Chapter Fifty-Nine

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Intrigued, Cen Yuehuai blinked, "I've heard you mention 'Unbounded City' before. What exactly is it?"

Xeno briefly explained to her about Unbounded City, including that "only those with high-level mental power get access" and "everyone hides their true identity inside." Cen Yuehuai became visibly excited.

"How do we get in?" Cen Yuehuai inquired.

"Leave your entry permit to me. I can get it for you tonight," Xeno Uss confidently assured, "As for you, Bai Sha, your access might have expired. I'll re-register you as well."

Xeno Uss was clearly well-connected in Unbounded City.

"No special preparation is needed for Unbounded City. It operates like any other virtual space. You just need a holographic simulation pod."

The StarNet hosts many virtual spaces, data-constructed cities floating like rootless trees in water – with Unbounded City being the most lush and extensive. Its contained energy is beyond ordinary comprehension.

"Do we have simulation pods in our student dorms?" Cen Yuehuai asked, turning to Bai Sha.

"I don’t think so. It’s not a standard item; the school didn’t provide one for us," Bai Sha replied.

Seeing Cen Yuehuai's pitiable expression, Bai Sha decisively said, “Don’t worry, I’ll cover the cost of the holographic simulation pods.”

Cen Yuehuai immediately hugged Bai Sha’s arm in gratitude.

“But seriously, do you plan to keep this standoff with your family?” Bai Sha raised an eyebrow slightly. “I think your sister really cares about you. She wouldn’t actually cut off your allowance.”

“You don’t understand them,” Cen Yuehuai replied, lips pursed with a hint of bitterness. “In their eyes, forcing me to return home is for my own good. To achieve this, they would use any means necessary.”

Cen Yuehuai knew her family loved her. But it was precisely this reason that made them so resolute in this matter — a kind of stubborn, blind love. The Cen family, to make this “love” effective, would inevitably oppose her to the end, and she couldn't expect any covert support from them.

She knew her parents and sister were probably counting the days until she got expelled from Tianquan Military Academy.

Bai Sha remained silent for a moment, then gently patted her shoulder: “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. You won’t go hungry.”

Cen Yuehuai’s face instantly brightened into a smile: “Thank you, Your Highness!”

Xeno Uss commented to Cen Yuehuai, “I came up with a great solution for you, why don’t you thank me?”

Cen Yuehuai stuck her tongue out at him.

“Thanks~ But don’t think I don’t know, you’re only helping me to please the Princess. You’re just after her skills!”

“What’s so shameful about coveting a mecha engineer’s skills?” scoffed Xeno Uss. “It’s better than some who live off others.”

Cen Yuehuai: “……!” Angry, but unable to refute!

After parting ways, Bai Sha and Cen Yuehuai returned to their dormitory in Luoyan District. Bai Sha immediately ordered two of the latest holographic simulation pods on her light computer. The pods were in high demand, especially among wealthier students, and manufacturers were even offering discount packages and free express delivery due to the start of the school season.

In just an hour or two, the holographic simulation pods were delivered.

Bai Sha, following the instructions, set up both pods in the study room.

As Imperial citizens have strong and active mental powers, to smoothly connect to the virtual network, one must drink a vial of “Dream Potion” before entering the simulation pod, purportedly to relax the mind.

Cen Yuehuai skillfully opened a vial of Dream Potion and swiftly downed the pink liquid, then climbed into the holographic simulation pod.

“Your Highness, let’s add each other as friends first, then head to Unbounded City together,” she suggested.

Bai Sha nodded, breaking open a vial of Dream Potion and drinking it down. The potion was sweet with a hint of bitterness, leaving a unique herbal fragrance in her throat.

She entered the holographic simulation cabin and logged on.

Since she had transferred from the Federation to the Empire, her previously registered StarNet account in the Federation was now invalid. Therefore, Bai Sha created a new one.

As she entered a new name, she hesitated for a moment, then typed in five characters:

"I'm Not Human Anymore."

After creating the new account, she looked at her empty friends list and sighed softly.

But soon, a new friend request appeared on the silver panel.

"[Bright Moonlight Woof Woof] requests to add you as a friend."

Bai Sha suddenly remembered, she and Cen Yuehuai were lying side by side, sharing the same area signal, enabling them to directly add each other as friends.

Bai Sha clicked to accept.

A ripple of white light appeared beside her, and quickly, Cen Yuehuai's figure materialized in front of her.

Cen Yuehuai: "Let's go, Your Highness."

