MMORPG: Crowd Control

A few days later, Shan Lin arrived at Lei Zhen's house as he knocked on the door.

"Lei Zhen, open up. It's me, Shan Lin."

"I'm busy, Shan Lin. Come find me tomorrow."

"Stop trying to avoid me now, Lei Zhen. You said you wanted a MagnoPod and I specifically had deliverymen bring it here. You better open the door up." Shan Lin shouted in a thunderous tone.

Alas, the door to Lei Zhen's house remained shut and silent.

'Damn it, this is why I shouldn't have let my emotions cloud my mindset.' Lei Zhen blamed himself for losing his mind last time.

Lei Zhen was seated on the corner of his bed, refusing to get up to open the door for Shan Lin.

He had never touched any video games before, and he would surely not touch it now.

It wasn't that he hated video games, but that he feared he might become an addict to it.

His sister was still hospitalized in a coma and needed his care. The responsibility on him was simply far too much for a normal teenager.

While Lei Zhen was contemplating on how to send Shan Lin away, the door to his house was suddenly busted open.

BOOOM!

The door crashed on the floor tile and created a loud sound, with the debris of the door shattering everywhere.

"..."

The loud commotion caused Lei Zhen to hop out of his bed, and his expression darkened completely when he saw the mess and damages that had been done.

"Are you joking with me, Shan Lin?" Lei Zhen tried his best to sound as calm as possible.

Unlike Shan Lin, who could afford multiple luxurious doors at any time, he was just a poor man, struggling to even live properly.

Shan Lin could also feel the anger that Lei Zhen was trying to suppress.

Thus, Shan Lin cleverly changed the topic and ordered the delivery man to bring the MagnoPod inside.

A MagnoPod is shaped like an egg that is large enough to reside a single person inside. It was also the main equipment for people to connect to the Virtual Reality MMORPG game, Magnolia.

However, not many could afford the MagnoPod as it cost at least 100 grand.

"Lei Zhen, just forget the door for now. Since I broke the door, I will replace it with a new one." Shan Lin tried to shrug it off and head into the living room.

After walking to the living room, Shan Lin's smile quickly disappeared when he noticed the small living room size.

Hell, it was a joke to even call it a living room.

Due to the high medical price to sustain his sister's life, Lei Zhen could only rent a rundown apartment with the minimum needs.

'Just why won't you accept my help?' Shan Lin gritted his teeth as he wanted to change his living environment already.

Lei Zhen held a solemn expression.

"Just place the MagnoPod over the left corner there," Lei Zhen instructed the delivery men where to place the MagnoPod.

The delivery men were quick and efficient as they only took 4 minutes to install the MagnoPod.

"Alright young man, hope you enjoy Magnolia." One of the delivery men said as they bid Lei Zhen farewell.

Lei Zhen simply gave a small nod while returning his gaze at the silent Shan Lin.

Being friends for so long, Lei Zhen could already tell what was going on in his mind.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's the thought that counts. You giving me this expensive MagnoPod is already my bottom line." Lei Zhen said as he patted Shan Lin's shoulder.

Shan Lin wanted to speak something but Lei Zhen didn't give him any chance to speak up.

With a smooth motion, Lei Zhen grabbed the instruction manual of the MagnoPod as he began scanning through it.

"Instead of sulking like that, why don't you guide me through this complicated MagnoPod." Lei Zhen asked.

Shan Lin twitched his mouth.

"Ugh, this is why I hate your personality. Way too independent in our current era." Shan Lin scratched his head in annoyance.

However, he still sat down despite the broken floor tile and began explaining the function of the MagnoPod.

Lei Zhen smiled briefly at his best friend and calmly listened to all the features.

Time slowly passed by, and Shan Lin was fully immersed in teaching the basics for Lei Zhen.

From time to time, he would also pause his explanation and ask if Lei Zhen had any questions regarding a certain point.

Thankfully, Lei Zhen's memory is like a camera, once he heard or saw something, it would be like a photographic memory saved in his brain.

"The filtering air mode in the MagnoPod is installed there to keep the player's condition stabilized at all times. After all, many people would spend at least 10+ hours in the MagnoPod. This would prevent people from falling ill and can be reassured that they can game as long as they want to."

Lei Zhen nodded his head.

"Indeed, such functions and electronic equipment had never been seen before…" Lei Zhen muttered.

Although he couldn't pass the resident exam to become a true doctor, he still understands how difficult it is to maintain a person's health.

The MagnoPod is truly a revolutionary in the gaming community.

"Anyway, enough of the verbal explanation and let's get you started." Shan Lin closed the manual and forcefully dragged Lei Zhen up.

Within a few minutes, Lei Zhen lay inside the MagnoPod in a comfortable position.

"Remember, my gaming ID is Shan Dao, and meet me in the starting village." Shan Lin reminded him.

"I'll be heading back to my home so I can quickly meet up with you."

Lei Zhen nodded his head.

"See you then," He waved his hand to bid farewell.

Meanwhile, Shan Lin quickly rushed toward the exit and shouted from afar.

"I'll get someone to fix the door by noon, so don't worry about it and just play peacefully."

Lei Zhen could only shake his head in amusement.

Tilting his head to look upward, Lei Zhen pressed on the "close" button.

As soon as the MagnoPod closed, Lei Zhen's vision darkened completely and a system prompt appeared in front of him.

[Welcome to Magnolia, New Player]