vrcanaries Chapter 1 Earth Online Manifestation: I Became the Chosen One?
Chapter 1 Earth Online Manifestation: I Became the Chosen One?
Jiangda University, "Earth Online" Elite Reserve Training Class.
The heavy blackout curtains completely blocked out the light in this small classroom of less than 60 square meters.
The only light source in the room was the faint hum of the projector running on the podium.
And the cold, flickering images on the screen.
Lei Dong, a time traveler, sat silently in the last row of the classroom, his eyes fixed on the podium.
He arrived in this parallel world six months ago with this high-dimensional game.
"Buzz!"
Professor Lin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, pressed the laser pointer in his hand.
The slide turned to reveal a scene of scorched ruins.
From the broken steel and concrete, one can still vaguely discern that it was once Yunxia's proud virtual main city and coastal defense port in the first phase.
"Classmates, this is the final frame of our Yunxia team during the last national war in 'Earth Online'."
Professor Lin's voice was a little hoarse, echoing in the quiet classroom.
"Although in that fierce counterattack, we successfully killed and eliminated all the previous generation of players on Black Tide Island."
But look at these glaring casualty statistics...
A blood-red bar chart popped up on the slide.
"More than 50% of the high-level elite's power has been lost!"
In the early stages of civilization's evolution, this was an extremely fatal blow to its vitality.
What's even more hateful are the two major behind-the-scenes forces behind Black Tide Island—the Western Continent Alliance and the Star Sea Federation.
They took advantage of our misfortune and plundered the technology points we had painstakingly accumulated over the past six months.
In response to their relentless pressure, we had no choice but to abandon our long-established core territories.
They adopted a roundabout tactic, hiding in the shadows and barely clinging to life.
The professor adjusted his glasses, his voice gradually becoming serious:
"And just half an hour ago, the first phase settlement day for 'Earth Online' arrived."
As he finished speaking, the slideshow switched to a screenshot of a huge global ranking list hanging above a black sky.
"Survival of the fittest is the cruelest iron law of this high-dimensional game."
Professor Lin pointed to the three names flashing with golden light at the top of the screen.
"The Star Federation, the Kingdom of St. George, Gaulnia, and the Rhine Alliance occupy the top three spots."
The system gave them extremely generous rewards.
In the next phase of civilization evolution, they will gain the privilege of five additional interventions!
This means that in the event of species extinction or a war between civilizations, they can unleash a "miracle" to turn the tide of battle without any cost.
The dozens of reserve students in the audience stared intently at the screen, their breathing becoming heavy.
Five intervention rights—this is absolutely a game-changer in critical moments.
"And the South Pacific Islands, Kuroshio Island, and the Cold Region Alliance, which are ranked at the bottom, will suffer the final punishment from the system."
The laser pointer's red dot has been moved to the bottom of the screen.
"The energy required for the next stage of their civilization's evolution will be doubled!"
This is practically tantamount to locking down their potential for rapid development.
At this point, Professor Lin's hand holding the laser pointer trembled slightly, and the red dot stopped at the fourth-to-last position on the list.
There, the words "Dongfang Yunxia" were prominently displayed.
Everyone has seen it.
Our Yunxia is ranked fourth from the bottom!
The system has issued a serious warning.
We're just one step away from falling into the penalty zone!
This is why the entry of your batch of reserves will directly determine the life and death of the entire Yunxia civilization.
We have nowhere left to retreat!
A heavy sense of oppression enveloped the entire small classroom.
Lei Dong, sitting in the back row, silently watched the curtain.
As a transmigrator who physically entered this world half a year ago, due to the peculiar nature of his mental fluctuations...
He became one of the first reserve personnel locked by the system at Jiangda University, and also the most promising candidate with the highest potential rating.
However, there is no need to be overly pessimistic.
The sky did give us a chance to catch our breath.
Professor Lin took a deep breath and flipped to the last few slides, where two completely different branches of the biological evolution tree appeared on the screen.
"After two weeks of tireless strategic analysis by the national think tank team, we have been able to conduct a comprehensive analysis day and night."
In light of the complex and ever-changing survival environment of the next phase, we have identified two highly promising civilizational races as your foundations.
"The first route is the ape branch within the order Primates of the class Mammalia."
