43: Holographic training, sweat and personalized guidance

Day 15 of the spaceship's journey, morning.

After a night of rest, the spaceship's air circulation system had thoroughly cleared away the lingering smell of alcohol and that subtle, ambiguous atmosphere from last night.

Gu Pingsheng woke up very early. Or rather, he hadn't really slept much at all.

The effect of that "deep sea therapy pod" was truly astonishing; not only could it quickly restore stamina, but it could also subtly strengthen one's physical fitness. He had soaked in it for two hours, and when he came out, he felt invigorated, as if every cell in his body had been reactivated.

Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to find something to do.

He came to the middle section of the spaceship. This was originally an unused cargo hold, a large space that had always been empty.

When scavenging at the black market before, Gu Nian had specifically kept an eye out for some special electronic components, saying they could be used to repair a damaged module that came with the spaceship.

Gu Pingsheng stood before the tightly shut alloy door, holding a chip that emitted a faint blue light.

【High-Precision Tactical Simulation Core (Blue)】

This was something Gu Nian had handed to him while organizing supplies last night.

"I hope this gives me a surprise."

Gu Pingsheng inserted the chip into the card slot beside the door.

"Beep—" A light sound.

The originally dim control panel lit up instantly, and countless green codes scrolled across the screen like a waterfall.

"Core component detected... Repairing... Repair progress 10%... 50%... 100%!"

"Module restart successful!"

"Current facility: Basic Training Room (White)."

Gu Pingsheng raised an eyebrow.

Just white? That didn't befit his status.

He reached out and pressed his hand on the control panel. He silently recited in his heart.

"System, Hand of God, activate."

"Ding! Upgradeable facility detected: Basic Training Room."

"Upgrading... Upgrade successful!"

"Critical hit triggered... Critical hit successful!"

"Congratulations on obtaining: 【Immersive Tactical Simulation Pod (purple · Rare)】!"

As the system prompt faded, the alloy door in front of him slowly slid open to both sides.

A breath of fresh air with a faint scent of ozone wafted over him.

The originally empty cargo hold had vanished, replaced by a massive space filled with a sense of science fiction.

The surrounding walls were composed of countless hexagonal honeycomb-like crystals, and the floor was made of some kind of elastic black polymer material.

【Immersive Tactical Simulation Pod (purple)】

【Description: Utilizing holographic projection and force field generator technology, it can perfectly simulate various extreme environments (rainforest, desert, snowfield, urban ruins, etc.).】

【Features: Pain realism adjustable (0%-100%), gravity environment adjustable (0.5G-5G), supports multiplayer combat mode.】

"Not bad." Gu Pingsheng nodded with satisfaction.

With this, he could not only train the combat skills of those girls in the future, but also use it to test new weapons, and even... engage in some intimacy?

"Captain!" Just then, a vibrant voice came from behind.

Gu Pingsheng turned his head.

He saw Tang Xiaoxiao standing at the end of the corridor, carrying a towel in her hand and a sports water bottle hanging around her neck.

She was wearing a tight black sports vest, loose camouflage cargo shorts on the bottom, and tactical boots on her feet.

The vest was very short, revealing her toned, flat abdomen, where two alluring abdominal lines were faintly visible. Her wheat-colored skin glowed with a healthy luster under the lights, full of a wild beauty.

"So early?" Gu Pingsheng looked at her, his gaze lingering on her long, powerful thighs for a second.

"I couldn't sleep!" Tang Xiaoxiao ran over, complaining while doing chest expansion exercises. "I've been staying inside the spaceship for the past few days, my bones are almost rusting. I saw some movement over here earlier, so I came to check it out... Wow! What is this?!"

She saw the scene behind the door, and her eyes widened instantly.

"A holographic training room?"

"Just finished repairing it." Gu Pingsheng stepped aside. "Want to try it?"

"Yes! I want to so much!" Tang Xiaoxiao jumped up excitedly, like a puppy that had seen a meaty bone.

"Captain, spar with me? I feel like my strength has increased again lately, and I was just worrying about having nowhere to vent it!"

She swung her fist, creating a gust of wind.

Ever since drinking that bottle of 【Perfect Gene Enhancement Fluid】, her physical fitness had skyrocketed like a rocket. Now, she felt like she could kill a cow with one punch.

Gu Pingsheng looked at her eager appearance, the corners of his mouth curling into a playful arc.

"Sparring?"

"Sure."

He unbuttoned his cuffs and slowly rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, revealing the solid lines of his forearms.

"However, my appearance fee is very expensive."

