It was seven in the morning in Holy Terra (Earth/Reality).
When the alarm rang, John instinctively opened his eyes.
After getting up, washing, and frying some eggs and bacon for a simple breakfast, he drove to his company.
As soon as John sat down in his leather office chair, there were three regular knocks on the office door.
"Come in."
The door opened.
His secretary, dressed in a well-fitting suit that accentuated her good figure, stood at the doorway holding a large package.
"Boss, you have a package."
"A package?" John was a little surprised, pointing to a corner, "Put it over there for now. I'll open it when I have time."
The secretary nodded. Whatever the boss said, went.
After all, it was always the boss who talked back to the secretary, never the other way around.
After placing the package, the secretary closed the door and left.
After reviewing the progress of several projects, John felt his eyes aching a bit, so he decided to rest for a while, and then he glanced at the package.
"I don't seem to have ordered anything online recently? Why is there a package?"
Moving the package to his desk, John took a small knife and cut open the tape.
Tearing open the anti-static packaging bag inside the package, a cold metallic scent instantly wafted towards him.
Inside the box, nestled in black cushioning foam, was a silver-gray helmet.
The helmet was exquisitely crafted.
It also had a golden laurel wreath around it.
"Holy crap, this craftsmanship is incredible."
As a Warhammer fan, John was naturally thrilled.
He didn't even care how the helmet got there.
Even if it was sent to the wrong person, he would find a way to buy it.
After examining it, John put on the helmet, wanting to see what it felt like.
His vision plunged into darkness.
Then, golden light spots appeared in his vision, gradually converging into the outline of a burning two-headed eagle, as if alive.
Below, binary data streams and incomprehensible rune codes surged.
"The game is loading, please wait patiently."
"Damn, this is a gaming helmet! Wasn't the group owner of the Corporate Slave Captured by the Emperor group just joking around?! How did he get serious?!"
"And I didn't even register an account or fill in my address, how did he know my company was here?!"
John took off the helmet, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
He quickly opened his communication software to check the chat group messages.
At this moment, the group was also in an uproar, with messages rapidly flooding the screen.
'Crazy Kisses Nurgle's Chubby Face': "No way, group owner, are you serious? I received a gaming helmet."
One Night Output Slaanesh Ten Times: "I received one too."
Blue Two-Headed Bird! Loyalty: "How did the group owner know who made the reservation??"
Second Empire Warmaster: "I have to say, this gaming helmet looks really good."
'Warhammer Most Courageous Bro': "You all received helmets?"
'Crazy Kisses Nurgle's Chubby Face': "Yes, it was placed at the entrance of my villa. I was shocked when my aunt brought it over!"
Second Empire Warmaster: "My roommate received it at the dorm entrance. My name was written on the package."
"..."
Looking at the group chat messages, John frowned.
What kind of company was behind the group owner?!
When they made the reservation, they clearly didn't register any identity information or addresses.
Yet, the helmets were accurately delivered to them.
How was this done?
A mysterious organization from the dark web?
Or was there state-level power involved behind them?
The group messages flickered again.
Blue Two-Headed Bird! Loyalty: "The craftsmanship of this helmet is excellent. I tested it with the equipment in the lab and found that nothing could be detected. It should be using experimental-grade shielding materials."
"The material cost alone for this helmet is estimated to exceed 500,000. It should be using brainwave technology, locked to an individual, so others can't use it."
'Crazy Kisses Nurgle's Chubby Face': "Don't say it, it's true. My girlfriend tried it just now and couldn't see the text or the two-headed eagle emblem I mentioned at all."
Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Damn, does such technology really exist? Could it be that the Warhammer virtual game the group owner mentioned is real?!"
Second Empire Warmaster: "My goodness, a helmet with a starting cost of 500,000. What a huge undertaking!"
'Warhammer Most Courageous Bro': "This is just the material cost. If you include the advanced technology inside, one helmet is probably worth a sports car."
Second Empire Warmaster: "...Are you kidding me?"
Blue Two-Headed Bird! Loyalty: "Brainwave technology is being researched abroad, but it's far from being applied. The gaming helmets you have might be the first batch. It's not a problem to exchange them for a limited-edition supercar."
Second Empire Warmaster: "So, I just casually threw a limited-edition supercar onto my bed. Oh my god, I've committed such a terrible crime!"
Sky Braid is a Symbol of the Strong: "What are you all talking about? What helmet, what game?"
Second Empire Warmaster: "Didn't you make a reservation?"
