From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

Leo waved to them in a friendly manner, then turned his gaze to the seats in the classroom.

Portable network access chair, the model is pretty good.

There are five chairs in each row, and three rows in total, which means that there are a maximum of 15 students in a class, a typical small-class elite teaching method.

The first group of students had already chosen their seats, mostly in the first or second row, but they had reserved the "theoretically" best seat.

The first row, right in the middle, even if AI teaching doesn't have the advantage or disadvantage of different seating arrangements, that position is still considered the most prominent and good spot in the class.

Who should this position be reserved for?

Leo's self-esteem wasn't quite at that level yet, so he lifted his foot and walked towards the back row.

The third row, the far right, is the perfect secluded spot away from social interaction.

No matter what, he's mentally 35 years old. He only came to school out of necessity and had absolutely no interest in making friends with these little brats.

His current plan is to study hard in class and go straight home after class.

David, who was following behind him, was a step behind and watched helplessly as his desired spot was taken away. He could only choose the spot to David's left.

After Leo sat down, the internet-connected chair automatically scanned his student ID and a holographic projection interface popped up, asking him to log in to his personal system via biometrics.

After being certified, this chair became his exclusive seat, and he will be attending classes here for the entire academic year.

Once everything is complete, a foldable small table pops out from the side of the network access chair, which is just the right size to hold the chip box and neural connection device.

Leo's hands were freed, so he put his feet on the footrest, adjusted the chair angle with his mind, and lay down comfortably.

Five minutes later, the noise in the classroom grew even louder.

He opened his eyes and saw that all the students had arrived.

Several boys who knew each other had formed a small group and were urging the boy in the lead to sit in the best seat.

He was a handsome boy with shoulder-length blue hair and a refined air.

Leo knew him well—he was the boy who bullied David in the original story, I think his name was Katsuo Tanaka, and his father was a high-ranking member of the board of directors of Arasaka Academy.

It seems the best seat in the classroom was reserved for him.

But what happened next was somewhat unexpected—Katsuo Tanaka gave up his seat to a girl and walked to the last row with two of his buddies.

His direction of movement and his gaze were both fixed on Leo; his goal was quite clear.

Their eyes met, and they both saw a scrutinizing look in each other's eyes.

Early Signs of Talent: Chapter 202 The New Classmate with Malice

"It's wonderful to see a similar face in a foreign land. Let me introduce myself, my name is Katsuo Tanaka, it's nice to meet you."

The blue-haired boy elegantly extended his hand to Leo.

His posture, expression, and manners were impeccable, clearly indicating that he had practiced specifically.

Leo tried hard to control the curve of his lips, making his expression look more like a smile than a mockery.

No matter how well-behaved Tanaka Katsuo behaved, in his mind he was still that clown who—oh~ da da da da da da, yelling and swinging his fists incessantly, and was finally punched away by David and stuck to the wall, unable to get down.

After his father's death, all the arrogant words he had once uttered came back to haunt him.

Such a clown...

If it weren't for the fact that they were classmates and he didn't intend to break ties with Arasaka for the time being, Leo really wouldn't want to get involved.

But there's nothing we can do now.

Leo adjusted the recline of the internet access chair, allowing his feet to touch the ground again, and extended his right hand to shake hands with him: "My name is Leonardo DiCaprio, nice to meet you."

"Oh, what a strange name. Is he/she of Asian descent?"

"No, I'd say it's an English name."

Leo casually made up a few things, but found that this guy seemed particularly interested in him, always asking questions and acting as if they were classmates and just chatting casually.

The problem is that his words contradicted the occasional impatience in his eyes, as if he was deliberately approaching him to complete some kind of task.

Someone at Arakasaka Academy has their eye on him... Could it be his father?

This possibility cannot be ruled out, but we are not yet clear about the other party's purpose, so let's just play along for now.

Leo patiently played house with him for a while.

From an outsider's perspective, the two seem to have a pretty good relationship.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Katsuo Tanaka introduced his two little followers behind him: a short, sleazy-looking guy and a fat guy who didn't look very smart.

As for his name, Leo couldn't be bothered to remember it.

Two random, scumbags, nothing special.

After introducing his henchman, Katsuo Tanaka turned his gaze to David—this kid had been blatantly eavesdropping on his conversation with Leo since earlier. Unless he had incredibly low emotional intelligence, he probably knew Leo.

David didn't like the arrogant new classmate in front of him, and introduced himself in a lukewarm tone: "My name is David Martinez, nice to meet you."

"Oh……"

Katsuo Tanaka lowered his eyes slightly.

The fact that David introduced himself, rather than being introduced by Leo, suggests that he wasn't Leo's follower, but simply someone he knew.

In that case——

"You, go over there."

Katsuo Tanaka raised his chin slightly, pointed to a chair in the distance, and gestured for David to move over; he wanted to sit in David's current seat.

This behavior seems a bit deliberate.

Furthermore, considering that he didn't go to the best seat but insisted on coming to the last row, it's enough to show that he had some ulterior motive or purpose.

Leo thought for a moment, and was about to help David out of the predicament, when he saw the street kid retort defiantly—

"I'm sorry, it's first-come, first-served. I've already completed the verification for this position. If you want to change it, you'll have to contact the AI ​​teacher."

Upon hearing this, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in Katsuo Tanaka's eyes, and she stared at David with a piercing gaze, trying to put pressure on him.

