At 12:00 PM on August 5th, the holographic game Palace Storm, jointly developed by Yanhang and Qihang, officially launched in the Chinese market.

Because translating the massive dialogue database of the intelligent NPCs into foreign languages was an incredibly complex task requiring professional translation teams to retrain the AI, the international release was postponed by half a year. For now, Chinese players were the first in the world to experience the first-ever “holographic role-playing” game.

Streamers from various platforms, strategy guide gurus on forums, Weibo influencers, video editors, and countless pros and novices alike were all ready to join the massive wave of players. Many had pre-booked local gaming experience centers, while more affluent players had purchased their own Qihang gaming pods, lying inside and waiting for the countdown.

At exactly 12:00 PM, the moment the game went live, Qihang’s backend data showed that the number of Palace Storm activations across the country hit 8 million pods.

The game used a pay-per-hour model—5 yuan per hour. Most players chose to buy one hour to test the waters first, planning to renew if they enjoyed it. To have 8 million concurrent users during a “non-peak” Friday lunch hour left Luo Hang extremely satisfied. Now, the question remained: could the game actually retain its players?

On the homepage of Lingmao TV, a popular livestream titled “New Game Palace Storm – Blind Trial Run” attracted countless viewers—this was the room of the streamer “Cute Rabbit.”

Cute Rabbit was a die-hard fan of Monkey King, so she had a great interest in anything produced by Yangfan Studio. She had been waiting in her gaming pod long before the launch.

12:00 PM finally arrived. Cute Rabbit, who had been lying in the pod for a long time, said excitedly: “Family, we can go online!”

She logged in instantly. After the familiar opening cinematic, the player was teleported into a spacious palace. Six characters appeared—three men and three women—each with a name floating above their heads.

The system voice echoed in her ears: “Please select the character you wish to play. Click on a character’s name to view their detailed background.”

All six models were exquisite, wearing different clothes with distinct features, but they shared one trait: they were all stunningly beautiful. They stood there waiting for the player to choose, occasionally brushing their hair, blinking, or sighing softly, acting just like “real people.”

“Playing a role? So, is this a holographic version of cosplay?” Cute Rabbit praised: “Guys can play female characters, and girls can pick male ones; the freedom is great. I’m not playing a guy, but if you want a gender-bend, you can try it.”

She walked around the six characters and said: “Six characters must mean six different plot lines. I’m a person who prioritizes aesthetics—I’m choosing based on the face!”

She walked up to a palace maid and opened her file: Xu Niantang, daughter of Secretary Xu of the Ministry of Revenue. Refined and elegant. Her mother loved begonia flowers, so her father named her ‘Niantang.’ Eldest daughter of the family, about to enter the palace for the selection. Well-read since childhood, possesses outstanding talents.

System: Players can choose an initial talent from the following: Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting, Singing, Dance.

System: After entering the game, you can use “Survival Points” to upgrade talents. Players earn 1 Survival Point for every day survived.

Cute Rabbit said: “This sister is the prettiest, let’s pick her! And initial talents? Let me think… let’s pick Singing. Decided!”

A system prompt popped up:

“Selection: Palace Maid (Showgirl). The Inner Palace route has been activated.”

“Character relationships and palace info can be investigated during gameplay. Friendly reminder: The Great Qi Dynasty has a strict hierarchy, and its systems differ greatly from the real world.”

“The game is about to begin. Please prepare.”

After a three-second countdown, the game officially started.

A short animation played: Xu Niantang bid farewell to her parents to enter the palace for the selection. Many girls were gathered together, and an NPC named “Aunt Zhang” lectured the players on palace etiquette, such as how to bow to concubines. After the lecture, the game officially began.

Cute Rabbit’s vision blurred, and she was transported to the selection site. Over a hundred young girls were gathered in groups. Cute Rabbit looked at the vast number of NPCs around her and was incredibly excited: “Holy crap, this is so intense, family! There are so many beauties here!”

