The male supporting character was actually myself.

Pah! Knowing I have nothing left but a gaming helmet, aren't they trying to kill me?

I'd rather die than not be able to play games!

But nothing in the world is more important than life, and I'm not going to fall for that and hand over all my money.

Having lacked discipline since childhood and being arrogant and self-centered, Si Anrui quickly made up his mind: go to the nearest online store to see if he could return the helmet, and if he could get the money, he would buy a cheaper helmet from another online store!

In this way, you'll have the money to buy equipment in the game. Of course, this time you can't be silly like last time and buy expensive stuff from the system store. Go to the small repair shop first and buy some assembled parts.

It's not too late to upgrade your equipment after you've earned some gold coins from defeating monsters.

I would never owe a crazy woman money. I'm just borrowing it temporarily. Once I make money, I'll transfer it to her account and we'll be even! Even if she gets old and tries to morally blackmail me into supporting her in her old age, it's useless. She's talking nonsense about the debt of raising someone being greater than the debt of giving birth. Is just giving her food and forcing her to study every day considered a debt of raising someone?

She never gave me any love, which is why I became a pitiful child who lacked love and had low self-esteem.

I'm still waiting for her to apologize, and she actually expects me to be grateful?

That's just wishful thinking!

"Isn't that an ingrate? Is he having a change of heart and going to return the helmet?"

"What else can he do but back down? You didn't see how badly he got beaten up in 'Perfect Country'!"

"Serves him right for getting beaten up! It seems most people still have a moral bottom line and a correct set of values. This morning, I almost died of anger after reading a few articles on social media. They said things like ungrateful children aren't raised in a day, and the aunt was also at fault. They said things like raising children means taking responsibility, and if the child doesn't learn well, it's because the adults didn't teach them well, blah blah blah, and they're even trying to whitewash ungrateful children!"

"Anyone who has experienced the harsh realities of society wouldn't say that. Maybe they're all ungrateful and think the whole world owes them something."

"Could it be that he never truly repented, but was simply beaten so badly that he was too afraid to log into his game account and had to sell it for money?"

"Damn! It's very possible that he took the money but wouldn't even take it to the hospital for my aunt's medical treatment!"

"Damn it, this isn't enough to deal with him? We raised him all these years and then had our life-saving money stolen. We just have to accept our fate?"

"You could have easily called the police, right?"

"How do I call the police when I'm in the hospital emergency room?"

"We can't let him become a rebellious role model for the kids. Come on, let's keep an eye on him. If he dares to embezzle money and not pay for his aunt's medical treatment, we'll call the police..."

…………

Most of the indignant pedestrians on the street were middle-aged people with elderly parents and young children to support. They relied on "Perfect World" to make a living, knew the hardships of life, and understood that without climbing the ladder, their future was bleak. They feared that their children would follow Si Anrui's example and learn to prioritize freedom and games over studies. If the new generation mistook the virtual world for reality, then everything would be doomed!

Whether in reality or in the virtual world, a life of extravagance and debauchery is always something only the wealthy can enjoy.

"Perfect World" is only perfect for the rich. Ordinary people, without capital and strength, can only become stepping stones even in the virtual world.

If you want to climb the social ladder and are no longer subject to control, the only way is through education!

Humans cannot live in a virtual world apart from the real world. Even companies like M Technology and G Technology need humans to operate, make decisions, and design.

The Ministry of Public Security relies on human security personnel to maintain order.

Hospitals need doctors to see patients, nurses to give injections...

Anyone who can study hard and achieve some results can have a good and stable job opportunity, without having to worry about the virtual world becoming outdated and offline, and having to start from scratch with a new, popular game.

More and more people followed Si Anrui. Some were victims of the disaster years ago, eyeing him with ill intentions; some wanted to do a good deed and make sure the young man delivered the money to the hospital to treat the sick and save lives; and some were simply there to watch the spectacle, recording videos as they followed and posting them online.

In this impoverished world, aside from the virtual world for entertainment, there are few opportunities to simply watch the drama unfold in the real world. So, his call was met with overwhelming response; by the time Si Anrui reached the nearest sales outlet, a dense crowd of nearly a hundred people had already gathered behind him.

"Hello sir, how can I help you?" A fair-skinned and pretty saleswoman in uniform greeted him with a professional smile.

