【When the final line of code for Blood-Red Golden Triangle: Survivors was typed, you could finally breathe a sigh of relief—but this is only the beginning.
Whether the game has any bugs, and how players will react, are still unknowns.
You decide to launch a non-wipe closed beta, inviting the first batch of players to step into this crisis-ridden world!】
【Mission: Closed beta conditions have been met. Based on the reservation quota, ensure that at least one player enters the game.】
【Reward: One week of lifespan, reputation points awarded depending on circumstances, universal model asset library.】
Perhaps the system also knew that this mission wasn’t very difficult, so the rewards were extremely stingy.
Given Chen Jiajun’s current physical condition, he was in no position to be picky. Having a mission at all was good enough.
Of course, this mission wasn’t as simple as it looked on the surface.
First, the studio was short on funds, and the game had no money for promotion.
Even the finest wine feared being hidden in a deep alley; a new game had almost no traffic.
And when making a reservation for the game, most people’s first reaction upon seeing that they had to submit a medical report, then looking at the incredibly crude official website page and slogans like “the world’s first 4D game, one hundred percent virtual reality,” was basically that it was a scam site.
Virtual reality technology did exist, but there wasn’t a single company that dared claim it was one hundred percent.
Not even marketing accounts could make up such absurd nonsense.
Second, the few players who had just made reservations had only done so because Chen Jiajun had coaxed and tricked them into clicking the reservation button. He didn’t even know whether they would listen to him.
Whether they chose to enter the game depended entirely on the players’ moods.
Chen Jiajun’s authority was limited to “banning login access,” “issuing game qualifications,” “updating game content,” and “formulating game rules.”
He couldn’t reach into the real world and force players to put on gaming helmets to experience the game.
And then there was the most crucial point.
The computing power and capacity of the servers rented by the studio were limited, and might not be able to withstand a large number of players being online at the same time, causing the game to crash.
This was also a key problem that needed to be solved later.
Facing the screen, Chen Jiajun sorted out the direction of future development.
He reopened the “Spending Persuasion Club” group chat, pulled out the members who had just reserved the game, and created a discussion group.
Including Shen Yingying and himself, there were twelve people in the group in total.
“Everyone, send me your reservation codes and delivery addresses.”
“I’ll tell my friend and have him send the gaming helmets and closed beta qualifications directly to you.”
The people who had reserved were all good buddies from when they used to storm Sand City together.
Every one of them had rich gaming experience, and among them there seemed to be an uploader who specialized in game content. Having them test the game for him couldn’t be more suitable.
About to Quit: “For real?”
Freebie King: “Brother Jun 666!”
Sun and Moon Alike: “Sure it’s free? Then I’ll sit back and wait for Brother Jun’s gaming helmet! (Excited)”
On the other side, Shen Yingying looked at the messages popping up in the group, raised an eyebrow, and was completely confused.
What friend?
Only after seeing the private chat window Chen Jiajun sent her did she understand.
Their game had no promotion and no popularity. Now they had to beg players to reserve the game and experience the closed beta.
She silently cursed Penguin Group a hundred times in her heart.
Then she gave a soft sigh and opened the official website to reserve the game.
In fact, she still had some funds on hand that could be used for game promotion.
But before that, she had to see whether this game was worth her investing in again.
“At present, the gaming device is bound to an account. One device, one account. It can only be used by the player whose information is bound to it.”
“Although the game is in a non-wipe closed beta, there is currently no trading market function. Other functions are still under development and adjustment…”
“So, whatever you do, don’t lose the gaming device, and definitely don’t damage it. Otherwise, if the character information is lost, it cannot be recovered. In addition, purchasing new equipment will require an extra fee.”
His phone vibrated. Chen Jiajun sent over a string of messages.
The gaming helmet contained system technology, but it had not yet reached a flawless state.
There were still many areas that could be optimized.
Due to time and funding constraints, they could only set it aside for now and first ensure the game could participate in the competition normally and that players could play normally.
The later functions would be resolved one by one in the future.
He wasn’t worried about these things.
Newbie Player: “The helmet is free, but does the game charge? Will we need to top up money to enter the game later?”
Chen Jiajun: “Don’t worry, the game is free. There’s no shop system. It’s absolutely different from the common pay-to-win games on the market.”
Sun and Moon Alike: “Awesome! No shop. Though I don’t really care whether it’s pay-to-win or not, but it has to make me feel like the money’s worth spending. If it’s only for squeezing cash, then that’s no fun.”
About to Quit: “I’ll show some support. Mainly looking forward to the one hundred percent virtual reality. If it’s true, this bro will eat while doing a handstand!”
