“On the battlefield, there won’t be that many auxiliary intermediary objects for you guys to use. Although the military will issue them, there will also be losses and damage. As the future Dream Makers, from now on, you must learn to put down your auxiliary objects…”
The buzz-cut man before them, dressed in a special combat uniform, spoke in a stern voice. Even though the class was being held on StarNet, his entire body still gave off a solemn, killing aura.
This was Luo Zhao’s third day after entering the Xike Star Zone Dream-Making Livestream Battle competition-preparation zone and training camp.
At this moment, she was attending a large class on StarNet taught by training-camp instructor Youwen.
There were also tens of thousands of people taking this class at the same time, and all the trainees were naturally contestants in this Dream-Making Livestream Battle.
Although it was a large class, only the instructor appeared before each trainee, so it did not have the feeling of Luo Zhao’s previous life, where everyone sat in rows side by side in a classroom and attended class together.
After communicating with Oubu a few days ago, Luo Zhao later looked up information on the Dream-Making Livestream Battle and only then learned that the star-region and star-zone competition-preparation zones and training camps were all provided free of charge to official contestants of the livestream battle.
One could directly register for the pre-competition training camp on StarNet. After choosing the various classes and waiting until their scheduled times, one only needed to enter StarNet directly to attend class.
The competition-preparation zone, meanwhile, was a place provided for contestants to prepare for the competition. Its location was confidential, and contestants could not travel there on their own by spaceship or planetary rail transit. After submitting their location and registering, designated personnel would come pick them up. The competition-preparation zone was equipped with StarNet consciousness pods and provided contestants with food and lodging, medical care, as well as some training facilities.
Simply put, this was a pre-competition tutoring class, pre-exam training camp, and battle-preparation base provided with the strength of the entire star zone, paid for by public funds!
Luo Zhao was originally worrying about how to find a safe place to stay with the little over one thousand star coins in her credit account. As soon as she heard there was such a good thing, she immediately signed up for everything and reported her current location, and was picked up and brought to the competition-preparation zone that very day.
“Time’s up, trainees. My instruction ends here…” Instructor Youwen left the classroom. Luo Zhao received a message from Oubu, also exited StarNet, and left the consciousness pod. It was time for lunch.
In the competition-preparation zone, the Dream Maker contestants’ identities here were trainees, and they were accustomed to calling the competition-preparation zone the base.
The base provided nutrient solution in every contestant’s room that could be consumed and satisfy the body’s energy needs, making it convenient for contestants to stay immersed in StarNet for long periods attending classes.
However, neither Luo Zhao nor Oubu liked nutrient solution. They preferred going to the base cafeteria to eat heartily.[1]干饭 (gànfàn) – Chinese Internet slang meaning to enthusiastically dig into a meal or eat with great energy. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3691097_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3691097_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
There was no need to mention Luo Zhao’s eating habits from her previous life, coming from a great nation of food lovers. As for Oubu, his entire face twisted whenever he saw nutrient solution.
No matter what strange and bizarre flavors these companies came up with for nutrient solutions, nutrient solids, and nutrient tablets to satisfy the sense of taste, as a wealthy young master[2]小开 (xiǎokāi) – A colloquial term for a young man from a wealthy family, especially one accustomed to an affluent lifestyle. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3691097_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3691097_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); from a well-off family who ate interstellar delicacies since childhood, he truly could not swallow them ah.
“Jie, hurry, let’s go. Today the cafeteria menu has roasted Tatani, and also Whitewater Brocade Fish.”
After waiting for her at the door of Luo Zhao’s room, the little chubby Oubu with a head of red hair rushed outside the next moment, and Luo Zhao also quickened her steps and started running after him.
If you’re not enthusiastic about eating, there’s something wrong with your thinking.[3]吃饭不积极，思想有问题 – A humorous Internet saying meaning that anyone who is not eager to eat must have something wrong with their attitude or thinking. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3691097_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3691097_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
Especially since the base provided food every day that could nourish mental power. Although the energy was slight, it was good stuff given for free. If she did not eat it, she would be wasting the chance.
Although she only arrived at the base three days ago, the base cafeteria operated continuously without rest all day, always providing all kinds of energy-rich nutritious meals. Luo Zhao’s thin body already filled out a little, and her condition was clearly much stronger.
