Chapter 238: Chapter 238 – Virtual Reality

“Mom, I want to play that!”

“The queue is so long…”

“I want this, I want this! I want to play this!”

“Okay, okay… Line up properly, don’t wander around.”

Ren Suo was in Tianyi Commercial Square of Lianjiang City. A large crowd was gathered around huge transparent rooms in the middle of the open area on the first floor, waiting in line to experience one of the latest technological inventions.

Many parents were lining up with their young children who wanted to experience the exhibit. Although the parents were not very pleased that there was a long queue, they did not turn down their children’s request either, allowing their children to play with their mobile phones or the like as they waited in line. The majority of people in line were actually teenagers—more specifically, there were more young men and fewer girls.

Each transparent room was about 25 square meters in size, and there was an experienced participant in each of them. They had full-coverage glasses and noise-canceling headphones on, and wore full-body latex-like tights (even including gloves). Straps were fixed at their waists and shoulders. They were standing on a 1-meter-tall green platform, and on the ground less than 2 meters away from them were piles made of the same, strange green substance. The green substances were piled as tall as half the height of typical humans, and they continuously flowed and shaped themselves to form various objects based on what was displayed on the screen.

Several screens were erected in each of the transparent rooms, and they displayed the first-person perspectives as seen by the participants.

As they moved, the green substances on the ground would begin to flow, making the participants feel as if they were pulling the straps and walking forward, although they were merely walking on their original spot.

One of the participants had to walk up some steps in the virtual world. When he raised his feet, the green substance on the ground would immediately turn into a step that he could walk onto. As he continued to walk ‘up’ the steps, the green substance continued to turn into more steps, but at the same time, the steps would gradually lower down. In the same way, when he was walking down, the steps would continuously rise upwards, and the participant’s actual position would remain unchanged.

Another one of the participants had to conceal his location in the virtual world. He tried to hide behind a wall and crouched down while leaning forward. As he did that, the green substance in front of his body suddenly changed its shape as if it were jelly, then turned into a firm wall for him to hide behind.

Another participant was engaged in a gunfight in the virtual world. He stretched out his hands in front of him, and the green substance morphed into a table with many gun parts on it. The participant picked up an object made of the green substance which was shaped like a gun, as well as one which looked like a hand grenade. He shouted “Charge!” and even launched the hand grenade—but after the hand grenade left his hand, it instantly dropped to the ground and fused with the rest of the green substance. However, the screen showed that the hand grenade which he released created a significant impact.

There were other participants who shook hands with the green substance—when they stretched their hand out, the green substance also morphed into a hand. On the display, the participant was shaking hands with a busty elf girl, and the center of the screen remained fixated on the huge, tender-looking bosom of the girl—the participant must be extremely experienced.

“Do you want to experience it too?” Dong Chengling asked when she returned with two cups of pudding milk tea. She said, “The movie is about to start though.”

“I was just slightly amazed,” Ren Suo replied as he took a cup of the milk tea and drank a sip. He asked, “When did such extraordinary technology emerge in our nation?”

There were large banners hung up within the mall which Ren Suo saw the moment he entered the mall. There were various publicity advertisements: Experience the virtual reality device ‘Pandora’s Box’ produced by Liaoyuan Entertainment now at Tianyi Commercial Square. It is an immersive experience that feels exactly like reality, whether you are walking, feeling, or being touched.

Of course, the slogan of the advertisements was not written like that; rather, it was “Revolutionary, earth-shattering…”, “Even my 90-year-old father was shocked…”, and the like.

“Mmm? I think… it was not too long ago either,” Dong Chengling replied. She pondered for a moment and said, “I do not usually keep up with such news, but I do know about Liaoyuan Entertainment.”

“Eh? Is it very famous?” Ren Suo, who slightly surprised, replied.

“It’s not famous, I only heard about this company today. However, it is a subsidiary of Liaoyuan Technologies, and that main company is very famous,” Dong Chengling said.

Ren Suo still looked clueless and Dong Chengling smiled helplessly. She explained, “Oh, I forgot that you aren’t a student. This is something which the school would teach students, as Liaoyuan Technologies is funded by the nation. It is a research company which mainly focuses on the abilities of ‘Awakeners’. The Reiki storage device and other Practice facilities we have at present are all produced by the subsidiary companies of Liaoyuan Technologies.”

Ren Suo asked, “Were those facilities not researched and developed by the National Research Institute?”

“Of course, development and production are different,” Dong Chengling said. She continued, “Liaoyuan Technologies specifically manages the sale of the Reiki devices and the various types of Extraordinaire goods which the nation has researched and developed. For example, that substance which is able to morph freely into various objects is an intelligent polymer, created with the help of the powers of Awakeners.”

“However, we do not even have a sufficient number of such extraordinary materials internally, and yet they are using them for VR technology products for consumers… Could there have been a technological breakthrough?”

It was perfectly normal for Dong Chengling to have her doubts. In the VR experience room just now, any sensible person would be able to see that what made the VR device function well was the green slime-like substance. It could exist as a solid or liquid, and it could even break apart or come together at any time. It could also be soft or hard. Most importantly, that substance could be controlled using software and electrical signals.

Such material had too many possible applications, but using it to make VR devices… it just seemed out of place in the technology progression tree.

