Chapter 381: Mental Power

The weapons have already been developed, but because it's in closed beta they haven't gone live. Gold coins can purchase weapons and daily items, and players can enjoy a life in the game that mirrors real society.

After explaining most of the issues, Su Yu said the first round of the closed beta was over. Tomorrow is the second round of player entry testing.

【Beep— Beep— Beep! Below the limit of mental power, alert: do not force entry into the game!】

A player wearing a helmet looked at Su Yu, who was standing here, with a clueless gaze.

Su Yu looked regretful and said, "I'm sorry, but we don't recommend you enter the game right now."

"Why?"

The boy felt like crying. Especially as he watched the big screen where other players were already inside, while he alone couldn't even get an entry ticket.

"Your measured mental power is insufficient; forcing entry would affect your body."

Su Yu, fearing he wouldn't give up, said seriously, "If it's too low it will affect your brain domain, and in severe cases could cause cognitive problems."

The boy stared blankly, "Will that damage the brain?"

Su Yu shook her head, "It's not a brain injury. For example, a one‑year‑old might not be able to lift a one‑jin (half‑kilogram) object, whereas a twenty‑year‑old can do it easily. Not being able to play continuously is like not being able to hold that one‑jin weight all the time, because you'd get tired! Over time it can also cause injury."

Su Yu didn't say it outright, but the boy understood that he was that one‑year‑old who couldn't lift a one‑jin item.

"Is there really no other way?"

"In the current version, there's no way."

The initial version prioritized safety above all. Even a minor issue could turn into a major problem. Potential competitors wouldn't let her and her game get away with it.

Su Yu could imagine that once the Holographic Online Game launched, a huge chunk of paying mobile and PC gamers would churn, and daily active users would drop.

But Su Yu would never be a saint and open the holographic technology for other studios to use.

The boy dejectedly set the helmet aside. He wasn't that interested in the game anymore. He couldn't play, and just watching would only make him more miserable.

"Is there any way to train mental power?"

Su Yu shook her head, "I'm not sure."

First, even if Wulongcha hadn't told her, she couldn't claim to know. She only brought up the concept of mental power because she'd read it in a novel. If she actually knew how to boost it, she'd know too much! No one would consider her normal!

The boy lowered his eyes and left the testing site, dejected.

Su Yu sent a staff member to follow him, to make sure he returned safely to the hotel, then home, and then came back.

Then came the third, fourth… rounds of testing.

For each round, the staff recorded everything attentively. They had invited over a thousand people for the first closed beta, covering everything from helmet usage to game experience, trying to clarify every detail.

Then everyone worked together to fix the game's issues. Most of the technicians were Su Yu's former colleagues.

Su Yu was glad she didn't have to go back to the base for overtime! She handed all the data over to the base, happily went home to wait for the second test! When she got home, Liang Yan and Tang Can were waiting.

"Huo Huo, Can Can, what's up?"

Both of them have their own careers and are quite busy. It's rare for them to wait together in the living room for her.

"Little sister Xiao Yu, what is mental power? I haven't tested it, but I want to know."

Liang Yan originally wanted to test with those players. But she feared that her results might look bad, which would be embarrassing and cause a big scandal? "Um, I'm not sure either; it's just a vague name derived from some data simulations."

【So hard— luckily Wulongcha you didn't tell me about the mental power concept in your world, otherwise I really couldn't explain it.】

Sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing, especially since she hasn't studied this field.

"I don't understand!"

Liang Yan shook her head, and Su Yu pondered, "Hmm, I don't really get it either; I grabbed it from some base research. But it's quite useful in practice. People who are sluggish, get fatigued easily, react slowly to the outside world, and recover energy slowly are likely low in mental power.

In such cases entering a holographic game can cause issues. For example, drinking an energy drink can make some people instantly alert, but once the effect wears off they feel exhausted. And not everyone gets a boost; some may have adverse reactions."

"Can't it be gentler?"

"Theoretically yes, but in practice it's hard!"

The difficulty lies in the materials and the higher‑ups' attitude. The game's leap is too big, and the authorities disagree. The materials that could achieve that effect are rare metals, likely only enough for domestic use, while the authorities want to harvest foreign markets.

