Chapter 2: Beginner's Tutorial

Batman, this character needs no introduction, as on Earth in Chu Cheng's previous life, he was one of the most renowned superheroes.

He carries countless labels and bears numerous accolades. The world's greatest detective, a master of martial arts, a top-level assassin, incredibly wealthy, the darling of the writers, and an orphan with no parents.

As a pitiful rich second-generation child, he witnessed his parents being shot before his own eyes in his childhood. Growing up, he traveled the world, mastering various skills, and made it his mission to seek revenge against all criminals. From then on, he donned a cape and transformed into a crime-fighting vigilante, the Dark Knight, Batman.

In fact, when it comes to online literature, animation, or movies, it's not uncommon to find protagonists who are orphans. If we ignore the boundaries of dimensions and gather all the orphaned individuals from different worlds and realms into one place, it might become quite crowded.

However, it's rare to see a character like Batman who deeply integrates the pain of losing parents into his character, even to the extent of it becoming a part of his soul.

Some say Batman is powerful because he is wealthy and possesses advanced technology. Others say it's because of his vast knowledge and talents, while some attribute it to his exceptional intelligence.

However, the truth is that Batman's essence lies in the child who witnessed his parents being gunned down. It is precisely because he could never escape the shadow of losing his loved ones that the boy's inner self gave birth to the avenger known as Batman.

Upon selecting the character, the first scene in the game is the Batcave.

The elevator descended with the sound of chains and metal friction, startling numerous bats hanging in the cave. They flapped their wings and flew out, resembling a dark whirlwind in the dimly lit cavern.

A sturdy man stepped out of the elevator. His body was protected by carbon fiber-reinforced bulletproof armor, and his sleek Kevlar-customized boots made a crisp sound as he stepped on the metal catwalk.

Batman.

This opening animation immediately reminded Chu Cheng of the classic old game "Batman: Arkham Origins," except the modeling and rendering were ten times, even a hundred times, more impressive.

In just a few seconds, Chu Cheng was amazed by the visual effects.

After years of being a game enthusiast, Chu Cheng believed he had a good understanding of the industry's top-level game production. Even though he had played the highest-quality games before, the modeling effects in this first scene surpassed anything he had seen.

Especially when the Batcave's computers lit up, casting fluorescent light into the dark cavern, the interplay of light and shadows, the textures in the cave, the reflections on the metallic surfaces, and the Batman character walking up to the computer and sitting down – it felt like a real person had stepped onto the screen.

"The simulation training system is now activated," a voice echoed from the Batcomputer.

The screen turned black and, when it lit up again, the Batcave had vanished, replaced by a massive warehouse. Batman stood on the rooftop of the warehouse, his dark cape billowing in the night wind.

A prompt appeared on the screen: "Use WASD to control the character's movement."

Chu Cheng quickly understood. It was a tutorial level, a standard procedure in action games to teach players the basic controls.

Generally, the control schemes in these action games are quite similar, so once you've played one, you can generally guess the controls for other games.

Moreover, Chu Cheng was already a die-hard fan of the classic Batman comic-adapted Arkham series of games. He had completed every installment on the highest difficulty without taking any damage, and he had even edited videos of his playthroughs. When he tried this game, he found that the controls for Batman seemed to be similar to those in the Arkham series, so he had no trouble getting used to them.

After familiarizing himself with basic movement on the rooftop, the game guided him to have Batman open the skylight and jump down. Batman silently leaped into the warehouse, landing on a crossbeam as light as a night cat.

The system then prompted him to press the "X" key to activate Detective Vision.

Detective Vision is an incredibly powerful investigative ability in the Batman series of games, encompassing a range of detection functionalities integrated into Batman's helmet.

With Detective Vision, Batman can see in the pitch-black darkness using night vision, he can utilize infrared imaging to see through walls within a certain range, he can detect the heartbeat and pulse of enemies, and he can use an audio amplification system to eavesdrop on conversations, among many other abilities.

Chu Cheng pressed the "X" key, and the screen's color tone immediately changed. The vast warehouse held no secrets in Batman's eyes, with infrared images of human figures moving around below.

Quickly, the screen marked the reconnaissance results on one side: seven enemies, all armed with firearms.

Having played the Batman series of games before, Chu Cheng quickly understood the intention behind this tutorial level.

