Thinking of that, He Tan couldn’t help recalling the imperial princess who had come yesterday to demand a mecha from Elder Jiang. The arrogant way she carried herself—that was what true haughtiness looked like.
As far as he could see, the princess with the sterling reputation outside was far worse than Xu Linlang, who supposedly had a terrible one.
He Tan carried two trays of food to a quiet spot. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got a few of the cafeteria’s most popular dishes.”
Xu Linlang shook her head. “It’s fine, I like all of these.”
While they ate, Xu Linlang took the chance to bring up some of the tricky problems she had run into during the component assembly process. She wasn’t about to waste an opportunity to get his guidance.
He Tan didn’t find it bothersome at all—on the contrary, he was pleased and offered her plenty of pointers.
“I can already tell when a defective part will cause issues during assembly,” Xu Linlang explained, “but I don’t yet understand exactly how a damaged component would affect a mecha as a whole. That’s still a big gap in my knowledge.”
He Tan set down his fork. “Do you ever use the Holographic Virtual Net?”
Xu Linlang shook her head.
In fact, she didn’t even know what the Holographic Virtual Net was supposed to be. Wasn’t this world’s network called the Star Net?
Seeing her blank look, He Tan’s expression said it all: as expected. “Makes sense. Someone of your status wouldn’t really need to use it.”
Xu Linlang frowned in confusion. “So what exactly is the Holographic Virtual Net for?”
He Tan explained in detail: “Think of it like a parallel gaming world. People register accounts there to experience things they could never do in real life. Unlike the Empire’s real-name Star Net, the Holographic Net uses nicknames, which makes it more relaxed. It’s also a borderless space—different races, other than the Zerg, log on and interact with each other there.”
Xu Linlang began to piece it together. “So, Teacher, you’re suggesting I should spend more time on the Holographic Net?”
He Tan nodded. “The most popular feature is virtual mecha battles. A lot of people with low genetic levels or families who can’t afford a real mecha go there to get their fix. After all, mecha in the Holographic Net only cost a tenth of what they do in reality. But just like in real life, virtual mecha get damaged after battles and need repairs. Pilots hire virtual mecha mechanics to fix them. I think you should register and work as a mechanic there. The more damaged mecha you get to handle, the faster your skills will grow.”
Xu Linlang asked, “Then are the virtual mecha on the Holographic Net built by virtual mecha engineers?”
He Tan laughed and shook his head. “No. The brands that sell mecha in the real world open branches on the Net. They copy their designs one-to-one and sell the same models virtually. As for building new mecha inside the Net—it’s a waste of effort. The time and energy it would take to build a virtual one could be spent making a real one. No mecha engineer would bother with that.”
These companies really knew how to do business, making money even off people who couldn’t afford a real mecha.
Thinking about it that way, the Holographic Net really did sound like a simulation game world.
There were items, professions, transactions…
And now she was going to play a game inside a game. It felt almost like stacking dolls inside each other.
Back at the dorm, Xu Linlang found the holographic pod tucked in the corner.
Up until now, she had thought it was just some kind of sleeping capsule. She hadn’t realized it had another purpose.
Climbing inside, she closed her eyes and felt her body sinking as if falling. When she opened them again, everything around her was pitch-black. In front of her stood a massive door.
A glowing screen appeared on its surface, displaying a line of text:
Esteemed user, welcome to the Holographic Virtual Net. Since this is your first login, please configure your appearance and nickname.
Below that, a warning in red:
Please note: once set, these cannot be changed.
Xu Linlang thought about it. She decided to go for a look completely different from her real self—something no one would recognize.
Suddenly, the image of Qiye as she first met him flashed in her mind: silver hair, pale gold eyes. That combination actually seemed pretty good.
After adjusting the settings and reshaping her features so no one could identify her, she entered a nickname:
007.
Perfect. Cool and sharp.
Once the setup was complete, the massive door swung open, and a burst of white light engulfed her.
The next moment, Xu Linlang came back to her senses and found herself standing in a gigantic plaza.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152