Chapter 9: Weak? Impossible to be weak! 2
The national training ground has many divisions, like precision gears, catering to players with different needs, so that everyone can participate and experience the difficulties of soldiers on the expeditionary battlefield.
Each area has its own unique rules and scenery, which can not only allow novices to find a sense of belonging, but also allow folk masters to unleash their talents.
After Lin Yao chose his virtual image, he also gave himself a name "Mumu".
After the settings were completed, Lin Yao received the beginner's guide from the National Training Ground. After reading the introduction carefully, and considering his own purpose - to train healing and auxiliary abilities, Lin Yao chose the Basic Ability Trial Ground.
This is the area most frequented by novices. The overall color tone is soft, and the virtual scenes are mostly flat grasslands or shallows.
There are three small areas in this area: Novice Paradise, Free Battle Area, and Team Mission Area.
The energy particles were light pink, and a holographic frame of "Operation Guide" would float next to the player's virtual image. Even the light particles released by the healing spirit body would have a sweet taste. After staying in the Novice Paradise for five minutes, Lin Yao changed his position.
It wasn't that he didn't know how to take it one step at a time, but the sweetness inside was truly excessive! It was the kind of sweetness that even the guide couldn't handle! He felt like the air inside was craving sugar!
Afterwards, Lin Yao took Shasha to wait in the free battle area. Here, whenever someone's virtual spirit body suffered combat damage, they would speak out in the collaboration channel to seek help from the healing guide!
Lin Yao stayed here for quite a while, because Shasha was not really a healing spirit in the traditional sense, but it had awakened its healing function.
So there's no other way! Just practice! You can't be biased towards one subject!
So Lin Yao controlled the silver-white vines disguised by Shasha to release soothing simulated mental power, looking at the prompt of 'Healing Contribution + 1' on the panel, accumulating auxiliary experience like collecting stars.
-
Lin Yao and Lei Ya met in the team mission area. This area provides preset team missions, such as "escorting supply vehicles" and "stronghold defense", which require at least 2 people to form a team.
At that time, they were in front of the mission bulletin board in the team mission area, and the virtual blue light stretched the shadows of the crowd very long.
Lin Yao had just logged in and was standing at the edge of the bulletin board browsing the task list when his attention was drawn away by a sudden burst of quarreling.
"You just leave like that? Who was it that promised to go through the 'Stronghold Defense' dungeon with me yesterday?"
The spiky-haired boy's avatar flushed crimson. The Thunder Lion spirit beside him arced with electricity and growled at the girl in the white dress opposite him, "Is it because their team gave you virtual equipment?"
Behind the girl in the white dress were three players. The scarred-faced man in the lead crossed his arms and spoke with an arrogant tone, as if offering alms:
"Little Hedgehog Head, don't be so harsh. Lilith's healing ability is fully utilized by our team. Teaming up with a Sentinel like you who is not even A-rank is a complete waste of time."
"Who the hell are you calling a waste of time?" The boy called Lei Ya clenched his virtual fists in anger.
"Lilith, tell me! How have I, Leiya, wronged you? Last time your spirit body collapsed, who was it that withstood the energy shock and dragged you back?"
The girl in the white dress turned away, her voice as thin as a mosquito: "Leiya, we are not suitable... Their team can take me through the S-level dungeon, but you can't."
"Ha!" Lei Ya seemed to have heard a huge joke. He turned around suddenly and scanned the crowd with his eyes like lightning.
"S-rank is so great? Let me tell you, Lilith, forget about finding a healer. Even if I just grab a random passerby today, he'll be better than you, a traitor!"
His voice was loud and clear, with a sense of determination, instantly drawing all attention to himself.
Scarface sneered, "Alright, try catching one. If you can find one stronger than Lilith, I'll give you this 'Energy Blade' as an apology."
There was a burst of laughter all around, and everyone could see that this was said in anger - some tasks in the team running-in area require extremely high levels of assistance, what abilities can a temporary passerby have?
Lei Ya's face became even redder, as if it was being roasted on fire.
He stretched his neck and looked around, his eyes sweeping over the crowd watching the excitement, and finally fell on the most inconspicuous gray-clothed boy in the corner.
The young man was wearing a simple gray cloth shirt and was standing quietly, with his imaginary black hair covering half of his eye, as if the quarrel had nothing to do with him.
Behind him floated an inconspicuous plant spirit, its thin silver-white vines hanging softly, and the leaves at the top were wilted, as if they would break with a gust of wind.
That's him! Lei Ya rushed to Lin Yao and grabbed his wrist. "Brother, do me a favor! Team up with me to complete the dungeon!"
