Chapter 32
Silence.
A heavy silence spread through the atmosphere.
Seeing Bai Hewei bound up with nothing but his head exposed, the corners of Wen Zhiyi’s mouth twitched upward uncontrollably.
As for the researchers standing beside him, they were clutching their stomachs, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
“Oh my god, how is he supposed to fight like that?”
“This game balance mechanism is way too funny!”
“Haha, I bet that Rule-Based Evolver is completely dumbfounded too.”
“He knew the gap between him and Bai Hewei was massive, but he definitely didn’t expect it to be this massive.”
The researchers present had never formally met Bai Hewei in person, but it was no exaggeration to say they were among the people who understood him best in the entire world.
They knew everything about him—his dietary preferences, daily habits, personality, hobbies, right down to the exact balance in his bank account to the last decimal point.
Because of this, they naturally sided with Bai Hewei.
However, once their laughter subsided, a wave of worry inevitably crept in.
“Although the game recognizes that Bai Hewei is stronger, being tied up like this definitely makes it hard to fight.”
“Not necessarily. Bai Hewei’s strength is unfathomable. He might have other ways to deal with it.”
Meanwhile, the man of the hour, Bai Hewei, was currently caught between laughter and tears.
Was this wretched game trying to flatter him, or was it flattering him a bit too much?
How was he supposed to fight like this?
Little did he know, after Bai Hewei was bound to this extent, the boy gripping the handheld console also wore an unprecedentedly serious expression.
It had been five years since his ability awakened. Over these five years, he had encountered countless formidable Evolvers, and he deeply understood exactly how terrifyingly powerful his own ability was.
Yet, his incredibly powerful ability was practically treating Bai Hewei like a cosmic joke. How could he not be shocked?
He knew that if he failed to defeat Bai Hewei this time, he would likely never have another chance.
“I originally thought your victory over Gentleman was a fluke. I didn’t expect you to actually possess this level of strength.” The boy cast a deep look at Bai Hewei. “I will treat you as the strongest opponent I have ever faced. I will absolutely not back down!”
Bai Hewei felt incredibly frustrated inwardly.
Pfft. If you have the guts, untie me first before we fight.
The boy harbored no illusions of an easy win.
The moment the [Combat Commenced] prompt echoed, he immediately manipulated the Evolver to launch an attack on Bai Hewei.
Currently immobilized, Bai Hewei was practically a living target.
Without a shred of hesitation, the boy commanded the Evolver to strike directly at Bai Hewei’s head.
Once a person’s head suffered severe trauma, no amount of strength would save them.
“That’s way too shameless!” Zhang Junhao couldn’t help but curse out loud.
This youth had spouted pretty words about balancing the game mechanics, but the moment he saw Bai Hewei bound with only his head exposed, he aimed straight for it. It was plainly obvious he was out for Bai Hewei’s life.
“Don’t worry, he’s Bai Hewei,” Wen Zhiyi’s unwavering voice emanated from the hovering robot. “He will not lose.”
The Evolver charging at Bai Hewei’s head had channeled his absolute maximum strength into the strike.
If the blow landed cleanly, even if Bai Hewei didn’t die, he would be critically injured.
However, watching the Evolver charge toward him, Bai Hewei didn’t feel a single shred of anxiety.
The enemy before him was a strength-type Evolver, meaning his speed wasn’t particularly fast to begin with. Furthermore, through Bai Hewei’s eyes, the opponent’s attack seemed as though it had been slowed down hundreds of times. It wasn’t a threat in the slightest.
Right as the attack was about to connect, Bai Hewei merely tilted his head slightly, dodging it effortlessly.
“Hmph.”
Without a moment of hesitation, the boy’s fingers flew frantically across the console’s joysticks.
The moment one attack missed, another followed immediately.
The boy’s mechanical control was exceptional. Seeing that a frontal assault was ineffective, the strength-type Evolver leaped upward, attempting to land directly on Bai Hewei’s shoulders to pin him down while he was immobilized.
