My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

For ordinary students, the basement of the teaching building is a completely non-existent place. Only students in the training camp are allowed to enter the basement and the basements beyond it.

The elevator was of very high quality; it operated without any noise, and you couldn't even feel that "this thing is moving." The floor display screen remained consistently at "G," meaning "Ground Floor."

"Is this elevator really moving? Could it be broken?" Kato Megumi gently tapped on the elevator wall, which made muffled thuds.

As soon as Kato Megumi finished speaking, Jiang Jinghua felt a noticeable slowdown.

"Ding!"

We've arrived at the basement level.

When the door opened, a narrow passageway came into view.

The walls of the passageway were covered with thick, silver-gray alloy plates, on which simple directional signs were painted.

After walking to the end of the passageway, Jiang Jinghua saw a completely new world.

A colossal, black steel pillar rose from the bottomless ground, connecting to the dome above their heads. Beside the pillar, which was filled with complex pipes, control panels, and mechanical structures, countless bizarre devices were operating at full speed, their indicator lights flashing dazzlingly in ever-changing patterns.

The two are currently on the top floor of a huge facility that covers several thousand square meters and resembles a missile silo.

Passing by them were researchers in white lab coats, workers wearing dark blue exoskeletons, and soldiers completely encased in airtight power armor, wielding all sorts of extremely futuristic-looking weapons that exuded a boundless destructive aura, marching with synchronized steps that seemed capable of collapsing a building.

Everyone, whether soldiers, researchers, workers, or the autonomous robots that occasionally pass by, each of them exudes magical energy fluctuations exceeding those of a sixth-tier spellcaster!

This is not surprising at all. Although a sixth-tier spellcaster has the potential to fight against two reinforced platoons of a regular modern army, in reality, a sixth-tier spellcaster, the highest level in the "spellcaster" category, is merely the minimum graduation requirement for a university that partners with the Foundation.

If you don't reach the level of a sixth-order spellcaster, you won't be able to graduate with a bachelor's degree.

"Wow..." Kato Megumi looked around, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "It's so big..."

Even Jiang Jinghua, who has watched many science fiction movies, was somewhat shocked by the completely realistic scene in front of him.

“Our group should be in area A-12 on the third basement level,” Jiang Jinghua said. “Let’s go.”

what

Chapter 75, Section 75: The Chosen Ones

Area A-12 is a small, enclosed room, and now, in addition to Jiang Jinghua and Kato Megumi, eight other people have gathered inside.

Apart from a handsome boy who was leaning against the wall playing on his phone with an indifferent expression, the other seven people sat cross-legged on the ground with their eyes closed and their hands forming complex and mysterious hand seals. A faint magical glow slowly rose around them like the Northern Lights.

These seven men, who looked like high-ranking monks about to attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven, were all male. Five of them had black hair, and the other two had dark blue hair. They were all of average appearance, with solid but not muscular builds, exuding a masculine aura, and giving the impression of simple, strong, and steady farmers.

Even though their clothes had subtle differences in color, their styles were very similar: all were simple, dark-colored outfits without any unnecessary embellishments.

Their seven similar, unremarkable faces could almost all be described using an adjective widely used in popular literature:

"Aesthetically pleasing".

Jiang Jinghua's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously took two steps back.

All seven of them possessed cultivation levels of at least a fifth-tier spellcaster, and their appearances clearly indicated that they were all "classical chosen ones of destiny."

Therefore, the seven people in front of us are not just ordinary seven people, but seven Xiao Yan, seven Lin Dong, and seven Mu Chen!

"Hey, newbie, be quiet, don't wake them up. These students from another dimension may be honest, but they won't be friendly to anyone who disturbs their cultivation."

The only handsome boy put away his phone, walked up to Jiang Jinghua, and gave him a hearty smile.

This boy was quite handsome, with distinctly feminine features, almost giving the impression of a woman dressed as a man. Unlike the arrogant and charismatic rich kids often found in urban novels, this boy seemed like just an ordinary, positive, and ambitious high school student.

This... should be a stable type of chosen one, right?

"Hello, hello, may I ask who you are?" Jiang Jinghua extended his hand.

The boy shook hands with him and said, "Although I'm a second-year high school student, I don't think you need to use honorifics. My name is Kiritani Kazuto, you can call me Kiritani-kun, or just Kirito."