Lin Yao was stunned by this sudden conscription. He looked down at his wrist that was being grabbed, then looked up at Lei Ya.
The eyes of the ferocious young man were surprisingly bright, showing a determination to fight to the death, but also a bit of panic, like a little beast that was forced into a corner and still wanted to show its teeth.
"I..." Lin Yao was about to say that he just came to take a look when a burst of laughter suddenly broke out around him.
"Is Lei Ya going crazy with anxiety? Looking for a guy whose spirit body is a vine?"
"Look at that vine, it's as thin as noodles. I'm afraid it will break if I touch it."
"Forget about helping to repair the barrier. I don't think it can even stop a low-level energy beast."
"Lilith is a serious healing type after all, but this guy looks like a newbie who hasn't even graduated from the Novice Village!"
Scarface laughed so hard he couldn't straighten his back. "Leiya, are you just throwing everything away? You found such a weak guy, are you planning to use him to deliver food to the energy beasts?"
The girl in the white dress also frowned and advised: "Leiya, forget it, his spirit body... doesn't look very suitable for defending the stronghold."
Lei Ya's face instantly turned the color of liver, and he stiffened his neck and roared back, "What are you laughing at? You know nothing! This is called hiding one's true strength! I think his vine spirit is very flexible, so he must be an expert at repairing barriers!"
He secretly poked the back of Lin Yao's hand with the virtual terminal and said in a low voice, "Brother, ignore them! Let's just fight. If you lose, it's mine!"
Lin Yao looked at the stubbornness in his eyes, and glanced at the deliberately weakened 'vine' behind him. The deadly aerial root vine was now disguised as a thin silver vine, and even the leaves had retracted their star-like serrations, looking indeed fragile.
Lin Yao glanced at the mission description of "Stronghold Defense" on the bulletin board again: two people are needed to cooperate in defense, one is the main attacker, and one is to assist in repairing the stronghold barrier.
This is exactly the mental assistance ability he wants to practice.
He was silent for two seconds, gently broke free from Lei Ya's hand, and clicked on his virtual panel: "Team code."
"Hey hey!" Lei Ya's eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly called up the team-forming interface.
When the system prompted "Player 'Mumu' has joined the team", the crowd laughed even louder.
A tall, thin player whistled, "Leiya, if you get trapped by these vines later, don't cry for your mother!"
Lei Ya ignored them and dragged Lin Yao towards the portal: "Mumu, leave them alone! We'll get an A+ rating later and slap them in the face!"
Passing through the portal, the virtual scene shifted to the rubble-strewn ruins of the stronghold. The central energy barrier flickered with a faint blue light, and a dark mass of energy beasts rolled towards the distant skyline.
Lei Ya took a deep breath and released Lei Shi: "Mumu, you are responsible for repairing the barrier, I will go to the front to block it!"
Lin Yao nodded, and silver-blue healing light particles condensed at his fingertips, pressing lightly on the energy barrier.
The vines behind him also slowly reached out, and the thin silver vines formed a barrier, seemingly entwined weakly.
"Look at those vines, they're barely moving, and you're still trying to repair the barrier?" Onlookers commented in the dungeon's spectator channel. "I bet the barrier breaks in three minutes!"
When the first wave of energy beasts rushed over, Lei Ya's Lei Shi behaved extremely bravely, but the beasts were getting larger and larger, and some of them slipped through the net and crashed into the barrier, making a dull loud noise, and the blue light of the barrier dimmed visibly.
"Mumu, left!" Lei Ya shouted from the front, his voice filled with anxiety.
At this moment, the vines behind Lin Yao suddenly moved.
Those seemingly thin silver-white vines instantly became extremely flexible, moving along the lines of the barrier as if they had life. Wherever they passed, ice-blue light particles surged out like a tide, not only repairing the damage but also weaving a fine protective net on the surface of the barrier.
What was even more shocking was that an energy beast broke through Lei Shi's defenses and crashed into the barrier. The thin vines suddenly tightened, like a tough steel cable, and bounced the beast back!
The viewing channel fell silent instantly.
"Oh my god... Did that vine take an energy potion? Why did it suddenly become so powerful?"
"Who said he was a noodle seller? Come out and get beaten!"
Lei Ya turned around and saw this scene. He was so shocked that he almost bit his tongue. "Mumu, your vines... are hidden deep enough! The speed of repair... is more than twice as fast as Lilith's!"
Lin Yao didn't say anything, staring at the barrier intently.
He could feel that Shasha's aerial root vines were excited. These fragments of the energy barrier were excellent 'snacks' for it, but he held them down tightly, allowing it to only absorb the energy residue produced during the repair.
