Day 1 of customs clearance
[Dear Observer 053:]
Welcome to the game ■■■■, welcome to ■■, in this sunny city, every citizen is exceptionally friendly, for example:
We'll enthusiastically introduce you to the city's history, invite you to visit, offer extra programs every evening, and maintain regular daytime schedules as well.
If you're lucky enough, you might witness a spectacular fireworks display. If you see some people in strange costumes, don't be surprised; personal preferences don't matter (everyone is equal).
...The above are all features of ■■.
Our game aims to provide you with the most immersive experience possible. To ensure a smooth gaming experience, please be sure to note the following:
□ Don't let the game characters know you are a player.
□ Do not be curious about the game characters
□ Be cautious when dealing with ■■■ (No complaints will be accepted if you fail)
□ Players have a limited number of chances to reselect later in the game.
The death of an important character may restart the game.
... (expand)
Kind tips:
This game is rated 18+, and the game reserves all rights of interpretation.
Enjoy the game!
————————
■■■■ is the latest large-scale adventure game from Universe Games. On the first day of pre-sales, the influx of players almost crashed the servers.
The company's past gaming achievements have forged an invincible myth, and almost all gaming enthusiasts have strong confidence in the company, with no one expressing pessimism.
Based on Adrian's own understanding, he was neither a gaming enthusiast nor a gamer, but Cosmic Games was just too famous, so famous that his company's advertisements were everywhere from when he opened his eyes to when he closed them!
The advertising bombardment is truly unbearable.
But the visuals were exquisite, striking a chord with Adrian and provoking him immensely.
A friend posted: "Immerse yourself completely in this massive exploration game, experience multiple career paths, create your second life. My friend highly recommends Adrian to play [Game Name], you'll regret it if you don't!"
Adrian: ?
What kind of advertisement is this, so absolute?
He regretted it far too easily throughout his life.
Adrian decided to join on the spot. He's a stubborn man who's capable of anything when he's bored, and now it's his turn.
■■■■There are three fixed backgrounds: Western Fantasy, Medieval, and Sunshine City. Players need to choose one of them as the game background. This is troublesome for those who are indecisive. They will hesitate for a long time when choosing between two or three. No matter which one they choose, they will be dissatisfied.
Yes, you can only choose one game background, and you cannot choose again after making a decision.
Adrian was also struggling with this question, but he knew the answer.
Choose the different ones among similar ones, select the ones with more words among those with fewer words, and make the ordinary ones special.
Only [Sunshine City] remains.
But is Universe Games really not scamming players?!
Adrian, upon entering the game, remained silent while gazing at the interior decor, saying he would believe it if you told him he was in some kind of slum.
He decided to give up on questioning the discrepancy between the advertised content and the actual game experience. He could find a match in everything, but something just didn't feel right.
Just ten minutes later, Adrian experienced the game's selling point—high degree of freedom.
There's no beginner's guide, no story hints, and when you ask customer service, their answers are always irrelevant and off-topic, only offering a vague "Did this help with your question?" They read your message but give random replies, and you might even get killed if you offend an NPC.
Adrian: ...
He probably already knew why most of the interface was grayed out and locked; only the progress bar emitted a faint glow.
He felt powerless, and he had little patience left. Just as Adrian's patience was about to run out, the interface changed.
"Start the game?"
Of course it's started, why even ask him? Adrian went from being slightly interested at first to being mildly annoyed. He skimmed over the text that appeared later and skipped it completely. Then a character card appeared:
[Character: Sester (Adrian Myerson)]
[Identity: Unemployed]
Health Status: 5/10
[Item: None]
[Story: Triggering Story Characters]
[Countdown: 3 minutes]
Is it too late to quit the game now?
...
Okay, since he's here, let's continue. He also wants to see what other tricks the game company has up its sleeve.
Adrian habitually observes the room's decor, which is a minimalist style that can be seen from bottom to top. His game identity and family background are touching, perfectly matching his identity as an unemployed vagrant.
The air was filled with a gloomy, musty smell, the odor emanating from moldy wallpaper. There was no need to be too realistic about it; Adrian simply lowered his sense of smell to the minimum, and the air finally felt fresh again.
Adrian didn't believe the game company wouldn't prepare a newbie gift pack; there must be something in the room that he hadn't discovered.
Adrian suddenly became eager to try; who doesn't love searching for "treasure"?
He touched the door from the entrance to the end, but only felt the sticky sensation on his fingertips. There were no hidden compartments. His anticipation turned to disappointment in just a few dozen seconds.
Adrian's gaze shifted to the bed with one leg missing and the sofa with its springs exposed.
A moment later, the makeshift wooden bed, made of two planks joined together, fell apart; it couldn't be moved without overturning the sofa.
He couldn't even push it! Sitting on the ground, panting, Adrian brought up the system interface and complained about the game again.
This game is trash! The service is trash!
After Adrian's thorough, house-destroying search, he received a starter kit: twenty dollars and a fully loaded self-defense pistol.
?
The latter doesn't seem like something a good person would need. On the bright side, it's self-defense, but from another perspective, it reflects a dangerous social environment. How could there be a gun in a peaceful environment?
Oh no, that means I started as a villain! Adrian was furious. Wasn't there even a hint?
Continue to complain about the game.
