A ray of sunlight pierced the morning mist, casting its glow upon the park's gravel path.
The winding path was lined with trees, and the grass was verdant.
Dewdrops trembled on the leaves and grass tips, shimmering with dazzling brilliance.
Tread, tread, tread—
Footsteps approached from a distance, and a beautiful figure ran past, treading on the fresh morning dew.
Ever since VR games became fully popularized, the trend of national fitness gradually surged.
There was no other reason,
The playtime in VR games was linked to the player's physical fitness. The health system would designate corresponding anti-addiction times based on the physical condition of each player entering the VR world.
The average person had about eight hours, weaklings and shut-ins might only have four to five hours, while players with extremely high physical fitness could even experience more than ten hours.
Therefore, to better and faster experience newly released VR games, many players actively adjusted their schedules and persisted in exercising.
All for the sake of lasting longer within the game. Lu Li was one of them.
Lu Li's physique wasn't that of a shut-in, but due to spending long hours in the office, his body was somewhat in a sub-healthy state.
Since tasting the delights of VR games, Lu Li had developed a strong interest in them.
Today, "Sekiro" was released.
He would undoubtedly participate actively, and he was quite looking forward to the immersive experience of forging weapons.
After his morning exercise, Lu Li returned home, stepped into the BT-7274 simulation access cabin, and quietly joined the ranks of the vast player base.
At the same time,
Major game streamers on various platforms were also surging into the game in an orderly fashion.
"Sekiro" had a phenomenal level of popularity, whether it was organic player buzz, online discussion, or promotional efforts.
Most importantly,
It had become an unwritten rule in the industry that new games from Lingjing would inevitably boost a batch of streamers. Many streamers who had not yet gained fame held a glimmer of hope.
Especially "Sekiro," which attempted a pure "torment" style for the first time in VR games. It was a challenge for players, both physically and mentally.
After all, this was real sword-to-sword combat. Even if the feedback for a blade entering flesh was minimized, it wouldn't hurt.
But it was the sensation of cutting open flesh and feeling blood flow, which was not something ordinary people could endure.
Could one endure it once, twice, a hundred times?
Unless one had masochistic tendencies, like Bai Zhiyuan.
Coincidentally, Chun Hei, who was quietly unknown in the corner of Bilibili, was one of them.
He had opened his stream early, but the viewer count was sparse, and there wasn't a single bullet comment for a long time.
However, he was not discouraged.
He knew that games with a "Souls-like" torment style, like "Sekiro," were more popular with skilled streamers, such as Sanren and Lao San.
He was also one of them, just lacking the right timing and location. Chun Hei believed he would eventually have his moment.
Putting on the VR helmet he bought from the second-hand market, Chun Hei sat on his simple computer chair and quietly entered the game.
Besides some well-known skilled streamers, there were also some top-tier streamers who existed outside the established circles, possessing immense popularity on their own.
Even before starting their stream, a crowd of viewers was eagerly anticipating.
Among them, the most anticipated by the audience was Sister Zhou, who had not played VR games since being "stabbed" by "Titanfall."
'Sister Zhou, open the door quickly!'
'AAAA, hurry up!'
'Sister Zhou is trying out Lingjing VR games again, very excited to see what sparks will fly!'
'Shufen, open the door, it's Dad!'
......
In front of the computer screen, Sister Zhou quietly looked at her yet-to-be-activated stream. Her lightly made-up face looked a little unnatural.
She was conflicted. Games produced by Lingjing were either named "stab" or were very tormenting, or both.
"Sekiro," under the premise of no spoilers, was unpredictable; it was like opening a blind box.
But Sister Zhou was truly scared. If she was "stabbed" by BT again, she feared she would roll her eyes on the spot.
"To escape is shameful!"
However, facing the immense popularity, Sister Zhou couldn't resist. She cheered herself up internally and decisively turned on her stream camera.
"Brothers, you've waited a long time."
Sister Zhou faced the camera with a professional smile and said playfully, "I've heard great things about 'Sekiro.' The designer and a well-known UP主 personally promoted it, so it would be rude not to play it."
"I have to say, it's still the old thief. Ever since I played his VR games, my schedule has become much healthier."
"Alright, alright, no more nonsense, let's log in!"
After greeting everyone, Sister Zhou walked directly towards the BT-7274 access cabin, which was still in its throwing pose.
As the last evidence of BT's existence, even though her heart skipped a beat every time she saw this particular model of BT, Sister Zhou still insisted on using this access cabin.
【Lingken Sidatou!】
The prompt sound came, and Sister Zhou's consciousness successfully entered the game.
When she opened her eyes again, the giant cover of "Sekiro" was before her.
Then, the scene in her vision blurred, faint colorful clouds drifted by, and all things vibrant appeared before her.
The north wind howled, and all was desolate.
The first thing that caught her eye was the widespread crimson maple leaves falling with the wind, followed by a staggering figure entering Sister Zhou's God's-eye view.
"In the late stages of the war, the fires burning across the nation still show no signs of abating. Even the land of Ashina, located deep in the mountains and forests, is engulfed in flames."
A deep, resonant narration sounded, capturing everyone's attention with the stunning scenery.
Through Sister Zhou's God's-eye view, her viewers clearly saw innocent people affected by the war desperately fleeing, but the places they passed were all rivers of blood.
On the battlefield not far away, a small soldier coldly sent his long blade into the neck of an enemy, then drew his sword to prepare to kill a fleeing person passing by.
*Ching!*
The next moment, a cold arrow mercilessly pierced the small soldier's head, blood splattering, showering the refugee's face.
The camera slowly zoomed out, revealing the endless expanse of the war-torn land.
Corpses lay everywhere, and blood stained the earth.
In just a few dozen seconds, a tragic background of war and displaced refugees was quietly embedded in the players' hearts.
Through the perspective of the refugees, they caught a glimpse of the cruelty of war and the ferocity of the battlefield.
Following this, a heavy horn sounded.
The camera focused on two heavily armored soldiers. After an intense struggle, one soldier named 'Isshin Ashina' stood as the last one remaining.
He roared towards the distant battlefield, "...The enemy general has been defeated by me!"
The scene shifted, and the war was nearing its end.
A few crows flew by, the setting sun blood-red.
On the blood-soaked battlefield, a boy crawled out from a pile of dead bodies. He slowly picked up the sword on the ground, his eyes vacant like a stagnant pool of water.
A burly warrior clearing the battlefield beside him drew his blade across the boy's face. The latter remained expressionless, even as blood flowed down his eyes and cheeks.
"A lost and dejected stray dog?"
The warrior commented indifferently and asked, "Do you want to come with me? Hungry wolf."
A flicker of life appeared in the boy's perpetually unchanging expression. He slowly raised his head...
At this moment, the surrounding scenery flowed by at lightning speed.
The boy raising his head transformed into an adult wolf. Sunlight streamed through the doorway, illuminating half of the wolf's face. A knife scar from his left forehead to his eyebrow was clearly visible, adding a touch of ferocity to his already somber gaze. The other half of his face was hidden in shadow, as if alluding to something.
This transition...
Sister Zhou, with her God's-eye view, was stunned. Upon seeing the adult wolf's face, she exclaimed again:
"Holy crap, Yasuo?!"
......