“My name is Jia Mengyao, but everybody calls me Manager Jia. I’ll be in charge of making sure you and the other beta testers are well taken care of.” The man had greeted Xiang Chen outside when he had arrived at the address given by Techno. Looking up at the huge building, Xiang Chen had been thoroughly impressed. Techno wasn’t known as the most innovative and biggest giant in the gaming company for nothing. 

After being greeted, Xiang Chen was taken inside and brought up the multiple floors. When the elevators dinged to open, Xiang Chen was impressed by the rich people’s modern-style furnishings. 

“This is the living space for all the beta testers,” Manager Jia explained as he led Xiang Chen further inside. “Let me take you to your room first.” 

They passed by a spacious living room with a large screen TV; Xiang Chen noticed that many gaming consoles and Techno videogames filled the shelves in the living room. As they walked past, he peeked a glance a nicely styled kitchen with a large fridge, stainless steel stove and oven, and neat microwave. It seemed they had everything here!

“This room will be your room for the remainder of the month.” Manager Jia stepped aside to allow Xiang Chen to further explore the space. It was a rather spacious room, and there was even a closet for his clothes. In one corner of the room was his bed next to a window, and on the opposite side, there was a desk and drawer. 

“You can set your suitcase in here in the meantime. To access your room, you’ll need to swipe your badge.” Manager Jia handed Xiang Chen a badge on a lanyard. On the front of it was an image of Xiang Chen that he had provided, and on the back was a list of numbers. “The numbers are for if you ever have any problems or need anything. I’ll explain more once we get together with the rest of the beta testing team.” 

Xiang Chen nodded in understanding. He quickly put his stuff down, closing the door behind him as they walked around to tour the rest of the living space. 

Out of curiosity, Xiang Chen asked, “Will the entirety of the beta testing take place in this building?” 

“Yes, the beta testing itself will take place on another floor. In the entirety of the testing period, you’ll have no need to leave the building because all your basic necessities will be taken care of. There’s also a garden and walking space up on the top floor. The staff will also be living on another floor so we’ll be able to be nearby if you ever need anything or have any issues.” Manager Jia said with a smile on his face. He was an older man, maybe in his forties, and gave a comfortable and gentle feeling, so Xiang Chen felt quite at ease in his company. 

“We’ll head to the testing floor now. The rest of the beta testing team have already arrived, and I’ll introduce everyone as well as explain a few things.” Manager Jia led Xiang Chen back into the elevator as they went up a few floors. When the elevators opened, he was led into a simple looking office-room style floor. There was a lot of a meeting table in the middle of the largest space, and a few others were already seated there. Manager Jia gestured for Xiang Chen to take a seat, which he did, and then he began to speak to the group as a whole. 

“Welcome everyone! Glad to see you all have settled in well. Let’s begin this meeting by introducing everyone involved!” With that, Manager Jia reintroduced himself. Then he kindly gestured towards the next person seated at the table. 

The next individual was a friendly looking young woman with a bright smile. Her hair was dyed a pretty light blue color, and she had cute accessories clipping her bangs aside. She looked to be around Xiang Chen’s age as well. “Hello everyone!” She greeted cheerfully. “My name is Yi Xiaozhi, also known as BlossomPlum22! I’m a full-time video game streamer on XXX platform. I play mostly strategy games but occasionally also horror for fun and MMOs for friends. Nice to meet everyone!” She gave an enthusiastic introduction and seemed to be a cheerful and honest kind of girl who everyone would want to be friends with. 

“Ah! I love watching your streams! They’re so funny and clever.” One of the staff remarked from the side. Yi Xiaozhi thanked them with a bright smile.

After her, a handsome young man stood up to introduce himself. Xiang Chen felt that his face looked vaguely familiar. “Hello, my name is Lu Wei. I’m an aspiring actor who also loves to play video games. I’m looking forward to working with everyone. Please take care of me well!” He gave off a very comfortable and charming feeling, sort of like a neighborhood friend kind of thing. He had bright blonde-dyed that was styled in waves, softening the features on his oval face and thin nose. 

Judging from the whispers behind him, Xiang Chen could tell that Lu Wei was a fairly popular guy. He must be featured in quite a number of commercials for Xiang Chen to recognize his face. 

Next, an older woman stood up and calmly introduced herself. “My name is Chen Rong. I’m an author of the horror webnovel ‘To Sleep With The Dead.’ Being able to come here was a valuable opportunity I could not miss. Thank you for having me.” Her voice was a bit on the softer side, but it was pleasant to listen to nonetheless. Her mature attitude, mixed with her elegant features, gave her a scholarly appearance. She even wore a set of stylish black glasses that added on to her charm. 

“Oh my god, I love your novel! Please let me get your autograph later!” Yi Xiaozhi chimed in as her eyes grew wide with excitement. Apparently, she hadn’t known what the author of the web novel looked like, but she very much knew the novel itself. Chen Rong smiled kindly and promised her. 

Next to Chen Rong was a recognizable face that even Xiang Chen knew her name. The beautiful girl had long light brown hair and bright doe-like eyes; she had a heart-shaped face, long thin nose, and plump pink lips that stretched into a perfect-looking smile.  It was none other than one of the most famous up and coming idols in the music world. “Hello everyone, my name is Su Qing. I’m a musician artist under Company A’s label. Thank you for the invitation, and I look forward to getting along with everyone!” The beautiful young girl gave an idol’s welcome, causing some of the uncle fans in the staff to clap excitedly. 

The next man stood up, looking a little annoyed as he cleared his throat. He was an older man with average features but had a strong aura that exuded confidence. “I’m Jiang You, a professional gamer. I’ve competed in numerous world-wide competitions for various games, and I do speedrun videos of games on the side. You’ve probably seen me on advertisements for video games as I also do first-time playthroughs. Therefore, I couldn’t miss out on testing Techno’s new horror video game. Looking forward to testing it out with everyone, thanks.” His words were a bit arrogant, but it seemed like he spoke the truth about being quite prestigious in the gaming community. Although, as Xiang Chen glanced at Yi Xiaozhi, she seemed to give an awkward smile at his introduction. Perhaps, his arrogance and self-confidence wasn’t as well received in the gaming community as one would think; but if he was still in the gaming community nowadays, then his skills must be no joke. 

Since the five other people had gone, it was now Xiang Chen’s turn to introduce himself. He stood up quietly and spoke in a calm yet friendly manner. “Hello, my name is Xiang Chen. I’m a fourth year student at B University. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today and looking forward to getting along with everyone.” His introduction was curt and polite; maybe just a little too short, but he really had nothing else to say. He wasn’t some important gamer or famous person like the other five. Honestly, he felt just a little awkward, but it couldn’t be helped. He hadn’t been aware that the other five beta testers were going to be somewhat famous; compared to them, he was more of an audience-type member who was merely lucky enough to be participating. He didn’t feel inferior to them, but he definitely seemed a lot more humble. 

“Okay, now that everyone’s been introduced, it’s time to talk about the main event. Techno’s new virtual gaming device technology the Mirage, aka Mirage VGD. And also, the first virtual game for this device, Five Tales of Terror!”