Chapter 158 : Chapter 158
Chapter : 158
Cheng Tianyu felt a jolt of energy. Despite having played games for dozens of hours straight, he no longer felt the slightest bit sleepy.
He jumped up on the spot with his phone, repeatedly confirming the email on the screen, "I really got it!"
His joy was palpable. Cheng Tianyu was so happy he was just short of doing a celebratory belly dance on the spot.
At the same time, he opened the group chat and sent a screenshot of the email he received.
[Said No Frying Pan]: Brothers! I won a beta test slot!
[Said No Frying Pan]: [Screenshot]
It was now past six in the morning, a time when there were usually not many people in the group chat.
Typically, only [Old Wang Next Door] and [Ming], who needed to wake up early for work, and [No 8 AM Class Today], a university student who would casually chat for a bit when getting up for his 8 AM class, would be online.
But today, as soon as Cheng Tianyu threw out the screenshot, several messages immediately flooded the group.
[No 8 AM Class Today]: Holy crap, you received it too?!
[Old Wang Next Door]: Orange got it too, huh. It seems the beta test slots this time might really be given out in the order of submission.
[Ming]: First time seeing such an unreliable distribution of beta test slots. Even if they don't consider the beta players' gaming experience, they should at least do some screening, right? Getting approved almost as soon as you register, how does this look so much like a pig-butchering scam?
[Ming]: Everyone, be careful. Before you click the link, first make sure all your privacy apps on your phone are closed. Uninstall things like mobile banking. It's best to use an old device to open it, just in case it's some kind of virus URL!
[No 8 AM Class Today]: Huh? But I've already clicked and confirmed.
[Ming]: ……
[Ming]: Alright, you're excused. Go play. It's not like you have much money to be scammed out of anyway.
[No 8 AM Class Today]: qaq Bro, your words are too hurtful.
[Old Wang Next Door]: That's why I say Xiao Ba is still a kid! So easy to trick.
[Eat My Uppercut]: University students nowadays are like this (doge) (doge)
Cheng Tianyu's excitement hadn't faded yet when he saw these discussions in the group. He paused for a moment and quickly typed on his keyboard to ask.
[Said No Frying Pan]: What's the situation?? Did you all win beta test slots?
[Old Wang Next Door]: Yeah, when you dropped the link, a few of us happened to be awake, so we all went to register. And not long after registering, the beta test invitation came.
[Ming]: People are talking about this on the forum too. Basically, the first three thousand who registered all received a confirmation email within an hour.
This processing speed is too weird. One can't help but suspect that they approve anyone who registers immediately, without screening the qualifications of the beta players at all.
[Ming]: This operation makes one suspect it's a pig-butchering scam. Which industrial park is running a telecom fraud scheme again?
[No 8 AM Class Today]: That's a bit much, bro. What kind of telecom fraud gives a heads-up for more than three, almost four years before scamming people?
[Ming]: ……
[Old Wang Next Door]: Haha, it's not impossible.
Cheng Tianyu was stunned. His excitement quickly cooled down. He exited the group chat and opened the forum. Sure enough, people were already discussing whether this Guitu was a pig-butchering scam.
In fact, in the three-plus years since the "Guitu" official website appeared, similar posts could be seen from time to time. After all, holographic technology abroad was still in the conceptual stage.
For a holographic online game to suddenly appear in the country, and claim to have 100% restoration of real five senses and an immersive virtual world experience, it sounded really unreliable.
This wasn't the opinion of some who believed the moon was rounder abroad, but a common consensus among most players on the forum.
Even if a domestic company had really developed holographic technology, could they resist doing any technical promotion and just secretly set up a game website, waiting for players to take the bait?
The model of『good wine needs no bush』was long outdated. In this era where information is king, how many gamers could be expected to be like Jiang Taigong?
Therefore, as those who registered successively received their beta test invitations, a surge of doubt also rose on the forum.
With almost every refresh, several new posts would appear, badmouthing Guitu. It was so exaggerated that Cheng Tianyu repeatedly checked the time displayed in the upper right corner of his phone.
It's past six in the morning, not past six in the evening, right?
How could there be so many people on the forum at this time?
Don't they all have to work or go to school? Today seems to be a workday, right?
Cheng Tianyu scratched his somewhat messy hair, completely baffled.
