Chapter 234: Red Flicker
Chapter 234: Red Flicker
Chen Chuan listened to the prompt and immediately declined, "No need."
The voice disappeared.
He went to wash his face and then started organizing his belongings.
After about fifteen minutes, a notification sounded in the Boundary Vessel, informing him that the procurement agent would arrive in ten minutes and asked if he needed campus security to escort him to the dormitory entrance, but there would be a certain fee.
He didn't want to save this money and indicated that he needed the service.
Another fifteen minutes later, the prompt sounded again. He went to open the door, received a box from the security personnel, thanked them, closed the door, and returned to his room.
He placed the box on the table and opened it. Unlike Lao Qi's box, which contained ice cubes, this one only had a thickly padded envelope inside.
He took out the item, removed the packaging, and found a nearly transparent eye mask. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to have fine tubular veins inside, with thin bone tubes extending backward, capable of wrapping around the head and face, and forming a bone clasp at the back of the neck.
If one didn't look closely, it would be almost unnoticeable when worn, appearing as a decorative item. Despite its lightweight appearance, it was incredibly sturdy and made of biological materials. In the event of damage, it could self-repair by soaking in a suitable nutrient solution.
This item was worth 3,520 Jian Yuan currency, but there were also more expensive ones, with the best being custom-made. This price range was relatively affordable and practical for a generic model, but it required an additional procurement fee.
He took off the bone mask and put it on, feeling the bone tubes extend and wrap around his ears, connecting at the back of his neck.
After a light tap, he realized it was different. The flickering lights outside the window became clearer and more vivid, and functionally, he could now add contacts without relying on the Boundary Point. He could also browse various interfaces and services.
The biggest difference from the bone mask was that he could now receive images. A light screen formed within a foot to a yard in front of him, allowing him to browse and communicate using his fingers and voice commands. He could also remove unwanted light pollution.
Only now did he realize that the old model of the bone mask indiscriminately filtered all surrounding information, which could easily overwhelm ordinary people, causing dizziness and nausea. But there were also those who enjoyed this sensation.
At this moment, he looked at the contact interface and saw two contacts: one was Lao Qi, a cool-looking man brandishing a short sword and wearing fingerless gloves; the other was Tan Zhi, who was dressed in ancient attire, a literary scholar with a feather fan and a silk scarf, gently fanning himself while the sound of a flowing zither played in the background.
In addition, there was a message sent half an hour ago, followed by an evaluation request from the Commission Company.
Chen Chuan directly clicked on the 'Good' option and then swiped away the interface. He started searching for other information, first looking up essential knowledge that students at the Wu Yi Academy should know. Then, he searched for "Bio-Consciousness Externality Linking Technology."
This time, he quickly found results.
Bio-Consciousness Technology had emerged as early as seventy years ago, based on a super-large, shape-shifting biological group. Through transfer nodes and biological contact points, the individual bio-fields of the group were merged and integrated into the field they occupied.
This was a massive biological group in Central City, and each Boundary Point was like a neuron's tentacle. Individuals could strengthen their connection with the group, and the Boundary Vessel served as a direct interface with the human body. It allowed the field to recognize and confirm individuals, enabling mutual expression and information exchange between the field and individuals.
Consciousness Entities were responsible for processing vast amounts of information, divided into Active and Inactive Consciousness Entities. Inactive Consciousness Entities were spread throughout the city, helping to process countless information streams daily, but they were rigid and would not respond beyond their authorized permissions.
The Active Consciousness Entity in Central City was named 'Bosha,' directly responsible for government and public affairs. It made optimal judgments based on external conditions and had a massive body between plant and animal, protected by the government's security department.
Each company in Central City had its own Active Biological Consciousness Entity, each with a unique code name. For example, Wu Yi's 'Red Flicker' was one of them.
Her body was buried deep within the Mystic Palace, in the 'Yan Zhou,' but her tentacles reached every corner of Wu Yi. She could defend against the intrusion of other biological consciousnesses and initiate active attacks when necessary.
She could disconnect from the Spider Mother at any time, forming an independent bio-field individual, maintaining the internal use of Wu Yi. In reality, daily use within Wu Yi did not rely on the Spider Mother.
The public-facing introduction in the interface ended here. These were the publicly available details, but the interface did not provide specific descriptions of how these technologies developed or the detailed process.
To access further information, one would need higher permissions.
Most people probably wouldn't be interested in knowing more about these technologies, as they were far removed from their daily lives. The majority only wanted to enjoy the conveniences without delving into their origins.
Interestingly, in this technological environment, the upper echelon still valued combat cultivators highly. Wu Yi Academy was located in the second-largest district of Central City, occupying its own area surrounded by national enterprises and companies with good cooperative relationships.
