Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
As the countdown shortened, more and more players entered the game’s login interface. Due to the unique range and level segmentation of “Dusk of the Galaxy” this time, the login interface featured a function that allowed players to choose their landing location independently. In other words, within the permitted range of their nutrition pod’s level, players could choose which planet to land on. However, once they landed, if they wanted to transfer to another planet, they could no longer rely on the game’s system and would need to create the conditions themselves.
Like other survival games, logging out of “Dusk of the Galaxy” means the game ends. Moreover, due to the game’s background, this is also a one-time survival game. However, because of the game’s grand backdrop, the rewards this time are particularly enticing. Besides the various resources players can explore and extract on their own, those who complete the game will receive substantial rewards. Unlike the previous two games, the victory condition this time is very clear: rescue the last survivors.
Although the victory condition is clear, players have not let their guard down. Since the inception of the Last Stand survival games, countless players have participated in the mission to save the last survivors, but only when they were in the game did they realize that things were far more complicated than they had imagined. Beyond the subjective will of the last survivors, the intricate and perilous environment also makes the mission extremely difficult. Mishandling situations can even lead the survivors to perceive players as hostile, resulting in casualties.
Additionally, this time, there is a grading system for victory. The higher the score, the better the rewards. As for how exactly the grading works, StarPlay Entertainment has given their usual vague response: “Players, please explore on your own.”
The login interface of “Dusk of the Galaxy” this time used a holographic thumbnail of the Twilight Galaxy. Players hovered in the vast, deep blue cosmos, searching with their minds for the coordinates of the planet they wanted to land on. Once confirmed, they only needed to wait for the countdown to end and they would be teleported to their target planet.
In the deep blue haze, the vast galaxy stretched out, with stars twinkling in the distant worlds, fine as cinnabar, evenly spread across the Twilight Galaxy. The entire galaxy flowed with gleaming precious gems. Wherever the eye could see, it seemed as though the infinite galaxy had no place of darkness. The Twilight Galaxy was still radiating brilliant light, but its temperature was gradually diminishing, bit by bit. One day, the light would burn out, the residual warmth would dissipate, the planet would die, and an endlessly terrifying black hole would form.
Lie Yang, gazing at the boundless and dazzling galaxy before him, couldn’t help but feel a rare moment of sentiment. “Such a splendid scene is the last spectacle before the end.”
It was no wonder Lie Yang felt this way. The Twilight Galaxy had a large proportion of stars. Because of the different compositions of these celestial bodies, they emitted various lights, primarily orange, gold, and purple starlight. However, the Twilight Galaxy was also shrouded in vast amounts of dark blue nebulae, forming a beautifully massive vortex that slowly rotated. This was a typical spiral galaxy, showcasing a scene of grandeur and beauty.
As the countdown reached zero, the login interface in the live stream disappeared accordingly. In an instant, the players were teleported to their previously chosen target planets and the audience’s view shifted along with the players’ perspectives.
Before the game started, Shu Xun and his team had already communicated and decided to land on the same planet. If they needed to transfer later, they would figure out a solution based on the situation. However, according to the data released by StarPlay Entertainment, transferring would be extremely difficult because the three planets with advanced life forms were all set in a near-modern era background. Like “Deep Blue Sea”, these three planets were not ones where technological development was the direction of evolution.
After a brief data reading by the game system, the familiar sensation of weightlessness arrived. Shu Xun channeled spiritual power under his feet, instantly alleviating the gravity, and gently descended, landing nimbly on an open field in his line of sight. The landing location was random but the system would automatically choose the most suitable landing spot for the player.
Shu Xun’s landing spot was on a quiet city street, shrouded in the stillness of night. The street was deserted, with a light mist drifting through, creating an atmosphere of cold tranquility. As far as the eye could see, there were neither other players nor any native inhabitants. The buildings on either side of the road varied in height, some rounded, others sharp, yet they all shared a consistent architectural style, with similar carvings and designs. It was clear that only a civilization steeped in reverence could produce such a pronounced architectural style. Walking through the city, one could easily feel enveloped by some form of belief or cultural influence.
Due to the special circumstances this time, “Dusk of the Galaxy” had activated a squad communication mode, which meant that players who were automatically grouped into squads could communicate through the game system, enhancing their chances of survival. After landing, Shu Xun moved silently along the street. But before he had gone even a hundred meters, his light brain suddenly alerted him to a squad message.
Shu Xun glanced at the transparent light screen hovering in mid-air.
Lie Yang: “Don’t use abilities. Someone got struck by lightning and died—there’s a pursuer!”
Just as Shu Xun finished reading, he keenly sensed someone approaching, accompanied by the sound of hooves! In an instant, Shu Xun’s figure blurred as he darted into a nearby building, hiding atop its tall, rounded dome. Looking down, he saw the newcomers. It was a group clad in metal armor, with two leading figures riding on horseback. The entire squad wore black metal masks, giving them a cold and imposing appearance. Despite this, their movements were swift, leaving an aura of menace in their wake.