At the same time, Ren Suo was immediately reminded of the lucky draw when he was promoted to a Level 4 Player—[Fulfil a Random Wish] had fulfilled his wish of a ‘virtual reality game device’.

However, that was only ten days ago. It was simply too quick if that was it, and the trial version was already being promoted in the different cities…

Perhaps the materials and equipment used were already available, and that there was already related research. It was just that under the influence of his wish, the rate of research and development was suddenly increased, and even the market launch time and extent of publicity were continually enhanced.

“I wonder when it would be possible to purchase it…” Ren Suo sighed.

Dong Chengling said, “Even if it can be purchased, production would surely be a challenge. Important units within the government would be given priority to obtain the supply, but for ordinary citizens…” She shook her head and said no more.

Ren Suo had completely forgotten about that problem.

Even though the VR technology had emerged, if the production supply was low, he might not be able to buy it. However, he was not worried that he could not afford it, because he currently held multiple positions and assisted the Countermeasure Division numerous times. His bonuses, in addition to his pay for the year, would surely be more than sufficient for him to buy a game equipment device, even if he still could not afford a property in Lianjiang, no?

Ren Suo and Dong Chengling entered the movie theater just in time for the movie—after all, they could not afford to waste their time while waiting for the movie to start.

Although the production time of “Ghost Blade” was short, the script, special effects, scenes, and pace were all excellent. It was only the stuntmen who were Extraordinaires that was obviously not up to top standard—nonetheless, no one would criticize about that, for they all knew that the stuntmen were Extraordinary Practitioners!

Almost all of the monsters which appeared in the movie were real, and it seemed that numerous monsters must have been caught by the Countermeasure System as specimens for research.

In addition, after the battle, the monsters’ fresh blood, intestines, and internal organs were all strewn over the ground. The brutality of the bloodshed in battle, in contrast with the spirit of the Extraordinaires as they bravely fought the battle, left a deep impression on the viewers.

As Ren Suo and Dong Chengling were leaving after the movie ended, they overheard a man next to them talking to another man, saying, “The Awakeners are so powerful, they managed to turn the tide in their favor during the battle all because of the Awakened Abilities of the Awakeners. If only I could Awaken too…”

The other man replied, “Don’t expect too much, it would already be very fortunate if you can become a Practitioner. Moreover, the main character is also a Practitioner without any Awakened Abilities, and yet he still managed to become the team leader who commands other Awakeners. Overall, his abilities are the most powerful in the team as well.”

The first man said, “Sigh, it is not easy to become an Awakener in the first place… Forget it, what’s the point of talking about all of this when I would remain an ordinary person all my life.”

The other man replied, “That isn’t something cast in stone, for cultivation depends on talent. Just look at the protagonist in the movie, he only barely passed in the beginning and was ranked at the bottom. However, he relied on cultivation to improve his talent score. Who knows, the nation might invent some method for people to train and improve their talent score, and everyone would be able to cultivate.”

“How would that be possible!” the first man exclaimed.

“A hundred years ago when our national illiteracy rate was 95%, no one would have thought that there would one day be nine years of compulsory education,” the other man said.

Ren Suo was deep in thought as he nodded. Dong Chengling asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing, I just found this movie to be pretty good,” Ren Suo replied.

Ren Suo had to admit that the film was influential: not only did it allow ordinary people to have a certain understanding of monsters, it also improved the social status of Practitioners, and heightened the respect that people had for Practitioners. It glorified the Practitioners with the ‘duty of serving the people of the nation’, and at the same time, gave those who could not Practice a chance to dream—just like how the protagonist of the movie could become so powerful even though he used to be a noob, ordinary people could also become as powerful one day.

“Let’s go to a restaurant for dinner,” Dong Chengling suddenly said. She added, “It’s because someone I know recommended the place to me, and we’re outside now, so…”

“We’re not going back?” a surprised Ren Suo asked. The number of times he was surprised that day was slightly high.

Dong Chengling replied, “Xiaoyan told me yesterday that she won’t be coming over for dinner tonight, so…”

“Sure, but I’ll pay this time. After all, I have received so many free meals from you,” Ren Suo said.

The restaurant was not far from Tianyi Square, and they decided to walk there. Along the way, Ren Suo noticed something strange—occasionally, the people who were walking past would look at him.

Could I have become more handsome from Practicing?

That can’t be, those who are looking at me are guys! Could it be that…

… I have turned gay?

However, Ren Suo quickly realized that the passers-by were not looking at him, but Dong Chengling, who was beside him.

It was only then when Ren Suo noticed that Dong Chengling was not wearing her typical combination of jeans with a white top. Instead, she was wearing a red knee-length plaid skirt with a pair of black stockings. She was also wearing a white lace top, not an ordinary Uniqlo pure-colored unisex top. Her long hair was tied up with hair accessories, making her features look exquisite and elegant.

It was only because Ren Suo met her everyday that he did not notice it—as a Practitioner progressed in his/her Practice, the appearance and disposition of the Practitioner were also enhanced gradually.

As a tier 2 Practitioner, Dong Chengling was more sensitive and could feel that Ren Suo was looking at her. She turned and asked Ren Suo calmly, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing much…” Ren Suo replied.

Dong Chengling nodded and took out her mobile phone from her purse.

Turning back to look at the front, Ren Suo extracted certain keywords in his mind: male, female, watching a movie, eating a meal…

——Wait, isn’t this exactly what a date is?