Blue.
Lin Xian finished grinding out the last episode of Divine Domain, collapsed into his chair, and sprawled out like a dead dog.
Lin Xian threw his head back and howled, “Finally, finally done grinding! Being a trending dog isn’t easy either!”
The hype for Divine Mandate was almost over.
He should take the money he earned from these three episodes and return to his roots of doing game live streams.
But lately, the entire gaming community had been sucked dry by Divine Domain.
New games that were scheduled for pre-sale all delayed their launches.
For a moment, Lin Xian didn’t even know what game to make a video about next.
Should he do a live stream for a closed beta game?
Lin Xian was out of ideas.
Suddenly, his computer went “ding.”
Lin Xian looked down—his email had received a new message notification.
“What is this? Where did this spam come from? Wait, it’s an email from Under the Gods?!”
Lin Xian immediately sat up straight and opened the email to check carefully.
Because only three people had reserved the closed beta, the three of them were directly packaged as the first Players for the external test of Under the Gods!
The full-dive helmet with the Under the Gods base game installed was already on its way.
The closed beta would officially start in two days!
“Whoa!”
Lin Xian’s face was still a bit dazed.
When he paid, he was just fantasizing about the chance to play Under the Gods.
But wasn’t this a bit too fast?
He originally thought that if he received any news within two months, it would already mean the developers were being conscientious.
But this was basically instant!
After the excitement came worry.
Lin Xian looked at the message on his computer, and suddenly felt like backing out.
With such high efficiency, was there something wrong with the helmet being sent?
What if he put it on and his brain just crashed and died?
But this was the first virtual reality game!
It felt like there were two little Lin Xians fighting in his head, neither able to convince the other.
If he could find the other two Players participating in the game’s closed beta, he’d probably feel more at ease.
But the official site for Under the Gods didn’t even have a Player forum section!
He had no idea where to even start looking for people.
Lin Xian glanced sideways.
Suddenly, he saw the words “Under the Gods” float by in his Fandom Group.
A lightbulb suddenly lit up over his head.
Right, he didn’t know how to find people—but he had fans!
Even though Lin Xian’s self-media career was only so-so, he’d been doing it long enough to accumulate a group of loyal fans.
Relying on the power of his fans, maybe he could really find other closed beta Players?
Lin Xian decisively clicked into the Fandom Group.
Inside, the community was chatting and joking around, just happening to talk about Divine Domain and Under the Gods.
Tian Li San Hua: “Why does it feel like the public opinion on Divine Domain has improved?”
Cun Tou Er Gou: “Nonsense. With a hatred magnet like Under the Gods around, even a pig would look like the Heavenly Boar Marshal in comparison!”
Tian Li San Hua: “No way, right? What if Under the Gods actually makes the game? I heard it might start closed beta soon?”
Xiao Sheng de Yu Tang Man Le: “Do you believe Under the Gods can really release a game, or do you believe I’m Qin Shihuang?”
Tian Li San Hua: “IP checks out, I believe you!”
Xiao Sheng de Yu Tang Man Le: “Alright then, V me 50 immediately. When I rise again, I’ll make you Grand Marshal of the Nation!”
Emperor is Qin Shihuang: “Insolence! I am the true Qin Shihuang. When I rise again, I’ll annihilate the Four Commons, unify language and script, make all of Blue Star speak Huaguo Language—if you believe in me, press 1!”
Tian Li San Hua: “1!”
Cun Tou Er Gou: “111, does that mean we don’t have to learn English anymore, Your Majesty?”
Xiao Sheng de Yu Tang Man Le: “Bah! Liar. It’s clearly unify script and carriage tracks. I am the real Qin Shihuang!”
The chat was getting more and more off-topic.
Just as Lin Xian was wondering how to speak up, a user called Ye Hui Fei suddenly said:
“I got a closed beta spot for Under the Gods. I’ll do a live text stream in the group in two days. Everyone’s welcome to join!”
The Fandom Group: ???
Lin Xian: !!!
What was this, a windfall that landed right in his lap?
He’d just been thinking of finding the other two suckers who paid—and now one had appeared on its own!
Lin Xian started typing quickly.
Ren Bu Xiu Ji: “@Ye Hui Fei, bro, did you receive the game helmet?”
Ye Hui Fei: “? Xiu-ge, don’t tell me you also—”
Ren Bu Xiu Ji: “Ahem, I also have a closed beta spot.”
Tian Li San Hua: “???”
Cun Tou Er Gou: “??”
Xiao Sheng de Yu Tang Man Le: “?”
Emperor is Qin Shihuang: “No way, Xiu-ge, you too fell for this scam?”
Pfft.
Lin Xian felt like a knife had stabbed through his heart.
This was exactly why he couldn’t figure out how to explain things earlier.
So embarrassing.
Ren Bu Xiu Ji: “Hahaha, well, I’m a game blogger after all, so I need to look for strange game content.”
Ye Hui Fei: “Oh, I see. No wonder. I also signed up because it only cost a few dozen bucks—basically like getting it for free. I just filled out the form without thinking and never expected to actually win!”
Ye Hui Fei: “I checked the delivery—my game helmet should arrive this afternoon. But my dad said mysterious things from unknown sources might be dangerous, so he wants to take it to his company for inspection first. I’ll probably get it tomorrow.”
Like getting it for free…
Seeing these words, Lin Xian felt another knife twist in his heart, tears streaming down his face.
Lin Xian was very familiar with the ID Ye Hui Fei—it was ranked third on his account’s donation leaderboard.
A young rich second-generation.
When he became Lin Xian’s number three donor, he said something similar—because there were so few fans, becoming third on the board felt almost free.
Sigh, why is the gap between people so big?
But after seeing the second message, Lin Xian’s spirits lifted.
This was exactly the kind of news he wanted!
Lin Xian immediately pulled Ye Hui Fei into a private chat.
Ren Bu Xiu Ji: “Bro, when your game helmet inspection report comes out, could you send me a copy?”
Ye Hui Fei: “Oh—so Xiu-ge pulled me into private chat to ask about this. No problem at all!”
Ren Bu Xiu Ji: “Thank you, thank you [bowing]. By the way, do you really think Under the Gods has a chance of making a real virtual reality game?”
Ye Hui Fei: “Hmm…the odds are very low. My family doesn’t work in game development, but we know a bit about cutting-edge brainwave technology.”
Ye Hui Fei: “To create a game capsule that meets mainstream expectations, you’d need at least one critical technological breakthrough—or two innovative technical advances!”
Lin Xian read with a sense of awe.
As expected, Ye Hui Fei’s background was extraordinary!
This kind of high-level information was way beyond what Lin Xian could gather on his own.
Lin Xian chatted a bit more with him, agreeing to check out what medicine Under the Gods was selling in its gourd in two days.
If the game could log in, they’d team up and go online together.
With a mix of excitement and anxiety, Lin Xian closed the chat window.
Ye Hui Fei said the chances were slim—but still possible.
Some disruptive technologies don’t need to follow the normal rules of scientific development.
Like during the Industrial Revolution.
Human society advanced more in a few decades than in the previous thousand years!
If Under the Gods really had this kind of tech, they’d hit the jackpot!
That’s right.
Just treat it as an invisible investment—huge profits if you win, small loss if you lose.
After talking with Ye Hui Fei, Lin Xian felt much more at ease.