Tatani was a fruit produced by a natural tree. After roasting, it gained a sweet and mellow flavor, and eating it gave a strong sense of fullness and satisfaction. Whitewater Brocade Fish were finger-length little silver fish, eaten directly in large handfuls after rapid freezing and cold preservation, retaining the energy within their bodies to the greatest extent.
“Jie, during free practice later, I think Instructor Youwen was pretty right. No matter what, we still can’t rely on external objects. Otherwise, we won’t even know what kind of temperament our own mental power has.”
The little chubby boy kept eating while his mouth also did not stop talking. Luo Zhao nodded in response, and he continued speaking.
Ever since entering the training camp, Oubu also called Luo Zhao “Big Shot” again and again to her face. After Luo Zhao stopped him, he changed to calling her Jie, following her around eagerly all day. Quite a few trainees at the base thought the two of them were relatives.
Although one had black hair and one had red hair, their builds were different, and their names were also different, both had standard human-race features and genes. Hearing that they also came from the same planet and used a kinship form of address, people could not help looking at them a few more times. Which small family did these Dream Makers come from?
“There’s still physical training class afterward, I really……” Oubu’s round face twisted into a bitter melon.
As soon as she heard him say this, a bit of bitterness also appeared on Luo Zhao’s face. This body of hers was also a weakling when it came to physical fitness.[4]弱鸡 (ruòjī) – Internet slang for someone weak, feeble, or poor at something. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3691097_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3691097_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
The training camp’s courses were all taught on StarNet, and there was no strict requirement that trainees had to attend. They could choose for themselves according to the daily instructional courses.
But here at the competition-preparation base, every trainee had one compulsory course that they could not take leave from and had to participate in, and that was physical training.
Every day at the base, each trainee had to undergo three fixed hours of physical training without exception.[5]雷打不动 (léi dǎ bù dòng) – “Unmoved even by thunder.” An idiom describing something fixed, unchanging, or carried out without exception no matter what happens. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3691097_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3691097_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
Dream Makers used mental power to carry out dream-making, which led many members of the public to have a deep misunderstanding about this, thinking that as long as one’s mental power was outstanding, one could become a qualified Dream Maker.
In reality, precisely because Dream Makers possessed mental power that ordinary people found difficult to reach, the requirements for their physical fitness were even higher.
If a frail Dream Maker appeared on the battlefield, then with their weak body, they would be the enemy’s first target.
Humans were flesh-and-blood lifeforms in the end. If an energy cannon blasted over, even if one’s mental power was outstanding, if the body perished, where would life remain?
In the afternoon, physical training area.
As a key focus of the physical-training instructor, when the three star-hours of training ended, Luo Zhao already felt as though her consciousness left her body, and none of the arms or legs all over her body belonged to her anymore.
She was directly thrown into a recuperation pod by the instructor and soaked in recuperation medicinal liquid. Her entire body was filled with an indescribable soreness and swelling. The cool recuperation liquid soaked her whole body, and every cell from head to toe seemed to be roaring as it rapidly absorbed energy.
The medicinal liquid in the recuperation pod bottomed out at light speed. “Add two more portions of recuperation liquid. Her body is far too lacking in energy.”
Luo Zhao heard Instructor Kelinna speaking. Her whole body was kneaded from top to bottom once by the recuperation pod’s mechanical fingers, and when the recuperation ended, Luo Zhao’s body revived at full health.[6]满血复活 (mǎn xuè fùhuó) – Gaming slang meaning to recover completely and return to full health. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3691097_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3691097_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
“Trainee Luo Zhao, you’re improving very quickly. Keep working hard.” Kelinna patted her shoulder.
On the first day of physical training, Luo Zhao trained for less than one hour before collapsing into the recuperation pod. Her body was far worse than those of the other trainees.
On the second day, she trained for one and a half hours and used double the recuperation liquid.
On the third day, she could already complete the full three hours of training and used three portions of recuperation liquid.
After saying goodbye to the instructor and the other trainees, Luo Zhao dragged the little chubby Oubu back to the room.
The physical exhaustion recovered, but there was still mental exhaustion.
Classes, physical training, dream-making practice, one-on-one instruction… the ten days of pre-competition preparation at the base flew by.
In the blink of an eye, the Sea of Stars Dream-Making Livestream Battle officially began!
References[+]