The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

2026年6月20日，晚上19:20分。

Around the same time, major global forums, gaming communities, social media platforms, and even some professional technology news websites saw posts with highly similar content but posted by different accounts and with IP addresses that were difficult to trace:
[A revolutionary immersive experience! Global open beta countdown for "Holographic Game: Doomsday" is 72 hours away! Pre-register now and receive a free limited-edition gaming helmet! Global access available!]

The timing, platform, and impeccable, untraceable manner of these posts immediately sparked an explosive reaction online.

Game enthusiast community:
"Holy crap! Is this real gameplay footage? Or is it CG? If it's real gameplay, can current hardware even run it?!"

"Free helmets? Worldwide shipping? What kind of amazing company is this? I can't find any registration information for them!"

"Direct bio-wave connection? It sounds a bit far-fetched, but if it's true... it would definitely be a next-generation revolution!"

"I've made a reservation! Who cares, it's free anyway, what if it doesn't work out?"

……

Technology Forum:

"The technical description seems to be a patchwork of cutting-edge concepts, but the details don't stand up to scrutiny; it's definitely a case of false advertising!"

"The IP address can't be traced, the posting account seems to have been temporarily generated, and the official website can't be cracked... This company either has an unfathomable background or it's a huge scam!"

"But those videos... with current CG technology, creating such physical effects and interactive details would cost an astronomical sum. Would a scam really invest so much in advertising?"

……

On social media, hashtags such as #DoomsdayHolographicGame#, #FreeGameHelmet#, and #DisruptiveHolographicTechnology# quickly rose to the top of the trending charts.

"Friends, look at this! It looks like alien technology!"

"A free gaming helmet is included with every pre-registration! This helmet looks so high-end! I'm signing up now, free stuff is always the best!"

"Holy crap! I just went to the bathroom, and here my gaming helmet is on my coffee table!"

……

Monitoring networks of relevant departments in various countries:

"Large-scale coordinated information dissemination was detected, involving unregistered commercial activities and suspicious technology promotions."

"The technical description contained exaggerations and ambiguities, but no malicious code or fraudulent financial links were detected."

"Attempts to contact the publisher and their official website registration information were all unsuccessful. It is recommended to list this as an item for observation and be wary of new types of online fraud or information warfare tests."

"Closely monitor the authenticity of the technology, assess its potential social application value, and allow private experimentation to be permitted to a certain extent."

……

Meanwhile, the "official website," which was at the center of the storm, saw its traffic surge exponentially within minutes.

However, no matter how many requests came in, the website remained as smooth as ever, and the success rate of the free gaming headset reached 100%.

All attempts to attack, parse, or copy website code are like punching the air—they get no effective feedback.

Even Tech Ghost failed to infiltrate the game's official website, and couldn't even find the website's backend.

According to its calculations and analysis, although this virtual game is strange, it is safe and will not affect the military and other fields that it values.

……

In a slightly old-fashioned rented room in Jiangcheng.

Xiao Xiao suddenly sat up in bed, her thin pajamas soaked with cold sweat, her chest heaving violently.

The dimly lit room, the familiar smell of cheap furniture, the faint sounds of the city's nighttime hustle and bustle outside the window... everything was so familiar.

她抬起颤抖的手，摸向床头的廉价塑料电子钟。    2025年6月20日，晚上19:25。

"...I've been reborn?" A dry voice squeezed out from his throat, filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

Global electronic silence, the collapse of social order, brutal competition for survival, and... a card system that brings hope in despair.

2026年6月23日19:20，这个时间点如同烙铁般烫在她的灵魂上。

That very night, the game went live, and countless people received mysterious game helmets.

Because of her busy work schedule, she didn't enter the game until a full year later, much later than everyone else!

But now, she's back! Before anything happened!
"Helmet...game...cards..."

Xiao Xiao rolled off the bed, lunged at her old laptop, turned it on, connected to the internet, and started searching.

When that familiar, minimalist yet mysterious official website appeared on the screen, Xiao Xiao's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. The countdown flashed bright red: 71 hours, 59 minutes, and 32 seconds.

Without hesitation, she clicked on the reservation portal and quickly filled in the address and contact information for the current rental apartment.

Submission successful! Confirmation email arrived almost instantly!
She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, using the pain to confirm the authenticity of this ecstasy.

Two hours later, an unmarked silver metal box appeared like a ghost at the door of her rented room.

There are no deliverymen and no logistics information.

Xiao Xiao, however, treated it as if it were a sacred object, carefully carrying it back into the house.

Upon opening the box, a streamlined, matte black helmet lay quietly inside, with only a card bearing a simple line drawing of instructions beside it.

The next day, Xiao Xiao packed her things, left the city, and returned to her hometown, a small mountain village.

A few years later, the real apocalypse will arrive, all technological products will instantly collapse, skyscrapers will crumble, vehicles will stop, and planes will crash. The now prosperous cities will become the places with the scarcest resources and the most intense competition.

On the contrary, sparsely populated rural areas are less affected by the apocalypse and are much safer!

December 23, 2026, evening.

At 19:15 PM, Xiao Xiao had finished washing up, changed into dry and comfortable sportswear, turned off her phone, locked the door, and drawn the curtains.

She sat cross-legged on the mattress, carefully putting on the helmet. The straps automatically fitted, and a slight coolness came from her forehead.

At 19:19 PM, she began to take deep breaths, clearing her mind of all distractions, leaving only one powerful thought in her mind: "Connect! Enter 'Doomsday'!"

19:20 exactly.

Inside the helmet, the slightly cool sensation at the point of contact with the forehead suddenly became clear, and a very slight dizziness, as if the soul was being gently pulled, came over me.

The lengthy game terms and conditions flowed through her mind like fleeting shadows; she didn't even glance at them, silently repeating in her mind, "Confirm!"

In an instant, the world spun around!
When I opened my eyes again, the pungent smell of dust, the damp, musty odor, and a sense of deathly stillness unique to the decay of all things rushed towards me.

Before me lay the ruins of a collapsed concrete wall, covered in cracks and moss.

The setting sun slanted in through the gap in the broken wall, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.

Everything was exactly the same as what she saw when she first entered the game in her previous life.

She reached out her finger and gently touched the mottled wall.

"puff--"

With a slight thud, the small piece of concrete she touched instantly turned into a cloud of fine, grayish-white powder, like a sandcastle weathered for millennia, and drifted down in a soft rustling sound. (End of Chapter)