Chu Yao sat back in her command room chair, sipped some coffee, and stared at the big hologram screen in the middle. It displayed the tactical map of the areas reclaimed from the game invaders. Though she should have been focused on the meeting, her mind couldn't help wandering back eleven years...
Back then, they were just five examinees struggling through virtual assessments. Who could have imagined that just a few years later, they would be at the forefront of the fight against game invaders?
She let out a soft sigh and turned to look at Hua Ruobing sitting beside her. Hua Ruobing, now a tactical advisor, wore her long hair in a tidy ponytail. She looked composed, yet the well-known sharp glint remained in her eyes.
Many years ago, Liu'an Online successfully invaded a corner of the real world, turning the East Coast into a wasteland. "But the authorities covered it up. Even Hua Ruobing, the only survivor who managed to escape, had her memories blocked by hypnosis," Chu Yao thought to herself. She was one of the few who knew the truth, but back then, as an ordinary examinee, all she could do was stay by Hua Ruobing's side.
Later, the arrival of Lin Yuan, Gu Changfeng, and Shen Haotian livened up her world. Lin Yuan was always laid-back, yet infuriatingly reliable in battles. Gu Changfeng talked big, but he was smart and always helped when needed. Shen Haotian was reliable. He grumbled about the others making a racket, but he put up with them anyway.
Remembering the scene of them feasting in the cafeteria after their first team assessment victory, Chu Yao couldn't help but smile. They were so naive back then, thinking the so - called "game" was just an assessment system, believing that winning competitions would prove their excellence and secure them good jobs in the future.
All that changed until Hua Ruobing's memories began to resurface... When Hua Ruobing contacted the authorities before the final assessment, confirmed her memories, and learned the truth, Chu Yao first felt the world crumbling around her. The game invasion would one day break out in full force. The evaluations they took part in were simply covert experiments by the authorities to cultivate resistors. Xu Xingchen, it turned out, had been an agent of the authorities from the very beginning.
Eleven years had passed. Now, they stood on the real battlefield.
"Which area should we counterattack next?" Shen Haotian asked in a low voice as he opened the battle report. "Area C. If we can reclaim it, our safe zone will expand by 30%," Gu Changfeng analyzed. But then, with a smirk, he changed the tone, "But honestly, I'm more curious about where Lin Yuan went to be a farmer."
Chu Yao chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe he's off in the middle of nowhere, chilling on a farm, sipping tea, enjoying sunrises and sunsets, and fooling around with farm animals all day."
Hua Ruobing shook her head. "He'll never stick to farming."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the command room relaxed. The four of them shared a smile. They were more mature than eleven years ago, their faces marked by the scars of war, and their bodies stronger. The bond in their teamwork and the cheer among them endured. No matter how tough things got, they'd keep standing their ground. It was a duty they embraced with all their hearts.
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楚瑶靠在指挥室的座椅上,端起咖啡轻抿了一口,目光落在中央的全息投影屏幕上.那是目前从游戏入侵者,夺回区域的战术地图,明明应该专注于会议内容,她的思绪却不由自主地飘回到十一年前...
那时的他们,还只是五个在虚拟考核里摸爬滚打的考生,谁能想到,短短几年后,他们会站在对抗游戏入侵者的最前线?
她轻叹了一口气,侧头看向坐在旁边的华若冰.华若冰如今是战术顾问,一头长发利落地束起,神情沉稳,目光中却仍带着那丝熟悉的锋芒.
多年前,"六安Online"成功入侵了现实世界的一角,东海岸成为废土.
"但官方压下了这件事,包括唯一成功逃出来的幸存者,华若冰,也被催眠封锁了记忆." 楚瑶心中低语.她是少数知情的人之一,但当时的她,也不过是个普通的考核生,能做的只有尽量陪伴着华若冰.
后来,林远,顾长风,沈昊天的加入,让她的世界变得热闹起来.
林远,一个总是吊儿郎当,战斗时却可靠得让人想揍他的家伙.
顾长风,表面吹嘘,实则细腻,关键时刻总能挺身而出.
沈昊天,沉稳而有担当,虽然嘴上总嫌弃他们吵闹,实际上一直默默包容着大家.
回想起他们第一次团队考核胜利后在食堂里大吃特吃的场景,楚瑶不禁微微一笑.那时候的他们,真的太单纯了,以为所谓的 "游戏" 就只是个考核系统,以为只要赢了比赛,就能证明自己足够优秀,将来找到个好工作等等.
直到华若冰的记忆开始复苏...
当华若冰在最后一场考核前联络到官方,向他们确认自己的记忆并得到真相时,楚瑶第一次感觉到世界正在崩塌.
游戏入侵,终有一天会全面爆发.
他们所经历的考核,只不过是官方在秘密测试能否培养出抵抗者,而许星辰... 从一开始就是官方的人.
十一年过去了.
现在的他们,已经站在了真正的战场上.
"下次该从哪个区域反攻?" 沈昊天翻开作战报告,低沉地问道.
"C区吧,那片区域如果能收复,我们的安全区能扩大三成." 顾长风分析着,但片刻后又嘴角一扬,换了个语气调侃道:"不过比起这个,我更想知道林远那家伙,到底跑到哪儿去种田了?"
楚瑶噗嗤一笑,顺势接话:"谁知道呢,也许真在某个犄角旮旯里盖了个农场,每天喝着茶,看着日出日落,逗着鸡鸭鱼鹅呢."
华若冰忍不住摇头:"依我看,他不像是能安心种田的人."
指挥室里,气氛短暂地放松下来,四人相视一笑.
他们的身影比十一年前更加成熟,面庞上多了些战火的痕迹,身体也更加强壮了,但那份并肩作战的默契,以及彼此间的笑声,依旧如当年那般.
不管未来如何,他们都会继续战斗下去.
因为,这是他们的使命.