Chapter 75: Game Life
"Oh!"
Silver Wolf didn't linger too long on the game. Instead, she walked to the window, took the fast food, and handed it to the customer.
At this time, Silver Wolf was still a young wolf. Her proportions should have been smaller,
yet it didn't feel out of place.
In truth, no black technology was used.
Su Chen had scaled the entire scene proportionally, creating the effect of Silver Wolf being young through contrast.
The young Silver Wolf returned to the arcade machine, flexed her fingers,
chewed her bubble gum, and resumed the game, aiming for the "highest score."
The screen faded to black.
The game's start interface appeared in the shot.
After clicking to enter the game, a text narration appeared:
"You have no surname, no name, no identity, no ID.
You have nothing in Punklorde, but fortunately, a kind fast-food shop owner took you in!
She gave you a name."
The scene transitioned to the character-naming segment. After some inputs,
the camera lingered for a few seconds before finally displaying the name "Silver Wolf."
Then,
subtitles appeared: "Chapter 1: The Basement."
The perspective returned to Silver Wolf.
The shot used a "time-lapse" technique people came and went in the fast-food shop,
Silver Wolf occasionally left her seat to deliver meals to customers,
but
in the end, she always returned to the arcade machine in the basement.
However, the people in the scene grew fewer, and Silver Wolf grew taller.
Until one day,
Silver Wolf looked at the last arcade machine. "Finally, every high score on every game bears the name Silver Wolf."
After saying this, a wave of emptiness washed over her.
She sprawled lazily for a few minutes before making up her mind.
Silver Wolf bid a simple farewell to the shop owner and stepped out of the fast-food shop.
"The Basement Game Clear!"
——
The journey was silent. Silver Wolf wandered alone through the cybernetic world known as "Punklorde."
The set design in the shots fully satisfied the audience's imagination of the word "cyber."
[This segment is so stunning Punklorde looks just like "Night City."]
[I think so too. Maybe miHoYo borrowed the set from the 2077 crew?]
[Could be. But if you look closely, there are some differences. miHoYo loves practical effects maybe they built another one. Whatever, just enjoy it.]
Guided by instinct, Silver Wolf traveled west, leaving the city and crossing a stretch of wilderness until she arrived at a place called "Junk Hill."
Subtitles appeared: "Chapter 2: Junk Hill."
Now, Silver Wolf entered a tavern she knew this was the only place to find a "fixer."
The tavern was a melting pot—men, women, young, old—
but no one looked down on Silver Wolf. In the world of hackers, physique wasn't a deciding factor.
Silver Wolf walked to the bar and glanced at the bartender. "I want work."
The bartender gave her a once-over but didn't laugh.
After all, arriving at the bar unscathed was proof enough of skill.
"New here? Sure. But first, tell me who's your crew?"
As he spoke, the bartender slid a glass toward Silver Wolf.
"Crew?!" Silver Wolf was puzzled.
"In Punklorde, people work in teams.
Lone wolves don't last long.
But the ones who make it? We call them legends.
Got a crew? Can the big shots trust you?"
"..." Silver Wolf didn't answer. She stood up to leave.
The bartender raised the untouched glass. "You know what this drink's called? 'Legend.'
Want to stay a nobody, or make a name for yourself?
I'll save this for you. On the house."
The scene shifted. Silver Wolf was somewhere else,
her fingers flying across a virtual keyboard.
Soon, one, two, three… virtual avatars appeared beside her,
and Silver Wolf stored these "characters" in her smart weapon.
When she returned to the tavern, she eagerly introduced her carefully crafted "crew."
Maybe her skills were solid, or maybe the big shots just wanted to see how far this rookie would go.
With the fixer's help, Silver Wolf landed a high-risk, high-reward job.
The scene cut rapidly.
Silver Wolf stood before a massive structure, her small frame dwarfed by it.
She entered through a ventilation shaft.
However,
the camera gave no further details.
The next moment, subtitles read: "24 System Hours Later."
Silver Wolf strode out of the "Slag Gang's" hideout—
through the front door.
The fixer shook his head, tossed her a crate of gold, and hurried off.
Silver Wolf picked up the briefcase, returned to the tavern, and drank the "Legend."
As she left, she murmured, "Junk Hill—Game Clear!"
—
Countless scenes flashed by in a montage, packed with information.
Subtitles appeared: "Chapter 3: Neon City."
The sequence was chaotic yet crystal clear,
showing how Silver Wolf became a "legend."
Less than a minute later, Silver Wolf stood atop the tallest skyscraper in Neon City,
gazing at the place where she was born.
She stood so high that no one else could stand beside her.
Then, Silver Wolf looked up at the stars. Even from the closest point to the sky, they remained out of reach.
"So boring. Neon City—Game Clear!"
—
Silver Wolf returned to the original basement, searching for a way to leave Punklorde.
There were plenty, actually.
The "Interastral Peace Corporation," the "Astral Express," the "Stellaron Hunters," and the "Annihilation Gang."
Subtitles labeled each one. The audience knew miHoYo wouldn't mention them for no reason they'd matter later.
However,
while Silver Wolf was still weighing her options, she stumbled upon a program called "The Cogwheel."
Of course, Silver Wolf was never one to stay bored.
She launched a hacking attack on it.
The result? Utter failure?!
But Silver Wolf wasn't angry. She knew this was just a new game.
To give the audience a visual treat, Su Chen used a metaphorical filming technique.
Like a game, Silver Wolf attacked, but the person on the other side unseen countered every move.
"Looks like a long battle." Silver Wolf yawned. "But organic life should cherish its dreams."
Soon,
Silver Wolf fell into a deep sleep.
When she jolted awake, the data had been wiped clean as if it were all a dream.
Only this time, the subtitles read:
"Side Quest: The Cogwheel—Challenge Failed."
Yet,
the girl didn't know that this very "failure" had caught the attention of an organization.
—
Some time later,
Silver Wolf had decided how to leave Punklorde.
Just then,
"Knock, knock, knock…"
The basement door was gently rapped.
The camera followed Silver Wolf as she opened it—
and the comments exploded.
Standing there was a smiling Kafka.
Behind her were two others one with a cold, expressionless poker face,
the other clad in heavy armor, hissing with steam from exhaust vents.
"I'm Kafka. A Stellaron Hunter. Elio says we need you.
Will you join us?"