Chapter 1 Child of Stardust

"You're right, but 'Child of Stardust' is a brand-new open-world adventure game co-developed by Stars Network and Spark Technology. The game takes place in a fantasy world called 'Endless Starry Seas,' where ordinary people have the chance to embark on a path to godhood. You will play as a mysterious character known as 'Pioneer,' encountering companions along your free-roaming adventures who possess unique personalities and abilities. Together, you will defeat formidable enemies, explore the cosmos, ascend to divinity—all the while gradually uncovering the truth behind 'Stars Network.'"

He sent the copied and pasted message in one go, completing today's astroturfing task perfectly.

In the security room, Zhou Yuan put down his phone and glanced at the clock on the surveillance screen—22:58.

"Sun, I'm going on patrol," Zhou Yuan said as he picked up the flashlight from the desk and called out to the inner room.

"Oh, okay then," replied the casually indifferent Sun, the security team captain, who was busy gifting to a female livestreamer.

Humming a tune, Zhou Yuan left the security room and headed towards the brightly lit office building.

The company's name hung on the rooftop—Stars Network.

It was now the most famous game company in the world, bar none.

Six years earlier, Stars Network released a teaser for the all-new online game 'Child of Stardust,' promising an unprecedented immersive holographic game experience. The game would render visuals, auditory, tactile, taste, and olfactory senses exactly like reality, boasting 100% authenticity.

Skepticism from gamers swamped the internet right after the trailer's release. The technology seemed too advanced; turning it into a game was deemed utterly fantastical, almost as if Stars Network was just out for their money.

As time passed, the discussion around this topic reached fever pitch until a bombshell dropped, silencing the gamers' doubts—Spark Technology announced a partnership with Stars Network!

Spark Technology—a technology giant that rose after the Third World War, has performed countless miracles.

Mechanical prosthetics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, genetic editing, controlled nuclear fusion... many epoch-defining breakthroughs came from them. With their involvement, an immersive holographic game could perhaps indeed become reality.

With the real-game teasers for 'Child of Stardust' being successively released over recent years and showcasing dazzling results, gamers across the globe went utterly mad; Stars Network had actually made it happen!

Now, with only a month left until the game's release, gamers are going frantic on the internet every day, wishing they could knock themselves out to sleep right through to the launch day.

Meanwhile, the game developers are also toiling away day and night, perfecting the final touches, with overtime work until the early hours being the norm.

Beep!

Zhou Yuan swiped his card to open the main door, greeted the receptionist, walked straight into the elevator, swiped his card again, and pressed for the 33rd floor.

The elevator slowly ascended. Zhou Yuan stared ahead, lost in thought as he reminisced about his experiences over the years, sighing to himself.

As someone with only a middle school education and whose parents had both passed away, it was incredibly fortunate for him to land a job at Stars Network—the change in his fortunes could simply be ascribed to good facial features.

Five years ago, as he was prepping for the high school entrance exams in earnest, his parents were brutally murdered in a tragic incident, and the culprit was still at large.

To make things worse, his parents had been gamblers with no savings to speak of, leaving him with a substantial debt to the bank.

Fortunately, his classmates and teachers were kind, chipping in to cover his living expenses, allowing him to finish middle school. After that, he started working multiple jobs to repay the debt. If he didn't, the house would have been seized by the bank, leaving him homeless and forcing him to become an urban explorer, scrounging and searching for loot boxes.

Zhou Yuan had worked in factories, car washes, customer service, and delivered food... and then one day, his fortune suddenly turned.

On one bright sunny afternoon, as he delivered meals on a second-hand electric scooter he'd bought from the seafood market, he happened upon the training of a residential community security team.

Maybe it was fate, but the supervisor happened to turn around and lock eyes with him, sizing him up before exclaiming, "Young man, you're quite handsome. How about a job as a security guard? It's an 8-hour shift with a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan, including social insurance and housing fund, with two days off a week."

So, he started the job that very night, becoming a community security guard. Thanks to being young, energetic, tall, and good-looking, he didn't take long to become the face of the community and even gained a bit of internet fame, raking in some easy money.

Unfortunately, his gaze wasn't innocent enough to make him an internet phenomenon. His fame cooled off after two or three months.

Two years passed, and one night while patrolling the residential area, Zhou Yuan found someone lying on the road and quickly called an ambulance. It was only later that he learned the man was an executive of Stars Network who had collapsed due to exhaustion from overworking, suffering a cerebral hemorrhage on his way home. If not for the timely medical assistance, he might not have survived.

After recovering, the executive sought out Zhou Yuan to express his gratitude, offering him a job at Stars Network as a security guard.

Zhou Yuan didn't hesitate to accept the offer—after all, Stars Network was a top 100 global corporation, known for treating its security staff well.

Now, having worked at Stars Network for two and a half years, he had reduced the debt left by his parents to just eighty thousand yuan. In another half year or so, he anticipated he could be debt-free.

And then...

He would be free at last.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened to the rooftop leisure area, with sunshades and tables and chairs set out, not a soul in sight.

Zhou Yuan did his usual patrol of the area then turned back toward the elevator.

"Ga—"

In the silence, a hoarse bird call suddenly echoed from the side, startling Zhou Yuan; he quickly shone his flashlight in its direction.