Chapter 2: Welcome to the Closed Beta, but Female Players Are Not Advised to…
【Current Reservations: 7】
……
【Current Reservations: 10】
……
Jingzhou, inside a dilapidated office building.
“Creak—”
Seeing the number of reservations on the screen climb from 0 to 10, Chen Jiajun let out a long breath and collapsed into the office chair that looked like it might fall apart at any moment.
“System, claim the reward!”
A mechanical current-like voice rang out in his mind:
【Mission complete.】
【Reward: Three days of lifespan, Reputation +100, Spirit-Awakening Goji Berries.】
As soon as the voice fell, a translucent azure panel appeared before him.
【Host: Chen Jiajun】
【Age: 23】
【Lifespan: One month and three days】
【Health: 18（Prone to sudden death, excessive drowsiness!）】
【Storage: Spirit-Awakening Goji Berries】
【Reputation: 106】
【Exchange Shop: Locked（Can be unlocked once Reputation reaches 1,000,000）】
……
Now that felt good!
Although the reward was only three days of lifespan.
But one had to understand how awful it felt to stare at the countdown to one’s own death every single day!
Often, it was only when death drew near that one understood just how precious life was.
Just as one only remembered health when ill, and only remembered to cherish something after losing it.
One month ago,
Chen Jiajun had accidentally transmigrated to this parallel world whose technology was several eras ahead.
He had thought he had come here to enjoy life.
After all, although this world’s technology was advanced, its historical trajectory was completely different from his previous life.
There were no familiar dynasties like Xia, Shang, or Zhou, and none of the wildly popular cultural works from his previous life, such as web novels, films, television dramas, or games.
Copy a few songs, copy a few books, act as a porter of culture, and making some cash should have been simple enough, right?
The idea was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
What he faced was a disastrous opening.
His identity in both lives was the same—a game designer, and one who had founded his own studio.
The difference was that the original owner of this body had been far more hardworking.
In order to participate in the TIG Indie Game Development Competition, he had worked day and night without rest for an entire year, pouring all his assets and energy into developing a game called Con Artists.
But just as the game was about to be completed, he suffered a devastating betrayal from a friend.
That so-called brother had long since sold the game’s core plot and setting to Jiuzhou’s largest game company, Penguin Group.
A small studio that had been founded less than a year ago naturally could not compare to a colossus like Penguin.
Although Penguin had launched the project relatively late, relying on its overwhelming resources and investment, it far surpassed Chen Jiajun’s little workshop in both production speed and precision.
From approval to release, they had beaten him at every step.
The result was obvious.
Chen Jiajun’s Seal Studio had no power to fight back.
The Con Artists project declared bankruptcy, and countless painstaking efforts were destroyed in an instant.
The original owner had been so agitated that he collapsed on the spot, still clutching the keyboard and mouse even as he fell.
Perhaps it was that unwillingness and obsession that gave Chen Jiajun the chance to transmigrate into this body, allowing him to begin a second life.
Of course, he also inherited the mess the original owner had left behind.
The game had failed, the project had gone bankrupt, all his assets had gone down the drain, and the studio was on the verge of collapse. Of the original eighteen employees, only two remained.
What made him even more despairing was that this body was riddled with illness and did not have much time left.
Fortunately, web novels had not lied to him!
The essential golden finger for transmigrators arrived right on schedule!
And among the rewards for completing missions was the thing he lacked most: lifespan!
His mission objective was only one thing: to produce and perfect games, guide players into experiencing them, and thereby gain recognition from the outside world and the industry.
According to the system’s prompt, once his Reputation reached a certain standard, he would receive treatment from the system. Through several rounds of treatment, he could recover to a healthy state.
This allowed Chen Jiajun to see hope for a cure, so no matter what, he had to fight for it.
“Great, I can live three more days!”
Everything seemed to be developing in a good direction, and Chen Jiajun rarely revealed a smile.
He had not been happy for even two seconds when his phone rang. Picking it up, he saw it was Shen Yingying—his senior from school, and also his angel investor.
“Chen Jiajun, the three-day deadline is up. Is the game ready?”
