DING DONG. DING DONG.
The irritating doorbell kept drilling into Ren Suo's ears. He murmured, rubbed his eyes, and turned over to continue sleeping.
The bell rang on. Ren Suo now felt his right cheek growing damp—saliva had trickled onto his pillow, and he had touched it when he turned his face.
The strangely nauseating sensation, along with the irksome doorbell, finally dispelled Ren Suo's drowsiness. He wiped the mysterious liquid from the corner of his mouth, slipped into his slippers, and walked to the door. After unlocking the security lock and pulling open the main door, he saw a delivery person in a red and white uniform standing outside.
"Your package," the delivery person said. "Please sign here."
Remembering what it was, Ren Suo's heart leapt. He hurriedly swung the security door fully open, signed for the package, and brought the large box inside. With great enthusiasm, he found a small knife to open it!
"Heh heh heh—" Rubbing his hands, eyes blazing, Ren Suo sliced through the package's plastic straps with the knife. With a devout heart, he prepared to welcome the bride of his dreams, one he had yearned for these past twenty-two years—
A home entertainment game console!
Like most young people, Ren Suo, a healthy and well-adjusted youth overflowing with daily energy he had no outlet for, longed for a gaming console he could play however he wished.
However, his family hadn't been wealthy when he was younger, and his parents hadn't bought him a gaming console to ensure he focused on his studies.
In college, studies and internships kept him busy, so Ren Suo only bought a laptop for work and learning. Besides, he didn't have spare cash for games, and a gaming console would have been inconvenient in the dorm.
Now a senior in college preparing for the workforce, Ren Suo had secured a job and completed his graduation project. His uncle, who owned property in Lianjiang City, had rented him an apartment in the Lianjiang City Center at a very affordable price, giving him a foothold in the city.
With a few months still before graduation and starting work, Ren Suo used the money he'd earned during his internship to purchase a Hell 4 gaming console online. He was eager to fully experience the thrill of gaming and enjoy the current hottest blockbusters!
But when Ren Suo opened the delivery box, what appeared before him was not the Hell 4 packaging he had seen countless times online, but rather...
A round black metal box?
He pulled out the round box with some hesitation. A cool sensation spread from his palms, like a refreshing stream dispelling the heat from his body. Lianjiang City started to get warm by mid-March. To save on electricity, even when Ren Suo used the air conditioner on summer nights, he set it to turn off automatically after an hour and a half. Consequently, he would often wake up in the morning because of the heat.
The box seemed about the size of a tin of Danish cookies, but Ren Suo couldn't find a lid; it looked like a seamless, spherical steel mold.
However, when he weighed it in his hand, it didn't feel heavy, suggesting the inside wasn't solid steel.
Turning the box over, Ren Suo saw a twistable recess in the center of its other side—like the knobs on those capsule toy machines. Without hesitation, he twisted the recessed button.
CLANG! The sound startled Ren Suo. He saw cross-shaped cracks suddenly appear on the top and bottom sections of the box. Mist, like that from dry ice, sprayed from the cracks as the box came apart, revealing the object inside.
Ren Suo picked up the round black steel cover whose knob he had twisted. He noticed mortise and tenon joints on its inner edge; his twist had disengaged the core support within the mechanism, causing the box to come apart.
Even though I can see how it works, Ren Suo thought, it's excessive for a container to go to so much trouble just for a dramatic spray of mist. Whoever made this box must have had way too much time on their hands.
Inside the box was a strange, round machine. The device, also pure black, looked as if numerous vinyl records had been stacked together.
Ren Suo scraped his fingernail along the side of the machine, feeling his nail pass over layer upon layer of metal. He confirmed that there were, indeed, gaps between each 'layer,' but these gaps were so tiny that even a fingernail couldn't fit through.
"This thing isn't the Hell 4, is it?"
Ren Suo was quite astonished. He immediately took out his phone to contact the online shopping platform's customer service, texting, "Hello."
Customer Service: "Dear Meow Meow user, this is Hell Game's official customer service. The Hell 4 Eternal Unparalleled Limited Collectible Bundle is now available for pre-sale (click for details); hot games at 50% off (click for details); Hell store online gift cards (click for details). Shipping is exclusively through Meow Meow. Delivery to remote areas may take up to 10 days to ensure arrival. Track your parcel (click for details)."
Ren Suo: "Are you there?"
Customer Service: "Hello, yes, I am. How can I help you?"
Ren Suo: "Well, it seems the Hell 4 console I received is not the one I wanted to buy..."
Customer Service: "Alright, please wait a moment. I'll look into it for you now..."
30 seconds later, customer service sent a message: "Dear, it seems when you bought the Hell 4 console, you automatically used a 2000-888 coupon. However, the Meow Meow platform didn't apply the discount at payment. When this information reached our backend, it was flagged as a purchase of the 2888 Hell 4PRO edition. Therefore, the Lianjiang Warehouse directly sent out the Hell 4PRO."
Ren Suo: "Huh? You sent me the Hell 4PRO?"
Customer Service: "Yes. If you're not satisfied, you can return the product through the Meow Meow platform's after-sales service. However, you will lose the 2000-888 coupon you used. But Hell Game is willing to offer you a 2000-500 store coupon as compensation."
Ren Suo glanced at the round console on the table, hesitated for a bit, and replied, "I'll try it out first. If it's not good, I'll return it."
Customer Service: "Sure, you have a 7-day unconditional return policy. When your return is successful, Hell Game will automatically send the coupon. If you find the product satisfactory, please leave a five-star review with photos!"
Ren Suo put down his phone and started to fiddle with the new console.
Still, something feels off, Ren Suo thought. It's not like I don't know about the Hell 4PRO. It's this year's latest console, a more powerful upgrade to the Hell 4, released in Mysterious Country just two days ago. I even considered getting the Hell 4PRO instead of the Hell 4, but I went with the cheaper option because my budget was tight.
But I remember the Hell 4PRO doesn't look at all!
Whatever, I'll try it out first. I can always return it... Embracing the 'if it's free, why not take it?' mentality, Ren Suo began to study the console.
Soon, he identified three problems.
First, he couldn't find the console's power plug, nor could he see a port for it on the console.
Second, he couldn't find the console's audio-visual output cable, nor a port for it.
Third, he couldn't find the controller.
This thing is just a piece of high-tech trash! Ren Suo was fuming. Just as he was about to complain to customer service, the doorbell rang again.
He opened the door and saw another Meow Meow delivery courier outside.
"Here's your package. Please sign for it."
Another package? Ren Suo was puzzled. After signing, he brought the package into the house and quickly opened it with his small knife.
Three seconds later, before him was the packaging box for the Hell 4PRO Gaming Console.