Seeing a hulking, strength-type Evolver trying to pounce on him, Bai Hewei’s face drained of color in sheer horror.
“Get away from me!”
Being pounced on by a beautiful man or woman was an honor, but being pounced on by a massive, muscular brute? People might think he had questionable tastes.
He had no such preferences!
Although his movements were severely restricted, when the enemy lunged, Bai Hewei executed a stiff hop to the side, smoothly dodging the attack.
It was just that the posture wasn’t particularly graceful.
Hopping around like that… he wasn’t a Jiangshi zombie, for crying out loud.
These iron chains were truly too troublesome.
Instinctively, Bai Hewei tried to break free.
Clank, clank.
Under Bai Hewei’s exertion, the iron chains binding him actually began to show signs of loosening.
“You… it’s impossible for you to break free. These are chains forged by the rules.” Naturally, the boy was the first to notice Bai Hewei’s movements.
Although these iron chains were a mandatory mechanism generated by the game to balance Bai Hewei’s power, the actual evolutionary energy sustaining them was supplied by the boy himself.
The moment Bai Hewei struggled, the boy felt the evolutionary particles in his body instantly drain by more than half. A wave of unexplainable panic surged in his heart.
Instantly, the smugness and unbridled arrogance from earlier entirely evaporated.
No matter what, he was still just a teenager.
He had believed that his ability made him invincible in the world, never expecting Bai Hewei to completely defy logic. This man’s strength was truly unfathomable.
How could the rules of a Rule-Based Evolver be shattered by brute physical force?
It completely defied logic!
The researchers, led by Wen Zhiyi, stared with wide eyes as they watched the chains on Bai Hewei actually loosen.
“How is that possible?”
“According to the game’s balance mechanism, Bai Hewei should currently only possess the strength of an A-Class Evolver.”
“Why does he still have the raw power to break free from the chains?”
They were intensely curious about Bai Hewei. It felt like a cat was constantly scratching at their hearts, making them itch with anticipation. They wished they could bring Bai Hewei back right now to perform a full-body examination on him.
They knew Bai Hewei was powerful, but they hadn’t expected that even a Rule-Based Evolver would be at a disadvantage before him.
Soon, the iron chains seemed to sense Bai Hewei’s actions and abruptly tightened again, attempting to bind him even more securely.
The chains coiled endlessly, like countless giant pythons, wrapping tightly around Bai Hewei, refusing to give him a single moment to catch his breath.
Bai Hewei was profoundly annoyed.
He glared fiercely at the boy, feeling a strong urge to give him a severe beating.
This wretched child! Minors should obediently stay locked in a classroom, tortured half to death by physics, chemistry, and math exams! Yet here he was, playing these games with him?
If it weren’t for the fact that this boy was worth one million yuan, Bai Hewei really wanted to just turn around and leave. He had no desire to fight a half-grown kid like this.
These teenagers in their chuunibyou phase were the most troublesome of all.
After all, Bai Hewei had been that age once too—it was an age so obnoxious even dogs would detest them!
While Bai Hewei wrestled with the chains, the boy didn’t hold back in the slightest, continuing to control the Evolver to attack.
In all fairness, the boy’s mechanical control was exceptional.
Under his command, the strength-type Evolver moved like the world’s most elite martial artist.
Every move and stance was not only packed with raw power, but the offensive sequences were absolutely watertight. One strike followed another, leaving no room for reaction.
Evolvers from the Special Operations Department, like Zhang Junhao, had been trained by top-tier martial arts masters in the past. They had mastered the essence of various physical combat techniques, ensuring that even when their evolutionary energy was depleted, they could still take down several grown men barehanded.
They could see that the Evolver controlled by this boy was virtually on par with the most elite special forces operatives.
Combined with the inherent advantages of a strength-type Evolver, if his opponent had been anyone other than Bai Hewei—say, a different type of A-Class Evolver—the limited space of the arena wouldn’t offer much room to maneuver, and securing an underdog victory would be highly probable.
This also explained why this boy had amassed such a massive collection of heroes behind him.