The moment the call connected, an extremely cold voice came from the other end.
“Reporting to Boss, it’s almost done.”
Chen Jiajun did not dare be negligent and hurriedly replied.
“How close is almost?”
“I’ve practically invested my entire fortune into you, and this is how you repay me?”
“What did you promise me back then?”
“Who was it that patted his chest and told me that even if Con Artists was stolen, he still had a surprise move that could turn the tables?”
“I admired your talent and courage, which was why I pulled you up when you had nowhere left to go. But now you lock yourself in your room every day, don’t reply to messages, don’t answer calls, and run away from reality. Do you think that will solve anything?”
Hearing Shen Yingying’s barrage of questions, Chen Jiajun coughed lightly.
“Senior, you’ve misunderstood. I haven’t run off with the money, and I definitely won’t be a coward hiding in his shell.”
Shen Yingying on the other end suddenly froze, then asked,
“Why is your voice so hoarse?”
“Don’t tell me you locked yourself in your room these past few days, forgetting to eat and sleep while making the game?”
Chen Jiajun’s voice remained hoarse.
“That’s not the issue.”
“At present, I still need three to five days for testing and adjustments to ensure our game can participate in the anti-fraud competition on schedule.”
On the other end of the phone, Shen Yingying’s tone carried a trace of hesitation.
“You’re sure?”
“Don’t lie to me.”
Hearing this, Chen Jiajun smiled.
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to try the closed beta anytime. However…”
Shen Yingying’s beautiful eyes narrowed. “However what?”
“To be honest, I don’t really recommend that girls try it, especially pretty female players.”
“In addition, before reserving the game, players must submit a physical examination report and sign a liability waiver.”
Chen Jiajun’s explanation only piqued Shen Yingying’s interest further.
“Since you’ve put it that way, then I have to try it even more!”
After hanging up, Chen Jiajun shrugged, a helpless smile appearing on his face.
If she refused to listen to advice, there was nothing he could do.
The game Bloody Golden Triangle: Survivor was made based on cases related to telecom fraud in the Golden Triangle from his previous life.
Unlike his previous life,
Blue Star had no wars, the world was unified, and life was prosperous. Fraud had only become popular within the past year.
Many scams were still at a superficial level.
Meanwhile, the various scams and fraud techniques that had developed for many years in his previous life were, to the people of Blue Star, practically a dimensional strike.
In the game, players would take on the role of deceived “piglets,” learning lessons from the various experiences of these victims.
The goal was to let players feel the cruelty of fraud, recognize and understand various scam routines, and thereby improve their awareness of fraud prevention.
The game’s effect would definitely be explosive!
This was also why it was unfriendly to pretty female players.
“Perhaps I should consider adding character creation and body-shaping functions, allowing players to freely choose their character models.”
“I just don’t know whether this body can still hold up!”
Developing game functions was not something that could be done with a few words. Although there were ready-made asset packs online, those were far too low-end and could not be directly applied to the game.
If he wanted to ensure the game’s quality and player experience, he had to manually update it.
With no money to outsource, he could only do it himself.
“Haah~ What a miserable life! Looks like tonight is going to be another sleepless night!”
Yawning, Chen Jiajun pulled out a piece of compressed tea cake and tossed it into his mouth.
Back when his body had been healthy, he could still smoke and chug Red Bull… Now, when he was tired and sleepy, at most he could chew on some tea cake to keep himself awake.
Wait!
He suddenly remembered the item reward he had received when completing the mission just now.
With a thought, the panel appeared once more. On the storage interface, he saw an item icon in the shape of a goji berry.
【Spirit-Awakening Goji Berries（Consumable）: Pour the goji berry concentrate into boiling water and stir evenly. After drinking, you will obtain the “Energetic” buff for eight hours. This item has been improved by the system and has no side effects whatsoever. Please drink with peace of mind.
PS: Your useless body is like an old man at death’s door—limp, sagging, unable to rise. Spirit-Awakening Goji Berries can help you return to your peak!】
Chen Jiajun’s spirits lifted. Just as he was about to take out the item and consume it, the interface suddenly switched. On the mission panel, a new mission had already been updated.