Chapter 3

The remaining four robots still stood in their original positions. Although they did not move, they began to converse with each other

Upon hearing this, Tang Long immediately cast aside his feelings of fear, as his curiosity took precedence. He promptly raised his hand to ask, "Report, instructor, what is exercising courage?"

Tang Long stared wide-eyed as the five unclothed robotic instructors approached him. The robots stood at attention with their legs evenly spaced apart and their hands clasped behind their backs: "At ease!"

"Well done, Tang Long. After living through this month, I believe your inner fears have vanished." As soon as the robot finished speaking, it was met with a glare from Tang Long, who raised his eyes. The robot, which had never known fear, suddenly found itself unable to meet Tang Long's gaze. This reaction stemmed from the fact that they were intelligent robots, possessing emotions akin to those of humans. Otherwise, Tang Long's piercing stare would have been as ineffective as trying to intimidate a computer.

The skull-headed figure nodded slightly, its pale, shadowy teeth parting above and below, and a voice devoid of emotion emerged from it: "Very good, you have managed to control your shooting impulse. Hehe, if you had hit me just now, I wonder what kind of punishment would be imposed for the crime of murdering an officer twice?" At this point, the green light in the robot's eyes grew even brighter

Over the past month, constantly facing the threat of death, Tang Long's physical abilities have become extraordinary. Although completing 300 push-ups nearly left him unable to rise, it was only nearly, so he was still able to stand at attention there.

Tang Long gazed at the pitch-black scenery, gritted his teeth, and placed his finger on the trigger. Of course, he still did not draw the gun completely, but walked out of the dining hall with it pressed against his waist

Tang Long did not expect that the robot would actually unearth this set of Death God games; if he were not careful, he could lose his life in an instant.

Five robots saw Tang Long fall and all emitted red light from their eyes to scan him. They then positioned themselves at Tang Long's head and limbs. Without any visible movement, the floor beneath Tang Long slowly began to rise. It stopped when it reached the waist level of the robots

"This is impossible, this is impossible! How could he go to the army? It's impossible..." The woman shook her head in disbelief. The middle-aged man, more resolute, quickly recovered from the shock of the news. He comforted the woman, saying: "If he has to go to the army, then so be it. After all, there is no war right now; at most, he will serve as a conscript for three years. Besides, Tang Long is always idle and in such poor health; going to the army for some training will be beneficial for him in the future."

I am not training him to be a special forces soldier; rather, I aim to train him to be an all-around soldier

One month later, five robots with bare metallic skeletons appeared in the hall, and with their arrival, the dark forest of the hall vanished. The entire hall was restored to a pristine white environment

Tang Long was completely oblivious to the evidence of this intelligent robot; he did not dare to look at the skeletal instructor at all. It was not until he heard the sound of heavy metal objects moving past him and entering the darkness that he finally dared to open his eyes, casting a guilty glance at the metallic skeleton that was faintly visible in the shadows.

"You wield a weapon to attack the officer, and I punish you with 300 push-ups! If you do not complete them, you will go hungry!" the robot, which was severely damaged by Tang Long, coldly stated

Upon hearing this command, Tang Long instinctively brought his legs together and saluted with a sharp sound, saying, "Good day, Commander!" He then mimicked the instructor's posture, placing his hands behind his back. It was only after these unconscious actions were completed that Tang Long became aware of his surroundings. However, at that moment, he had no time to worry or feel afraid.

Although Tang Long did not understand why the instructor asked these questions, he still straightened his chest and answered loudly: "Report, sir, I am afraid of soft-bodied crawling creatures! And... and ghosts!" At this point, Tang Long secretly glanced at the robot. He had been trained for three days by the instructor's exceedingly bizarre methods, and now the movements of a soldier had become his conditioned reflex.

A three-dimensional portrait of a middle-aged man appeared. He saw the woman pause slightly, and before he could speak, the woman anxiously exclaimed: "Tang Long has not contacted me for three days, what should I do?"