When the last energy beast was torn to pieces by Lei Shi and the system prompted [Instance Cleared, Rating A+], Lei Ya jumped up and said, "We won! We won!"
He patted Lin Yao's shoulder excitedly, "Mumu, you're awesome! You're not even a support, you're the pinnacle of the support world!"
When I was teleported back to the bulletin board, Scarface and the girl in the white dress had long disappeared.
Lei Ya put his hands on his hips and glanced at the crowd of onlookers triumphantly. Not seeing the scarred man, he shrugged and cursed, "You run so fast, bastard! I'll kill you next time I see you!"
Then he came close to Lin Yao, smiling like a mouse that had stolen candy:
"Mumu, I knew you were the boss! From now on, you'll be my permanent teammate! I'll be the main attacker, you'll be the support, and we'll sweep through the entire run-in zone!"
Lin Yao looked at his sincere smile, the warmth from repairing the barrier still lingering on his fingertips. He nodded, agreeing.
That afternoon, they played five more dungeons in a row.
Lei Ya's Thunder Lion is becoming more and more brave, and Lin Yao's assistance is becoming more and more skilled. Occasionally, the killing air roots will accidentally sweep away a few energy beasts that have escaped the net, and Lin Yao explains it as "helping you clean up the battlefield."
Lei Ya believed it without a doubt and always said, "Mumu, you are so thoughtful. You even did such a small thing for me."
Lei Ya felt that he was really a lucky boy. He could easily find a golden thigh. There was no trace of Lilith anymore.
Lei Ya never thought that this gentle auxiliary, who in his eyes would hesitate even to step on a virtual bug to death, was silently calculating in his mind: How should I equip myself in the next game so that Shasha can absorb more energy?
The setting sun shone through the virtual clouds, giving the two people's virtual images a golden edge.
Lei Ya slumped in the chair, rubbing his arm with one hand and scratching the back of his neck with the other, his brows twisted like a knot, like a cat just pulled out of the water.
"What's wrong?" Lin Yao asked when he saw him like this.
"Hey, Mumu," he suddenly said, his voice a little hoarse from having just survived a disaster, "These few dungeons are a bit weird, have you noticed?"
Lin Yao was just lowering his head to think about killing. This ancestor had just feasted on the energy fragments in the dungeon. The two leaves on his wrist were flapping and opening and closing, like snoring. Hearing this, he looked up and said, "Not bad. The boss is not difficult to defeat."
"It's not the boss's business!" Lei Ya sat up straight suddenly, and the chair creaked.
"There's an unknown thing! It's been following us since the first dungeon, sometimes touching my arm, sometimes rubbing my ankle. In the last dungeon just now, it even hooked my belt!"
He tugged at his tactical belt, a look of horror on his face as he spoke. "It's so cold and slippery, like it has eyes, it strikes me when I'm least prepared!"
Lin Yao had just taken a sip of his energy drink when he nearly spit it out: "Is it really that weird? Why don't I feel anything?"
"You don't feel anything!" Lei Ya was shocked. He rolled his eyes and said loudly, "There is only one truth!"
Lin Yao looked at him, waiting for his next words. However, Lei Ya seemed to have lost all his strength and skills. He said to Lin Yao in a very aggrieved tone: "It's targeting me!"
Then he started to argue: "Leishi was furious the whole time and almost lost control several times. If I hadn't held him down, he would have probably fought with the air in the dungeon!"
As he spoke, he patted the Lei Shi beside him. Lei Shi was now lying listlessly on the back of the chair, with his mane messy, and he kept shaking his tail from time to time, as if he was still scared.
"What the hell is this thing? A vengeful spirit? Or an energy monster?" Lei Ya scratched his head, bewildered. "It should be gone after clearing the dungeon, right? But I still feel a chill on the back of my neck..."
He subconsciously shrank his neck and just caught a glimpse of the "Shasha" on Lin Yao's wrist. This ancestor had woken up at some point and was secretly extending the tip of the vine towards Lei Shi. Lin Yao flicked it lightly with his finger, and it shrank back aggrievedly.
Lin Yao suppressed his laughter and agreed seriously, "It's a bit strange indeed. It might be that the dark energy in the dungeon hasn't been cleared away."
"Of course!" Lei Ya nodded heavily, as if finding a resonance. "Next time I encounter a dungeon like this, I'll have to bring at least a string of exorcism talismans! No, I'll have to bring ten strings! Hang them around my neck, wrap them around my wrists, and keep that thing away from me!"
Lin Yao had a strange look on his face and tried to suppress his laughter: "Are you going to play a dungeon or attend the temple fair?"
