He doesn't know if it was because of good deeds that changed his luck, or because of the special effect of Reze's bomb devil, but the next day, the Internet café successfully welcomed a new customer.
A short-haired woman in uniform walked in.
Her presence could be seen as balancing the male-female ratio at the second branch. Since its opening, all new customers had been male. These people either fought every day or locked themselves in Titanfall to study Titans and practice against computers to improve their combat effectiveness.
Now that a newcomer had arrived, Liu Yuan was delighted.
Seeing someone coming in, Reze knew it was time for her to work. Drawing on her experience in controlling her expression, she approached the new guest and spoke, "Hello, this is the 4-D Internet Café, where you can satisfy all your desires: strength, knowledge, or powerful equipment and technology."
The woman named Gentiane looked at the layout of the Internet café and the information on the wall screen, her expression curious.
"Can I get everything? If I say I want to have a thrilling command on the battlefield without danger and without dying, can I do it?"
"Of course!"
Although Reze had not been exposed to many games, she had memorized a lot through learning after Leticia's teachings these past days. Despite never having attended school or been exposed to games and cultural knowledge like her peers, she could make any guest believe what she said, relying on her understanding, memory, and expression control ability.
Liu Yuan had commented that in Reze, he had found a treasure.
Unlike Chelsea's Gaia Foundation, this was an ability Reze had trained through hellish practice. However, unlike the past, when Reze could do anything to accomplish a task, her shyness now only surfaced for Denji.
At this time, Leticia added, "Whether it's a super-large war over continental disputes, an infiltration war, commanding mechanical operations, or driving mecha, this Internet café can meet your needs. And after successfully completing the game, you can even take out the things in these games."
"Oh? It feels like... a jack of all trades."
"You could think of it that way, but the jack of all trades pays for services, and here, you may be able to get these services just by spending money."
While the 4-D Internet Café is similar to a jack of all trades, offering to fulfill your desires for a price, here, you can also spend money just to play games or even to work.
Look at Ganyu in the No. 1 store. For several months, she has worked here every day. Only when Zhongli invites her does she take a break to play some games, and even then, she returns to work after relaxing.
A workaholic like that... he didn't know what to say.
Gentiane was intrigued by what Leticia and Reze had said. She didn't understand why she had suddenly appeared in this place. She was clearly sitting in a car, preparing to join Griffin as a commander, but she ended up here?
Dream? Virtual? It didn't matter. It would be best if it were real. If it's fake, she'd just treat it as leisure time here.
Reze had mastered the process of leading people. Under her guidance, Gentiane sat down on a chair.
Looking at the computer and the host, she felt a bit curious. Could she really gain power just by indulging in the cafe?
As she pondered this, she looked around. The people nearby were wearing strange glasses. Their bodies didn't move at all, but the monitors displayed scenes that looked like their own battles.
"Interesting..."
Through Reze's introduction, Gentiane came to understand this technology. Virtual reality? Or full immersion? She wasn't a scientific researcher and didn't understand these.
There weren't many games in the Internet café yet, but the game categories covered a wide range.
Red Alert 2?
Gentiane almost wanted to ask if there was Red Alert 1, but she suppressed the thought.
Reze could tell that this player, Gentiane, was likely very experienced. Given her experience, the basic Red Alert wouldn't be suitable; a mod version would be better.
Which plot in the mod would be appropriate? Got it: Mental Omega, the Foehn Line, or the Yunru Line.
With this in mind, Reze helped Gentiane start up Mental Omega and enter the Foehn Line mission "The Remnant." She hadn't had the time to play this game herself, but when Liu Yuan had personally taught her various game details, he had emphasized one point.
"Red Alert is a very special game. If you want to start from scratch, you can play it from the beginning, whether it's the normal plot, the Mental Omega line, or other series. But if customers want to experience the big scene right away and want to pass the level normally, then 'The Remnant' of the Foehn Campaign' in Mental Omega is definitely the most exciting."
As the game began, accompanied by a strange electronic sound, Gentiane received information from her teammates.
"This is Hope Point; we'll build a line of defense here."
"According to intelligence, this was one of the last few surviving military fortresses of the U.S. military."
"Although it wasn't affected by the Soviet offensive, it was eventually controlled and recaptured by Yuri's PsiCorps."
The players of the Foehn Line were no longer ordinary commanders but special commanders assisted by VOLKNET. All troops, including Yunru, trusted the player unconditionally, and all the player had to do was lead Foehn to victory.
In addition, the commander of the Foehn Line had a significant advantage: all unlockable technologies were unlocked, and all the troops of the faction were available.
