Chapter 194: Dawn

Over the next few days, Feng Qi began preparing for the Freshman Championship.

He was brimming with confidence about the competition. After all, his class had Lü Yue.

Lü Yue alone could rival an entire elite class. Coupled with the Xia family trio and Yan Yue, four students who hailed from domain combat squads, Feng Qi was certain they could claim first place.

He also intended to use the championship as an opportunity to observe other academies. His primary focus was identifying promising newcomers who might be worth recruiting into the Dawn organization in future timelines.

There were still five days until the championship. Early one morning, Feng Qi received a call from Wei Wei.

As he answered, Wei Wei's teasing voice came through. "Still sleeping? At your age, how can you sleep so much?"

"Wei-jie, don't start. What's up?" Feng Qi sat up with a sigh, sounding slightly helpless.

"We recently received the first prototype of the Future Virtual Engine from Fang Zhiyou and started testing it. During this process, Li Xingchen from the Future Research Institute helped debug and modify the game code you left behind. It's now compatible with the virtual engine."

Hearing this, Feng Qi perked up. "How's the game running?"

"There are quite a few rough edges, but it's operational. The core competitive mode is functional, though there's still room for improvement."

"For instance, the game pods need an upgrade. Li Xingchen has taken charge of that and says he can produce high-performance versions compatible with the game within two weeks."

After a brief pause, Wei Wei continued, "There's another issue. The game code you brought back includes many spell techniques that don't exist in the current era."

Feng Qi froze momentarily. Wei Wei was right; he had overlooked this issue.

The game code he had taken from the future contained numerous spell techniques that hadn't been developed yet. Some were slated for creation decades later, others centuries. If these techniques were made available in the game, players could practice and master them virtually. Once they realized these non-existent spells could be executed with ease in the real world, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation.

It would also attract the attention of the domain forces hidden within human civilization.

Until these hidden forces were rooted out, this would be a reckless move.

Realizing this, Feng Qi quickly asked, "Wei-jie, how difficult would it be to modify the game code?"

Wei Wei's laugh came through. "Not difficult. We're linking the game to the cultivation technique database and removing all spell codes that don't belong to this era. With Li Xingchen's help, it'll take about half a day."

"That's great."

Relieved to learn that the process wouldn't be a hassle, Feng Qi let out a sigh.

"There's one more thing. Yesterday, thirty-five virtual game pods were airlifted from the Future Research Institute to the Crimson Base. Since you've been busy with the championship, why not take a few pods to test with your students?"

Feng Qi blinked in surprise. "Is that allowed?"

"Of course. The more players there are, the more feedback we can collect during testing. You've said your students are reliable, so why not let them try it out?"

"Alright. How many pods can I have?"

"We can spare fifteen. We'll keep twenty here. Once the high-performance versions are ready, these prototypes will be phased out anyway."

"I don't need fifteen. Thirteen will do."

"No problem."

"Thanks, Wei-jie."

"You're welcome!"

After hanging up, Feng Qi eagerly anticipated the arrival of the game pods that afternoon.

Before that, however, he decided to visit the principal's office. Transporting such large equipment into the academy wasn't a trivial matter. Normally, bringing machinery into Star City Academy required a series of approvals and inspections.

With this in mind, Feng Qi got up and headed to the washroom. After a quick five-minute routine, he changed clothes and hurried to the academy cafeteria.

After breakfast, he went straight to Bai Fusheng's office.

Moments later, Feng Qi arrived at Bai Fusheng's office door and knocked lightly.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Feng Qi saw Bai Fusheng dressed in traditional Tang-style clothing, flipping through a thick book.

"What trouble are you bringing me now?" Bai Fusheng joked when he saw who it was.

"Shi-gong, I really do have something to ask for your help with," Feng Qi replied with a smile.

"Can I refuse? Why can't you focus on researching cultivation techniques instead of scheming all the time?" Bai Fusheng said, feigning irritation.

"Shi-gong, don't you remember our agreement?" Feng Qi walked to the desk, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Bai Fusheng with a grin.

