Chapter 31
Wang Zhengrong was the first to strike.
Clow was already dead; the entity remaining in the game was merely a puppet controlled by someone else. Therefore, acting before the boy across from him could react might just secure the upper hand.
Driven by his [Tenfold] ability, Wang Zhengrong’s speed was so extreme that his movement left visible afterimages.
He slammed a fist straight down toward Clow’s head, aiming to finish his opponent swiftly.
However, just as Wang Zhengrong was about to connect, the seemingly puppet-like Clow dodged fluidly and countered with a spinning heel kick that struck Wang Zhengrong squarely.
Wang Zhengrong merely stumbled back half a step, taking virtually no damage.
“Watch my combo!”
The boy frantically manipulated his handheld console with pure excitement, launching a relentless sequence of inputs.
On the stage, Clow initiated a barrage of strikes.
His movements flowed like water, featuring an overwhelming variety of martial techniques.
Unwilling to fall behind, Wang Zhengrong engaged in close quarters as well.
One was an experienced Evolver from the Special Operations Department; the other was a formidable Holy Knight from the [Holy Infant] organization. The physical combat skills of both men were naturally top-tier.
For a time, the arena echoed with the heavy thuds of flesh striking flesh.
“Something’s not right,” another Evolver leaned in close to Bai Hewei and muttered under his breath. “When Wang Zhengrong activates his ability, his baseline physical attributes scale up tenfold. In this state, his hand-to-hand combat skills easily rank in the top five of our department. But right now, he can’t take down Clow, which is highly problematic. Wang Zhengrong is human and will tire, but that Clow is a corpse; he doesn’t experience fatigue at all.”
In the short term, Wang Zhengrong appeared to hold the upper hand, but failing to secure a clean termination meant he was bound to fail.
This transient advantage could not be sustained indefinitely.
Meanwhile, the youth manipulated Clow with absolute dexterity. Though his offensive strings weren’t exceptionally flashy, he hadn’t committed a single mechanical error so far, which was terrifying.
In combat, victory is often determined not by who strikes first, but by who makes the first mistake.
Seizing a single slip-up from an opponent is usually enough to turn the tables.
But right now, Wang Zhengrong had clearly been backed into a corner.
The boy controlling Clow displayed nothing but pure excitement, devoid of any anxiety or tension—a clear manifestation of absolute confidence in his own ability.
Though Bai Hewei didn’t comprehend the intricate technicalities, he could plainly see that Wang Zhengrong’s internal energy was steadily depleting. Conversely, Clow’s physical form was continuously sustained by the boy channelling energy into him. Prolonging this clash carried zero benefit.
“The first match is a guaranteed loss. The real question is how the opponent responds once Wang Zhengrong goes down,” Wen Zhiyi’s voice interjected seamlessly. “We only need to win a single round.”
Roughly ten minutes passed.
The youth suddenly stood up, staring at Wang Zhengrong with a trace of lingering excitement.
“To hold out against me for this long… you’re actually pretty impressive.” The boy smacked his lips, a touch of admiration entering his eyes as he looked at Wang Zhengrong. “I have a solid grasp of your skill parameters and martial arts level now. Once you become my hero, I’ll train you properly.”
With that, the boy executed a rapid sequence of commands on his console.
Locked in a fierce stalemate against Wang Zhengrong, Clow suddenly began to mutter an incantation under his breath. The next split second, a shroud of radiance materialized on the stage, pinning Wang Zhengrong completely in place.
A flash of shock crossed Wang Zhengrong’s face, but before he could execute another move, he lost consciousness entirely.
[Match Concluded.]
A massive “Victory” sign appeared above Clow’s head.
Wang Zhengrong’s physical form then rose from the floor in a distorted, unnatural manner, pacing step-by-step toward the boy’s faction.
“You belong to me now,” the boy said, patting Wang Zhengrong on the shoulder. “Go on, get some rest.”
With a numb expression and hollow eyes, Wang Zhengrong walked over to join the boy’s ranks, standing silently alongside the other captured heroes.
“Alright, you can deploy your next player now,” the boy said cheerfully, a wide smile covering his face. “I recommend you step up, Bai Hewei. The others stand zero chance of defeating me. Let’s finish this quickly so we can all go home, okay?”