"Pfft~" Tang Xiaoxiao curled her lips in disdain.

"Win first! If you lose, tonight's steak belongs to me!"

"What if you lose?" Gu Pingsheng asked back.

"If I lose..." Tang Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, puffed out her chest, and said heroically, "I'm yours to command!"

"Good." Gu Pingsheng smiled. It was a smile full of hidden meaning. "You said it yourself."

"Beep— Scenario loading: Tropical Rainforest (Muddy Mode)."

"Pain setting: 50%."

As the electronic voice faded, the surrounding scenery instantly changed.

The original metal walls disappeared, replaced by lush, towering trees with vines winding around them, blocking out the sky.

The black floor beneath their feet turned into a slippery, muddy swamp, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves.

He could even hear the chirping of birds and insects from afar.

It was too realistic.

"Whoosh—" A torrential rain suddenly started overhead.

Bean-sized raindrops pelted down, instantly soaking both of them to the bone.

"Damn! There's a weather system too?!" Tang Xiaoxiao wiped the rain off her face and shouted excitedly.

Rainwater flowed down her hair, slid across her cheeks, gathered on her chin, and then dripped onto her chest.

The black sports vest, soaked through, clung tightly to her body, outlining her full bust.

With her breathing, those two soft mounds rose and fell slightly, looking exceptionally alluring in the rain curtain.

Gu Pingsheng stood in the rain, letting the water soak his shirt.

The white shirt turned translucent when wet, faintly revealing the well-defined muscle contours beneath.

"Let's start." He said calmly, beckoning to Tang Xiaoxiao with his fingers.

"Come on!"

Tang Xiaoxiao gave a loud shout, kicked off the ground, and charged over like a cannonball.

Mud splattered.

She was very fast, fast enough to leave an afterimage in the rain.

This was the terrifying explosive power of the A-rank talent 【Flesh Overclocking】 combined with gene enhancement.

"Bang!"

A straight punch, aimed directly at Gu Pingsheng's face.

The wind from the punch whistled, carrying a piercing sound.

Gu Pingsheng didn't dodge.

The instant before the fist hit his nose, he tilted his head slightly.

The fist grazed his ear, the force of the wind making his cheek sting.

Immediately after, he struck like lightning, grabbing Tang Xiaoxiao's wrist.

Using her own force against her.

Following the momentum of her charge, he pulled her into his embrace while simultaneously tripping her with his foot.

"Ouch!" Tang Xiaoxiao exclaimed, losing her center of gravity and lunging forward.

But she reacted extremely quickly.

The moment before she was about to fall, she exerted force from her waist, forcibly twisting her body in mid-air, and her other leg swept across like a whip.

If this kick had landed, even a steel plate could have been snapped.

Gu Pingsheng let go and jumped backward, avoiding the strike.

"Good reaction." He nodded approvingly.

"That's right!" Tang Xiaoxiao landed, splashing up a patch of mud.

She shook the water droplets from her hair, her eyes becoming serious.

"Captain, watch out! I'm getting serious now!"

After saying that, she charged up again.

This time, she didn't attack head-on, but used the complex terrain of the rainforest, dodging left and right, like an agile leopard.

The two grappled in the mud.

The sound of fists and feet colliding sounded exceptionally dull amidst the rain.

Every collision splashed up large amounts of mud.

Soon, both of them were covered in mud.

Tang Xiaoxiao became more and more excited as she fought.

She discovered that although Gu Pingsheng's strength was greater than hers, it wasn't to the point of overwhelming her. As long as she used the right techniques, she had a chance to win!

"Ha!"

She caught a flaw in Gu Pingsheng's defense and lunged at him.

Her hands locked around Gu Pingsheng's neck, her legs wrapped around his waist, and she hung on him, trying to use her weight to bring him down.

This was a guillotine choke in jiu-jitsu.

As long as they went to the ground, she could transition into an armbar and lock out one of Gu Pingsheng's arms.

"Gotcha!" Tang Xiaoxiao was ecstatic.

However.

The moment they hit the ground.

Gu Pingsheng suddenly released his defensive hand and instead hugged her waist.

Then, he forcibly flipped his body in mid-air.

"Bang!"

A dull thud.

The two fell heavily into the mud.

Only, the positions had swapped.

Tang Xiaoxiao, who should have been on top, was now being pinned firmly beneath Gu Pingsheng.

"Ugh..." Tang Xiaoxiao groaned, feeling the mud and water on her back cold and piercing, while the man on top of her was like a ball of fire.

She wasn't resigned and tried to struggle.

She used force with her legs, attempting to kick Gu Pingsheng away.

