Chapter 726: This Is Actually the Game's Real Scene
Entering the game pod, Old Song didn't have much trouble finding "Mysterious Seas," because the game was hanging right in the most prominent recommended spot on the official app store.
To be fair, Chen Mo was also quite something—even though only the trial chapter could be downloaded and the full content couldn't be purchased yet, it was already sitting in the best recommended slot on the official app store...
Moreover, this game would likely stay there for a month, and if it sold well, it might even be extended.
Old Song muttered to himself, "Looks like this designer has some reputation, even snagging the best official recommendation slot. It's not a waste of my time to play it."
Old Song entered the game's detail page and started downloading.
The download was fast, because the trial chapter only covered a short initial segment, with not much content.
Entering the game, it was the usual routine: a black background with white text showing the Thunder Game Studio production and the Thunder Game Platform logo.
Then, a line of English appeared in Old Song's field of view.
"I am a man of fortune, and I must seek my fortune. — Henry Every, 1694."
Old Song read it aloud in English: "I am a man of fortune, and I must seek my fortune."
"Not bad, it has depth. I like it."
Reciting a famous quote in English greatly satisfied Old Song's sense of style, so he had a very good impression of the game's opening.
As the text gradually faded, Old Song heard the sound of rain.
All around him, enveloping him from every direction, he could faintly distinguish the different sounds of raindrops hitting glass and the boat's hull.
In the VR game pod, the sound was fully immersive and surround-style, giving Old Song an even more lifelike feeling.
Amidst the dense rain sounds, the game's scene appeared in Old Song's vision.
Raindrops, a windshield, and constantly swishing wipers.
The scene was in constant jolting and shaking, with occasional lightning illuminating the sky in the distance. Vaguely visible were the raging storm, the roaring sea, and the faint outlines of distant mountain peaks.
Coupled with the tense, thrilling background music that perfectly blended with the scene, Old Song, who had been feeling drowsy, suddenly snapped wide awake!
"Oh, damn it!"
In front of Old Song's view, Nathan Drake was intently piloting the boat. His hair and clothes were completely soaked through by the rain. Crow's feet and stubbly whiskers hinted at his age, while his muscular arms and the gun strap slung across his back clearly revealed his identity.
Old Song was momentarily stunned. Was this an opening CG?
The scene before him was far too realistic. It felt like he was observing a living, breathing person up close. Even the wrinkles, pores, scars, and stubble on Nathan's face were all clearly visible. His hair was dripping wet, carrying the sheen of rainwater, as if it might drip at any moment. There was a glistening reflection on the back of his neck, whether from rain or sweat.
The interior decorations of the boat were even more realistic than the characters, including the steering wheel, dashboard, and so on—enough to fool the eye.
The camera angle shifted, and Nathan's full face appeared before Old Song. Sam, sitting in the back of the boat, and the turbulent sea also entered Old Song's view.
In the distance, faint shadows of a few other boats could be seen.
Thunder, water sounds, rain sounds, and it seemed like gunshots were mixed in.
Amidst the chaotic scene, the boats behind quickly caught up, following closely.
The searchlights on the bows of the enemy boats pierced through layers of mist, creating a hazy realism that was no different from the sea scenes in blockbuster movies.
"This CG is pretty good," Old Song couldn't help but praise.
"They're catching up! Speed up!"
"We're already going full throttle!"
Nathan and Sam shouted in the rain. Sam pulled out a pistol and ran to the back of the boat, while Old Song's camera angle zoomed in directly, attaching itself to Nathan.
"W-Wait, is this the actual start of the game?!"
Old Song hadn't even reacted, because from the previous "CG" to the current real game scene, the picture hadn't changed at all—it had only zoomed in the camera!
Even after he could control the speedboat, Old Song still couldn't believe it. This was actually the game's real scene?
Old Song could still observe the windshield and dashboard up close. Even at such close range, they still looked so exquisite and realistic.
Very simple prompts appeared in his field of view. Through his thoughts, Old Song could control the steering wheel and throttle inside the speedboat to drive.
Amidst the wind and waves, the speedboat jolted violently. Old Song, sitting in the driver's seat, felt dizzy from the shaking and had no idea where he was going.
He only saw the two wipers constantly swishing. When lightning struck, he could faintly make out the outlines of distant mountain peaks.
Old Song took a moment to glance back and saw Sam holding a small pistol at the stern, exchanging fire with pursuing mercenaries. Bullets occasionally hit the side of the speedboat, sparking tiny flashes.
Old Song yanked the steering wheel hard, constantly ramming into the small boats that came alongside, sending them and their occupants tumbling.
Mercenaries fell into the water one after another. Old Song was also a bit tense, his mouth slightly open, completely focused on what lay ahead.
Although Old Song knew very well that this was the first scene of the game, and the difficulty would definitely be set low to let players adapt, the rendering of the scene and environment still made this first-person combat involuntarily nerve-wracking.
Soon, more mercenaries attacked. Those driving larger boats would even throw mines into the sea, sending up sprays of water.
Suddenly, a mine exploded near the port side of the speedboat. The entire boat was flipped over, and Old Song was thrown into the air before splashing into the water with a "plop"!
Old Song followed the prompts to surface, but as soon as he poked his head above the water, a blinding beam of light shot toward him. An enemy boat was charging straight at him!
Old Song quickly followed the prompts to dive. The enemy boat's propeller almost grazed past Old Song's field of view, scaring him into a cold sweat.
Tossed about by the turbulent currents, Old Song struggled underwater for a few seconds before finally surfacing again and climbing back onto the speedboat.
This time, it was Sam's turn to repair the boat, and Nathan's turn to shoot.
Old Song had never had any experience with FPS games before, so he was completely lost. He hid behind the gunwale, utterly bewildered.
An enemy boat stopped on the port side. Mercenaries popped their heads up and started shooting.
Gritting his teeth, Old Song followed the system prompts to stand up, aim, and fire. The bullet precisely hit one of the exposed enemies.
"Oh? There's aim assist? A generous game!"
Old Song was overjoyed. The spot he had aimed at was clearly far from the mercenary, but the system's auto-aim had corrected his gun's sights onto the enemy.
Old Song felt like he had been possessed by a sharpshooter, taking down an enemy with three bullets.
But after thinking about it, Old Song found it reasonable. After all, he was now a seasoned explorer. If he couldn't even shoot straight, wouldn't that be ridiculous?
"Not bad. The aim assist is very generous. Thumbs up!"