Under Mu Qing's overwhelming pressure, the figure enveloped in silver light couldn't move at all. It was clear that it tried to gather strength, and the silver light flickered violently as it tried to resist, but still, it couldn't withstand the jade-colored light from Mu Qing. Finally, the silver light was completely dispelled by the jade-colored glow. But to Feng Qi's surprise, the figure beneath the silver light was actually a puppet made of some unknown material.
The puppet was entirely silver-white, humanoid in shape, and had numerous mechanical holes all over its body. In the middle of its forehead, there was a silver crystal embedded. He could clearly see the gaps where the puppet's joints connected, and there was a silver gear in the chest area, which turned slowly in rhythm with the light from the silver crystal on its forehead.
"It seems... the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance... has become unreliable!" A sharp voice came from the puppet's mouth as it opened and closed. Hearing this, Feng Qi's expression turned cold. From the very beginning, he found the voice of this creature odd, as if it was electronically synthesized. At first, he thought the task issuer was trying to disguise their identity. Now, it seemed that the creature had already anticipated the possible risks of face-to-face transactions and chose to control the puppet instead.
"It seems... Feng Qi has many secrets." The puppet spoke again. Under Mu Qing's aura suppression, the puppet's controlling consciousness was intermittently connected, causing its speech to be slow and awkward. It could barely even control the puppet's movements. "How should we deal with it?" Mu Qing turned to look at him. At this point, the puppet sneered and revealed a crazy smile. "If... I'm not wrong... Feng Qi should also be from a certain Domain force... and this Domain force even controls the Star City's Weak Tribe Alliance... truly unexpected information!"
In the face of the puppet's provocation, Feng Qi's expression remained unchanged. He didn't care about such provocation. Ever since the launch of the Super Virtual Game, he had been in a dangerous situation and wasn't bothered by a small force's taunt. As for why he was sure this was a small force, from a historical perspective, the most powerful force in Star City in the future would be the one controlling the Tiger Soul Research Institute, led by Old Mist. This small force would likely be wiped out during Old Mist's rise. Both from a historical perspective and from the current strength of the Dawn Organization, this small force couldn't stir up much of a storm.
The only thing Feng Qi regretted was that he had hoped to catch a small mouse early. But he never expected this little mouse to be so cautious and manage to avoid the fishing trap. Just from this, it seemed this small force was somewhat capable, at least more competent than the Nightshade Clan who only knew mental control. With that in mind, Feng Qi coldly spoke: "Disassemble it, take the parts back for study."
Upon hearing his command, Mu Qing didn't hesitate. She quickly grabbed the silver crystal on the puppet's forehead with her left hand. The puppet's extremely hard body was powerless against Mu Qing's strength. After being twisted and deformed, the silver crystal was easily taken by Mu Qing. Without the energy supply, the puppet suddenly went limp. Looking at the silver puppet now in Mu Qing's hand, Feng Qi decided to take it back to the Tiger Soul Research Institute for further study. However, for safety, he decided to do a thorough check on the puppet first. He needed to ensure there were no surveillance, listening, or tracking devices, or anything capable of remote detonation, to prevent any accidents.
With his experience across multiple timelines, he was well aware of how cunning these lurking Domain forces could be. Every action must be cautious. "Lord Narrator, this puppet looks somewhat familiar to me," said Hei Long, who had been standing not far behind him. Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately turned to Hei Long. "Tell me what you know."
"Lord Narrator, let me introduce myself first. My people and I come from the second layer of the Black Domain in the Domain World. We belong to a low-level force in the second layer, relying on digging resources to provide for the stronger clans."
"In the world of our second layer in the Black Domain, there are two very powerful races. They occupy the east and west sides of the second layer and both wish to swallow each other's territories and resources. So, these two forces have been in constant war. Our Black Snake Clan serves one of these forces."
"Not to hide it from you, I was once sent to the frontline combat zone as cannon fodder and barely survived. On the battlefield, I saw the powerful enemy race, and their physical traits are very distinct—they have silver hair and eyes."
"Besides that, they have many methods of combat. They are particularly skilled in using silver longbows for ranged assassinations. Some of their people are skilled at beast control, and there are even those who use musical instruments for mental attacks. Among them are puppeteers who control puppets like the one we have here."
Upon hearing Hei Long's explanation, Feng Qi immediately asked curiously, "What's the name of that race?"
"The Silver Moon Clan!"
Hearing this name, Feng Qi's pupils suddenly contracted. He was no stranger to the name Silver Moon Clan. The first powerful Domain force he learned about wasn't the shadow force behind the Institute of Technological Research, nor the Mist Lord, or the Psychic Clan. It was the Silver Moon Clan mentioned by Hei Long.
