SPACE: I Can Summon Players From Earth!

Chapter 7: Maria

"Welcome everyone to my live stream!"

A young girl wearing glasses sat facing the camera mounted on top of her computer desk.

Her long black hair was neatly tied back, and she wore a simple, well-fitted blouse that covered her fully, yet still could not hide her soft, curvy figure, especially her ample chest, which drew the attention of many in the audience.

"Yes, yes, hello there! Hello sponsor, I mean Joel1111, haha!" she said cheerfully, glancing at the chat window scrolling rapidly on the screen.

Seeing the viewer count already pass over one thousand and still climbing, she smiled confidently. It was only minutes since she started, and this was proof of her growing popularity.

In the gaming world, pretty girls who played seriously were rare, and Maria was well-known for both her looks and her skill.

"Okay everyone, what do you think we should play today?"

"First!"

"Maria is here!"

"Present!"

Anonymous2134 donated a flower ×5

Joel1111 donated a flower ×50

"Play the one you finished yesterday!"

"Give me your number, beautiful!"

"Play League of Legends!"

SexyMan1999 donated a teddy bear ×1

Joel1111 donated a teddy bear ×10

"Find something new!"

Filipinos88GG donated a flower ×1

Master_Master donated a heart ×10

Joel1111 donated a flower ×10

Joel1111 donated a heart ×100

"Maria, your biggest simp is at it again!"

Maria laughed and winked directly at the camera.

"Thank you everyone for your support, and especially you Joel! You're way too generous!"

Her reaction immediately triggered another wave of donations and excited comments flooding the chat. By now, the viewer count had already shot past five thousand and was still rising fast.

"Alright, let's try something different today. It should be new, and preferably something action-packed!" she said.

Maria loved exploring new releases, from big-budget titles to small indie games. Shooters and adventure games were her favorites.

She never rushed through them, but still managed to finish most new games in just an hour or two, while chatting and interacting with viewers the whole time.

"That was a nice little game. The Lonely Town had such a good atmosphere~ hope they make a sequel soon," she said after closing the last game window.

Just as she was about to browse the platform for more titles, a bright pop-up box suddenly appeared in the center of her screen.

"Oh, another ad!" she said casually, reaching for the close button without even reading the text.

But as soon as she clicked it closed, the same window popped up again right away.

"Ugh, this website is full of spam ads these days!" she complained, shaking her head.

"Maria, switch to another platform!"

"This site is getting worse!"

"I hate ads that won't close!"

"Hi Maria!"

"Find a better site!"

She read the comments and nodded. "I know, I know. But this is the only place that has so many free games. They have to earn money somehow, right?"

She clicked the close button again, but the window stubbornly reappeared instantly.

Frustrated, she finally took a moment to read what it said.

Are you tired of staring at a flat 2D screen?

Introducing the Newest Full-Dive VR Technology!

100% leave your physical desk and keyboard behind forever.

"Pfft, it's just another VR ad," she said, trying to close it again.

But it popped up once more.

"How persistent can you be?!" she said, starting to feel annoyed.

She was just about to close the entire browser window when she noticed the text inside the box had changed.

"Wait, the words are different now!"

Explore the universe!

Fight strange enemies and see deep space up close!

"So it's a space-themed game then?"

She closed it again, hoping it would stop, but this time the text disappeared and was replaced by a small video window that started playing automatically.

At the beginning, a logo appeared~ a black circle in the center, with a smaller circle connected beside it.

Then, hyper-realistic footage began to roll. It looked almost like a movie scene: a person wearing a sleek, futuristic spacesuit held a high-tech rifle, firing at a giant insect-like monster nearly five meters tall.

The creature's thick shell cracked under the shots, and the movements were so smooth and lifelike it felt impossible to be real.

"Looks like a movie clip!"

"Send me the link to this film!"

"Is this AI-generated?"

"Must be fake, right?"

"No way this is a game trailer, those look like real actors!"

"The giant beetle is a paid actor!"

The chat filled with skeptical comments as everyone watched.

Maria frowned slightly.

"The action scenes look really good, but let's be honest~ it's probably just a scam. Trailers always look amazing, but the actual game never lives up to the hype. Half the time you can't even find what was shown in the video!"

"And full-dive VR? That's still just a concept. I've tried regular VR before~ it's heavy, makes you dizzy, and you still have to move around physically. Nothing beats just sitting comfortably and playing normally."

The video ended and the window closed automatically. But before she could relax, another pop-up appeared.

Click the button below to receive your exclusive Full-Dive VR helmet!

"Heh, as if I'm falling for that!" She clicked the close button with a smug look.

But the window popped up again. She closed it again, and again it returned. Each time, the message changed slightly.

It's completely free!

First-ever true full-dive game!

You'll miss out on the chance of a lifetime if you refuse!

Just click the button already!

Please click it!!!

Maria grew angry. It felt like someone was typing these messages in real time just to tease her.

She even closed the entire game platform tab, leaving only the live stream window open but the pop-up still appeared on top of everything else.

"Maria, this might be a virus!"

"Quick, turn off your computer before it gets worse!"

"First time my PC has caught something like this!" she said, standing up from her chair in frustration.

"But I don't believe you can steal anything from me. I only use this computer for gaming, and I never link any bank accounts or personal information here!"

After a moment of hesitation, she decided to just click the "OK" button to see what would happen.

Thank you for confirming. Your device will arrive in exactly one minute.

"Ha! Let's see how you send something to my house!" she said with a smirk.

Her residence was a secured estate, with guards and high walls. Not even a stray animal could enter without permission, let alone a package appearing out of nowhere.

A few seconds later, the final message appeared.

Delivery complete.

Then the window vanished completely, not to return again.

Maria stared at the screen, and the chat was flooded with question marks and confused emojis.

"Well everyone, looks like someone tried to play a prank on me," she said, trying to laugh it off.

But before she could say more, a soft but clear knock sounded on her apartment door.

She jumped in fright.

"Who is it?!" she shouted, her heart skipping a beat. There was no way it could be real~ right?

From outside, a gentle, familiar voice answered.

"Hello, young miss. It's me."

"Oh! Grandpa Ian!" she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me half to death just now. Everyone, hold on a moment, someone is at the door."

She stepped out of the camera's view and walked to the entrance.

Opening the door, she saw an elderly man in a neat butler's uniform. He stood tall and straight, with white hair and a long beard, yet his posture and movements were as steady as a man half his age.

In his hands, he held a rectangular box made of a strange, dark metal that looked smooth and solid. It wasn't heavy for him at all—he carried it easily with one hand.

"Is there something wrong, Grandpa?" Maria asked.

Even though he was employed as a butler, Ian had been with her family since she was little and was like a true grandfather to her.

The old man raised the box slightly. "Young miss, did you perhaps leave this outside earlier? It was placed right at the doorstep, and no one saw who brought it."

"I don't think so~" Maria began, but her voice trailed off.

Right in the center of the box, printed clearly, was a logo, a black circle, with a smaller circle connected beside it.

Her eyes went wide. She frowned, trying to remember where she had seen it before.

Then it hit her like lightning.

"Right! That's the same logo from the video!"

Surprise, shock, and a hint of fear all crossed her face at once.