Chapter 2465 - 230 - 238

Chapter 230: Never Back Down

Translator: Double_L Editor: Hitesh_

Wang Tong began to initialize his tactics in his own icy room. To be honest, this was the perfect chance for Wang Tong's own practice. In fact, the resonance of the five genome sources in his body had become stronger ever since the blizzard began. Hence, Wang Tong decided to make use of this environment to strengthen his basics. Moreover, the natural coldness seemed to be able to enhance the resonance.

Unlike most ordinary people, an experienced fighter would always make use of the environment for his or her own good.

The harsher the surroundings, the more energetic Wang Tong would become, and obviously, he would never miss such an opportunity to enhance his practice. Wang Tong's brutal experiences at Norton had shaped him into a tough survivor. In fact, even Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruo-Er would never be able to do what Wang Tong had achieved, even though they had also been through some harsh training. In short, Wang Tong's past experience was what differed him from most ordinary students.

Wang Tong gradually fell asleep after he finished initializing his tactics. However, Wang Tong's Tactics of the Blade would still carry on initializing by itself even though he had fallen asleep. It couldn't be helped since the continuous initialization of tactics was the only way to survive Norton's five times greater gravity. In this case, the continuous initialization of tactics of the Blade would be able to protect Wang Tong from hypothermia.

In other words, this auto-initialization of tactics of the Blade would be able to act as a protective barrier that could keep Wang Tong's body from harm in a harsh environment.

However, it seemed like Wang Tong had forgotten that only his version of Tactics of the Blade was able to do so, while Tactics of the Enchantress had no functions like this!

As Wang Tong woke up the next day, he couldn't tell if it was morning or noon, because everything was still blinded by the blizzard. Since there was no sound from the girls' room, Wang Tong decided not to wake them up and carried on with his initialization. This time, he was surprised to discover that the five genome sources had started to change after absorbing the cold aura. Wang Tong could feel an icy layer of GN Force channeling from his palms.

Wang Tong smiled satisfyingly. He couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to learn that in such a short period of time, and he decided to brag about his unexpected discovery to Einherjar Wannabe as soon as he got back.

The wind was still roaring outside, Wang Tong checked his watch and noticed that another hour had passed, but still there wasn't any sound from the girls' room. Wang Tong got a bit worried and decided to check on them.

Soon, Wang Tong discovered that Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruo-Er were still lying on the mat. However, their faces looked quite pale and immediately Wang Tong realized that this was bad. What was worse, the girls were having a fever.

In general, those who practiced martial arts were unlikely to fall sick, and to fall sick would mean that the body had reached its limits. Things wouldn't be that bad if the girls listened to Wang Tong and initialized their tactics, but it seemed like they had forgotten about it. In the end, the coldness gradually penetrated into their body, not to mention their bodies were practically vulnerable without the protection of GN Force. Hence, they developed the fever.

"Xiaoru! Xiaoru! Hey, wake up! Wake up!" Wang Tong then tried to wake the two of them. However, the girls could barely remain conscious. Their bodies were feverish hot, and they were murmuring about the coldness and headache. Things were not looking good at all.

Wang Tong was well aware that they were all in deep trouble, and there was no way he could find any help in the middle of this snowstorm. Normally, fever wasn't some sort of big issue, but it could develop into a life-threatening situation in this extreme environment.

If it weren't because they were wearing the jackets and sleeping on the warming mat, both ladies would've been frozen to death already.

This was Wang Tong's first time surviving in a cold and snowy region, as for the girls, this happened to be their first time being stranded in the wilds, and he absolutely had no idea that the girls' bodies were that weak.

Wang Tong looked outside and noticed that the blizzard showed no sign of dying down. The ground was covered with thick layers of snow, and it was quite dim. Their lives could be in grave danger if they chose to head out. But if they chose to stay, Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruo-Er would be dead for sure.

The condition of both ladies was gradually getting worse. However, no one had brought any medications in the Space Crystals. Even if Wang Tong were to give them his clothes, still it wouldn't make any difference.

Wang Tong was not a hesitant person. However, the blizzard was raging continuously. Nevertheless, he was aware that time was running out, and if they were to wait any longer, their body temperature would start to drop, and the girls would be doomed.

According to his map on Skynet, Wang Tong could roughly identify the direction towards Aurora City. However, this would be a gamble of death. If he failed, nobody would live.

After checking on the weather, Wang Tong decided to head out. In fact, he wasn't going to pack anything because this had to conserve his stamina. There was only one chance. Whether they succeeded or not, the three of them would not be coming back to the shelter as soon as they marched towards the blizzard.

Wang Tong knew that he couldn't wait any longer as he saw Ma Xiaoru's suffering expression, and even though he was not very fond of Li Ruo-Er, he had no intention of leaving the spoiled princess here by herself. After all, he was raised as a gentleman.

Wang Tong then carefully fed both Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruo-Er some water. Fortunately, both ladies were able to regain some consciousness after drinking some water. After that, he quickly explained what happened to the both of them.

"That… would be too d… dangerous… We'll be... fine..." Ma Xiaoru mustered her strength and said. Apparently, she was already too weak that she could barely speak.

Yet, Wang Tong insisted on his dangerous plan.

Li Ruo-Er didn't say anything because she didn't want to show her weaker side. Honestly, she was aware that her current condition was very bad. Unlike men, women's body would suffer greater damages after being exposed to the coldness for too long.

"I'm not gonna waste any time. Hey Ms. Li, I'm not molesting you, but I'm gonna carry you on my back and carry Xi… Ms. Ma Xiaoru on the front. So please bear with me."