What? The woman and the middle-aged man who were listening at the same time both displayed expressions of shock and disbelief. They did not expect that their son had become a soldier just three days after leaving.

The female officer paused again before saying: "I’m sorry, this falls under military confidentiality and cannot be accessed."

He knew that the hair all over his body was standing on end, and he was enveloped by a peculiar sensation, especially when he touched that slippery soft-bodied creature, feeling as if his hair was about to fly off his scalp. But in the face of the temptation of life, what did these feelings matter?

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, as he had never heard of training camps being classified as military secrets. If the training camps were all confidential, it would be strange for the parents of those new recruits not to protest. Therefore, he curiously asked, "This is impossible; please check again more carefully." Teleconferencing had been possible for thousands of years, so even though the middle-aged man was on another phone, he could still speak with the female police officer.

Tang Long has an hour of rest time after each meal, which suggests that the robot understands the principle of not engaging in vigorous activities after eating. Tang Long is now preparing to make use of this time to find some amusement

When this game was first tested, among the 100 participants, a terrifying number of 90 individuals suffered from mental disorders, and all 100 of them were rendered psychologically disabled by virtual harm, which even the most advanced psychological treatments could not heal. This psychological disability means that in the game, if a character's hand is severed by a monster, the brain perceives this sensation as real, leading to the loss of command function for the intact hand, resulting in that hand becoming disabled after the game.

However, when Tang Long had just started playing, a series of urgent whistles sounded from outside, signaling the end of the break. Reluctantly, Tang Long left the game machine, and upon reaching the door, he discovered that the hall had not transformed into daylight as before; it remained shrouded in darkness.

Tang Long, eager to break last night's shooting game record, rushed to open the door. However, the sight before him made him exclaim in horror and collapse to the ground, for standing at the entrance was a skeletal figure, with every bone visible.

There is no way around it; after all, we have to implement cellular activation to promote Tang Long's metabolism every three to five days. Without doing this, how could he possibly sustain such intense training

"Well, if I could have a cigarette after a meal, that would truly be the happiness of a celestial being," Tang Long said, wiping his mouth and standing up with a sigh. He was merely speaking in jest; he had never smoked, and even if he wanted to learn, he couldn't, as he was the only living person in this base.

As a soldier, how can you be afraid of these fictional things? What are you still doing here! Listen carefully! Within a month, you will be living in such an environment. The dining hall will still open and close on time. If you do not eat during the opening hours, you will have to go hungry for that meal! Furthermore, you can only use ancient metal weapons to resist the images attacking you. Be aware that this is an improved virtual system from the game "Fear"; if you are attacked by them, the damage you sustain will exceed that of reality.

Now announcing the three-month training objectives for Private Tang Long! 1: Develop courage, 2: Enhance physical fitness, 3: Improve evasion skills. If there are any questions, please raise them immediately! This statement was made by an unknown robot; I did not see anyone's mouth moving.

He has been living a life that is inhumane for the past month. The attacks from those virtual monsters not only cause him pain, but the insects that touch him create a particularly vivid sensation of slimy disgust. Additionally, when the zombies are hacked to death, the splattering of maggots, corpse fluid, and decaying flesh, accompanied by a foul odor, immediately makes him vomit all his stomach acid.

The robot was momentarily taken aback upon hearing this number. Initially, they speculated that Tang Long should be able to eliminate at most 8,604 enemies, based on the calculation of killing 5 enemies per minute. However, they did not expect the actual number to exceed 10,000.

It is fortunate to say that if I did not perform consciousness hypnosis on him every night, he would either be insane or disabled

Tang Long now feels no fear upon seeing these skeletal robots. This month, he has almost been sleeping on corpses, albeit virtual ones, yet they feel incredibly real, complete with the stench of decay and a sticky, nauseating sensation. To him, these skeletal figures are merely tools for scaring children. Thus, filled with anger, he jumps up and swings his knife at the robot.