In terms of pure gaming skill, he was absolutely top-tier!
Unfortunately for him, he had run into Bai Hewei.
Wen Zhiyi knew very well that Bai Hewei had no martial arts training, nor did he know how to fight. The only reason he could effortlessly dodge consecutive attacks was that his physical metrics had all reached the absolute pinnacle of human imagination.
Even while sitting in an exam room, Bai Hewei could see scenes a kilometer away through the windows and walls.
And his dynamic vision was even more absurd.
Previously, they had installed numerous surveillance cameras along Bai Hewei’s daily commute.
One day, there was a hornet’s nest in a tree Bai Hewei frequently walked past.
When the hornet’s nest “accidentally” fell to the ground, the swarm frantically attacked the people nearby.
Yet, amidst the swarm, Bai Hewei easily dodged every single hornet, even managing not to harm a single one. His dynamic vision rivaled the most advanced tracking instruments.
Therefore, no matter how fast or fierce the strength-type Evolver’s attacks were, in Bai Hewei’s eyes, it was probably no different from watching children play house.
Under the weight of an absolute disparity, the desperate struggles of the weak only looked profoundly pathetic.
While trying to break free from the chains and dodge the Evolver’s attacks, Bai Hewei started to get genuinely angry.
Alright.
I held back because you’re a minor, but you’re taking my restraint for weakness.
When the Evolver launched his next attack, Bai Hewei didn’t dodge.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He stood there, unmoving and unevading. He didn’t look like someone who was bound; rather, it seemed he had chosen to remain there of his own volition.
The boy knew that opportunities like this were fleeting, and his fingers flew across the console’s buttons even faster.
He commanded the Evolver to channel every single evolutionary particle in his body into his fist, determined to ensure this strike dealt concrete damage to Bai Hewei.
He hadn’t expected Bai Hewei to be this difficult to handle.
Normally, a standard A-Class Evolver would have been defeated long ago. Yet, despite his relentless control, Bai Hewei merely hopped around a bit and dodged every single attack.
It was impossible!
The boy felt his fighting spirit surge. Facing a formidable opponent like Bai Hewei, his will to fight burned brighter than ever before.
Defeat him!
Defeat Bai Hewei!
As long as I defeat Bai Hewei, I will be the strongest Evolver in the world! Even Bai Hewei will become part of my collection!
The boy’s eyes grew brighter, his hands moving so fast they were practically a blur.
The strength-type Evolver, originally not known for speed, suddenly moved with the agility of a swallow under the boy’s control.
Zhang Junhao and the others subconsciously held their breath.
They didn’t know how Bai Hewei intended to break the stalemate.
Soon, their doubts were answered.
Just as the Evolver poured his absolute all into this final, decisive strike, aiming to completely crush Bai Hewei, Bai Hewei did indeed hop slightly forward. Then, exploiting the opening in the opponent’s attack, he seized the moment and delivered a brutal headbutt straight to the Evolver’s chest.
Bang—
Wen Zhiyi almost thought he heard the sound of bones shattering.
From Bai Hewei’s seemingly effortless headbutt, the Evolver looked as if he had been struck by a massive iron hammer. He flew backward through the air, crashing heavily onto the ground outside the combat ring.
A massive, red “Victory” materialized above Bai Hewei’s head.
Simultaneously, the chains binding Bai Hewei retracted one by one. In the blink of an eye, his freedom was fully restored.
Bai Hewei stretched his arms and legs, feeling a bit sore from being tied up.
“Little brat, I win.” Bai Hewei took a few steps forward, looking down at the youth who was still gripping his console, unable to process what had just happened.
He lost?
He actually lost a game?
No, it wasn’t a mechanical error on his part! There was absolutely nothing wrong with the combo he executed! Under normal circumstances, there was no way Bai Hewei could have dodged it!
“How… how on earth did you do that?” The boy stared at the scene before him in sheer disbelief.
He hadn’t fully processed what had just occurred.
