CHAPTER 238: CHAPTER 238 VIRTUAL REALITY

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

"Mommy, I want to play with that!"

"This line is so long..."

"I want to, I want to! I want to play!"

"Alright, alright... Just queue up nicely, don’t wander off."

In Tianyi Commercial Plaza of Lianjiang City, Ren Suo watched the vast first-floor platform. It was crowded with a large group of people surrounding the huge transparent room in the central region, queuing up to experience the latest technology.

Many children were dragging their parents to line up. Although the parents seemed reluctant eyeing the long queue, they didn’t resist much. They waited in line with their children, playing on their phones. The majority of the queue, however, was comprised of young people—more specifically, mostly young men, with fewer girls present.

Each transparent room was about 25 square meters. Inside, an experiencer wore full-cover goggles and Noise-Canceling Headphones. They were dressed in a skin-tight rubber suit (complete with gloves), with straps securing them at the waist and shoulders. Beneath their feet was a green surface that rose one meter high. Within two meters of the experiencer’s body, the same strange green substance covered the ground. It towered half a person’s height and constantly flowed, merging into different forms depending on what the screen displayed.

A few screens were set up above the transparent rooms, displaying the first-person perspective of these experiencers.

As they moved, the green surface would start to flow, so instead of being dragged forward by the straps when they moved, they simply stepped in place.

If someone in the virtual world needed to climb stairs, the green surface would swiftly rise to form a step under their foot, allowing them to step firmly. As they continued to ’climb’ upwards, the green substance forming the stairs would slowly lower. Likewise, when going ’downstairs,’ the steps would continuously rise, keeping the experiencer’s relative position unchanged.

Someone trying to take cover in the virtual world by crouching down near a wall simply squatted and leaned forward. Upon doing so, the green substance in front of their body instantly deformed like jelly, hardening into a wall for them to lean against.

A player in a virtual gunfight extended their hand. The green substance coalesced into a tabletop and numerous parts. The experiencer picked up green matter shaped like firearms and attached other pieces resembling grenades. They yelled "Charge!" and even threw the ’grenades.’ However, after being thrown, these would quickly fall and dissolve back into the green substance, while the screen showed the grenade having an impressive effect.

Another person stretched out a hand, and the green substance also converged to form a hand that shook theirs. On the screen, this experiencer was shaking hands with a very busty spirit girl, with the screen’s focus persistently on her strikingly large assets—this experiencer seemed to know what was up.

"Do you want to give it a try too?" Dong Chengling brought over two cups of pudding milk tea and said, "But the movie is about to start."

"I’m just a bit surprised." Ren Suo took the milk tea and sipped. "Since when did the country come up with such black technology?"

The shopping mall was adorned with large banners. Upon arrival, Ren Suo saw various promotional ads. Liaoyuan Entertainment Company’s virtual reality device, ’Pandora’s Magic Box,’ was available for trial experiences at Tianyi Commercial Plaza. It boasted an absolutely real feel, whether walking, touching, or being touched.

Of course, the advertising slogans weren’t like that, but rather things like "Shocking the world..." and "Even my 90-year-old father was amazed..."

"Hmm? It doesn’t seem to have been long," Dong Chengling pondered for a moment, then said, "I don’t usually pay attention to these things, but I do know about Liaoyuan Entertainment Company."

"Really?" Ren Suo was somewhat surprised. "Is it famous?"

"Not famous; I only learned about this company today," Dong Chengling explained. "But it’s a subsidiary. Its parent company is quite renowned: Liaoyuan Technology."

Seeing Ren Suo still looking puzzled, Dong Chengling smiled helplessly. "I forgot, you’re not a student. This is something that schools will definitely mention—Liaoyuan Technology itself is a state-invested enterprise. Its primary research direction focuses on utilizing Awakeners’ abilities. The Spiritual Energy Aggregation Devices we currently use, as well as other cultivation equipment, are all produced by subsidiaries of Liaoyuan Technology."

Ren Suo asked, "Aren’t those researched by the National Research Institute?"

"Research and production are naturally different," Dong Chengling said. "Liaoyuan Technology specifically operates the spiritual energy devices and various extraordinary products developed by the state. For example, those materials that can change freely are smart aggregation materials produced by harnessing the power of Awakeners."

"However, these extraordinary materials, which are already in high demand for internal use, are now being used as peripheral products for VR technology... Could it be that there has been a technological breakthrough?"

It was entirely normal for Dong Chengling to be doubtful. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell from the VR experience rooms that the genuine prop making the VR devices work perfectly was the green substance. It resembled Slime and was capable of being solid or liquid, soft or hard, and able to gather or disperse at will. Most importantly, this substance could be controlled through software and electrical signals.

This material had too many applications; using it to make VR devices felt like the technology tree had been misaligned.