Could it be that the water army had been deployed?
That couldn't be right, could it? Would a three-no-name game studio like this, with no marketing at all, be worthy of a competitor sending in a water army to stir up trouble and badmouth it?
Cheng Tianyu looked around, and the little joy he had from getting a beta test slot completely dissipated.
He switched back to the email interface, facing the link attached to the beta test invitation, unable to bring himself to click it for a long time.
He really didn't have much to be scammed out of. After paying last month's rent, the balance in his bank account was almost gone, with only a pitiful two-digit number starting with a 2 before the decimal point.
Even if it was a link to steal his bank card information, they couldn't take much money from Cheng Tianyu.
And this phone of his was an old phone he had been using for more than three years. It was already a second-hand phone when he bought it, and after another three years of use, it was already lagging terribly.
Even if it was really a link with a virus that would brick his phone, he could just use the money from the boosting order he had just completed to get a new second-hand phone.
The only thing that made Cheng Tianyu hesitate was whether to keep this slot for himself or sell it.
Even though the distribution of beta test slots was so casual this time, compared to the tens of millions of pre-orders, three thousand slots were indeed very, very few.
Especially since Guitu Studio didn't even screen player qualifications and just directly issued the slots, there were many professional players or gaming enthusiasts who submitted their applications late because they were filling out a long gaming experience section.
Even though the forum was full of negativity, Cheng Tianyu believed that if he wanted to sell this beta test slot, there would still be big bros willing to take it.
It was just that the current atmosphere was not good, and the selling price would be much lower than he had originally expected.
In that case, it would be better for him to use the slot himself……
Then another problem arose. If it was really a scam, and he used the slot himself, not only would he not get the transfer fee for the slot, even at a bargain price, but he would also have to throw in a broken-down phone.
What a dilemma……
No matter how he thought about it, it was a loss……
While Cheng Tianyu was hesitating, the topic in the group chat was still ongoing. The only game streamer in the group finally came online.
[Big Bro A]: No, I was just editing my live stream recording from yesterday. How did the world suddenly change???
[Big Bro A]: Guitu beta test registration is open? F*ck, is it too late for me to register now?
[No 8 AM Class Today]: It's too late, Big Bro A. The official website already shows that all three thousand slots have been distributed.
But if you register now, Big Bro A, you might be able to catch the second batch of beta test slots.
[Big Bro A]: Holy crap, they're really gone. I just put my phone on silent to work for three hours, and the beta test slot left me???
[Ming]: It's not necessarily a real game. Maybe it's a pig-butchering scam.
[Big Bro A]: You're worried it's a pig-butchering scam? (confused) (confused)
[Big Bro A]: By the way, did you get a slot? Since you're worried it's a pig-butchering scam, why don't you sell it to me? We're all brothers in the same group. Just name a price (laughing)
[Ming]: ……
Ming went silent. Old Wang Next Door came out to smooth things over.
[Old Wang Next Door]: Hey, this game studio is too casual with distributing beta test slots. It's normal for A-Ming to be worried. Besides, what's the use of you spending money to buy a scam link?
[Big Bro A]: I'm serious @Ming
[Big Bro A]: Can't be helped, gotta eat @Old Wang Next Door. The popularity of my live streams has dropped a lot recently. I'm in a hurry to find a game with enough buzz to make videos on. Whether this Guitu is a real scam or a fake one, at least it has the buzz.
[Big Bro A]: And, if this game turns out to be real, forget about gaining popularity from streaming the gameplay. Just for the title of the first holographic online game, if I put in some effort during the beta test and create some guides, once the open beta is released, won't the traffic and money just roll in? If that doesn't work, gold farming and selling gold when the game officially launches is also an income source. Spending a few thousand to buy a slot for an early experience is really not a loss. Just treat it as spending a little money on a lottery ticket.
There was a hint of banter in Big Bro A's words. As he spoke, Old Wang Next Door and Big Bro A started chatting about the game economy, while Cheng Tianyu felt as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and his whole being was suddenly enlightened.
Yeah, wasn't it just as Big Bro A said?
He was just a small-time game booster. He might not be super strong in terms of game understanding, but at least he was good at playing games!
If this holographic game was real, then with his skills, he could definitely earn a lot of money.