Yesterday, Si Anrui was overjoyed to have bought the most expensive new helmet from here, but today he has to sheepishly return it. He feels he has lost face.

But I was so hungry that pride had to take a backseat to reality for the time being.

"I...I want to return the gaming helmet." He blushed so much he wished he could bury his head in the ground.

Yesterday, I was so proud and confident while shopping, so smug that several pretty girls who came to pick out helmets were envious and wanted my contact information. Unfortunately, I was always short of money and didn't have a phone, and at the time I was only thinking about getting into the game and showing off my skills, so I didn't care about the girls at all.

From purchase to forced return, only thirty-odd hours passed...

"Are you Mr. Si Anrui?" The salesperson had already received a notification from the sales department of M Technology Company and was fully aware of what this ingrate had done, but her professionalism made her maintain a polite and smiling tone as she reminded him, "According to the transaction agreement, game helmets sold by our company are non-refundable and non-exchangeable."

However, your situation is special. We have received notification that we can process a return for the gaming helmet you purchased. Please present your ID card and place the gaming helmet on the testing device over there. We need to verify that the information matches completely before we can process your return.

In stark contrast to the dilapidated slums outside, the clean, tidy, and technologically advanced sales outlet was crowded with onlookers.

The return process was very quick. After verifying his identity and confirming that the gaming helmet was the one he had purchased and not stolen, the salesperson put the helmet away, returned his identification, and reminded him with a professional smile: "You can go back now. Our company has already transferred 100,000 yuan to your aunt Si Suduan's account at the hospital."

The subsequent treatment process will be followed up by relevant personnel from M Technology Company, so please rest assured. We wish your aunt a speedy recovery.

Si Anrui: (((;???;)))

W-what?!

What kind of nonsense are you spouting?

They didn't refund my money and just transferred it to the hospital? Does that mean I'm...

"That's not how you get a refund!" Si Anrui stammered, his mind blank. "It should be cash on delivery, that's what a refund is! You took my helmet and said the money was transferred to the hospital account, how was I supposed to know?"

The salesperson, still smiling, pointed to the surveillance equipment diagonally opposite and explained, "Our entire operation is recorded in real time. You can rest assured to check your account at the hospital. If any transfer record is missing even a single yuan, you can use it as evidence to sue us. Don't worry, M Technology Company will not be unscrupulous and embezzle life-saving funds."

She has a sweet smile and a gentle tone.

But it carried a bit of personal emotion, and the sarcastic remarks made Si Anrui's face turn green with sarcasm.

He wanted to argue further, but he opened his mouth and swallowed the rest of his words.

With so many people gathered outside, they were all eager to see a spectacle and wanted to use themselves as targets to demonstrate against the young people, leaving the young people speechless.

If someone says they don't know which hospital the crazy woman is in, they'll definitely be accused of something and have another false accusation made against them.

But I'm really not satisfied with not getting the money...

"I need to see the transfer records. I can't just accept whatever you say without any evidence."

"Please wait a moment, sir. We will contact the finance department immediately to show you the transfer record."

After waiting for two minutes, Si Anrui indeed received a printed transfer receipt, which detailed the transfer time, reason for return, hospital name, and Si Suduan's personal account.

The crowd outside erupted in cheers, whistles, and boos.

"M Technology's move is quite clever, eliminating the middleman's profit margin!"

"Sigh, we worried for nothing. They won't give him the money at all."

"That's good. Who can guarantee that a treacherous thief will use the money to treat Auntie's illness?"

"To be fair, as an adult, Si Suduan is also at fault for not being able to hide her money properly."

"I hope the security guard says the same thing to you when you get robbed someday. Who told you not to hide your money properly and get targeted?"

"Pah! Auntie is indeed wrong, but she shouldn't have meddled in other people's business."

Given the serious accident that happened back then, and the fact that Si Suduan was a minor and not a legal guardian, the other party could have easily inherited his share of the property and left him in a juvenile detention center.

His parents left behind an inheritance that wasn't enough to pay the compensation, so they deserved to make him work in a juvenile detention center to earn the money, instead of using their own share to pay off their crimes and then raising him!

"Raising him to adulthood is more than enough; cutting ties is the best way to cut our losses. Si Suduan is only thirty-one; she has time to find someone compatible, start a family, and have another child, instead of wasting money and energy on this ungrateful wretch..."