"Do you think you can make it?" Li Ruo-Er said as she stared at the blizzard.

"Never tried, so don't know. Since we still have the map, I say we give it a shot!" Wang Tong replied. To be honest, he knew that this would be too risky, but hopefully, the blizzard would be getting weaker in a while, and then the rescue team would respond immediately.

But what if the blizzard got worse?

Both girls were extremely weak, and the coldness would eventually trigger other complications. Hence, leaving the shelter would be their final chance of survival.

Li Ruo-Er then said nothing and turned towards Ma Xiaoru.

For some reason, Ma Xiaoru felt like she could trust Wang Tong as she looked into his determined eyes. Something was telling her that this guy would definitely be able to bring them back alive.

After a pause, Ma Xiaoru nodded in agreement to Wang Tong's plan, while Li Ruo-Er remained silent as always.

Wang Tong then fed them some water again. However, this time they were unable to swallow anything. Apparently, the water was too cold and had become undrinkable.

After strapping up their jackets, Wang Tong tied Li Ruo-Er tightly on his back and carried Ma Xiaoru with both arms. Then, he took a deep breath and took one last glimpse at the map. Since the majority of his vision was blinded by the blizzard, Wang Tong would need to rely on his other senses throughout the journey.

Wang Tong was trying to say something as he looked at Ma Xiaoru, but in the end, he chose not to and marched into the blizzard.

Instead of retaining his energy, Wang Tong decided to fully initialize his Tactics of the Blade, because this had become a situation of life and death. If Wang Tong were alone in this mess, his chance of survival would still be high. But now, with the lives of two ladies on his hands, Wang Tong would have to be more careful.

The total net weight of both ladies was approximately one hundred kilograms. To be honest, this would be a piece of cake for Wang Tong under normal circumstances. But the rough terrain, raging wind and also their bulky clothing had increased Wang Tong's burden, causing his energy to burn out even quicker.

Wang Tong could feel that the tiredness was kicking in as time went by, and instead of running, he had to proceed step by step in order to maintain his balance in the rough terrain. In fact, Wang Tong was using most of his strength to maintain his own balance while carrying both ladies. He would be dead in no time if he were to accelerate. Moreover, he had to stay focused and secure the both of them. If he dropped one of them, he would never be able to find her back in this terrifying weather.

Half an hour had passed, yet Wang Tong realized that the distance that they had traveled was only how far they would normally walk in five or six minutes. If this continued, the three of them would be buried by this everlasting snow.

Li Ruo-Er's consciousness had gone from bad to worse. Apparently, she was currently having her periods, and it would cause her body to become weaker. Thus, her condition seemed to be worse than Ma Xiaoru's. But still, none of them were looking good.

As the wind raged, Wang Tong's breathing became heavier. It seemed like God was trying to test their faith by putting them on this suffering journey.

Wang Tong remembered his previous training on Paradise Island and decided to organize his stamina and GN Force properly in order to not overstress his body. Somehow, he felt like thanking Massa for his lecture about stamina. Fortunately, Wang Tong had been keeping on training on his own on a daily basis, or else, he wouldn't have been able to walk this far.

Ma Xiaoru was also feeling Wang Tong's heavy breathing. According to Li Ruo-Er, she had never met him before, and only Li Ruo-Er herself had met Wang Tong once during the tournament between Ayrlarng and Capth. But they had never fought because Li Ruo-Er was secretly dueling with her body double in order to protect her identity. Yet, Ma Xiaoru somehow sensed a familiar kindness and warmth, like she had known him for quite some time.

All of a sudden, Wang Tong was hit on the head by something that was driven by the strong wind. He was completely caught off-guard by the "attack" and began to feel a slight dizziness. However, Wang Tong chose to ignore and carried on marching forward. Ma Xiaoru could barely open her eyes, but she could tell that Wang Tong was beginning to struggle, and she was getting more uncomfortable. If it weren't because of the familiar feeling of safety, she would've given up already.

"Wang Tong, whether we could make it back or not, th… thank you very much." Ma Xiaoru mustered her strength and said to Wang Tong as she saw his shivering face.

Apparently, Wang Tong was only wearing a single piece of shirt in order to get a better grip on both ladies and also to lighten his burden.

A strong current of wind raged across when she was saying that, hence Ma Xiaoru wasn't able to tell if Wang Tong had heard what she said or not. Soon, her consciousness had also gotten worse.

Wang Tong's speed was getting slower as he marched forward step by step. Then he said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely get you back to safety!"

The blizzard carried on raging, terrorizing every inch of the icy terrain. Yet, the boy showed no sign of giving up and continued to move forward!

Nevertheless, Wang Tong could tell that his alertness was getting bad as his stamina decreased. Currents of freezing wind had caused his body to go numb. Soon, Wang Tong even began experiencing hallucinations. If it weren't because of the girls, Wang Tong would've fainted already.

Wand Tong hung onto the small cluster of warmth from Ma Xiaoru and soldiered on!

Chapter 231: Unstoppable

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Wang Tong slowly made his way in the blizzard, each step requiring all of his willpower and strength. But Wang Tong believed in himself, and would never give up.

After a while, Wang Tong paused to check his direction. He noticed that the two behind him were not doing very well. Li Ruoer's body had already become stiff, and Xiaoru was in an even worse condition. She had lost her consciousness, and her body temperature was dropping drastically.

The blizzard howled as if it were laughing at Wang Tong. Wang Tong realized that their walking speed was too slow, and even if they could eventually make it to the Aurora city, Xiaoru might be in grave danger. He needed to do something to help with their situation.