Taking the teacup, Bai Fusheng raised an eyebrow. "What agreement?"

"Didn't we agree that if I made progress in virtual technology within three months, you'd support the subsequent research?"

"Yes, I do recall something like that. So, are you saying you've made progress?" Bai Fusheng asked, putting down the teacup, clearly intrigued.

"Not just progress—the preliminary development of the virtual game is complete."

Hearing this, Bai Fusheng's face showed disbelief.

He remembered Feng Qi explaining the potential of a super virtual game and agreed it could significantly advance human civilization. However, the project's scope seemed enormous, something even a specialized team would take years to complete.

And yet, barely over a month later, Feng Qi was claiming the game's development was already underway.

"You mean you've got preliminary results, right?"

"No, I mean it's already in its initial completion stage."

Seeing the confident smile on Feng Qi's face, Bai Fusheng opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. If Feng Qi dared to say this, it must mean he was prepared.

"So, you're here to ask for additional research funding?"

"The funding issue has already been resolved. Remember when I applied for leave? During that time, I went to the Crimson Research Institute and reached a collaboration agreement with them."

Hearing this, Bai Fusheng relaxed.

Knowing the Crimson Research Institute was involved, he reasoned the rapid progress must largely be their achievement. That made sense.

"Then what do you need from me this time?" Bai Fusheng asked with a smile, sipping his tea.

"The Crimson Research Institute will deliver thirteen prototype game pods to the academy this afternoon. I want to place them here temporarily. I'll also need your approval to bring the pods onto campus."

Understanding the situation, Bai Fusheng nodded. "That's easy. I'll assign a section of the gym for you to store the pods. As for the approval, I'll handle it now."

With that, Bai Fusheng picked up his phone and called the security office.

After explaining the situation, he opened a drawer and handed Feng Qi an approval slip. "Give this to the security guards when the pods arrive."

Once everything was sorted, Bai Fusheng looked back at him. "Do you need me to arrange for staff to help with installation?"

"No need, Shi-gong. It's a minor task—I can handle it," Feng Qi replied with a chuckle.

"When the virtual game improvements are finalized, make sure Star City Academy is one of the first to use it," Bai Fusheng said with a smile.

"Of course. Star City Academy will be a priority testing site, and when the game officially launches, the academy will receive 5% of the revenue."

"You're really planning to share revenue with the academy?" Bai Fusheng asked in surprise.

"That was the promise. Without your support, the project wouldn't have gone so smoothly—not to mention your help convincing Fang Zhiyou's parents."

Hearing this, Bai Fusheng beamed with satisfaction.

After some casual conversation, Feng Qi left the office and returned to his dormitory.

He spent the morning studying materials on battle strategy.

By noon, after finishing lunch, he sent a notification in the class group chat for everyone to gather in front of the dormitory.

Once he received confirmations from all the students, he headed to the dormitory entrance with Mu Qing and Lin Ran to wait.

About ten minutes later, Lü Yue, carrying his sword, was the first to arrive.

"Lü Yue, could you stop being so serious all the time? Will it kill you to smile?" Lin Ran teased as she hooked an arm around his neck.

Lü Yue turned his head away, clearly uninterested in engaging with her antics.

Feng Qi couldn't help but smile at the scene.

In his future memories, Lü Yue was more than just a companion; he was a brother who had saved his life countless times during crises. Without Lü Yue's daring rescues, Feng Qi would have died many times over.

So he knew very well that Lü Yue's cold demeanor was only on the surface. Deep down, he was a person of immense loyalty and emotion.

[Of course, Lü Yue isn't just your sharpest sword—he's also your number one partner in death!]

Hearing the narrator's sarcastic comment, Feng Qi rolled his eyes.

But it was true. In every future timeline where the Dawn Organization was established, Lü Yue was always by his side, even in death.

As they waited, Xia Long and the others gradually arrived. Feng Qi led his group of students toward the academy's main gate.

