Chapter 1 The Experiment

“Experiment sample twenty-four, injected with Valkyrie solution, survived for two minutes and forty-five seconds, time of death, 4:22 AM…”

I’m the only one at home, who is speaking?

Han Xiao abruptly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the blinding white light. The familiar game pod door was gone, replaced by a pure white ceiling, and the surrounding white walls had a cold, metallic feel, full of science fiction. The room was arranged like an intensive care unit. He lay on a metal table, his bare upper body connected to several instrument wires. The skin on his back kissed the metal, and the coldness penetrated deep into his heart.

Several white coats resembling researchers surrounded him, their faces showing expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

“Wasn’t I just taking orders from customers to level up new accounts, choosing a conventional start? Where is this place?” Han Xiao’s head was throbbing violently, his thoughts in a mess, as if a large amount of information had been forcibly crammed into his mind. His last memory was of accepting a leveling order and the character creation screen in *Galaxy*, and then he seemed to smell the strong odor of burning protein…

“Quickly, notify Ms. Hela, the test subject has survived!”

“Call the guards, come control the test subject immediately.”

The white coats were shouting and making a fuss. Han Xiao hadn’t heard their language before, but he could understand the meaning. The words "test subject," "survival time," and "guards" made him feel very uneasy. Rapid footsteps sounded outside the door, and someone was approaching quickly.

Should he stay put or run away immediately? After hesitating for only a moment, Han Xiao decisively chose the latter. Waiting for death was not his style. He rolled over, tore off all the instrument wires connected to his body, and stumbled towards the laboratory door. The surrounding white coats hurriedly backed away, without stopping him.

"Bang!" He smashed open the door, revealing a long white corridor. At both ends of the corridor, a dozen guards in black combat uniforms surrounded him, holding electric batons.

Han Xiao recognized the half-sprout mark on the left breast of their uniforms and took a deep breath. "The Germination Organization from Planet Aquamarine in Version 1.0? Wasn't it already destroyed?!"

A guard swung an electric baton and smashed it down heavily. Han Xiao subconsciously raised his hand to block, and the electric shock caused his whole body to convulse violently. His bones felt like they were about to crack, and half of his body was numb.

"This pain is one hundred percent?!" Han Xiao was shocked. The pain adjustment limit in *Galaxy* was 40% at most. Exceeding 40% would damage the player's nerves. The game pod had the function of monitoring the player's vital signs. If such a malfunction occurred, the connection should have been forcibly disconnected.

What’s going on? Did the game pod I just replaced seven years ago break down again? Damn it, the repairman who came a few days ago took three hundred yuan from me, confidently guaranteeing that there wouldn’t be any problems within six months. He's completely unreliable. I'll call customer service for a refund later!

A dozen burly… uh, strong guards swarmed up. Han Xiao experienced what it felt like to be surrounded by big sweaty men, and he was escorted to a small, empty, dark room. The guards locked the door and left.

It was pitch black all around, and he was the only one left in the room.

Han Xiao grimaced in pain, rubbing his wrist to recover.

His head ached again, and a flood of complex information poured out.

After a while, Han Xiao finally understood what was going on.

"I've transmigrated… into *Galaxy*?"

Han Xiao’s eyes widened, his face full of astonishment.

*Galaxy* was an immersive full-dive game with servers all over the world. At its peak, it had nearly sixty million concurrent online players.

The game background was the starry universe. The maps and scenes were automatically evolved from parameters entered by the latest generation of quantum computers. It was unbelievably large, accommodating hundreds of millions of players online at the same time without any burden. Countless guilds and groups farmed for gold, ran maps, and raided dungeons. A top-quality piece of equipment could sell for hundreds of thousands or even millions of US dollars.

In a popular game, balance was essential. It had to ensure that the whales who were willing to spend money had a certain advantage, but not so much that casual players felt it was unfair. The main way to maintain balance was to enhance the game’s competitiveness and technical aspects. *Galaxy* was no exception, and it also spawned byproducts such as professional players and professional leagues.

Although Han Xiao made a living playing games, the words "professional player" had nothing to do with him. He was a deadbeat power leveler hated by most players, and the kind who was a lone wolf without a studio.

As a veteran power leveler in *Galaxy*, Han Xiao had experienced all the version iterations and was somewhat famous, consistently ranking among the top 100 masters in the China region. He remembered that the latest ranking was forty-seventh. In theory, with his strength, he was more than qualified to go professional, but he was just a power leveler out of interest.

