CH 5

Qin Chuan sat in the Imperial Capital University Institute, his eyes fixed on the video playing before him. The darkness was punctured by a line of subtitles, foretelling a grim tale of a planet cast out of the universe and thrown into chaos. "The Red Land knows no autumn," they said. "After September, the world was turned on its head, its axial tilt shifting wildly. In the span of a single night, the stars realigned, the temperature plummeted to near freezing, and even the river water began to ice over. This post-apocalyptic world was on the brink of a massive ice age, a cataclysm that occurred but once every decade." As the subtitles faded, the camera showed a moon rising on the horizon, its surface marred and scarred. A fleet of ships flew towards it, leaving a trail of blue light in their wake.

As the blue light of the fusion reactor exploded, dust flew through the air like splashes of water. This was the first sign of life on the dead and silent planet. "This is humanity's final battle," the subtitles read. "The doomsday catastrophe has almost destroyed everything. The moon, our lifeline, has lost 12% of its mass, causing massive changes in tidal forces. The Earth's rotation has sped up, its tilt has become unstable, and the resulting hurricanes and tsunamis have nearly wiped us out. The fleets that were originally meant for exploring the stars have had to take on a task they could never have imagined. They are like moths rushing towards the flame, bringing back the dust and meteors from the vast expanse of space, all in the hopes of saving humanity. Fortunately, they succeeded. We have survived, but only just. The scene then pulled away, showing a patchwork of red and white land. The upper half of the planet was covered in ice and snow, while the lower half burned with a fiery red glow, the equator serving as the dividing line.

The aerial footage cuts in with the semi-transparent numbers at the center of the screen flickering. The ruins of the once-great human civilization crumble before our eyes, skyscrapers weathering and collapsing into twisted, corroded steel skeletons. Giant ships are washed ashore by tsunamis, their massive hulls towering into new high towers. The proud cultural landmarks that once were have disappeared without a trace, and low-rise buildings start to appear as human ants crawl out of the deep-buried fortresses, trying to revive their civilization. 

But soon, a global-scale storm arrives, and the humans who had barely survived are wiped out. Perhaps they will rise again, still trying to piece together their broken knowledge to restore their former glory. But alas, the wilderness will not give them any more time. "We need help," the subtitles say. "We need you." The camera flies past his shoulder, out across the endless snowfield where a lonely bonfire burns.

----

We live on this scorching red land, where red and ice tides alternate, almost completely wiping out humanity, once a powerful race. Thankfully, we have learned to reconcile with the environment and gradually mastered the survival skills. Unfortunately, civilization is still inevitably fading away. The camera zooms in on a giant radar antenna, emitting invisible, high-energy microwaves that vaporize the falling snowflakes into white mist. Below the antenna, hundreds of shabby people are offering up bloody sacrifices. 

The camera crosses the crowd, floating along a narrow path to the snowfield outside. There, a figure wearing a rough fur coat is walking alone. "Civilization on this land is inevitably falling into the abyss," the subtitles say, "and the short-lived prosperity is only a reflection of the past."

This game has a lot going for it! At least, its promotional department does. When he first received the package, he thought it was just another shoddy factory trying to use his fame to promote their game. But after watching the promotional video, he changed his mind completely. He didn't know who the game manufacturer was that invited him to try out the game, but he was sure it was a small studio. And this was definitely a closed test before the game's release, which he could tell from the dozens of pages of confidential terms documents included in the package. They were trying to drum up hype, and the manager recognized his own ability. 

As an Any speedrunner, he was definitely skilled at finding bugs in games. A new sense of mission came over him. Not only did he have to save the world in the game, but he also had to save the game itself. If the actual performance could live up to half of the promotional video, he would do everything he could to help the manufacturer improve and optimize this game. It shouldn't be buried. 

But... the device for this game... it looks a bit too childish. AR goggles? And there's no brand name on it; it doesn't look very sophisticated. Will it work? Is the step too big? I need to talk to the planner.

He followed the contact information included in the package and joined the so-called "Red Ground Exchange Group." The administrator accepted his application almost immediately. But when he entered the group, he found that there were only two other people besides the administrator.

"Hello, is the planner here? I would like to ask where the game can be downloaded and how to log in."

Chen Jiu sat up straight in his chair and immediately typed back:

"Hi, you can download the game from the official website. You'll need to connect the VR device to your computer. We've integrated the game into the VR device, but it still needs to borrow your computer's network. However, the internal test hasn't started yet. We need to wait for the other two players to confirm before entering the game..."

As he typed, a satisfied smile appeared on Chen Jiu's face. The first fish was hooked. Would the other two be far behind?