Chapter 9 - Nine

During the afternoon’s physical training session, although Chen Gu was somewhat distracted, he easily completed all the exercises. His attention remained fixed on the interstellar quantum net. The Proto-form had left behind some hacking skills. Chen Gu utilized these to project network content directly onto his retinas, all without the teacher noticing. Chen Gu searched for information about Zhao Zhenhuai. The internet was densely packed with various data and messages. This flood of information didn’t seem characteristic of a super life form or a professional. Discerning which pieces were real and which were just some Chūnibyō patient’s pretentious nonsense posted from a random terminal on the interstellar quantum net truly tested Chen Gu’s judgment. Chen Gu was confident in this area. After his productions became popular in his previous life, he often went online to read reviews. If there were negative comments, he could instantly adopt hundreds of personas, bombarding the critics until they went silent. Thinking back, I feel quite nostalgic, Chen Gu mused. And, if I may say so myself, at that time, I could truly be described as a one-man army! An army of trolls! It only took one physical training period for Chen Gu to roughly ascertain that his adult son’s rival was forty-three years old and specialized in tactical command. A few online posts also exposed Zhao Zhenhuai for alleged corruption, exploitation of soldiers, and manipulation of women. However, these posts failed to gain any traction, receiving very few replies. Recalling what his grandson had mentioned, Chen Gu realized this Zhao Zhenhuai seemed adept at managing public opinion. This won’t be easy to handle, he thought. Chen Gu then used another physical training period to contemplate silently, finally settling on a plan. This situation had arisen because of him. Regardless of whether any father-son affection existed between him and Chen Jixian, he owed him this debt. Now that he had the ability, he was determined to settle this account. However, Chen Gu still had some doubts. Chen Jixian and Zhao Zhenhuai were military officers with distinctly different styles. Chen Jixian’s advantage lay in his charismatic leadership; simply put, he was more like a valiant warrior capable of leading troops in a charge. His performance in the battle at Thousand Grass Star exemplified this style. Zhao Zhenhuai’s strength, on the other hand, was tactical command. This would seemingly make him more suitable for a general’s position, and theoretically, the higher-ups should favor him. There must be some hidden details I’m not aware of, Chen Gu mused. During the third afternoon period, dedicated to combat techniques, everyone entered the school’s "Real Battle Simulation Room." Today’s tactics lesson was a practical combat session. High school students only had this so-called "combat practice" once a month. Chen Gu had been looking forward to seeing the tactics instructor again, but the old man didn’t show up at all today. Instead, it was their physical training teacher who led them there. Chen Gu was curious and quietly asked a female classmate beside him, "Where is the tactics instructor?" The female classmate, an unnamed background character due to her unremarkable appearance, faithfully fulfilled her role as an extra. She replied, "Instructor Xu feels that it’s pointless for us to engage in combat practice at this stage, so he never attends these lessons." Chen Gu smiled. This instructor certainly has a unique personality, he thought. The background female classmate was momentarily stunned by his smile and blushed instantly. That smile alone almost earned her a name in the story, saving her from being just an extra admiring Chen Gu’s physique. Inside the Real Battle Simulation Room, neat rows of gaming pods were arranged. Not just at Lubei Middle School, but throughout all of human society, including the military, real battle simulations were conducted within a game called "Limitless." Various national militaries had attempted to develop their own virtual combat systems. Ultimately, however, they found that none could match the commercially operated games. There were many reasons for this, too complex to explain in just a few words. "You are all young and not military academy students, so your combat practice will primarily involve observation. Once inside, focus on watching and analyzing. Most importantly, don’t cause any trouble," the physical education teacher emphasized rather unenthusiastically, as the boys were already itching to jump into the gaming pods. After the [Virtual Full-Sensory Feedback Technology] matured, such immersive games became immensely popular. Without a doubt, "Limitless" was the most successful among them. Today’s practical combat class was somewhat special, so all the third-year high school students participated. This time, Chen Gu and his group were deployed to the outskirts of Battlefield "495A." Inside, a corps-level combat training exercise was about to commence. Chen Gu had spent the last two class periods investigating and discovered that the instructor for this exercise was none other than Zhao Zhenhuai. His opponent, one of his own adjutants, had been arranged in advance. Because Zhao Ergou attended Lubei Middle School, Zhao Zhenhuai taught two practical combat classes there each semester. Zhao Ergou was also present, surrounded by a large group of people, all vying to curry favor with him. A fairly attractive girl said in a cloyingly sweet voice, "If it weren’t for Brother Junzhi, Uncle Zhao would hardly condescend to conduct a training exercise at a mere high school. At the very least, it should be one of the Confederation’s top ten universities to befit Uncle Zhao’s status!" "Exactly! The students from other classes are just riding our coattails. After all, we’re Brother Zhao’s close buddies!" Someone feigned astonishment, exclaiming, "Look at all these onlookers! There must be millions, right? Uncle Zhao is incredible! His star power surpasses many celebrities!" "Of course! Uncle Zhao’s battlefield command is renowned as unparalleled in the entire military!" Another person chimed in jokingly, "Brother Zhao, when is your uncle going to be promoted to Brigadier General?" Zhao Junzhi was inwardly ecstatic, practically bubbling with pride, but he feigned modesty. "The official documents haven’t been issued yet. Let’s not discuss it prematurely." He even craned his neck, searching for his old rival, Chen Zili. Such a glorious moment would lose much of its appeal without a defeated opponent to serve as a foil, he thought. Chen Zili and his few companions huddled together in the crowd, heads down, terrified of being noticed by Zhao Ergou. Their sense of dejection peaked in that instant. Zhao Zhenhuai’s reputation naturally attracted a large number of spectators to his class. Thanks to coordination by the game operators, both of his practical combat classes were public lessons, allowing anyone in the game to join and observe. 「Meanwhile, in a military camp outside Wuzhaoyin City」 Zhao Zhenhuai, a man with somewhat sharp, hawkish features, was already prepared. His adjutant, serving as his sparring partner for this exercise, was checking the data. With a sycophantic smile, the adjutant said, "Colonel, the number of online spectators has surpassed four point five million! Even the live online concerts of famous singers rarely draw such numbers! You truly live up to your reputation as the Confederation’s youngest tactical genius!" Zhao Zhenhuai was indeed riding a wave of success recently. He had secretly plotted against Chen Jixian several times but had failed to crush his rival. Unexpectedly, his adversary had then managed to bring about his own downfall. He offered a restrained smile, which, combined with his aquiline nose, made him resemble an owl. "Enough with the flattery. With so many people watching, make sure you cooperate properly with me later." "Yes, Colonel!" the adjutant replied, understanding perfectly. Naturally, the adjutant entered the game first to await Zhao Zhenhuai. As soon as he appeared, the over four million onlookers knew the exercise was about to begin, and a stir of excitement rippled through them. The students from Lubei Middle School, who were ostensibly the primary audience for this lesson, were utterly inconspicuous amidst the sea of millions of spectators. After a few minutes’ wait, amidst the eager anticipation of four point five million people, Zhao Zhenhuai finally made his appearance. He thoroughly savored this feeling of being the center of global attention. The game’s AI allocated two armies to the respective commanders. The training exercise was just about to begin when, suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, a line of large characters flashed across the sky above the game battlefield: Player [Idol Actor] challenges [Wings of Generals]!