Even if this game was a scam link, he wouldn't lose much. He could just treat it as an unsuccessful bet on the beautiful dream of getting rich overnight with a lottery ticket.
With this thought, Cheng Tianyu decisively switched back to the email interface and clicked on the link attached to the invitation.
The email redirected to a webpage. A small pinwheel loading icon spun slowly for a while, and a line of text popped out.
[Brave and fearless hero, are you ready to face the challenge from Guitu?]
[Please note: This link cannot be changed once confirmed. Please be fully prepared before confirming to enter the game.]
Black background with red text, it looked particularly strange and terrifying. Cheng Tianyu felt a bit uncomfortable looking at it.
But he still clicked confirm.
[Confirm entry to Ailman's Guitu]
***
At the same time, more than two thousand other people made the same choice as Cheng Tianyu. Although the forum was full of negativity, most of the people who won a slot had no intention of giving up this beta test slot.
Some even believed that most of the posts on the forum were made by people who didn't get a beta test slot, in order to drive down the transfer fee for the beta test slots.
Someone had already studied it. The distribution of beta test slots by Guitu Studio was casual.
After receiving the beta test invitation and confirming, one just needed to fill in their shipping address for the holographic game cabin. There was no strict review process, so it was possible to sell the beta test slot.
Therefore, the remaining two thousand-plus people completely ignored the chaotic dance of demons on the forum.
They were determined to do what others told them not to, and rebelliously confirmed the email.
Hua Country, Special Incident Handling Department.
“How is it? Have we managed to control the number of game beta test registrations?” The middle-aged man had a serious face, with a hint of anxiety in his expression.
The thin man wearing glasses wiped the sweat from his temples, “We've controlled it a little. The number of registrations is gradually slowing down now. But it's still early. The number of registrations might see another surge at noon or in the evening.”
The woman with a high ponytail sitting in front of another computer turned around, her expression not looking good, “It's not working. We've sent private messages to everyone who has stated on the forum that they received a beta test invitation, asking if they could sell their slots, but these messages have either sunk like a stone into the sea or been directly rejected.”
“We've only managed to buy a total of eleven slots here, and that was only after Xiao Gao posted those skeptical threads.”
The middle-aged man's face darkened a bit, “What about the personnel in charge of registration? How is the registration going? How many of our advance team members have received beta test invitations?”
“Report, a total of one hundred and eight members of the advance team have received invitations.”
“One hundred and eight……” the middle-aged man murmured to himself, “Give the eleven slots we bought to those in the advance team who didn't receive invitations. Distribute them from high to low based on their comprehensive scores. At the same time, continue to use the advance team's information to register for beta test slots in large numbers. After the advance team's registration is done, continue to use the database I gave you before to register.”
“The acquisition team shouldn't stop either. Buy as many as you can. Our department has a sufficient budget!”
“At the same time, continue to control the narrative. Be sure to change the talking points after a while, so that the information about this game's beta test slots doesn't spread too widely. By the way, see if you can directly intercept the emails received by those registered players from the source?”
“Report, that's not possible. This Guitu is very strange. As long as it's information about Guitu, no matter on which platform, we can't directly intercept or take it down from the backend. We can only control the traffic flow, we can't completely block the spread of information.”
“Have you already contacted the officials of those platform websites? It can't be done even with direct operations on the website's server backend?”
“We've contacted them. The feedback from their end is that it's not possible.”
The middle-aged man pressed his temples, “Then keep some personnel continuing to try. The rest of you, join the public opinion team and be responsible for manipulating public opinion to completely cool down the heat of this matter.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
……
The three thousand beta test slots were confirmed one by one.
-
Cheng Tianyu slept until the afternoon. He got out of bed and was just about to take his toiletries to the bathroom to wash up when he opened his door and saw a delivery box placed at his doorstep, with 'Cheng Tianyu' written on it.
Cheng Tianyu looked left and right, not knowing which kind-hearted housemate in the shared rental had placed his delivery behind his door. He said to the empty living room: “Thanks.”
Then he dragged the delivery box into his room, took out a box cutter, and cut open the cardboard packaging, revealing a futuristic-looking helmet inside.
Cheng Tianyu took out the helmet, and a short instruction manual for the helmet fell out.
He looked at the helmet, his eyes gradually glowing.
