Super Mechanic: God of Superpowers!!

Chu Shen switched browser interfaces, and the forum homepage came into view:

General Discussion Area (Today's Hot Post: "Closed Beta is Open! Looking for a brother to carry me, I can be both sweet and cold, I can lie on the rooftop with you counting stars, I can give you special treatment...")

Strategy and Tips Section (Pinned Post: "Must-Read for Closed Beta Players - A Beginner's Guide to Planet Selection")

Career Discussion Area (Pinned Post: Martial Arts, Psychic Abilities, Mechanical Engineering (not recommended), Telekinesis (too niche)...)

Trading Market Section (Today's Hot Post: Seeking a large sum of money to buy an account with awakened superpowers. Name your price, or my entire family will die!)

Guild Recruitment Section (Pinned Post: Aurora Guild is recruiting online. We have sponsors and offer great benefits. If interested, please contact: 133...)

……

Chu Shen's gaze lingered on a post in the general discussion forum:

[Does anyone else find this game unsettlingly realistic? At my spawn point in Tieling Mountain, I can smell the earth and the stench of wild animals in the distance. Is this the kind of technology expected this year?]

Published 3 minutes ago.

Chu Shen clicked in and quickly browsed the replies:

"I agree, the tactile feedback is amazing, you can feel the texture and temperature when you touch the stone."

"Upstairs +1, I punched myself, it hurts so much."

"Let's put the technical details aside for now. Anyone from Aquamarine want to team up? I'm at the 'West Desert Edge Spawn Point'."

The forum's purpose is clear:

Observe player activity: Understand what players are paying attention to, what difficulties they are encountering, and what secrets they are discovering.

Grasp the game's trends: which professions are popular, which resources are scarce, and which storylines have been triggered.

However, the forum also has limitations; he cannot participate in discussions, nor can he guide public opinion, etc.

It's just a one-way observation window.

Chu Shen clicked on the pinned official announcement post on the forum, which detailed the beta test rules:

[Announcement Regarding the First Closed Beta Test of "Starry Sea"]

Total places: 30,000

Quota allocation:

Professional clubs and large guilds: 18,000 (by invitation only)

Public lottery: 12,000 (selected from over 80 million applicants)

Players will be divided into more than a dozen different beginner planets, each with approximately 1000-2000 players.

Internal testing objectives: stress testing, new player tutorial verification, and trial operation of core gameplay.

"Thirty thousand people, spread across more than a dozen planets..." Chu Shen quickly calculated in his mind, "Aquamarine Star would only have a maximum of two or three thousand players."

This number is almost negligible on the vast planet Aquamarine.

That makes sense, since it's just a closed beta test and its impact on the overall game is naturally negligible.

Most beta testers are familiarizing themselves with the controls, testing class strength, and exploring the beginner area.

The real upheaval will come when the game goes live and hundreds of millions of players flood in; that will be the "origin of chaos."

But the closed beta test had a special significance for Chu Shen.

"I need to find a player to test the specific effects of the NPC's functions."

"More importantly, we can use this player as a foundation to expand our influence within the player community."

Chu Shen's eyes flickered slightly as he secretly considered several possible player landing points:

Bighorn Mountain settlement, Somar Desert, Emerald Rainforest edge camp, Rusty Canyon...

The closest place to him is the Tieling Mountain settlement, about 300 kilometers away.

With this in mind, Chu Shen did not hesitate and decided to go to the Tieling Mountain settlement right now.

But not long after he left Bailang City...

……

At the same time, in the real world, at a professional esports team's training base.

Li Rui, game ID "Yu Zhi Chen".

Yu Zhichen took a deep breath and lay down in the latest model of the Star Ocean exclusive game pod.

The hatch closed, and the neural interface automatically attached itself to the temples and back of the neck.

After a slight tingling sensation, my vision was filled with a soft blue halo.

[Neural connection stability]

[Identity verified: Yu Zhichen (Professional Gamer Verified)]

Welcome to Starry Sea!

There was no lengthy opening CG, nor any pretentious introduction to the world's lore.

A simple creation interface pops up directly in front of you:

[Please select your starting method:]

Standard start (recommended for beginners)

A random start (completely random, you may get hidden races, classes, feats, etc.).

Yu Zhichen did not hesitate to choose the standard start.

After all, the goal of closed beta testing is to gather intelligence, not to gamble.

[Please select your race:]

Expanding list: Carbon-based humans (yellow/white/black), psionic beings, machine symbiotes, mutated demi-humans...

He chose the one he was most familiar with: "Carbon-based Human (Yellow)".

[Please allocate attribute points] (Initial 20 points can be freely allocated)

Yu Zhichen allocated resources according to the "optimal solution" provided by the team analyst:

力量5、敏捷3、耐力5、智力3、魅力1、幸运3。

[Assigning newbie planets...]

[Assignment complete: Aquamarine Star!]

[Starting point: Tieling Mountain settlement (coordinates specified)]

[Descending in 10 seconds]

The countdown starts.

Yu Zhichen took a deep breath, his expression somewhat excited, and secretly clenched his fist.

This is his chance to be promoted from a second-string substitute to a starter!

We must seize this opportunity, no matter what.

The professional league for "Starsea" is already in preparation, and all the teams are vying for beta test slots.

Whoever can figure out the game mechanics first will have a significant lead from the start.

10, 9, 8...

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing.

3, 2, 1 —

Yu Zhichen subconsciously opened his eyes.

The first thing you feel is the cool air, carrying the scent of earth and vegetation, and a faint, almost imperceptible, pungent smell of wild animals.

This is not a "smell" that a gaming pod can simulate, but a signal that directly affects the sensory nerves.

As the sunlight streamed down from the sky, he could clearly feel the temperature changes on his skin as the light shone through: the exposed areas were slightly warm, while the shaded areas were cool.

"This level of realism..." Yu Zhichen looked down at himself.

Rough cloth clothes, patched-up trousers, and badly worn leather boots.

The standard three-piece set for beginners.

He tried to take off his pants, and a system notification sound immediately rang out:

[This equipment is bound to your account and cannot be removed.]

[Tip: You can find other outfits to wear instead]

"Can't do it, bad review!" Yu Zhichen said with a look of regret.

At that moment, a commotion arose from the surroundings.

Yu Zhichen looked up and found himself standing in a square paved with yellow earth.

Hundreds of players, like him, had just arrived.

Some were looking around curiously, some were trying to jump and run to test the physics engine, and some had already started calling out to their friends.

Anyone want to team up?!

"This game has a pain system? I just pinched myself, and it really hurt!"

"Where is the NPC at the spawn point? I can't find any quest guides."

A typical scene at the start of a server launch.

Yu Zhichen did not join the chaos, but quickly surveyed the surroundings: the square was about the size of two basketball courts, with a simple wooden fence around the edge.

Outside the fence, you can see low mud-brick houses and muddy roads, and in the distance, NPCs dressed in animal skins are walking around.

The NPCs seemed to be observing the players as well, gathering in small groups and pointing at each other.

He could vaguely hear fragments of the NPCs' conversations:

"...Where did these people come from?"

"He looks a bit like a lunatic."

"Shh, keep your voice down."