In the future, 1500 years later, the reason the Suction Cup lost its consciousness and became sluggish was also related to the Silver Moon Domain. In the normal historical timeline, the Silver Moon Domain once invaded Star City. At that time, most of Star City's power was dispatched to help fight in Future City, and the situation was dire. Faced with the threat of Star City's destruction, thankfully, Suction Cup stepped in. She fought alone against the Silver Moon Domain's attack and eventually repelled the Silver Moon Clan's assault. However, it was a bitter victory.
After this battle, the Crimson Crystal embedded in Suction Cup shattered, and Suction Cup lost her consciousness, only able to act on instinct. The Suction Cup inherited the Crimson Crystal left by Mu Qing at her peak. At that time, Mu Qing could even kill Calamity-Level Domain creatures. Even though the effect of the Crimson Crystal weakened after the second embedding, the battle power of Suction Cup was still formidable. This could be confirmed in the answer found 1500 years later. Even though the Crimson Crystal had completely shattered, Suction Cup's combat power remained terrifying, even able to fight with Little Hei for some time. This demonstrated the strength of the Silver Moon Clan at that time.
With this in mind, a new problem emerged. Feng Qi realized that the timing of the Silver Moon Clan's appearance didn't match the historical timeline.
In the normal historical timeline, the Silver Moon Clan's appearance was supposed to be at the tail end of the Dawn Army's downfall, not at this time. However, upon thinking it over carefully, Feng Qi suddenly understood. He figured that the Silver Moon Clan had likely sent their people ahead of time to the human world. There were similar cases, like Xiao Can, who also sent a portion of his people ahead into the human world and relied on their vanguard forces to collect resources. The unfortunate part was that during this resource collection, Xiao Can's people had even sent back blood sacrifices for the cultivation techniques. The result was that as soon as they arrived in the human world, Xiao Can and his people were wiped out by Old Mist, becoming Old Mist's blood sacrifices. Feng Qi suspected that Old Mist at that time was probably taken by surprise.
Looking back now, Old Mist was really like a protagonist template; such things as sudden fortune seemed to naturally occur to him. So, it made sense that the Silver Moon Clan had sent their vanguard forces to scout the human world in advance. What Feng Qi hadn't expected, however, was that the Silver Moon Clan had already infiltrated Star City. Despite multiple timelines, he had never detected their presence. Realizing this, a trace of helplessness appeared on Feng Qi's face. The existence of the Silver Moon Clan was definitely a hidden danger, but he wasn't planning to waste time dealing with them now. After all, the Silver Moon Domain hadn't descended yet, and the current Silver Moon Clan was not powerful enough to stir up major chaos. This era did not belong to the Silver Moon Clan. By the time they would eventually make their appearance on the historical stage, he would have long been dead.
His attention still had to be focused on the Future City's Institute of Technological Research. As for the Silver Moon Clan, their intelligence would have to be dealt with by another version of himself in another timeline. The strategy in this battle line had to be planned from a grand perspective, and the Silver Moon Clan was clearly not yet qualified to disrupt the current situation. Furthermore, Hei Long had only said that the silver puppet resembled a Silver Moon Clan war weapon, but he couldn't give any firm confirmation.
With that in mind, Feng Qi looked toward Hei Long and spoke: "Go back. If you receive any news about the Silver Moon Clan, notify me immediately."
"Understood." Hei Long respectfully nodded, then leaped down from the top of the building. After Hei Long left, Feng Qi turned his attention back to the metal puppet that Mu Qing was holding. He then took out his phone and dialed the number for the Tiger Soul Research Institute's director. He decided to have the Tiger Soul dispatch personnel to conduct a preliminary check on the puppet outside. Once the initial check was done and confirmed there were no issues, they would send it back to the Tiger Soul Research Institute for a more detailed examination.
"We're leaving," Feng Qi said.
"Mm!" Mu Qing immediately nodded in agreement. Taking a step forward, Feng Qi dropped straight down from the sky, and Mu Qing followed suit, leaping after him. As they rapidly descended, Feng Qi switched his ability.
Psychokinesis enveloped his body, causing him to hover in mid-air. He then used his psychokinesis to catch Mu Qing, who was falling behind. In an instant, he moved them both towards the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Five months later.
Tiger Soul Research Institute, Training Room.
After waking the screen, Feng Qi began to check the latest consultations that had come in. The first thing he looked at was the email. The email contained the latest updates from their own forces, as well as information on the military division and Domain Combat Squad training. The content he was most concerned about was the development of Breaking Dawn.
