Chapter 1: The Heart of the Lord

Area of territory: 1,000 square kilometers (250,000 acres, 100,000 hectares)

Wang Bo took the money and carried away the roasted sweet potatoes, then crawled back into his little nest. The house was shared with a friend, who was now asleep, embracing his girlfriend, unaware of how long it had been.

He subconsciously glanced at the bottom right corner of the computer screen, and the time displayed startled him; it was already past 10 PM, and he hadn't expected to have worked an additional 4 hours today

He carefully changed into his slippers and returned to the room, peeled off the sweet potato skin and took a couple of bites. The sweet potato indeed tasted good, being glutinous, sweet, and smooth. After peeling off the outer skin, the golden-brownish inner flesh was revealed, with a sweet and fragrant aroma wafting up, making one's appetite surge.

Wang Bo was so infuriated by these words that he nearly smashed the sweet potato on the middle-aged man's head, wondering what grievances or animosities could lead to such provocation in the late evening while teaching children.

When Wang Bo finished work, it was already pitch dark outside. He looked at the pile of code on the computer screen and sighed in relief: the overtime was over, and he could finally go home.

Wang Bo awkwardly smiled and said: "Just call me Brother Wang, I'm not old enough to be an uncle yet"

The purpose of internal testing games is not for enjoyment, but rather to identify bugs and vulnerabilities. As a result, employees have little interest in these games, and leaders often do not play them directly, delegating the task to their subordinates instead.

Turn off the lights, go to bed, close your eyes, and sleep. After a tiring day, he quickly falls into a dream. In the dream, a paradise-like land gradually appears: fertile soil stretching for miles, rolling hills, the sound of birds and the fragrance of flowers, lush trees providing shade, the wind blowing and waves dancing, and wild beasts roaming leisurely. Finally, the scene settles on a majestic and ancient medieval-style castle

The middle-aged man wrapped the sweet potato in newspaper and handed it to him, then turned to his son and said: "How does your father usually teach you? Is it only to ask how someone is? Can't you say anything else?"

Wang Bo inquired, "Yes, Xiao Tao, what else does your father usually teach you?"

Upon seeing Wang Bo, the middle-aged man warmly greeted him: "Xiao Wang, why are you back so late? Aren't you going to buy a baked sweet potato? It's still warm, from my hometown, fragrant and sweet, eating it will definitely help you sleep well."

Beijing, early winter, night, the cold wind howls

Resource: Unknown

Heart of the Territory: None

Muttering "Being a leader is really great," Wang Bo unlocked the screen. On the dark-colored phone screen, there was only a 3D heart-shaped logo. It was unclear what the game development department was thinking, as the heart icon was turquoise instead of red, which felt somewhat contrary to common sense.

He just said to pick a sweet potato, and the middle-aged man directly selected the largest one and placed it on the electronic scale, weighing it while saying: "You don't know, Brother Xiao Wang, the younger the girl, the more fun she is, and the bigger the sweet potato, the better it tastes. That Xiao Tao, what are you doing? Your Uncle Wang is here, and you haven't greeted him yet?"

When the child and the bookseller came out, he felt embarrassed to ask for a smaller sweet potato, after all, it is not easy for someone to do business with a child in such cold weather

When he released his fingers, a dialog box appeared on the screen

On the other side of the oven, a little boy dressed in a thick down jacket emerged, and in a crisp voice said: "Hello, Uncle Wang"

After eating half a sweet potato and indulging in some idle thoughts, he took out his phone to check. The screen remained unchanged, and he still could not turn it off. Thus, he could only put the phone aside, wash up, and go to bed, waiting for it to automatically shut down once the battery was drained.

After briefly reviewing the strategy guide, Wang Bo reached out and tapped on the 3D shape of the Lord's Heart. Immediately, an image of the Earth appeared on the screen, while the 3D-rendered green Lord's Heart appeared in the upper right corner of the display

Territory Location: Southern Hemisphere, New Zealand, Otago, Canterbury, the Land of the Midnight Sun

Opening the game guide, the content introduced is quite complex, filled with a dense array of information. Wang Bo had no intention of examining it in detail and merely skimmed through a few key points.

Wang Bo attempted to restart the game and even shut down the phone, but nothing worked; the phone seemed to be completely frozen, showing no response at all. He wanted to remove the battery, but the brand of the phone was unknown to him, as it was a very advanced integrated model. The back cover could not be removed, and naturally, the battery could not be taken out either

Looking out at the howling cold wind, Wang Bo, while eating sweet potatoes, inexplicably recalls the winters of his childhood in the countryside of his hometown. The family would gather around the fireplace, and his father would roast a sweet potato for him. The sweet potatoes grown at home were not as large as this one, but they seemed to taste better.

