Chen Xu checked repeatedly and made sure that the virtual dream gear was still with him before he could be at ease. It was just a false alarm.

Looking at the time, it was almost seven. Just when he wanted to cook himself a bowl of noodles for breakfast with the spare time, he suddenly remembered that he had something important to do. At the speed of light, he brushed his teeth and got dressed before heading out.

“Hopefully I’ll reach it in time.”

Scurrying down, he wasted no time and headed straight towards the bus stop without buying breakfast. However, he did not take his usual bus. Instead, he went on another bus.

He checked the time multiple times on the bus, looking like a cat on a hot tin roof.

7:26 a.m. The bus reached its final destination. He scooted down, dashing towards the commercial building that was opposite the bus stop and attracting the attention of the pedestrians.

Chen Xu could not care less. He took a glance at his phone when he reached his destination and was pleased. “7:29 a.m. Just in time.”

Hereafter, he saw a couple standing in front of the vending machine that sold the lucky box. He dashed forward immediately, feeling hopeful.

…

“So this is the lucky box that took the internet by storm. I didn’t know if I’d find one here. Let me pay for it first.” A slightly chubby man scanned the QR code to pay with a phone in his hand while filming with another.

“Look, the box is out.”

The man took out the box and said, “As you all can see, this is the wrapper of the box, which is pretty exquisite. Now, I will open it up.”

He called his friend over and quickly opened the box. While he was filming, he said, “Let’s see what’s in here. Erm, a lip balm.”

He took out the lip balm and displayed it in front of the camera. “As everyone can see, only the Korean language is written on it. Now, let us search this up on eBao.”

He found it immediately. He presented his phone and said, “Take a long look, everyone, this brand costs 75 dollars on eBao. Hmm, at least I did not make a loss.”

He stopped filming afterward and groaned disgruntledly at his lover. “Can’t you lend me a helping hand?”

The lady beside him snapped, “Didn’t you promise to shop with me? Turns out, you are just here for your business.”

The man rebuked, “How do I afford your clothes if I don’t think of ways to earn money? Hurry up! Let’s film another one! ”

This was Xu Ming, a young man in his early twenties. He came across the lucky box coincidentally while watching videos online. He saw the commercial value in that and immediately took the chance. He bought a few vending machines and placed them locations where there were swarming crowds.

With the rising trend of such short videos, he was able to earn some revenue.

However, trends come and go. The sales of the lucky boxes stagnated recently. As a result, he decided to film some short videos to promote the lucky box.

This vending machine was positioned by him. To attract attention, he bought an iPhone X which was placed in the vending machine not long ago by himself.

He deliberately arrived early in the morning to avoid the crow so that he would not be exposed.

As an avid reader of novels, he knew the importance of creating suspense. Hence, he deliberately picked the boxes which contained consolation prizes.

Otherwise, it would have seemed too fake if the first box chosen was an iPhone X.

Xu Ming started filming again. “I wanted to scan a box for my girlfriend, but who knew that this is a lip balm for males. Let me scan another one. I wonder what I will get this time. I’m looking forward to it—”

A man charged forward, pushing Xu Ming aside and scanned the QR code before him.

“How can someone beat me to it—”

Xu Ming was on pins and needles, afraid that the box containing the iPhone X will be chosen. Despite feeling that he would not be so unlucky, he still laughed at the thought.

After that, he felt a lump in his throat and was unable to breathe. A ghastly whiteness spread over his face.

That person had actually chosen the right box.

His heart palpitated against his ribs. How could he have hit the jackpot by chance? Damn it, why that box?

Unfortunately, his panic was to no avail. The box was already in the hand of the other. He could only watch the man unwrap the box, revealing the iPhone X.

He could not hold himself back anymore. “Wait—”

Unexpectedly, the man put the phone into his bag and looked at him warily. “Mine,” the man warned.

Xu Ming scrunched up his face as he watched the man keep the phone. “Actually, it’s…” he blurted in panic.

“Please don’t tell me you are going to snatch it from me.” The man did not dare to let down his guard and took a step backward.

Xu Ming did not expect the man to be so cynical, causing him to be lost for words. “That’s not what I meant. I want…”

“Sorry, I don’t have time for this.” The man interrupted him and left immediately.

“Wait, hear me out.”

Xu Ming wanted to stop the man, but to no avail. The man dashed away, disappearing behind the corner. Xu Ming was shocked beyond words. How did it become like this?

He felt suffocated by the mere thought that the iPhone X, which cost him 10 thousand dollars, was now in the hands of a stranger.

His girlfriend, who still had not figured out the situation, questioned, “What’s wrong with you?”

“The present I prepared for you is now gone.” Xu Ming was on the verge of tears.

…

On the other hand, Chen Xu was already onboard the subway. Chen Xu felt immensely blissful after successfully acquiring the phone.

He could not remember many details from his dream, except for the position and number of the lucky box which contained the iPhone X.

This sensitivity to money-related issues was likely due to his penurious habits.

Frankly, he was just trying his luck. However, it was exactly a replica of his dream. This brand-new phone, which was still nicely wrapped, would cost a minimum of 10 thousand dollars, and to him, this was definitely a windfall.

“No wonder it’s called black technology.”

He was deeply astonished by its ability to simulate reality and felt much more confident about the Virtual Dream Gear.

Unequivocally, his first experience in the dream world was rather ill-equipped. He was overly fixated on the need to survive and thus unable to appreciate the tranquility of the empty city.

In gaming terms, he was just a rookie player, who conscientiously followed the tutorial step-by-step without any interest in exploring beyond the maps.

“What a waste.”

He sighed. On the other hand, he was also extremely excited about his next dream world.

In a blink of an eye, he reached his stop. He alighted at the stop and called his senior high school friend, who was working at an electronics store, to inform him about the brand-new iPhone X that he was selling.

His friend agreed right away and asked Chen Xu to mail him the phone immediately.

At the end of their conversation, Chen Xu had already arrived at his company building. He settled down at his desk. It was exactly 8:00 a.m.

As he switched on his desktop, the thought of seeing Luo Xiyun made him nervous.