Chapter 157: Officially Entering the Game

The rest of the journey was completely uneventful, and even Chen Hao eventually shifted his attention away from Kustar. Although he was deeply curious about the sprawling forest and its bizarre architecture, he knew that no matter how intrigued he was, those were matters beyond his involvement.

Judging by his father's attitude toward the whole affair and Grandfather Guo's move to have Dong Xin enlist his help, it was clear they did not want him meddling in such deep, unknown matters. Chen Hao was not so oblivious as to ignore such obvious hints; since both elders had arranged things this way, it would be thoroughly inappropriate for him to overstep.

Thus, Chen Hao simply stopped pondering the issue. Those matters would naturally be handled by specialized personnel. The things he could genuinely get his hands on were right in front of him. Wasn't the official launch of virtual reality the very thing he had always longed for?

Whether viewed from the perspective of a loyal, hardcore veteran gamer or a studio owner on the verge of plunging into the online gaming industry, this was an exhilarating milestone.

Throughout the journey, including the flight, Chen Hao struggled to calm his surging emotions for a long time. Of course, neither of the aforementioned points was the primary reason. The core reason was actually his previous experience logging into the game. He had managed to enter directly without any connecting equipment or network access.

Now that the game had officially launched, would logging in through the standard, conventional method feel any different from his previous entries?

For instance, when he entered the game before, he had no character attribute menu interface, no item or inventory screen, and even his health bar was invisible. There was not a single trace of what a player character should look like. Instead, he felt more as though he had been thrust into a world completely separate from reality.

If he entered again, would it still be the same? If so, how was he supposed to fight monsters and level up? How could he equip weapons and gear?

Furthermore, if he lacked a health bar, did that mean he was immortal, or would a single blow finish him off? Was he just lingering with a sliver of HP?

True immortality was unlikely. Chen Hao shook his head, remembering very clearly that during his second time in the game, he was ultimately blown up by Dong Xin and forced to exit. While he could resurrect his character, absolute immunity to death was out of the question.

As for perishing instantly from the lightest touch, that also seemed improbable. Whether it was fighting the five NPCs during his first entry or tangling with Dong Xin during his second, he hadn't completely suppressed his opponents; there were moments when they managed to land hits on him, yet he hadn't died immediately. This proved he wasn't a glass cannon that shattered at a mere brush.

Chen Hao estimated that his character state during those previous entries might have been modeled entirely after his real-life self. Only damage capable of killing him in reality could cause his death in the game.

Realizing this made Chen Hao considerably more excited. He thought to himself that this was actually pretty fantastic! There was just one terribly inconvenient aspect: the moment he suffered fatal damage, he would apparently be booted straight out of the game! He wondered if this issue would see any improvements now that the game had officially launched.

Then there was the most crucial point of all: did the Phantom Corporation have any inkling that he had previously entered the game in such an extraordinarily abnormal state? Although Dong Xin had suppressed the news, a few NPCs had discovered him right at the beginning and tried to capture him.

Dong Xin claimed she had dealt with those NPCs, but her idea of handling them merely meant clearing them out. Yet they were NPCs! Even when cleared, they could respawn. Would the resurrected versions retain any memory of him?

He had actually asked Dong Xin about this while they were in the car, but her reply was that she didn't know either. She had never crossed paths with those cleared NPCs again. Or rather, her superiors had never assigned those particular NPCs back to her, simply dispatching a fresh batch instead.

Dong Xin's explanation to her superiors was that those NPCs had been eliminated by monsters while testing the difficulty of a game dungeon. Who knew if that excuse would hold water? Judging by Dong Xin's reaction, this sort of thing seemed quite routine, as similar incidents had indeed occurred before she ever noticed his presence.

Lost in these chaotic thoughts along the way, the plane soon brought them back to their home city. The moment they landed, Dong Xin took Chen Xiaolong and Guo Yunhai to report back to their respective bases, though both sides exchanged contact information for future communication.

As for Chen Hao and his group, they were picked up by a driver arranged by Fan Yirou and taken to a newly prepared studio.

Fan Yirou had actually set this place up a long time ago, having made preparations as soon as she and Chen Hao discussed their partnership. It was originally intended as a surprise for him.

Distracted by a tangle of confusing thoughts, Chen Hao lacked the mood to feel surprised, but Zhuge Tiaxue, a veteran employee of the studio, was utterly thrilled.

