The developers still haven't forgiven the players.

Chapter 126 Returning to Reality

Old Kuai lay on his bed in his bedroom and slowly took off his gaming helmet.

Outside the room, his mother was calling him for dinner.

"They're here."

Old Kuai responded loudly before starting to change out of his pajamas.

Incidentally, since his home is only a half-hour high-speed train ride from the city where he goes to school, it is very convenient for him to travel back and forth.

Therefore, during short holidays like National Day, he usually goes back home from school.

Old Kuai put on a hoodie and sweatpants, slipped on his slippers, and opened the door.

The sweet aroma of braised pork wafted through the living room. Mom was carrying a plate of vegetables out of the kitchen when she saw his hair, which looked like a bird's nest. She couldn't help but grumble, "You sleep until the sun is high in the sky, and you don't even bother to fix your hair."

"Okay, okay." Old Kuai scratched his head and reached for the food on the plate, but his mother slapped his hand. "Go wash your hands! Your dad's watching the news in the living room. Don't let him nag you about your bad manners again."

He rushed into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and saw his refreshed face reflected in the mirror.

Although I've been playing games intensely lately, I don't feel tired at all, neither physically nor mentally.

"I don't know how this helmet works."

Old Kuai muttered something, picked up his own cup and toothbrush, and without bothering to clean them, started brushing his teeth.

During this time, he heard the midday news commentary coming from the living room TV, interspersed with his father's calm remarks: "This year's drone formation is indeed impressive."

When Lao Kuai finished wiping his face with a towel and came out, his dad was already sitting with his legs crossed, scrolling through short videos.

Seeing him approach, she turned her phone screen towards him: "Don't you like playing games? Have you seen this before?"

The screen displays a short video showing a game character making a pot of fish soup.

The comments section was filled with exclamations of admiration for classical aesthetics and praises such as "Hurry up and serve it!"

"To be honest, technology is developing so fast these days; the game graphics are so realistic."

Old Kuai sat down at the dining table and leaned closer: "Oh, I've seen this before. It seems to be rendered in real-time using a game engine."

"Is that the one called CG?" His father put a piece of braised pork into his bowl.

Old Kuai took a bite of rice: "CG is CG, this is a gameplay demo, meaning it looks like this when you actually play it."

He paused, recalling the smooth feeling of smashing people with copper pillars in the game, and suddenly felt that the braised pork in his mouth was a bit dry.

In fact, all players who have played "Primal: The Spirit of Humanity" have some doubts about the game, but most of the time they just deliberately ignore them.

To put it dramatically, this doesn't seem like a game that can be made at this stage.

The mother didn't notice the conversation between the father and son; she was only focused on piling food into his bowl: "Eat more, you're so thin. I'll make you your favorite spicy chicken while you stay at home for a few days."

"Mom, where have I lost weight?" Old Kuai protested, but still obediently finished the food in his bowl.

"You've been away for two months and now you're talking back?"

Mom glared at me: "Go get your hair cut this afternoon! It looks like a bird's nest! What kind of nonsense is this?!"

Outside the window, the autumn sun shines brightly, but the air in the city always carries a heavy feeling of industry and reinforced concrete, which cannot compare to the freshness of being close to nature in a game.

After dinner, Lao Kuai helped his mother clear the dishes, while his father continued watching short videos in the living room, occasionally uttering a few sighs about "technology and life".

He stood in front of the pool, looking at the dishes in the foam, and vaguely recalled his powerful abilities in the game. If it were in real life, he could probably crush these dishes into powder with just a little effort.

"What are you daydreaming about?" His mother's voice came from behind him. "Never mind, I'll take care of the rest. You go and get your hair cut."

"Understood," Old Kuai replied.

He dried his hands, walked to the entrance, put on his shoes and socks, and went out the door.

Outside, the autumn sun was still shining brightly, warming you from head to toe.

The children downstairs were still chasing and playing, and you could smell a faint, unidentified floral fragrance while walking through the neighborhood.

Old Kuai turned to the familiar barbershop at the entrance of the residential area and, through the transparent glass door, saw the barber auntie concentrating on eating a bowl of spicy noodles.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to go in and disturb them, but to go and take a look at a place further away.

Since the game is currently undergoing maintenance, there's no need to rush home.

Moreover, having been playing games intensively lately, he felt it would be a good opportunity to experience more of reality.

And so, as we walked, we unknowingly arrived at the commercial street.

He was somewhat absent-minded and unintentionally walked into a shop called "90 Degrees Trendy Hair Salon".

It's obvious that people who choose this kind of store name are usually young people.

"Hello handsome, are you here for a haircut? Do you have an appointment with your stylist?" The young man in a tight black shirt immediately came up to me.

Old Kuai was taken aback, then shook his head blankly.

"OK, please come in."

The guy in the black shirt said into his headset, "A handsome guy wants a haircut. Please make arrangements accordingly."

Old Kuai glanced at the headset, then at the shop, which was less than fifty square meters in total, and felt an urge to turn around and leave immediately.

However, since we're already here...

Old Kuai was somewhat passive, and sat down in a swivel chair as arranged by the "manager".

He looked at himself in the mirror, wrapped in a cloth, and the manager's fingers ran through his hair, causing him to unconsciously tense up.

The manager introduced himself as Jason.

After a series of ambiguous actions, Jason finally picked up the scissors.

With the snip of scissors, clumps of hair fell onto the apron.

I remember in the game I could break rocks with my bare hands and smash enemy shields with copper pillars. But in reality, I can't even hold onto the cut hairs. I can only watch them fall onto the cloth and be shaken off the ground by Jason.

Old Kuai stared at the image in the mirror and suddenly asked, "Brother Jie, have you heard of Genshin Impact?"

Teacher Jason paused, realizing that "Brother Jason" was calling him.

"I've played it, and I quite like Nasita."

"I'm not talking about this Genshin Impact—I'm talking about the Primal: Human Spirit, never mind."

Old Kuai pressed his tongue against the right side of his mouth, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall.

At that moment, three more young women walked into the store.

They seemed to be regular customers, or perhaps they knew the shop owners; they greeted and joked with people in a relaxed manner.

Since the shop didn't have many customers, Lao Kuai noticed the three women through the reflection in the mirror.

When he saw what one of them looked like, his heart suddenly clenched.

It's just past lunchtime, and he's the only one getting a haircut right now, so the three young women naturally glance over at him, intentionally or unintentionally.

The woman with smoky makeup whispered something to the other two while pointing in the direction where Lao Kuai was.