But it was just a single sentence, with no further announcements.

"Damn, that’s it? It just went silent?"

"Come on, at least explain the game and how to play!"

"Yeah, seriously! How are we supposed to play? This is totally confusing."

"Tch, a bunch of fucking idiots. You think they’re your daddies? Do they have to tell you everything? Can’t you figure it out for yourselves?"

"What did you just say?!"

...

"Alright, stop arguing. Doesn’t the wristband have a tutorial?"

"Hmph!"

....

After the round of complaints, the players all raised their wristbands to check.

Long Ming also raised his hand and tapped his wristband.

A blue virtual interface popped up, and a prompt appeared.

"Read the New Player Tutorial?"

"Yes!"

Long Ming tapped "Yes" without hesitation. He had never played a game this realistic; it felt just like reality, and he had no idea where to begin.

Dear Player: Civilization Paradise is a high-dimensional game. All players will begin in Starry City. Please be advised that all forms of combat are strictly prohibited within Starry City. Violators will be severely punished.

To enhance your experience in Civilization Paradise, each player will receive ten (10) Level 1 Random Civilization Trial Scrolls. Players can use these scrolls at the spatial teleportation gate to travel to different civilization worlds.

After entering a civilization world, players may follow system-issued missions or freely explore to acquire valuable items. You must simply evacuate the world within the allotted time.

Additionally, each player is equipped with a starter backpack and a safe. However, please be aware that if you fail to evacuate a civilization world in time or die during exploration, your starter backpack and all carried equipment will be lost. Items inside the safe will not be lost.

....

Long Ming finished reading the tutorial carefully, a puzzled look on his face.

He mostly understood the tutorial’s content, but he still felt a bit unsettled.

However, Long Ming quickly calmed down. He closed the tutorial and his gaze fell upon the wristband’s interface.

The interface displayed several categories: Character, Instances, Backpack, External Storage, Mission Log, Friends, and System.

Long Ming tapped on Character first.

Name: Civilization Explorer No. 841221 (Rename)

Race: Carbon-based Human

Genetic Level: 0

Profession: None

Power: 5

Agility: 5

Physical Strength: 5

Intelligence: 5

Skills: Common Language (Passive)

...

Long Ming looked over his character attributes. ’Standard, run-of-the-mill starting stats.’

Still, he felt like something wasn’t quite right.

With a deep frown, Long Ming examined his virtual body.

Then it hit him—he wasn’t coughing in this game world. Not only that, but his senses and physical condition had improved. He felt like a normal person.

A smile crept onto Long Ming’s face. ’This game is pretty good.’

Next, he opened the Instances screen.

It displayed civilization categories from Level 1 to Level 6. Tapping on any of them revealed rows of grayed-out options marked with "???". Even the lowest Level 1 options were gray. ’Clearly, these instances are locked,’ he thought. ’I’ll need to meet certain conditions to enter them.’

After a moment of thought, Long Ming backed out of the menu. His eyes landed on the Backpack tab, and he tapped it.

Backpack 1 (Safe)

Access Method: Wristband Scan

Volume: 1x1x1

Note: Not dropped on death.

Tip: The player’s initial carrying capacity is 20kg. Exceeding this limit will increase the rate of Physical Strength drain. Your carrying capacity will increase as your character grows. The safe’s contents do not contribute to your carried weight.

Long Ming glanced over it, then opened his Storage.

Inside the storage, he found ten starter backpacks and ten trial scrolls. Long Ming examined one of the backpacks.

Backpack (Physical)

Use: Worn on back.

Dimensions: 35x20x45 cm

Note: All contents are dropped upon death or mission failure.

Civilization Trial Scroll: Witness the silent stillness, and experience the exquisite pleasure of death!

Long Ming then closed the interface and opened his Mission Log.

The mission list was empty.

Next, he tapped System. That interface had only a single button: Log Out.

After checking all the functions, Long Ming tapped his wristband and retrieved a backpack from his storage. An ordinary 20L backpack materialized in his hands.

He slung the backpack on and took out a Level 1 Random Civilization Trial Scroll from his storage.

A prompt appeared on his wristband.

"Activate Level 1 Random Civilization Trial Scroll? Using this scroll will assign you to a random Level 1 civilization instance..."

After reading the message, Long Ming chose not to activate it yet. He raised his head and scanned the other players on the metal platform. Most of them still had their heads down, reading the tutorial on their wristbands.

He thought for a few seconds and decided to enter the instance a little later.

’Most people are reading the tutorial right now, and everyone reads at a different pace.’

’The ones who read fast and act immediately are most likely part of an organized guild or are professional players.’

’Of course, a few of them might just be reckless fools.’

’If I go now, I’ll probably be grouped with them.’

’If a conflict breaks out, I won’t have an advantage one-on-one, and I’d be at an even bigger disadvantage against a group.’

’So, it’s better to wait. I might get matched with more ordinary players, and I can also watch to see what the first wave does.’

A few minutes later, Long Ming noticed many players starting to move. They equipped their backpacks and activated their Level 1 Random Civilization Trial Scrolls.

ZZZT!

One by one, the scrolls glowed with a blue halo before dissolving into scattered motes of starlight.

The mechanical obelisk at the center of the platform lit up with a faint glow.

The crowd of players slowly began to float.

WHOOSH~

Then, one after another, the players vanished in flashes of white light.

"Whoa!"

"That’s so cool! Where did they get teleported?"

"I don’t know."

...

The remaining players were buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

Seeing others start the game, many players couldn’t wait any longer and hastily activated their own trial scrolls.

Long Ming suppressed his own impatience and continued to wait quietly.

The seconds ticked by.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, over ten minutes had passed. Three-quarters of the players on the platform had already activated their scrolls.

Seeing that the time was right, Long Ming raised the Level 1 Random Civilization Trial Scroll in his hand.

The prompt reappeared on his wristband’s interface.

"Activate Level 1 Random Civilization Trial Scroll?"

"Yes,"

Long Ming whispered, taking a deep breath.

WHOOSH!

As the scroll in his hand lit up, Long Ming felt himself enveloped by a flash of white light.

When the white light faded, he found himself on a small, gyroscope-shaped metal platform.

This small, gyroscope-shaped metal platform was teeming with players.

"What’s going on?"

"Why’d they teleport us here?"

"No idea."

"Are you stupid? Look at the notification on your wristband."

...

Long Ming glanced down at his wristband interface, which now displayed new information.

Teleportation Platform No. 432

Destination Civilization: Wabijia

Civilization Level: 1

Players: 845/1000

...

Long Ming saw the player count rising rapidly and understood at once.

’This Level 1 civilization world, Wabijia, has a cap of 1,000 players.’

Soon, the number reached 1000/1000.

Instantly, the patterns on the surface of the mechanical obelisk at the center of the small, gyroscope-shaped platform lit up, pulsing with a dazzling light.

WHOOSH~

Everyone on the platform was engulfed in white light.

Long Ming’s surroundings became a sea of pure white, and he couldn’t see a thing.