Chapter 78
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Intermission: Picking Stars from the Sky
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#Intermission: Picking Stars from the Sky
In this world, there are people who shine more brilliantly than others. People blessed with exceptional looks, innate beautiful voices, and extraordinary talents that win the adoration of millions.
We call them stars.
Star. Isn't it a perfect term? It conveys just the right sense of distance. Stars are beauties beyond our reach, after all. No matter how pure or fervent our longing for them, it can only ever remain longing.
And yet, some people still reach out for those stars. Driven by twisted affection or obsessive fixation, they try to seize them by any means necessary. In most cases, their efforts end in crime. Stealthily filming private moments or stealing personal belongings is considered tame. If they can't have them, they'll spread vicious rumors, issue threats, or even go as far as murder just to destroy them.
Even possessing a star brings problems. Their beauty is just one facet of their professional dedication. It's a mistake to assume their bare faces glow like starlight. To put it bluntly, they use the bathroom too! If starlight were their true essence, why do so many celebrity couples end up in messy divorces? We all know plenty of stars who've lost their fame to drugs, illegal gambling, draft dodging, and sex scandals. When you finally pluck a star from the heavens, can you truly be satisfied?
Stars are most beautiful when viewed from afar.
That's reality.
But the Paradise Group Virtual Reality Division would like to say this:
Screw reality.
In virtual reality, anything is possible! You can grasp the starlight as it truly is. Provided, of course, you have enough money.
What do we mean?
Buy the virtual reality character merchandise of the celebrities contracted with our company.
Why else would I spin this pointless tale? To sell DLC, obviously.
It's simple. Search for your favorite celebrity's name in the Afterlife Insurance DLC Store. A list of various products will pop up. Allow me to briefly introduce the types.
First up: skin packages. This lets you purchase the celebrity's appearance. You can apply it to your own avatar or overlay it onto a specific virtual personality in your virtual reality world. Ah, but it only changes the visual appearance as seen by the buyer. It has zero effect on the charm stats that influence situational calculations. Purely for personal satisfaction. As such, it's the cheapest option.
Second: standard virtual personality packages. Yes, buy this, and you can summon that celebrity into your world anytime! They'll join via an appropriate mission tailored to your world. No need to worry about failing the mission. The control AI's situational calculations are rigged for unconditional success. It'll feel like the entire universe is conspiring to make your deepest wish come true.
You even set the form of your first encounter. Stage a dramatic rescue from peril to make them fall for you at first sight. Haha, every fan's dreamed-of scenario, right? Unlike generic virtual personalities, your purchased character will inevitably fall in love with you, no matter the path.
The standard package applies the celebrity's career, personality, specialties, and abilities wholesale. Their charm will be top-tier, at least. Personality is customizable, but unlocking options often costs extra. Too much? Overcome it with your fandom.
Finally: filmography virtual personality packages. The highest performance, most expensive, and most restrictively usable premium goods. These recreate fictional characters the celebrity passionately portrayed in specific movies or dramas. Personality, background, and abilities are all tuned to match that character.
The detailed settings make them tricky in mismatched eras. If you're running a Western pioneer world like "The Sun Sets," a sci-fi character popping up would be weird, right? No matter how advanced the Afterlife Insurance control AI's situational calculations, it can't force plausibility there. Note that standard packages have similar caveats to some degree. So check world compatibility carefully before buying. Refunds are a hassle.
Anyway, these products tend to be pricey, but shop around—there are plenty of surprisingly cheap ones.
Not that customers care much about them, but there are far more bargain options than expensive ones. Namely, packages for unpopular no-names and washed-up stars.
Truth is, celebrities barely make any money. Only the top 0.1% bask in the glory. The rest? They're like day laborers scrambling for gigs. So they hustle to sell their looks and character merch however they can.
Even peak stars can only sell their image at premium for a fleeting moment. Prime isn't forever. One-hit wonders crash all the time. And rookies debut nonstop, posing real threats. Stars live with this obsession: sell while you can. That's the constant pressure. Reminds me of an old pop song.
"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"
"You know I will."
"Will you still love me when I have nothing but my aching soul?"
"You know I will."
We know why the singer's self-Q&A feels so desolate. The hot, pure longing for stars is just a fleeting passion.
Eternal love doesn't exist.
That's why discounts on character packages outpace their popularity. When their shelf life as celebs nears its end, you'll see tearful fire sales.
So don't shy away from the high prices. The urge to splurge has your back.
That's our rundown on celebrity character merchandise. Tempted yet? Star-chasers, empty your wallets and let starlight overflow your hands!
For your happiness—okay, for the money—the Paradise Group Virtual Reality Division will keep striving. Thank you.
#Hardening Land, Camp Roberts (1)
Americans treat their war heroes with exceptional reverence. As the youngest Medal of Honor recipient in the world, Winter had the right to receive salutes first from superiors. Even the president was no exception. It wasn't explicit protocol, but a custom everyone respected.
Winter didn't cling to that privilege. Part personality, part intent to appear humble.
Every American loved Winter. Tons wanted to get chummy with the boy officer. Even among Camp Roberts' police, he had fervent fans. Building rapport with them was easy for him.
Sergeant Adea and Officer Dawson, patrolling with him now, were recent acquaintances. They'd been flustered by Winter's request to join their patrol but ultimately accepted with pleasure.
"You seem to be joining patrols more often lately."
When Winter broached the topic, Sergeant Adea confirmed it.