Hearing this, how could Bai Hewei possibly hold back?
He was just about to step into the ring when Wen Zhiyi intercepted him.
The micro-robot hovered in mid-air, blocking Bai Hewei’s path, and addressed another operative instead. “Zhang Junhao, you’re up for the next match.”
“Understood.” Without a split second of hesitation, Zhang Junhao stepped out to stand in front of Bai Hewei. “Mr. Bai, let me handle this round. Please observe for a bit longer.”
Bai Hewei recognized this man as another member of Tactical Squad 1, a colleague of Wang Zhengrong’s.
If memory served correctly, his capability was the exact opposite of Wang Zhengrong’s.
Wang Zhengrong’s [Tenfold] ability translated into pure physical brawling and martial arts, custom-tailored for close-quarters engagement. Conversely, Zhang Junhao’s ability was called [Mage]. He was an A-Class ability user—a full rank above Wang Zhengrong—capable of leveraging magic to execute all kinds of bizarre techniques.
Simply put, Wang Zhengrong was a melee warrior, while Zhang Junhao was a ranged caster.
Deploying two entirely different styles into the ring was a deliberate strategy to gather intelligence on the enemy’s exact parameters.
“Wouldn’t it be faster if I just handled it?” Bai Hewei was somewhat startled. “I don’t think they can beat me.”
“True, but a Rule-Based capability is highly probable to carry hidden parameters—such as a mechanic that levels the playing field if the disparity in rank between combatants is too vast,” Wen Zhiyi explained briefly. “This is a common setup in gaming logic. Before verifying whether his ability triggers a similar effect, we cannot afford to take unnecessary risks.”
Bai Hewei was stunned. “If that’s true, it’s a total cheat. That’s literal hacking.”
Wen Zhiyi cast a glance at Bai Hewei but remained silent.
If the boy across from them was hacking, then Bai Hewei suddenly dropping into the world as a pinnacle powerhouse overnight—with his baseline variables directly hitting maximum and neutralizing S-Class Evolvers without even knowing his own specific ability—was the ultimate definition of a cheat.
“Oh, your biometric data is even better. Endurance is B, Speed is C, but your Spirit is S, and you even carry frost and flame modifiers—the parentheses are completely packed,” the boy stared at Zhang Junhao, his eyes practically gleaming with delight. “I don’t have a pure caster like you in my roster yet. I want you, I want you! Let’s start immediately. Let’s see… your opponent will be this one!”
Thoroughly excited, the youth deselected Clow and swapped in another Evolver—a diminutive figure wrapped entirely in dense shadows.
It was impossible to discern the adversary’s facial features or identity from the surface.
“Presently, 103 distinct classifications of Evolvers have been documented globally, and exactly 14 of those tracks are optimized to counter Zhang Junhao’s profile,” Wen Zhiyi’s tone sounded flat. “Among the Evolvers recorded as mysteriously missing, the one matching this diminutive frame and absolute concealment cloak is highly probable to be an individual codenamed [Earth Assassin]. He was originally a miner, but after awakening his ability, he committed several offenses before vanishing into thin air one day. His primary trait is his completely elusive movement.”
Against a caster, an assassin was naturally the premier counter-pick.
At least, that was how basic gaming logic dictated it.
Zhang Junhao naturally comprehended his own strategic vulnerabilities as well. The moment his adversary materialized, his expression tightened slightly.
Even so, he harbored zero desire to retreat.
Having dealt with rogue elements countless times, he knew that if he displayed even a shred of trepidation before an enemy like this, he would be devoured alive.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the moment the combat phase commenced, Zhang Junhao triggered his internal ability.
A wall of roaring flames erupted around his form, encasing him completely.
Simultaneously, a barrage of fireballs rained down toward the opposing side.
Whether intentionally or not, Zhang Junhao directed a portion of the projectiles straight toward the boy himself, attempting to neutralize the threat at its source.
However, no matter how fast those fireballs traveled, they abruptly extinguished the moment they drew near the youth, failing to touch a single hair on his head.
Following that, Zhang Junhao pivoted to ice spears and wooden spikes, all of which “accidentally” veered toward the boy. Without exception, every single assault dissolved into nothingness the split second it neared the youth.