“With so many sisters participating in the selection, the competition seems really fierce.”

“We are naturally beautiful and talented; we’ll definitely get picked!”

Cute Rabbit was high-spirited, her voice loud with excitement. The beauties nearby all turned their heads toward her—some with surprise, some with disdainful eye-rolls, others covering their mouths to giggle.

Cute Rabbit, who felt like a gorilla being watched in a zoo: “…”

I… what did I do? Why are all the NPCs looking at me?

The next moment, a cold voice came from behind: “Which girl dares to talk nonsense and cause trouble in the palace!”

Cute Rabbit turned to see a beauty in luxurious purple clothes stepping down from a palanquin. Before she could react, the woman said coldly: “So unruly! Take her away and give her thirty lashes to teach her a lesson!”

Two eunuchs stepped forward and dragged Cute Rabbit away. Cute Rabbit’s eyes widened: “Hey, hey, wait a minute, what’s going on?”

The screen suddenly turned black—

【Because you spoke out of turn, you were given thirty lashes. The wounds became infected, and you passed away from illness.】

【Game Over】

Cute Rabbit: “Ah??” Holy crap? It just started, and it’s over?

She hadn’t even figured out how to play, and she was already dead? Finding herself forcibly returned to the character selection screen, Cute Rabbit was bewildered.

【Hahaha, the fastest ‘Game Over’ in history.】

【Is this the legendary ‘died at the start’?】

【Poor Rabbit, she didn’t even last 10 seconds…】

【The NPC dragged her away to be whipped for no reason; are they that violent?】

【Living up to the name ‘Survival Game’, hahaha!】

Cute Rabbit regained her composure and studied the reason for her death: “Spoke out of turn? Oh, I get it! Since it’s role-playing, we are essentially these characters. We can’t talk nonsense or complain casually. The words I just said were heard by that NPC.”

“So she said I was causing trouble!”

“Damn, so unfair! I wasn’t causing trouble; I was just complaining!”

The barrage was filled with “Hahaha.” Cute Rabbit opened the system menu and noticed a “Voice Isolation” button. When active, the player’s complaints wouldn’t be heard by NPCs. When closed, everything the player said would be picked up by the NPCs.

This feature was extremely convenient for streamers and players who liked to vent. Cute Rabbit’s eyes lit up: “You should have said so earlier! I didn’t see this button!”

She activated the isolation and re-entered the game as a palace maid. The selection would start tomorrow. The girls were chatting in small groups. Cute Rabbit wandered around, observing the NPCs. The modeling was incredibly realistic, and what was even rarer was that every NPC looked different.

Up ahead, a few girls were whispering. Curious, Cute Rabbit walked over. It turned out one girl was sharing cosmetics: “This is rouge I bought from Fanghua House a few days ago. It smells great; that’s what I’m wearing today.”

Someone nearby said: “No wonder Miss Qin looks so radiant; this rouge is beautiful.” Another flattered her: “Sister is naturally beautiful; you’d look good even without rouge.”

“Fanghua House’s rouge is precious; you can’t even get it by queuing up.”

Miss Qin generously said: “I bought a lot; if anyone wants to try, feel free to take some.”

As the NPCs distributed the rouge, Cute Rabbit wondered: “Can I have some?” What is rouge in a game anyway? I haven’t seen it! She took an exquisite box from Miss Qin, opened her voice isolation, and said: “Family, this time I didn’t speak out of turn! Everyone is sharing; if I follow them, I can’t go wrong, right?”

As she spoke, she opened the box, smelled it, and imitated the others, using a mirror to smear the rouge on her face. The pink, tender color did look quite good.

Cute Rabbit: “Little Sailboat, I suggest releasing a peripheral version of this rouge! I’ll definitely buy it!”

The moment she finished speaking, she noticed that the face in the mirror had sprouted countless red rashes. Her entire face swelled up rapidly, looking terrifying, as if she had been bitten by a swarm of mosquitoes.