"Thanks to you, Lieutenant, attitudes toward refugees have shifted a lot. Higher-ups issued directives to tighten management in refugee zones. Truth is, we'd been a bit negligent. No excuse, but we were all out of our minds."
"I get it. It was unavoidable. You've all lost so much too."
His kind words brought a smile to the sergeant's face.
"Yeah, definitely. Anyway, now that we're sane again, we should reclaim what we can from our losses. Leave the rest as fond memories."
Their conversation unfolded in the heart of the Chinese enclave. They'd passed Triad territory and were crossing other gang zones. Winter noted the police patrol route. That had been his goal from the start. The cops remained oblivious, but Winter saw things they couldn't.
The red, translucent warning lines flagged by "Survival Instinct."
'They're all over the place. Makes sense—skill level can't be high yet.'
The invisible snipers couldn't hold their aim. Trembling lines jittered wildly up, down, left, right—swaying meters wide.
Bows and slings are tough to master. No space to practice long-range shots anyway. At best, short-range practice inside tents.
Crude weapon quality dragged accuracy down too. How good could amateur-made junk be?
"Was the patrol route always this way? Or just a detour today?"
Officer Dawson answered Winter's question, pointing to the middle of a multi-family housing construction site.
"We used to go through there. Route changed when construction started. It'll stay this way till primary phase ends."
Satisfactory answer.
The warning lines thickened and multiplied in certain stretches, hinting at much. Something guarded heavily, but hard to relocate without hitting the altered patrol path.
"Once construction finishes, it'll basically be a city. Population's been city-level for ages anyway... Night patrols will go back to police then. Exhausting, but I'm looking forward to it somehow. Feels like slipping back into old life."
The sergeant's passing remark caught Winter's ear. Patrol buddy or not, he needed to chat enough to avoid awkwardness. And he was curious. Winter asked,
"Why call night patrol 'Graveyard watch'?"
"Oh, this? Not sure if it's true, but I heard medieval England had grave guards all night. That's where it comes from."
"Guarding graves? Against graverobbers?"
"Nah. Cemeteries had fixed sizes, so when space ran out, they'd dig up old graves. Turns out, one in every twenty-five coffins had claw marks inside the lid from buried-alive folks."
"Right."
"After that, they tied strings from the wrist to bells outside the grave. Called 'death bells.' Guards' job was digging up anyone ringing. Heard it from a senior back when I was green. Sounded legit."
"Interesting. Thanks for explaining."
Casual talk continued. Connections were assets, so Winter listened attentively, even to fluff.
"City, huh... I heard Syrian refugee camps had barbers, laundries, supermarkets. Ours'll be like that soon. Hope a donut shop opens, at least. Night patrol without donuts and coffee feels off."
Dawson's wish amused Adea.
"Chinese won't make proper donuts like Bakers."
"You never know. They're good cooks."
Winter tilted his head.
"You two like donuts? I thought the 'cops love donuts' thing was a stereotype."
They replied.
"Stereotype, yeah. Wasn't love—just the only spot open late for breaks. Became habit. Felt like part of the job. Miss it now."
"Generational. Some eat bagels for health."
Winter puzzled. Bagels no better than donuts...
By then, they'd reached the enclave's outer checkpoint. Soldiers saluted crisply at Winter's sight. He returned it casually, glancing back at the near-complete primary construction.
Best to act before the route changes.
He could've bailed on patrol here, but stuck around longer with the cops to avoid future suspicion.
============================ Author's Note ============================
Q. NeoGGM: @Took a quick nap and boom, another 39,999 years 364 days gone. Overslept. Am I 82,000 now? Spent 99.9% of life sleeping. So hollow.
A. Read this novel backwards to de-age. A millennium per read. Rejuvenate when you have time. Haha.
Q. 청류련: @Early upload today! Sweet dreams full of innocence await.
A. Stayed up all night today. Hear my sleep schedule shattering...
Q. Tigerfish: @Little Prince... twisted innocence...
A. Not twisted! Lack of faith.
Q. 어미라니: Author-nim, any chance of plot with virus human enhancement experiments?
A. Prepared something even more innocence-packed.
Q. 건전한소환사: @No Winter FEV infection to Super Mutant? Then Waaaaagh!! spore-spraying! Ignore if it feels mixed!
A. That'd need 40,000 years in-story. Haha.
Q. RGZ95: @Upload this late? Bedtime for me @[email protected]
A. Today... kuaaa...
Q. 밥에는칫솔: @Author-nim... masochist genius talent maybe? Feeling unlike myself.
A. No way. My HP is 1—die instantly if tormented.
Q. 영광의 창: @Warm protag is refreshing. After bad stuff, "only good humans are dead ones" psycho massacres but sweet to love interest... This purifies.
A. Dunno the novel, but severe innocence deficiency. Sad. Ultimate answer to all is innocence...
Q. 최형우: @Evil author-nim, love ya?
A. Yes, thanks. Love myself too.
...?
Q. 마지카르: @Gets Matsuming's feelings. On vacation today! Daily serial reader quest! Prepaying!
A. Can't daily... ㅠㅠ...
Q. 오신4: @Kuaak kyaaak
A. Yes, I know. Not Won Bin lookalike.
...
Gotta wipe out humanity.
Q. 직업마스터: @Serials raining from heavens... euaang
A. Blame author's incompetence via upload time. Gyaak guaaak...
Q. 도화원: @No LoL? Secret friend? @
A. Regretfully, never played LoL. Barely game at all.
Occasional Steam. Two days ago, Overwatch after a month.
Incompetent folk turn pro writer, end up like me.
Good readers, don't copy. :)