"It's an honor to meet you. I am Jiang Jinghua. Please give me your guidance."

Kirito is a legendary figure among the second-year students at SCIC. Not only is he the only student in his year to have passed the Level 5 Spellcaster Certificate exam in his first year, but he also holds the terrifying title of "the single male in the entire school who has received the most confessions of love."

That's not surprising. It's only natural that a genius student like him, who gives people a warm and welcoming feeling, would be popular with girls.

However, even though he might have been confessed to twenty or thirty times, he rejected them all without exception, instead focusing all his energy on another girl with whom he had a good relationship, but who had never expressed any romantic feelings for him. Although that student, Yuuki Asuna, was also a remarkably outstanding woman, her fame at school largely stemmed from Kirito.

“There’s still some time before the scheduled time, so let’s talk first,” Kirito said. “First of all, are you two ‘chosen ones’?”

“No, at least I’m not. As for this Kato Megumi…” Jiang Jinghua sighed, “I don’t think she is either.”

"I've always been a very ordinary person," said Megumi Kato.

"Oh? What a coincidence." Kirito smiled sheepishly. "I'm just an ordinary person. Although I think my luck is pretty good, I haven't reached the minimum threshold for being a chosen one."

Even someone like you isn't considered a chosen one? You must be joking!

"Compared to the 'protagonist,' I feel more like the kind of 'genius' who will be trampled underfoot by the protagonist, becoming his experience points and material for slapping faces," Kirigaya Kazuto said with a wry smile. "The real protagonists are all sitting right there."

He pointed to the group of highly accomplished monks behind him and said, "Let me introduce them."

He first walked to the person sitting on the far left and lowered his voice to say, "This is Long Xingyan, from the alternate dimension number 714. His talent... uh, I think it's called something like 'Innate Profound Flame'... something about a battle body? I forgot. There's no way around it, these kinds of Chinese skill names are really hard to remember. Anyway, he has an extremely strong natural affinity for fire-attribute magic, so it goes without saying that his cultivation progresses by leaps and bounds. Because he was humiliated by being jilted in an engagement, he worked hard to cultivate, and when he was being chased by his enemies, he came to Earth by chance, and now he's a guest of honor at the Foundation."

“This one is named Xu Hua.” Kirito approached another person. “His parents and entire family were killed by enemies. He possesses a ‘Heavenly-level Spiritual Vein’ inherited from his father, and now…”

“Kiritani-kun, you don’t need to say anything more.” Jiang Jinghua shrugged. “I’ve seen plenty of people like this, and their stories are all pretty much the same.”

"Huh? Has Jiang met many people like this?" Kato Megumi asked.

“I’ve never seen them in real life, but they’re incredibly common in novels.” Jiang Jinghua chuckled. “If you added up all the male protagonists like this on the entire internet, they could probably form a small country.”

"They're characters from a novel..."

“The logic is reversed,” Kirito said. “The characters in the novel should be like them.”

“I’m under a lot of pressure to cultivate with these guys,” Jiang Jinghua said.

There's nothing we can do about it. Just yesterday, he was racking his brains over things like school idols, and now he's been transported to the set of a mainstream fantasy novel... It just goes to show how unpredictable life can be.

“You can rest assured about that, Jiang,” Kirito said. “When these main characters are cultivating, they don’t care about their surroundings.”

The three, who were not immersed in cultivation, began to chat idly.

Of course, the main people talking were Jiang Jinghua and Kiritani Kazuto, while Kato Megumi could only silently offer her comments from the sidelines, and usually did not receive a reply.

Just then, the room door suddenly opened.

Dr. Briet walked in from outside the door, "riding" a robot.

The sound of the door opening was followed by Dr. Briette's signature heavy footsteps.

The moment the footsteps sounded, the seven people who were sitting up all stood up at the same time.

"Greetings, Master!" the seven shouted in unison.

The shout was so loud that it almost startled Jiang Jinghua so much that he fell to the ground.

The classic "chosen one," or protagonist in Chinese fantasy web novels, is generally very loyal and never hesitates to repay those who have been kind to them a thousandfold.

Now, the Foundation has found them in their most difficult time and given them what they need most right now. Such kindness is enough to earn the Foundation the same high status in their hearts as the girls in their harem.

