"Ugh, I’m so done. When will this crap job end? The higher-ups got a sudden brainwave and decided to add an A-test."
Luo Le complained as he plugged a cable into the port at the back of his head:
"These executives are such dumbasses. They want urgent testing within 24 hours—of course, they don’t have to stick this stupid tube into their own heads, so they don’t mind the pain."
"Relax." Colleague Xue Nian glanced at a mber of the publicity departnt awkwardly putting on the neural connection suit with the help of logistics staff: "Look at that kid in the promo departnt; he’s more anxious than us."
"We’re all just workers. He got a task in the middle of the night too, asked to shoot so PV—watch, his first full-body neural link, it’s gonna be amazing."
Old Luo grumbled as he inserted his employee card into the machine.
Beep—
[Employee account verified, login complete]
[Qiqiao Network A12 Ga Tester: Luo Le]
"I gotta check my health status—heart rate 119, phew, calm down, calm down."
The string of physiological data showed he wasn’t doing great. Luo Le took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.
"We should be grateful. As criminals, we weren’t shipped off to colony planets to watch Yuan-Devouring Beasts bare their fangs. It’s already a rcy from the AI. What more do you want?" Xue Nian, also a ga tester, was used to it. "I’m content just being allowed to stay on the Mother Star."
"It’s just a new prison—damn it, criminals are people too. Even prisons have an eight-hour work system. Ever since I got transferred here, these idiot bosses have been treating like a workhorse."
Luo Le flipped the bird.
There’s no death penalty anymore. The harshest punishnt is either being sent to a colony planet to cultivate wasteland or having your consciousness uploaded to a digital prison, locking you up for a few hundred years first.
He and Xue Nian had been comrades in the Federation military for years, later impulsively committing murder over an argunt. They thought the worst-case scenario wouldn’t be like this.
"I’m guilty, so let serve my sentence in prison, not as an overti slave for these brain-dead bosses." Luo Le said gloomily.
Who knew an AI command would drag the two of them here as laborers, making them work eight hours a day at a company developing a ga called "Starry Abyss," sotis even ten hours?
The worst part is, they still got prison-standard wages. Dammit!
Xue Nian didn’t care much about the job. They were both retired soldiers, just drifting through the days. Serving a sentence in a different kind of prison was nothing to comnt on.
He connected his neural interface, inserted his employee card, and logged into the internal network.
The employee inbox was flooded with various ssages. Xue Nian skimd through them quickly, his expression turning serious:
"Old Luo, check your inbox."
"What’s up? Let see—Qiqiao Network says all personnel should watch the A-test live stream online—damn, is the A-test that important?"
Luo Le was surprised, imdiately reining in his words and actions:
"If we perform well, can we get our sentences reduced?"
"Maybe." Xue Nian peeked at the live stream, noticing several high-ranking officials often seen in the news: "Even the Vice President is here... this is really important."
"It’s not just us in the Frost Plated District—testers in the Red Arrow District and Sky Ring District reported seeing several foreign officials and even heads of state." Luo Le clicked his tongue in amazent: "How did we get the chance to et these VIPs?"
"Um—why are there so many big shots here?"
The publicity departnt’s kid looked like he was about to cry:
"I’m just an intern photographer and designer, why drag here?"
He had been sleeping soundly at ho but was suddenly summoned by the company to join these two intimidating convicts in the A-test.
Good heavens, these two brutes had arms bigger than his thighs, and two service studs on their foreheads. Retired soldiers plus convicts made a frightening combo, not to ntion the pressure of facing so many important figures.
"Because several employees from the publicity departnt are on New Year holiday, they’re short-staffed. After all, besides our Azure Star from Fiery Sumr, there are other initial planets in need of filming." Xue Nian greeted him warmly:
"Kid, don’t be nervous. We’re experienced virtual network intruders; we’ll help you get the right shots—what’s your na? I’m Xue Nian, he’s Luo Le, just call us brothers."
"I’m Lu Run." The promo kid said miserably: "I thought I was just responsible for photography and post-production, and maybe so CG animation... what do I do now? I’ve never played a ga before."
"No need for CG, just film inside the ga." Luo Le snorted: "Don’t dawdle, the Red Arrow District has already started descending—Old Xue, show him how."
Xue Nian nodded, patiently guiding:
"’Starry Abyss’ is a fully-imrsive neural-link ga. Simply put, it temporarily uploads your consciousness into the ga world, so it requires so technique. Log into the internal network first. Players in ’Starry Abyss’ don’t have an internal communication system. If you want to contact each other, you need to prepare in advance."
