QT: LAC Chapter 42: Fourth World (1)

ARC 4: Online Games; Fatty’s Counterattack

 

Chapter 42: Fourth World (1)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Sulo

 

During the summer, Bai Duan, who never liked sweating, went out in the sun. Since he was eighteen years old today, he could finally buy his own virtual computer to play the most popular online game in the world, [Ten Thousand Realms].

[Ten Thousand Realms] was the first holographic game of its kind. When it first appeared, it attracted wide attention from all over the world. No matter if it was old people or children, everyone loved it. It was not because of its grand backgrounds, incomparable settings, and PK style, but because it could simulate the human senses up to ninety percent. This made it have the most real experience to the players, so that they could see the natural, beautiful scenery in game. 

In this era of highly developed science and technology, human beings had already developed their own living spaces in every corner of the Earth, and the corresponding result was the sharp decline of natural scenery. Nowadays, wherever one went, everywhere were buildings, towering skyscrapers, roads and vehicles. As for natural scenery, there were only a few national protected areas that were strictly managed by the world.

Of course, nature reserves were also open to outgoing tourists, but in order to maximize the protection of animals and plants in these nature reserves, tourists who wanted to visit had to make appointments in advance. The management department would select tourists who could enter the nature reserves according to the number of tourists that had been in the reserves in the last year, the appointment time and the credibility of the tourists.

It was a rather complicated and tedious procedure, and it took a long time, from months to years. If one was old, they might not have time to go. It was really a very difficult process.

Due to people’s desire for natural scenery, the game [Ten Thousand Realms] was widely sought after at the beginning of its debut and attracted the attention of the whole society. The only problem was that it was too real, and sometimes even confused players, leaving them unable to differentiate which was virtual or reality, and even caused several tragedies.

Thus, after a series of consultations and discussions, the [Ten Thousand Realms] game took restrictive actions on the group of players. First, it restricted the players’ online time, it urged them to play at the same time and also made them contact the real world; secondly, it only allowed adults who were above the age of eighteen to play. After all, children were innocent, and were most easily influenced by games and would easily get addicted to them.

Bai Duan was not very interested in games, but he liked nature very much.

When he was young, he had the pleasure to follow his family to visit the nature reserve. After getting into the reserve, he was captured by the luxuriant green grass and green incense on his nose. Since then, he had always been obsessed with it. However, although he had been trying to submit his application again, because he had already had an excursion experience, the management was more inclined to choose someone else. Bai Duan was never given a second chance because of the tourists who had never visited it.

Therefore, when [Ten Thousand Realms] appeared, he was very eager to get into the game, and to see and feel the green grass again and again.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. It was not long after that [Ten Thousand Realms] issued a restriction for their players. Bai Duan was then kicked out of the game. Until he became an adult, he could not open [Ten Thousand Realms] and would have to wait until he could log in once more. 

In order to wait for this day, Bai Duan could be said to be looking through the autumn water. He immediately rushed to the game service point, hoping to be able to return to [Ten Thousand Realms] as soon as possible.

Obviously, there were many young people with the same idea as Bai Duan.

The service point was full of bustling young people, who were the same age as Bai Duan. They were either excited or impatient, while queuing in front of the window, whispering their desire and curiosity for the New World.

Bai Duan wiped the sweat beads from his forehead and moved to the end of the line. Soon, a lot of people lined up behind him one after another. Fortunately, the process of re-unlocking the game was not complicated, so the line moved faster.

Bai Duan was shy and not good at talking to strangers. He did not join other young people’s topics, but just stood quietly in the ranks when he seemed to feel a rather focused gaze on himself, and could not help turning his head and looking at the owner of the gaze.

It was a fat man. He wore the largest sized T-shirt and looked like a meatball. The five facial orifices were crowded together by the stump of fat. He could not see clearly, and though he could not be seen as ugly, but it was also hard to create any goodwill.

With Bai Duan’s gaze, the fat man shrank apparently and turned his head in a panic. And Bai Duan, because of his beautiful appearance, had long been accustomed to the feeling of being noticed by others so he also did not pay attention to it.

The fat man came earlier than Bai Duan, and soon he reached his goal and left the service point, while Bai Duan continued to wait for some time.

Walking to the window, Bai Duan swept his nano computer across the machine in front of him. After checking his information, the staff unlocked the game [Ten Thousand Realms] for him, and smiled to wish him a happy game.

Bai Duan involuntarily revealed a happy smile, and then hurried home, but did not reach the door of the community when he once again met the fat man.

The fat man and Bai Duan entered the same building, and he was waiting for him as they stood in front of the elevator. He seemed to want to talk with Bai Duan. His eyes had swept Bai Duan from time to time, but he did not dare to stay too long and inexplicably felt pity.

So for the first time, Bai Duan, who never spoke to strangers, opened his mouth on his own initiative: “Do you live here, too? I haven’t seen you before.”

Well, he would never forget a fat man of this tonnage.

