The world did not welcome them.
It simply existed.
Cold stone pressed against Chen Wei's palm as he steadied himself, the rough texture sending an unmistakably real sensation up his arm. The air carried the smell of dust and old iron. Somewhere outside the warehouse, wind slipped through broken streets and whistled faintly between collapsed buildings.
Around him, people stood frozen in place.
Some were still blinking, clearly disoriented. Others had already begun touching their faces, their arms, their legs—testing whether this body was truly theirs.
"…This feels way too real," someone muttered.
Chen Wei exhaled slowly and straightened.
Panic was useless.
He glanced around and counted. Roughly a hundred players. Men and women of different ages and builds, dressed in simple, identical clothing. No weapons. No armor.
A translucent panel unfolded before his eyes.
[Player Name: IronPlanner]
[Realm Strength: Mortal Realm 1 – Body Tempering (Stage 1)]
[Experience: 0.0%]
[Condition: Stable]
Chen Wei frowned slightly.
No tutorial.
No guidance.
Just a status panel and an unfamiliar city.
"This is obviously a virtual game," a man said loudly, as if reassuring himself.
"Full-dive tech. No way this is real."
Several players laughed nervously.
"Yeah, no chance."
"If this were real, we'd be in serious trouble."
Chen Wei didn't argue. The conclusion made sense—even if the realism felt unsettling.
Nearby, a calm, practiced voice carried through the warehouse.
"Alright, if this stream is actually live, then you're seeing what I'm seeing."
Chen Wei turned.
The speaker was already addressing empty air, his tone relaxed despite the situation.
TrailCam.
Chen Wei recognized him instantly. A mid-tier adventure streamer back on Earth. Not famous, but experienced. The kind who knew how to stay calm when things went wrong.
TrailCam flexed his fingers and laughed softly.
"Full sensory dive confirmed," he said. "Touch, pain, balance—everything's online."
A faint panel hovered near him.
[Player Name: TrailCam]
[Realm Strength: Mortal Realm 1 – Body Tempering (Stage 1)]
[Experience: 0.0%]
[Condition: Stable]
Chen Wei noted it.
A communicator.
Potential organizer.
A few steps away, a woman leaned against a cracked crate, arms crossed, eyes scanning exits and blind spots with quiet focus.
[Player Name: DustRunner]
She didn't speak.
Didn't panic.
She was already mapping the environment.
On the opposite side of the warehouse, a young man bounced on his heels, barely containing his excitement.
[Player Name: Player-037]
"This is insane!" Player-037 exclaimed.
"When do we fight something?"
Chen Wei sighed quietly.
That one would be a problem.
The warehouse doors creaked open as a breeze swept inside.
No NPC appeared.
No quest giver stepped forward.
Instead, a system window unfolded before everyone at the same time.
---
[Task Issued – City Cleaning]
Task Name: Initial Stabilization
Objectives:
• Clear debris from nearby streets
• Secure safe paths within the outer district
• Avoid unnecessary casualties
Rewards:
• City Contribution
• Experience
• 1 Energy Crystal
---
Silence followed.
"That's it?" someone asked.
"No weapons?"
"No gold?"
TrailCam tilted his head.
"This looks less like an MMO quest," he said slowly,
"and more like a city management directive."
Chen Wei nodded.
"Which means combat isn't the focus," he said calmly.
"At least not yet."
Several players turned toward him.
"Who are you?" Player-037 asked.
"IronPlanner," Chen Wei replied.
"And if this is a simulation, then the system is watching how we behave—not how fast we kill."
That earned a few thoughtful looks.
---
Players began to move—not charging, not fighting, but testing.
DustRunner organized a small group to clear rubble blocking a narrow street. TrailCam followed, narrating calmly for his stream.
"Looks like cooperation is the first filter," TrailCam said.
"No combat pressure yet."
Chen Wei joined the work, lifting broken stone and shifting collapsed beams with careful coordination.
Minutes passed.
Then a faint notification appeared.
---
[Contribution Recorded]
[Experience Gained: +0.3%]
---
DustRunner blinked.
"…That's all?"
Chen Wei checked his panel.
[Player Name: IronPlanner]
[Realm Strength: Mortal Realm 1 – Body Tempering (Stage 1)]
[Experience: 0.3%]
[Condition: Stable]
He stared at the number for a moment.
"Experience," he said quietly.
"So this is how we level."
Player-037 scoffed.
"Point three percent? That's nothing."
Chen Wei shook his head.
"That's the point."
No instant gratification.
No fast growth.
Just accumulation.
---
High above the outer district, Fang Yun stood on the city wall.
He watched without expression.
A layered interface hovered before him—far more detailed than the players' panels.
---
[Summoned Players: 100]
[Active Players: 100]
[Average Experience Gain: Low]
[Contribution Compliance: Acceptable]
---
His gaze moved from group to group, noting patterns.
The impatient drifted toward danger.
The cautious clustered together.
The observant watched the observant.
A few names were highlighted automatically.
---
[IronPlanner – Analytical Behavior Detected]
[TrailCam – Information Dissemination Detected]
[DustRunner – Environmental Awareness High]
---
"Good," Fang Yun murmured.
They believed this was a virtual game.
That belief kept them functional.
For now.
As time passed, no monsters appeared.
No one leveled up.
No dramatic events unfolded.
And strangely, that felt intentional.
By the time the artificial sun dipped lower, the outer district looked… slightly better. Clearer streets. Safer paths. Fewer hazards.
Chen Wei sat on the steps of a ruined building and pulled up his panel one last time.
[Player Name: IronPlanner]
[Realm Strength: Mortal Realm 1 – Body Tempering (Stage 1)]
[Experience: 0.6%]
[Condition: Stable]
Less than one percent after hours of work.
Slow.
Honest.
Brutal.
"This system isn't testing our strength," he murmured.
"It's testing our patience."
High above, Fang Yun turned away from the wall.
"They didn't rush," he said quietly.
The system did not respond.
It didn't need to.
Below, the players continued working—unaware that this quiet arrival phase was not kindness, but observation.
And that ZeroWing City had already begun Deciding who can be trusted with more responsibility.