For the sake of ultimate freedom, the soldiers' morale was extremely high.
But the price was that the enemy they faced was the entire world.
Gentiane looked at the game's plot. According to the plot introduction, the Air Force landed a group of semi-mechanical soldiers behind enemy lines. The task was to start with these soldiers in the front-line troops.
As the commander, she would receive all the intelligence analyzed by VOLKNET. Her only task was to win at all costs. Compared with other storylines, the commander in this one had almost no room for mistakes because the soldiers were finite, and once they were gone, they were truly gone.
Gentiane smiled as she quickly absorbed the intelligence.
"We can do a good job."
Every commander hopes that one day they can control a war, and Gentiane was no exception. She had thought the game was a simple point-and-click, but after entering it, she found the experience incredibly realistic.
Whether it was the smoke on the battlefield or the shouts of the soldiers and the armored forces constantly charging.
Why is the chapter of "The Remnant" so suitable for beginners who want to experience a large-scale battle?
First, the mission difficulty is simple. As long as you don't rush in recklessly, this level is almost a free win.
Second, there are teammates. Even if you make mistakes, your teammates will help you pass the level.
The most crucial point is the unconditional trust of your teammates. In other faction levels, you have nothing in the early stages and know nothing in the later stages.
Other levels still require a bit of strategy, but this one is straightforward.
"I don't know who I am, and I don't know where I am, but I just want to kill a lot."
The more Gentiane engaged with the game, the more immersed she became. As a commander, she was growing numb to this battle.
Through the communication channel, she heard soldiers from various countries talking. Some hoped to see their wives and daughters after gaining freedom, while others just wanted to survive.
The soldiers' fear, anger, and willingness to do anything to achieve their goals when orders were issued made her wonder about the game's backstory and why these people were fighting so desperately.
Reminders from VOLKNET and the girl named Yunru forced Gentiane to refocus.
As the battlefield commander, a team of soldiers who had landed in the rear successfully infiltrated the enemy's energy system. With the system paralyzed, these semi-mechanical soldiers began their assault.
Under the cover of machines, Yuri's troops were easily torn apart like paper.
But then, Gentiane noticed that her soldiers had rebelled.
"What's going on?"
At that moment, the soldiers in the communication system became unresponsive and started shouting in unison.
"For Lord Yuri!"
"For Lord Yuri."
"We... failed."
Yunru's tired voice carried a hint of relief. If possible, she would have liked to maintain her free will, but now, it was too late.
"No! There's still a chance, still..."
VOLKNET AI immediately denied Gentiane's statement: "The mission has failed."
With those words, Gentiane's vision went dark. But then, she felt a powerful wave hit her mind. After her thoughts became chaotic for a while, she finally understood what everyone was resisting.
In that moment, she felt her consciousness no longer belonged to her, her mind enslaved by another.
It was astonishing that, even while clearly aware of her body in the real world, Gentiane in the game had successfully immersed herself completely.
Just then, Yunru said with a bit of excitement, "Everyone, cheer up, we haven't lost yet."
VOLKNET also lit up on all commander systems at that time.
"Communication signal received."
"Not all troops encountered accidents; only those close to the fortress were affected by the psychic power."
"Locate the source, determine the position of the psychic beacon, and the core of the Antarctic psychic control network. It is not fully operational for unknown reasons."
"If that's the case, we might have a way to break free from the psychic control."
"Destroying the psychic beacon can disrupt the psychic control wave long enough for us to break free from it."
"But we must speed up our actions and choose a location to deploy our troops."
At that moment, Gentiane's vision lit up, and two optional positions appeared on the map. One of these two positions would be commanded by her, and the other would be taken over by VOLKNET.
At the same time, a large number of troops on the front battlefield also rushed in. Gentiane and VOLKNET, who were on the side battlefield, had to attack from the flank and destroy the enemy's psychic beacon.
Gentiane chose the lower-left corner to attack. When Gentiane and VOLKNET were in position, Yunru's information appeared on the communication.
"I didn't save my family before. To be honest, I don't know if I can save everyone."
Gentiane almost instinctively replied, "I can."
As the highest-ranking commander under Yunru, this statement was like a shot of adrenaline, exciting everyone. According to the game settings, all the soldiers in Yunru's line were trained by the joint efforts of Gentiane and VOLKNET.
They trust their commander, and when the commander made this confident statement, morale peaked.
Yunru was silent for a moment and then replied, "The troops have arrived. Here... I leave it to you."
A real-time monitoring map appeared in Gentiane's view, marking the positions of the troops under her command.