As Tang Long faced the immense danger of the Houtu, on the planet Rad, billions of light-years away, a woman in an apartment in a certain city anxiously picked up the stereo phone. She was an elegant woman, visibly anxious as she awaited the connection of the call

It seems that our energy cannot sustain us for a year

Tang Long, in a state of panic, moved backward while drawing the pistol from his waist. He raised his hand, aiming to shoot. However, at the moment he pulled the trigger, he noticed a flash of green light in the eye of the skeleton figure. It was a light he was most familiar with, a light that could wake him from nightmares. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly pressed his hand down, stammering, "Hello... hello... Instructor."

The disappearance of the forest did not prompt this person to lift his head, and the arrival of the robot beside him elicited no reaction. Five robotic instructors observed the soldier while listening to the synthesized voice from above: "Player Tang Long, game time 29 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes, and 53 seconds, enemies eliminated: 18,604."

I don't know what happened, but ever since he blew up the dining hall, the power in the hall has been intermittent. The robot instructor did not pursue the matter of him blowing up the dining hall; instead, he equipped him with a handgun. Fortunately, having a gun on him made Tang Long less fearful in the dark. Of course, he did not dare to draw it and shoot casually. He still remembers the consequences of accidentally shooting the instructor a few times yesterday, and just thinking about it makes his calves cramp.

"Impossible! You know that Tang Long is very well-behaved; how could he not contact us for three days? He... could something have happened to him..." The woman said this with a hint of choking in her voice

Tang Long crouched down, one hand pressing on his gun while carefully feeling along the wall, muttering to himself to bolster his courage: "I really don't know which idiot installed the manual door mechanism so low in this base, making me do abdominal exercises right after I just finished eating... Ah, found it." Tang Long exclaimed excitedly as he touched a protrusion.

Tang Long was puzzled as to why the entertainment room did not automatically open when someone approached, requiring manual operation to gain entry. He could only attribute it to a lack of power. Little did he know that the probability of a power failure at a military base was only 0.0001%. To cause a power failure, one would have to destroy the entire base.

Just as Tang Long was feeling panicked and uneasy, a series of clicking sounds came from a distance. From the sound, Tang Long knew it was the noise of robots moving. He quickly widened his eyes and stared into the dark area in front of him.

He did not wish to leave the brightly lit dining hall, but now not only was his room without electricity, he was also uncertain when this dining hall would suddenly lose power and the doors would close. The door that had been blown apart had long been repaired by the automatic restoration device. The only place in the entire base that had electricity was the entertainment room, a place where Tang Long had been once, filled with all kinds of 3D games. It was for this reason that Tang Long dared to venture into the dark hall to reach that entertainment room.

Before long, with the increasingly close sound of footsteps, Tang Long first saw ten flickering green lights, followed by five faintly glowing white skeletons. Upon witnessing that terrifying scene, the gun that Tang Long tightly held in his hand fell to the ground with a loud clatter. However, Tang Long did not attempt to pick it up; he was so frightened that he could not even perform the simple action of closing his eyes.

The woman initially found it hard to accept, but soon came to her senses. For her, as long as her son was safe, she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. Moreover, as her husband said, we are now in a time of peace, and it is a good thing for him to join the army for some training; after all, it does not mean she cannot visit him.

If one were to rely solely on hearing, without seeing the four robots standing completely still, one would certainly think that a few close friends were engaged in a lively discussion about something

Tang Long then remembered that the five individuals before him were different from those zombies that could be smashed to pieces; they were all indestructible and devoid of humanity, robotic officers. Recognizing the situation, he quickly stood up straight and saluted: "Yes, Officer! X & $ @ #" He also recalled that as long as he addressed them as officers first, he could then curse at these guys. Thus, while doing push-ups, he unleashed the profanities he had become thoroughly familiar with over the month.