David, having grown up on the streets, certainly doesn't lack the courage of a pampered rich kid.

The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down, and their feud began on the very first day of school.

Remembering her father's arrangements, Tanaka Katsuo could only suppress her anger and not bother arguing with this country bumpkin who clearly came from humble origins.

But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His gaze wandered around and soon found an angle to humiliate David.

"Oh~~ What the heck is this neural connector? Is it modified from the Mewtwo Ring?"

He reached out to grab the items David had placed on the table, his tone utterly irritating.

"This has nothing to do with you!"

David raised his hand to block his hand, his expression showing some impatience.

Being repeatedly rejected by her new classmates and followers, Katsuo Tanaka's expression was much uglier than David's.

If fighting wasn't prohibited in the classroom, he would have loved to teach this annoying guy a lesson.

He glared at David a few times, then a brilliant idea flashed into his mind.

"What shabby study equipment. I wonder if it can even run Arasaka's learning software." He turned to the side and pointed to the table next to Leonardo. "Look at the neural connector Leonardo is carrying. That's Arasaka's latest flagship model this year. I think it cost over 50,000. And look at yours..."

He let out a disdainful sneer, walked past David, and sat down in the seat next to him.

To complete the task assigned by his father, he needed to get closer to Leo and find out his true strength as soon as possible. For the time being, he could only suppress his anger and sit next to this country bumpkin.

David was at a loss. He didn't care whether Leo was richer than him, but sitting next to this arrogant blue-haired man was really affecting his study.

Left with no other choice, he could only turn his head to the right, out of sight, out of mind.

Leo was fascinated by their interaction, feeling as if he were watching real-time rendered CG, with the two "characters from the animation" putting on a mini-theater outside the main feature.

After watching their performance, he sent David a message—that in a face-to-face setting, it's possible to communicate without a number, just anonymously.

Anonymous: Ignore him, it's just childish provocation.

David was taken aback, but quickly realized that the message was from Leo.

He added the number to his contact list, and the anonymity was removed.

David: I know, I'm here to study, I'll just ignore those kinds of people.

Leo: That's right, study hard and make progress every day!

David glanced at Leo beside him with a strange expression, feeling that Leo was also an oddball.

Once all the students had found their seats and completed the verification process, the lights in the classroom dimmed for a moment before coming back on.

A holographic image of a bald woman appeared directly in front of the students.

She emanated a dark blue light, and her upper body alone was nearly ten meters tall, like a female giant.

"good morning students."

"It's great that no one is absent."

"I am part of Arasaka's mentor unit, responsible for teaching you all subjects. You can call me mentor, no specific title is needed."

"I see that all students have logged into the system. Next, please put on your neural connection devices. We will begin the next step of the lesson in the 'Green Classroom'. Now, please take a deep breath and enter meditation mode."

All the students obediently put the Ed-U neural connector on their heads.

The latest model used by Leo is not only very light, but also has a beautiful design, possessing a unique aesthetic appeal of high-tech creation.

David's HyperDream headband is rather bulky, somewhat like an early VR headset, completely covering the eyes so you can't see anything while wearing it.

Once all the students' heart rates had stabilized, the AI ​​teacher activated the neural sensors, taking them into a virtual reality environment.

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 203 The First Day of School, Let's Figure Out How to Steal Someone from Arasaka's Walls...

hum-

When the current is switched on, a faint buzzing sound comes from the nerve sensor fixed to the ear.

The neural interface ring floating in front of Leo's eyes flashed rapidly several times, then suddenly burst out with dazzling white light, covering Leo's entire field of vision.

Suddenly, everything went white. With the help of the internet access chair, even his other senses were dulled, slowly fading from his consciousness.

[This is normal, don't worry. This is done to shield users from the influence of the surrounding environment, allowing them to immerse themselves in the virtual reality experience.]

Pure White jumped out and offered an explanation, then enthusiastically analyzed the data stream.

Since they bought this "intelligence enhancer," she and Leo have been very interested in it.

However, considering that devices that can affect brain nerves inevitably carry extremely high risks, they decided to postpone their use and wait for professionals like Arasaka AI to demonstrate it first.

The time is ripe, and she is seizing the opportunity to learn from others.

Leo nodded calmly, trying to adjust to the dizziness.

A few seconds later, the vision became clear again.

Blue sky and white clouds came into view.

Looking around, the lush forests and meadows are a delightful sight.

He took a deep breath instinctively, but the fragrance of grass... was nowhere to be found. His nostrils were still filled with the cold, deserted smell of the classroom.

Virtual reality—it can only affect the visual aspect.

During the observation, Leo noticed that some students had begun to adjust the angle of their network access chairs, changing from reclining to standing up with their heels on the ground.

He followed suit and stood up as well.

The sensation underfoot was cold and solid, a far cry from the soft grass.

The so-called "green classroom" is just a facade.

Turning their gaze forward, the holographic image of the AI ​​teacher became even taller, as if a towering giant was looking down upon them.

Suddenly, several birds took flight from the treetops and flew straight past her. It was as if they existed on two separate layers, passing each other without interfering with each other.

Once all the students had adapted to the new environment, the AI ​​teacher spoke again:

"Students, on the first day of school, I need to individually test your neural sensors to ensure they function properly and improve your learning efficiency. Now, please relax and follow my instructions."