**Buzz…**
The sound disturbed Xu Yuan, who was sleeping on the sofa in the living room.
He was jolted awake by the phone ringing. Rubbing his eyes, he reached out and answered.
On the other end, a voice buzzed with excitement:
"Xu, What about you?! The game is ready in half an hour!,Hurry! Come meet me in the game"
Before Xu Yuan could respond, a sharp "beep" sounded—the call had been disconnected. He wiped his face, sitting up with a puzzled expression.
"Who was that just now?"
He looked at his phone, preparing to call back, but froze. The screen was black, showing only his face—paused on the screen. Instantly, he was stunned.
A surge of memories flooded into Xu Yuan's mind.
Yes, he had crossed into a parallel world.
In this world, he was also called Xu Yuan—18 years old, just graduated from high school. But everything was different.
This was a world obsessed with games. The game industry was at its peak, shaping society and offering countless opportunities. Many relied on gaming to thrive, and some soared to fame through their skills.
As Xu Yuan processed these thoughts, a news broadcast on the TV in the living room caught his attention:
"Zero Corpration has been developing a new holographic game for ten years, and Minecraft is about to enter open beta at 12 PM today."
"The game is extremely free—no main storyline, no side quests, no strategy—everything depends on the player's exploration."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan recalled the call and suddenly understood.
**This must be the game they mentioned.**
He checked the time—11:50 AM. Only ten minutes remained before the open beta began.
Quickly, he went to wash his face, then rummaged through his room to find a holographic helmet—technology in this world was advanced, and immersive holographic games were standard.
After putting on the helmet, he lay on his bed.
"Connecting neurons… Do not remove the helmet."
The system voice welcomed him:
**"Welcome to Minecraft!"**
"Please create your character."
A pixelated, square figure appeared before Xu Yuan's eyes—low-poly and simple, wearing a blue T-shirt and purple trousers, with a hint of a beard.
He paused.
**Is this… Steve?!**
He stared at the figure, then remembered the game's name—*Minecraft*.
It hit him: **Could this be a holographic version of Minecraft?**
A loyal player of the original game, Xu Yuan's mind raced.
**In his previous life, he dedicated eight years to Minecraft.**
He felt a wave of nostalgia.
*"No regrets about entering MC. I'll still be a cube in the next life!"*
Memories flooded back—his first encounters with zombies, the thrill of finding iron ore, the terror of Creepers, the wonder of Redstone, the awe of the Ender Dragon.
He couldn't help but tear up at those memories.
In this world, work and life had kept him away from Minecraft for too long.
As he was lost in thought, the system prompted again:
**"Please create your character!"**
He looked at the options:
1. The default Steve.
2. Face-pinch system—customize at will.
3. Scan face—generate a unique character.
Without hesitation, Xu Yuan chose the classic Steve.
*"Steve!"*
The system confirmed:
**"The character [Steve] has been created."**
Then, it asked for the game's name.
He considered briefly, then typed: **"Steve."**
Next, the system presented two graphic options:
- Pixelated, true to Minecraft's original style.
- High-definition, realistic visuals.
He chose the pixelated style—faithfulness to the classic experience.
After confirming, the world around him darkened, and suddenly, he was transported.
When the light returned, Xu Yuan found himself in a vast, square cityscape, densely populated with players who had just been teleported in.
Voices erupted around him:
"Look, there's a beautiful woman over there, and her figure's so good!"
"Can you believe the face pinching system? Maybe behind that outfit is a big boss with a pickaxe!"
"The initial characters are so ugly—who can even use this?!"
Suddenly, a voice crackled over the radio:
"Five minutes until the safe zone disappears. Players will be randomly teleported across the map. Prepare yourselves!"