"Holographic development isn't mature yet; later we might see holographic idols, Huo Huo, and your game could head that way."

Liang Yan's game is a refined 3D romance game. With good follow‑up development it can be packaged as a virtual idol. As long as her copywriting, design, and animation don't flop, players will keep supporting it.

"Mm‑hm!"

Tang Can was curious, "Softie, how did you come up with a holographic game?"

"Bored! Current games are boring, and real space is too small!"

Su Yu's house is huge, but outside, the space she can have is tiny.

"I want to build houses, all kinds of houses, and live in each once. In reality my home can meet my needs, but maintenance costs a fortune, not worth it!"

Houses built in the game don't worry about the surrounding environment, don't risk others moving in, and you don't have to pay extra property fees.

"So you can also cook and make skincare products?"

Su Yu thought for three seconds, "Theoretically it's possible."

"Then when the public beta opens, I'll go try it out."

Tang Can had always wanted to experiment with some dishes, but she didn't dare to try them in reality because they'd be too avant‑garde!

She was even more curious what the effect would be if skincare products were made in the game. Tang Can and Liang Yan were eager for the test, and Su Yu was eager for gossip.

【Wulongcha, how's it going? Has Zheng Weiyao's family been sanctioned?】

【Hmm, they've all been sentenced. According to Zheng Weiyao's current wife, it was a plan they both discussed. Sacrificing a daughter they didn't care about for a lifetime of wealth seemed a good deal to them.】

【How ruthless! What about Zheng Wenyao?】

【His charge is lighter, suspected of prostitution!】

Zheng Wenyao is a second‑generation scion, has done many bad things, but without a victim filing a lawsuit they can't do anything to him; they can only prosecute the crimes with evidence and sentence him.

But Zheng Weiyao is finished, and the remaining Zheng Wenyao can't stir up much trouble…

After multiple consecutive tests, the Holographic Online Game went live.

Su Yu didn't do much promotion, yet online buzz was high. Because of material costs, the helmet was priced a bit high—one helmet costs ten thousand yuan.

The first batch of helmets numbered only 30,000, and sold out in three minutes. This was even with Su Yu restricting purchases to real‑name verification to prevent scalpers, and that's the speed.

If scalpers were allowed to resell, the sales speed would likely be even faster, and the price could be driven even higher.

Ah!

"Little sister Xiao Yu, you're all proper—what are you sighing about?"

Liang Yan was surprised by the numbers. A helmet costs ten thousand yuan—so many people are willing to spend that much on a game?!

"I'm worried about the return rate."

Naturally it's good when they sell. But some buyers might not be able to enter the game, and those will definitely return. Another portion are marketing accounts—many people like to shop online and then return immediately.

"Fortunately I listed them on my own platform, so I don't have to worry about not receiving the helmets after a return."

If it were a platform that only refunds, she'd lose a fortune!

"I think you should worry more about the helmets not being enough to sell."

Thirty thousand sounds like a lot, but compared to the base of young adults, it's a very small figure.

"The stock exists; we need to see how the first batch goes."

Su Yu, of course, knew this wasn't enough, so she had someone reserve ten thousand helmets and distribute some to well‑connected people who asked.

"The situation looks good to me!"

Liang Yan's sparkling eyes stared at the back‑end display.

Everyone's gone crazy playing the new game!

Wang Lele is a hardcore homebody; if she can stay at home, she never goes out! She despises real‑world socializing, loves surfing the net, and whether she's happy or sad behind the screen she feels completely at ease, without fearing anyone pulling out her words for criticism.

When the Holographic Online Game launched, she jumped on the trend and bought one with her pocket money. She doesn't actually like the game, but her online friends kept whining it was too expensive; as a 5G surfing pro and a little rich‑girl persona, how could she not buy one to show off?

Anyway, ten thousand yuan of pocket money isn't pricey for her!

Wang Lele bought the helmet, being very careful with her life, and read the helmet user guide thoroughly before going online to play.

The first time she logged in, Wang Lele followed the newbie guide's recommendation and chose the ultra‑cute Little Nurse. The Little Nurse can only heal herself, so Wang Lele didn't dare venture into the PK zone; she opted to wander the wilderness for scenery.