However, when she saw the vehicle she was commanding, she exclaimed excitedly.
"Damn, this is so cool! Is this technology from the last century?"
Artillery, mastodon, giant crocodile vehicle—these vehicles, which look impressive and powerful, were simply exhilarating. Although they were few in number, they gave Gentiane a sense of power.
The feeling of command was also very satisfying. She could give an order and see the result, or she could micromanage and give orders to each soldier. The degree of execution and morale of the soldiers determined whether the command was successful.
But because of Gentiane's speech, the soldiers under her command all chose to trust her.
While controlling these weapons, VOLKNET sent all the weapon data. Additionally, local weather and gravity effects, which could affect the outcome of the battle, were also provided.
The battle ended quickly. With her command experience, Gentiane easily won after understanding the mission objectives and the data of her subordinates.
After all, this time she was not only the commander, but VOLKNET, Rashidi, and the Pacific Front forces were all besieging this point together. Even if she had stayed where she was and did not command anything, she could still have won.
Looking at the victory and clearance information, Gentiane fell silent.
This game is too real. If her real body hadn't kept reminding her that this is just a game and that it is virtual, she might have completely immersed herself in it.
After finishing the game, she took off her glasses and stared at the data on the screen for a long time.
"Huh..."
She took a deep breath, then raised her hand and waved.
Reze immediately stopped studying and came over. "Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Excuse me... Is there a more realistic experience in this game?"
Reze turned to look at Leticia, and Leticia poked Liu Yuan.
Red Alert has realism difficulty, but in addition to realism difficulty, there is a more special option.
Liu Yuan looked at Gentiane and introduced: "Did you see the highest difficulty? Select it, then choose a campaign to start. Before entering the game, turn off file load, turn off restart, turn off all background settings, and completely substitute yourself with your own data. But even Schwi and Shiro will not choose this mode. Front-row reminder: the knowledge you bring over in the realism mode will also affect the outcome of this world."
Realism simulation, no save and loading in reality. The plot mode cannot be selected, and turning on Realism Substitution mode will make you forget your body in the outside world. Even if you are prepared, you will doubt whether you have traveled into a different world.
Schwi and Shiro have super high computing power, and they can complete the game by themselves without any problems. But the issue is that both of them have strong dependencies. Without Riku or Sora, most of their strength is wasted.
Everyone comes to play the game to get rewards, all aiming for the highest. It is more real than a game. The rewards are the same, so those who get rewards are too lazy to do it again.
Everyone enjoys the realism mode, but everyone is afraid of the realism substition experience.
However, Gentiane hoped to participate in the realistic command of large-scale battles. The more realistic the command, the happier she was. After all, command experience needs war to nourish it. At the same time, she was also curious about how real the game could get in this mode, and whether it could make her cry.
Gentiane opened this abnormal difficulty. Without hesitation, she directly chose the Burning Wind line. She remembered the name. Yunru—although she had not seen her in person—when she saw the words about her family not being saved, she decided to help the girl.
In a mysterious base, Gentiane woke up. She realized she was playing a game, but the real sensations around her reminded her that this was no game. At the same time, her sensitivity to the outside world was so low that she couldn't really sense it without concentrating.
But she looked around, and it seemed that she was not in the command room but rather in a place that felt like imprisonment. Looking around, she saw that many people had been captured.
"Where is this?"
Gentiane looked around in surprise and observed carefully. This should be a laboratory. Wasn't she supposed to be the commander? Why was she here?
Just as she was thinking, there was a burst of gunfire and screams outside. As the noise ended, a team of soldiers in special combat uniforms rushed in. The soldiers quickly destroyed all the defense facilities inside, and the two teams of soldiers split into two groups. One of the teams came toward Gentiane.
"Commander Gentiane, we are late."
She understood the general situation. Her background setting must be that of a captured commander, and then she was rescued and began to command the forces.
"Dr. Yunru has been found. The Gale Squad is ready to bring everyone back."
"Not yet..."
"We can't go."
The rescued Yunru looked at the soldiers around and said, "The entrance has been surrounded; we can't go back the same way."
Yunru adjusted her position and said, "It doesn't matter. We were going to explore this facility anyway."
One of the team members asked, "What do you mean? Were you brought in through another entrance?"
At this moment, a plot suddenly formed in Gentiane's mind, and she nodded.
"Yes, this is a large laboratory. We must find out what is being studied here. Team Gale, you are now temporarily under the command of Commander Gentiane."
"Yes!"