After Chen Chuan finished his search without finding anything further, he casually swiped away an interstitial ad and began browsing the news of Central City. Most of the reports were about violent incidents in the Lower District.
The Lower District is a general term and not a specific area. Most of its residents lack formal identification and only have temporary status, making up the majority of Central City's population. The real "Lower District" is a vast slum located beneath the city.
At this moment, he noticed a news report about an algae oil power plant in the northern industrial area being bombed, causing a large-scale power outage in the region. The city's public security forces had blocked several main streets and city exits, and the blockade was still in place at the time of the report.
This might explain why he encountered patrol vehicles on the road earlier.
However, after reading the news and seeing the scenes, he noticed many corporate security teams, indicating that the situation might be more complex than it seemed.
After some research, he realized it was already 9:30 PM, so he took off his Boundary Vessel and went to the shower to freshen up. He changed into a new set of clothes and went to sleep. Soon after, he entered deep sleep.
The next morning, at 5:00 AM, he woke up on time. He opened the curtains, went to the bathroom to freshen up, and took out some nutrient gel from the freezer to eat.
After leaving the bathroom, he walked to the window. From his current position, he estimated the height to be around 300 meters, allowing him to overlook most of the city.
The sky was not yet fully lit, and the lingering sea fog drifted around the tall buildings, making them appear hazy and mysterious. Golden-red light glowed at one end of the horizon.
The sun was about to rise.
This was a world without the Boundary Vessel, as Lao Qi would say, a false Central City that did not reveal its true face.
Chen Chuan recalled how Jing Lin had mentioned the 'real world' when they first met. The implied meaning behind this likely referred to what lay beyond the Boundary Vessel. Immersed in this bio-consciousness field, he enjoyed the conveniences that were not easily accessible outside, which could create a sense of psychological superiority and condescension towards those in the outer world.
However, this situation was actually quite abnormal.
Cheng Zitong had told him that the world was divided into various circles, some based on reality and others created by human factors.
He could sense that behind this so-called real world, there were deeper and unknown aspects that most people were unaware of.
Nevertheless, he had a premonition that as his strength increased, even if he did not actively seek it, these hidden aspects would gradually reveal themselves to him.
After a while, he began the most important task after enrollment: entering the four-hundred-square-meter private training room, connecting to Wu Yi Academy's bio-consciousness entity, and starting to search for the courses he needed to study after enrollment.
Upon entering the Wu Yi Academy interface, a voice sounded in his ear:
"The academy has detected that student Chen Chuan is in the freshman enrollment period. The academy needs to conduct a basic test and potential assessment for this student to confirm if they meet the learning standards and have the ability to complete their studies during their time at the academy. Would you like to proceed with the test now? If so, please summon 'Red Flicker'."
Chen Chuan replied, "Red Flicker, I need to take an admission test now."
At that moment, the woman in red who had stood on the roof last night appeared in the training room. Up close, the eyes on her veil appeared even more lively, and a Yanling Sword hung at her waist, with a red tassel tied to its hilt.
"I saw you use a sword, so I thought you might like swords, and I brought one along."
Although she was a single entity, her voice and demeanor were completely different from what he had heard through the Boundary Vessel. She exuded a spirited and charming aura, and her voice was pleasant and full of emotion.
She seemed like a more independent individual, almost like a living person.
"Thank you," Chen Chuan said politely.
Red Flicker's eyes fixed on him for a moment, and with a slight wave of her hand, the surrounding scene transformed. Clouds billowed around countless towering mountains, and golden light shone from one side.
Chen Chuan found himself standing on one of the peaks, with Red Flicker not far in front of him. The two of them faced each other in mid-air.
"Draw your sword," Red Flicker said.
Chen Chuan was a bit surprised, as the scene before him was a virtual illusion. This test seemed to be able to detect the truth. Since she had made this choice, there must be a reason.
He nodded, drew the Xuejun Sword horizontally in front of him, and lightly flicked the scabbard to the side, causing the entire scabbard to fly out, revealing the cold and bright blade.
After seeing Chen Chuan draw his sword, Red Flicker grasped the hilt of the Yanling Sword with her delicate fingers, and with a clang, she drew it out. Her red figure flickered, and her skirt fluttered as she instantly appeared in front of Chen Chuan and struck a blow towards him.
This time, Chen Chuan did not use his Second Self, but he could still clearly see her movements. He blocked the blow with his sword, and the clash of metal created a loud ringing sound. A strong force transmitted through the sword, causing him to sink slightly.
His eyes narrowed, and he could tell that this feeling was not an illusion. At this moment, was he facing a real existence?
...
(End of Chapter)
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