001

Waking up one day to find herself moved from the north to the south, Zhong Qing adapted surprisingly well—though perhaps it was just a facade of calm.

The calendar by her bedside read June 2022.

She rubbed her still-dazed head and surveyed her new room.

 This ten-square-meter space resembled a single room carved out of a shared city apartment. The balcony had been converted into a kitchenette, and while the room was small, it was fairly well-equipped. Since she had only recently moved in, the furnishings didn't reveal much about her as the owner.

As a game evaluation specialist in the era of holographic games, Zhong Qing made a living by completing CG collection evaluations from various perspectives in games. Instinctively, she assessed her current financial situation.

Without the arm progress recognition code generated by the game, and lacking the original owner's memories, she found herself six years in the past—a scenario that sparked a bit of competitive spirit in her.

After all, she had been in society for a few years, and it wasn't like she would lose her composure just because of a crossover. The new place had its advantages: the layout of important items was clear, and she quickly found her ID and bank card.

Her ID still showed her original birth date, so she went from 25 to 19 years old, but her bank balance had plummeted from nearly six figures to just four. Zhong Qing couldn't immediately determine if that was a good or bad trade-off.

The more troublesome issue was her current educational background, which was limited to a high school diploma.

She didn't know much about the original owner's family situation, but it was clear they hadn't pursued further education after high school and had come to Shanghai alone, trying to find a job to make ends meet.

Due to financial constraints, she was forced to settle for a cheap rental in the suburban new city, with a single room costing under 2000 yuan a month, including utilities.

No, it shouldn't be called Shanghai; it should be referred to as City S.

Out of a certain morbid curiosity, she checked the location of Shenzhen on the map and noticed it labeled as City SZ. A flicker of sympathy for that city arose, but the feeling lasted only a second; after all, she was now the one burdened by life's pressures.

Rummaging through her poorly functioning fridge, she found a bundle of greens and a pack of lamb rolls, tossed them into the electromagnetic pot, and made a bowl of noodles to fill her stomach before contemplating how to survive.

Zhong Qing worked in game evaluation but hadn't studied anything relevant to that field. Many successful people in the industry weren't psychology or literature majors, but without a degree in her major, she couldn't find a job.

She initially thought about trying to find work in game evaluation in this world, at least to cover her rent. However, when she opened her computer and searched for game-related pages, every news article only concerned one game—Glory.

Not to be confused with Honor of Kings.

Zhong Qing blinked in surprise.

In fact, she was quite familiar with this game.

As a dedicated game evaluator known for her efficiency and ability to uncover hidden routes, she was often sought after whenever a major strategy game was released.

Six months before her crossover, she had been engaged in a review for a newly launched esports-themed strategy game from a certain company. After the contract allowed her free rein, she eagerly pursued routes for female characters to meet the client's demands for as many hidden endings as possible.

Her last memory before crossing over was of her character transforming into a damage dealer, leading the Thunder Team back into the playoffs alongside her adorable elemental mage, Dai Yanqi, and just managing to break through the storyline to win against Micro Grass, only to be intercepted by the formidable Reincarnation Team.

Of course, that didn't stop her from achieving the "You Matter More than Fanworks" ending with Dai Yanqi, promising to battle together next season.

She scrolled through the names of various teams on the webpage and couldn't help but admit this was indeed the main storyline of the strategy game she had played.

However, compared to the lackluster scene modeling in holographic games, the view outside her window was all too real.

What was it like for a strategy game to come to life? Zhong Qing mused that if she ever had the chance to cross back, she would have to write a biographical novel for herself. But as she scanned the news online, she felt another wave of familiarity wash over her.

In the era of holographic games, strategy games still fell into two categories: informational strategies and real strategies.

Ultimately, some people simply preferred not to take a realistic game more seriously than real life, and as a game evaluator, she definitely didn't have the luxury of selecting data stacking like regular players.

Especially in Glory, the characters linked to the absolute main storyline weren't really relatable to those who didn't take the game seriously—except for Chen Guo, the cheerful net cafe owner with whom she had achieved an HE ending.

This meant that only an immersive experience could yield more CGs.

Thus, having rarely engaged with first-person perspective games, Zhong Qing was reluctantly thrust into the process of leveling up from a novice to a seasoned player in Glory.

She memorized details about her profession, skill names, cooldowns, and maps, all of which could be found in the corresponding threads pinned on the Glory forum.

It was identical to her experiences in the strategy game.

Zhong Qing thought she might have stumbled upon a way to make money.

Though she didn't know how her hand speed would fare without the assistance of the holographic game system, she figured that at least working as a booster to make ends meet wouldn't be an issue, or maybe doing dungeons and selling materials.

Considering the next three months for rent, the original owner's situation seemed somewhat planned. The rental agreement was signed last month, the first quarter's rent had already been paid, and the remaining balance in her bank account was sufficient for the next payment, along with about two to three months' worth of living expenses—especially since she would likely remain a homebody.

That left her almost half a year to hone a competitive account.

In this cheap rental neighborhood, there probably wouldn't be any internet cafes, but luckily, the popularity of Glory was such that even the grandparents strolling downstairs could casually discuss it, to the extent that the local supermarket sold card readers and Glory cards.

With her motivation at full throttle, Zhong Qing sat cross-legged on her bed, using the computer on her bedside table to embark on her gaming journey.

Inserting the card, logging in.

Zone 9.

A character named "Capture the Heart and Soul" stood at the spawn point.