Chapter 215: Special Training (Part One)
“So this is the special training camp?”
V looked around at the walls, which were cast entirely from metal, and couldn’t help clicking her tongue in amazement.
Like everyone else, she had been blindfolded, all signals cut off, and then brought here. From the moment she entered this place, everything she carried from the outside world had been confiscated.
“V, you really need to give it your all,” Sasha said worriedly beside her, dressed in a custom-made black netrunner suit. “I heard your special training is completely different from ours. There might actually be a risk to your life.”
“Relax. You know what I can do,” V replied, giving Sasha a thumbs-up. “Besides, I’m not an idiot.”
She paused, then added, “You should worry about yourself instead. I doubt netrunner training is going to be easy either.”
Sasha nodded with a serious expression. It wasn’t the training itself that worried her, but whether she could live up to Kiwi’s expectations. She didn’t want to disappoint her.
Soon, a man with a golden mohawk slowly walked to the center of the training grounds.
“Everyone, quiet down!”
His shout echoed through the base, and the surroundings fell silent almost instantly as all eyes turned toward him.
“I am your instructor, Molotov! From this moment on, you will obey orders unconditionally!”
V listened without much reaction. These were all standard opening lines. What she really wanted to know was how this place’s training differed from anywhere else.
After Molotov finished explaining the rules, a group of staff quickly entered and led away those assigned to netrunner training. At the same time, everyone participating in other forms of special training was handed a chip.
Molotov looked down at the crowd with an unreadable expression.
“Now, the special training officially begins. Insert the chip. It will tell you exactly what kind of training you need—and what you truly excel at.”
“Is this Braindance too?” V muttered, glancing at the chip in her hand before inserting it.
The instant the chip slid into the slot, her vision went completely black, as if she had been pulled into a tunnel through space and time.
At the same time, seats rose up beneath everyone, supporting their bodies and preventing them from collapsing to the floor.
“Good luck, rookies.”
Molotov rolled his neck and let out a gloating laugh.
...
“Ugh… cough, cough. Damn it, what is this?”
V felt the world spin violently before she slammed onto the ground. Her stomach churned, and she immediately threw up.
After steadying herself, she looked around in a sorry state—and then froze.
Neon lights flickered all around her. Wires crisscrossed overhead, and colorful advertising signs hung everywhere.
She seemed to be standing in an alley.
V slowly got to her feet and carefully examined her surroundings. The architecture was so familiar that she couldn’t help doubting whether she was really inside a training Braindance.
Her senses felt incredibly vivid—far more real than any Braindance she had ever used. Even Black Braindance wasn’t like this.
She didn’t linger, instead cautiously making her way toward the outside.
Crowds bustled noisily all around, everyone sporting signs of cyberware modification. The only strange thing was that none of the cyberware models matched anything she had ever seen before.
Whoosh—
A sharp sound cut through the air above her head. The gust blew her hair aside as she looked up in confusion.
A boy riding a hovering skateboard waved at her.
“Sorry! Didn’t see you there!”
Then he sped off without another word.
V stared after him, eyes wide, her mind in turmoil.
Was she really inside a Braindance?
Normally, Braindance only let you experience the protagonist’s perspective and emotions. You couldn’t directly control actions. Even higher-grade Black Braindance followed the same rules.
Only certain specialized Black Braindance—or military-grade training simulations—allowed full freedom of action, and even those followed strict underlying rules and limitations. But this place… was different. Something about it felt deeply wrong.
V studied her surroundings again and finally realized what was off. Everyone spoke differently, acted differently—like they had their own lives, their own stories. They felt like real people, not emotionless data constructs.
If this really was Braindance, how absurdly expensive would it be to create?
“Damn it… what is going on here…”
V looked around, clearly lost. The biggest problem was that there wasn’t even the slightest hint of guidance.
Elsewhere, the other participants were experiencing much the same thing.
Roland, meanwhile, watched everything in silence. As for what was happening to them… this was a product developed by PROJECT Corporation, capable of letting people fully enter the PROJECT world and live within it.
Everything was built from fabricated data—but it felt completely real. Inside, people could attempt to do anything they wanted. Of course, the world also mirrored reality. Whether something could truly be achieved still depended on the individual.
Put simply, it was a massive virtual reality game.
Roland’s clearance condition was simple: eliminate participants until only ten remained. Those ten would be directly admitted into the department.
As for guidance… it did exist inside the system. Whether someone could find it, however, depended entirely on themselves.
“I hope you’ll surprise me a little, V.”
Watching from V’s perspective, Roland smiled faintly. If luck was on her side, she might even encounter the “Easter egg” hidden within this game.
As for whether that Easter egg would be a blessing or a curse… that was anyone’s guess.
“Oh, right… I’ve saved up enough essence. It’s time to upgrade Lucy. I wonder what she’ll be like afterward…”
Roland stroked his chin, glanced at his balance, and made a decision.
“Lissandra, tell Lucy to come by tomorrow.”
“I understand.”
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