Chapter 658: Chapter 625: Weapons Made of Ice
Virtual World, “Paradise” amusement park.
With no outsiders around, or rather, no real-world outsiders, the roommates lost all reserve and swarmed over Shuihua, bombarding her with excited questions.
Although they had been sufficiently tormented by Shuihua’s requests for leave and sneaking out during class to play on her mobile phone, they were well aware that Shuihua was a passionate gamer.
But they didn’t know that Shuihua was actually an expert!
Usually, when Shuihua talked about her gaming experiences, she mostly said she was bullied by others and was not very good.
It turns out she was just tricking them!
Her cover was finally blown today!
“Tell us! Why did you deceive us? You’re actually an expert, aren’t you!”
——I really am not…
“I knew it! Lance is already a professional player, and since you guys are childhood friends, you must be not far behind him, right?”
——I’d also like to say so, but…
“Amazing! How did you do it?”
——Actually, I didn’t do anything…
Looking at the chirping roommates, Shuihua laughed awkwardly.
“…I just got lucky.”
“How is that possible? With hundreds of millions of players in Cloud Dream, there are less than 2000 honorary players, right? You’re too modest.” One roommate shook her head and argued knowingly.
Shuihua didn’t know how to explain that she really was just lucky…
Back in the “Assassins’ Alliance” Freedom Day Event, she hitched a few free rides and got this title.
At that time, it wasn’t even called an [Honorary Player], but a [Metropolis Honorary Citizen].
Originally, everyone thought that over time, this status would become less and less valuable.
But who would have thought that not only did this status not depreciate, it became even rarer!
During this short delay, not only the roommates but also the other classmates gathered around one by one, making a scene, causing Shuihua to lose her temper.
Fortunately, the PE teacher appeared quickly and rescued Shuihua, who was surrounded by the crowd—
“Students! Free activities are now available! In half an hour, gather at the entrance of the Ecological Protection Zone! Students who don’t know how to operate the panel to see the map, please stay behind. The rest can be dismissed!”
In the virtual world, there is no need to worry about students getting lost, so the activities can be planned much more relaxed.
Shuihua quickly pulled a few roommates away from the main group and started strolling around the amusement park.
She skillfully bought various delicious snacks and shared them with her roommates.
While passing by a family of three elephants, she expertly stroked the elephant’s trunk, waited for it to sit down, and then pulled a brave roommate to climb onto its back. She also sent the other two roommates onto another elephant, and they rode the elephants around for a long time before they got off, satisfied, and went to ride the roller coaster.
If it weren’t for the fact that half an hour was too short, Shuihua would have even teamed up with her roommates to play a few rounds on the Candy Track.
…
Half an hour went by in a flash. When Shuihua brought her roommates, each carrying a giant panda cub, to the entrance of the ecological protection zone, it immediately caused a sensation.
Everyone excitedly ran over and took turns reaching out to touch the soft giant panda cubs.
Hearing the excited discussions of her classmates, Shuihua suddenly realized why the experience store was willing to host private events:
For people who have already logged into the virtual world, this short experience may not mean much.
But for those who have never logged into the virtual world, this short half-hour is enough to completely change their perception of the virtual world.
Maybe when they go back today, many people will hound their parents for a console…
Soon, the class teacher brought a stranger to the group and introduced him: “Students, this is Mr. Caleb Yuchen, a science communicator, and a member of the Cloud Dream Ecological Protection Zone construction team. Today, the school is fortunate to have invited him to lead us on our tour.”
“Clap clap clap clap clap.” Applause all around.
Although most of them had heard this name for the first time, they still needed to show due respect.
Riding a large sightseeing car, they passed through the gate and entered the ecological protection zone.
The moment they crossed the gate, the lush green scenery instantly turned into ice and snow, making them even feel a bit of coldness.
Shuihua felt a shiver from the cold and looked surprised at the suddenly changed environment.
