Chapter 3 of 100

Chapter 3

17 min read4,295 words

"Today is July 4, 2033, exactly six o'clock in the morning, the eighth day of the sixth month in the lunar calendar, the year of the Water Ox, the month of Earth Horse, and the day of Fire Dragon. It's a new day again..."

Zhou Xiansun casually turned off the alarm clock notification on his personal terminal. At this moment, Zhou Xian's mind was still echoing with the words his father had just said: "This is something that will change the world."

Sitting at a table in the breakfast shop, Zhou Xian stretched lazily and then picked up his iced soy milk to sip it.

The weather in summer is always very hot, even at six in the morning, it still makes people sweat profusely. But drinking iced soy milk made him feel much more energetic. "Brother Lei, the competition is about to start. Is your club going to participate?"

"Of course! Even if we don't win, it's still great to see those future stars. Haven't you heard? The middle school cup of Zhongzhou Academy is known as the cradle of future professional players!"

"Hehe, I heard that the number of participants this year is much more than in previous years. Those overconfident guys, I wonder what they're thinking."

At the table next to Zhou Xian, two people were discussing the most popular event at Zhongzhou Academy recently—the Zhongzhou Academy Middle School Cup E-sports Competition.

In 2033, a game called "Legendary World" had become a super game that everyone had, widely loved by players. This was not just because the game was "fun," but also because it had a magical "brainwave development" function. The city where Zhou Xian lived was called Zhongzhou City, and there was a rumor that the Zhongzhou City in the game was named after Zhongzhou City. The school where Zhou Xian was currently studying was Zhongzhou Academy in Zhongzhou City.

Zhongzhou Academy had been on holiday for the past two days, and the following week was the famous "Zhongzhou Academy Middle School Cup E-sports Competition." The Dragon Tomb Club, where Zhou Xian was a member, would join this competition. Zhou Xian's preparation work last night was also for this.

Today was the first day of the competition.

"But if you ask me, the top three will definitely be taken by the top ten seed clubs. Brother Lei, I heard you're a member of the Dragon Tiger Club's branch team. You're sure to win this time!"

The man named Brother Lei laughed heartily, "Haha, not really. The top three will definitely be the club president's team. We branch teams will be happy to get into the top ten... Hahaha..."

Although his words were modest, his tone was full of pride, as if the championship was already within reach.

The Dragon Tiger Club was one of the top ten seed clubs, so it was no wonder this person was a bit overconfident.

These people were talking excitedly, but Zhou Xian yawned out of boredom.

"Hey, Zhou Xian, they're talking about the top ten seed clubs. Aren't you worried?"

At this moment, a girl walked to the opposite side of Zhou Xian and sat down. The girl had a long, shiny black ponytail and was wearing a clean, white dress. Her figure was beautiful, and she looked like a beautiful fairy that didn't belong to this world. "Good morning, Chuyu."

This girl was named Li Chuyu and was the manager of the Dragon Tomb Club where Zhou Xian was a member. She was in charge of all club affairs. "You're right. In terms of skill, the top ten seed clubs are indeed very strong. But in my opinion, the main competitors are the Ever-Victorious Club and the E-sports Club." Zhou Xian was not a member of the top ten seed clubs, so he didn't have any special feelings about them.

"Hey, kid, what did you just say!"

Words can bring disaster. As soon as Zhou Xian finished speaking, Brother Lei stood up with a bang.

Brother Lei was about 1.8 meters tall and muscular, making Zhou Xian look like a little lamb in front of a big wolf.

"Sorry, I didn't say anything."

Zhou Xian didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He had only muttered quietly. Now, he planned to defuse the situation. "Hey, you have the guts to say it, but not the guts to admit it, right? Which club are you from?"

This person was about to grab Zhou Xian, but Zhou Xian, as if he had anticipated the move, dodged with a strange motion, stepping back to avoid Brother Lei's action.

"We're from the Dragon Tomb Club." Li Chuyu looked at Zhou Xian with interest. Miss, don't add to the chaos now.

"Girl, this is not your place to speak! Don't think I'll let you off just because you're a woman!"

Brother Lei had a fiery temper. But he was also good at offending people. Hearing this, Li Chuyu's eyebrows raised.

"Brother Lei." At this moment, his friend, Skinny Monkey, pulled on Brother Lei's clothes with a strange expression.

"What? Let me teach this guy a lesson first!" Shaking off his friend, Brother Lei moved closer to Zhou Xian again. "Dragon Tomb Club? What's that? I'm from the Dragon Tiger Club, and I can take down your entire club with one finger!"

Brother Lei took another step forward.

Suddenly, he found himself lying on the ground, looking up at the sky in confusion.

"Chuyu, no need to go that far..."

His mind was still in a daze.

Chuyu...?

That girl?

I've heard that name somewhere...

Right, the well-known beauty of the school, the former president of the dance club, and one of the top three beauties in the school according to gossip magazines—Li Chuyu?!

Brother Lei remembered.