Together, they logged into "Boundless City."

After entering Unbounded City, Bai Sha familiarly tweaked a few settings during the avatar customization process. Ensuring her appearance was altered beyond recognition, she chose to enter the city center.

As soon as she stepped into Unbounded City, she saw Cen Yuehuai in a spicy girl version with pink pigtails, nose, and ear piercings.

"Yo, Your Highness!" Cen Yuehuai greeted Bai Sha cheerfully. "How do you like my outfit? Trendy, isn't it?"

Bai Sha glanced at Cen Yuehuai's row of earrings and shiny nose ring, pausing for a second before replying, "It's very trendy."

In the interstellar era, personal expression and liberation were highly valued, and the fashion circle was full of fantastical styles. Cen Yuehuai's look was relatively 'plain.' Bai Sha wouldn't have been surprised even if Cen Yuehuai had appeared wearing a bull's head mask.

"Where's Xino?" As soon as she said it, Cen Yuehuai suddenly fell silent. Using real names in such a place wasn't ideal, but Xino Wusi hadn't shared his ID with them.

A few seconds later, a tall man, about 1.9 meters tall, appeared behind them. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties, dressed in an expensive-looking black combat suit, with long golden hair flowing down his back and dark golden eyes reflecting a metallic chill.

However, upon seeing Bai Sha and Cen Yuehuai, the proud and fierce aura in his eyes instantly melted away. He quickly walked up to them, coughing softly, "I'm here, Your Highness."

Bai Sha and Cen Yuehuai simultaneously looked up at his ID —

[Lord Arrogance, So What?]

Bai Sha/Cen Yuehuai: "......"

Quite an audacious ID.

"Why did you make yourself so tall?" Cen Yuehuai looked up at Xino Wusi. "You're blocking my view."

Both Bai Sha and Cen Yuehuai hadn't adjusted their heights. They were only 1.7 meters tall, a full head shorter than Xino, making them appear a few years younger than him.

"Appearance is freely customizable here. Dare to make yourself a three-meter giant and see if anyone stops you?" Xino Wusi scoffed lightly.

Cen Yuehuai, with narrowed eyes and a deadpan expression, retorted, "Who do you think you are? 'Lord Arrogant, So What'? Pretty tacky name."

Xino Wusi shot back, "And your name's any better? 'Moon Bright and Shiny'? What are you, a dog?"

Cen Yuehuai snapped, "If I were a dog, I'd bite you first!"

Seeing the two about to argue right at the entrance of Unbounded City, drawing the attention of many passersby, Bai Sha took a deep breath, pressed down on the backs of their heads, and pushed their heads down forcefully —

"Had enough?" she said, "I'm not interested in being a spectacle here."

Xino: "......"

Cen Yuehuai: "......"

They instantly quieted down. Bai Sha then released them and lectured, "You're classmates, after all. No need to make a fuss over something so trivial. Xino, try not to be sarcastic all the time; Yuehuai, he did help you, so don't always be so snappy."

"Behave and get along. Got it?"

Both nodded in unison.

"Alright, let's go," Bai Sha straightened up and waved her hand, asking Xino, "About that simulated mecha combat competition you mentioned, I've heard of it but don't know where to sign up."

Xino Wusi flashed a bright smile, "I'll take you there."

The registration point for the competition was in a towering red building. The architecture in Unbounded City was mostly translucent, with shadowy linear contours creating a vivid sense of space and technology.

The first floor of the building was the reception and registration desk, the second floor a vast entertainment and leisure club, and the third floor the registration office. Many people recognized Xino along the way, greeting him respectfully as "Lord Sir." Xino maintained his aloof persona, nodding in acknowledgment with his sunglasses on, considering it sufficient as a greeting.

As people passed by and called out "Lord Sir," Cen Yuehuai felt as if each utterance struck her heart. Though it was a virtual world with virtual bodies, she inexplicably felt suffocated.

Bai Sha, meanwhile, observed the furnishings and passersby in the red building throughout.

The problem with virtual worlds is that everything could be fake. There were no valuable clues to be gleaned from these people's shapes and muscles. Any ordinary passerby could be a powerhouse or a novice.

Xino led Cen Yuehuai to a white registration desk to sign up. Unbounded City's simulated mecha combat had five levels: "Ⅰ-1, Ⅱ-2, Ⅲ-3, Ⅳ-4, Ⅴ-5". As a first-time participant, Cen Yuehuai had the opportunity to enter the rookie competition. Standing out among the rookies could accelerate her progression to the second level.