Not long ago, a new energy line had been connected to the Star City-based super virtual factory, significantly increasing the daily output of virtual game pods. The report showed that Breaking Dawn now had a 30% share in the various academies, and virtual game rooms had been established in different regions of Star City, beginning small-scale operations. This meant that the next step for the super virtual game project could finally begin.
The virtual game pod quota competition among the academies could now be launched ahead of schedule. For this, Feng Qi had high expectations. The purpose of launching the super virtual game on this battlefront was to quickly enhance Star City's comprehensive strength, especially its combat capabilities. The quota competition would ignite the students' competitive spirit. The fierce competition would also significantly drive their desire to improve their abilities. These students would eventually become the soldiers of the Breaking Dawn Organization.
After reading through the email, Feng Qi accessed the permission database and found the planning documents for the virtual competition left by the Crimson Research Institute. He began reviewing them carefully.
Among the projects outlined by the Crimson Research Institute for the virtual competition, one particular project caught his attention. This project was titled "Coach Team Training."
The specific plan was to create a specialized coaching team to become the exclusive trainers for students and new recruits. What surprised Feng Qi was the selection direction of the coaches...
One month later.
Star City, East District, 11:00 PM.
A light rain fell from the sky, and even under the veil of rain, Star City's East District remained brightly lit well into the night. On his way home, Xiao Yu, drunk beyond measure, stumbled and knocked over a trash can on the roadside, then began vomiting uncontrollably. The trash can, now knocked over, extended two mechanical claws to right itself, and then began cleaning up Xiao Yu's vomit.
Struggling to steady himself while leaning on the smart trash can, Xiao Yu stumbled a few more steps, almost falling again.
"Do you need help? Should I dial the rescue center?" the smart trash can suddenly asked.
"No need," Xiao Yu growled as he refused, then took a step forward, only to fall once more. This time, he fell hard, his right leg bending at an odd angle. His pants tore from the force, revealing the metallic prosthetic underneath.
"I think you might need some help," the trash can said again.
"No need!" Xiao Yu struggled to get up again.
Looking down at his prosthetic, a bitter smile appeared on Xiao Yu's face.
After all these years, he still hadn't been able to get over it.
The psychologist had said it was PTSD, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The symptoms were that his mind would constantly flash back to the painful experiences from the frontlines, unable to escape from them.
The moment Xiao Yu closed his eyes, the scenes from the past began to replay in his mind.
Graduating from Winterfell Academy, he once had high hopes for a bright future for humanity, and alongside his younger brother, he joined the frontline supply zone.
His time on the frontlines had been filled with far too many brutal moments.
Life could wither away in an instant. One moment, a brother was joking with him, and the next, he was gone.
The horrific images continued to flash in his mind. Xiao Yu clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling uncontrollably.
The scene of his younger brother being slowly dismembered by a Domain Creature seemed so vivid, as if it was happening right in front of him.
The helpless cries pierced his nerves.
"Ah!" With a roar, Xiao Yu slammed his fist into the streetlamp by the roadside.
The streetlamp bent under his strength, and the light flickered and became unstable.
[Detection: You are damaging public property. Compensation mechanism activated. Verifying your identity.]
At this moment, the smart trash can by the road issued a warning, releasing a beam of light that aimed at Xiao Yu's face.
[Detected: Your identity is Xiao Yu, a retired frontline soldier. As you are a recipient of the Human Hero Medal, the fine is waived. Would you like assistance?]
"I said, no need!" Xiao Yu growled, his red eyes glaring at the smart trash can.
After speaking, he staggered away in the direction of his home.
All these years, he still hadn't been able to escape the feeling of despair.
The Domain Combat Squad he personally formed had ultimately been reduced to only him surviving.
In the bloody battles, his wife had died, his brother had died, and all of his comrades had perished.
He was the only one left, and he lost both his legs, replaced by prosthetics.
When he woke up to learn of everything, he had been desperate for revenge, wanting to return to the frontlines, to keep fighting until death.
But he was told that he had to retire and could no longer go back to the frontlines.
He had questioned the staff of the Combat Squad Headquarters, asking if he had lost everything, what was the point of living this life? Why not return to the frontlines and give his last strength?
But the staff didn't respond; they silently arranged for his discharge process.
After being sent back to Star City, he had tried many times to return to the frontlines.
But all his applications had been rejected.
He had become a cripple, and to him, living this way seemed pointless.
He had given his whole life to the frontlines, and his family had died there. Now, he was supposed to survive in the main city for the rest of his life?
This kind of suffering was unbearable.
He could only choose to drink away his days, using alcohol to numb his nerves.
But even when drunk, the memories of the frontlines were still vivid in his mind, haunting him like a nightmare he couldn't shake off.