“Plenty of Evolvers have harbored the exact same line of reasoning as you,” the boy noted, his hands continuously moving across his console. “They all wanted to assassinate me first to terminate the game. Heh, that’s impossible. Your attacks can only register if you are standing inside the combat ring; offensive actions originating from outside the ring are strictly barred by the system.”
“Furthermore, you’d better pray I don’t perish in this sector,” the boy continued. “The moment I die, this gaming ability will lock up completely, forcing you to defeat every single one of my heroes just to advance to the next matrix. My supernatural ability is this console; it was the exact item I touched upon my awakening, and it houses a total of three games. This fighting game happens to be the most entertaining one; the remaining two are Sokoban and Tetris. If you end up falling into those two modes, you can only remain stuck here indefinitely, waiting for an external force to breach the boundary and rescue you.”
Games like Sokoban and Tetris essentially lacked a final stage.
That meant they would be trapped playing those loops forever.
Granted, the boy’s evolutionary energy could only sustain the space for a finite duration.
But if he died, the reality changed completely.
The gaming matrix generated by his ability would transform into an entity akin to a permanent Forbidden Zone. The trapped Evolvers would have to clear every single loop to escape, yet two of his games literally had no final stage.
They would either have to wait until his residual evolutionary energy fully depleted and the matrix could no longer sustain itself, or wait until someone outside violently shattered the rules to break them out.
“So, stop wasting your breath on futile efforts,” the boy said, casting a displeased glance at Bai Hewei. “I was merely kept hidden extremely well in the past. I originally assumed that once I mastered my ability, I would be number one in the world. I’ve never lost a match in video games, so how on earth did I lose to you in an ability matchup? I proactively requested to be deployed to neutralize you.”
Hearing the boy’s words, the complexions of Bai Hewei, Wen Zhiyi, and the others turned rather grim.
This ability was absurdly broken.
No wonder he had been selected to counter Bai Hewei.
“Hacking to this extent is a bit excessive,” Bai Hewei complained. “Never losing a single video game match… talk about a reason to be jealous.”
Is this really the time to be worried about that? the sole remaining squad operative thought, caught between laughter and tears.
He felt as though his entire world were collapsing.
To his surprise, however, Bai Hewei and his little robot companion displayed zero signs of anxiety.
“Simply put, he can’t actually beat me; those other two modes can merely stall me, but they can’t trap me to death. Although the loops are infinite, his internal evolutionary energy carries a finite threshold, so his only logical option was to deploy this fighting game mode,” Bai Hewei smoothly deduced the core limitation. “Trash-talking and boasting before a match is just a standard trait of a gamer.”
“Furthermore, he can’t sustain this for long,” Wen Zhiyi added bluntly. “Given the density of evolutionary energy inside his frame, the duration he can maintain a matrix of this scale is bound to be constrained. He deploys these heroes into combat primarily to siphon the internal energy of those captive Evolvers to compensate for his own consumption.”
This was the precise reason he enforced a one-on-one format. Otherwise, he could have simply opened an unrestricted free-for-all arena and ordered his entire roster of heroes to swarm them simultaneously.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he simply couldn’t.
Once this logic was cleared up, this seemingly invincible youth became significantly easier to manage.
“Personally, I feel that for an ability this broken, a one-million-yuan bounty is a bit subpar,” Bai Hewei said, sounding very much like he wanted to renegotiate the price on the spot.
Wen Zhiyi cast a glance at the restless Bai Hewei and delivered a simple sentence. “I will arrange for a fresh bank account to be registered under your name, ensuring no one else can audit the file. This one million will be your private nest egg; you can spend it however you see fit, and your parents won’t find out.”
Registering a replacement bank card was an effortless task.
“Deal, deal, deal!” A massive grin instantly broke across Bai Hewei’s face.
He wasn’t genuinely greedy for wealth.
It was just that if this one million landed in his regular account, his parents would inevitably seize the funds within a few days under the guise of “keeping it safe for you” and lock it into a fixed-term deposit, leaving him without a single cent to spend.
But if this one million became his absolute private nest egg, that was a whole different story.
Up in the ring, Zhang Junhao’s match was nearing its conclusion.
Despite channelling several powerful spells, he had failed to neutralize the opposing assassin. The moment his evolutionary energy approached depletion was the exact moment of his defeat.
