In the future Solar System, where technology intersects with the soul, the Solar System Alliance secretly forms the Revelation Youth Class. This group of brilliant young minds from across the system is tasked with probing the soul's deepest mysterie...
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Chapter 8: The Puppet Master
On the EMP virtual mode forum, a quietly trending post stirred heated discussions. Posted by "Kepler Pirate King," the thread was titled, "The Puppet God Exclusive — Does the virtual zone puppet master have the capacity to challenge the real zone?"
The forum was abuzz, garnering tens of thousands of comments. The user ID 'Puppet' was infamous in the virtual combat zone, having fought thousands of battles with a remarkably high score. Despite setting his profile to private, many shared their experiences of battling against this formidable opponent, who seemed virtually unbeatable and had crushed numerous virtual mode champions.
So, the question arose: Was he merely a recreational player?
If it were solely for amusement, hiding his identity seemed unnecessary unless it was for sheer bravado. But no one had ever conversed with 'Puppet,' nor had anyone added him as a friend.
"I always predicted that Puppet God would eventually make his way to the real mode; he's unmatched in the virtual," one user claimed confidently.
"Give me a break, he's never even competed in the virtual tournaments. How can you say he has no rivals? Playing casually is entirely different from competing!"
"He's definitely skilled; perhaps he's an academy student taking it easy, too embarrassed to reveal his true capability."
"I really look down on those who just come to the virtual zone to bully the less skilled. If you're capable, why not stick to your own league?"
"Just an average player, nothing worth discussing. Don't we have any pride in our virtual zone?"
In his dorm, the 'Kepler Pirate King' leaned back with a smug grin, watching the flood of naive comments. "Rookies, you lack my insight," he chuckled to himself.
Zhuang Zhou, a freshman in the journalism department at Tianjing Military Academy, had wanted to enroll in the mech department but fell short of the required scores. Settling for journalism allowed him to stay close to the mech combat elites.
The virtual and real zones are worlds apart; those who dominate the virtual arena often seek to prove themselves in the real zone, only to be brutally humbled — a common reality across not just the USE but other federations as well.
Zhuang Zhou toggled between the 'real mode' and the virtual mode; when real mode battles wore him out, he'd unwind in the virtual zone. Despite not being top-tier in the preparatory class, he enjoyed a high win rate in virtual mode, especially when humiliating the so-called experts.
That was until he faced Puppet.
It was a nightmare. Using an NUP light super mech, which performed excellently, his opponent wielded a Dragon mech and tore him apart.
Frustrated and seeking a rematch, Zhuang Zhou realized that Puppet never interacted with others and never restricted spectators in his battles. Obsessively, he watched battle after battle, each a victory for Puppet. This wasn't extraordinary; any decent military academy student could pull off flashy maneuvers. As the saying goes, never use your hobby to challenge another's profession.