After staggering for dozens of meters, he leaned against a streetlamp and couldn't help but vomit again.
A soldier's glory is to die on the battlefield.
This was something his captain had said when he first joined the frontlines.
At the time, he had thought it was just a motivational phrase. But now, he truly understood the meaning behind it.
Living in such a shabby way, he thought it would have been better to die in battle back then.
But when he thought about the Domain Creature that had killed his family and brothers, and how it hadn't been driven away yet, rage surged within him.
But he knew deep down that he could never go back to the frontlines.
Even if he bought a plane ticket to the frontlines, it would be forcibly canceled.
He knew this was for his protection.
But he didn't need this kind of damn protection.
As he continued to stagger forward, he suddenly noticed a store at the corner that he had never seen before.
When he approached the store, Xiao Yu looked up.
"Virtual game room?"
Even at this late hour, the store was still open, and a poster was pasted in front of the door.
The poster depicted various scenes from the frontlines, with the words "Realistic combat simulation" written on it.
Seeing this, a look of disdain appeared on Xiao Yu's face.
To him, it seemed like just another money-making gimmick from a game company.
He was about to leave when something at the bottom of the poster caught his attention.
[Veteran Recruitment]: Recruiting Virtual Combat Coaches.
Basic Requirements: At least five years of frontline combat experience, and personal strength rating of Silver·Lower Tier or above.
Advanced Requirements: Applicants must possess strong combat qualities, significant practical combat skills and experience, and priority will be given to retired veterans with command experience.
Disabled or injured veterans may apply if they meet the requirements.
Application Requirement: Join Breaking Dawn and pass the virtual coach trial.
...
At the bottom of the poster, there was another line of text.
[Once the fire of belief is lit, it will never go out. Have you ever thought about setting sail again, even if you no longer step on the frontlines? Come, let the fresh faces carry your belief as they embark on their journey.]
[Veterans, welcome to join!]
The last line of the recruitment notice strangely stirred Xiao Yu's heart.
During his years of disillusionment after retirement, he had thought of many ways to return to the frontlines, but they all failed.
So, he had tried to go down a different path, wanting to become a teacher at the academy and train future warriors.
He wanted them to carry his belief and continue on the road to the frontlines.
But after the injury, he lost both legs, and his dantian for storing spiritual energy was only half-functional, so he couldn't teach practical combat.
If it was theory, there were plenty of other instructors in the academy who were more qualified than him.
This path, as a cripple, was simply impossible to walk.
Looking at the announcement, the extinguished flame inside him suddenly flickered with a spark.
Taking a deep breath, he shakily pushed open the glass door and entered the virtual game room.
The interior of the virtual game room was decorated in black and blue tones, full of a technological feel, with twenty virtual game pods placed inside. Each pod was separated by opaque black glass.
More than half of the pods had green lights on, indicating they were unused and empty.
He arrived at one of the glass doors, which had a price list posted on it, detailing the usage instructions for the virtual game pods and their fees.
The prices were reasonable, affordable for the average person, with a rate of only 15 credits per hour.
He pressed the "Start" button, and a synthetic electronic voice sounded:
"Your identity has been confirmed, automatic deduction for usage will occur during your session."
The glass door opened at that moment.
Xiao Yu stepped in and followed the instructions to change into the provided clothes, then entered the game pod.
After following the procedure for naming and completing the beginner's tutorial, Xiao Yu's figure appeared in the virtual city's center.
The realistic scene in front of him stunned Xiao Yu completely.
For this virtual game, Xiao Yu had approached it with a casual attitude, not expecting that the level of realism in the game would be so close to replicating reality.
What surprised him even more was that in the virtual world, his legs had returned.
In disbelief, he instinctively reached down and pinched his right leg.
The familiar pain sent a rush of emotion to his eyes.
At that moment, he suddenly realized the true purpose behind the game's recruitment of veterans.
This game was not merely a game; it was meant to become a training ground.
Veterans possessed strong combat abilities but had to retire due to injury, disability, or other reasons. However, the skills and experience they had honed on the battlefield could still be utilized and reignite in this game.
While feeling excited, he followed the recruitment instructions and brought up the function panel.
In the dropdown menu, he found the "Coach Trial Task."
He clicked on it, and a pop-up window appeared.
[Do you wish to start the Coach Recruitment Trial?]
Yes!
[Coach Recruitment Trial started. Trial Task 1: Achieve Diamond rank or higher in the Ranked Mode. Current Rank: No rank.]
Without hesitation, Xiao Yu closed the window and opened the ranking match mode.
...
For the next three days, Xiao Yu did not log out.
