When the time came the next week, Junakawa Tazuna found him again and explained the test. Following her, Luo Cheng arrived at the test room. The once-empty room was now filled with black metal boxes with various wires plugged into them, all connected to a computer. This was the VR equipment the President had mentioned, designed to upload a person's consciousness to a computer space. In the past, Luo Cheng would have been thrilled to see this, but now he felt completely calm because he already felt like he was in a computer space, with UI, low-intelligence NPCs, and food that could be "refreshed." This was a game.
However, Luo Cheng was curious about how these things got there. Were they brought in from outside, or did they appear out of thin air in the room? He had been keeping an eye on the school gate, and he hadn't seen any vehicles enter. If they had been transported, there would have been some noise. Ultimately, Luo Cheng concluded that these items must have just appeared, like a new stage in a game.
"Then we will leave it to you, Trainer Luo Cheng."
"What do I need to do?"
"Just lie down. We'll take care of the rest." With that, Junakawa Tazuna started operating the computer. Luo Cheng squinted. To him, the computer screen was just a white void. What was she doing?
In this game world, aside from some household appliances, all smart devices were unusable. He didn't know if this world was unable to run high-computing devices or what.
Following her instructions, Luo Cheng lay in the VR pod without much hope. He put on a head-mounted display and waited silently. In the darkness, he heard Junakawa Tazuna's voice: "Preparation complete."
[Connecting...]
Suddenly, a synthesized voice sounded in Luo Cheng's ear. Then, the black world lit up, and strange light beams of various colors flashed by. Accompanied by a violent white light, Luo Cheng closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself standing in front of the school building. The statues of the three goddesses outside were spouting water, and the air was filled with the chirping of birds and the scent of flowers.
Luo Cheng looked at his hands and his clothes; he was still wearing his original uniform.
Is this... a plot trigger?
He would suddenly appear somewhere when a plot was triggered. Even in the hotel, he was forcibly teleported back after the plot ended. If this was a plot, what kind of plot was it? He didn't see any prompts.
Just as Luo Cheng was feeling bewildered, someone greeted him.
"Hello, Trainer Luo Cheng."
Luo Cheng looked up and saw an orange-haired horse girl he had never seen before.
"Hello?"
Wait, did she just say my name?
"I am an AI horse girl here to help Trainer Luo Cheng and introduce you to the features of this place."
"You're an AI?"
"Yes, I am an AI."
"Is this VR?"
"This is Tracen Academy's virtual reality facility. This equipment can be used for training and racing horse girls."
Hearing her speak so fluidly, Luo Cheng's eyes widened. This AI was much smarter than the other horse girls. No, she was also an NPC, but her intelligence was far superior to the others in the game world! Luo Cheng walked next to her and patted her head and rubbed her face. Both the feel and the temperature were no different from the horse girls in the real world. Coupled with her tone and demeanor, this must be the real world, right?
"Trainer Luo Cheng... please don't do that." The horse girl pouted and broke free from Luo Cheng's hand. "Even though we are AIs, we have the personalities of normal people. I'll let it slide this time, but if you touch me again without permission, I will kick you."
This girl... she feels so real!
Luo Cheng had found someone he could have a conversation with, and he hadn't even triggered a plot!
"Now then, let me show Trainer Luo Cheng around." The AI horse girl led Luo Cheng around. The world inside was almost identical to Tracen Academy, with rooms and fields all recreated one-to-one. The horse girls could train normally inside, and their bodies outside would have corresponding feedback.
Today's test was to adjust the data and match the parameters of the real world with the virtual one. The AI horse girl had Luo Cheng run on the track and recorded the data. A human's running speed was slow and had little fluctuation, making him a more suitable test subject than a horse girl.
After the test was complete, the AI horse girl nodded.
"That's all for today, Trainer Luo Cheng. Thank you for your hard work."
"When is the next session?"
"You will be notified then."
"Then I'll look forward to it."
"Do you like it here?"
"I want to live here," Luo Cheng said. "It feels great. In this digital world, you can do whatever you want."
"Trainer Luo Cheng, you must not confuse reality and virtuality. If you stay here forever, your body will waste away."
"Confuse... To be honest, I can't tell the difference between what's real and what's virtual anymore. To me, there's no difference between the two."
"It seems the Trainer has a lot of things on his mind. But everyone is the same. When I found out I was just a bunch of data, I cried sadly. But you see, it's not a big deal. It's pretty good in here. If we always think about the sad things, we'll neglect the present."
The AI horse girl stood in front of Luo Cheng.
"Enjoy this moment, Trainer. Even if the world lies to you, your feelings will not." She took Luo Cheng's hand, her warm palm touching the back of his hand. "I hope you can learn to love this world."
A flash of white light, and Luo Cheng opened his eyes and took off the head-mounted display. He found that the VR pod had opened, and Luo Cheng stood up.
"The test... is over?"
Junakawa Tazuna stood in front of the computer. She looked at the pure white screen and said nothing. Luo Cheng walked out of the room. Tracen Academy was still the same. The students were going about their daily lives. They were chatting and laughing in the hallways. The disciplinary committee was maintaining order. Black smoke was rising from Agness Tachyon's lab again.
Tokai Teio ran into the student council room. Seiun Sky was sleeping in a tree. Grass Wonder was teaching students how to plant flowers.
Luo Cheng stopped as he watched the scenes unfold around him. A student bumped into him and ran past as if they hadn't felt a thing. Luo Cheng slowly turned his head. He sat down on a chair, like an outsider, and watched everything around him silently. Tracen Academy was bustling, with endless stories to tell. But this liveliness had nothing to do with him.
Amidst the surrounding noise, Luo Cheng lay down and closed his eyes.
"Trainer, what is today's training task?"