Chapter 1

The Deadly Martial Arts of Online Games

The year was 2030.

With the explosive growth of AI, more and more factories ran nonstop with the lights off around the clock, causing global unemployment rates to skyrocket.

Most schools shut down.

Young people began to move into the entertainment industry.

Although Su Wangchuan stood in the exhaust fumes of the era, battered and disheveled by the winds of the times, his parents had given him a fairly decent appearance. 

Through disciplined fitness training, he gradually accumulated over five thousand followers during high school and college.

Ding-ling-ling!

The alarm clock of an early-morning wage slave rang punctually at six-thirty.

At seven o’clock sharp, Su Wangchuan started his livestream and entered work mode.

After a simple wash-up, his well-defined abs immediately began working tirelessly. From push-ups to pull-ups, and then to increasingly proficient space walks, this had already become his daily check-in routine after waking up.

Although the exhaust fumes of the era were choking, every apartment unit was spacious and luxurious. It was easy to build a high-tech gym indoors, with plenty of room to perform all kinds of exercises.

Su Wangchuan rarely spoke, and his viewers were mostly quiet as well.

After a simple two hours, drenched in sweat, he ended today’s livestream.

He checked his earnings: 15.8 yuan.

“Sigh.”

“Only managed to scrape together the price of a chicken drumstick again.”

“Luckily, the government covers half of the public rental housing cost, and water and electricity are completely free. Otherwise, I really do not know how I would survive.”

Su Wangchuan felt quite helpless.

With unemployment subsidies plus the platform’s monthly one-thousand-yuan subsistence allowance, life was barely manageable.

Still, he had to find some part-time work, or he would never get a girlfriend.

After showering, Su Wangchuan changed into a fresh set of white shirt and white pants typical of a male college student, put on a mask, and headed out.

At 180 centimeters tall, with the build of a student athlete, dressed clean and neatly, the mask added a sense of mystery. This kind of appearance scored high when going out.

After all…

He was looking for part-time work.

What if, along the way, he happened to run into a truly wealthy older woman…

True love, perhaps?

As soon as he stepped out, he ran into a neighbor opening her door.

Fair, long legs, a camisole dress and short skirt, a beautiful woman carrying a lazy, sleepy aura. She held a bag of trash in her hand, which probably contained breakfast.

This was “Taotao,” who had just finished livestreaming all night. Probably a C-cup, with an attractiveness score of around 85, over three hundred thousand followers, and a late-night emotional companionship style.

When Taotao saw the college guy next door heading out, her eyes lit up.

“…Hey, handsome, heading out? Could you help me take out the trash? I am so sleepy.”

“Uh, sure.”

Su Wangchuan’s recording device captured this warm moment.

He was throwing out trash anyway, so it was no trouble.

Later, he could edit it into a short clip of a beautiful neighbor striking up a conversation to boost his own appeal.

The camera recorded:

“Thanks, handsome.”

“You are really nice.”

Hmm, the second line could be edited out later and replaced with subtitles, such as:

‘Want to come in and sit for a bit?’ or ‘Come in and enjoy the air conditioning’…

Su Wangchuan gave a wicked smile.

He really was getting the hang of this. Becoming a big streamer was only a matter of time.

After leaving the apartment building, the sun at ten-thirty was already blazing.

Anyone who could be out at this hour clearly had a desire to live.

Su Wangchuan took the city’s free electric rail to a nearby office building.

“Hello, sir.”

The receptionist robot smiled brightly.

Su Wangchuan looked around. The first floor of the office building was extremely empty, with only twelve sweet-smiling receptionist robots stationed at the entrance to handle services.

“Hello, I have an appointment. I am here to apply to the ‘Warring States’ game studio…” This was the main purpose of his trip today.

“Hello, Mr. Su. Please take the elevator to the seventy-fifth floor. Follow me.”

The receptionist robot led Su Wangchuan inside.

He could not help but marvel along the way.

The entertainment industry was becoming more and more standardized and grand.

Recruiting companions and gold farmers, not only offering monthly salaries exceeding ten thousand yuan, but even setting up studios in such a prime business district…

The world of the rich was indeed different.

Under the guidance of the receptionist robot, Su Wangchuan arrived at the seventy-fifth floor.

Another young woman was already waiting at the entrance.

She wore a work badge on her chest, with the name Su Wan.

Oh, same surname.

Su Wangchuan was slightly surprised.

Su Wan was in her early twenties, with delicate features and fair skin. There were faint freckles on her face, giving her a playful, approachable charm.

“Hello, are you Mr. Su Wangchuan?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I am Su Wan from the Warring States Game Studio’s HR department. I am responsible for the interview. Please follow me.”

Su Wangchuan felt even more impressed. This game studio was serious enough to have an HR department.

“Oh, alright.”

Su Wan led the way ahead.

Su Wangchuan observed as he walked.

The entire seventy-fifth floor seemed to belong to this game studio. Along the way, many workstations had been partitioned out, but there was not a single person in sight.

It seemed this was a company recruiting game gold farmers and companions on a large scale. The numerous workstations indicated that the company was preparing to make a major move.

Su Wangchuan could not help asking:

“Miss Su, may I ask something? Are we planning to enter an existing popular game, or is there a new game launching?”

An entire floor in a prime business district, tens of thousands of square meters, and large-scale recruitment with monthly salaries over ten thousand yuan—this was no small investment.

Su Wan turned back with a smile.

“Mr. Su, you will need to pass our interview and sign a confidentiality agreement before we can officially disclose detailed information about our company to you.”

“Oh.”

Su Wangchuan was startled again.

Playing a game, and he even had to sign a confidentiality agreement.

These days, even rich second-generation heirs were becoming increasingly professional.

“Oh, right.”

“Mr. Su, you can turn off your camera.”

Su Wan pointed at the ear-mounted camera on Su Wangchuan.

Su Wangchuan quickly removed it and put it into his pocket.

“Alright.”

They entered the interview room.

Before Su Wangchuan even had time to examine the room, the machine beside them spat out a sheet of paper.

Su Wan took a look, smiled, and said to Su Wangchuan:

“Based on our interview results, your gender, age, physical condition, and work experience are all very satisfactory to us. The interview result is that you have passed. If you have no objections, you can review our employment contract right now.”

Huh?

Su Wangchuan stared in shock.

He passed the interview?

Could this be the legendary formality interview?