In just three days, he climbed to the Diamond rank.
His win rate reached a terrifying 94.8%.
Years of frontline command experience allowed him to quickly develop battle strategies, leading his team to victory.
His personal kill participation rate was over 50% of the team's total.
His outstanding achievements were even screenshotted and posted on the newly created Breaking Dawn discussion platform, becoming a topic of much discussion among players.
After completing the first trial, Xiao Yu moved on to the second one.
This trial required participating in a hundred-player team battle ranking and earning an A or higher command score in every match.
This was much harder than the first trial.
The hundred-player ranked matches were full of variables. The game's player stats were balanced, so winning or losing was rarely dependent solely on individual strength.
In these matches, battlefield command ability was crucial.
Once again, Xiao Yu completed the trial with impressive results.
His command score consistently remained between A and SS.
After completing the two trials, a pop-up appeared in front of Xiao Yu.
[Entering the review phase. Your information has been noticed. Please wait for the phone notification!]
Seeing that he had passed the preliminary review, Xiao Yu felt a surge of excitement.
But thinking of all the rejections before, a sense of melancholy flashed across his face.
This time, he wasn't certain he would succeed.
Opening the function menu, after days of not logging out, he chose to log off from the game.
As the game pod opened, the electronic sound of a successful payment was heard.
Nutrient fluid began to be absorbed into the surrounding holes.
After getting dressed, Xiao Yu instinctively pulled out his phone and glanced at it.
The mix of anticipation and fear of failure made him sigh involuntarily.
...
At the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Training Room.
Feng Qi sat in front of the screen, reviewing the latest emails.
At that moment, a new notification popped up in the lower right corner.
Clicking on it, a pop-up window appeared, showing the picture of a haggard-looking man.
As Feng Qi scrolled through, a smile appeared on his face.
Xiao Yu, the leader of the Great Python Combat Squad, recipient of the Human Hero Medal, a former Silver rank (upper tier), with seven years of frontline command experience.
He hadn't expected that the planning for the virtual coach team would start off with such a strong recruit.
The file showed that Xiao Yu was disabled in real life.
But this wasn't a problem for Feng Qi.
What mattered was Xiao Yu's ability.
In Breaking Dawn, his skills and consciousness could be passed on to the academy students and rookie soldiers through real combat training.
These precious practical techniques were invaluable for both Breaking Dawn and the overall military strength of Star City.
After reviewing Xiao Yu's detailed profile, Feng Qi pulled out his phone.
...
In a dimly lit room, the floor was covered with cigarette butts.
With red eyes, Xiao Yu continued to smoke one cigarette after another, occasionally glancing at the phone sitting on the table.
Years of decadence had worn him down, but Breaking Dawn reignited a spark of hope within him.
He didn't want to miss this opportunity.
The line from the recruitment notice, "Fresh faces will carry your belief and set forth on the journey," hit him deeply.
Taking a deep drag, the embers quickly spread along the cigarette.
His trembling hand exhaled a cloud of smoke, and his emotions seemed to shift unpredictably.
Just then, the phone rang.
He quickly picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.
"Hello, this is Xiao Li, a staff member from the Star City Veterans Rehabilitation Center, we've noticed that you haven't had a physical check-up in five months. Would you like to schedule a check-up, along with other follow-up care?"
"Also, your prosthetics have not been maintained for quite some time. Would you like assistance with maintenance and repairs?"
"No need," Xiao Yu replied coldly.
"Please rest assured, all our services are completely free, and you, as a recipient of the Human Hero Medal, are entitled to extra benefits..."
Before the staff could finish, Xiao Yu abruptly hung up the phone.
He knew he was disabled.
He also knew that this was a service provided by Star City to help retired veterans adjust to civilian life.
But being treated differently like this was something he deeply resented.
Just then, the phone rang again.
"Again with this!"
Frustrated, Xiao Yu answered the phone and immediately shouted, "What now?"
Hearing the roar, Feng Qi on the other end was momentarily stunned.
As expected from a veteran leader, Xiao Yu's phone etiquette was full of force, even throwing in a shout for extra impact.
After a brief pause, Feng Qi spoke:
"Is this Xiao Yu, the retired veteran?"
"It is!" Xiao Yu responded.
"I'm the person in charge of the Virtual Coach Team Recruitment, regarding your application to join the virtual coach team. Do you have time to chat?"
Just as Xiao Yu was about to hang up, hearing the other party's identity, he suddenly felt a jolt. He quickly tossed the cigarette aside and pressed the phone to his ear, urgently speaking:
"Yes, definitely, I'm open to talk about anything!"
Feng Qi: ???
What happened to all the previous intensity?