Gentiane was well-known. It was rumored that she was the top commander under Wu Xiurong and even considered a genius commander surpassing Wu Xiurong. It was because Yunru and Gentiane were captured at the same time that Wu Xiurong sent his team, the Feng Squad, to rescue these two important people.
Thus, Gentiane's real game journey began. She spent the entire day exploring the basement, which was Yuri's large laboratory. A large number of civilians were used for experiments here. The purpose and results of the experiments were extremely sinister, and the conspiracy surrounding this world deeply troubled Gentiane as a player.
During this process, they rescued a large number of captured soldiers. These soldiers were of different nationalities and beliefs, but after witnessing Epsilon's evil plans, they all joined the temporary team.
The team grew larger, but casualties increased as well.
Soldiers died from poison gas and traps. Reality offered Gentiane few choices.
This is why few people play the realism difficulty. Everyone enjoys challenging the difficulty of reality, but reality itself is already very harsh, and there is no need to experience a more painful reality in the virtual world.
The death of teammates in the real environment did not lessen the emotional impact at all.
Throughout the journey, she experienced the cruelty of war more deeply. Originally, she was just a new commander on the edge of Griffin's influence. Seeing her good performance, the superiors had assigned her to the S9 area as a formal doll commander.
She had once imagined commanding a major war, and the battle at the end of the world had inflated her confidence, making her believe she would definitely play a significant role on the battlefield one day.
But now, witnessing Yuri's plan to control the world, seeing teammates who had just relieved stress by teasing each other become enemies, and watching civilians transformed into monsters, her heart was shaken.
She was fortunate. Half an hour before the store closed, she and Yunru successfully fought their way out of the underground laboratory.
However, her game process was not over; the time in the game had stopped, and the save file had been created. Next time she returned, she would start from this point and continue to complete the mission as a commander.
She was deeply shocked. Even when she returned to the real world and saw her teammates die, her heart was still racing. Everything felt too real, so real that it didn't seem like a game.
At that moment, she finally understood why it was said that she could gain power and everything here. After experiencing this reality, even if she couldn't gain anything materially, the spiritual impact was profound.
As she was adjusting her mood, Kisara came over, handed her a glass of water, and asked, "How do you feel?"
"It's too real, so real that I doubt if it's the real world."
"This is my personal experience! Just treat it as a real world and life experience. But here's a little trick for skipping levels: although you can't bring items from the outside world into the game, things in your mind can be displayed there."
This familiar sentence made Gentiane think. Her mind was racing. At the same time, she downloaded TT at Kisara's suggestion and went to the forum to find various strategies.
While checking the strategies, she discovered a very interesting way to pass the level.
This was the Red Alert Realism Difficulty Passing Strategy written by Schwi.
The plot of each chapter in realism difficulty is interrelated. Although you can't bring things from the outside, if you have a sharp mind, you can directly play the last level of the game, record all the new technologies, and then play the first level and bring them there, which will have a significant impact on the future.
However, according to Schwi, both the Soviet Army and the Allied Forces were infiltrated by Yuri early on. If you take out new technologies, you probably won't be able to use them yourself, and they will become someone else's. There is no point in bringing them out in the mid-term because these technologies have already started to be developed by then.
The best way is to bring technology from outside. According to Schwi's tests, as long as the external technology is kept under your attention, some unexpected things will happen before the final battle.
Seeing this, Gentiane paused. After all, it is a game. Although she wanted to read the strategy, she didn't want to spoil it to herself.
Just then, the store closing time arrived. Gentiane, who returned to her own world, found that she was still in the car. The car was still heading to the Griffin S9 area to become a commander.
Whether it was Liu Yuan, Kisara, or others, they all emphasized that real-world knowledge could be brought in, so what could she bring from her own world?
Her mind was racing, and as she thought, she saw the tactical dolls patrolling the street. Her eyes lit up.
"Yes! I can bring this in. Wait, if I bring these in and bring this technology back after certain developments, will it improve the performance of the tactical dolls?"
The answer was feasible. According to her experience playing Red Alert, Yunru would be able to create highly intelligent artificial intelligence in the future. Unlike the tactical dolls in her world, this artificial intelligence would have command capabilities equal to her own.
During the battle, she noticed that the troops commanded by VOLKNET had similar casualties to hers but had killed one-third more enemies.
If this command ability could be integrated into the tactical dolls and used on the battlefield... could she, as the commander, slack off in the future?
But now she still had a doubt: could the tactical dolls in her world... enter that internet cafe to directly exercise their computing capabilities?
When she considered this possibility, Gentiane suddenly had a bold idea.