[System Book]Quality: ?Description: Please name this game first!
This was the second item in Jiang Qiao's inventory. A floating input box appeared in front of him. After thinking for a moment, he casually typed in the name "Holy Zero" (Shèng Líng / 圣零).
The title on the cover changed instantly. The item was now officially named — System Book.
When Jiang Qiao opened it, the first page displayed:
Current Energy: 5000 / 25000Map Area: 240 square kilometersPlayer Limit: 2 / 1000
That was all that appeared on the first page. The moment he turned to the second page, several thumbnail-sized glowing orbs floated into view before his eyes.
"You actually embedded a star map into this book?" Hailan gently covered her mouth, clearly stunned.
"Star map…" Jiang Qiao tried recalling fragments from his Creator Mode memory. "So this is the map we'll use to expand the world from now on? Let's see… this is the dimension where Blue Star is located."
He tapped a deep blue orb — the largest one. When it enlarged, a vivid blue planet slowly rotated in front of him.
This was their current real-world dimension.
Floating nearby was a faint white orb that orbited it like a satellite — this was the game dimension they had just created.
But more ominously, a dark black orb was slowly drifting closer to Blue Star.
"That's the dimension shard invading Blue Star!" Hailan exclaimed, pointing. "Even though it's just a fragment, the creatures inside possess extraordinary power!"
Jiang Qiao touched the black orb.
Data immediately appeared:
Dimension Shard Type: Beast RealmCategory: MagicalCivilization Level: MedievalSize: 20 sq. kmCreature Levels: 1–35World Rules:
Time Cycle: Complete
Life Cycle: Complete
Physical Laws: Complete
Magic Laws: Low-grade...
The dimension's interface was complex, but Jiang Qiao focused on key stats. Then he opened Blue Star's data panel:
Type: Human RealmCategory: TechnologicalCivilization Level: Information AgeSize: InfiniteCreature Levels: 1–5World Rules:
Time Cycle: Complete
Life Cycle: Complete...
"What happens if the black orb fully overlaps with Blue Star?" Jiang Qiao asked, noticing that it had already moved slightly closer.
"The invaders will appear directly on Blue Star! They'll slaughter native life! Worse, prolonged rifts could attract other hostile dimensions, like this one!"
She tapped a more distant black-and-red orb. Jiang Qiao didn't need to see the details — just the line "Creature Levels: 120–150" was enough to scream apocalypse.
"So now we're in charge of finding heroes to save the world? How long until that black dimension collides with Blue Star?"
"Estimated: 10 days!" Hailan replied urgently.
"Ten days… and the server has a 1,000-player cap. If we get enough people, can we… swallow that black dimension?"
Jiang Qiao's question made Hailan nod vigorously. That was exactly how this world expanded: by invading and absorbing other dimensions—the equivalent of releasing new expansions.
"Got it. Time to return to the real world and find some world-saving players."
Jiang Qiao still had many questions about the game world, but that could wait. First, he needed to recruit the right players.
Jiang Qiao returned to the real world.
Not much had changed—except that now, he had a physical goddess companion, and a new app installed on his phone: "Holy Zero".
The app was created during his Creator Mode phase. It had many features, but its most important one was:
One-click login to the game world.
"This is straight-up sci-fi…" Jiang Qiao muttered, swiping through the app. Many features were still locked for now.
"Have you picked your first batch of players yet?" Hailan asked impatiently.
"Not the whole batch—but I've got someone in mind for the third player slot."
Jiang Qiao opened his laptop and logged into a popular streaming site called "Raccoon", the largest streaming platform on Blue Star.
The hottest stream right now had the title:
"'Conflict' Global Finals Semifinal – Jiangcheng Sovereign vs. Seoul Whiteblade"
Conflict was the most popular VR MMORPG on Blue Star, and its pro eSports league drew massive global viewership.
The current match was between China's Sovereign team and Korea's Whiteblade team.
"So no matter what world you're in, Korea dominates esports? Nah, my Dota West wins this one," Jiang Qiao joked as he looked at the score. Whiteblade led 2–1.
If Whiteblade won one more round, Sovereign would be eliminated from the semifinals.
"Welcome back to the Conflict Global Finals. I'm your caster, Wang Douyou.""And I'm caster Seventeen.""Whiteblade is on match point. Sovereign is under huge pressure now. They need a veteran to stabilize the team."
"Are you hinting at something again?""I'm hinting that man is finally taking the stage! Sources say Sovereign has switched out 'Southwind' for 'Smiles' as their frontliner in game four!"
The moment they mentioned "Smiles (嬉笑)," the crowd erupted in a tsunami of cheers, audible even through Jiang Qiao's headphones.
Conflict had been running for 8 years. The pro league for 7. And Smiles had competed in every season.
He had led his team to back-to-back world championships in S3 and S4.
For players in China, the name "Smiles" was legendary. For foreign pros, he was a nightmare they couldn't forget.
His nickname in the community?
"Laughing God" (笑爷)
But by S7, Smiles was already past 25, no longer in his prime. He had become a benchwarmer on the team.
Now, with Sovereign losing badly, the coach had no choice but to send the veteran in one last time—to anchor team morale.
Unfortunately… even with the substitution, Sovereign couldn't stop Whiteblade's momentum. They lost the match 3–1 in the semifinals—an embarrassing defeat.
(End of Chapter)