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墨書 Inktalez
Although Chen Rui had numerous grievances against Li Li, both professionally and personally, he had to comply with Li Li's request to inspect the Third and Fourth Worlds for a period of time to ensure the normal operation of the Dream World.
The Third World went online the fastest, officially launching just eight days after the G40 summit. In fact, the testing was completed within five days; the delay was due to an overwhelming number of applicants flooding the Dream World Third World review office with registration forms from people across various continents and countries.
The phenomenon Chen Rui observed was not limited to China. Thanks to the reputation of Dawn Group, many executives from different companies were tempted to give it a try. After all, being in management meant they could quickly rise through the ranks even if they started from scratch.
However, those who had truly failed in their careers saw these former winners joining in, which dampened their enthusiasm for applying. As a result, the disadvantaged groups who could genuinely benefit from this opportunity were few.
Eventually, after being overwhelmed by the influx of applications, the review office announced new regulations: applicants must have been unemployed for at least six months to be considered for approval. Previous applications were disregarded, and any future applicants who did not meet this requirement would be automatically disqualified.
Finally, this farce came to an end on the eighth day after the G40 summit, as the first batch of Trainees boarded the nuclear-powered cruise ship The Other Shore.
The Other Shore was previously seen as an aircraft carrier without a bridge. Its upper flight deck was designed for transporting supplies, while its lower levels were not much different from those of ordinary giant cruise ships, yet it was immensely large.
The Other Shore had a standard displacement of 6,000 tons and a full-load displacement of 908,500 tons, capable of carrying 7,000 passengers along with 8,500 crew members. With sufficient supplies, it could sail continuously for twenty-five days; under conditions of continuous resupply, it could essentially cruise indefinitely. The flight deck on top was specifically prepared for supply aircraft since meeting the living needs of 7,000 people was no small feat.
As Security Director and the ship's captain, Chen Rui naturally had to accompany the massive vessel on its journey. However, he never expected that upon stepping onto The Other Shore's deck, he would encounter a face so familiar that he felt an urge to punch it.
"Hi! Captain Chen! I'm here for an inspection! But I didn't expect you to arrive later than me; we're about to set sail! Is it really acceptable for a captain to board so late?" Li Li taunted mischievously.
Chen Rui ignored him and followed the First Officer who had come to greet him. "Has everyone boarded? Time is running out! This is a moment that the whole world is watching; we cannot afford any mistakes!"
The First Officer saluted seriously and reported as he followed Chen Rui. "The first batch of Trainees totals 192,827 people; currently, we have 191,305 on board. The remaining are mostly uncontactable."
Without pausing his stride, Chen Rui walked directly to the lift area to enter the ship. "Those uncontactable are likely those who changed their minds about coming. How many people are on board? How many stayed in Kiribati? Are all staff members in place?"
A group followed Chen Rui to the lift area where the duty guard notified the control room to activate the elevator. They descended together in a massive freight elevator.
"All staff members are in position; you're the last one," said the First Officer, unable to resist glancing at Chen Rui again. He wondered whether Chen Rui had intentionally arrived so late or if he was simply too busy. "Since this is our first voyage, there are only 5,000 Trainees on board; everyone else has been arranged at Kiribati's Ground Base."
"Whatever, it doesn't make much difference anyway." Chen Rui walked into the command room, tossing his trench coat to a nearby guard, and headed straight to the main control console. He looked at the D Projection before him, his brows slowly furrowing.
Due to the overwhelming number of Trainees, only a fortunate few could board The Other Shore, while the rest of the Trainees completed their training missions on the ground base in Kiribati.
Chen Rui frowned because the D Projection displayed helicopter after helicopter, all news choppers preparing to follow The Other Shore as it was about to sail out of the strait and into the airspace over the Pacific, filled with reporters and cameras.
"Can we get rid of these people? How can we set sail like this?" Chen Rui asked with a frown.
The First Officer shrugged, indicating helplessness. After all, they were reporters, not enemies; it was impossible to use air defense weapons against them.
"Most of them are here to capture the departure scene. After all, helicopters can't follow us on our entire journey."
Chen Rui sighed and said with a bitter smile, "I'm really afraid that some shameless ones will insist on following us. What if we run low on fuel and have to request an emergency landing? Can we refuse?"
Upon hearing this, the First Officer immediately snapped back to reality. After saluting, he said, "I'll send someone to handle it. We absolutely cannot allow this situation to occur."
Chen Rui glanced at the time on the projection; there were thirty-seven minutes left until departure. It was noon on January 1st, 2007. Soon, the Third World would officially go online, and The Other Shore carrying these fifty thousand trained 'elites' would set sail.
"Hopefully, nothing unexpected happens," Chen Rui sighed, feeling the weight on his shoulders heavy. After all, he had never experienced such a high position before; even memories of it felt somewhat unreal.