Wang Tong's eyes glinted, and then he shouted," Einherjar Wannabe!"

"Hey, kiddo! You got at the most half hour in you. This is not a game, and there will be consequences!"

"I will take her to safety even if it leads to my death."

Mr. Wannabe stopped talking. He knew that he would not be able to change Wang Tong's mind. He still remembered that day when the stupid kid risked his life to save that low tier robot. Mr. Wannabe knew that Wang Tong would not leave anyone behind.

"Come on."

"Get ready, kiddo!"

Wang Tong channeled his GN force, and a golden glow erupted from his body. Wang Tong shouted at the top of his lungs." METAL!"

In the darkness of the blizzard, Wang Tong's body shone with golden light, as if a lighthouse lit up the promise of home.

Wang Tong clutched the two girls under his both arms and started to run against the gale.

With the protection of the METAL suite, Wang Tong's speed had increased five folds, and he was able to see clearer in front of him. However, all these benefits came at the cost of drastic depletion of his GN force.

Wang Tong focused entirely on his speed. He had traveled another half hour against the wind... but the Aurora city was still nowhere to be seen.

Wang Tong suddenly realized that he had made a terrible mistake in calculating direction, he had overlooked a key variable: the earth's rotation.

"Hey kiddo, time is almost up. You need to think for yourself!"

Wang Tong pretended he didn't hear Mr. Wannabe's earnest suggestion. He recalculated his course in his mind and turned his face about 25 degrees to the left.

The wind was still howling. Wang Tong started to feel dizzy, a sign of his soul energy being overspent. His soul energy had reached only level four, but he was wearing a full coverage METAL suit. This was a suicidal act.

Wang Tong didn't mind the pain. He was willing to suffer any consequence as long as he could deliver the two to safety.

Mr. Wannabe also became quiet. Two seconds later, Wang Tong felt that the rate of depletion of his soul energy seemed to have slowed down. A few more minutes later, it had suddenly occurred to him that Mr. Wannabe was helping him with his own soul energy.

A grin flashed across Wang Tong's face. Although he was confident in his calculation, he was not so sure if he would be able to reach his destination.

"Remove the METAL."

The METAL suit retracted. "Mr. Wannabe, if I die here today, please find someone else to save you from your prison."

"You idiot! I can hold my ground for a bit longer yet!" Mr. Wannabee howled out at him. Without the protection of the METAL suit, Wang Tong was one step closer to his demise.

Wang Tong clutched the two girls tighter under his arm and prepared for his final exertion. In a blink of an eye, the ruthless snow had already reached to his knee.

"I am Wang Tong. No one will stop me!" Wang Tong shouted and then he drew a gulp of fresh air and started running again. Wang Tong knew that this would be his final chance. Once he stopped, he would not be able to move again.

A few moments later, Wang Tong started to lose the feeling of his body. Soon, he began to lose his consciousness, except for only one thought," Keep running."

A light appeared in the distance, but Wang Tong was no longer be able to tell if it were the Aurora City or heaven.

"Xiaoru...If..."

Before Wang Tong could finish his mumble, he collapsed.

When he woke up, he saw that sparkly stars surrounded him, yet he could still not feel his body. Wang Tong was convinced that he was dead and this was heaven.

"Is this heaven? Gosh, this is boring."

"Of course not."

A voice behind him answered abruptly and startled Wang Tong. Wang Tong turned back and saw a thirty-year-old looking man with a very familiar face.

As Wang Tong realized where he had seen the face in front of him, he waved his arms in the air and asked in disbelief," Are you...General Li Feng?"

"Haha, you can call me Li Feng, or Blade Warrior." Li Feng cracked a smile.

Wang Tong pinched his cheek, and he still could not feel anything. He was more convinced that he had been dead and this was his afterlife.

"You didn't die. You are in the soul dimension of the space crystal. Your soul energy had reached two hundred, and therefore, you had unlocked my interactive message. I know you have lots of questions, and this is the time to ask."

Wang Tong calmed himself. He found it incredulous that General Li Feng and the Blade Warrior were the same person.

It took a while for the reality to sink in.

"Is my space crystal yours?" Wang Tong wanted to know from whom the Old Fart had stolen the crystal.

"That's right, and you are my protege." Li Feng looked at Wang Tong approvingly.

"Why didn't you leave the Tactics of the Blade to your family? Like you did with the Tactics of the Vayu and the Enchantress?"

"Haha... The reason was simple: Balance. The same reason why I didn't leave the technology to my family. Instead, I gave it to the Ma."

"You are not afraid that I would become stronger than your family members? Based on the secrecy, I would bet that the Tactics of the Blade is more powerful than any other tactics you had left." Wang Tong asked.

"When you have reached a higher state, which you will, you will understand my intention. 'Goldie' had chosen you as my successor, it means that there is going to be great danger ahead of the human race. Your task is to save the world."

"Er... Great General Li. I wonder if that 'Goldie' made a mistake? I am rather useless, and always have been, so I had never dreamed of carrying the weight of the world on my shoulder or that sort of a thing. Could you please... maybe... choose another protege? " Wang Tong paused to think for a second and then said," How about your kindred, Li Shiming? He is a hell of a bad ass fighter."

General Li was caught off guard by Wang Tong's request," 'Goldie' has already chosen you. That, I cannot change. But it's up to you to accept it or not."

Wang Tong was surprised how laid back General Li was about the whole "save the world" business.

"Are there any other questions?"