Perhaps decades from now, the seven people standing before Dr. Breit will become seven Dou Di powerhouses!

what

Chapter 76, Section 76: The Old Monster Undergoing Tribulation, Dr. Briet

"Gentlemen, I dare not presume to accept the title of 'mentor'." Briette's voice suddenly underwent a complete 180-degree change, transforming from a frivolous young man into a weathered elder, and the language he spoke was no longer Japanese, but pure Chinese with a classical accent and intonation.

"What I did was simply what someone with a heart set on the Great Way would naturally do under such circumstances!"

"Our Society of Extraordinary Arts gathers the wondrous and secret techniques from all the heavens and myriad realms for our own use, all for the purpose of upholding righteousness and saving all living beings! If you are grateful to this old man, you can save your empty praise and use your kindness to practice the Great Dao that we pursue! In this way, your good intentions will not have been in vain!"

"I will follow my teacher's teachings!"

"..." Jiang Jinghua mechanically turned his head towards Kirito, "If I'm not mistaken... the one speaking right now is actually the robot that Briet is riding?"

"Yes."

"And Dr. Briette, who operates this robot... is actually... a monkey?"

"Yes……"

Jiang Jinghua looked at the protagonists of those fantasy web novels who regarded a monkey as their mentor, and felt a mix of emotions.

"Well then, everyone, let's begin today's training! Follow me!"

Dr. Breit led everyone out of the room, and Jiang Jinghua followed the group of nine people with a blank expression.

Novels also need to be logical and reasonable...

But reality doesn't require it at all!

Led by Dr. Briet, the ten people arrived at an open area outside the room.

Within a space of approximately one or two hundred square meters, numerous oddly shaped pieces of equipment were sparsely arranged. Some resembled targets, while others looked like ordinary fitness equipment. In a small corner in the southeast, ten strangely shaped powered armor units were placed side by side.

The reason they look strange is that they don't look like they have armor plates at all. Although their shape is like military armor, covering the driver's entire body, the outermost layer has a lot of exposed pipes, mechanical structures and indicator lights, making them look like a powered armor frame with the armor plates removed.

At this moment, the ten power armors parked in the parking device were in standby mode, with indicator lights all over their bodies emitting a steady glow, and powerful psionic energy waves enveloping the surrounding space.

"This... such powerful battle aura!" the youth known as Long Xingyan exclaimed. "Even the Xuan-grade spiritual artifacts used by those old dogs of the Tianji Sect cannot match this level of battle aura!"

"Hahaha, excellent eye!" Dr. Breette laughed three times. "This 'Heavenly Origin Golden Lock Heart-Imprisoning Armor' was made by the members of the Extraordinary Society, who collected twenty-three kinds of rare and precious materials from the frigid lands of the far north. It was jointly crafted by three Spirit Emperor-level experts and has an extremely heaven-defying effect on the cultivation of low-level spiritual cultivators!"

"This magic weapon has clearly surpassed the Xuan rank!" Another youth beside Long Xingyan said solemnly, "Even a low-grade Earth rank magic weapon would only emit such spiritual energy fluctuations!"

"...Um, Kiritani-kun, what exactly is that thing?" Jiang Jinghua asked in a low voice in Japanese.

“…That thing is… well, it’s the standard training armor used by the U.S. Marine Corps, and it seems to have undergone some modifications.” Kirito examined the armor for a while and then nodded. “It looks a bit like the ARP79-12T ‘Navaho’, and it’s a special model produced by the 5416 military factory in Alaska.”

"The frigid land of the far north... Heh, a Spirit Emperor level expert, 'Heavenly Origin Golden Lock Heart-Imprisoning Armor'..." Jiang Jinghua tried hard to hold back his laughter.

"Master, I wonder how much combat power this low-grade Earth-rank spirit armor will increase after I wear it?" A blue-haired youth asked in a low voice, his face showing a fierce glint and an expectant smile.

"Ha, why don't you go up and try it yourselves, then you'll understand?"

The ten men were taken behind the "low-level earth-rank magical artifacts" that were equipped by the U.S. Marine Corps.

"My God!" Xu Hua exclaimed, staring at the orderly and beautiful mechanical structure inside the power armor. "The spiritual energy circulation circuit of this magic weapon is so complex! Even a sixth-grade magic weapon forged by the 'Hundred Refinements Sect' is nothing more than a toy that a child casually made in front of it!"