Lei Ya glared at him, then said seriously, "Really, Mumu, you have to be careful too. That thing might not dare to attack you because you are so honest. Next time, it might target you..."
Lin Yao looked at his serious expression, then looked down at Shasha who was secretly licking his claws (the tip of the vine) on his wrist, and finally couldn't help laughing.
Shasha really wanted to take a bite of Lei Shi's energy, but Lin Yao kept suppressing him. Perhaps where there is oppression, there is resistance. Shasha didn't give up and tried many times. He climbed onto Lei Shi's body several times and almost succeeded.
Shasha was startled by the laughter and rushed towards Leiya. Leiya was so scared that he moved to the side and almost slipped off the chair.
The laughter drifted far away, and only Lei Ya was still there wondering how many exorcism talismans he should bring next time. He had no idea that his "horrifying experience" along the way was all caused by a certain glutton.
After all, Lei Ya was a carefree person. After a while, he recovered and happily planned the route for tomorrow's dungeon. Lin Yao also listened seriously and quietly, occasionally nodding in response.
The days that followed passed slowly like this. Lin Yao would occasionally make appointments with Lei Ya to form a team in advance, and occasionally go to the Glimmer Garden and the Mental Barrier Hall, two places dedicated to the practice of guiding abilities, to practice healing and auxiliary abilities.
-
Recalling this, Lin Yao looked at the information on his light brain. It was Lei Ya who asked him out today, saying that there was an A+ task in the team's running-in area, and they should team up to try it out!
The appointment was made at seven o'clock in the evening. Lin Yao arrived ten minutes early just to see what the task was. However, after he finished reading the task and the appointment time came, Lei Ya did not show up.
"Is there something that prevents me from coming?" Lin Yao had just finished talking to himself when a message popped up on his computer. It was from Lei Ya, saying that he was very sorry and couldn't come because of something urgent.
Lin Yao replied "It's okay" and turned off the communication channel.
Since he was already here, he decided not to take on any missions in the team's running-in area, but instead turned his attention to another module of the national training ground: the meat grinder of actual combat capabilities - the extreme survival area.
He has now been in the basic area of the national training ground for more than a month. During this month, Shasha's healing and auxiliary abilities have been significantly improved, so Lin Yao wanted to try the combat mode that Shasha has been eager to use.
All training grounds in the interstellar world, whether it is the elite training cabin in the White Tower, the military's combat simulation room, or the national training ground for the general public, are operated at the core of energy fluctuations.
This invisible energy flow is the basis for neural connection, scene construction and spiritual interaction, and permeates every virtual corner like air.
It’s just that the energy characteristics of different training grounds vary greatly. The energy of the national training ground is more like energy dust mixed with various impurities.
For most players, these mixed energies are worthless.
But for some special spiritual entities that can be compatible with multiple energies, such as Shasha, these "energy fragments" scattered in the virtual dust are the perfect nutrients for silently accumulating strength.
And because the energy was mottled, the gentle part that was decomposed by Shasha was filled with healing power, and the violent part was always stored in the spiral ring.
Such accumulation has finally reached a certain level, so Lin Yao feels it necessary to release it.
Lin Yao set his sights on the extreme survival zone, which was divided into two modules: the Zerg Hive and the Radiation Wasteland. One was to fight against the Zerg and the other was to devour radiation spores. Lin Yao chose the former without hesitation.
Who made Lin Yao want to know if the Zerg were really on the Killing Recipe? He was really not a tiger, he was just simply curious!
Every scene in the Zerg Tide Nest training module is a replica of the most brutal real expedition battlefield. After the training, the trainees will see the images of the real battlefield.
Here, the energy particles have a cold metallic smell and are the first choice for accumulating practical experience.
Lin Yao changed his image and name. Shasha didn't need to disguise himself because the energy used was different, so the gold color replaced the original silver-white, and the ice-blue serrated leaves were replaced with dark green.
Standing in front of the portal to the extreme survival zone, the words "Red Shadow Legion Zerg Strangulation War" on the computer screen glowed coldly.
This was a replica of the Red Shadow Legion's battle to recapture Gamma Star five years ago, with a difficulty rating of S+, a level higher than any dungeon he had ever played before.
The moment the blue light of the portal engulfed him, a pungent fishy smell hit him in the face.
The virtual land beneath his feet was sticky and slippery, with dark red liquid flowing through the cracks in the rocks, making a creaking sound when he stepped on it.
It was a mud simulated by the system, a mixture of Zerg body fluids and warriors' blood.
The sky in the distance was a sickly purple-black. A gigantic Zerg mothership hung in the clouds like a rotten lump of flesh. Small, flying 'scout bugs' were constantly being born from the mothership's abdomen. The 'buzzing' sound of their wings vibrating was so intense that it made one's scalp numb.
