The Game Begins 1

After leaving the shelter, Han Xiao first went to his residence at the Bailian settlement. It was not so much a residence as it was a shack that could barely keep out the rain, without even a decent window or door.

After grabbing the axe, Han Xiao turned and headed out to hunt prey.

When he opened the door and came outside, he saw a little girl squatting inside his neighbor's house, looking at him curiously.

Han Xiao remembered her name. Yu Lan is the youngest daughter of the Yu family.

Most of the survivors on the wasteland were emaciated with sallow complexions, the youngest daughter of the Yu family being no exception. Her small arms and legs akin to reed sticks made it hard to imagine that she was old enough to get married.

Seeing that Han Xiao noticed her, she confidently walked out of the house.

"I heard some noises coming from your house, so I was checking on what happened."

Every day at dawn, the men on Bailian Street would go out to pick up scraps or hunt, while the old and weak, women, and children generally stayed at home to look after the house or do some other work.

Although everyone was poor, and there was nothing valuable at home that was worth stealing, no one wanted other people to break into their houses when they went out.

This man named Han came from outside. He didn't live here much of the time, and rarely communicated with neighbors in his neighborhood.

She didn't know much about him, only felt that he didn't look like someone who could endure hardship.

Everyone was very wary of him at first, and her mother also asked her to keep her eyes on him.

However, Yu Lan didn't think he was a bad person, because once he made soup at the door and gave her a bowl.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, I can help you take care of the house when you are out." She blinked and added happily, "I'm idle anyway."

Poor child.

If she were in that world, she would still be in school at her current age.

During this conversation, Han felt that she is smart. She might or might not excel in academics, but if she did, Han thought he could potentially gain a talented and loyal subordinate. In this harsh world, loyalty could be earned with just a bit of food. He decided to give it a chance.

So, he posed a few questions aimed at gauging her intelligence, and the outcome was promising for Han.

 He took out a lollipop from his pocket, stuffed it into the little girl's hand, and thought to himself that this was a little investment.

"Take this. You can eat it."

"But don't tell anyone that I gave you this."

"Otherwise this will be the last thing I give you."

She had never seen this kind of food.

Yu Lan first took a bite of the wrapping paper and found that she couldn't open it with her teeth. Only then did Han help her tear it open.

Her big eyes stared at the red fruit ball stuck in the plastic stick, and she cautiously stuck out her tongue and licked it lightly.

'What is this taste?!'

'So sweet!'

With little stars shining in her eyes, she raised her head happily and wanted to say thank you to the man.

However, the person who gave her candy had already gone far away.

Shelter No. 222 was hidden underneath the park, and its entrance was inconspicuous. There was a lot of vegetation here, and it was also next to a lake. In theory, there should be a lot of wild animals in this area.

Checking the markings he made at the entrance of the administrator's office while confirming that no mutants or plunderers had sneaked in while he was away, Han Xiao pushed the door open with his axe and walked in carefully.

The entrance of Shelter No. 222 was at the elevator on the innermost side of the administrator's office.

Han went down first, throwing the hunt in the corridor between the elevator base and the airlock door outside the buffer room.

This place was about forty to fifty meters below the ground.

To be honest, the corridor was not very suitable for storing food, but it was better to put it here than in an administrator's office, where it would be spotted by passing mice or mutant cockroaches.

After passing through the two airlock doors of the buffer chamber, Han Xiao walked into the hall, looked at Tian who was squatting in the corner, and said.

"Has the work been done?"

"It's done."

"Brief me."

Tian replied, "Master, we cannot access every computer on Planet Terra, but we have access to the most security-related computers of every nation except the Middle Kingdom."

"Can you not access any computer in the Middle Kingdom?" Han asked.

Tian said, "No, we can access the computers in Halab and a few other places."

"Was there anything notable in the past two hundred years in those places?"

"Fifty years ago, Halab was the main security command center of the Middle Kingdom," Tian explained.

"So that's how it is," Han chuckled then continued, "Has the virus been implemented in all security-related PCs and IoT devices?"

"Yes, master," Tian replied.

With a sinister yet intriguing smile, Han declared, "Then let the game begin. Deploy missiles from each nation to their hostile counterparts, deactivate their defense systems, and activate defense at the last moment. The goal is not to destroy these nations, but to instill fear for now."

Confused and worried, the leaders of these nations gathered in an urgent video meeting to figure out the strange happenings. As tension filled the virtual air, a mysterious figure entered the conference unseen, projecting their voice with an otherworldly resonance.

"Greetings, leaders of Terra," Those voices echoed through the digital realm. "We are an architect of the cosmos, a creator of worlds. Witness the power We wield over your most formidable weapons."

They continued, "We spared your nations from annihilation. Now, comprehend this: Luminara, a world We crafted for a grand experiment, demands your obedience. We decree that Earth's citizens shall become players in this virtual realm of our design."

They, still concealed in the shadows, declared, "Total cooperation is required for the success of our experiment. Those who embrace our offer will ascend to new heights of power and influence. Defy this decree, and the power that spared you will unleash consequences beyond your comprehension."

Then, they announced, "All the details will be sent to each leader's computers." The echoing voice fell silent with a mocking, "Happy cooperation."

 ********************

Back into the administrator's office.

"Right, Tian."

"What's the matter, master?"

"I need you to do me a favor."

After a pause, Han continued.

"Our official website is too basic. Make it look as futuristic as possible and create a forum exclusively for nations' leaders, another for a global forum for all registered people on the site, and one for each country where the president will be the admin. Allow players to send direct messages to each other. Set up an account system so only account holders can be players, and make sure that opening an account requires leaders' approval. Also, establish a trading platform for Shelter 222's currency. Once all is done, send the leaders the name of our website. Oh, and also upload information about the number of players needed in the first batch, along with their required qualifications. Mention that players will be recruited based on knowledge and experience." He ended his sentence with a sly smile, saying, "But, out of benevolence, we will try our best to assign the number of players equally."

He didn't specify a deadline, but it was clear in Han's mind that he wouldn't give them more than three days.