After a thirty-minute walk, they reached the entrance of Star City Academy.

Several vehicles were already parked outside, waiting.

Although Bai Fusheng had given prior notice, the security guards couldn't be certain this batch of equipment was the approved one without proper documentation. Thus, the trucks transporting the game pods were stopped at the gate.

Feng Qi approached the security guard on duty and handed over the approval slip.

"Uncle, this is the batch of equipment Principal Bai mentioned this morning."

The guard took the slip, scanned it with his device, and nodded. He then pressed the switch attached to his chest, and the custom-made metal barriers at the academy gate slowly rose.

The five trucks carrying the game pods rolled into the campus.

After explaining the situation to the lead transporter, Feng Qi and his students climbed onto the vehicles.

Guiding them along the way, they soon arrived at the gymnasium. The vehicles parked outside, and Feng Qi directed the students to begin unloading.

Each game pod was incredibly heavy, weighing over a ton.

At this point, Mu Qing became the undeniable MVP of the unloading effort. She casually lifted each pod with one hand as if it were nothing.

It took the group about thirty minutes to move all thirteen game pods into the empty Room 1019 inside the gymnasium.

Next came the installation process.

Although the main structure of the game pods was already assembled, they still needed to connect power sources, external nutrient tanks, and other auxiliary components.

Following the instructions left by the Crimson Research Institute, the group spent a great deal of effort setting up the virtual game pods.

By the time they finished, everyone except Mu Qing and Lü Yue was drenched in sweat.

"Qi-ge, what's the point of these game pods? Are they really just for playing games?" one student asked, wiping his brow.

"Of course," Feng Qi replied with a smirk.

"I'm not into games. You guys go ahead and play," another student muttered.

Noticing the lack of enthusiasm, Feng Qi scanned the room. Most of the students, like Lin Ran, seemed uninterested in gaming.

Clapping his hands to get their attention, Feng Qi smiled. "I understand you're not into games, but this isn't the type of game you're imagining. Now, everyone, put on the special game suits and prepare to enter the pods."

Hearing this, the group's confusion only deepened.

Nevertheless, they began changing into the specialized suits.

These suits were similar to the "conditioning suits" developed by the Crimson Research Institute, designed to help the body absorb nutrients while submerged in the nutrient fluid.

It wouldn't be appropriate to wear regular clothes inside the game pods.

The 1019 room had separate changing areas for men and women. After a short while, the students gathered in front of the pods, now dressed in the game suits.

Feng Qi pulled out the instruction manual and showed them how to start and operate the pods.

One by one, the students climbed into their respective pods.

Feng Qi headed toward Pod 01.

The game pod resembled an oversized egg, dark blue in color, with a metallic texture to the touch.

Standing before it, he pressed the activation button, and the pod's lid slowly opened.

He stepped inside and lay down.

Following the instructions, he connected the soft tubes inside the pod to his body. The lid descended, sealing him in.

Moments later, pale blue nutrient fluid sprayed from various openings, enveloping him. His only means of breathing was through the mouthpiece.

A green light appeared above, scanning his body back and forth.

Then, a wave of dizziness hit him, and his vision shifted abruptly.

The game was clearly still in its early stages of development, as the initial entry scene was nothing but darkness.

While waiting, two golden characters appeared before his eyes.

"Dawn"

A synthetic voice echoed in his mind.

"Welcome to Dawn. Scanning and calibrating your body data. Please wait."

After about five minutes, the voice spoke again.

"Scan complete. Proceeding with real-name authentication and data archiving."

"Authentication complete. Please choose a name for your character in Dawn."

After some thought, Feng Qi typed "Longevity" on the glowing virtual keyboard in front of him.

"Name selected: 'Longevity.' Are you sure? Once confirmed, it cannot be changed."

[Tsk, is that all you aspire to? I think a better name would be 'Muscle King Overlord.']

"Keep it up, and I'll change it to 'Narrator's Dad.'"

[Alright, alright. 'Longevity' it is. I think it's perfect.]