Li Li placed a hand on Chen Rui's shoulder. "Don't worry; I'm here. What could possibly go wrong!?"
Chen Rui shot him a glare and retorted angrily, "You being here is the biggest surprise. I see you not only want me to enter the Third World; you probably won't just sit idly by outside either."
Li Li laughed heartily, hands clasped behind his back as he looked down at the massive platform below the command room. "That's right."
Chen Rui let out a deep sigh, feeling helpless against the person before him. He couldn't stop him; not even as captain could he do so.
As the time arrived, The Other Shore departed on schedule from Giant Gorge, passing beneath the two pillars of Giant Tower, exiting Kiribati and entering the Pacific.
Meanwhile, all the Trainees also logged into the Dream World—Third World. At this stage, the scale of Third World was roughly equivalent to that of a provincial area, considering there were fewer than twenty thousand Trainees. Even using a world-class map would be a waste.
The original intention of pulling this group into the dream was to allow them to experience a second life, helping those who had been defeated in the real world regain their confidence and rekindle their passion, enabling them to face reality once more and turn their dire situations around.
Thus, the setting of Third World was quite unrealistic; on a land area of two hundred thousand square kilometers, there was only one highest authority—the Academy.
The Trainees were naturally students of this Academy. However, based on classification, Trainees in different situations would be assigned to different factions, fostering competition among them.
The education here was vastly different from that in reality. Most people here had already undergone some form of education, so employing conventional teaching methods yielded no significant results. Instead, the education adopted a military-style management and social teaching approach.
In simpler terms, these Trainees needed to engage in a series of activities here: learning, training, working, and living—things that may or may not exist in the real world.
The graduation criteria were straightforward; it wasn't about completing a set number of years but rather achieving a certain level of self-breakthrough. Once confirmed by the assessment team, they could graduate.
Upon entering the dream, the subjects found themselves directly in the central area of the Academy, which was the main city zone. Here lay a vast lawn covering approximately five hundred thousand square meters, with a towering Viewing Platform about thirty meters high at the front.
At this moment, the subjects were all dressed in standardized uniforms. However, "standardized" only referred to style; depending on their country or region, the colors and decorations of the uniforms varied.
Chen Rui and Li Li also entered the Dream World from the lounge in the command center. After entering, they were directly teleported next to the Viewing Platform.
Having twenty thousand people appear on this lawn created some chaos; some individuals even wandered off instead of standing still, which left Chen Rui feeling somewhat dissatisfied.
Li Li patted Chen Rui and laughed, "Don't frown. You look older because you always frown."
With that said, Li Li stepped onto the Viewing Platform first. At that moment, almost everyone had a window appear before them that displayed real-time footage from atop the Viewing Platform. Such technology could only manifest within dreams at this stage; creating such an enormous single-unit 3D projection was incredibly challenging.
"Everyone!" Li Li said with a smile, "I am Li Li."
As soon as Li Li spoke, the chaotic situation improved significantly. Almost no one was whispering anymore; all eyes were fixed on the projection in front of them, trying to understand why Li Li was appearing here.
"As part of the opening ceremony, it seems that your Vice Principal is somewhat dissatisfied with your current state, which is why he is standing offstage and unwilling to come up."
With a wave of her hand, the projection changed to show Chen Rui standing below the Viewing Platform. The clear image even captured the furrowed brows on Chen Rui's forehead, causing all the Trainees to involuntarily worry and reflect on whether they had done anything out of line moments ago.
"Actually, I'm not very good at speeches either," Li Li said with a smile. "Since no one has offered any words of encouragement, let's get straight to the point. The numbers on your chests are your lifetime identification numbers within this learning district, valid until you leave. You will be divided into different teams for your studies here, and I hope you all have a smooth learning experience."
As soon as Li Li finished speaking, several men in black coats appeared among the crowd. Each man angrily shouted at the group of Trainees in front of them, "Damn it, a bunch of undisciplined fools! Everyone stand at attention! Turn left and march!"
Li Li walked down from the Viewing Platform and looked at the chaotic crowd on the lawn. She turned to Chen Rui and asked with a smile, "Was it your suggestion to adopt the Chinese military style?"
Chen Rui shrugged with a smile. "How could it be my suggestion? This was clearly a consensus reached by those above us. By the way, where are you looking now?!"
Li Li glanced at the row of beautiful women in the front and laughed, "Did the fashion designer hit their head? Who gave them such audacity to approve these outfits?"
Chen Rui took a look at the female trainees' clothing. There didn't seem to be any major issues—except that the hems were about fifteen to twenty centimeters above their knees...
Chen Rui sighed and chuckled, "Well, it's neither formal wear nor training gear, so it shouldn't get out, right? And I’m not taking the blame for this; I really had no idea!"
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