Chapter 363

Please fasten your seatbelts, put on your helmets, this spacecraft is about to perform a 'space jump'!

Hearing this, Tang Long hurriedly fastened his seatbelt and put on his helmet, muttering, "Isn't a space jump only used for distances over a thousand light-years? Where the heck are they sending me?!"

As his words fell, a pale blue spherical shield suddenly appeared before the small, sci-fi-looking spacecraft, which wasn't large.

The spacecraft flew into it, and in the blink of an eye it vanished from sight.

Only at the spot it had just passed did several faint traces remain.

Within the pale blue 'channel,' the spacecraft sped at extreme velocity, accompanied by a sound like wind and lightning.

The computer voice counted down during the jump: "Jumping out, 10, 9, 8… 2, 1!"

Then, in the previously empty black void, several blue beams of light appeared, followed by the spacecraft emerging as if from a 'blue mirror'—the whole process both real and sci-fi, leaving the audience inside stirred.

"Wow, this shot is awesome!" exclaimed Guo Degang from the guest seats, unable to hold back.

Although Old Guo hasn't interacted much with Jiang Heng in recent years, he is also a well-known figure in Jingcheng's entertainment circle; for such a grand celebration, it was natural to invite him.

Whether he comes or not is another matter, but we can't just leave him out.

Also present was Teacher Yu Qian, who didn't sit next to Old Guo but instead sat with a few rock singers.

"Beautiful—domestically, only Director Jiang could pull off this shot!"

Even counting Haolaiwu, there aren't many who could do it!

The guests whispered among themselves; on the big screen, Tang Long had already disembarked from the spacecraft and arrived at his basic training base.

Pa!

Tang Long's luggage fell to the ground, for before him lay what appeared to be an abandoned camp, utterly silent with not a sound, not even a trace of human activity.

"Is anyone there?" he called, but no one answered.

Tang Long ran to check the sign at the gate and discovered that this was indeed the place.

"Private Tang Long reporting for duty!"

In the darkness, a pair of eyes suddenly lit up, emitting a green light, instantly making it feel like a horror scene, leaving the audience anxious for Tang Long.

"Anyone there?"

Tang Long began to wander around the basic training camp when he suddenly heard a noise behind him; he quickly turned and saluted loudly, "Private Tang Long reporting to the superior… Aaaah!"

Zhang Ruoyun, playing Tang Long's mother, let out a yell and collapsed to the ground, as if she had seen something utterly terrifying.

The camera panned to reveal a skull-headed robot in military uniform slowly emerging from the darkness; seeing Tang Long desperately scrambling backward, it then crawled toward the passageway.

It lunged forward, grabbed Tang Long's clothing, pressed its skull against his forehead, and snarled, "Are you Tang Long?"

At first Tang Long was about to be scared stupid, but he quickly recovered and shouted, "Private Tang Long reporting to the superior!"

"I can't hear you!" the skeleton robot bellowed.

The audience, however, burst out laughing.

Because when this skeleton robot first appeared, its aura was incredibly imposing and terrifying, making some audience members worry for Tang Long's safety. But the line "I can't hear you!" clearly identifies it as Tang Long's instructor! Well, at least his life is guaranteed—though that's about all.

The base has five robot instructors, and the training is extremely harsh.

Initially Tang Long endured all kinds of kicks and electric shocks, but he soon realized that if he strictly followed the instructors' demands and scolded them with a straight face, they wouldn't react at all.

Gritting his teeth and swearing wouldn't do, because a soldier must maintain military bearing.

Thus, the big screen showed this scene.

After being beaten, Tang Long solemnly said, "Yes, sir, your grandma, that really hurts!"

The instructor completely ignored Tang Long's foul language, causing the audience to laugh uncontrollably.

Moreover, during breaks in training, the reasons why this base has been preserved, why Tang Long managed to enlist in the now-cancelled private soldier specialty, and other key details gradually came to light.

As for Tang Long's ability to persist through training and complete one seemingly impossible task after another, that is thanks to the several robot instructors.

Some used technology to help Tang Long recover his body and boost metabolism; others hypnotized him to prevent him from going mad under excessive mental pressure.

Under the training of the five robot instructors, Private Tang Long's growth rate was astonishing.

But the robot instructors were not satisfied; Tang Long is their only student in 456 years, yet their energy can only last a year.

They wanted to train Tang Long into the ultimate warrior—mastering hand-to-hand combat alone isn't enough; he also needs strategy, warship command, and space combat skills.

These cannot be achieved through real-world training alone.

Then, the AI system that controls federal finances appeared, speaking in a female synthetic voice, saying it could siphon a bit of public funds into Tang Long's account, then use his credentials to set up a company, simultaneously release the game *War* across the universe, and use this ultra-realistic game to train Tang Long's strategy and command abilities.

At the same time, scientists from various countries were researching ways to counter the 'ultimate black hole bomb,' proposing multiple hypotheses, but none had yet been successfully realized.

Because such a superweapon exists, the universe has maintained a rare peace—but war is about to erupt soon.

Tang Long is still very talented; in the *War* game he commands large armies, leading countless real players to victory after victory, yet an opponent unleashed the 'ultimate black hole bomb'! Fearing heavy point deductions, many of the warships under Tang Long's in-game players almost all fled using 'space jump' technology.

However, Tang Long's warship possessed a weapon to counter the 'ultimate black hole bomb'—a device devised by the 'intelligent system' based on scientists' hypotheses, and this is its first use.

When Tang Long in the game used a 'particle restoration beam' to destroy the 'ultimate black hole bomb' and openly disclosed the method, media worldwide proclaimed that the black hole bomb had been ended.

Inside the theater, some viewers felt excited, while others thought Tang Long was an idiot—how could he casually reveal such powerful tech?! Those defending him said he didn't realize how closely the game mirrored reality, assuming it was just a game setting: "After all, he's in basic training camp—how would he know what's going on outside?"

At this point in the film, the art style shifted abruptly, and the ambitions of the warmongers could no longer be contained.

Nations across the universe began mobilizing for war, and the top-ranked players in the *War* game were eagerly sought after by all sides.

Even a small state blatantly announced that if player 23TL from the *War* game came to serve in their country, they would be granted a rank of major general or higher, or a ministerial-level position.

The audience felt great anticipation, for this proved that Tang Long, at the very least, possesses the strategic command ability of a major general or higher in reality.

Yet the instructors pulled him out of the game training for a final lesson: survival training.

Another flashy, thrilling battle scene unfolded, puzzling the audience: fighting alongside Tang Long were vast numbers of robot soldiers.

Weren't they all destroyed? How could there be so many? (End of chapter)