At this moment, the robot that was escorting Tang Long back to his dormitory emerged, and the four robots from www.hetushu.com stopped their discussion, all turning to look at that robot

Upon seeing that strange green light, Tang Long felt a tingling sensation on his scalp and quickly got up to stand respectfully to the side, not daring to move

Hehe, it seems that Tang Long is quite impressive, having stayed in "Fear" for a month without any apparent aftereffects

Oh? Soft-bodied organisms and fictional ghosts? The robot instructor, with a very human-like gesture, crossed its arms over its chest and stroked its metallic chin with its snow-white bony hand

However, although the metal knife is polished to resemble a laser knife on the surface, it is not one. Therefore, apart from the clanging sounds of impact, there is also a sensation akin to numbness in Tang Long's hands, as the metal of the robot is not just ordinary hard.

Very well, now you can take a break. For the next two months starting tomorrow, we will conduct a training program that combines evasive maneuvers and physical conditioning training said the robotic instructor coldly

"Alright, please wait a moment." The female officer, still smiling and showing no change in expression, paused for just a moment before saying: "We have found the information. Tang Long, male, from Sector 0125 of Rad Star, born in the year 3414 of the Cosmic Era. Three days ago, he joined the Federal Army on Keira Planet and is currently undergoing military training"

The woman was momentarily taken aback by her husband's serious expression; she had never seen him look so grave. Although she did not know what had happened, she nodded in understanding for the sake of their son's safety

A few hours later, the middle-aged man appeared beside the woman and explained the meaning of SS to her, which left her astonished. They decided not to inquire about their son for the time being, yet they found it strange; they knew their son best, so how could such an ordinary boy be involved in matters of SS level?

In fact, Tang Long's parents were overly concerned. It was previously mentioned that the federal terminal computer is an intelligent computer, and 'she' has only five friends, the robots that have lived the same number of years as 'her'. Since the existence of the 23 Group was discovered hundreds of years ago, which nearly led to its destruction, 'she' designated this 23 Group as a state secret to protect her friends, making it inaccessible to anyone. This time, it was only because Tang Long was the first person to apply to the 23 Group in hundreds of years, leaving traces in the computer, that it could be found. 'She' designated this 23 Group as a state secret to protect her friends, making it inaccessible to anyone. This time, it was only because Tang Long was the first person to apply to the 23 Group in hundreds of years, leaving traces in the computer, that it could be found. However, even if Tang Long's parents wanted to investigate now, they would not be able to, because all the data was modified as soon as 'she' became aware that someone was searching for the 23 Group. Moreover, due to this incident, 'she' developed an interest in Tang Long, the only human to appear in the 23 Group.

The female police officer maintained her smile without moving after saying, "Alright." This time, she remained silent for a longer period. The couple looked at the female officer with unease.

A person dressed in dirty and tattered military uniform, with long hair and a somewhat slender build, sits cross-legged in the center of the hall with his head lowered. In his hand, he grips a metal knife that has become reminiscent of a laser cutter after enduring numerous laser scans. A faint aura of murderous intent emanates from him.

No one answered him. Just as Tang Long was about to ask a question, the dark surroundings began to change, transforming into a gloomy and terrifying forest environment. "This scene is at least slightly better than complete darkness," Tang Long thought with a shiver. But soon, he longed to return to the embrace of darkness.

At this moment, the robot's green electronic eye suddenly turned blue, and ten beams of blue light began to sweep back and forth across Tang Long's body. After ten minutes, Tang Long's somewhat dark and dry skin regained a healthy color. At this point, the robot's blue eye also returned to its green color, although it seemed that the green light was not as bright as before. Finally, one of the robots picked up Tang Long and carried him towards his residence.

Because in addition to this dim environment, there were also some writhing things appearing around. Tang Long focused his gaze and was astonished to find various soft, slippery snakes, disgusting caterpillars, terrifying scorpions, and other soft-bodied crawling creatures. There were also various decayed zombies that he had only seen in 3D movies, and the repulsive corpse worms were crawling all over those zombies' bodies, continuously falling off as the zombies moved.