Composing himself, Adrian began his deductions. There was no one else in the clothes, and there were no lipstick stains or perfume smells. He must be a bachelor.
The signs of life have not been there for long, and it is possible that the current location is a temporary residence or that the person has recently moved.
There were no clues inside, so Adrian went around to the window. The outside environment was even worse. The slums that he had only seen in movies were now a reality. Outside the shattered glass window were densely packed pigeon coops. The sharp-eyed Adrian even saw cracks in the opposite wall.
...He couldn't help but take two steps back; it was too realistic.
He was able to confirm two pieces of information:
Bad news: The game company engaged in false advertising.
Worse news: The living conditions are harsh.
He couldn't help but doubt his own personal safety. Even if it was just a game, was he supposed to be the one who was unlucky if the building collapsed?
Adrian was speechless. There must be clues at the spawn point, otherwise the game would be difficult to continue. Look at what's that on the suspended balcony. Adrian was attracted by a pile of bricks, but what attracted him even more was how high the pile of bricks was.
Before Adrian could go forward to check, he was completely drawn to the noise in the hallway.
Only then did he notice that the countdown in the upper left corner of the system interface had only one minute and thirty seconds left, and the ominous crimson countdown looked as if it were smeared with blood.
■■■■It really opened his eyes.
He didn't know what would happen after the countdown ended, but his instincts told him it wasn't a good omen, and the only thing he could use for self-defense indoors was his limited supply of handguns.
The footsteps were heavy and noisy; it wasn't one person, but a group of people.
The subtle teasing revealed that they didn't take their target seriously at all.
Leading the way was a dark-skinned man with a scar, followed by a one-eyed man with an afro and blond hair—all sleazy-looking and clearly not good people.
"Boss, does that weakling Sester really need us? I could crush him with one hand," the man with the afro sneered.
Huang Mao, who couldn't stand the sycophantic look of the man with the afro, tried to make conversation even when there was nothing to say. "Third brother, don't say that. If you can crush him with one hand, aren't you afraid of crashing and burning? If you lose, you might not have a chance to win. Besides, the boss has his reasons for coming. How can we question the boss, right, boss?"
The man with the afro glared angrily. Did the blond-haired guy think he couldn't hear the curse wishing him dead?
"When did I question the boss? You're clearly framing me. Ha, who knows who'll meet God first? You worthless piece of trash, I'd be alive and well even if you were buried in the ground."
"I knew I'd hit a nerve. Go ahead and argue with me. The more guilty you are, the more you jump around. Just say it," the blond guy raised an eyebrow disdainfully, as if to say: I'm just picking a fight, what can you do to me? What can you do to me in front of the boss?
“You…” The man with the afro clenched his fists. He knew that this vicious little man was jealous of him being appreciated by the boss.
"Enough, shut up! What kind of behavior is this all day long!" One-Eye became increasingly irritated. Being assigned to a mission was already a headache, and now his dim-witted underling was bickering, trying to curry favor with him. Did he think it was that easy to please him? Then he thought of his nemesis, who was probably trying to curry favor with his superiors right now—or rather, definitely! One-Eye's anger flared up.
"Learn from the second brother. Does flattering and bootlicking get you anywhere? You have no achievements, all you have is a glib tongue. What good is that? You're just wasting your time. You're a useless piece of trash and an idiot!"
The man with the dark skin and scarred face who was mentioned smiled憨厚ly and listened to the eldest brother criticizing the third and fourth brothers without saying a word.
The guy with the afro and the blond guy were being yelled at as if someone was choking them. They didn't know what they had done to offend the boss, and they blamed each other quite in unison.
"The boss is right, he's right..."
"What do you mean, 'right'? Are you all just parrots? You have no independent thinking ability whatsoever. You're just trying to fool me!" The one-eyed man's face was gloomy.
Afro and blond hair: ...
The man with the afro glanced at the blond guy and said, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, but how can they appease their boss's anger?"
One-Eyed, receiving no response from his underlings, was consumed by rage.
What are they trying to do?! Do they even respect him as their boss anymore?!
Before the silence grew ever deeper, the dark-skinned, scarred man who had been silent until now spoke up, "Boss, should we be more forceful or go easy on him?"
Should we kill him outright or spare his wretched life?
One-Eyed temporarily suppressed his bad mood, "I'll improvise. If Sester resists, then..."
"Understood, boss."
I only feel at ease when you do things.
After saying that, the one-eyed man glanced at the two idiots behind him, who forced a smile in comparison: "Boss is brilliant!"
It's outrageous that the dark-skinned scarred man has climbed to power by stepping on them again.
On the other side, the one-eyed boss, whose ears were almost deafened by the noise, thought: ...
He hissed, "Shut up, Second Brother, hurry up. We need to see them alive or dead today. If we don't catch them, they'll all have to clean the toilets."
The guy with the afro and the blond guy behind them shrank back, desperately hoping their boss would pay attention to them. They wished they could disappear into the ground to escape their boss's wrath.
After the one-eyed man got angry, no one dared to relax.
The scarred man with the dark skin immediately rushed upstairs, taking three steps at a time. He kicked open the door, revealing the entire interior; there was nowhere to hide.
The broken glass windows were wide open, and the wind swept through, leaving the room in a mess.
So, where are the people?
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