Yet, Ren Suo immediately connected this to the time he advanced to a Level 4 Player and his draw for ’Random Wish Fulfillment,’ which realized his wish for ’virtual reality gaming equipment.’

But that was nearly ten days ago, and now the trial version has already been launched in various cities for promotion. Such speed is remarkably fast...

Perhaps the materials and devices were already ready to go. Maybe there were even related scientific research directions, but under the influence of the wish, the pace of research suddenly accelerated. Even the market launch and promotion phases were significantly sped up.

"Wonder when it will be available for purchase..." Ren Suo mused.

"Even if it became available, due to production issues, priority would likely be given to important domestic institutions. As for the average citizen..." Dong Chengling shook her head, not continuing any further.

Ren Suo had actually forgotten about this.

This virtual reality technology had emerged, but if production was low, he might not be able to buy it. As for affordability, he wasn’t worried. Thanks to holding multiple positions and assisting the Tactical Bureau on numerous occasions, his bonuses and salary were quite generous. Even if this year’s salary couldn’t afford him property in Lianjiang City, surely it would be more than enough to buy some gaming equipment, right?

Ren Suo and Dong Chengling entered the cinema just in time, since neither of them liked wasting time waiting.

"Demon-Slaying Blade" had a short production cycle, but the script, special effects, and scene pacing were top-notch. The only downside was that the Transcendent stunt actors seemed to fall a bit flat. However, no one would complain about that, as everyone knew those stunt actors *were* Transcendent Cultivators!

The demons featured in the movie were almost entirely real. It seemed quite a few had been captured by the tactical system to be studied as specimens.

After a battle with guts, blood, and viscera strewn about, the raw brutality of the fight hit the audience hard. The image of Transcendents fighting so fiercely was deeply etched in the viewers’ eyes.

As the movie ended and Ren Suo and Dong Chengling were leaving, they overheard one guy saying to another, "Awakeners are so powerful! Many of the reversals were thanks to the Awakeners’ awakened spells. If only I could awaken..."

"Dream on. Becoming a Cultivator is already a stroke of luck. Plus, the protagonist is a Cultivator without any awakened spells, yet manages to become the team leader, commanding other Awakeners, and is the strongest on the team."

"Sigh, but starting out as an Awakener sets the bar so high... Whatever, why talk about it? We’re just ordinary people for life."

"Not necessarily. Cultivation depends on Talent. Look at the protagonist, who started as a barely-qualified last-ranked student and painstakingly improved his Talent through cultivation. Maybe one day, the country will invent some kind of Talent training method, then everyone can start cultivating."

"How is that possible!"

"A hundred years ago, when our country’s illiteracy rate was at 95%, no one thought there would be a day with nine years of compulsory education."

Ren Suo nodded thoughtfully, and Dong Chengling asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much. Just realized that this movie is quite good."

Ren Suo had to acknowledge the movie’s brilliance. It not only educated ordinary people about demons but also elevated the societal status and respect for Tactical Cultivators, crowning Transcendent Cultivators with the halo of ’serving the people.’ Finally, it wove a dream for those who couldn’t cultivate: look at how the weak protagonist became strong; one day, ordinary people might also become powerful.

"Let’s go to a restaurant to eat later," Dong Chengling suddenly said. "It’s because an acquaintance recommended it, and since we’re out anyway..."

"We’re not going back?" Ren Suo was surprised more than a few times today.

"Xiao Yan told me yesterday that he wouldn’t be joining us for dinner tonight, so..."

"That’s fine, but I’ll pick up the tab for the meal, considering I’ve freeloaded so many meals off you."

The restaurant wasn’t far from Tianyi Shopping Center, so they decided to walk there. Halfway through, Ren Suo noticed something strange—passersby would glance at him from time to time.

Could it be that because of my cultivation, I’ve become more handsome?

No, that can’t be right; the ones looking at me are all damn men! Could it be—

I’ve turned gay?

But Ren Suo quickly realized the passersby weren’t looking at him, but at Dong Chengling beside him.

Only then did Ren Suo notice that Dong Chengling wasn’t wearing her usual jeans and white shirt. Today, she wore a red plaid skirt that reached her knees, black stockings, and a white blouse with lace—not the sort of unisex plain top from Uniqlo. Her long hair was tied up with a hair accessory, and her delicate, pretty features seemed softer.

It was only because Ren Suo saw her every day that he hadn’t noticed—as their Cultivation improved, the appearance and temperament of cultivators also gradually enhanced.

Being more sensitive to gazes as a Second Stage Cultivator, Dong Chengling turned her head and calmly asked Ren Suo, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing..."

Dong Chengling nodded and took out her phone from her small bag.

Ren Suo, who had turned away and continued walking, began to process keywords: male, female, watching a movie, eating dinner...

—Wait a minute, isn’t this what they call a date?