The middle-aged man opened his mouth in disbelief. He was a businessman of considerable standing, and thus he understood that the ultimate weapon of the nation could only reach Level S with the secret codes. Yet, his son's training camp was unexpectedly at Level SS! What kind of training camp could that be? The businessman’s keen intuition made him feel that his son was caught in a perilous vortex, prompting him to hurriedly stop his wife, who was about to say something, and inform the female police officer that there was nothing to worry about.

These are nothing compared to what I have faced. At first, I was afraid, but over time, I became numb to it. What is infuriating is that these disgusting things follow me relentlessly during meals, bathroom breaks, and sleep. When using the restroom, I have to fend off the zombies that sneak a peek while also being wary of hands reaching out from the toilet. At night, I must remain alert, as a moment's inattention could lead to being devoured in my dreams. Especially during meals, the sight of those corpse worms writhing in the food can make me unable to eat for three days. Although I do not know my current weight, I can be certain that I am now nothing but a human husk. Thus, the enraged Tang Long desperately slashes at the robot to vent his frustration.

Damn it! It's changed again!" Tang Long cursed angrily, realizing that every time he relied on his memory to arrive at what was originally the entrance to the entertainment room, he would find himself in an unknown place. This forced him to wander in the dark, searching through one area of the hall after another.

After casting a glance, Tang Long immediately dashed into the entertainment room like a rabbit, seeking to dispel that ominous feeling through playing games

The last time he found the entertainment room, the break time had already passed, as he had to open each room one by one to check. After that occasion, he shot a few rounds into the corner, but due to the automatic repair device, he could only create a large hole and stuff the discarded energy magazine of the laser gun into it. This way, the automatic repair device would not erase this mark.

The woman, seeing that the female police officer had not yet clarified the situation before disappearing, could not help but ask in dissatisfaction: "What is going on? What is SS level? Where is Tang Long?"

The middle-aged man said with a serious expression: "Do not ask so many questions. When I return, I will explain everything to you. You must remember, if anyone asks where Tang Long has gone, you should say he went to study out of town. No matter who asks, you must respond this way, as it concerns Tang Long's safety. Alright, wait for me at home; I will be back shortly."

You five metal bastards! I curse your 36 generations of ancestors! If I don't tear you apart and sell you as scrap iron in a month, I won't bear the surname Tang!" Tang Long's curses echoed through the forest, accompanied by shouts of: "Die!" "Kill!" "Oh my!" and other angry roars and cries.

"Hehe, I never expected that I, a mere private, could actually be equipped with a firearm." Tang Long said, pressing the laser pistol at his waist, his expression somewhat stiff as he looked at the pitch-black hall.

The woman, who was already in tears, finally thought of this method to confirm her son's safety, and of course, she immediately pressed the button for the video phone. In no time, next to the middle-aged man's image, a female police officer in uniform appeared, smiling as she asked: "Hello, this is the Federal Police Department. How may I assist you?"

Alright, do you want to turn him into a special forces soldier

Although Tang Long faced the things he feared most in his heart, he also knew that fear in this system would only lead to death. As the synthesizing voice from above announced: "The game will start in 10 seconds, please prepare, 10, 9, 8, 7..." Tang Long suddenly jumped up and lunged towards the large knife that was already wrapped in snakes of various sizes.

There is no way around it; this month, I am faced with enemies who cannot speak human language. How can I not curse at them while taking them down? Not speaking for a month would turn one into a mute

"Damn it! Why am I so unlucky?" Tang Long grumbled incessantly while eating the food he had finally earned after completing his training. "How could those perverted instructors use training methods from ancient times? Does anyone still value physical strength in this day and age?"

Without further ado, we will proceed according to the plan. Our only student cannot merely serve as an ordinary soldier; we must enhance his training in overall command capabilities!" This robot is clearly the leader among the five. As he spoke these words with his hands behind his back, the other four stood with their legs together and saluted, saying: "Yes!"

In this era, apart from athletes who undergo intense training, ordinary soldiers do not need to train their physical strength extensively. Nowadays, one can engage in warfare simply by moving their fingers and exercising their minds. Why make it so arduous?