"What happens if I have conflicts with your family in the future? say, they want to kill me for the tactics of the blade."

"You and my family are all the same to me, so I won't choose a side. But, if possible, please don't be too hard on them."

Wang Tong scratched his head and wondered why General Li would ask him to go easy on the House Li. The Great House Li could kill him like killing an ant, and the best he could do was to poke them with his antenna.

"Fine, I will do my best." Wang Tong answered candidly.

Li Feng cracked a smile and said," That will be it for now. You are losing your soul energy so you should head back now. I will see you again when you are ready."

"Hold on, Wait! What's up with that Ojisan in the crystal, can you save him?"

A faint smile crossed General Li's face," That is his fate.", and then, the image of General Li disappeared, leaving Wang Tong annoyed by the vague answer.

Suddenly, the world around Wang Tong started to crumble, revealing a vast whiteness.

In the Emergency care facility inside the Aurora City.

Ma Xiaoru recovered her consciousness, and she remembered that it was Wang Tong who had saved her.

"It was a miracle!"

"No kidding! He carried the two under his arms and banged his head on the energy barrier while running full speed."

"The two girls were wrapped up pretty well, so they were fine, but that poor lad had already turned into an ice sculpture by the time the rescue arrived. It has been two days, yet his condition still hasn't been stabilized."

"I wish someone would do that for me..."

Two young nurses chit chatted.

The glow of light that Wang Tong had seen the moment before he collapsed was indeed Aurora City. The three were soon discovered by patrols and were sent to the hospital.

Although Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruoer's condition was not great, it was not life-threatening thanks to their heavily padded jackets. Wang Tong, on the other hand, was in a much grimmer state. When he was sent to the hospital, he had lost all functions of his body except for the brain, so he was practically dead, and only alive theoretically.

Chapter 232: Zhang Jin

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruoer's return and recovery was a huge weight off both family's hearts. They felt lucky that the two were unharmed.

The blizzard came without any warning and trapped the two girls. After having learned that Wang Tong was also caught in the storm, Samantha used up her connections to find help, but she could not change the cruel reality that there was nothing she could do other than wait.

She never thought Wang Tong would return alive, much less be able to save the other two girls.

"It's quite a romantic trip." Karl nodded his head at Wang Tong admiringly. He had thought that Wang Tong had taken the two girls with him touring the Arctic.

"If it were you, there would be one more frozen stick out there on the tundra." Luo Manman said to Karl.

"Hey, don't be mean. I know I am not as heroic as boss, but I'm more handsome. At the least, I would become a 'handsome' frozen stick." Karl tossed his hair and posed in front of everyone.

The news of Wang Tong's recovery had brightened everyone's mood.

Wang Tong's friends stood outside the emergency room and watched as Wang Tong slept. Wang Tong was as unlucky to have encountered the blizzard as he was lucky to have survived it.

They said everything had a silver lining. Perhaps this incident was a blessing in disguise for Wang Tong.

After confirming with the Doctor that Wang Tong would be OK and his recovery was only a matter of time, the students left the Aurora City, leaving only Zhou Sisi to look after Wang Tong once he woke up.

It had been a few days since Zhang Jin and Luv Ma had arrived at the City of Aurora, and yet Zhang Jin had made little to no progress in getting any information on the VZPE battery. It went without saying that the FFC had been extra cautious with the Iron Curtain Zhang. As the heir of the Zhang Family, Zhang Jin knew that much and so, she had let her family's covert unit do the work on the streets. She had focused on an entirely different mission: to collect information on Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruoer.

However, even that had proven to be impossible with her limited resources in the Aurora City.

Nevertheless, the news of the two girls' rescue had eventually reached Zhang Jin. The name of their rescuer, Wang Tong, caught Zhang Jin's attention. She wanted to know if it were the same person as that simple-minded boy she had saved from Norton. Every time Zhang Jin thought of Wang Tong's innocent smile, she always felt a sense of comfort. Her interest had already been piqued once when she heard about Wang Tong's name in the news about the tournament at Capth, and her curiosity was heightened again.

The medical facility in the Aurora City was the best on earth. The two of the most advanced industries of the Confederation were that of Medicine and Aerospace. Unlike Aerospace, the level of medical development was directly linked to a city's concentration of wealth. Since it related to a matter of life and death, some of the medical equipment was up for sale at a heftier price tag than that of a spaceship.

To Li Ruoer and Ma Xiaoru, money was not an issue. Therefore, the entire hospital was devoted to curing the two girls. The doctors and the nurses were aware that if anything happened to the two, they might as well quit their job and choose another profession because they would never find a job in the medical industry ever again.

As the two princesses' rescuer, Wang Tong had received the same special treatment. Even the director of the hospital had shown up in his room a couple of times, making sure that Wang Tong was recovering. Under so much care and attention, Wang Tong recovered rapidly. Truth be told, there was no need for Zhou Sisi to stay with him since the nurses were very diligent and careful. However, Samantha had ordered Zhou Sisi to stay, fearing that the loneliness after Wang Tong woke up would affect his recovery.

Wang Tong's body recovered much faster than his depleted soul energy. However, he felt that as long as he was awake and conscious, his soul energy would be recharging slowly but surely.

The free food and accommodation had made Wang Tong wish that he could stay here just a bit longer. Why would he go back and live in squalid while he could live here like a king?

"Have another one." Sisi careful peeled another orange.

Wang Tong opened his mouth, and Zhou Sisi fed the slice of orange into his mouth. He didn't even need to move a finger.

