45: Shocking both domestic and international audiences

The next day, exactly ten o'clock in the morning.

The Star Sea Official account released a short video produced by Brother Zhe... "The fully immersive virtual reality combat platform, [Star Sea World], independently developed by Star Sea, utilizes the latest brain-neural interface technology to truly achieve consciousness-level immersive gaming experience, with system latency not exceeding 0.0001 milliseconds."

[star sea knight: enlightenment]

"This is the first fully virtual game for [Star Sea World]."

"It centers on mech combat and is divided into two major factions."

"Now, please enjoy a CG animation."

The screen cut to a promotional video produced by jarvis.

The perspective began at a desolate Moon Base, with the azure halo of the Blue Star emanating in the distance.

Suddenly, blinding sunlight shone from the edge of the lunar horizon, and the perspective quickly moved upward.

Grand, epic background music slowly began to play, like an ancient war horn being sounded.

The music intensified, and the camera swept across the lunar surface, revealing a colossal fleet suspended in the dark cosmos.

The symbol of the [Blue Star Alliance] was painted on the hulls.

Two majestic, mountain-like large carriers formed the core, surrounded by ten fan-shaped frigates, flanked by two battleships bristling with cannons.

The steel behemoths gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight.

Just as the music was about to reach its crescendo, the camera abruptly turned toward the deep space opposite the fleet.

The climax arrived!

At the very limit of sight, dense shadows of ships appeared.

[Hai Star Faction]

The breathtakingly massive fleet numbered no less than a hundred ships.

What was even more chilling was that countless small aircraft swarmed out from the shadows of this massive fleet like a hive, forming a tide of death surging toward the Moon Base.

At this moment, the camera shifted, and the surface of the Moon Base suddenly opened up countless massive launch silos.

Mechs, one after another, bursting with a sense of immense power, shot into the sky accompanied by the blazing flames of their thrusters, fearlessly crashing into that deadly swarm... The screen instantly went black.

The logo for [star sea knight: enlightenment] appeared powerfully in the center of the screen.

The screen cut back to Brother Zhe.

He began to introduce how to obtain activation codes.

"Activation codes will be drawn through Star Sea Official channels."

"Starting tomorrow, they will be distributed punctually at 12 PM daily for 30 days."

"For the first 29 days, 3,300 slots will be opened daily, and on the last day, 4,300 slots will be opened."

"This closed beta test requires real-name verification, and activation codes cannot be transferred or traded."

"Additionally, answering fun questions related to the game's background and technological concepts will greatly increase your chances of winning."

"For the first closed beta of [star sea knight: enlightenment], we will provide 100,000 free virtual helmets. Lucky players who draw an activation code must remember to fill in their detailed mailing address clearly, as incorrect information will result in the loss of testing qualification."

At the end of the video, a detailed chart of the reward mechanism appeared.

A global leaderboard will be activated during the closed beta.

Players ranked in the top 100 will receive the following cash rewards and in-game points.

Game points can be used to modify your basic mech.

Point acquisition methods: Destroying Hai Star Faction units, leaderboard ranking, and system missions.

[1st Place: 1,000,000 Yuan + 10,000 Points]

[2nd Place: 800,000 Yuan + 8,000 Points]

[3rd Place: 600,000 Yuan + 6,000 Points]

[4th-10th Place: 500,000 Yuan + 5,000 Points]

[11th-50th Place: 300,000 Yuan + 3,000 Points]

[51st-100th Place: 100,000 Yuan + 1,000 Points]

[Leaderboard refreshes daily, prize pool settled on the same day]

The video ended here.

The comment section completely exploded.

[I declare this the best short film of the year. Who agrees and who disagrees?]

This comment was quickly pushed to the top.

The number of replies beneath the post was countless.

[Is this seriously just a game trailer?]

[The lighting on the Blue Star and the Moon, and the metallic reflection off the Hai Star fleet—it's unbelievably realistic.]

[@Star Sea Official, just how much black technology are you hiding?]

[My boss asked why I was kneeling in front of the computer. I showed him the video, and now he's kneeling right next to me.]