Cute Rabbit subconsciously shouted: “Holy crap!”

A sharp scream came from nearby: “Ah—my face!” Other girls screamed too: “Heavens, this rouge is poisonous! Miss Qin, why would you harm us?” Someone even started crying: “The selection is tomorrow, what do I do, wuwuwu.”

The screen turned black again—

【Because your face was disfigured, you were unable to participate in the selection and were expelled from the palace.】

【Game Over】

Cute Rabbit: “…”

The audience in the livestream room was dying of laughter.

【Hahaha, Rabbit sister doing her makeup in the game.】

【Failed again.】

【Curiosity killed the cat, shouldn’t have gone to join the fun!】

【Q: Has Rabbit sister survived a day? A: No, she only lasted two minutes~】

Returning to the selection screen once more, Cute Rabbit said speechlessly: “I really have itchy hands! Why did I have to go take that rouge? These NPCs are so evil! To trap me, they even plotted against each other; that’s impressive!”

Still not accepting defeat, she tried again. In the third round, she learned to be low-profile. No talking, no joining the crowd, just quietly observing the NPCs—if I’m just a quiet bystander, what can you do to me?

Because Miss Qin distributed the poisonous rouge, she was dragged away by a passing Consort to be whipped, crying that she was wronged, while the other girls stood in silent terror. Those who had used the rouge were all expelled. Cute Rabbit felt a lingering fear and stayed to the side, not daring to speak.

She activated the isolation and whispered: “I have a hunch Miss Qin is innocent; no one is stupid enough to poison people in front of so many witnesses. There must be a mastermind behind this; Mom, it’s so scary!”

“This survival game is actually quite hard; every step must be very careful. Family, I’ve summarized a rule—don’t be curious, don’t meddle in other people’s business, talk less, and level up stealthily!”

Having followed the “low-profile principle,” the events that followed didn’t affect her. Cute Rabbit managed to make it to nightfall. Late at night, the girls were tucked into the Palace of Preserving Elegance. Cute Rabbit was rushing to her quarters when, passing a well, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Before she could turn around, she felt a massive shove—

Splash! She was pushed into the well!

The freezing, bone-chilling water instantly swallowed her, and the screen went black—

【You were pushed into a water well and drowned.】

【Game Over】

Cute Rabbit was furious: “F*ck! Who pushed me? Dare to come out and face me? These NPCs have eight hundred ghosts in their hearts, only knowing how to play dirty tricks, right?” She pounded her thighs: “I’m so pissed!”

The audience couldn’t stop laughing. It had been a long time since they’d seen Rabbit go crazy playing a game. The last time was in Underworld Labyrinth when she got reset by Meng Po, and she got so angry she broke a phone.

【Still couldn’t survive the first day?】

【Everyone wants to kill the protagonist; this survival game is ruthless.】

【The Palace Maid’s rise is too hard; does Rabbit want to change characters?】

Cute Rabbit stubbornly said: “No, I want to see how else they can try to kill me. From now on, when I see a well, pond, or anything like that, I’ll stay far away, okay?”

In the fourth round, Cute Rabbit didn’t repeat her mistakes and was cautious with every step. She ignored the other girls, shrunk into a corner to avoid attention, and intentionally kept away from dangerous areas like wells during her night walks.

She finally made it to nightfall, and all the girls went to sleep. Cute Rabbit followed the system prompt to enter sleep mode. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, she was woken by screams—

“Fire! Fire!”

Cute Rabbit: “?” What does ‘fire’ mean? She hurried to sit up, opened the door, and looked—

Dense smoke poured in, choking her so she couldn’t open her eyes. Outside, the fire was raging; the entire Palace of Preserving Elegance was engulfed in flames, and the screams were deafening. Cute Rabbit tried to run, but the fire was too big; her clothes were quickly ignited by the roaring flames.

