Chapter 1: Would You Like to Play a Game?

“You said you’re a comedy actor, so why the long face? How about a smile?!” At Xin Lu City, inside an old convenience store called ‘Afterlife’, an old man was consoling the store’s only customer. “Our whole family likes to watch your show, we’re all your fans. Your show always accompanies us during dinner. If it’s not on, something doesn't feel right that night.” The old man rambled for a long time before the young man, who stood at the corner, slowly turned around. He looked around 20. He was casually dressed and his hair was unkempt. He did not look particularly handsome but there was an indescribable air of melancholy about him. “The show that I was a part of has stopped broadcasting. I was fired from my agency 3 days ago.” 

“That’s fine, you’re such a good actor, you’ll definitely find a new job soon!” The gentlemanly boss comforted but the young man only shook his head. He did not continue this topic. “Boss, I’ve played all of the secondhand games you have available here, do you have any new stock recently?”

“Well, there is some but based on your current situation, I wouldn’t recommend you to go and play those overly gory and scary games.” The boss took out a black box from under the counter. The box was made from an unknown material and it seemed to be very heavy. “Have you tried Iyashikei games before?”

“Iyashikei?” 

“It’s a Japanese game genre, it’s used for anime, manga and games created with the specific purpose of having a healing or soothing effect on the audience. Works of this kind often involve alternative realities with little to no conflict, emphasizing nature and the little delights in life.” The boss explained as he removed a second hand gaming helmet from the box. “Technology is getting more and more advanced these days, but people are drifting further and further away from the simple joys of life. People nowadays have to contend with so many kinds of daily pressure, a good Iyashikei game can help relax one’s mind, and warm one’s soul. I think you should give it a try.” 

The young man hesitated after he accepted the helmet from the boss. Finally, he nodded. “Boss, what’s the name of this game?”

“Perfect Life.” 

…

After making the purchase, Han Fei put on his mask, pulled down his cap, hugged the helmet and left the store. He did not do this because he was afraid of being recognized, he just wanted to avoid social interaction as much as possible. Han Fei slowly unwound after he reached his rental home. He switched on the television and surfed the channels for a while before getting up to use the bathroom. After graduating from Xin Lu Movie and TV Acting Academy, he worked hard every day to achieve his goal of becoming a comedy actor who could bring everyone joy. However, hard work might not necessarily equate to result. Without any connection in the industry, he worked hard for years before he got a chance to move from behind the camera to the front. But for some reason, he was squeezed out from his agency. 

Water slid down his face. Han Fei looked at himself in the mirror. His fingers hooked on the corners of his lips to force a smile. Sighing, Han Fei tore off the post-its on the mirror. The post-its had the same message repeated multiple times—the best actor is yourself in your own life. 

Exiting the bathroom, Han Fei returned to his study table. He started to observe the gaming helmet he left on the table. He had heard of the game, Perfect Life before. According to legend, Perfect Life was a joint effort between Deep Space Technology and Immortal Pharmaceutical. It was a deeply immersive virtual reality game, and it was the world’s first ever game that could simulate actual sense of smell, touch and taste in game. It was labelled as the ultimate game. Theoretically, if a player had no material connection to the real world, they could survive inside the virtual world forever. It sounded like the plot of a sci-fi novel but with researchers from both Deep Space Technology and Immortal Pharmaceutical heading the helm, anything was possible. After all, with the advancement in AI and medical technologies, these two tech giants had worked many miracles in the past. 

When the game was first released, it created an uproar among the public. Deep Space Technology was the leading company in aerospace, AI and telecommunication, they had been studying and researching the project of space migration. On the other hand, Immortal Pharmaceutical was the lynchpin in the field of biotechnology, and human nervous system engineering, their company goal was to unlock the ultimate truth of human life. 

These two companies, that had no relations to gaming, aimed to pour a large amount of funds to develop a new game. Many people had no idea what they were up to. The internet reviews for Perfect Life were equivocal. Some reviewers thought the game was a perfect Iyashikei game, the players could simulate all kinds of experience in the game, it was practically a manmade heaven. One could obtain everything within a virtual city, and accomplish all their dreams. On the other hand, other reviewers lampooned the game’s lack of moral limitation. It would agitate the darkest desire within humanity. 

The Closed Beta of most games were tested by professional gamers and reviewers but the testers for this game consisted mostly of members of related governmental departments. From that point alone, one could see how ‘unique’ the game was. 

In any case, this was the first time Han Fei attempted a virtual reality game. For the sake of security, he went online to search for related info on Perfect Life. 

Under the monitoring of related departments, Perfect Life completed 5 CBs and underwent 3 big patches. Tonight, Perfect Life would begin its sixth CB at midnight. If everything went without a hitch, this CB would be the last test before the actual OB. 

“How did the boss manage to get the game if the game is not even out of CB yet? Is he connected to someone in the company? Furthermore, the internet says that Perfect Life does not come with a gaming helmet, instead it will be sold with a gaming hub. The price is about 200000 RMB.” 

After giving it some thought, Han Fei concluded that he was scammed. The game inside this gaming helmet was probably a pirated version of Perfect Life. But since he had already paid for it, Han Fei thought it was no harm to give it a try. After connecting all the circuits, and when the light came on, Han Fei put the helmet on.

Darkness enveloped everything. Han Fei felt like he was submerged inside a dark ocean. He could not see anything but he could hear the sound of a news broadcast. 

“31st December Morning News, the building of Xin Lu AI City is in its final legs. This fully automated city will be a milestone in human history.

“31st December Morning News, the international anti monopoly investigation into Deep Space Technology has been initiated again.

“31st December Morning News, to preserve the public welfare, the government decides to invest more funds into the field of technology and education to unlock more high tech products and to produce more useful talents.

“31st December Morning News, there was a serious fire around Xin Lu City’s Antique Street. Many old shops were ruined. There is a chance that this might be the work of an arsonist on the loose.”

The voice dwindled until eventually the world before Han Fei’s eyes turned blood red. A strange voice emitted from inside the gaming helmet. It worried Han Fei. He was about to remove the helmet when a pain came from the back of his head. It was like a needle had been pierced into his skull and something had been uploaded or downloaded. 

“Biogenetic document upload successful, memory document upload successful, nervous connectivity successful. First Generation GM account activated, Clearance ID 0000…”