While Batman possesses exceptional agility, his physical abilities are still those of an ordinary human. Although his bulletproof armor can provide some protection against bullets, it doesn't mean he can charge into a hail of gunfire and overpower everyone.

Batman's essence lies in being an assassin. He must rely on the cover of darkness and stealth behind obstacles to silently take down his enemies, remaining unnoticed.

Priority must be given to dealing with the armed opponents.

Chu Cheng felt confident in this regard. He carefully observed the movement areas of each thug below and controlled Batman to move along the beam, finding a relatively open shadowy area before leaping down gracefully.

Jumping from this height would surely result in severe injuries or death for an average person. But Batman is far from an average person. His body represents the pinnacle of human physicality, and he wears protective armor that can absorb and mitigate impacts. Additionally, when he descends, his cape opens up, increasing air resistance, ensuring a safe landing without harm.

Not to mention the Batman series, Chu Cheng has played many stealth games of this kind, and he has achieved flawless, no-damage speedrun achievements in all of them. Moreover, based on his experience, tutorial levels are usually quite simple, and for a skilled player like him, it would be ridiculous not to pass them on the first try.

"Batman!"

Suddenly, one of the lackeys from a distance noticed him and exclaimed in surprise. He quickly signaled his teammates and began firing bullets in their direction.

Batman's bulletproof armor took two rifle shots head-on, and with a muffled groan, he fell backward to the ground.

Chu Cheng was dumbfounded.

What the hell? How did they manage to spot him from such a distance?

Aren't NPCs in stealth games supposed to be oblivious and unable to differentiate between humans and animals beyond a five-meter radius?

The warehouse was already dimly lit, and Chu Cheng deliberately chose this shadowy area for his landing. Realistically, with Batman's all-black equipment, it would be unlikely for anyone to spot him, even in real life, right?

But his plan was disrupted. A prompt appeared on the screen, indicating to throw a smoke bomb. Chu Cheng immediately followed the prompt and controlled Batman to slam a smoke bomb on the ground. Then, he swiftly raised his grappling gun and fired a hook into the air, pulling Batman off the ground and back onto the beam.

At this moment, Chu Cheng was still shaken.

Damn, does this grunt have 20/20 vision? How the hell does he have detective vision too?

Based on his experience with the series, after throwing a smoke bomb and quickly ascending, the lackeys would usually lose track of the player. And if the player patiently waited in the shadows, those lackeys would soon disengage and return to their positions, as if they had forgotten about Batman.

Because of this, once Chu Cheng controlled Batman to fly onto the beam, he felt that he should be safe now.

"He's on the roof!"

Another lackey shouted, raising his gun and spraying a hail of bullets towards Batman without hesitation.

Chu Cheng: ?

Wait, are all the NPCs in this game this intelligent?

Before he could react, Batman was hit by another bullet. While his custom-made Batsuit could prevent bullets from penetrating his body, it couldn't eliminate the kinetic energy. As a result, Batman swayed on the beam and fell straight down from the roof.

The rest of the lackeys quickly surrounded him, unleashing a barrage of gunfire. Batman lay motionless on the ground, and a large "Game Over" message appeared on the screen.

The screen went black, and when it lit up again, he was back in the Batcave. The electronic voice from the Batcomputer's prompt sounded once more.

"Mission failed. Simulation ended. The simulation program is preparing to restart. Preparation complete."

Chu Cheng let out a frustrated sigh. It seemed that this game's NPCs were far more advanced than he anticipated. He needed to adjust his strategy and approach the situation more cautiously in order to succeed.

The "Start" button appeared on the screen.

The initial setback in the beginner tutorial didn't discourage Chu Cheng. On the contrary, it ignited his fighting spirit even more.

Interesting, very interesting.

Although it was just a simulated tutorial, the quality of this game had far exceeded Chu Cheng's expectations. The simulated warehouse scene felt incredibly realistic, as if it were filmed on location. Even the lackeys, who were merely cannon fodder, were meticulously modeled.

The ultra-realistic settings, lifelike character models, and AI all provided Chu Cheng with an immersive experience. It felt as if he had truly transformed into the Dark Knight, facing off against real and vicious criminals.

Sure, it was challenging, but that's the charm of the game.

Men love to conquer, and the higher the peak, the more it triggers their desire for conquest.

Chu Cheng rubbed his hands together, took a deep breath, and immediately clicked the "Start" button.

Let's go again!