The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

"breathe……"

Xiao Xiao tried to adjust her breathing rhythm, attempting to force her attention back to the flame meditation diagram.

But after less than ten minutes, she felt mentally exhausted and irritable, and was unable to fully "think" out the flame meditation diagram.

She had to stop the attempt and open her eyes.

"As expected... it's not that simple."

Xiao Xiao gave a wry smile, but was not discouraged.

She knew this was the normal situation.

The {meditation experience card} is like the training wheels when learning to ride a bike; removing them will inevitably cause wobbling and falls.

To truly master it, one must experience countless failures.

Xiao Xiao glanced at her mental strength score, which was still 9 points.

The "meditation" I just did had absolutely no effect.

"It seems we still need to ensure basic physical comfort and minimize distractions."

Xiao Xiao rubbed her stomach, which was aching from hunger, and looked at the cheapest item in the shop, {Food Card - Black Bread}, which cost 1 gem coin. In the end, she shook her head.

Instead of wasting precious gems on buying the lowest-tier supplies in the game, it's better to just log off and solve the problem.

Xiao Xiao opened the card system and selected the "Secure Exit" option.

A slight sense of detachment washed over me, and the scene of ruins before me rippled and faded away like waves on water.

In reality, Xiao Xiao suddenly took off his helmet, got up and went to the kitchen, boiled water and cooked two packets of instant noodles, added a sausage and an egg.

The hot food brought me immense satisfaction.

After finishing the meal quickly, fatigue set in.

The continuous concentration during the game and attempts at meditation left her mentally exhausted.

She needs sleep.

But where you sleep is also a matter of careful consideration.

Three hours have passed in the game world, but only one hour has passed in reality.

In reality, you sleep eight hours a day, but in the game, it's twenty-four hours.

In the past, some players have calculated that even after a player logs off the game, their mental energy continues to recover, but the recovery speed is far slower than when they are in the game.

The first month after the game launches is a safe period, so try to spend as much time as possible in the game.

Mental energy recovers quickly, and gem coins accumulate rapidly.

Although the game world was full of ruins and desolation, and the environment was not as good as reality, she had already gotten used to sleeping anywhere after the apocalypse in her previous life.

Xiao Xiao put her helmet back on and re-entered the game.

After a brief period of dizziness, she returned to the game.

The ruins of the real estate market in the game may look intact on the outside, but they have long since collapsed and will dissipate like bubbles with the slightest touch.

Even more dangerous are places with underground spaces, such as parking lots, subway station entrances, and underground shopping malls.

It looks fairly intact, but if a player accidentally steps on it, the "ground" beneath their feet will crumble like paper, and the player will fall directly into the pit, either dying or being maimed.

In the early stages of the game, this "trap" claimed the lives of countless players who wanted to collect resources from the ruins.

The city ruins in the game are just as dangerous as real post-apocalyptic cities.

Fortunately, thanks to these experiences in the game, players were more cautious when the apocalypse arrived in reality, and many escaped unscathed. Xiao Xiao moved directly to the edge of the city ruins, where the building density was low, underground structures were fewer, and the danger was relatively smaller.

And there's also the possibility of finding some wild fruits or other food.

She carefully navigated the ruins, choosing open areas whenever possible. Occasionally, she would stop and cautiously probe any suspicious ground or walls ahead with sturdy sticks or rubble she found, only continuing forward after confirming it was safe to do so.

After walking for about an hour, she finally arrived at a hillside where she had stayed in her previous life.

In a sheltered mountain hollow, there is another naturally formed, narrow cave.

Although the space is small, there is no problem for an adult to lie down.

In the early stages of the game, the climate is relatively mild, with no rainy days. The only thing to be careful about is the temperature difference between day and night.

She gathered some dry grass from the surrounding area and laid it inside the cave. She also moved some stones and built a simple low embankment at the entrance of the cave to block the wind.

After doing all that, she couldn't hold on any longer, so she climbed in, lay down, and quickly fell asleep.

There are twelve other "reborn" individuals like Xiao Xiao worldwide.

They are distributed across different continents, different countries, different social classes, and even have vastly different cultural backgrounds and life experiences.

Among them are students, office workers, researchers, veterans, reclusive artists, and ordinary people struggling to survive at the bottom of society.

At this moment, influenced by their "memories of their past lives," they all chose to work hard to accumulate strength for the impending apocalypse.

Moran uses the card {Holographic Game: Doomsday} to monitor the situation of all of them.

Some reborn individuals, like Xiao Xiao, felt that doomsday prophecies seemed absurd in peacetime, and that rashly revealing them would only make them seem like madmen or troublemakers, so they chose to cultivate alone.

However, no matter how careful they are, their actions inevitably leave subtle ripples in their respective social circles and games.

These ripples, overlapping and spreading, also have a subtle influence on the ordinary player base within the game "Doomsday".

Some reborn players choose to post "hardcore" strategy guides in the anonymous section of the official website forum.

Some emphasized the importance of mental energy management and gem coin accumulation, pointing out the long-term value of meditation; others shared tips for efficiently exploring the edges of ruins rather than venturing deep into the core area; still others shared methods of meditation, attracting a group of players who enjoy researching to follow and try them out.

Another reborn person who writes online novels started a new novel called "Game Realization" on the official website forum, spreading information in the novel in a mix of truth and fiction.

This has sparked curiosity and discussion among many readers.

"It's written so realistically, she probably doesn't actually know anything!"

Will games ever become reality?

"Never mind, I'll give it a try! Anyway, this game is so boring, the only interesting thing is those {magic cards}!"

One month after the game's launch.

The popularity of "Holographic Game: Doomsday" has not waned; on the contrary, its continued mystery and subversive experience have attracted even more players.

A full month has passed, and still no individual, organization, or national agency has been able to ascertain the true identity of the so-called "company" or "team" behind this game.

The official website's technical architecture cannot be parsed, the logistics chain for distributing helmets is untraceable, and even those promotional videos that look incredibly realistic show no trace of any known film and television special effects company or engine.

This ignited speculation and unease worldwide.

Conspiracy theories are rampant:
"This is a brand-new military training system secretly developed by a major power, used to select and train super soldiers!"

"It's a low-key contact with an extraterrestrial civilization! The game is a tool to test our civilization's adaptability and potential!"

"It's not a game at all, but a rehearsal for an upcoming 'augmented reality event'! The novel on the official forum is actually a factual account!"

...(End of chapter)