"Sisi, we should head back in a couple of days. This place must be expensive." Wang Tong mumbled as he chewed on the orange. He knew that Samantha needed money to pay for Ayrlarng's development, so he thought the money was better spent on where it was needed instead of his personal indulgence.

"Not yet. You will stay here a few more days. Don't worry; you are now as precious as a panda bear. You can't imagine the rank of the persons that had visited you when you were unconscious. They made it look like you were important enough to be on the cover of the 'Guose' Magazine."

Zhou Sisi stuffed another slice of orange into Wang Tong's mouth. The Guose magazine was the most popular female-focused magazine. The main draw of the magazine was its cover page that promised a display of the most successful and handsome gentlemen of the time, such as Li Shimin from House Li.

"Who visited me?"

"Both the house lords of the Li and the Ma. You had saved their princesses' life. What an idiot you are! Didn't you know that you almost died because of that? Can't you use your brain? They all say that it was a gallant act and it ought to win the hearts of the ladies. How did you know the Zhang's?"

"Zhang? What Zhang?" The question dumbfounded Wwang, Tong.

"There's only one Zhang, you silly. Zhang, the Iron Curtain. They had also inquired the doctor about your condition and said if the hospital needed any assistance in improving your condition, they would be more than happy to provide the aid. Three of the five great houses were concerned about your safety; I won't stress about the medical bill if I were you."

Zhou Sisi found it hard to make the connection between the penniless Wang Tong and the Great Houses.

"The Iron Curtain? I have no idea!" Wang Tong pulled a poker face as he spoke. He didn't want to sound like a name dropper.

"Wang Tong, you don't remember me?" Zhang Jin knocked on the door and asked with a warm smile.

"Lieutenant Zhang?"

"Haha. I am no longer a lieutenant, just call me Zhang Jin. I am in the second year at the Starry Sky Academy. Hi, Zhou Sisi."

Zhang Jin wore an earnest and warm smile on her face. She was not sexy like Samantha, nor mischievous and cute like Li Ruoer. Yet, she was easy going, friendly and trustworthy.

"Zhang...Jing..ahh! You are from the Iron Curtain Zhang!" Wang Tong pretended that he had just realized the connection. His acting was terrible but passable.

"I have heard that your condition had been stabilized, so I decided to come visit you myself. You are the luckiest person I have ever met: First it was Norton, then an Arctic Blizzard… I wonder what it would be next time. Haha" Zhang Jin set the fruit basket aside on a coffee table.

"I see you every time I have a close call with death. You might be my lucky star." Wang Tong jested. He was pleased to see Zhang Jin again. Although they had only met once, Wang Tong felt that they were old friends.

"I knew I was right about you being a badass. No wonder you could survive that long on Norton. I bet that you were just fine on Norton with or without our rescue."

"Don't joke about that, it's not funny. If you guys came a second later, I might as well have become a nut job."

The two girls in the room laughed simultaneously at Wang Tong's eccentric language.

"You risked your life for the two beautiful princesses. Are you going to marry them soon?" Zhang Jin teased Wang Tong.

"Er...I never thought that much. They needed my help, and therefore I offered it. As a matter of fact, if not because they were both sick, they wouldn't need my help... when the ..."

"Oh, come on, don't pretend you never thought about marrying them and tried so hard to impress them! You almost lost your life for God's sake!" Zhou Sisi cut Wang Tong short. Sisi really liked the way Zhang Jin carried herself. She was in full control during the conversation, but still not pushy. She had the perfect look like a typical Ivantian, but lacked the annoying pretentiousness.

"She is right! You should rightful accept any gratitude from the two houses, including their precious daughters. Don't be so fake and pretend you don't want it!" Zhang Jin's words hit the mark. She posed like an elder sister. Wang Tong felt the urge to confide in her and seek advice on things that puzzled him.

"You guys have a party here?" Wang Tong heard Li Ruoer's mischievous voice at the door, and there was a sharp edge in her voice. She had recovered much faster than Wang Tong.

"Ruoer..."Trailing behind Li Ruoer, Ma Xiaoru pulled Li Ruoer's sleeve. She felt slightly embarrassed, after all, Wang Tong had saved their lives.

"Thank you, Wang Tong. Let me know if you need anything in the future. I promise I will get it for you."

Wang Tong's heart sank after hearing Ma Xiaoru's gratitude. He then quickly plastered a smiling face and then said, "You are welcome."

Even Zhou Sisi had felt the awkwardness of the two's conversation, but she felt a squeeze on her hand from Wang Tong, suggesting her to keep quiet.

Chapter 233: Complete Madness

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Not even the slightest gesture would escape the Enchantress. As Li Ruoer noticed the small but intimate interaction between Wang Tong and Zhou Sisi, she felt the rush of anger shoot through her body.

"Xiaoru, it looks like they are busy. Let's come another time." Wang Tong swore that the cutting edge in Li Ruoer's voice could kill.

Zhang Jin turned her head halfway, so the hood of her glance caught Li Ruoer as she slowly said, "I have heard that Princess Li had reached the fifth level of the Enchantress. I had expected more control over her emotion than this."

There was perhaps only one person who dared to call Li Ruoer out in such manner, and she happened to be sitting right in front of her.

"Zhang Jin? Why are you here? How do you know Wang Tong?" Li Ruoer quickly calmed herself after seeing Zhang Jin. Zhang Jin was right, ever since Li Ruoer met Wang Tong, it had become increasingly easier for her to lose her temper, and it had deeply troubled her.