But Gu Pingsheng was prepared.

His right knee drove directly between her legs, pressing against her inner thighs, forcibly spreading them.

He used both hands to lock her wrists, raised them above her head, and pressed them firmly into the mud.

Absolute suppression.

"Let... let me go!" Tang Xiaoxiao twisted her body desperately.

But this struggle, in their current position, felt more like a silent temptation.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together.

Through the soaked clothing, they could clearly feel each other's body temperature and the lines of their muscles.

As she twisted, their bodies rubbed against each other.

That sensation...

Tang Xiaoxiao's face turned red instantly.

She felt something.

It was the unique, aggressive aura of a male.

"Don't move." Gu Pingsheng's low voice sounded in her ear.

It carried a hint of panting, and a hint of a dangerous warning.

Tang Xiaoxiao stiffened, not daring to move.

She lay in the muddy water, her chest heaving violently, gasping for breath.

Sweat mixed with rainwater, flowing down her collarbone into her vest, bringing a tingling itch.

She looked at Gu Pingsheng above her.

Rainwater dripped from his hair tips, landing on her face, cool and refreshing.

His eyes were very bright, as if they were burning.

That look was no longer his usual coldness, but carried a kind of... aggression that made her heart race.

"Captain..." Tang Xiaoxiao's voice softened, with a hint of pleading. "That move... is too cheap..."

"All is fair in war."

Gu Pingsheng looked at the face beneath him, flushed from the intense exercise.

Those wild eyes were now veiled in a hazy mist.

Like a little wildcat that had been tamed.

This contrast stirred an inexplicable heat in his heart.

He lowered his head slightly.

The distance between them closed.

Close enough for their breaths to entwine.

Tang Xiaoxiao closed her eyes subconsciously, her eyelashes trembling violently.

What was she expecting?

Or what was she afraid of?

Gu Pingsheng looked at her slightly trembling lips, a wicked smile curling the corner of his mouth.

He didn't kiss her.

Instead, he leaned into her ear and blew a puff of air.

"Didn't you say just now that if you lost, you were mine to command?"

Tang Xiaoxiao opened her eyes abruptly, ashamed and angry enough to die.

"I... I was just..."

"Just bragging?"

Gu Pingsheng released one hand, his fingers sliding down her arm, finally stopping at her waist.

He pinched it lightly.

There was a soft spot there, which was her sensitive point.

"Ah!" Tang Xiaoxiao exclaimed, her body jerking like she had been electrocuted.

"Don't... don't touch that spot..."

She pleaded with a sobbing tone.

Looking at her now, where was there any trace of that heroic demeanor from just a moment ago?

She was simply a little lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Gu Pingsheng looked at her like this, his mischievousness greatly satisfied.

He released his suppression of her.

He stood up, looking down at Tang Xiaoxiao who was still lying in the mud, stunned.

He extended a hand.

"Get up."

Tang Xiaoxiao was dazed for a moment, looking at that long, powerful hand.

After hesitating for two seconds, she reached out and grasped it.

She used his strength to stand up.

She kept her head down, not daring to meet Gu Pingsheng's eyes, feeling only that her face was burning fiercely.

Her clothes were covered in mud, sticky and very uncomfortable.

But what was even more uncomfortable was that empty, hollow feeling in her heart.

Just now... if he had really kissed her...

Would she have refused?

As soon as this thought popped up, Tang Xiaoxiao wanted to slap herself.

What are you thinking!

That's the Captain! That's the cold-blooded big demon king!

"Go wash up." Gu Pingsheng patted the mud off himself, his tone returning to his usual indifference. "Covered in mud, disgusting."

"Oh..." Tang Xiaoxiao replied, turned, and ran.

She ran faster than a rabbit.

Watching her back as she fled in a panic, Gu Pingsheng shook his head and chuckled lightly.

This girl, still too green.

However...

The feeling was indeed not bad.

"Beep—! Beep—! Beep—!"

Just then.

A piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire spaceship.

The red warning lights flashed frantically, instantly tearing apart the previously ambiguous atmosphere.

Gu Pingsheng's expression changed.

"Alice! What's going on?!"

"Reporting to Master!" Alice's voice was urgent yet calm.

"Phase Radar has detected a high-density meteor shower belt ahead!"

"The coverage is extremely wide, unable to bypass!"

"Estimated impact time: 3 minutes!"

A meteor shower belt?

Gu Pingsheng narrowed his eyes and strode out of the training room.

"All hands to battle stations!"

"Activate all shields!"

"Prepare to meet the impact!"