…………

Si Anrui didn't know how he left the sales outlet. Clutching the piece of paper, he carefully avoided the crowd of victims who wanted revenge, then wandered aimlessly through the dilapidated streets, feeling utterly hopeless.

What should one do if they are hungry and have no money?

He had never been this hungry in his life. Even when things were tough and he could only eat the cheapest black bread soaked in water, at least he could fill his stomach every day. But now, he hadn't eaten anything for almost two days and one night. He felt weak in the legs and his whole body was shaking.

Should we go begging?

He tried to pick up trash and almost vomited from the stench. He was also chased away by the contractor. After working for most of the day, he only managed to collect a few empty bottles, which he couldn't even exchange for a piece of black bread. He was also no match for the homeless people who were picking up leftover food from the trash cans.

The cheapest gaming helmet costs over three thousand yuan, which is a huge sum for him right now. He should wait and see before entering "Perfect World" to make money; filling his stomach is the priority.

"Gurgle~" His stomach protested for the nth time with its empty feeling. Si Anrui rubbed his stomach, which was hurting from hunger, and watched as night gradually fell. His eyes fell on a crooked and dilapidated pile of buildings not far away.

Either swallow your pride and beg for food;

Or they can only do what those thugs do, stealing food under the cover of night to fill their stomachs.

This damn real world has absolutely no hope of survival!

"Perfect World is so great! If I could stay in it and never come out, that would be the happiest thing!" he exclaimed, dragging his heavy steps and carrying the beautiful memories of the virtual world, ready to try his luck.

Chapter Eleven: Give Me the Pen, and I'll Write?

"Oh? You went to steal something?" Jiang Chen was sitting at his desk, seriously analyzing the current world situation, when he heard the white cat report.

"Yeah, yeah, and they always target the old, weak, sick, and disabled. They're cowardly bullies who prey on the weak!"

He frowned slightly, glanced at the script which hadn't been updated yet, and asked, "You intervened?"

"Of course!" The fluffy ball licked its paws and meowed angrily. "Those people are so pitiful. Their hard-earned money and food were stolen by Si Anrui, and they might starve to death. So I made a commotion to scare away the thief."

However, his protagonist's halo still worked somewhat; he encountered a pitiful old woman who gave him some food, and now he's back at his secret base sleeping.

The plump white cat rubbed against its host's hand, which was adorned with a dragon-patterned ring, and asked curiously with a low purr, "Why do the people in this mission world all live such miserable lives?"

Miao looked around and found that apart from the sparsely populated wealthy areas, the rest were basically all slums, and all those people were playing games in "Perfect World".

"Don't these resources need to be manufactured manually in the real world?"

With his hand behind his back, Jiang Chen ruffled the fluffy ball of hair and waved to turn on the virtual electronic screen above his desk.

"Look, this is the world after the war."

The screen was filled with devastation, and the little white cat stood on tiptoe to look intently, feeling that it was comparable to the apocalypse.

The mission world is set after a war in which 90 percent of the land was destroyed by weapons, leaving the survivors huddled in a corner like domesticated animals.

Beyond the high walls lies a polluted world.

The two largest technology companies, M and G, control 90% of the resources. They are wealthy and powerful enough to develop AI manufacturing and use robots to develop and build larger, fully automated factories.

This includes, but is not limited to, planting, breeding, processing, manufacturing, and transportation. A continuous stream of supplies such as food, clothing, shelter, and transportation for human beings are transported in for sale. In terms of physical goods, G Technology Company is better, while M Technology Company is relatively better at developing virtual worlds so that people with surplus but no assets can have a space to barely survive.

In other words, technology has advanced to the point where we no longer need so many human workers.

When surplus people cannot find jobs and earn money to support themselves, they are prone to riots. Developing virtual games gives them a space to survive and the opportunity to get rich quickly, so that the distorted social structure can continue to function smoothly.

Moreover, even with high-tech operations, some tasks still require highly skilled personnel to do them personally. As a top-tier technology company, it also needs to enjoy a continuous stream of population benefits. Currently, everything is in a delicate balance. Even the chosen ones only dominate in the virtual world and do not think about the future in reality.

Jiang Chen could imagine that once he stepped down and the protagonist Si Anrui inherited M Technology Company, the whole world would be struggling on the verge of destruction.