Zhang Jin turned her face towards Li Ruoer and then said, "That is my business. But, feel free to ask around if you are so interested. Maybe, you will even find out the answer."

Zhang Jin's taunt didn't seem to irritate Li Ruoer as the latter cracked a smile and then said, "You better be careful, Sister Zhang. Nothing good will come from getting so close to this womanizer."

Clearly, Li Ruoer didn't appreciate her lifesaver as much as anyone else did. Wang Tong didn't mind, and he had never expected much appreciation from the two.

Zhou Sisi could no longer listen to this conversation and was about to retaliate, but Zhang Jin was one step ahead of her, "OH, someone is jealous."

Li Ruoer's face turned black. Zhang Jin knew exactly which button to push so Li Ruoer knew that she would never win the argument. After all, the tactics of the Enchantress was particularly vulnerable to that of Zhang Jin.

"Hff... Dream on!"

Li Ruoer turned her heel without half a second's hesitation. Ma Xiaoru smiled awkwardly and said," My apologies...we were supposed to ... I'm sorry." Finding herself at lack of words, Ma Xiaoru bowed quickly and set off to catch up with Li Ruoer. She knew that although Li Ruoer's physical wound had recovered, it would be a while until she got over the trauma.

Li Ruoer had blamed Wang Tong for everything. She was convinced that if Wang Tong stood put and didn't roam free, nothing would have happened.

Zhang Jin shrugged her shoulder and then said," Sorry to crush your dream, Wang Tong. Your princess just ran away."

"You are badass, Zhang Jin. We needed to show that bitch some color. She's so spoiled!" Zhou Sisi said.

"Sorry about it, Zhang Jin, to get you involved. You know, I never expected them to thank me. I just did what I had to do. I will save her even... even if she is an UNGRATEFUL LITTLE PRICK." Wang Tong raised his voice at the end, knowing that Li Ruoer was hiding next door listening to their conversation.

The three of them tried their best to not laugh out loud after hearing a heavy thud come out from the room next to them. Clearly, Wang Tong's words had tipped off the Enchantress again.

"Take care, Wang Tong, I will come revisit you."

"Thank you. One more thing, is there a way for me to get the heck out of here sooner? I'm turning into a couch potato."

"I'll see what I can do. Let me ask the doctor first. If he thinks that you would need more time, you better do as you are told or else I will make sure of that!"

After Zhang Jin was gone, Zhou Sisi locked the door and turned toward Wang Tong," OK, can you tell me now? Please?"

"Tell you about what?"

"About Zhang Jin. She came here for the VZPE battery conference, not for you. If you two were just acquaintances, she would never come visit you, much less stand up for you during the argument." Zhou Sisi sat on the edge of the bed and rounded her eyes at Wang Tong.

"I have met her once on Norton, and she was the lieutenant of the rescue team. That's it, I swear. Maybe it was old feuds between her and Li Ruoer that made her rattled up." Wang Tong didn't feel that her attention was out of place.

"Fine, I believe you. I'm going to report to the principal now. Make sure you rest more."

Wang Tong nodded. His heart still ached after seeing that familiar yet strange face of Ma Xiaoru. She had changed, the old Ma Xiaoru was no longer there.

Wang Tong heaved a sigh and laid down. He stared at the geometric patterns of the ceiling and lamented over the recent tumultuous events.

The saving grace of the incidence was that no one was hurt. He also made a mental note to avoid Li Ruoer, her name spelled trouble.

"Kiddo, Stop sighing! It will make you look old."

"Mr. Wannabe, are you alright?"

"I'm not a wimp like you. I will be fine." Mr. Wananbe only appeared when there was no one around. He then said, "Zhang Jin has a soft heart. She protested for you on purpose."

"Oh? for what purpose?"

"Hmm... Are you an idiot or are you an idiot? She was protecting Zhou Sisi. Think! If it were Zhou Sisi that spoke out for you against Li Ruoer, do you think that poor girl would still have a future or even a life?"

"Oh shit! What about my future?"

"Haha, you selfish prick. Well, I don't know! Your better option might be to recruit her into your harem."

"Oh, f*ck off. I don't have a harem, neither do I want the trouble. Didn't you see how vicious she was? Anyhow, guess who I had just seen?"

Wang Tong briefly went over his encounter with General Li. The topic immediately piqued Mr. Wannabe's interest. Despite the fact that he felt Wang Tong could have asked more meaningful questions for him, Mr. Wannabe had found the first clue in solving his predicament; it was General Li Feng.

"Don't overthink it. If the youngster from the Li came looking for his ancestor's secrets, just get rid of him."

"I still feel like I should let his family member 'save the world.' You know me, frail and fragile like a little ant... Am I supposed to save the world with my powerful antenna?"

"Bullshit! You are the chosen one. Chosen by that 'Goldie' or 'Gandhi,' or whatever the f*ck his name was. That means you are more powerful than that little prick from the Li. I have confidence in you! Let me know if you need my help, and I'm on your side!"

Wang Tong felt like that if Mr. Wannabe could give him a pat on the shoulder, he would. Mr. Wannabe wouldn't offer his help for free; it had occurred to Mr. Wannabe that the more powerful Wang Tong became, the more secrets of the crystal would be unlocked, and the closer he would get to his freedom. Therefore, helping Wang Tong was the same as helping himself.

"Well, thank you. Whether I will stand a chance or not, at least you have some clue about your own problem now."