When faced with danger and immense fear, individuals may exhibit two types of responses: one is the loss of self, and the other is the transcendence of self

Three days? The middle-aged man was clearly taken aback by this remark, but quickly added: "I think he might not know where he is having fun, so he has forgotten to call home in his delight, right"

Without thinking, Tang Long immediately screamed upon witnessing such a terrifying scene. The instructor, of course, also raised his whip and struck. Tang Long was chased and whipped several times, yet he still could not calm down, desperately shrinking towards the corner of the wall, wishing he could bury himself within it.

Although Tang Long's consciousness was fading, he was still able to retain a semblance of awareness because those terrifying entities did not approach him. At the same time, he heard the instructor's words. As a gaming enthusiast, he certainly knew about the game "Fear." This game was a product of the virtual reality system that emerged long ago, directly transmitting information to the brain through neural sensations, creating an effect that transcended reality in the scenes faced.

Do not take credit for achievements; in the remaining two months, focus on enhancing his physical training and combat skills. The following months will be dedicated to strategy, naval command, and aerial combat skills

Due to the game's realism surpassing reality, it was abandoned before completion. Later, it was repurposed to create flight and racing games, which similarly caused players to experience death upon failure due to the system that transcended reality. Of course, some also used this system to create adult games, but unfortunately, players were still left exhausted by this terrifying system. This virtual system was also improved, but the enhancements diminished the sense of surpassing reality, transforming it into an ordinary three-dimensional game. Ultimately, the government issued a strict ban on the development of such virtual reality systems, as they were not only dangerous but also blurred the distinction between the real world and the virtual world. Thus, this confined system came to be known as the Grim Reaper System, while the unfinished game "Fear" was referred to as the Grim Reaper Game

The middle-aged man comforted, "Our son is so clever that nothing will happen to him. If something really did happen, the police would have notified us by now. ... ... Well, we might as well file a report. Tang Long has an ID card, so they can quickly find out where he is."

"Tang Long, what are you afraid of?" The robotic instructor also stood with arms crossed, the sound of their skeletal frames colliding sent shivers down Tang Long's spine

So she wiped away her tears and asked the female police officer: "Which training camp is he in?"

Oh my! After being whipped several times, Tang Long, who had not been electrocuted for over twenty days, dropped his large knife and rolled on the ground.

Upon hearing this, Tang Long immediately stood at attention and then collapsed, accompanied by the sound of snoring. It is worth noting that he had not had a single restful sleep for a long time.

It is no wonder that Tang Long is complaining; he has been at this base for three days, enduring daily exercises such as weighted running, swimming, sit-ups, push-ups, and inverted pull-ups. Moreover, the training is not tailored to assess Tang Long's physical capabilities. After the robot issues terrifying targets, if Tang Long fails to meet them, he faces punishment. For instance, when it comes to push-ups, the command is for 100 repetitions; failure to comply results in no food and a whipping. Tang Long is astonished that he has managed to survive until now.

The woman knew that this was a virtual person, controlled by a computer, so she did not hold back and said: "My son is missing, and his ID number is LADE0125TANGLONG34140531221." The woman had memorized the number perfectly while assisting her son in applying for the ID card.

This is not enough; I have many more things I want to hand over to him, such as courses on psychological control, espionage courses, and so on

Equally uncertain of which robot spoke these words, the five skeletons left behind a metal sword after their voices faded and then vanished into the darkness

After a long pause, the female officer shook her head: "I’m sorry, the confidentiality level of the training camp he is in is classified as SS, and even the Federal Marshal cannot know. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

When Tang Long counted to 1, he picked up the knife and turned to run. This was because the previously motionless objects began to emit terrifying sounds and lunged towards him

The ominous feeling grew even stronger as Tang Long hesitated to step outside. Suddenly, the power in the game room went out, plunging the entire base into darkness. Startled, Tang Long hurriedly gripped his handgun tightly.