He had bet right!
-
Bai Ye dragged her exhausted body from the teaching building back to her dormitory.
“Aren't you going to eat?” her roommate asked her.
She waved her hand, “Not eating. I stayed up all night and then went to an 8 AM class. I'll catch up on some sleep first.”
Her roommate: “Stayed up all night playing games again? Look at the dark circles under your eyes. You're a girl, at least pay some attention to your appearance! You look like an unkempt otaku. What a waste of such a beautiful face.”
Bai Ye collapsed on her chair, listlessly: “You normies will never understand us from the ACG world.”
She waved her hand, and was about to say something more when she saw a delivery box suddenly placed on her desk. She was a little surprised: “My delivery? Who brought this back for me?”
Her roommate glanced over: “Not sure. It was already there when I got back. Maybe Jiajia and the others helped you pick it up when they went to get their deliveries this morning.”
Bai Ye was even more puzzled: “Did I buy anything recently? Why don't I have any impression of it at all?”
She sat up straight, found a utility knife in her drawer, and opened the delivery box in a few cuts, revealing a silver-white, technologically advanced helmet inside.
Her roommate curiously came over, “What's this? An electric scooter helmet? You don't even know how to ride a bike, why did you buy this?”
“This is not some electric scooter helmet!” Bai Ye's eyes widened, her mouth slowly opening: “This is a holographic game helmet!”
“Guitu is real!”
-
At the same time.
An office worker at work discovered a delivery box on his desk.
A rich young man with shares in several listed companies saw a delivery box on his bedroom desk at home.
A housewife, after dropping off her child, turned around to find an extra delivery box on the dining table.
……
Such miraculous things were happening all over the country.
And at the Hua Country Special Incident Handling Department, they were stunned to find a mountain of delivery boxes piled up at the entrance of their department.
The middle-aged man, who was almost hit in the head by a delivery box when he opened the door, “What is this?”
His subordinate immediately went forward to check, opened one of the delivery boxes, and saw the technologically advanced helmet inside. His voice was filled with shock, “It's the helmet from that game.”
The middle-aged man's eyes widened, “Who put this here?!”
After saying that, he immediately reacted, “Go check the surveillance. What time, and who transported it in!”
With his order, the entire department immediately went into action, everyone working non-stop.
In just a few minutes, someone had already quickly brought up the surveillance footage of the entrance to the special department and projected it onto the large screen in front of them.
The surveillance video on the large screen was playing. The location of the Special Incident Handling Department was very remote, and there were no outsiders passing through the corridor at the entrance.
The person dragged the surveillance video, playing it at ten times the speed. Until ten minutes before the middle-aged man opened the door, the corridor at the entrance of the department was quiet, with no abnormalities.
Until a certain moment ten minutes ago, the surveillance video suddenly showed snowflake-like white dots, as if the signal was interfered with for a moment.
In the next second, a pile of delivery boxes stacked up like a mountain appeared in the empty corridor.
The people in the Special Incident Handling Department looked at each other, unable to describe their current feelings.
A few timid clerks' faces turned pale in an instant. When they looked at the pile of delivery boxes at the door, they couldn't help but feel a little scared.
Sometimes, fear comes from such unknowns.
When you don't know what kind of existence you are fighting against, anything that exceeds common sense and cognition will make you feel afraid.
“This, this is……”
Finally, someone broke the silence at the scene and spoke in a small voice: “Was this sent by the ghost behind that game?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the middle-aged man, “What ghost?”
“Don't you know that spirits are not allowed to form after the founding of the country?” The middle-aged man said with a blank expression, “Didn't the experts from above speculate before that this game was released on Blue Star by an alien civilization with a higher level of technology? Now these delivery boxes also prove this point.”
“This Guitu game studio must be backed by some alien civilization. They are making a move on Blue Star. We must figure out their intentions for doing this as soon as possible, and stop them from disrupting the peace of Blue Star and any actions that would harm our country!”
The middle-aged man's words were powerful and resonant. The department was quiet for a moment, and then suddenly, applause rang out.
Several young Red Hackers hiding behind their computers exchanged a look.
——This alien civilization sounds a bit more ridiculous than the game becoming sentient.
——Can't be helped. The experts above speculated so, so we can only acknowledge it.