It was her first time here, and it was winter inside?
Fortunately, this coldness was just to add a bit of realism, and it quickly faded.
Science educator Caleb stood up and started explaining:
“The Ecological Protection Zone is a unique area, unlike other areas in the virtual world. It follows the real-world seasons of the Northern Hemisphere, experiencing corresponding seasonal changes.”
“So, as you can see, it’s currently winter here, and most animals have entered hibernation.”
“If you came here during summer, you would see lush forests and lively animals.”
“Of course, as long as we understand the habits of the animals, we can still find hidden creatures in this icy landscape.”
“Our first stop is: the Polar Ecological Circle.”
“It feels so far away…” a roommate muttered softly.
“It shouldn’t… be that far.” Shuihua comforted her.
Although the word ‘polar’ sounded like a long journey, Shuihua’s experience told her that there was no real long-distance travel in the virtual world.
If the destination was really that far away, there must be a quicker way to get there.
Since they chose to take a car instead of using a teleportation gate, it couldn’t be too far away.
As expected, half an hour of driving through the icy landscape and a larch forest, the car stopped by a frozen lake.
From a distance, they saw a few fluffy polar bears wandering on the tundra and frozen lake.
“It’s so beautiful.”
Simultaneously, white mist dissipated into the chilly air.
Everyone walked on the thick ice, looking at the clear ice below their feet, and the frozen water plants in shallow water, feeling amazed.
“Everyone, look over there!” Caleb quickly found the target and pointed it out to the students.
Everyone looked up and saw that a small hole had suddenly broken open in the ice about twenty meters away.
Under Caleb’s guidance, everyone quieted down, cautiously moved closer, and then stood still, silently watching the small hole.
The crackling sound kept coming, and the hole gradually grew larger.
After a short while, the hole seemed to have been chiseled large enough. After a few seconds of silence, suddenly, a seal burst through the ice and shot out of the water!
“Whack!”
With a crisp sound, a round and plump seal fell onto the ice. One of its front flippers kept slapping its belly, looking very happy.
However, as soon it turned around, it saw dozens of people standing quietly about ten meters away.
The seal was clearly startled and immediately scurried back to the ice hole, plunging into the water and disappearing.
“Students, this is a typical Arctic grey seal. They rely on lung-breathing and can’t breathe underwater. Sometimes, they choose to chisel a hole in the ice or find a weaker spot in the ice and break it open with their heads to breathe.”
Caleb took the opportunity to explain the ecology of grey seals. “Sometimes, to prevent the breathing hole from freezing, seals keep gnawing at the edge of the ice hole with their teeth. If we’re lucky, we might see that happen shortly.”
Facing such a lively outdoor classroom, the students listened attentively and enthusiastically.
However, Shuihua in the crowd couldn’t help looking at the polar bears in the distance.
It wasn’t that she liked polar bears more than seals, but she thought she had seen something moving near the snowbank by the polar bear from the corner of her eye.
Shuihua hesitated about whether to raise her hand and ask Caleb.
But she doubted herself, questioning if her eyes had deceived her…
Before she could make up her mind, she saw a polar bear walk past the snowbank, and then—
The snow suddenly burst apart!
A figure in white clothing, with lightning-fast speed, thrust a transparent ice spear brutally into the polar bear’s body!
“Roar~”
The polar bear let out a huge wail, turned around and ran.
But a large amount of blood quickly poured out of its wound, staining a large area of snow red.
Everyone was startled by the sound and turned to see a trail of blood leading to the fallen polar bear in the distance.
The ice spear, still unbroken, remained embedded in the polar bear’s body. From a distance, it blended into the snowy backdrop.
“A poacher?!”
“F*ck you!” The usually gentle and cultured science educator Caleb, as if provoked by something sensitive, unconsciously cursed out loud, forgetting the presence of teachers and students around him!
Before anyone could react, he had already rushed towards the “poacher”!