Though modest in size, the studio was fully equipped with top-tier computer desks, chairs, and advanced game-login hardware. Adjacent to the main workspace were well-appointed lounges, private rooms, and fully functional kitchens and bathrooms.

Zhuge Tiaxue couldn't help marveling at her good fortune in finding such a wonderful boss.

"Well? Shall we head into the game right now to experience the new graphics?" Fan Yirou asked, looking at Chen Hao, Gu Mengyan, and Zhuge Tiaxue.

Zhuge Tiaxue had been raring to go for a while, and Chen Hao shared the sentiment. Without hesitation, the three of them donned the specialized gaming equipment and logged straight into the virtual world.

As for Fan Yirou, she had never been fond of video games. No matter how popular virtual reality became, she never partook in it. Thus, only the three of them actually entered the game.

Before Chen Hao slipped into the virtual realm, none of them noticed a familiar flash of green light emanating from his phone once again, followed by that dizzying sensation of the world spinning as it washed over him.

Anticipating this, Chen Hao figured his entry this time would likely be no different from before.

Sure enough, upon entering the game, Chen Hao did not materialize in the communal starting areas alongside other players, nor did he encounter the basic character creation interface.

Instead, he appeared in a place he had visited before: Vivian's home. Everything looked identical to his first time entering the game, except that Vivian was nowhere to be found, which caught him slightly off guard. Having entered the game three times previously, he had noticed a distinct pattern: no matter where he arrived, Vivian was always nearby.

The first time was in the Elven Forest, the second in an unnamed canyon, and the third back in the Elven Forest. Since Vivian had been close by on all three occasions, Chen Hao was certain she must be in the house, just hiding in some room.

Chen Hao curled his lip into a smirk. "Playing hide-and-seek with me, are you, little girl? Vivian! Stop hiding, I know you're around. Come on out!"

There was no response. Finding this very strange, Chen Hao wondered if his deduction was wrong, or if something had changed due to the game's official launch.

Perplexed, he began to grow anxious. Although Vivian was merely a computer program and shared no blood relation with him, Chen Hao held a deep fondness for the adorable little girl—and a romantic one at that.

Granted, he had already established a relationship with Fan Yirou, but men would be men... everyone understood how that went. Besides, Fan Yirou never played games, and Vivian wasn't a real person anyway. Surely getting a little closer to Vivian wouldn't hurt?

Comforting himself with this internal justification, Chen Hao set off to search for her. As he reached the second floor, he faintly caught the sound of melodious singing drifting from one of the rooms. It wasn't just one voice, but two female voices harmonizing.

Intermingled with the singing were the sounds of splashing and playful laughter.

"Huh? Didn't the little girl say all her friends were gone? Has she made new friends, or did another NPC awaken self-awareness and get brought home by Vivian?"

Chen Hao walked toward the source of the sound. His initial plan was to linger outside the door to confirm whether it was indeed Vivian, and if so, knock and announce his presence.

However, as he drew closer following the sound, he realized he had reached a corridor corner. Without thinking much, he rounded the bend and found himself facing a curtain made of willow-like branches. The sparse twigs did little to obscure the view of the interior.

The room held a hidden world of its own. The innermost wall appeared to be a massive, hollow natural tree trunk connected to a natural spring. Crystal-clear water gushed continuously from inside the trunk, pooling into a natural basin on the wooden floor before draining away through a nearby runoff grate.

That wasn't even what shocked Chen Hao the most. The most astonishing sight was that sitting inside the water basin were two people—or rather, two peerless beauties, one human and one elven.

And he happened to know both of these beauties who were bathing, playing, and singing together. One was Vivian, whom he had been searching for, and the other was that devastatingly enchanting enchantress, Zhuge Tiaxue.

Without a single moment of hesitation, Chen Hao's body instantly reacted, because neither of the two was wearing any clothing due to bathing...

Chen Hao was no lecher, and this whole episode was purely accidental. While he was quite fond of Vivian and considered Zhuge Tiaxue an absolute stunner, that didn't mean he intended to take advantage of them.

To avoid embarrassment and awkward misunderstandings, Chen Hao prepared to beat a hasty retreat and pretend he had never been there.

Just then, however, Vivian spotted him. Instead of showing any shyness, the little girl cried out happily, "Chen Hao, you're here! Do you want to come join us in the hot spring?"