"Yes! From now on, I will be your personal trainer. F*ck the rules, great houses, and all that horse crap! Those were for the underachievers. Life is about living in the moment. I am a ghost with dementia, and you are a penniless teenager. We have nothing to lose! It will be Einherjar and Wang Tong on an adventure! Einherjar and Wang Tong, son! Einherjar and Wang Tong on an adventure forever! It's Einherjar and Wang Tong! Einherjar and Wang Tong forever for HUNDRED YEARS!"

Wang Tong shook his head as Mr. Wannabe shouted frenetically, spittle flying out of his mouth uncontrollably. The old ghost was letting dementia get the better of him again, as if he was triggered by a fragment of an ancient memory.

"Calm down you old fool! I want to tell you that I have discovered five cold nuclear cores. Perhaps it matched the disposition of my GN force, which was why I could use it."

"We will talk about that later, son. You need to recover. Signing off now."

Wang Tong and Mr. Wannabe's conversation was interrupted by a series of knocks on the door, as a beautiful nurse walked in. "Mr. Wang, it's time for your treatment."

"Thank you." Wang Tong felt shy when the young and attractive nurse came close to him and stuck a needle in his arm. The process had been much less awkward when he was unconscious, but now, Wang Tong could smell the lavender perfume coming from the sumptuous body and was unable to find a place to set his gaze.

"Take a rest now. Ring the bell if you need me please."

"Than...thank...oh shit!"

Wang Tong remembered seeing the world spinning before he collapsed to the bed, unconscious.

A ray of Intense bright light.

A splash of cold water.

Wang Tong finally woke up, realizing that he had been kidnapped. He lamented that human lacked scruples as much as Zergs did. He made a mental note of being more careful next time, if there were still a next time.

Judging by the nodes on his hands, he could tell that the culprit didn't want him to die, yet.

"Could it be for the Tactics of the Blade?" Wang Tong's mind raced. He hoped that it wasn't the case.

As Wang Tong regained his sight, he was surprised to find out that he was in a middle of an empty storage room, and there were no signs of nightmarish devices one would typically expect in a torture chamber. He was even more surprised to see Li Ruoer standing in front of him, holding a bucket of water.

"Wang Tong, do you like my surprise?" Li Ruoer batted her lashes as she spoke flirtatiously.

Wang Tong calmed his nerves and announced. "Did you know how many codes of conduct you have just violated? As the heir of the House Li, you should have known how to behave properly!"

Wang Tong felt an excruciating pain as a baton landed on his thigh.

"What the f..."

Li Ruoer smiled lustfully at the Wang Tong's contorted face. She set a chair squarely in front of Wang Tong and then sat down, every movement of hers spelling lust. "Tell me please, I want to know everything about the rules. Look, I have even brought the police baton, just in case if you are... naughty. "

Wang Tong glared at Li Ruoer as realization dawned on his face. No wonder Zhang Jin had to protect Zhou Sisi from this woman. She had utterly gone mad.

Chapter 234: Eye For Eye, Tooth For Rump

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Li Ruoer's swift revenge had caught Wang Tong off guard.

Li Ruoer closed in onto Wang Tong and patted Wang Tong's face like patting a dog, "Aren't you mad at me? Aren't you mad that the girl who you just saved is doing this to you? Please don't. Because a piece of sh*t like you doesn't deserve to get mad at me. DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I can end your life with a FLICK!"

The more she talked, the better Wang Tong understood what she was going through. Wang Tong reasoned that she must feel ashamed after being rescued by a no-account. It made her look weak and therefore had hurt her fragile self-esteem.

As Wang Tong thought about his situation, Li Ruoer's baton landed on him again. This time, Wang Tong exaggerated the pain on his face.

"You still look down on me, don't you? Why don't you use your GN force as protection?" Li Ruoer narrowed her eyes as she spoke. She squeezed her eyelids as if she could squeeze some truth out from it.

Wang Tong remained silent, staring at his tormenter indifferently. He figured that if he had used GN force to protect himself, Li Ruoer would also fuse her attack with more GN force. The fact that she had not done so seemed to suggest that there was still some reason left in her.

"You think I wouldn't kill you, don't you?"

"You crazy b*tch, come at me!" Wang Tong said coldly. He had studied his bondage. Although he couldn't tell what kind of material it was, it was fastened securely. He reasoned that he might be able to break the bondage using his GN force, but he had only one shot, so he waited for the perfect moment.

Wang Tong watched as Li Ruoer kicked delivered a kick squarely at his belly. She had used her GN force, so the kick sent him flying until he smashed into the wall.

"You have a dirty mouth. Well, we will see how long you could do this. To put it simply, you will die here today, unless..."

Wang Tong leaned against the wall and slowly, stood up back onto his feet. "If you want to kill me then just do it."

Wang Tong's bone ached. He counted himself lucky that Li Feng didn't leave his Tactics of the Blade to his heirs. Otherwise, they would be even more corrupt and degenerative. It occurred to Wang Tong that it was time to re-introduce some basic housekeeping rules for the Li family for the sake of their glorious ancestors.

"Haha… How many kicks do you think you have in you? BUT, if you are willing to kowtow trice while barking like a dog, I might consider letting you live." A sardonic smile etched onto Li Ruoer's face.

Wang Tong heaved a sigh of relief and then grinned," That's it? Kowtow and bark? Why didn't you say so? I can do it hundred times if you have the time."

Surprise flashed in Li Ruoer's eyes, "...What? You...you are willing to do it?"

"You bet I do. I don't want to die so young."

Li Ruoer rolled her eyes and said," I know you want me to release you. I'm not dumb. Even if I did, you'd be dead before you could touch me."