Lu Run picked it up quickly, connecting to the internal network, joining Xue Nian and Luo Le’s voice channel, then selecting the ga and logging in.
Boom!
In the next mont, his screen went black.
"Whoa—Brother Xue, my screen went black."
"It always happens on the first load. Just wait for it to finish."
Lu Run patiently waited.
After a long load, he faintly heard a deep male voice in the background:
............
"Why must people keep running?"
"To the universe, from the first ape who fashioned a stone into a weapon to antimatter thrusters crossing the cosmos at light speed, it’s all but a mont."
"We are incredibly small, yet we passionately run toward the future."
"Whether it’s the devout chanical gods worshippers or materialists turned demons, we are willing to pay any rugged price to reach the end."
"Now, we have unveiled the mysteries of the cosmos."
"Starry Abyss (Stabyss), the terminus of all things, or perhaps our origin."
"Now, all aning has beco aningless. Moving forward is our only remaining hope."
"Plunge into the endless Starry Abyss."
"May your path be filled with courage and curses."
"Never mind that we shall be obliterated, eternity is insignificant before miracles—the stars shall bear witness to us!"
............
[A Qiqiao Network Masterpiece]
............
"Lu Run! Lu Run!"
Xue Nian’s call in the channel brought him back. This young man, who had never touched a ga before, suddenly felt a naless sense of honor and excitent.
"I heard you, Brother Xue."
"Good, you should have finished the opening animation. The machine will now perform a neural link—listen to my instructions."
"Clear your mind, gradually sensing your body."
"Start with your fingers, constantly trying to move them."
"Rember the feeling of the airflow brushing against your skin, and keep thinking about it, intensifying your awareness of it."
Xue Nian’s voice began to fade. Lu Run cald himself, his breathing beca slower and then, unconsciously, faster. He felt the sensation of tides and wetness, as if he were on a roller coaster.
After a while, a line of characters lit up before him:
[Consciousness Transfer Complete]
[First Login, Account Created]
[Please enter your ID]
Lu Run blinked. He felt an indescribable sensation, like his body was soaking in so kind of liquid, yet it didn’t affect his breathing.
"Just follow the system prompts next." Xue Nian said: "Luo Le and I will descend first, waiting for you at the street corner."
Lu Run, though a newbie, knew how to proceed. Following company policy, he typed in his ID.
[CL] Promotion Team 1 - Lu Run
The system then scanned his body and appearance, asking so odd questions.
Like, ’Do you like cats?’ ’Can you accept having parents?’ ’How would you deal with a sister’s emotional abuse?’
He wasn’t so novel character with deceased parents, a car, and a house. Scratching his head, he just chose options along the way.
[An entity eting your requirents has been summoned]
"Summoned?" Lu Run wondered. "What does that an?"
"It ans the NPC fitting your conditions is already taken by another player. Try another." Xue Nian explained patiently: "Don’t worry, it won’t affect anything."
"Wait, wait, wait. You an, I’m not creating a character but summoning an NPC from this digital world as my body?" Lu Run found it odd.
"Don’t think too much about it, just work."
"Oh, okay."
He slightly adjusted the options, as he wasn’t particularly fond of cats anyway.
[An entity fitting your requirents has been located]
[Descent Ready—Proceed with Descent?]
[Yes/No]
"Descent."
Lu Run instinctively said.
Next mont, his body suddenly sank, as if sothing launched him. The heavy load pressed down, causing unbearable pain, but he couldn’t scream.
He seed to hear a faint voice, blessing him softly:
"May your courage and faith never fade."
Thud!
He bit down hard, feeling as if an eternity passed in the agony. Suddenly, he sensed himself having limbs and a body again, his skin touching a cold, solid floor.
After a long mont, he got up with effort, facing a mirror. A brown-haired, blue-eyed man looked back at him, pained and bewildered.
Scattered around were his ID cards and clothes. Following Xue Nian’s guidance, he quickly found these items.
The ID showed the na: Luao Weike, nationality: Frost Plated Republic.
Other items included a GTB (Global Trade Bank) work ID, a third-rate university diploma, all indicating he was a low-level intern clerk, living with his family, currently in a cold war with his sister, and having a pet dog.
He glanced around the ssy yet modest room, feeling stunned by the strong sense of everyday life.
"Is this really a ga? It’s way too realistic."
"Maybe it’s not," Luo Le remarked cynically.
"You shut up,"
Xue Nian quietly responded over the channel:
"Good, the ga system and personal panel are now activated. Grab your phone, dial 012XXXXX090, and we’ll et up."
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