Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Activation
Long Ming soon reached the front door. Just as he was about to leave, an urgent shout came from behind: “Mr., wait!”
He stopped on instinct and turned to see a waitress, Little Seven, hurrying over. He asked, “Is something wrong?”
She said, “Mr., weren’t you looking for a game pod?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“There’s one free now,” Little Seven explained quickly.
“You just said there weren’t any. How is there one all of a sudden?” Long Ming frowned, feeling a bit suspicious.
“It’s like this,” she said with a smile, “a guest just canceled. I immediately thought of you, so I ran after you.”
Hearing that, Long Ming went quiet and didn’t book right away.
Seeing him hesitate, Little Seven urged him: “Mr., we’re running a half-off promotion across the venue. It’s a great deal. Please don’t hesitate, or someone else will grab it.”
“Fine, I’ll book three days,” Long Ming said, letting out a small breath.
“Wonderful, Mr., this way please,” Little Seven said, delighted, and led him toward Starwish Cafe.
Following her into Starwish Cafe, Long Ming glanced at Luo Xue, who was surrounded like a star at the center of a crowd.
“Our Starwish Cafe has three main sections,” Little Seven said as they walked. “The main hall here is the viewing area. We sometimes stream videos of our club experts exploring civilization worlds, and we’ll broadcast tournaments in the future. Floors 2 and 3 are all private rooms with the latest helmets. Safety isn’t a problem. Every room can be locked from the inside, and all corridors have cameras and patrolling security staff.”
“Mm,” Long Ming replied, giving the second floor a sidelong look.
The entire second floor was cut into small private rooms. Security staff paced the hallway. It was so quiet it felt like no one was inside.
“Floors 4 to 6 are the VIP area,” she continued. “Those rooms have game pods.”
“So many game pods?” Long Ming was surprised.
“Yes. Our boss and shareholders have real resources,” she said.
“How many shareholders?”
“Five,” Little Seven answered, chatty as ever.
“Not bad,” Long Ming said evenly.
They arrived on the sixth floor. Compared with the second floor, the decor here was far more luxurious. The floor was paved with black tiles flecked like gilt, art hung along the walls, and there was a self-serve bar for fruit, snacks, and drinks.
“This is the self-serve area,” Little Seven said. “Everything is free. If you get hungry, help yourself.”
“Nice,” Long Ming said, noting the snacks and drinks were all high-end brands.
She led him deeper in. One private room after another lined the hall, every door closed, every Do Not Disturb light on. It was clear almost all the rooms were occupied.
“This will be your room, Mr.,” Little Seven said, stopping.
Long Ming looked at the room number, 666, and said, “Pretty lucky.”
“As long as you like it. Here’s the key card,” Little Seven said, handing it over.
Long Ming took the card and swiped the electronic lock.
Beep.
The door slid open.
He stepped inside. The room wasn’t large, maybe fifteen square meters. A game pod stood in the center, a single armchair beside it, and a small private bathroom sat in the corner.
“This is the game pod. The power is here,” Little Seven said, pointing. “It works a lot like the helmets, so there’s not much difference in operation…”
“Mm. How do I pay?” he asked.
“No rush. Settle up after you’re done. That way it’s easy to leave early or extend time.”
“Okay.”
“Enjoy your session,” Little Seven said with a slight bow, then left the room.
Long Ming closed the door and pressed the Do Not Disturb switch on the wall. After that, he walked up to the game pod.
The pod was 2.5 meters long, its shell made of gray matte metal with a great finish. He tapped the power button.
Click.
The lid opened on its own.
He took off his shoes, lay down inside, and closed the pod.
A projection screen popped up in front of his eyes: “Activate Civilization Paradise?”
“Yes,” Long Ming confirmed.
A flash of white light rose, and he appeared in Starlight City. Noise swelled all around him.
He raised his wristband and tapped, pulling out an M24 sniper rifle and its attachments. Then he began to assemble them, pressing bullets into the magazine one by one. He knew that bringing the M24 into an instance could mean losing it all if he died, but going in without it might make him helpless when he needed it most. [Better to risk it than regret it.]
Players passing by noticed him putting the M24 together and let out cries of surprise: “Wow, what weapon is that?” “It looks awesome!”
Long Ming ignored them and focused, mounting the 4x scope, the suppressor, and the rest.
A man in a leather jacket with a scar on his left cheek saw the M24 and his eyes lit up. He hurried over and tried to be friendly, saying, “Bro, that gun is nice. Looks powerful.”
Long Ming didn’t answer.
“I’m A Tao. Everyone calls me Brother Tao,” the man went on, patient. “I buy gear in this area. I’m kind of known. Your weapon is great. How about selling it to me? I’ll pay top price.”
“Not selling,” Long Ming said without looking up.
“Bro, don’t rush to say no. I’ll pay 800,000 1D Coins, or the same in cash.”
“Not selling.”
“One million!” A Tao raised the offer at once. From the condition of the weapon, he knew the durability was high. It would fetch a great price.
“I said I’m not selling,” Long Ming replied coolly, finishing the assembly and equipping the M24.
“Listen, not selling now would be dumb,” A Tao urged. “It’s simple. Scarcity makes value. Right now, game drop rates are low and the rich want gear. Your gun is worth a lot today. In a while, drops will flood the market and it won’t be worth much. Every second you wait, it loses value.”
“Still not selling. I’ll use it myself.”
“What are you, stupid?” he snapped. “If you carry that into an instance and drop it, you’ll lose everything. Better to sell to tycoons now.”
He pushed hard because he knew this M24 was one of the best weapons currently out there. Rich players would pay huge, and he could earn big too.
“No need,” Long Ming said, turning away and leaving.
Watching him go, A Tao cursed under his breath: “Damn, what an idiot. So he got lucky and picked up a good weapon. He thinks he’ll always be this lucky?”
“Exactly. Doesn’t know a good thing. He’ll be crying later.”
“Such a waste. I’d sell it in a heartbeat.”
The nearby onlookers chimed in with their own comments.
On the other side of the square, Long Ming walked to a more open spot and took out an invitation. A prompt popped up on his wristband: “Activate Anfa Civilization Invitation?”
“Yes,” he said, eyes firm.
The invitation flared with dazzling light, and white radiance wrapped around him. When the light faded, he was standing on a small gyroscope-shaped mechanical platform.
Unlike last time, the platform was empty. Besides him, there was no one else.
Feeling puzzled, he looked down at his wristband display:
Teleport Platform No. 867
Civilization opened: Anfa
Civilization Level: 1
Participants: 1/1000
Seeing the single participant count made his heart skip. [I’m the only one? If the number doesn’t fill, will it bug out? Will I get stuck here? That would be awful.] Uneasy thoughts piled up, but he forced them down and waited patiently.