“The Germination Organization, *Galaxy* Version 1.0, one of the newbie starting planets, the Planet Aquamarine incident.” Han Xiao muttered to himself. Before he transmigrated, *Galaxy* had been operating for more than ten years, and the Version 1.0 events had long become history. Had he returned to the past?

Han Xiao's expression was solemn, which meant that the three hundred yuan wouldn't be coming back?!

"Slap!" Han Xiao slapped himself. He had transmigrated, what was he still thinking about refunds for? Was I an idiot?!

The memories in his mind seemed to be incomplete. He didn't know the original owner's experiences, not even the name. He only remembered some common sense about this world, such as the time. The era he was in was Galaxy Calendar 687 in the game, and the official public beta test would be in 688.

In the Version 1.0 era, the three cosmic behemoths—the Shining Federation, the Crimson Empire, and the Arcane Church—still maintained the tens of thousands of years of peace since the end of the Exploration Era. The Silver Revolutionary Army had not yet been formed, the source of the Superpower Calamity was still eking out an existence on some desolate planet, the Shattered Star Ring where Planet Aquamarine was located was still making soy sauce on the edge of the visible universe…

In order to maintain the game's appeal, *Galaxy* borrowed from a game called *World of Warcraft* many years ago. Each updated version was a disaster and a major event. Gul'dan Yan Zu had been making trouble for so many years, and then he was killed by an Illidan (wait, why add "again"?). The Burning Legion invaded again. Who knew how many more times they would return? On this point, *Galaxy* fully absorbed the experience of *World of Warcraft*. It was fun to play, but if you really transmigrated over… Friend, do you have a return ticket?

The Germination Organization was nothing compared to the cataclysms of later versions that involved interstellar wars at every turn, but it was a rather fatal predicament for Han Xiao in his current state.

“Planet Aquamarine's model is similar to Earth. The Germination Organization is an organization that attempts to subvert the regimes of major powers. If I remember correctly, the test subjects of the Valkyrie Experiment will be brainwashed and become cannon fodder.”

The origin of this body was as "raw material" for the Germination Organization's human experiments. His former memories had gaps. Apart from common knowledge, he only had fragments of memories of being imprisoned and experimented on.

Around twenty years old, his appearance vaguely resembled his previous life. It was hard to say whether he was healthy or not. He still remembered the white coat saying that he had been injected with the Valkyrie solution. This stuff was one of the Germination Organization's genetic drugs, used to strengthen the brain, with a mortality rate as high as 70%. But it had produced a mutation in him.

Suddenly, a line of semi-illusory blue text popped up in front of him:

[You have been injected with the Valkyrie solution. Endurance Potential +1. You have gained the Feat—High Focus. You have gained the Feat—Low-Grade Mental Resilience.]

"Panel information!" Han Xiao was inwardly delighted.

A translucent blue screen suddenly unfolded in his vision, very sci-fi, without obstructing his sight.

——————

Name: Han Xiao

Race: Carbon-Based Human (Yellow)

Template: NPC (Version 1.0 Public Beta Countdown: 358 days, 11 hours, 03 minutes)

Total Level: 1

Experience: 0

Sub-Class: Civilian Lv1 (0/50)

Main Class: None

Personal Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Endurance 3, Intelligence 3, Mystery 1, Charm 2, Luck 1

Free Attribute Points: 0

Energy: 0 (Lv0)

Energy Level: 1~2

Tier: F (Mortal)

[A piece of trash with a combat power of five. Any random NPC on the street can pin you to the ground and rub you in the dirt a hundred times!]

Health: 23/30 (Sprained)

Stamina: 36/36

Feats: High Focus – Increases learning and crafting speed by 10%

Low-Grade Mental Resilience – Gains +3 Willpower checks

Skills: None

Potential Points: 0

Class Knowledge Tree: Not Activated

Influence: None

Legendary Points: 0

Equipment: None

——————

*Galaxy*'s game panel. Thank goodness, this thing was still here. Heaven helps handsome guys after all.

However, Han Xiao quickly discovered something unusual.

NPC template? He wasn't a player? Version 1.0 public beta countdown?

Han Xiao frowned, realizing several important factors.

First, although he didn't know why the attribute panel had come with him, this was the real world. Every life was vibrant. Once he died, he wouldn't resurrect like in the game.

Second, he had become an NPC, but he possessed the player's system panel. This was undoubtedly good news, as he could level up and grow like a player.

Third, the public beta countdown made him realize that the real world had probably returned to the time before *Galaxy* was released. He had really returned to the past! Did that mean that the players from before would reappear?

