Chapter 5: This game can really make people contemplate life.

"Huh? It's starting already."

The water in the electric kettle hadn't boiled yet, but Qiao Liang didn't bother with it for now, and entered the game.

There was nothing at the beginning of the game - no opening animation, no various options, and it directly entered the scene.

In the vast desert, a winding road stretched into the distance.

The game's perspective was from inside the car, with a simple instruction interface. The controls were divided into keyboard and controller types, consistent with mainstream racing games on the market.

Qiao Liang looked at the screen and the controls and thought they were passable.

After all, it was a template, so the upper limit wasn't high, but the lower limit wouldn't be too low either.

Qiao Liang grabbed a controller from the side, plugged it into the computer, and started the game.

The car started.

Qiao Liang drove along the desert road.

In the game, the time was morning, and the sun had just risen not long ago, so the light wasn't too glaring yet.

Sand was constantly swirling in the desert, and sandstorms could be seen in the distance. These sandstorms would affect the game's visibility, sometimes making it very low.

The desert road twisted and turned, not a straight line, but instead turning a corner every so often.

"Click." The water in the kettle had boiled.

Qiao Liang drove the car, lost in thought.

What am I doing?

What should I do?

What does this game want me to do?

He had been driving for three minutes and had indeed turned a few corners, but...

Other than that, he hadn't seen anything that interested him.

Driving, turning corners, watching the sand blowing in from afar – that was all there was to this game.

There weren't even any other cars passing on this desert road!

Qiao Liang wanted to soak the noodles, so he subconsciously pressed the menu button.

But there was no response.

Qiao Liang: "????"

In other games, pressing this button would pause the game, but there was no response in this game!

Qiao Liang thought it might be a bug, that the game didn't support the controller, so he pressed the ESC key, space key, and enter key on the keyboard...

Still no response!

This game couldn't be paused!

Qiao Liang was shocked.

In his moment of shock, he didn't notice the direction of the car, failed to make a turn, and drove off the road, with the tires getting stuck in the sand.

[GAME OVER].

The screen displayed these eight simple letters.

Qiao Liang's mouth was wide open, and he was stunned.

This game had refreshed his understanding of terrible games!

No, strictly speaking, this was not a "terrible game".

"Terrible games" are often due to the lack of skill or funding of the developers, resulting in compromises that give players a rough feeling.

But this game wasn't like that.

It seemed to be deliberately irritating!

Otherwise, why wouldn't there even be a pause function, and why would it be game over every time you failed, without any save points?!

"Wait, this game seems kind of interesting..."

"Maybe if I make a video critiquing it, it could go viral?"

Qiao Liang quickly soaked the noodles with hot water, then ate while studying the game's name and description.

"A simulated driving journey to contemplate life... Well, I really am contemplating life, this description didn't lie to me..."

"Looking at it this way, this game really is full of malice!"

...

Three hours later.

Qiao Liang's concentration waned slightly, and he failed to make a turn, causing the car to become stuck in the sand, and the game ended.

"Ah!"

"Damn it...!!!"

Qiao Liang almost smashed the controller on the table in frustration. Three hours!

He had spent a full three hours doing nothing but driving in the desert, only for the merciless "GAME OVER" on the screen to announce his failure.

His precious three hours of life had passed by, and apart from consuming electricity, he had not created any value.

The recorded video was also useless. Of the three hours of footage, only the last few seconds could be used for a fail montage.

Qiao Liang tossed the controller onto the computer desk and stood up to calm himself.

He didn't break the controller because he was poor.

After all, the controller cost more than two hundred dollars, and if it broke, Qiao Liang would be heartbroken.

"Phew..."

"Calm down."

"It's all for work."

"Good. This game has successfully aroused my anger, which is a great quality for a trash game."

Qiao Liang quickly regained his composure.

As a content creator who specialized in ridiculing bad games, he had seen it all. He should be able to handle this situation.

However, Qiao Liang realized that completing this game would not be an easy task.

It was a challenge!

So, Qiao Liang ordered takeout.

Luckily, the game ended early enough, or the takeout wouldn't have been delivered.

While waiting, Qiao Liang took a nap on the bed to recharge.

After waking up and eating, Qiao Liang placed a large cup of water on the table, prepared for a long battle.

He had begun to understand the game.

Was the game difficult? No.

Anyone with hands could complete it. It wasn't an exaggeration.

There were no sharp turns, no police cars causing trouble, and no speed requirements for the players.

The only difficulty was time!

Three hours had passed, and he still didn't know how much longer the course would be.

Players would instinctively speed up to finish faster, but this required intense focus, or they would fail to turn in time.

If they left the track, they'd have to start all over.

If they wanted to be cautious, they would have to drive slowly, but this would make the game even longer.

"Damn, this is so frustrating!"

Qiao Liang's desire to challenge and mock the game grew stronger than ever.

If he could make a video ridiculing the game, just the title alone would attract many views!

Qiao Liang gritted his teeth and continued playing.

...

More than eight hours later.

Late at night.

"Holy shit!"

"I actually completed it! I can't believe I did it!"

Qiao Liang wanted to cry. He had finally reached the finish line!

It was a common finish line, seemingly using generic art assets found in many racing games, but at that moment, the black and white checkered line on the ground felt incredibly dear to him.

He was on the verge of tears!

He stood up from his computer chair, holding the controller.

His back ached, his hands cramped, and his eyes could barely stay open due to lack of sleep.

But he had persisted for a full eight hours!

It was all worth it!

Qiao Liang was moved by his own determination. What a spirit!

The moment he crossed the finish line, he felt as if he were possessed by a racing god!

At that moment, he was the coolest person on the track.

However, immediately afterward, the screen went black, and a line of text appeared.

Congratulations, you have successfully wasted precious 8 hours of your life!