Sky Braid is a Symbol of the Strong: "No, it looked like a scam, so I didn't click on it, fearing it would be a virus."
'Crazy Kisses Nurgle's Chubby Face': "Only those who clicked on the reservation should have received a helmet."
Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Why can't I make a reservation now? Can only fifteen people make reservations? A moment's hesitation, and I missed out on a limited-edition sports car."
'Crazy Kisses Nurgle's Chubby Face': "You really live up to your username, always late to the party."
Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Waaah, I also want a gaming helmet. I want to exchange it for a limited-edition supercar."
I Don't Want to Be a Stinky Can: "@Corporate Slave Captured by the Emperor, Group owner, do you have a forum or official website or something? Let me see what kind of game it is. The helmet alone is so valuable, what kind of person must your boss be to spend so much!"
Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Group owner, quickly release a few more reservation slots. The great Imperial Regent needs to return to his loyal Macragge."
Seeing someone mention him, Alex, who had been lurking, sat down at the control panel and replied to them.
He needed to try his best to get Players into the game to gain more faith points and enhance his strength.
Even if a Living Saint could be resurrected, constantly being killed was not a pleasant experience.
"@Guilliman is the Only Sun, Sorry, the number of slots I managed to get is limited, only fifteen. Wait for next time."
"@I Don't Want to Be a Stinky Can, The game is still in closed beta. There is no forum or official website. Everything about the game must be kept secret. Even if you want to take screenshots and post them, they need to be reviewed before they can be uploaded to the internet."
Alex added a confidentiality patch.
There were so many strange and powerful beings in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe.
Some things would bring pollution just by being spread.
If Holy Terra (Earth/Reality) was accidentally polluted, the sin would be immense.
'Crazy Kisses Nurgle's Chubby Face': "Wow, group owner, a live group owner."
Second Empire Warmaster: "Group owner, when will the game finish loading? Is it really a full-holographic simulation game?"
Corporate Slave Captured by the Emperor: "Just be patient. Once it's loaded, you can log into the game."
"One hundred percent truly immersive game, absolutely worth it."
Second Empire Warmaster: "Group owner, can I sell the helmet? We can split it fifty-fifty."
Corporate Slave Captured by the Emperor: "No, your helmets are bound to individuals. Others cannot use them."
"When you made the reservation, the game terms already made it very clear that the helmet is only lent to you for testing."
"If you lend it to others, attempting to steal our company's secrets, you will not only have the helmet confiscated but also permanently lose your testing qualification."
"My boss can deliver these helmets to you, and naturally, he can also take them back. Being too greedy will not lead to a good outcome."
After sending the last message, Alex stopped speaking.
The more he said, the more flaws there would be.
He couldn't explain everything clearly.
He had to leave some mystery for the Players to use their imagination.
Isn't the brain for imagining things? What else would it be for?!
The group was quiet for a while, then quickly became lively again.
After Alex's warning, everyone tacitly stopped talking about selling the helmets for money.
When they made the reservation, they didn't fill in their identity information or address, yet the other party could still deliver it.
This meant that their information was transparent to the other party.
The game developer dared to send such valuable items to them, which indicated they were confident they could retrieve them.
The group was enthusiastically discussing what this closed beta game would be like!
And also discussing what kind of person the group owner's boss was!
In just a few minutes, the group messages reached 99+, showing how high everyone's enthusiasm was.
The game loading speed was very slow.
But as time passed, more and more areas of the two-headed eagle lit up.
When John got off work and drove back to the underground parking lot of his residential area.
He put on the helmet again and found that the two-headed eagle emblem was just a tiny bit away from being fully lit.
It seemed the game was about to finish loading.
At this moment, his WeChat ringtone sounded.
It displayed '(Doesn't Eat Cilantro)' and a sexy female avatar.
After connecting, a pleasant female voice came from the other end.
"John, let's go to dinner tonight. I bought a new dress and a Balenciaga set. I'll wear them out for you to see."
"I'm busy, can't go."
John hung up the phone without hesitation, took the gaming helmet, and went straight home.
After waiting for more than an hour.
The two-headed eagle emblem was completely lit up.
"Game loaded, recording personal information, logging in soon."
"Welcome to the Warhammer Universe. We hope you have a wonderful gaming journey."
The lit golden two-headed eagle suddenly burst forth with intense light, causing John to instinctively close his eyes.
When the light dissipated, John opened his eyes wide at everything he saw before him.
"Holy crap, is it that realistic??"
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