[Scene loading complete. Player "Shadow" will participate in the battle as a reserve member of the Red Shadow Legion. Mission objective: Hold Hill 3 for two hours and assist the main force in destroying the Zerg hatch.]
Initial rating: B+ (based on player historical data evaluation)
As soon as the mechanical sound fell, the ground behind Lin Yao suddenly exploded.
A sickleworm broke out of the ground, its half-meter-long forelimbs flashing with a cold green light, and slashed towards his virtual neck with corrosive mucus.
Shasha's energy roots were faster than his consciousness.
Ten dark brown roots popped out like springs, and the gilded vine at the front end instantly tightened, actually using its star-shaped serrations to clamp onto the sickle worm's joints.
Before the insect could even make a hissing sound, the spiral lines were spinning wildly, and with a "crack", they crushed the opponent's forelimbs. Then the entire aerial root penetrated into the sickle insect's compound eyes and sucked up the sticky energy core.
Kill 1 sickle bug, gain energy points +50
[Real-time rating: S (combat reaction speed exceeds expectations)]
Lin Yao looked at the insect corpses that turned into light spots, and suddenly understood why this place was called a "meat grinder". At the same time, he also got the answer. The Zerg was really on the Killing Meal diet, and it was eating very happily.
Just after getting rid of the sickle worms, groups of "acid worms" emerged from behind the rock pile on the right. They were like a ball of wriggling rotten meat, and the green acid they sprayed out corroded dense small holes on the ground, and the energy particles in the air were corroded with a sizzling sound.
"Kill, kill, weave a net." Lin Yao gave the order in a low voice.
Shasha's aerial roots immediately intertwined into a giant, impenetrable net in the air. The dark brown roots formed a hard armor on the outer layer, while the gilded vines condensed into a dark green protective film on the inner layer. It was a defensive form that integrated the abilities of the peony.
The acid fell on the net and was instantly frozen into green ice crystals by the protective film. It was then decomposed into harmless energy by the spiral lines on the roots and fed back to Shasha.
[Defense efficiency evaluation: 92%, energy conversion rate: 87%]
[Real-time rating: S (Defense system integrity is better than players of the same level)]
"Interesting." Lin Yao raised his eyebrows.
This was the first time he had used two forms simultaneously in actual combat, and Shasha's adaptability far exceeded expectations.
He controlled the aerial roots to move forward, each step he took on the carpet of dead insects.
A huge mother worm crawled out from behind the rock. The hatching bag on its abdomen was bulging and was constantly squeezing out small worms.
The thickest aerial root of Shasha directly penetrated the shell of the queen insect. The spiral lines were as bright as a fireball. In just ten seconds, the energy core of the queen insect and the eggs in its belly were sucked into a shriveled empty shell.
Kill 1 Broodmother, gain +500 Energy Points, and unlock the "Zerg Energy Immunity" trait.
[Real-time rating: S+ (single target processing efficiency reaches S-level standard)]
The battle lasted for an hour and a half, and Lin Yao's virtual uniform was soaked with simulated blood.
The aerial roots of Shasha were covered with fragments of insect corpses, and the dark brown roots were stained with an indelible dark green. Only the ice-blue leaf marks of the silver-white vines were particularly dazzling in the fishy smell.
When the last scout bug was crushed by the aerial roots, the system finally sounded a prompt:
[The mission of holding on is completed. The main force has destroyed the hatch. The scene is about to close.]
【Comprehensive assessment: S】
[Comment: Player "Shadow"'s spirit body demonstrates strong adaptability to the environment and energy conversion efficiency. Its combat style combines defensive stability with offensive aggression. Its potential assessment has been raised to "High Risk, High Reward."]
The purple-black sky began to fade, and the shadow of the Zerg mothership turned into a data stream and dissipated.
This rating result is automatically uploaded to the background database of the Red Shadow Legion Recruitment System and the extreme survival section of the National Training Ground. Because it introduces real war scenes, it cooperates with the ten major legions in the empire.
In order to collect good seedlings with actual combat potential for these legions, the ten major legions will receive the combat data of all A-level and above rated in the extreme survival zone.
The legion recruitment system that provides corresponding war scenarios will receive the automatically uploaded data one hour earlier in order to have priority selection.
In the monitoring room of the Red Shadow Legion's recruitment system, the light from the fluorescent screen reflected on the face of staff member Lao Zhou.
He was rubbing his dry eyes while sifting through the data. When the mouse passed over the entry "Player 'Shadow' Overall Rating S", he suddenly stopped.
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