Chapter 162: A Full Immersive Experience

Chapter 162: A Full Immersive Experience

Weekend.

Zhou Wenwei woke up early today, eager to experience the game "Cyberpunk 2077." He was so excited that he decided to take a taxi to avoid being late. The thought of missing out on the chance to play "Cyberpunk 2077" made him feel anxious. Even though the taxi fare cost him nearly a hundred yuan, Zhou Wenwei stood confidently at the entrance of Light Speed Game Development Company. He checked his watch—he still had a good half hour before the scheduled time.

"Hey, brother..."

Just then, he heard a voice nearby, "You're here to try out 'Cyberpunk 2077' too?"

Zhou Wenwei turned to see a slightly chubby guy standing next to him, holding an ID card that proved he was also there to experience "Cyberpunk 2077."

"Yeah, you're here early too?" Zhou Wenwei asked, a bit surprised. He thought he was the early bird, but it turned out someone else had the same idea.

"Hehe, everyone got here early," the chubby guy said, gesturing with his hand. "Nobody wants to be late and miss the chance to try it out. This is the spinoff game of 'Edgerunners' and the first AAA game developed in the Republic!"

Zhou Wenwei turned around and saw that there were indeed about ten other people waiting nearby. It seemed that Light Speed Company hadn't invited too many players—around twenty, including him.

"Are all of you here to try out 'Cyberpunk 2077'?"

A staff member, dressed in business attire and wearing an ID badge, approached the group with a smile. Alongside him were about a dozen security guards.

"Yes, we're all here for 'Cyberpunk 2077'," Zhou Wenwei quickly showed his invitation.

"Great, please follow me inside," the staff member said, making an inviting gesture.

Zhou Wenwei and the other players eagerly followed him into the Light Speed Company building. Once inside, they saw a hall filled with twenty high-end computers. They could tell these were top-of-the-line machines by the glowing, LED-lit cases and advanced cooling systems.

As they entered the hall, many of the company's staff were already present. Then, a man who clearly looked like a higher-up walked out.

"Please show us your invitation cards, and if everything checks out, you can start gaming," Wang Weijie, the high-ranking man, said. "The game accounts and passwords are your ID numbers and your birth dates followed by your names. Just log in and start."

"We'll also provide drinks and lunch for you all, so feel free to ask our staff if you need anything," Wang Weijie continued. "After the gaming session, some of our staff and media friends might ask you a few questions. We hope you can cooperate."

Zhou Wenwei and the others had no objections—free gaming and free food? They were thrilled. After verifying his credentials, Zhou Wenwei quickly sat at a computer and launched the "Cyberpunk 2077" game from the desktop.

Following Wang Weijie's instructions, he logged in with his account and password. The loading screen soon passed, and he was plunged into the highly detailed, beautifully crafted game world. He followed the tutorial and soon found himself completely immersed in the game.

...

Wang Weijie watched as the players got deeply absorbed in "Cyberpunk 2077." It seemed the game was highly engaging—at least, the players appeared to be enjoying it immensely. And so far, there didn't seem to be any complaints about the game being 3D, even though "Edgerunners" had a 2D art style.

Although they had announced "Cyberpunk 2077" as a AAA title, they worried some might not know or might pretend not to know and show up just to nitpick. After all, esports didn't require perfect vision.

[Translator: sauron]

Moreover, "Cyberpunk 2077" was a spinoff of "Edgerunners," so many of the players here today were likely fans of the original series. For this playtest, Wang Weijie had even unlocked the hidden ending, "With My Broken Body, I Become a Flame."

Rather than letting the players start from the very beginning, they had unlocked three sections: the opening sequence, the "Black Dream" mission, and "With My Broken Body, I Become a Flame."

The opening sequence was to help the players quickly get into the game, while the "Black Dream" mission was a test to see if the bug Lin Qingshan mentioned would actually turn out to be popular instead of annoying. The final segment was to let the players experience the thrill of taking down "Adam Smasher."

Later on, they could use this segment as a selling point in the game's marketing. After all, this was just a demo for gameplay and graphics—the story likely wouldn't matter much to the players at this stage.

Some players were probably the "I don't know who I am, I don't know where I am, I just know I want to go on a killing spree" type. For them, the storyline was irrelevant—they just wanted to shoot everything in sight!

So, even if the players didn't fully understand the plot, it wouldn't be an issue.

Right now, Zhou Wenwei and the others were fully engrossed in the game. After finishing the opening sequence, they quickly moved on to the "Black Dream" section. Just as the player-controlled V got shot in the cyber-eye by Dexter, the screen went black, leaving only the mission marker and the mini-map visible.

Zhou Wenwei and the others were momentarily stunned but then filled with excitement.

"Wow, getting your eye shot out means you really can't see... This is so realistic!" the chubby guy exclaimed, "This is a great feature! And the mission name—'Black Dream'—what a cool setup!"

They managed to complete the mission, navigating through the darkness by the mini-map alone.

Seeing this, Wang Weijie breathed a sigh of relief. Though he couldn't help but think, *If I told them this was just a bug, I wonder how they'd react.*

But for now, Zhou Wenwei and the others were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Finally, they reached the "With My Broken Body, I Become a Flame" segment.

(End of Chapter)