Walking listlessly along the most prosperous central street of D City, Mo Yichen was filled with frustration and suppressed anger.
After graduating from college, he had come to D City to work at a small privately owned brand agency. He started from the lowest position—as a warehouse manager—relying on a smooth tongue and two tireless legs. Rain or shine, wind or storm, he ran everywhere until exhaustion. Less than half a year after finally becoming a business manager, the boss suddenly announced that the company was shutting down.
He reached into his pocket and touched a thick envelope. Inside was 15,000 RMB, given by his former boss as a so-called "severance fee." Coincidentally, it was exactly three months' salary.
At least it wasn't the worst outcome. Until he found another job, he wouldn't have to worry about survival for the time being.
Mo Yichen's personality matched his name—"Yi Chen," meaning reckless and carefree. Back in college, whenever he received his monthly allowance, he would squander it with his friends in just one week. For the remaining three weeks, he lived off generous classmates everywhere.
This unstable lifestyle only improved slightly after he started working, yet his finances were still tight by the end of every month.
After work, Mo Yichen followed his usual routine—walking along Central Avenue before cutting through the pedestrian street to return to the small apartment he rented.
When he reached the famous five-star Yunjing Hotel in D City, he noticed a large crowd gathered at the entrance, completely blocking the sidewalk.
A brand promotion event?
He thought to himself. After five years in the industry, scenes like this were nothing new. Mo Yichen had never liked joining the excitement, so he turned to skirt around the outer edge of the crowd.
"Sir, please wait."
A beautiful woman in a black uniform and skirt stopped him by the roadside.
Before Mo Yichen could react, the sweet-looking woman spoke again, her gentle voice surprisingly persuasive.
"Sir, do you like playing online games?"
"I… it's okay," Mo Yichen replied. He had almost said that he wasn't interested, but for some reason, his heart softened when he saw her face. Who didn't like beautiful women? Still, he found it strange—someone this pretty should have been discovered by a talent scout long ago. Why would she be working on the street as a promoter?
"That's perfect," the uniformed woman said with a smile. "The large-scale simulation online game 'Fengxu,' developed by our company over six years, will officially launch in three days. You can experience it in advance!"
She bowed slightly and made an inviting gesture.
"Well… okay," Mo Yichen said hesitantly. Unable to resist her invitation—and since it was free—he followed her into the hotel lobby.
Passing through the lobby and a spacious courtyard, the woman led him into an even larger hall.
Mo Yichen had been here several times over the past five years. Company banquets, colleagues' weddings—every visit meant preparing a red envelope. This place was one of the locations he disliked most in D City, because every visit cost him dearly.
Now, all the dining tables had been removed. The vast hall, once capable of hosting forty-eight banquet tables at once, was filled with rows of reclining chairs resembling massage beds.
Most of the chairs were already occupied. The people lying on them wore helmet-like devices similar to motorcycle helmets. Several women in black uniforms moved between the rows.
"Sir, please lie down," the woman said, guiding Mo Yichen to an empty chair.
Lie down?
Mo Yichen felt a flicker of unease, but he complied.
"Please wait a moment," the woman said as she crouched down and took a gray helmet from the drawer beneath the chair. Unlike a motorcycle helmet, its back was flat, and there was no visor in the front.
As she adjusted the equipment, Mo Yichen noticed her badge:
Experience Instructor — Gu Yanshi.
He quickly looked away, embarrassed. Mo Yichen was shy by nature—boisterous with friends, but easily flustered around women.
Gu Yanshi gently placed the helmet on his head and said softly, "Sir, please relax. You may feel a slight discomfort at first, similar to the moment a plane takes off. Please bear with it."
Mo Yichen hummed in response.
The system activated, and a gentle female voice began the countdown inside the helmet:
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
The section of the helmet connected to his neck tightened suddenly, and the last trace of light disappeared, plunging him into darkness.
Two red beams shot directly into Mo Yichen's eyes. He felt dizzy and instinctively tried to close them—only to realize he couldn't.
Fear surged through him.
The system's calm voice sounded:
"Iris lock confirmed."
"Cranial nerve lock confirmed."
"This is an experience-only service. Users may access the system for ten minutes without authentication."
A mass of white light bloomed from Mo Yichen's vision, slowly expanding…
slowly expanding…
Until it completely engulfed him.