[This is ridiculous. Just the detail of the dust kicking up on the lunar surface—my top-spec computer would probably start smoking trying to render a single frame.]

[Star Sea truly has money. I can feel the budget burning.]

[Is there a possibility that this wasn't rendered, but actually filmed by Star Sea? (Dog head emoji to ensure safety)]

The second-ranked trending post also had over one hundred thousand likes.

[Brothers, Star Sea is doing charity work this time.]

The number of replies below had already surpassed the top comments.

[Look quickly at the reward mechanism! The leaderboard refreshes daily, and prizes are settled the same day. As long as you can break into the top 50, your account could have an extra 300,000 tomorrow.]

[My bros, the chance to grind non-stop has arrived!]

[Free helmet, free shipping, and they're handing out money every day. If you don't play this, are you even human?]

[This mechanism is too smart. The online rate will definitely explode, and rich players can't use money to buy performance. Everyone is purely competing based on skill. I love it.]

[The money really doesn't matter; the main thing is wanting to contribute to the human faction's exploration of the universe. Also, I'm begging Star Sea Daddy to give me an activation code!]

The popularity of the video announcement released by Star Sea Official quickly broke through national borders like a tsunami, spreading across the entire world.

On the largest overseas video portals and gaming forums, the promotional video for "star sea knight: enlightenment," reposted via specialized channels, was spreading like a virus.

Dozens of new videos with different language subtitles and edited by various bloggers were appearing on the section pages almost every minute.

Among them, the video posted by the famous overseas gaming blogger [XGamer], who has tens of millions of followers, had the most terrifying view count, having surpassed 200 million views in just a few hours.

In the video, the professional review blogger, known for his sharp tongue, went from initial skepticism to mid-video shock, and finally to near hysteria, showering the camera with praise.

"Oh my God, is this really real-time rendering?"

"I can't tell the difference, I absolutely cannot tell the difference anymore!"

The blogger held his head, his expression extremely exaggerated.

"The lighting, the physics engine effects—the detail is incredible!"

"Friends, if the actual gameplay visuals are even half as good as this CG trailer, then every single game we have ever played—hear me clearly, *all* of them—will look like a pile of garbage compared to [star sea knight: enlightenment]."

"Brain connection, virtually zero latency. If Star Sea can achieve even one-tenth of what they claim, this will be the greatest revolution in gaming history!"

The comment section was equally lively, with netizens from all over the world participating in the discussion about this gaming revolution.

[What's the point of good graphics? Gameplay is king! Our country's gaming industry has deep roots. Any random online game we put out has much better quality and balance than that shoddy game from Dragon Country. This kind of flashy, impractical thing definitely won't last long.]

[This game looks decent, but I have to say, it was actually developed jointly with Star Sea under the guidance of programmers from our country.]

The replies beneath this comment exceeded several hundred.

[Oh, right, right, right, the universe belongs to you too.]

[A daily reality check. Feels good.]

[Aside from those few old IPs, do you guys have any recent new works that are actually decent?]

[What's so great about this? If gaming companies in our country received enough investment, they could make the same game, because we possess the world's top IT talent.]

[Bro, did you drink too much Ganges water and get high?]

[Can you please settle the final payment owed to our military industry? We've been waiting ten years. It's urgent.]

[+1]

[+2]

[...+157]

[I don't know about anything else, but if someone invests in you, they'll likely lose everything but their underwear before going home.]

[F*ck, why did a game company from Dragon Country create this kind of game first, while our companies are still figuring out how to sell virtual real estate in the metaverse? Shit!]

[Just a quick fact check: Star Sea is not a professional gaming company. They are a pharmaceutical company that started with longevity water.]

The replies beneath this Dragon Country netizen's comment nearly burst the thread in a short time. Gaming enthusiasts and game company operators from across the globe were completely stunned.

[While you idiots are still fighting online, I'm already on a plane heading to Modu. I hope they accept passports from our Lighthouse Country for real-name verification.]

A massive number of replies also gathered beneath this comment, with netizens who had caught on posting frantic comments.

[Count me in! I'm booking a ticket right away. Hope I can make it for tomorrow's drawing.]