Zhang Junhao was kicked flat onto the floor, completely drained of the physical strength required to stand back up.
“Try forfeiting,” Wen Zhiyi whispered directly into Bai Hewei’s ear.
Bai Hewei blanked for a fraction of a second, but executed Wen Zhiyi’s instruction without a shred of hesitation, bellowing loudly, “We forfeit this match!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the assassin who was about to press the assault on Zhang Junhao froze instantly.
The youth halted his thumbs on the console’s joysticks, glaring at Bai Hewei’s position in clear displeasure.
Zhang Junhao blanked, failing to process reality for a moment.
“Step down,” Wen Zhiyi addressed Zhang Junhao. “We have already submitted a forfeit on your behalf.”
Zhang Junhao stared blankly at his hands, stepping down from the ring in a daze. “I… why didn’t I end up like Wang Zhengrong?”
“Wang Zhengrong failed a match, whereas you submitted a forfeit,” Wen Zhiyi noted casually. “The parameters governing the two scenarios within the system rules are completely distinct. The adversary merely suppressed this detail intentionally to mislead us into believing that any defeat in the ring would result in being carried away.”
“Think about it—we don’t even share the same native country, yet our communication carries zero barriers. Why? Because we are currently inside a gaming world where language is seamlessly translated by the system. He intentionally phrased failure as losing purely to engage in a semantic word game.”
But within a gaming matrix, how could the system possibly bar a forfeit option?
“What if a forfeit could still result in being carried away?” Bai Hewei asked.
“Then wouldn’t the outcome be exactly identical to failing the match anyway?” Wen Zhiyi countered. “Since the worst-case scenario is already a baseline certainty, taking an alternative gamble is our only way out.”
Remarkably logical and grounded.
Bai Hewei pondered it; it was indeed the case. Attempting a forfeit carried zero downside, and if it successfully prevented someone from being captured, it was pure profit.
If one analyzed it carefully, the logic could indeed be uncovered, but in a high-pressure environment like this, very few individuals could sustain such rational cogitation.
“To uncover this hidden parameter during the very second match… you are highly impressive,” the youth noted, looking toward Wen Zhiyi’s position. “Inside my gaming world, all external communication links are virtually severed. How is your robot capable of remaining functional in this sector?”
“Even if I provided an explanation, given your intellectual and academic thresholds which are entirely occupied by video games, you wouldn’t be capable of comprehending the mechanics,” Wen Zhiyi replied. “An Evolver is by no means a deity. Even a natural Forbidden Zone cannot halt our engineering of superior technological assets, let alone this gaming world of yours, which can’t even compare to a proper Forbidden Zone. It is merely a playground constructed to satisfy a child’s desire to play house; breaking out of it carries zero actual difficulty.”
Wen Zhiyi believed his phrasing had been exceptionally clear and courteous.
He hadn’t even insulted the boy.
He was merely stating objective reality.
But to the youth’s ears, those words and that tone amounted to pure, unadulterated provocation!
This person is thoroughly annoying!
He actually looks down on me?!
For a youth who was fanatically devoted to gaming and possessed an exceptional supernatural ability, having someone insult his pride and his games with that attitude was completely intolerable.
“I am going to play against you with absolute seriousness this time,” the boy was visibly enraged. “Launch the next match immediately. Bai Hewei, you are the sole remaining player on your side; are you going to keep hiding like a coward?”
Bai Hewei let out a soft laugh and leaped straight into the combat ring.
“I’ve been itching to step up for a long time,” Bai Hewei answered. “It’s just that my team preferred a prudent approach, so I naturally had to accommodate them.”
Otherwise, he would have taken the stage during the very first round. Why would he have let this kid ramble for so long?
[Combat Preparation Initiated]
The youth saw Bai Hewei’s pixelated avatar materialize within his console screen.
He tapped on Bai Hewei’s profile to review his metrics.
Strength: S (???) Speed: S (???) Spirit: S (???)
As expected.
Staring at these readouts, the youth didn’t feel particularly surprised. For the strongest Evolver in the world, commanding a stat block of this scale was perfectly normal.
Since that was the case, let’s test his metal.
The youth locked in a character.