Fourth, and most importantly, his current situation was very dangerous!

Han Xiao felt a headache. Take a look at other people's transmigration. Those were normal starts, okay? Five hundred gold coins and a ten-person population, with resources and helpers. Maybe they could even get an ex-girlfriend as a bonus. Even if they didn't have these things, at least the environment was pretty safe. Even if there was an enemy who wanted to kill you, they would only secretly stab you in the back. But what about him? A war scenario start, just a lone hero, trapped in enemy territory. One slip and God would send him back to Valhalla… assuming such a thing existed.

Han Xiao didn't have the player's ability to resurrect now. He only had one life. It would be a waste to lose it here.

That’s right… He was thinking "what a waste," which was slightly different from the normal thought of "I must survive." As for things like "My fate is in my hands, not in heaven's," or "One golden elixir down the throat, breaking through life and death without a gate," those were usually the reactions of a late-stage chunibyo patient.

"What the hell, am I the only one who's been Sword Art Online-ed?" Han Xiao complained.

Even though his senses were indistinguishable from reality, he had a huge doubt in his heart.

What was the essence of his existence? A real life? Or a set of data? Soul transmigration? Or some other reason?

“Since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it. I can only take things one step at a time,” Han Xiao thought to himself. No matter what he was, if he didn't want to die heroically, he could only find a way to survive.

There was still a year until the public beta. Before the players arrived, he had a year to prepare. This was the only good news that cheered him up at the moment. He deeply understood the destructive power of players. Like a locust plague, they were synonymous with chaos and madness.

"Clang!"

At this moment, the door of the small dark room opened, and several people walked in. Because of the backlight, Han Xiao could only vaguely see that the silhouette of the leader was graceful and curvaceous. She was a woman with a hot figure.

"How is the test subject's condition?" The woman spoke to her subordinates behind her. Her voice had a slightly hoarse texture, like a rich cup of coffee, lazy with a hint of sexiness.

"It seems that he has broken away from the manic phase." The person in charge of the experiment, Lin Weixian, sized Han Xiao up and down with a fiery gaze, his eyes as if he was looking at his private property.

Han Xiao said hoarsely, "Who are you people?"

"Hmm? It seems like there's a memory deviation?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

"The Valkyrie stimulates the brain. Memory loss is a normal reaction," Lin Weixian said, narrowing his eyes.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and Han Xiao saw the woman's appearance clearly and was immediately stunned.

A head of long, wine-red curly hair covered half of her face. She was wearing a tight black combat uniform, which was very capable of triggering male hormones. Her features had both the three-dimensionality of Westerners and the softness of Easterners, like a mixed-race child. She was stunningly beautiful, with black eye shadow painted on her eyes, exuding a mature and lazy aura, like a beautiful serpent.

If Daji had this beauty, King Zhou would have died without regret, Han Xiao thought.

"Hela, the supervisor here." The red-haired beauty stared at Han Xiao, waved her hand, and said, "Take him down for a blood test. I want to see the report immediately!"

Two expressionless elite guards stepped forward, grabbed Han Xiao's arms from the left and right, and led him out. Han Xiao glanced at the guards' powerful bodies under their uniforms and the handguns on their waists and immediately dispelled his plan to resist on the spot.

He recognized "Red Serpent" Hela. This was one of the challenge scenes on Planet Aquamarine—the Valkyrie Laboratory, one of the Germination Organization's subordinate bases.

In Version 1.0, Hela, the boss, had abused countless new players born on Planet Aquamarine to the point of tears and screams, and she was called "Quit Sister" on the forums. In the future, she even became an interstellar powerhouse in the Colton Star Cluster, her strength surpassing the Calamity Grade, and she was crowned with the title of "Goddess of Death," famous throughout the Shattered Star Ring.

Han Xiao smiled bitterly to himself. His situation was truly a cold winter, chilling to the bone!

…

Although it took a little longer than expected (mainly because I was lazy for half a month, yes, I am so brazen <tsundere face>), but those are not important, the important thing is that the book has finally been released!

The new book needs everyone's care, please recommend! Please collect! Please support! Please everything!

ps: I originally wanted to call it Mechanical Heavenly King, but someone had already taken it. I thought Mechanical Overlord was also good, but it still didn't work. After changing a dozen names, I finally found a usable book title. All the good names have been plucked out, not even a seedling left for me…

pss: There is already an old book of 1.5 million words, *Demon Royalty*, feel free to read.