【You were burned to death in a fire.】

【Game Over】

Cute Rabbit was about to cry: “Family, I really can’t survive a single day!”

On Blue Fish TV, the “Big Brother” streamer with tens of millions of fans, “He Luo,” was also playing Palace Storm. As the top streamer on a major platform, He Luo truly had skills. He was average-looking but had a great voice and often patiently taught his fans how to play games. As a result, a massive number of technical fans followed him.

Unlike many streamers, He Luo only played holographic games. He held clearance records for many single-player holographic games and had once won the national championship in a Zombie Siege survival challenge. Casual games weren’t his preference; he excelled at fighting and shooting games and was the most recognized technical holographic streamer in the industry. It was the fact that Palace Storm was a survival game that piqued his interest.

At 12:00 PM, the icon lit up. He Luo registered and logged in, laughing: “Family, I hear this is a survival game. Will it be harder than the dungeon stage in Zombie Siege? How long do you think I can survive?”

The barrage was filled with dense guesses—

【Luo-ge will definitely make it to the end!】

【Isn’t it easy for a national champion to play a survival game?】

【Start with an AK and just shoot through everything.】

【I hear there are intelligent NPCs.】

【Who cares, just kill all the NPCs, right?】

Audience members who didn’t understand the game were still trash-talking in the chat. He Luo said smugly: “Survival games are my specialty; I can beat any dungeon, no matter how hard. I’m going to challenge this game to see if I can become the streamer who survives the longest.”

He entered the game, and a 1-minute opening CG appeared. He Luo hadn’t seen the trailer before, so after seeing the animation, he couldn’t help but praise: “This CG animation is not bad. However, the things the NPCs said were so vague, I didn’t understand them.”

After the opening ended, the player was teleported into a spacious palace. Six characters appeared—three men and three women—each with a name floating above their heads.

The system voice echoed: “Please select the character you wish to play. Click on a character’s name to view their detailed background.”

He Luo observed the characters and asked curiously: “Do these six have different skills and weapons? Which one is the strongest? Let me check their files.”

He walked up to the male characters: “I’ll choose from the three men first; after all, it’s a holographic game, and acting as a girl feels a bit weird—my voice would even change.” He Luo went up to check the files.

—Qi Rui, Seventh Prince of the Great Qi Dynasty. His mother, Consort Sun, was once a maid beside the Empress; she was accidentally favored by the Emperor and became pregnant. Consort Sun was of humble origin and was not favored in the inner palace. The Seventh Prince has been weak and sick since childhood and is not valued by the Emperor.

He Luo commented: “Weak and sick? Feels like he won’t live long; let’s not pick the Seventh Prince.”

He immediately walked up to another handsome male character.

—Xie Yu, formerly the son of a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan, with outstanding talent and appearance. Later, because his family fell into poverty, the Emperor met the fallen young man during a trip to Jiangnan, was attracted by his excellent temperament, and brought him back to the palace as a male pet.

He Luo’s face stiffened: “A male pet? Cough, is there that kind of operation?”

The barrage sent a string of “Hahahaha.”

【Are role-playing games this wild these days?】

【Players can play as a male pet? My eyes!】

【Mom, the shame is off the charts… but why do I suddenly want to try it?】

【He’s so pretty, pick him!】

He Luo shook his head: “Not picking him. I don’t want to be a wife to an NPC; it’s too weird!”

He walked to the last male character.

—Qi Shuo, First Prince of the Great Qi Dynasty, the legitimate son born of the Empress, the Emperor’s designated heir. The Crown Prince is gentle, talented, and highly valued by the Emperor. He often accompanies his father to study the review of memorials and has certain prestige in the court.

He Luo’s eyes lit up: “It’s him. Among the three men, I feel he’s the strongest.” He didn’t look closely at the female characters and walked straight to the Prince to make his selection.

