“Guys, this designer has to be out of their mind! The promos said it was a nostalgic old-town building game where you could open a trading house and enjoy coffee. But I open my eyes and I'm in a battlefield warehouse?!”
Lahei, a streamer with tens of millions of followers, had planned to expose the casual game called Glorious Dreams in a livestream. But the moment he put on the VR headset, he was faced with smoke blotting out the sky and deafening artillery fire. Across the river, the other bank was all bright lights, music, and dancing, while the warehouse beneath his feet had already become a blood-soaked meat grinder.
There was no tutorial and no exit button. The squad leader, wearing a threadbare padded jacket, dragged him into cover and smiled as he wiped the blood from his face. “Rookie, don't just stand there! The Japanese tanks are coming. Tie those grenades tight!”
Lahei thought it was just a horror game and frantically searched for a way to quit. Then the seventeen-year-old soldier, determined to hold the line, strapped on a bundle of grenades and leaped down, killing himself along with the enemy. With his dying breath, he even asked, “Squad leader, the lights across the river really are beautiful...”
The comments from millions of viewers changed from “This exposé is hilarious” to a screen full of tearful messages. With red eyes, Lahei pulled back the bolt of his rifle. “Even if I die here today, I won't let them take one step inside!”