Obviously, the fat man did not anticipate that Bai Duan would open his mouth voluntarily. He was shocked. The fat flesh on his body trembled, and he stammered and nodded back, “Well, yes, I just moved here…”

Bai Duan picked up the eyebrows, somewhat surprised that the fat man’s voice was quite pleasant, low, lubricating, and had a little attractive magnetism, “Really? Which floor do you live on?”

“1604…” The fat man answered softly.

“Ah? Are you and I neighbors?” Bai Duan was somewhat surprised. “You were the one who moved here the other day? My name is Bai Duan. How about you?”

“Xie Yan.” The fat man moved the flesh on his face and seemed to want to squeeze out a smile, but he probably knew that his appearance was not very good. He quickly gave up trying and dropped his head in frustration.

He didn’t know why, when he saw Xie Yan, Bai Duan wanted to laugh. He entered the elevator when the doors opened with Xie Yan and asked, “Are you eighteen years old? You went to unlock the game capsule for [Ten Thousand Realms] today, right?”

“I… I’m twenty years old.” Xie Yan shook his head. “Today was not to unlock the game capsule, but to… re-purchase.” After that, he paused and explained awkwardly, “The previous one…broke.”

Bai Duan found this somewhat surprising.

The game capsule for [Ten Thousand Realms] was always guaranteed by quality, and it would not break easily. Even if it broke down, as long as the player was not the faulty party, [Ten Thousand Realms] would also repair it free of charge. But Xie Yan actually needed to buy the game capsule again, which meant…the game capsule was absolutely irreparably damaged, which should not be an accident.

Realizing that there was something hidden in his words, Bai Duan did not continue to pursue it. After all, he and Xie Yan had just met.

The elevator was very fast, and the two men stopped on the sixteen floor after a few words. Bai Duan and Xie Yan got out of the elevator, turned a corner, and then arrived at their own homes.

Standing in front of 1603, Bai Duan waved, “I’m here. I’m going to play games first.”

“Okay.” Xie Yan nodded. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he did not speak. He turned silently and opened his door.

Bai Duan whispered, “Weird guy” in a low voice. Then, he threw Xie Yan behind his head and walked into his dusty apartment. Last night, he had just been relocated to clean up for the new game capsule and was in a good mood to lie in.

After entering the game smoothly, Bai Duan looked at the character he had built when he was a child, and he really felt like he was separated from the world. His character was part of the demon tribe, and was a fox species, with pointed white ears on the top of his head and a fluffy white tail behind his buttocks.

Bai Duan remembered that the race he originally wanted to choose was human, but somehow he was attracted by the swaying tail of the fox demon clan at first sight after he entered the building space for characters, and he could not resist falling quickly. Since then, Bai Duan liked to do everything in [Ten Thousand Realms]. Apart from playing around and enjoying the natural scenery, he liked playing with his big tail. Bai Duan’s parents looked at him and laughed at him. 

However, Bai Duan did not really like the fox species. He felt that he should not be a fox, but he also could not figure out what was wrong with the fox either.

When he recalled that he was brought to play in the game by his parents when he was a child, Bai Duan began to miss his parents. When he was fifteen years old, his parents were sent to other planets for scientific research and development. Since then, they seldom came back. Only on New Year’s Day did they have time to communicate with Bai Duan and talk about each other’s situation.

For more than three years, Bai Duan was already used to a solitary person’s life. He had enough food and clothing, and had a rich life. Even if anything happened, he would be helped by his parents’ company. But Bai Duan still thought of his parents and sometimes, he felt lonely.

When he thought of the time he spent with his parents, Bai Duan’s mood became a little low, and he immersed himself in the game.

He ran with his character through the forest where the fox lived, got familiar with the game controls, began to feel hungry and left the game. He still had countless days to spend in the game, and was not anxious to play now that it was in his hands.

After climbing out of the game capsule, Bai Duan touched his stomach and went to the kitchen. Although he had been living alone for three years, Bai Duan still had no cooking skills, he either had to order takeout, or simply go to the convenience store.

Opening the refrigerator, Bai Duan murmured for a moment and took out a bowl of instant noodles. To tell the truth, he did not like this type of convenience food very much, although the cooking method was simple, the taste was still bland.

With a sigh, Bai Duan, who did not have much of an appetite, was holding the instant noodles with a bitter face and began to miss his mother’s cooking skills. After recalling, Bai Duan finally slightly raised his interest in eating. He took out his chopsticks, but before he picked up the noodles, he heard a gentle knock at the door.

Bai Duan frowned. He had no friends in the area, and no one who would go to the door without warning. As he wondered who the visitor was, he put down his chopsticks and went to the door.

Opening the door, Bai Duan had not yet seen who the visitor was, but he could smell the aroma of food that left him in a trance. He struggled to take his eyes off the lunch box in front of him. He looked up slightly and looked at Xie Yan, who had a worried expression. His eyes burst into brilliance.

 

Here’s a picture @rara0587 drew for the game version of BD. Ty Love, love you much! MWHA.