Rise of the Empire in Online Games

June, 2079.

It was morning, and the blazing sun hung high in the sky. Its scorching light poured through the gap in the curtains, landing directly on Li Zhan’s face, who was sleeping soundly. On the bedside table stood four or five empty beer bottles, and a half-empty bottle had toppled over, the remaining beer trickling from the nightstand to the floor, filling the entire bedroom with a heavy stench of alcohol.

Feeling the heat on his face, Li Zhan scratched absentmindedly at his cheek, mumbling as he turned over. Before he could slip back into his dreams—

Ring ring ring...

Li Zhan shot up from the bed. A glance at the alarm clock: nine thirty.

"Damn it! Why did I set the alarm so late?!" he cursed, scrambling out of bed and hastily pulling on his clothes, grumbling to himself, "This is it, this is it—the old fox has been dying to catch me slipping, and now he’s got me. There goes my entire bonus for the month..."

His muttering abruptly ceased, as did the motion of his hands. His eyes locked onto a sheet of paper lying on the floor—three bold characters at the top: Termination Notice.

Silence.

...

Suddenly, Li Zhan burst into wild, manic laughter, his expression twisted and bizarre.

"I’m free! I don’t have to go to work anymore! I’ll never be exploited or oppressed again!"

He grabbed the half-empty beer bottle from the table and raised it to his lips, gulping it down. Then—"Pah!"

He spat the beer out, drenching the floor before him. "Damn, this tastes lik