Upon exiting the subway station, a gust of cold wind swept by, prompting Wang Bo to tighten his down jacket as he strode purposefully into the rental housing complex

After getting on the subway, Wang Bo took out his phone to pass the time for the remaining half hour of the journey. Previously, he had taken two phones, one was his domestic phone, and the other was the experimental phone of his supervisor

In this way, he felt more relaxed; he certainly did not want to work overtime after a long day at the office—although this was playing a game, what difference was there between playing a game he did not like and working overtime

Finally, this game allows for data deletion and restart. If one is dissatisfied with their territory or encounters issues during development, they can withdraw the Lord's Heart to exchange for a new territory and redevelop. However, this means that all previous development of the territory will be rendered void.

Next, it is somewhat akin to a geographical documentary, with various countries fleetingly passing across the screen. Wang Bo, in search of vulnerabilities for testing the game, is not in the mood to watch the opening credits. He casually drags the green Lord's Heart from a corner of the screen to the main display, thus combining the Lord's Heart with the territory.

The middle-aged man, feeling awkward, quickly said: "I was just joking, Xiao Wang, don't take it to heart. Sweet potatoes are ten yuan each, just give me ten yuan and it will be fine."

Wang Bo briefly glanced at this information and then clicked the "Yes" option on m.hetushu.com. However, after clicking "Yes," he suddenly felt that something was not quite right. After thinking for a while without identifying the issue, he assumed he was overthinking and lowered his head to prepare to play a game

Territory population: 1 (Lord Wang Bo)

At the entrance of the community, a middle-aged man is selling roasted sweet potatoes from a cart. Wang Bo knows him but is not very familiar with him; he only knows that his surname is Liu and usually calls him Brother Liu.

The little boy's eyes rolled around, and he grinned, saying: "Hmm, Dad also taught me to learn Tang poetry and Song lyrics. Let me recite for you: 'If one does not strive in youth, one will work in IT when grown up..."

Receive territory: Yes? No?

The strategy guide states that upon launching the game, players can obtain a "Lord's Heart," which enhances physical attributes. Regardless of how weak a player may be, possessing it will transform them into a formidable humanoid beast. Furthermore, binding the Lord's Heart to a piece of territory will grant them ownership of that territory, allowing them to master it.

As a result, after he made his selection, the mobile phone screen froze, displaying only a line of text flashing: Territory receiving, please wait patiently, Lord.

Damn it, when will these days come to an end? Five days of work and four days of overtime in a week, and there is no overtime pay. It's truly a miserable situation, like a miserable mother opening the door for more misery, only to return home to more misery. Wang Bo sighed helplessly; he wasn't afraid of being overheard, as there was no one left in the company at this time.

After waiting for half an hour, the subway arrived at the destination, and the text on the * map * screen was still flickering

The game's opening sequence features a 3D animated style, with a rounded Earth rotating on the screen. Then, similar to Google Maps, the view stretches as the Earth transitions from a distant perspective to a close-up.

Wang Bo, feeling shy, was hesitant to leave directly after being called out. He approached and said: "Brother Liu, you haven't closed up yet? Alright, let me pick a sweet potato—hey, hey, hey, I didn't mean one that big, did I?"

Territorial Architecture: Roberts Castle

After skillfully completing the tasks of turning off the computer, switching off the lights, and locking the door, he picked up two mobile phones from the corner of the table and headed towards the subway station

The so-called test machine is an ordinary smartphone, but it is specifically used to test the operation of certain programs or games. The IT company where Wang Bo works is not very well-known and has a small scale, with limited profit-making opportunities. Therefore, as the mobile gaming market has become booming, the company plans to take advantage of this opportunity to make some gains. During this period, they have developed a number of games and require all employees to participate in the internal testing.

This Liu has a keen economic mind, setting up a stall at the entrance of the community to engage in small business. In spring, he sells vegetables; in summer, fruits; in autumn, snacks; and in winter, roasted sweet potatoes and fried chestnuts. His business changes with the seasons, allowing him to earn money throughout the year

In addition to the Lord's Heart, there is also an item in the game called the "Heart of Territory." This "Heart of Territory" can be regarded as a fragment of the "Lord's Heart," capable of directly affecting a specific part of the territory. The subsequent introduction is quite lengthy, and he was too annoyed to read it.