Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The screen went dark, and Lin Zicong’s eyes slowly opened from the game pod, gazing at the LED lights on the ceiling, unable to react for a while.
His game ID was Nobody Does Human Things.
“I’ve already been kicked out of the game…”
Lin Zicong wiped his face and opened the game pod, taking a breath of fresh air.
This Cain Continent was truly addictive.
To be suddenly pulled out of the game and back to reality.
He actually felt a twisted sense of detachment and world-weariness.
It was as if the Cain Continent was the real world.
And now, the room, the desk, the computer, and the gray wallpaper in front of him were a fake world.
Unlike other games, playing on the Cain Continent did not cause any fatigue, at most some hunger. However, this hunger could be completely offset by using more expensive nutrient solutions.
Lin Zicong had earned a lot of money in the game, enough not only to buy nutrient solutions but also a car, which was also the main reason his parents supported him playing games full-time.
It was all for a living.
As long as one could live better, who would care if playing games was considered not doing proper work?
Many players had even started bringing their families into the Cain Continent.
Treating the Cain Continent as their second world.
After all, the Cain Continent also had all kinds of delicious food, and it was all natural and pollution-free.
Even without as many artificial flavors and seasonings as modern food, the taste was still very delicious.
Lin Zicong, at least, knew what was real.
“Wow~ My heart is pounding, it’s love like a raging fire, you’re smiling, I’m the one who’s crazy…”
A explosive ringtone from his personal terminal blared.
Lin Zicong frowned. As a shut-in, he received very few calls, except from his parents, various business halls, and occasionally insurance sales pitches and scams.
It was already so late, four or five in the morning.
If it was a scam call…
Then the scam group was too dedicated; they should be awarded a banner.
He took out his personal terminal and saw an unfamiliar number.
Lin Zicong knew what was up.
Countless obscenities were hidden in his mouth, ready to be unleashed.
Then he pressed the answer button.
“Yo~ Nobody Does Human Things, guess who I am?”
As soon as the other party spoke.
Lin Zicong swallowed his obscenities.
Anyone who knew his game ID must be a player from the game. As for who it was specifically, Lin Zicong couldn’t guess for a moment, as he had given his contact information to more than a dozen players.
“I’m not guessing,” he said expressionlessly.
“Spit it out if you have something to say, Piss it out if you have to. It’s so late, I still need to play i社’s latest galgame!”
“Holy crap! A tycoon!”
A surprised exclamation came from the other end of the terminal.
“Is it that ‘Beautiful Girl’s Romantic Island’? I heard it has high interactivity and can unlock many poses. Although the five senses are not 100% of Cain, the localized touch is said to reach 90% realism… The most important thing is the price, 88,888. You just went all in?”
Lin Zicong was silent for a few seconds.
To be honest, that game had a lot of hype. He bought it out of curiosity and influenced by marketing. However, he had never played it, and the other party knew more about it than he did, even without buying it.
This tone was unmistakable.
It must be Yan, and Sir or (Player Name) (M). These two were the most gentlemanly!
“You’re Yan, right…” he asked.
“Nobody Does Human Things, you don’t even recognize me? Too heartbroken, I’m your most beloved (Player Name) (M)~”
Lin Zicong: “……”
“So, why are you looking for me so late at night? If it’s a philosophical question, forget it. Although I think philosophy is important for human development, I don’t research phi los o phy.”
“How could it be a philosophical question? I already have Claudia, you know how good Claudia is to me, she… (omitted 10,000 words here)”
“I’m hanging up now. (≖_≖ )”
“…Don’t, the game server is down, right? And the official said it would be down for 24 hours. I thought since we’ve all been playing in the game for so long, we could all meet up for a meal or something…”
“If it’s just you, then I’m not going.” Lin Zicong picked up a cup of water from the table and took two sips. This was prepared by Lin’s mom. Although she didn’t know when her son would drink it, and she already knew about nutrient solutions, she couldn’t help but show some seemingly insignificant care.
“Hey, what do you mean? It’s not just me, Bai Yue Kui, Yan, Ms., Leisurely Moment, and many other players will be there. This event is organized by the official. They’re taking some photos for mementos that will be displayed on the forum, hehehe~”
When he heard it would be displayed on the official forum.
Lin Zicong wanted to go even less.
He wasn’t a very photogenic person to begin with. If a picture of the gathering was posted on the forum, and he had a poker face, wouldn’t that be very awkward? This kind of social death must be refused!
“…Hello? Nobody Does Human Things, are you listening? It’s said that the gathering that receives the highest rating from the official can get a chance to learn a skill from an NPC! King of Winter’s skills are also available~”
“Give me the address, I’ll go.”
Lin Zicong’s mind was instantly changed.
The skill was not important, what was important was wanting to get closer to the players he had fought alongside.
……
The next day.
Lin Zicong stood in front of the mirror.
A young man stood there, dressed in black, with a strong techwear style, a slender build, and a pair of bright eyes that gave him a sharp appearance.
“I need a haircut…”
Lin Zicong sighed, fiddling with his hair that reached his eyebrows.
Since becoming addicted to the Cain Continent, he hadn’t cut his hair in a long time.
But the appointed time was 9 AM.
It was already 8 AM.
He didn’t have time to get a haircut.
So, he simply tied the hair on his forehead behind his ear and braided it.
Didn’t seem like it.
As long as he didn’t take off the black mask.
He was a pure cool guy.
Lin Zicong was quite satisfied with his appearance.
The only downside was that his clothes were a bit old. It was mainly because he was a shut-in and didn’t go out often, so there was no need to buy new clothes. The clothes he was wearing were from one or two years ago.
He casually found a belt and tied it.
Lin Zicong turned and went downstairs.
At the same time, he secretly decided that after the gathering, he would stop by Wanda Plaza on his way home to buy some decent clothes.
The transportation system was much more developed now compared to decades ago.
Standing by the roadside.
Lin Zicong directly entered the address into his personal terminal – Century Grand Hotel.
Less than a minute later.
A general-purpose self-driving car stopped in front of him.
The car door opened automatically.
The driving system popped out a sweet female voice prompt:
“Welcome aboard the X-3 smart car. Please fasten your seatbelt!”
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