“Very simple. I just dodged and countered,” Bai Hewei said nonchalantly. “You tied me up like that, what else was I supposed to do?”
“You’ve studied martial arts? You definitely studied martial arts, didn’t you? I’ve heard that in China, you have things like internal energy and incredibly powerful martial arts.” The boy stood up, agitated. “You didn’t beat me in the game; you only won because your kung fu is strong! I couldn’t possibly lose to you. Didn’t you want to save those people? Let’s go another round. I won’t lose this time.”
The boy seemingly could not accept his defeat.
Bai Hewei frowned slightly. He hated little brats like this the most.
Another round? Didn’t that mean he’d have to get tied up again?
He didn’t have any strange fetishes; why would he enjoy being tied up over and over again?
But he couldn’t just leave Wang Zhengrong and the others behind.
He was here on a business trip. If he abandoned his colleagues to die, he wouldn’t be able to live with his own conscience.
He was an outstanding cadre and party member who had caught a spy and won the National Outstanding Youth Award. How could he do something like that?
“Even if we play a hundred more rounds, you will still lose.”
Just as Bai Hewei was wondering what to do, Wen Zhiyi piloted the robot over.
“I already know who you are.” After flying over, Wen Zhiyi landed squarely on Bai Hewei’s shoulder.
“Cecilia. Or rather, I should call you [2D Phantom].” Wen Zhiyi looked quietly at the boy before him. “Three years ago, you claimed first place in every major competitive game on the market. Countless esports clubs extended olive branches, hoping you would join their professional teams, but you never replied to any of them. Some people even suspected that the screenname [2D Phantom] wasn’t a single person at all, but an entire team or an AI.”
Because in the eyes of countless gamers, only an AI could possibly possess such flawless mechanics to defeat so many professional players and dominate the leaderboards of various tournaments.
Cecilia wasn’t surprised that they had uncovered his identity.
“Evolvers are prohibited from competing against ordinary people in official tournaments. That is the rule. So even though you won first place in so many competitions, you could never become a professional esports player,” Wen Zhiyi continued. “Furthermore, due to your identity constraints, you couldn’t possibly reveal yourself to the public. I suspect those people from ASEAN who have been running their mouths internationally over the past two years likely had their eyes on your potential as well.”
Cecilia sneered, “Are you going to keep playing against me or not? Talking this much is useless. If you want to rescue them, you have to continuously beat me. If you don’t want to duel, we’ll play Tetris next. Let’s see how you beat me then, Bai Hewei.”
Fuck (a type of plant)! This brat is that insidious?!
Bai Hewei felt a lingering sense of dread.
A duel was one thing, but if they really competed in Tetris, how was he supposed to win?
While his visual acuity could keep up, his gaming mindset definitely couldn’t.
Tetris wasn’t a game you could win just by having good eyesight.
If they competed in that, even being the strongest Evolver in the world wouldn’t save him.
“If we’re competing in Tetris, I’ll be the one playing against you,” Wen Zhiyi said, completely unfazed. “But do you really have what it takes to beat me?”
“Heh. The world record holder for Tetris is me,” Cecilia scoffed, entirely confident he wouldn’t lose in this arena.
During the days when he was cut off from the outside world, he spent twenty of his twenty-four hours playing Tetris.
“I believe you are exceptionally skilled at games, but the people who trapped you probably aren’t hoping to cultivate a professional gamer,” Wen Zhiyi was always incredibly patient when dealing with individuals who possessed immense research value.
He didn’t actually enjoy cursing at people, but often, trying to communicate with idiots only resulted in making himself angry. It was far more effective to just yell at them; only then would they obediently execute his commands.
Believing that communication could solve all the world’s problems was sheer human arrogance.
“Since you’ve come to our country, you must have seen the situation here,” Wen Zhiyi said, suddenly taking on the persona of a caring older brother, leaving the researchers back at the Institute looking thoroughly nauseated.
When Wen Zhiyi was being agreeable, he was genuinely agreeable.
But when he wasn’t, he could curse you until you questioned your very existence.
