruses.
To his surprise, the file contained no viruses.
"Is this just a prank?"
As for the file actually containing a cracked version of Dark Land, that was something he absolutely didn't believe.
The scammer's intent was too obvious.
They had barely chatted a few lines before the guy revealed his hand. The website behind the link was laughably basic, not even a proper page template. A total amateur job.
Besides, the Lunar Eclipse Race's advanced network tech wasn't something that could be cracked by anyone.
Still doubtful, he opened the compressed file and began extracting its contents.
In less than a minute, the extraction was complete.
Since the content required a virtual game pod to access, Jiang Zhou transferred the files to the game pod connected to his computer and hit the compatibility button.
Shortly after, the system indicated the game was compatible.
Jiang Zhou stood up and entered the game pod.
Neural interface tubes automatically connected to various parts of his body, and his vision gradually faded into darkness. When it cleared again, he was standing before a virtual desktop.
There were 16 game icons on the screen, each one representing a stage of his gaming history, but most had long been abandoned.
At the very bottom was the game downloaded from the link, its icon featuring a monster wreathed in blazing scarlet flames.
Though the scan had revealed no viruses, Jiang Zhou enabled protection mode just to be safe.
This feature had been introduced after the Lunar Eclipse Race arrived on Earth and ushered in a technological explosion with their advanced virtual reality.
The rise of new tech had brought a flood of virtual games, some of them horror-themed.
Someone had once used public assets from the Lunar Eclipse Race's virtual engine library to create a crude horror game. A player who tried it died of a sudden heart attack.
After that, safety detection instruments became mandatory for all game pods. These systems monitored hormone levels and heart rate to track player health, and in emergencies, would immediately alert nearby medical stations.
He clicked the game icon, and an image of a burning scarlet formation surfaced in his mind.
Then came a wave of nausea, as if an invisible vortex were pulling his consciousness into its depths.
When the sensation of weightlessness faded, the scene before Jiang Zhou left him utterly stunned.
A sky veined with black cracks, volcanoes spewing flames in every direction, terrifying monsters running rampant across the land… The scent of scorched earth and sulfur entered his lungs with each breath, stinging faintly.
The bird's-eye view that swept rapidly across this apocalyptic scene was incredibly real, drawing him in instantly.
The terrifying landscape made his heart race uncontrollably.
Then his perspective suddenly dove downward, plummeting toward a ruined village below.
The intense feeling of free fall made Jiang Zhou cry out in alarm.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, darkness swallowed his vision.
Then, a massive grid-like blue crystal wall appeared before him, stretching endlessly to either side and shooting straight up into the sky.
Most of the wall was still empty, but the bottom starting cells held three grotesque-looking monsters.
A prompt echoed in Jiang Zhou's mind.
[Welcome, Challenger, to the Monster World. Please begin creating your initial character.]
In that moment, Jiang Zhou completely lost it.
It felt like he'd braced himself to take a bite of something foul, only to discover it was a long-lost, dream-come-true delicacy.
The emotional whiplash shook him so hard he couldn't help but shout:
"Holy shit! HOLY SHIT!"
—
15 minutes later.
[Kindergarten Little Class Passion Chat Group (Online: 32 people)]
Little Class – Black Ball: Honestly, I think the Lunar Eclipse Race's arrival was a blessing for humanity. Their base is on the moon, so they don't disrupt our environment. Compared to the disaster-prone Crimson Flame Race and other races, they're much better.
Little Class – Iron Hammer: Yeah. The Lunar Eclipse Race brought us tons of advanced tech that's seriously improved our lives. They've never oppressed humanity either. They're one of the most friendly alien races we've seen. It's just that damn pricing…
At that moment, Jiang Zhou returned after a long absence.
Little Class – Drunken Milk: Guys! Big news!
Little Class – Cute Baby replies to Drunken Milk: What now? Didn't turn on your safety mode again and got scammed?
Iron Hammer replies to Cute Baby: Or maybe, just maybe, Drunken Milk accidentally downloaded the legit game? (meme.jpg)
Amid the banter, Jiang Zhou quickly typed a line and hit enter.
Little Class – Drunken Milk: I seriously downloaded the real Dark Land! The game is exactly as advertised, full virtual reality, ultra-immersive! Download it now! Let's jump in together and start grinding!
Seeing his message, the others replied with sarcastic emojis.
Little Class – Marble: You guys believe Drunken Milk? Might as well believe I'm the reincarnation of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. (meme.jpg)
Iron Hammer replies to Marble: Of course we believe you're Qin Shi Huang. I'll wire you 50 bucks, and you can decide what title to give me later. (meme.jpg)
Faced with their disbelief, Jiang Zhou typed another line.
Little Class – Drunken Milk: I swear on my little brother, this time I'm not messing around. Download it now! We can finally play together again!
His repeated assurance stirred a slight change in the group's attitude.
Little Class – Cute Baby: No way… is it real?
Little Class – Iron Hammer: Knowing Drunken Milk, he probably wouldn't joke about something like this.
Though still doubtful, they chose to believe their longtime friend and began downloading the game from the link.
—
Thirty minutes later.
The group chat exploded with @mentions and streams of "Holy shit!"
Because the link Welfare Officer had shared really did let them download the official Dark Land.
At that moment, the group owner of the kindergarten chat, Tong Xin, was still asleep. The barrage of notification pings finally woke him up.
He reached under his pillow for his phone and, still groggy, started reading through the chat messages.
"Principal! Wake up! Something huge just happened!"
"Principal, how are you even still asleep at this point…?"
The more he read, the more alert he became. Tong Xin shot upright and rushed to his computer, waking up the screen and clicking on the pinned link.
The page redirected to the download screen, and he clicked 'Download' without hesitation.
A pop-up appeared.
[Download limit reached. Uploader has not enabled additional permissions. Unable to continue downloading.]
The message shattered Tong Xin's composure instantly.
He immediately typed into the group chat:
Kindergarten Principal: Guys! What the hell?! The link has a download cap! I can't get it anymore!
Little Class – Drunken Milk: No idea, but… a moment of silence for you.
Little Class – Black Ball: Hahaha, serves you right for sleeping in! You missed out on a freebie worth 128,888! I can totally picture you grinding your teeth at your desk right now.
Little Class – Iron Hammer: Sleeping is dangerous. At our age, we should be pulling all-nighters. See? We all got the benefit except you.
Little Class – Cute Baby: Only Welfare Officer can save you now. Go beg for forgiveness.
Kindergarten Principal: You guys are the worst… I'm going to beg Welfare Officer right now.
—
On the verge of a breakdown, Tong Xin pulled up his system message list, found the kicked Welfare Officer's profile, and clicked 'Add Friend.'
A prompt popped up.
[Add Welfare Officer as a friend?]
Below was a message box for a note.
After a moment's thought, he poured out several hundred words of heartfelt apology, confessing his mistake, expressing deep regret, and hoping Welfare Officer would be magnanimous and forgive him.
Tong Xin felt he'd never written a school essay this sincerely.
After several rounds of revisions, he nervously hit 'Send Request.'
A second later, another pop-up appeared:
[Welfare Officer has enabled stranger blocking. Friend request failed.]
Reading the message, Tong Xin completely lost it. He slammed his fist on the table.
"F**k!"