The system prompt echoed again: “Character selection complete. You can read the character’s memories at any time after entering the game. Selecting the Prince automatically activates the Court line. Your goal is to secure your position as Crown Prince and ascend to the throne as Emperor.”

“The game is about to begin. Please prepare—”

With a 3-second countdown, the vision suddenly blurred. He Luo became the Crown Prince of Great Qi, appearing in a palace. He was observing the surroundings when two young girls dressed as maids brought a pile of exquisite dishes to the table and bowed respectfully: “Your Highness, please dine.”

He Luo realized: “Does that mean I should eat? If I eat in a holographic game, can I taste the food? Let me try.” He walked to the table, sat down, and took a taste with his chopsticks. The game’s five-sense system was quite well done. He tasted the dish and could actually perceive the flavor. He Luo praised: “The game production is quite earnest; no slacking off.”

So… where is the promised survival game? I’m sitting here eating, and the NPCs around me are all respectful? Where’s the difficulty?

Just as He Luo was confused, a sharp cramp tore through his abdomen. He frowned and clutched his stomach; before he could speak, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. The maid nearby was horrified: “Help! Something happened to the Crown Prince!”

His vision gradually blurred, and immediately after, the screen went black—

【Crown Prince was poisoned to death.】

【Game Over】

He Luo: “Ah???” What’s the situation!

The audience in the chat was also stunned.

【Hahaha, dying of laughter, couldn’t survive 10 seconds.】

【Boasting about living to the end? Fraudulent streamer, reported.】

【Dead in 10 seconds, you really are awesome.】

【Said he was going to dominate, but got ‘ga’d’ as soon as he entered the game?】

He Luo hurriedly tried to save face: “Sorry, I was careless! This game is not quite the same as the survival games I’ve played before. I thought these characters had different skills and I had to fight monsters to pass.”

So it’s a plot-based survival mode? First time playing this kind of role-playing game—hey, it’s actually quite interesting!

He Luo quickly picked himself up and started over, determined to be serious this time. In the second round, he chose to play the Prince again. At the start, the maids served food; he figured the previous dish was definitely poisoned, so he tried a different one. As a result, the familiar stomach cramp hit, and his vision went black again—

【Crown Prince died of poison.】

He Luo was speechless: “Are all the dishes poisoned? Who exactly is trying to kill me?”

In the third round, He Luo finally stopped being stubborn. He didn’t eat immediately, waved his hand and said: “Take it away, I have no appetite.” The two maids looked at each other and took all the food away. He Luo controlled his character, wandering around the courtyard to familiarize himself with the environment.

Late at night, He Luo walked to a pavilion. Just then, a black shadow flashed across the roof. Before he could react, the shadow flew in front of him like the wind, and a sharp dagger instantly pierced his chest—

His heart went cold, and the screen went black.

【You were killed by an assassin.】

【Game Over】

He Luo was directly speechless: “Disaster really does fall from the sky even when you’re sitting at home!”

“First poisoning the food, then sending an assassin for a sneak attack!”

“I’m the Prince, and everyone wants to kill me! Is this game even playable?”

【Hahaha, couldn’t even survive the first chapter.】

【Who just said survival games were easy?】

…

On the first day of the game’s release, massive discussions erupted online.

#In Palace Storm, how long can you survive?#

Many players vented their frustrations.

“Can’t survive ten seconds! I tried six characters, and all died as soon as the game started, wuwuwu.”

“I haven’t survived the first day; the Palace Maid line is full of traps everywhere.”

“Don’t play the Prince line, take it from me—all the younger brothers and sisters are eyeing the Crown Prince position; all the NPCs want to kill you, it’s suffocating.”

“Has any pro beaten the game yet?”

“What are you thinking! How could anyone beat it this fast? Pros are still stuck in Chapter One.”

“Can’t survive, really can’t survive; these NPCs all have eight hundred hidden motives!”

So, in this strange world, how exactly are you supposed to survive?