Chapter 1: The Frozen Age - Public Beta Begins
"Ah Xing, Big Brother is dead!"
"They say he was beaten to death by several workers at the construction site because he owed them money for the project!"
Hong Kong, inside an office building.
Cao Xing heard someone calling his name and glanced indifferently at the person, a young man in a suit with a slicked-back hairstyle.
Then, Cao Xing lowered his head again.
He was playing a survival adventure game called "The Frozen Age" on his tablet. The art style was realistic, making it a rather hardcore survival game.
Players would start next to a bonfire. Due to the extreme low temperatures of this world, they could only move safely within the bonfire's coverage area.
If they left the bonfire's range for too long, their game character would freeze to death.
Players needed to build shelters and unlock various basic structures.
These structures could also be upgraded by collecting various materials. For example, a bonfire could be upgraded to a large bonfire, a furnace, and even an Energy Tower in the later stages.
In addition, players could also develop military strength or advance the technology within their territory, unlocking different playstyles...
According to the official announcement, a team-up mode would be released later.
However, since the game was still in its internal testing phase, Cao Xing hadn't seen anyone else playing it around him, nor could he find it online.
Just then, a prompt appeared on his tablet screen.
【This game will begin its public beta in two hours and will soon enter maintenance mode.】
【More content is being unlocked, please look forward to it...】
Is it finally time for the public beta?
Cao Xing's heart stirred. At this moment, the young man with the slicked-back hair naturally sat down next to him.
Wu Jiahui slung an arm over Cao Xing's shoulder, "Ah Xing, you followed Big Brother for a while, and he was your boss after all."
"He's dead, aren't you sad?"
Cao Xing put down his tablet, glanced at him, and said, "Come on, after he formed Everbright Group and went legitimate, he cut ties with us."
"After all these years, I was just his personal driver. There wasn't much affection involved."
"Besides, he always had a dark heart, so it's perfectly normal for him to be beaten to death."
"That's true," Wu Jiahui nodded.
At this point, a meaningful smile appeared on his face. "It's a pity. Big Brother chased Liu Muxue for so many years, finally got her, and was even preparing to get married, when this happened."
"Speaking of which, Liu Muxue is truly a rare beauty!"
"That figure, and those long legs, tsk tsk, anyone who sees her gets confused."
"Too bad, Big Brother won't get to enjoy it..."
Cao Xing didn't pick up on that topic because his phone vibrated.
After seeing the message, Cao Xing sat up from the sofa and turned to leave.
"Ah Xing, where are you going?"
Cao Xing spread his hands, "I'm a driver, where else would I go? Of course, I'm going to pick someone up."
...
Cao Xing arrived at Everbright Group's underground parking garage and expertly found a dark brown Maybach among a pile of luxury cars.
After opening the car door, the interior was extremely luxurious.
The value of this car, including its interior, was at least over seven million.
Of course, this car was definitely not his.
Cao Xing was alone, with no one to rely on. In a city like Hong Kong, just surviving was difficult.
Let alone having the money to buy such a luxury car.
Half an hour later, the Maybach stopped in front of a five-star hotel in the city center.
Cao Xing took out his phone and sent a message.
"Sister-in-law, I'm already downstairs."
A message came back from the other side.
"Mhm."
A few minutes later, a tall woman in a black long dress walked out of the hotel entrance.
Her demeanor was elegant, and the tight dress outlined the perfect curves of her body. As her long legs moved, they were like a pair of exquisite jade artifacts.
This woman was Liu Muxue.
Cao Xing didn't get out of the car, and the woman naturally sat in the back of the Maybach.
"Ah Xing, to the funeral home."
Cao Xing nodded, and the car started.
Midway, Liu Muxue answered a call, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, as if she had encountered something troubling.
"I said, agreeing to marry into Everbright Group was your demand. Now that Chen Jiang is dead, I have nothing to do with him."
"Don't even think about using me as a bargaining chip again!"
She seemed very angry, but having received a good education, she quickly calmed her anger.
"Ah Xing, I'm sorry," Liu Muxue said softly.
Cao Xing shook his head.
He knew Liu Muxue's character. She wasn't the type to scold subordinates just because of her status.
On the contrary, her attitude towards her subordinates had always been good, and the public's perception of her was also very positive.
Ever since Liu Muxue quickly rose to fame, the media had also extensively reported on her family and personal experiences.
Her original family was not wealthy.
But due to her outstanding looks and figure, she quickly became famous after adulthood.
Naturally, she also attracted the attention of many people with ulterior motives.
Chen Jiang, the chairman of Everbright Group, who was also Cao Xing's Big Brother, was one of them.
...
...
Soon, the car arrived at the funeral home.