Wang Lele rode a little cart, wandering the wild. When she unexpectedly met a wild boar, she bolted. Spotting cute flowers and grass, she got off her cart, pulled some, tied them up, and held them up to admire.

"Not bad at all!"

The wilderness is vast and relatively low‑risk. Most monsters are passive‑triggered and won't attack players out of the blue. As Wang Lele walked, watching the scenery, she suddenly began to like the game.

Wang Lele drove her little cart, traveling from the plains to the forest.

【Nearby】: Hello, may I ask what you're doing? Wang Lele looked at the female little fox whose nickname was 【Dian Po】 and was puzzled. The player called 【Dian Po】 really seemed like a crazy old lady. She was actually eating a huge pile of poisonous mushrooms!

How does Wang Lele know the mushrooms are poisonous? Because 【Dian Po】 constantly has a debuff hanging over her head!

If Wang Lele weren't a peace‑lover, she would have taken out 【Dian Po】 with one swing, just to see if she could drop gold coins!

【Dian Po】 rolled her eyes at Wang Lele.

【Nearby】: Can't you see? I'm eating something! Wang Lele saw it, she saw it, and was puzzled.

【Nearby】: Poisonous mushrooms, tasty? Why do you keep taking potions and eating them?

Wang Lele has a little money, but she's currently refusing to spend on the game. She previously opened the shop; the antidote in 【Dian Po】's hand costs 1 gold coin, 100 yuan! 【Nearby】: Yeah, it's especially delicious! So delicious it's explosive—want to try? 【Dian Po】 sincerely invited Wang Lele to eat together.

Her name is Wang Lele, and her in‑game nickname is also Wang Lele; she manually refused.

【Nearby】: Thanks, I don't like to eat, and probably shouldn't eat either.

【Dian Po】 looked at the identity Wang Lele had chosen.

【Nearby】: I've played the hero you chose; don't worry, eating one won't kill you, just a little healing will do!

Wang Lele was contemplating whether to risk trying it, when a player nicknamed 【Dian Gong】 appeared.

【Nearby】: Our mushroom alliance has been founded!

Dian Po's face lit up with excitement; she looked unusually lively, almost unreal!

【Nearby】: Really? Quickly, take these mushrooms back and treat the villagers properly! Wang Lele: … If this is served on the table, it really won't get hit? Wang Lele didn't understand, she was greatly shocked! She drove her little cart, returned the items to Dian Po, and cheerfully set off to explore elsewhere.

Leaving the forest, there's a vast orchard and a wild‑chicken farm.

【Nearby】: Who raised these? Aren't you afraid they'll be harvested? Wang Lele felt quite worried! The fruits in this orchard aren't ripe yet, but the chickens are alive and look delicious. As someone who only watches scenery, she wanted to try—could she kill a chicken and cook it on the side? 【Nearby】: Why didn't you come in when you arrived? 【Nearby】: Who are you, how did you find our village?

Wang Lele watched the middle‑aged woman's exquisitely clever performance, feeling a bit dazed. It seemed just like the real world.

Wang Lele saw the NPC reach for a knife, instantly snapped out of her reverie and greeted the NPC. 【Nearby】: Hello, I'm just browsing here; now that I've seen clearly, I'll collect some mountain goods.

The middle‑aged woman suddenly became very enthusiastic!

【Nearby】: Looking for mountain goods? Come to my place; we have only mountain goods, guaranteed good quality and cheap! 【Nearby】: Let me see! Wang Lele wandered inside, loudly praising the middle‑aged woman.

【Nearby】: Sister, you've cultivated these really well! Each fruit is plump!

The middle‑aged woman's expression brightened with a smile, "Of course! As for me …"

Wang Lele didn't want to hear a story longer than a foot‑binding cloth; she just wanted to know the current situation.

【Nearby】: Sister, are these chickens and ducks also raised by you for sale? Wang Lele thought the NPC's fruits and poultry were truly excellent! She watched the "chicken" in the data cluck for food—it was almost too perfect!

【Nearby】: The one that isn't for sale, we'll wait for my son to come back and we'll eat it together!

The middle‑aged woman wore a happy smile.

Wang Lele was already won over by this game! This NPC is unbelievably smart!

Thanks for the votes, dear ones~ For the little‑cart image Wang Lele chose, please refer to King's Glory's Cai Wenji