AnnouIn an hour and a half, the first chapter of my new work titled "Apocalypse: Mad Neancer’s Troops" will be published. The publishing schedule will be as follows: 8 chapters per day, at a rate of one chapter every 3 hours, until chapter 48.080. Global Manhunt

  Fifteen mier, after dressing up, Lu Run witwo shootings and a gang fight oreet er. Nervous, he was finally picked up by professional testers Xue Nian and Luo Le.

  "This game doesn't even have a teleport fun. To taeone, you need unication tools, and you have to travel on foot. It's such a hassle."

  Luo Le's appearance was that of a young man with half of his hair dyed purple and three glowing fluorest tubes on his left cheek. He walked with his hands in his pockets, and although he had no visible ons, his intimidating aura was enough to keep the street youths at bay.

  "How about it, kid? Shooting here?"

  Xue Nian was even bulkier than Luo Le, with shoulders as wide as a door. Sp a buzz cut, washed jeans, and a worker's vest, he looked like an elephale in demeanor but capable of crushing a man with a siep.

  Watg the NPCs' wary and suspicious goward them, Lu Ru emotional. He k was just a game, but the vivid visual impad the plexity of the characters' expressions were hard to ignore.

  Vividly depicted dirt and grime.

  The strong smell of kit waste full of life.

  The poor had rusty prosthetics smelling of engine oil. When malfuning, they would just bang ohough capable of moving swiftly, they fought each other, indulged in drugs and alcohol, and even engaged in public lewd acts, watg low-budget films on their retinal dispys.

  Everyone lived absurd lives day by day, and the realism was terrifying.

  "Let's shoot here."

  Following Xue Nian's instrus, Lu Run activated the camera fun and began taking pictures and videos. To the NPCs, he looked like a ly dressed office worker wandering around, scrutinizing them like rare goods.

  "Get lost, you motherfucker." Some NPCs, annoyed by the prolonged filming, flipped him off and cursed.

  "pany dog? So what if you're a pany dog? Keep staring, and I'll kill you!"

  Focused on his work, Lu Run impatiently replied, "Shut up and do your job!"

  "You motherf—"

  The NPC's eyes widened, pulling a knife from his pocket to stab him.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Luo Le raised his hand, his palm skin splitting to reveal a gun barrel. The NPC was shot twi the chest, momentarily freezing, before a third shot pierced his forehead, spraying brain matter and blood.

  "A level-zero street thug, useless, no experience points."

  Luo Le muttered.

  Lu Run lowered his head, adjusting the angle, practically pressing his face against the gunshot wounds to capture the NPC's final expressions of shock, fear, and slight regret.

  Though it still felt disgusting, knowing the NPC's death just trao experience points greatly reduced his fear.

  Moments ago terrified, he now easily accepted the reality of the dead body—it was just a game.

  Pyers still had superior power; the game's details were just too realistid immersive.

  "We've collected enough material here. Acc to the pn, we o shoot some high-end footage , and then PV promotional shots for the Dominator css—we need someoh psychic abilities for that."

  After gathering the materials, Lu Run turo the two testers.

  "High-end footage—how do we get that? We've beeing for two months and haven't found anything more high-end than the Feminist Progress Memorial in Frost-Pted Republic."

  Luo Le tio pin.

  "This game is garbage—no auto-pathfinding, no teleportation, no map. We have to rely on phones. After a while, you eve hungry. How is this a game?"

  These rich details could only be presented by the omnipotent AI.

  "What does the pany training manual say? Treat it like the real world—stop pining. By the way, fh-end footage, I have an idea—Lu Run, what's your identity?"

  Xue Nian shrugged and asked.

  "A low-level employee at GTB."

  Lu Run pulled out his ID and curiously asked, "Isn't there a pyer iory feature in this game?"

  "There is, but it hasn't been implemented in this version. We're internal testers, just cheg fs and maintaining the system. As long as it works and runs, we don't interfere much."

  Xue Nian took Lu Run's phone and called a taxi.

  "Since you o shoot high-end buildings, you should head to the GTB branch. It's a ndmark in every city."

  They remained silent in the car but chatted through the voice el.

  Xue Nian briefly introduced the background of Frost-Pted Republid some gamepy tips.

  Talking about game data, Lu Run became puzzled.

  "Brother Xue, Brother Luo, don't you have admin privileges?"

  "Only the AI modify game data." Luo Le replied. "This game involves eleic migration, which the state highly values."