He wasn't interested in the school's strange gossip. But a few months ago, when Li Chuyu resigned from the dance club and joined a club, it caused a stir. Right, that club was called... Dragon Tomb Club!

"Let's just forget it. Let's pay the bill first."

It was the voice of the boy next to him. Brother Lei was annoyed when he heard this voice.

This soft-spoken guy is now acting like a good guy in front of me?!

But by the time Brother Lei recovered, the two had already walked away.

"Brother Lei, don't be impulsive. It's a good thing you didn't offend them."

"Tch, just a soft-spoken guy. No big deal. If it weren't for the school beauty, I would have beaten him up, whether in real life or in the game. How could I lose to such a guy? I'm a level 55 berserker in the game."

Brother Lei touched his chest, but his virtual glasses were the most advanced virtual equipment now.

"Cough... Brother Lei, did you notice the guy's helmet?"

"Helmet?"

Right, Brother Lei remembered, this person was carrying a "Black Iron Head."

The Black Iron Head was a popular helmet style from three or four years ago, but now it was a symbol of being out of date.

Wait, Black Iron Head...?

Who would still wear this thing now?

"Brother Lei, just last month, a player wearing a Black Iron Head brutally defeated two members of the E-sports Club at the Shabake Internet Cafe."

"Ah!" Brother Lei suddenly remembered: "The one who didn't move a step during the match and completely dominated the opponent?!"

"Right, it's said that person is from the Dragon Tomb Club. The vice president of the E-sports Club, Su Xiaoyue, even went to apologize personally. And, Brother Lei, did you notice the guy's dodging move? It was clearly the Backstep, one of the three divine skills in the game!"

Brother Lei almost wet his pants when he heard this. He didn't see it clearly at the time, but his friend had a clear view of Zhou Xian's move.

Zhou Xian had clearly used the "Backstep," a skill considered "godly" in the game. Using a game skill in real life was something everyone knew was difficult.

"So it was that expert..."

Brother Lei was regretful, having offended an expert without realizing it.

"Tsk, such an expert must have a high brainwave rate. He might become a professional player someday." Brother Lei was already thinking about how to flatter this expert if he met him again.

"Right, I also need to work hard in the game. If I can reach a 10% brainwave rate, I can get a guaranteed admission to university." Brother Lei's friend looked full of longing.

"Heh, unless you win the middle school cup, don't even think about guaranteed admission..."

The two chatted casually.

Some might think it absurd to link games and education, but in this highly advanced technological era, games and education were inseparable. Although this was unimaginable 20 years ago, it was now commonplace for Zhou Xian and his generation.

The reason for this was simple: games could develop brainwave rates.

The "Legendary World" game, a fully immersive holographic simulation MMORPG, was a magical game that could develop students' brainwave rates. The higher the brainwave rate, the stronger the student's learning ability. Of course, the official stance was that this was not true, but players didn't believe it. Why would the government promote such a game so vigorously if it weren't for this reason? The official side of "Legendary World" rarely acknowledged anything, often acting as if it didn't exist. Players were used to this.

It was said that the world's top scientists had brainwave rates of over 10%.

Some speculated that Einstein's brainwave rate could have reached 20%, but unfortunately, this kind of brainwave test only appeared in recent years, making it impossible to test historical figures.

But because of the term "brainwave rate," a game that could be widely promoted by a country was born. At least, that's what players thought. It wasn't a time of highly developed productivity or universal social welfare. If it weren't for brainwave rates, would the government promote a national game so aggressively...?

Because of the rise of games, various professional players gradually became the new generation of stars.

In this era, the most popular were not singers or actors, but these powerful professional players. Clubs like the Lucifer Empire, which were physical entities, were highly sought after. When people discussed these topics, it was like football fans discussing Real Madrid and Manchester United, or basketball fans discussing the Lakers and Rockets.

"Achoo—"

On the other side, Zhou Xian sneezed.

"Cold?" Li Chuyu asked.

"No, just a bit itchy."

Zhou Xian touched his helmet and looked at Li Chuyu. Despite her gentle appearance, Li Chuyu had been trained in martial arts since childhood. Her martial skills didn't make her a game expert, but in real life...

Boys who provoked her had better be careful.

Li Chuyu looked at Zhou Xian and then at his helmet.

"I've always been curious. With the rapid development of technology, these helmets from a few years ago should be antiques now. Why do you still use this one?"

Hearing Li Chuyu's question, Zhou Xian was both amused and frustrated.

If he brought this "Black Iron Head" to a competition, it would make many people laugh. But this thing was now bound to his ID, and he couldn't replace it.

"I'm used to it. And this Black Iron Head has been specially modified to accommodate a 10% brainwave rate."

"I see." Li Chuyu nodded.

Virtual helmets had a certain probability of accommodating brainwave fluctuations. The cheapest models on the market would crash when the brainwave rate reached about 4%, while the high-end versions used by the rich could accommodate up to 12%.

Hearing Zhou Xian's explanation, Li Chuyu understood.

"Let's go to the activity room to adjust."

"Okay."

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