Sometimes, they wondered if only someone with a personality as extreme and bipolar as Wen Zhiyi’s could excel in research and securely hold the position of Chief.
“In our country, you are still a minor. Even for Evolvers, we have the Minor Protection Law,” Wen Zhiyi explained slowly, his tone gentle, sounding entirely as though he were considering Cecilia’s best interests. “Here, all you need to do is study hard. Once you turn 18, you can freely choose what you want to do. Becoming a professional gamer isn’t out of the question either. I know you grew up as an orphan, not knowing who your parents are or what country you belong to. But your facial features clearly have Oriental characteristics, which means you have blood ties to our nation.”
Regardless of whether Cecilia actually possessed Chinese ancestry, in this exact moment, he did.
Bai Hewei silently gave a thumbs-up.
Number One was truly a master at poaching people.
But Bai Hewei could understand.
Number One was just a contract worker, a lowly customer service agent. If he wanted a permanent post, he definitely had to find ways to earn merits.
Bai Hewei himself didn’t want to take the special recruitment route for the sake of his future, but Number One didn’t necessarily share his concerns.
This Cecilia’s ability was genuinely rare, and out of all the Evolvers Bai Hewei had encountered so far, he was the only one who had caused him a bit of a headache.
In fact, Bai Hewei was slightly thankful that he had competed against Cecilia in a duel rather than a different game.
“We have an old saying here: ‘Good birds choose the best trees to nest in,'” Wen Zhiyi said softly. “If you want to play games and compete against Bai Hewei, you need opportunities. If you stay here with us, you’ll have plenty of chances. But if you leave, you’ll at best become another Gentleman, living forever under the control of an organization.”
“I will never trust you people from the Research Institute,” Cecilia’s attitude remained unyielding.
“Then let’s have a match. We’ll play your specialty, Tetris,” Wen Zhiyi said lightly. “If I win, you stay, and our side will take full responsibility for synthesizing the antidote for the Evolver Potion in your body. If I lose, Bai Hewei will resume playing against you in the third round. How about it?”
“If you have the skills, fine,” Cecilia scoffed. “Then let’s begin.”
The moment he spoke, the scene shifted once more.
The duel arena backdrop transformed into a two-player arcade cabinet.
In front of the cabinet lay two controllers of different colors, and the screen displayed the opening animation for Tetris.
“Number One, can you actually pull this off in your current state?” Seeing the pocket-sized robot, Bai Hewei found it hard to imagine how something so small could manipulate the controller.
“No problem, it’s very convenient,” Wen Zhiyi replied.
With that, the robot reconfigured its shape, transforming into an exquisite, miniature mechanical hand. Propelled by its five fingers, it crawled down from Bai Hewei’s shoulder and walked right up to the game controller.
It actually looked quite adorable.
“Let’s begin,” Wen Zhiyi said evenly.
“You’re asking for it.” Cecilia felt that losing to Bai Hewei was merely bad luck in game selection; after all, Bai Hewei was the strongest Evolver in the world, so losing to him wasn’t as humiliating as he had thought.
But facing a tiny robot, undoubtedly controlled by someone hiding in the shadows—what did he have to fear?
His confidence fully restored, Cecilia sat squarely in front of the arcade cabinet.
“In this game, even if we don’t eat or drink, we won’t die,” Cecilia said coldly. “Even if we play for three days and three nights straight without a winner, we cannot stop.”
“Please,” Wen Zhiyi understood completely. To make a proud, arrogant youth like this submit, he had to utterly crush him in his strongest domain.
Bai Hewei was somewhat worried.
Number One was highly probable to be an ordinary human, while Cecilia was an Evolver.
The very reason Evolvers couldn’t compete against ordinary humans as professional gamers was that their enhanced physical attributes far surpassed those of normal people.
How could Number One possibly compete?
Three days later.
Wen Zhiyi secured a sweeping, absolute victory.
Author’s Note:
Wen Zhiyi: I indeed have no supernatural ability, but I know how to code.