Shu Xun hesitated only for a moment before casting a concealment talisman on himself. Then, he agilely leaped after the squad, light as a feather, following them silently yet swiftly. It was clear this was a native military unit.
In the live stream chat:
“I can’t believe Xun can fly without wings and make no sound at all! You can see him on screen but it’s almost like he’s not even there—how amazing!”
“My heart’s racing. I’ve been following this for so long and it’s the first time I’ve seen the natives in a Last Stand game so quickly. But why do I feel something’s off with these survivors?”
“I just came from another streamer’s channel. Don’t ask me why I’m here—I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
“Same here. The streamer I was watching got struck by lightning the moment they landed and was forced to log out! Achieved the ‘Landing Kill’ game achievement!”
“Struck by lightning? What happened?”
“The streamer I was watching got struck out of the game too. I bet they’re just as confused as I am.”
More and more viewers flooded into the live stream, most of them for the same reason. No one had expected that within just a few seconds of the game starting, tens of thousands of players had been struck by lightning and forced out of the game. These players, still in a daze about what had happened, only realized what occurred after being teleported back to their game nutrition pods. Once they understood, they exploded with frustration and flocked to the “Dusk of the Galaxy” official website, demanding answers from the StarPlay family.
StarPlay Entertainment didn’t disappoint them, providing an explanation after a while: “Maybe you were just too ugly.”
The players: ???!!! This infuriating style of response could only have come from the StarPlay family! Just as the players were about to explode with anger, a statement predicting the progress of “Dusk of the Galaxy” was posted, with the following content:
According to the game’s progress, a total of 93,911 players were immediately detected by the world consciousness of Twilight Galaxy the moment they entered the game and were directly executed. The game system detected the crisis and automatically logged these players out, ensuring no one was harmed. Based on the data, the only common trait among these players was their appearance rating, which was A or lower. Thus, it is speculated that due to the high appearance standards of the native inhabitants, these players were identified as outsiders and instantly eliminated by the world consciousness because of their looks.
Everyone: “…”
Getting kicked out of the game for being unattractive—what kind of experience is that? It’s the kind where you’re angry but even more frustrated. The players felt an overwhelming urge to punch a wall. This was probably the weirdest set of requirements they had ever encountered in a survival game.
While the players were dumbfounded, the spectators watching “Dusk of the Galaxy” found it hilarious. The bullet comments in various live streams exploded with heated discussion.
“Hahaha! The world consciousness of Twilight Galaxy isn’t just fierce; it’s clearly a looks snob!”
“Is it really okay for the world consciousness to be so picky? Aren’t they afraid of accidentally zapping one of their own? But honestly, I love it!”
“My heart goes out to the players who got struck out of the game, even if just for a second…”
“I had no idea that survival games could have appearance requirements! Hahaha… Same here, feeling sorry for them for one second, but no more!”
“Sigh, I got struck out too. One moment I was furious, and the next, I was laughing at how absurd it all was. Game over, now I’m here watching the stream! I really want to see what kind of strange world this is! If the natives aren’t good-looking, I’m filing a complaint!”
“Hahaha, one second of sympathy for the commenter above…”
The unexpected start to the game sent the atmosphere in the live streams soaring. The players who had failed the game also flooded in, eager to witness what kind of bizarre world had been shaped by such a peculiar world consciousness.
Meanwhile, Shu Xun continued to follow the cold and silent military squad. They moved quickly, clearly with a target in mind, heading toward the city center. After a while of rapid movement, lights appeared in the otherwise dark and desolate city. Shu Xun looked ahead and saw they had reached the center, where a circular, altar-like structure stood, about a meter above ground level. Torches lit up the area around the altar, casting a bright glow. Surrounding the altar were many silent figures, all wearing similarly styled clothing. They stood quietly as the flickering firelight illuminated the scene.
Even Shu Xun couldn’t help but be impressed. The reason? Every native in sight, whether judged by their physique, demeanor, or appearance, was stunningly perfect. Even those with more delicate features exuded a unique aura that elevated their entire appearance. No wonder Meng Muyu’s initial assessment of the advanced life forms in Twilight Galaxy could be summed up in a single word: “beautiful!” In the current era, only the famously flawless Phantom Clan could possibly rival them in terms of looks.
The live stream chat fell into silence before exploding with excitement.
“Oh my god!!! I suddenly understand why those players got struck out! The contrast is night and day—there’s no way the world consciousness wouldn’t notice!”
“As much as I hate to admit it, I’m genuinely blown away. What kind of race is this? They’re practically perfect!”
“Screenshot! Screenshot! There are plenty of good-looking people out there, but to see so many different kinds of perfection, each with their own unique charm, is incredibly rare!”
“It’s like I’m seeing another Phantom Clan… wait, did I just stumble upon something?”
“Strange, why didn’t Gray get logged out? Not to say Gray isn’t attractive, but his appearance rating should be below A.”
“Don’t you think Gray has a really distinctive vibe? Maybe that’s why the world consciousness didn’t recognize him as an outsider.”
“Even if his aura compensates, Gray’s appearance rating still shouldn’t be that high. I don’t get it—could he have just barely passed the world consciousness’s beauty threshold?”