"Please register your mecha and weapons," said a female in a black and white uniform behind the desk. Her appearance was gentle, and her voice sweet, but her shimmering outline and unemotional eyes revealed her as an AI, "If you don't have your own mecha and weapons, we can provide standard ones for the competition."

Cen Yuehuai's custom mecha was named "Cui Xue" but she couldn't transfer its data to Unbounded City, and its designer likely wouldn't want to leak its data.

"We're just here for practice, standard mecha will do," said Xino Wusi, "But you need to choose your weapons carefully—apart from a standard gun, find something that suits you for future training."

Cen Yuehuai nodded.

After completing the registration, Cen Yuehuai was led away by the staff. Before leaving, she looked back three times, "You're just going to leave me like this?"

"Why should we join you in the rookie match? To bully the newbies?" Xino Wusi smirked, "Make it through the rookie competition first."

Cen Yuehuai walked away apprehensively.

"Alright, let's find a place to watch," said Xino Wusi to Bai Sha.

Xino took Bai Sha back to the second floor and requested a private booth. No sooner had they settled on the sofa than the wall in front of them parted.

A flash of illusion and a wave of brilliant light and sound suddenly engulfed them.

In that moment, they seemed to have left the booth and were now in the actual audience stands of the arena.

Xino leaned back slightly, the back of the sofa chair automatically adjusting to his posture. He reached out his hand, and a small robot with a basket of snacks and drinks flew towards them, hovering in front.

"Do you need anything? I can get it for you," Xino offered.

Bai Sha declined with a wry smile, "No thanks. It seems somewhat inappropriate to be snacking leisurely while Cen Yuehuai is about to face a tough match."

Xino didn't insist. He bought the entire basket of snacks for himself, setting up a feast on the table.

"These high-calorie, nutrition-less foods were seen as pure junk by my father. Never got to try them when I was young. I’ve had them in the real world…" Xino tossed popcorn into his mouth, "…but they don’t taste as good as they do here."

Bai Sha inquired, "When does Yuehuai's match start?"

"Soon," replied Xino. "The rookie matches run simultaneously without venue restrictions. The organizers can stream many different matches. Our stream is assigned to Yuehuai."

Indeed, soon after, Cen Yuehuai cautiously entered the arena in a silver-gray light mecha.

Her opponent, also a rookie, piloted a standard light mecha provided by the organizers.

At the sound of a metallic whistle, the match began. Her opponent, brandishing a light blade, charged at Cen Yuehuai.

Startled, Cen Yuehuai quickly drew her gun and started shooting while evading. Her accuracy was commendable, with seemingly off-target bullets mysteriously hitting her opponent. But her standard laser gun couldn’t breach the mecha's armor, leading to a drawn-out fight.

Whenever her opponent slashed, she dodged. When he charged, she ascended to continue evading. When he took out his ranged weapon, Cen Yuehuai got excited. She unfurled her mecha's metal wings, darting through the air with bird-like agility, her opponent unable to even graze her.

Seizing a moment when her opponent reloaded, Cen Yuehuai transformed her gun into an orange dagger and dove in. She thrust the dagger into the joints of the opponent's mecha. He tried to retaliate but couldn’t keep up with her swift movements. Her blade left numerous scars on his mecha, each strike a sharp low hum on the metal.

The opponent felt like he was being slowly tortured by Cen Yuehuai's relentless attacks, uncertain of where the next strike would land.

After fifteen minutes, Cen Yuehuai methodically wore him down.

Reportedly, her opponent logged off immediately after leaving the arena, probably overwhelmed.

The next two matches followed a similar pattern. Cen Yuehuai, with her superior speed, evaded attacks and gradually dismantled her opponents with her dagger. She grew more proficient, reducing her dismantling time from fifteen to ten minutes.

Back in the booth.

Bai Sha listlessly picked a bag of popcorn from the table, tearing it open. The virtual space truly was a paradise for endless snacking without feeling full.

Xino could no longer bear to watch: "Why didn’t she use the light sword just now! Why not the light sword!"

"She forgot again," Bai Sha said languidly. "Obviously, she was entirely absorbed in her speed. There was no awareness to switch weapons."

Xino held his forehead in frustration.

"That’s why, in nurturing a professional warrior's temperament, foundational moves are as important as actual combat," Bai Sha commented, watching Cen Yuehuai soar in the arena. "But her combat awareness has improved a lot, she’s progressing quickly."