Before getting out, Liu Muxue tried her best to put on a sad expression.
She knew that no matter how much she disliked that man internally, she still had to put on a show.
Cao Xing remained in the car, waiting.
An hour later, Liu Muxue returned to the car.
It was clear that she had cried, as her makeup was a bit smudged, giving her a faint smoky look.
Amidst her elegant demeanor, there was a touch of decadence, possessing a unique beauty.
Liu Muxue returned to the car, her expression calm again, and then said, "Ah Xing, take me back to the hotel."
"Okay."
Cao Xing nodded.
Just as he was about to start the car, his vision suddenly went black.
Then, everyone heard a mechanical, synthesized voice in their ears.
"The new version update for 'The Frozen Age' has been completed, officially ushering in the era of public beta for all. In one minute, all humans on Blue Star will be immersed in this game."
"Game Notice: This is a world untouched by sunlight, vast and boundless, but perpetually shrouded in severe cold. Your mission is to strive to survive in this world."
"After the game begins, you will appear next to a bonfire. This is your fire of survival. Remember! Do not easily leave the area illuminated by the fire!"
"Your goal is to collect more resources, expand your territory, and develop more units."
"The new version features a family survival mode, grouped by family units, with a maximum of 4 people per group."
"Those without relatives will be randomly grouped with people nearby."
"Now, I wish everyone the best in striving to live in this brand new world..."
...
When Cao Xing's vision returned, he suddenly found himself in a world of ice and snow.
Everything before him was a vast expanse, covered by ice and snow.
"Damn it, where's my Maybach?"
Before he finished speaking, a biting cold swept over him.
Cao Xing felt as if he would be frozen stiff on the spot in an instant.
"Hiss!"
Cao Xing took a deep breath. He instinctively moved closer to the burning bonfire in front of him, and only then did he feel a trace of warmth.
At this moment, a character panel appeared before him.
【Name: Cao Xing】
【Race: Blue Star Human Race】
【Level: 1 (0/100)】
【Profession: None】
【Health: 100.】
【Strength: 4, Agility: 3, Spirit: 5, Constitution: 5】
【Lord Interface: Not activated】
【Current Status: Cold】
【Current Temperature: -31℃】
"My goodness... this system panel is exactly the same as the one I played on my tablet!"
Then, the second system prompt appeared.
"All survivors, please choose your profession system as soon as possible."
"Currently, there are five major systems: Cold Iron Mechanist, Polar Warrior, Frost Mage, Aurora Knight, and Snow Hunter."
A look of joy flashed in Cao Xing's eyes.
He could choose a profession!
Clearly, these professions were also the same as the ones he had played before.
Of course, Cao Xing knew that these five professions had no combat power in the early stages.
For example, the Cold Iron Mechanist's early skill was to summon a small self-destructing robot, whose power was not even as good as the firecrackers we used to blow up outhouses when we were kids.
And the Polar Warrior only knew a simple hack-and-slash move.
The Frost Mage was a bit better, with an initial Ice Ball spell.
As for the Aurora Knight and Snow Hunter, they had Purify and Hunter's Perception, respectively.
To truly possess extraordinary power, one needed to constantly develop and acquire more skills.
Cao Xing pondered, "When I played this game before, I tried all five professions."
"The strongest, naturally, was the Mechanist, but this is a very late-game profession, and it consumes too many materials."
"In the early stages, the Polar Warrior and Snow Hunter were very strong, but they became weak in the later stages."
At this moment, a look of realization appeared on Cao Xing's face.
"So that's it. This game's so-called family survival mode is designed to allow us survivors to reasonably allocate professions, safely get through the early, mid, and late stages, and then survive better."
However, Cao Xing glanced at his side.
Besides himself, there was only Liu Muxue here.
Although he didn't know why he was grouped with her, now was not the time to think about such things.
At this moment, she was staring blankly at the bonfire, seemingly trying to process the information from the system prompts.
Cao Xing understood in his heart, "It seems that a four-person co-op mode won't be possible."
So... what profession should he choose?
After a moment of thought, Cao Xing directly chose 'Frost Mage'.
A system prompt appeared.
"Congratulations! You have successfully chosen the profession: Frost Mage. Elemental Affinity has been unlocked, and initial equipment has been placed in the storage box."
Cao Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to look for the initial storage box, a second, solemn system prompt appeared!
【Detecting that survivor 'Cao Xing''s destiny is compatible with this world, personal talent: Eternal Power has been activated.】
【Eternal Power (Hidden Unique Talent)】: Causes all friendly units within the territory, when gaining a temporary buff status, to permanently gain the buff status.
Cao Xing was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed, "Holy cow! I'm overpowered!"
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