The Law-Abiding Fourth Calamity

In the year 3458 of the Silver Star Calendar, humanity was on the verge of leaving modern society behind and entering the interstellar age. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, technological progress had ground to a halt. Development was slow, as if the world were cursed, and resources were being consumed faster than they could be replenished. The authorities were frantic to find a solution and worked hard to keep the news under wraps.

To calm the public and distract them, the authorities launched the most advanced holographic gaming device on the market, promoting it and paving the way for its release.

Later, people gradually discovered that the key to overcoming the crisis might lie inside the game.

There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes. By the same logic, everyone is a treasure. The difference is that some treasures wear a gorgeous disguise but are actually Pandora's boxes.

No wonder they say there's no love in esports. They thought they'd picked a thousand saviors, but who could have guessed all one thousand would be jerks, each in their own special way?

Insecure yet confident, emotionally detached, Ant Xiaorui: World domination, huh? I think I could give it a try. I've cleared every route with a happy ending, after all. I don't think anything can stop me from becoming the top player on the server.

Severe case of OCD, top-rank obsessive, competitive grinder, Lu Lingfeng: As long as I'm alive, I'll keep earning certificates. What's the point of living if I can't reach the other side? Help me up. I can take one more exam.

Sweet on the outside, dark within, good at copying homework, cries at the drop of a hat, Yan Dongling: Help! They're looking at me so creepily! I was only trying to bring peace to the world! Sister Hua, save meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Such vivid players, vividly displaying the diversity of species and the inclusiveness of the universe. During the test, they only caused trouble among themselves. Later, when the servers merged, the number of hidden geniuses and schemers skyrocketed, and the troublemakers started spreading their habits to everyone else.

A top-tier double agent who sneaks skirts into the dark wardrobe of a police academy to turn its owner into a glamorous girl; a college student and actor who's an information broker on the surface, a casual player in-game, and a queen of side jobs behind the scenes; a world-class lazybones who finds even breathing exhausting and would rather be a plant kept alive by an IV drip; a gentle and dependable club leader who goes bald trying to find funding for the club every day...

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Warnings [Important]

1. Episodic story, no fixed protagonist.

2. The players have no moral boundaries, but they won't hurt NPCs without reason.

3. There is a System. It's a good one, so you can trust it.

4. Skip if this sounds unpleasant.

5. Lots of flashbacks. I can't possibly write out every single time they reload.

6. The players are ordinary geniuses, each with their own specialty. They aren't perfect characters. In fact, you could say they're pretty awful.

7. There are lots of the author's personal preferences, including but not limited to cross-dressing, NTR (fake, the author is a die-hard romance fan), melodramatic misunderstandings, people who refuse to communicate, groveling exes, rekindled relationships, emotional blackmail, and being reborn.

Theme: The people's interests come first