Xino grumbled, "But her fighting style is still all over the place."

Saying this, he stood up.

"What are you going to do?" Bai Sha asked. "Plan to personally go down there and teach her?"

Xino’s ID showed a level “Ⅴ”, the highest fifth level. If he paired up with Cen Yuehuai, the system's balancing mechanism would likely match them with opponents around level three.

"Let's not have her face mid-tier opponents on her first day," Bai Sha suggested, brushing off her hands. "If both of us newbies join, we can probably be matched with lower-level opponents."

After Cen Yuehuai secured another victory in the arena, she took a deep breath. But before she could relax, two notifications appeared.

"[I Give Up On Being Human] requests to join your team."

"[Arrogant So What] requests to join your team."

Cen Yuehuai: "??"

After adding them to her team, she saw Xino in a golden mecha, flaunting a sword, while Bai Sha piloted a light mecha similar to Yuehuai’s, wielding an ordinary long spear. "Let's team up," Bai Sha suggested calmly.

"Sure!" Cen Yuehuai brightened up, then suddenly remembered, "In the team battle, there’s no rookie competition, right?"

"No, but with both of us here, what’s there to worry about? Just learn as much as you can," Xino said. "You should also consider changing your weapon; that titanium dagger lacks lethality."

Cen Yuehuai asked, "What should I switch to? Can you give me some guidance?"

"You're not great at close combat, so you should really ask a teacher for help when we get back. In our team battles, just focus on long-range support," Xino advised.

The aim of training in the Unbounded City was to achieve rapid results, accumulating experience in any possible aspect.

"But as a support, also pay attention to how we defeat our opponents. Learn whatever moves you can," he added.

Cen Yuehuai nodded in agreement to Xino's instructions.

"What kind of weapon would you like?" Bai Sha suddenly asked.

Cen Yuehuai pondered for a moment, "I think I’ll go for a transforming crossbow."

"Okay." Bai Sha quickly opened the mechanical design interface and began sketching.

Cen Yuehuai was surprised, "What are you doing, Your Highness?"

"I've been thinking, in the simulated mecha combat, mechas and weapons are essentially data," Bai Sha mused as blue light from the design interface reflected in her eyes, "And since I know how to design mechas and have some knowledge of weapons, why can't I design whatever you need?"

Six minutes later, Bai Sha showed Cen Yuehuai the prototype of the transforming crossbow.

Cen Yuehuai's eyes widened in amazement.

It only took half an hour for Bai Sha to finalize the design. Once completed, she clicked "Create."

A jade-white crossbow materialized in Cen Yuehuai’s hands. Splitting the bow from the middle and pressing a button transformed it into twin daggers, shimmering with a faint, colorful glow.

"The twin daggers are compact and sharp, versatile for attacks from any angle," Bai Sha explained, "Let me know if you have any preferences, and I'll modify it for you."

"I already love this one!" Cen Yuehuai exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

Xino wasn't surprised; he knew Bai Sha would eventually make a weapon for Cen Yuehuai. "If you use a custom weapon here, you must report it to the tournament officials."

After some thought, Bai Sha took screenshots of the weapon's design and registered it with the official channel of the tournament. She named it "Rainbow Rain." Once approved, the weapon was added to Cen Yuehuai's equipment as "Rainbow Rain" crossbow.

"Let's go, everything is ready. If we register now, we can still play a couple of matches before logging off."

The trio geared up and clicked "Start Matchmaking."

Soon after, the system successfully matched them and notified them to enter the arena.

As the team leader, Cen Yuehuai pressed the "Confirm" button.

A massive white gate thunderously opened, and the trio felt their surroundings change abruptly, with a howling wind in their ears.

"Match location: Summit of the Snow Mountain."

"Red Team: Moon Shines Brightly Wangwang (I), I Refuse to Be Human (I), Arrogant Sovereign (V)."

"Blue Team: Raindrops Over Mountain Mist (II), Calmness for Self-Improvement (II), What to Eat Today (II)."

"The match will start in 30 seconds!"

Cen Yuehuai blinked, looking at the snowflakes swirling around and commented, "Not bad. Even though Xino is level five, the system matched us with level two opponents. Should be easy to handle, right?"

Xino: "Doesn’t matter what level they are, we'll just crush them."

"…Your Highness, why are you lost in thought?" Cen Yuehuai asked.

Bai Sha paused for a moment and then said, "It’s just that the IDs of our opponents seem familiar..."

More than familiar.

She could almost guess who the three opponents were!