Long Ming held the helmet in his hands and examined it carefully. The entire outer shell was constructed from titanium alloy, feeling very textured to the touch. There was a slightly recessed switch button by the right ear of the shell, and apart from that, there were no other buttons.
Long Ming gazed at the helmet in his hands, doubts bubbling up in his heart. Though its texture was impressive, he still couldn't quite believe that it could deliver a truly immersive experience.
At that moment, Long Ming noticed a very thick instruction manual inside the box. He placed the helmet back and picked up the manual to read carefully.
Name: XS-01 Virtual Gaming Helmet.
Precaution 1: This gaming helmet is exclusively for Civilization Paradise. Private disassembly or modification is strictly prohibited; all adverse consequences shall be borne solely by the user.
Precaution 2: This game is strictly forbidden for individuals with severe mental defects.
Precaution 3: This gaming device has bodily metabolic regulation functions. Maximum gaming duration can be extended up to 24 hours. If longer gaming time is required, please purchase professional gaming pod equipment and supporting nutrient injections.
Precaution 4: During gameplay, please confirm you are in a safe space. Forced disconnection may cause unpredictable consequences.
A moment later, Long Ming closed the manual, walked to his computer desk, sat down, and opened the official website for Civilization Paradise (Shanchengshan).
Honestly, after reading the manual, he was becoming increasingly interested in this game.
Long Ming checked the announcements on the Civilization Paradise official website. The game would officially open tonight at 12:00 AM.
He glanced at the time displayed on his phone screen. It was currently 4:30 PM, meaning he could enter in just over seven hours.
Seeing there was still so much time, Long Ming browsed the official website, hoping to find some information about the game. After browsing for a long time, he didn't see any useful information. The confidentiality measures were exceptionally good.
At that moment, the game official website suddenly updated with a new announcement.
"Civilization Paradise Forum Officially Opened."
Long Ming saw this newly updated announcement and curiously clicked it. Instantly, a prompt box popped up.
"Notice: You have logged into the Civilization Paradise Forum. Currently, the forum only has posting functions enabled. Subsequent features will be opened successively in the future. Please look forward to it."
Long Ming didn't pay much attention to this prompt and directly used the mouse to close the prompt box.
An empty forum interface met his eyes, but the next second, all kinds of posts sprouted up like bamboo shoots after rain.
"Haha, first!"
"So this is the Civilization Paradise forum. Simu City finally did something decent this time, developing a decent game."
"Bro who posted above, are you out of your mind? This game was developed by our City of Sin!"
"Pfft, it was clearly developed by our Shanchengshan."
"What the hell, is the network connected? Did I see wrong? I'm actually seeing people from other cities."
"Like seeing a ghost!"
"Stop arguing. Buying gaming helmet at high price."
"Selling latest Civilization Paradise top-secret information. Only 100."
"Tongzhan Guild recruiting! If you're bros, come conquer the world together!"
"Cute girl player, seeking experts to carry me."
Long Ming directly ignored these worthless posts, continuously scrolling down.
Soon he found a popular discussion thread and clicked in.
Huimeng de Huli: Don't you guys think Civilization Paradise's advertising is a bit sinister?
Shanzhong Chuidiao: I also think it's strange. Do we even have such advanced technology?
Youyu: Could it be a scam?
Tianxia: It can't be a scam. After all, all the Shelter Cities have opened this game.
Huimeng de Huli: Since when did the various Shelter Cities have such good relations that they can simultaneously run a game? Usually, it's impressive if they don't beat each other to death over resources.
Tianxia: Not sure, but I have a guess.
Youyu: What guess?
Tianxia: As the saying goes, when things are abnormal, there must be demons. Since all the Shelter Cities are participating in this game, there's a high probability everyone reached an agreement to put down offline conflicts and switch to online conflicts instead.
Huimeng de Huli: Makes some sense. Does anyone know what this game is actually about?
Tianxia: I'm not clear on that either. I heard all related content information is top-secret.
Long Ming browsed the forum for a long time. He grew increasingly expectant for this game. Sometimes, the unknown was the most alluring.
In the blink of an eye, the time reached 11:55 PM.
Long Ming locked the door, checked the room, then used the bathroom. Only then did he slowly return to bed, connect the helmet to power, put it on his head, and lie down.
Then he reached out and pressed the power switch on the helmet.
Instantly, a virtual projection prompt popped up before his eyes.
"Time until game launch: 3 minutes 15 seconds."
Long Ming watched the constantly shrinking countdown, his heart involuntarily beating faster. The instant the countdown reached zero.
A faint electric current swept through Long Ming's brain. His consciousness instantly went dark, and his entire body felt as if it had suddenly become weightless, falling into an endless abyss.
The next second, Long Ming abruptly opened his eyes.
Whoosh!
A vast, brilliant sea of stars instantly filled his vision.
Only then did Long Ming notice he was standing on a massive circular mechanical platform. At the center stood a giant obelisk-like mechanical pillar covered with intricate star patterns. The ground was covered with irregular cracks radiating a peculiar luminescence. The entire mechanical platform was ringed by three interlocking circular mechanical rings. In the outer starry space region, numerous small gyroscope-shaped mechanical platforms were densely packed, atop which sat rows of small obelisk-like mechanical pillars.
At this moment, countless beams of white light descended, teleporting players in one after another.
Everyone looked around, exclaiming in amazement.
"Wow, where is this place!"
"So spectacular!"
"Oh my god, am I dreaming?"
"Did we come to a future world?"
"Wait, this is the game world. Hit me and see."
"Slap~"
"It hurts, it hurts!"
"Holy shit, this is insane! The pain feels so real."
Long Ming was also shocked by the scene before his eyes, unable to believe a game could actually be so realistic. For a moment, he couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion.
He raised his hand and pinched his own face. The clear pain made him feel utterly incredulous.
Long Ming took a deep breath, trying his utmost to calm himself.
At this moment, he noticed that at some point, a highly futuristic wristband had appeared on his left wrist.
Just as Long Ming was about to examine it, a synthesized mechanical broadcast voice suddenly rang out.
"Distinguished players, welcome to Civilization Paradise. Here you will be able to pursue the light of civilization and experience an unprecedented world. As for detailed rules, please read the beginner's tutorial inside the wristband. Wishing you a pleasant gaming experience."
Long Ming and the numerous players immediately pricked up their ears and listened carefully upon hearing the broadcast.