  "Eleic migration—isn't that just a spiracy theory?"

  "Who knows? If it weren't for eleic migration, why would those big leaders be watg us?" Xue Nian said lightly.

  Lu Run was quickly distracted by the roadside sery. The cultural ndscape of Frost-Pted Republic seemed strange.

  All statues were female, recruitment ads featured lipstick-wearing, curvy women, and court case promotions focused on proteg women's rights. Even the word 'hero' was ged to 'heroine,' sounding awkward.

  Most women were fashionably dressed, young, aiful, while the men looked downtrodden and cked any mase charm.

  "What a lousy try. How this attract pyers? What was the desighinking?"

  Lu Run couldn't stand it. He thought it would greatly affect pyers' perception of Frost-Pted Republic.

  "Just take lots of shots of women's thighs, chests, and butts, and some perverts will join."

  "When they find out how low men's status is, they'll pin about false advertising..."

  "Just say the women are good-looking!"

  Lu Run eechless but decided to shoot from the sexiest angles, hoping to lure in pyers.

  After all, handling pints would be the phone er service's job, not his.

  The game's pace was slow but filled with rich experiences. When they arrived at the GTB branch building, the vehicle's AI even haggled with them.

  "Acc to pany policy, your fare is 23 Derbis, not a t less."

  The vehicle's AI projected an angry child emoji and locked the car doors, preventing them from getting out.

  "23 Derbis? You might as well rob us!"

  Luo Le ughed angrily.

  "Two kilometers, and you dare charge this much for aric car? Get lost!"

  "Round it down." Xue Nian signaled Luo Le, who got up to block the camera. Luo Le didn't hesitate, raising his hand aending a data cable to the vehicle.

  The vehicle's AI freaked out, r angrily.

  "You're freeloaders—enjoy your trip. e again."

  Shh—

  The door opened, and the three quickly jumped out.

  "The infiltration ability of the Hacker subcss is handy."

  Luo Le rubbed his ned casually said.

  "Hey, photographer, we're here. Hurry up and shoot. After this, we o head out of the city to check the system iy ier regions. Don't waste time."

  Lu Run looked up, straining his o see the top of the GTB branch building. This pce acked with big shots. Hover cars came a, and various elegantly dressed people moved about. The high-tech white building was surrounded by floating rings and proje ss, broadcastis and news 24/7, uned about power ption.

  "Two kilometers away is a district filled with crime, poverty, and violent flicts."

  Feeling inspired, Lu Run took out his work ID and decided to film inside.

  Just as he was about to ehe building, the proje ss oB branch suddenly ged color. inally dispying world events and eic updates, they now showed mugshots and wanted posters.

  Many people stopped, gathering and looking up eagerly at the GTB's proje ss.

  Lu Run noticed most of these people had body modifications and were heavily armed.

  The broadcast announced.

  "Citizens eager to get rich ht, wele to this week's Kill List."

  "This week's list has 20 people. pared to st week, only one ge—'Wolf King' Jeddimosen Julev's 100,000 Derbi bounty has been cimed. Don't waste your time on him. Get ready to hunt others."

  A furry-faced man had an X over his picture, and Lu Run heard a chorus of sighs.

  "The new addition to the list is from the Law IVagents."

  The proje focused on a poster—a strikingly handsome man with night-bck hair and steel-grey eyes. His pale skin indicated his mixed-blood heritage from the ions.

  "The arget for the hunt—'Sger' Li Aozi!"

  "Possessing advanced psychic abilities, brutally powerful, capable of sughteria-level elites—a terrifying force!"

  "First time on the kill list and already a five-star bounty—truly impressive! His bounty is set at 2 million Derbis. What are you waiting fet moving!"

  2 million!

  Luo Le and Xue Nian couldn't help but excim.

  What does this mean—2 million Derbis is equivalent to 20 years of a senior white-colr worker's sary, enough to buy a house in the capital, or even a military mech.

  Gulp—

  The bounty hunters around them had their eyes glued to the s.

  Suddenly, the host paused.

  "ologize; there was an error on our end."

  "The bounty for Li Aozi is no longer 2 million. ologize for the mistake."

  The crowd groaned, with some shaking their heads and preparing to leave.

  The host then leisurely tinued:

  "Just now, the Frost-Pted Republic gover announced an additional 8 million, plus a 90-year lease property in Twin Star City. Total value—20 million Derbis."

  "The Frost-Pted Republic's requirement: global manhunt, dead or alive."

  FAL