The chosen entity appeared profoundly massive, his physical muscle density vastly outstripping normal humans—plain to see, a strength-type powerhouse.
“What is going on? Why did he deploy a character like that against Bai Hewei?”
“No, that’s wrong. He intends to amplify the baseline disparity between this character and Bai Hewei, thereby triggering a systemic restriction on Bai Hewei!”
Through the robot’s optical projection, the researchers had roughly mapped out the operational logic of this Rule-Based capability.
Sure enough, the moment this character stepped into the ring, the system alerts began to echo relentlessly through the arena.
[Combat Commenced]
[Error Detected… Error Detected…]
[The capability rank of one combatant is S, while the opposing combatant is C. The baseline disparity is too vast; combat phase suspended.]
[System has detected an excessive disparity in rank between opposing combatants. To safeguard match equity, automated balance protocols initiated.]
The moment the system alert echoed, a wide grin broke across the youth’s face.
“Bai Hewei, you are indeed powerful, but once the system balance protocol triggers, you must implicitly comply within the boundaries of my rules.”
The system would forcefully constrain the disparity between combatants to within two full ranks.
Which meant Bai Hewei would be suppressed down to A-Class!
The boy’s eyes were completely packed with smugness. “Once the system suppresses your strength, you’ll witness my true power.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Bai Hewei saw a heavy iron chain abruptly materialize directly above his head.
This chain was roughly as thick as an adult’s arm, slithering down like a serpent to coil around Bai Hewei’s waist, pinning his form completely.
The constriction left Bai Hewei barely able to breathe.
“This is a bit of a scam,” Bai Hewei muttered helplessly, completely unable to budge under the constraint.
The youth looked thoroughly triumphant.
“Back when I was still fragile, I encountered plenty of formidable powerhouses, yet every single one of them eventually became a part of my collection. As long as the system can compress the rank disparity within a manageable boundary, I can easily leverage my mechanical gaming skills to conquer the strong as the weaker combatant.”
He could already visualize the glittering future awaiting him once he integrated Bai Hewei into his roster.
When that happened, what Research Institute, what Special Operations Department—none of them would pose a single shred of strategic threat to him anymore.
Including that so-called Evolver Potion.
“Now, commencing the match—” Before the youth could finish his declaration, he watched a second iron chain slither out above Bai Hewei’s head.
“What?” Not only was the youth stunned, but even Wen Zhiyi and his team hadn’t anticipated that with Bai Hewei already pinned to this extent, a second chain would descend.
This time, the chain securely shackled Bai Hewei’s feet, completely robbing him of any mobility.
“Hey, hey, hey, this is getting ridiculous,” Bai Hewei was forced into a laugh. “Are you cheating this openly? You might as well just terminate me directly.”
The youth remained silent.
He hadn’t engineered this; it was the automated balance protocol of the gaming matrix executing inputs.
The emergence of a second chain meant the system evaluated that Bai Hewei’s internal capabilities had still not been entirely suppressed, requiring an additional layer of constraint.
Ever since he unlocked this supernatural ability, he had never witnessed the automated balance protocol deploy a second chain.
Magnificent.
Staring at Bai Hewei, the boy’s eyes were completely packed with pure delight; he absolutely had to secure this individual.
“I can’t even move my feet anymore; am I supposed to rely entirely on my hands?” Bai Hewei was caught between laughter and tears. Was he supposed to just stand there as a literal target dummy for the enemy?
“Never mind, commencing the match—”
A third iron chain descended.
The crowd: “…”
Wen Zhiyi couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
He could plainly see that the adversary wasn’t cheating; rather, Bai Hewei’s sheer strength had completely breached the equilibrium threshold of the game rules, forcing the system to repeatedly manifest constraints just to suppress his parameters.
The weight of the world’s strongest was still climbing.
The third chain wrapped around Bai Hewei’s torso, binding his hands securely against his frame.
Following that, a fourth and a fifth chain descended in rapid succession.
The youth was completely dumbfounded.
He patted his own face, then stared down at his console screen, wondering if a catastrophic failure had triggered within his own supernatural ability.
A brief moment later, Bai Hewei was completely encased within a dense, airtight cocoon of heavy iron chains, leaving absolutely nothing but his head exposed to the exterior.