Freebie King: “(doge.jpg)”
In truth, the few people in the group didn’t believe the so-called no-pay-to-win, free game, nor did they believe what was written in the promotion—that this was the world’s first 4D game with one hundred percent virtual reality. They merely sent over their reservation codes with a playful mindset.
Even if they had submitted medical reports, the reports actually only contained identity information and health status.
It wasn’t like it was an ID card or a bank card.
And they were using a legitimate website, too. They also wanted to see what medicine Brother Jun was really selling in his gourd.
Eleven people made reservations. Including Shen Yingying, in the end only eight people sent over their reservation codes and delivery addresses.
After Chen Jiajun activated the gaming helmets, he immediately arranged shipment.
Shen Yingying and Freebie King were in the same city as him, so they could receive them within a day.
The others would receive the goods within three days at the slowest.
After finishing all this, Chen Jiajun returned to the studio. With a thought, the “Mind-Awakening Goji” appeared in his hand.
In the warehouse inventory on the system panel, the Mind-Awakening Goji could no longer be seen. In other words, the “Mind-Awakening Goji” was a one-time consumable.
He examined the “Mind-Awakening Goji” in his hand. Its appearance looked a little like the goji berry puree sold on a certain shopping site in his previous life.
It was produced by the system, so he didn’t think too much about it. He poured it into his cup, shook it evenly, and drank it all in one go.
It was sweet, and the taste was pretty good!
At the same time, he sensed a warm current rising inside his body, slowly merging into his internal organs. He felt his entire body fill with strength, all sleepiness vanish, and his mind become clearer than ever before.
Chen Jiajun was instantly overjoyed. Taking advantage of the buff, he hurriedly operated the computer, striving to update the face customization function into the game before the others entered.
……
Spending Persuasion Club.
After Chen Jiajun sent the link, he vanished without a trace. No one knew whether he was lurking or had gone offline.
Originally, after the topic of “one hundred percent fully immersive game” passed, the group returned to a brief silence. But then the several group members who had just reserved the game brought the topic back again.
Big-Eared Jiji: “No, you guys really reserved it? Aren’t you afraid of your information getting leaked?”
Sun and Moon Alike: “The website was verified, and Brother Jun probably wouldn’t go so far as to scam people. After we finished reserving, he pulled those of us who reserved into a small group, and not long after, I found the courier pickup notification.”
Sun and Moon Alike was an old member of the group. Back then, in order to storm Sand City and become the city lord, Brother Jun had spent tens of thousands.
He had even given benefits to guild members.
He seemed pretty rich, not like someone running a scam.
“Huh? He’s serious?”
“Is it still useful to reserve now?”
“Personally, I suggest watching for now. What if it’s some new kind of scam? Better wait a couple of days and see the feedback from those who reserved.”
“You think Brother Jun lacks those few scraps of money? You’re a newcomer who joined the group later, right? You don’t understand Brother Jun’s strength.”
“……”
The group chat messages gradually began to carry a smell of gunpowder, and even personal attacks started appearing.
Seeing that Brother Jun did not intervene, perhaps because he was busy, the administrator immediately came out to mediate.
All members muted…
Sun and Moon Alike: “Everyone, stop arguing. Brother Jun’s character is absolutely beyond question. Who in the group dares say they’ve never received a red packet from Brother Jun?”
Newbie Player: “I also don’t believe Brother Jun is running a scam. Don’t worry, the internet is not a lawless place. If anyone gets scammed, we will definitely hold them accountable to the end!”
Group mute lifted.
Sun and Moon Alike and Newbie Player were not only group admins, they were also very active in the group and had good popularity.
Everyone gave them face and said no more, all deciding to wait and see.
Soon, the topic shifted to other game entries in the anti-fraud competition.
Wang Zixu was a game fanatic.
After chatting in the group for a while, he logged out of QQ and started playing Yuan Shen.
This game was fun, sure.
But it charged money everywhere.
Previously, it was one thing that equipment and card draws required spending money. But after the version update some time ago, they actually began implementing a time-card payment system.
In other words, entering the game in the future would cost money, and players had no right to choose at all.
It was a little ridiculous.
Originally, he could still keep playing by grinding missions, but with this, he was also hovering on the edge of quitting.
He was in the middle of playing when his phone rang. Picking it up, he saw it was a courier number. Strange. He didn’t seem to have bought anything online recently. Was it a wrong number?
“Hello? Hi! Oh, okay, okay. Please put it at the pickup station for me. Thank you.”
It was indeed a package, and the phone number was his, so it shouldn’t have been delivered wrong.
The courier station was less than two hundred meters from the dorm building. Ten minutes later, Wang Zixu walked back to the dorm holding a large cardboard box.
“Old Wang, what did you buy?”