A simulated image of an ancient ape-man holding a crude stone tool appeared on the screen.
"Our plan is to concentrate all players' resources and points to guide them through the early stages of ignorance quickly."
We strive to develop an ancient Homo sapiens civilization similar to the "Upper Cave Man" as soon as possible.
The advantage of this route lies in its exceptionally high basic intelligence, enabling it to quickly unlock toolmaking, fire control, and tribal social systems.
It is the safest and quickest way to replicate modern technological civilization.
"The second route is the Crocodilians within the class Reptilia, specifically based on the ancient ancestors of the Yangtze alligator."
The screen instantly switched to a colossal creature lurking in the mud, covered in heavy bony scales.
"Don't underestimate this cold-blooded animal!"
They possessed almost superhuman survival and adaptability in the face of extreme natural disasters and long ice ages.
It boasts superior defense, an amphibious combat radius, and extremely low energy consumption.
Once we can successfully guide them to form a large-scale "crocodile society".
That would be a prehistoric heavy armored legion that even the Star Sea Federation wouldn't dare to easily provoke!
Professor Lin tapped the blackboard heavily:
"Peak cavemen, or Yangtze alligators! This is our trump card for turning the tide in Yunxia!"
"Alright, that concludes today's strategy lesson."
Professor Lin turned off the projector.
The incandescent lights in the classroom suddenly turned on, their glare hurting the eyes.
The professor silently looked at the dozens of young and vibrant faces below the stage; the calmness and competence he had displayed while explaining the strategy had vanished.
His eyes suddenly became incredibly complex, carrying a hint of an elder's heartache and an indescribable resolve.
"Everyone, pack up. You don't need to go back to the dorm tonight."
Everyone, proceed directly to the main lecture hall on the first floor of the academy.
Professor Lin paused, his tone becoming unusually gentle, even slightly choked up.
"School……
Or perhaps the higher-ups have prepared a 'special program' for you, the reserve heroes about to embark on your mission.
Lei Dong's heart skipped a beat.
He glanced at the few guys around him.
These guys are usually carefree and like to fool around in the hallway.
At this moment, they all looked like wilted eggplants, clenching their back teeth and their eyes red.
The casualty rate in "Earth Online" is over 50%.
Those players who went in and didn't come back will be eliminated in real life through brain death.
This is already an open secret.
These past few days, some of his friends have been trying to set him up with dates, which Lei Dong initially thought was just a joke.
But now it seems that the higher-ups are clearly serious.
They wanted to leave behind some "concerns" for these young people who might sacrifice themselves at any moment before they left.
It could even be said that it leaves behind a "bloodline".
"Brother Lei, let's go. What's meant to be will be.
The fat man next to Lei Dong patted Lei Dong on the shoulder and forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
Lei Dong stood up and followed the silent group out of the small classroom.
As Lei Dong walked down the corridor to the first floor, he took a deep breath.
The moment he pushed open the heavy door to the core lecture hall, he was still stunned by the overwhelming scene before him.
The once scholarly atmosphere was gone from the large lecture hall.
A faint, luxurious fragrance wafted in the air, and the glaring overhead lights were turned off.
Instead, there is soft, ambiguous ambient lighting all around.
The classroom was already filled with bright, youthful figures, all dressed exquisitely.
On the left side, rows of handsome and spirited young men were sitting.
The right side and the most prominent rows in the middle were filled with girls who were outstanding in appearance and had different temperaments.
Lei Dong glanced around and immediately spotted several familiar faces.
The most famous ordinary campus beauties of Jiangda University, the pure and innocent class beauties of the department, and the proud and aloof girls of heaven on ordinary days.
At this moment, they had all shed their student-like demeanor, dressed in elegant, even somewhat sexy, long dresses, and sat there quietly.
When the reserve troops walked in, all the girls' eyes were drawn to them.
Their eyes lacked their usual pride and reserve, instead carrying a suffocating sense of tragic grandeur, tenderness, and submissiveness.
"Go on, children."
Professor Lin stood at the door, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes, her voice trembling slightly.
"Before entering that cruel world, completely let go of your burdens."
Go meet some new friends and embrace the warmth you deserve.
Go and let others...remember your smiles.
"May this evening be the strongest source of strength in your hearts as you struggle in the abyss."