"Li Ruoer the Enchantress… Yes, of course, I have heard of your name and methods. It's fine if you kept me as is, I'll still do as you command." Wang Tong pleaded earnestly.

"Haha, well, you are smarter than I thought. Here." Li Ruoer pointed at the space in front of her and gestured Wang Tong to kowtow at that spot.

Restricted by his bondage, Wang Tong lowered his body slowly, but halfway down to his knees, Wang Tong's body sprinted forward at Li Ruoer like a cannonball.

Wang Tong's head strike squarely at Li Ruoer's chest. Before Li Ruoer had gotten up from her chair, Wang Tong channeled his GN force into his wrist, twisted his arms and shattered the bondage. Wang Tong had been preparing for this moment since he got kicked in the belly. While Li Ruoer wasn't paying attention, Wang Tong took the opportunity and froze the bondage with his icy soul energy. That was the reason why the bondage could be broken with ease at the right moment.

Wang Tong didn't hesitate and delivered a furious punch at Li Ruoer, who was still trying to regain balance. Wang Tong had fused the power of his tactics into this blow, considering the strength of his opponent.

The punch sent Li Ruoer flying. Her body thudded heavily onto the ground at the corner of the room. Her resistance was nearly nonexistent, a telltale sign that she was still recovering from the ordeal in the blizzard.

Wang Tong didn't feel any remorse for punching a girl. He wouldn't hurt her if she didn't threaten to kill him earlier. Although Wang Tong never expected gratitude for saving her, neither did he expect vengeance.

Wang Tong walked to Li Ruoer and picked her up with a cold and indifferent expression on his face. He was surprised to see the crazed laugh on Li Ruoer's face. "Do it! Kill me, you coward! DO IT!" Li Ruoer taunted at Wang Tong, knowing he wouldn't have to heart actually to kill her.

Li Ruoer suddenly heard a loud and crisp snap and then a burning sensation on one side of her face. She heard Wang Tong's voice, "You made me break my gentlemen's rules."

"Wang Tong! You...You dare SLAP ME?" Li Ruoer's voice broke at the end of her desperate shriek.

Li Ruoer finally tasted bile in her mouth, No one ever touched her as she grew up, much less slapping her in the face. Even her brother Li Shiming had reduced his methods to coxing as one would do to a child.

Li Ruoer heard another snap, and the other side of her face was burning, while her ear started to ring.

Wang Tong cracked a smile and then said, "The first slap was to teach you the importance of saying 'Thank you' when someone saves you're a*s. The second one was to teach you not ever again to break the law and kidnap anyone. Think about what you have done, for the sake of General Li."

"Wang Tong, why don't you just kill me already! I swear I will hunt you down as long as I am still breathing."

"Kill you?" Wang Tong regarded Li Ruoer from head to toe, and then said, "Too dirty for my hands. I could if I wanted to, I could squish you dead like a bug. God, you are so pathetic! Is that all you learned from General Li?"

Blood rushed into Li Ruoer's head as she took the insults. She wished she was not injured so she could let Wang Tong have a real taste of the enchantress right then.

Finding it impossible to channel her soul energy, Li Ruoer resorted to a more primitive strategy as she lashed her teeth onto Wang Tong's hand.

The pain stole Wang Tong's breath. Despite the pain, Wang Tong shook his hand violently and said, "Let go! I will knock your pretty little teeth off if you don't !"

Li Ruoer didn't mind the threat. She registered Wang Tong's pain, so she clenched her jaw even harder.

Wang Tong refrained from hitting her face. He was certain that if he did, he and all of his friends might as well find a way to befriend the Zergs quickly.

"Let go... Let go you... are you a dog? Is that why you are so b*tchy? Ahh..."

Seeing Wang Tong didn't have the heart to actually knock her teeth out as he claimed, she became emboldened. Out of utter desperation, Wang Tong raised his hand and spanked her with all he got.

"Hurts!"

The pain made Li Ruoer bit even harder. Wang Tong didn't give in, and he continued his punishment until Li Ruoer's lower rump started to become swollen.

Wang Tong felt a slight hesitation in Li Ruoer's bite, so he jerked his hand and finally pulled it out of the trap. The motion threw Li Ruoer off balance as she stumbled back a few steps.

Wang Tong held his bleeding hand, trying to cope with the excruciating pain.

"She is nuts! She is completely nuts! WTF is wrong with the Li?"

Li Ruoer thudded on the ground and started crying loudly.

"Cry your eyes out!" Wang Tong muttered. He studied the room and discovered that there was no apparent exit. Then he tested the wall with his punch, but it too wouldn't give in.

Wang Tong's eyes found the crying nut case on the ground, and considered that he would have to put up with her until he knew how to get out of here.

"Stop crying now. STOP!" Wang Tong howled out at Li Ruoer, and the latter suddenly became quieter.

Wang Tong noticed a pair of watery eyes gaze indignantly at him and it suddenly occurred to him that Li Ruoer was rather attractive looking when she was quiet. Her innocent face then was marled by patches of dirt and sod which made her look particularly pitiful. Wang Tong's callous heart softened. Suddenly, the frail body on the ground sprinted towards Wang Tong. Wang Tong ducked, and he heard a distinctive sound of two rows of teeth clasping, locking down on each other.

Li Ruoer's boldness had rattled Wang Tong again.

He picked up Li Ruoer and without saying a word, beat her on the rump furiously. He no longer cared about the consequences of his action. First and foremost, he thought that he needed to show her the consequences of her actions.

After a while, Li Ruoer stopped making any sound altogether. Wang Tong paused, fearing that he had beaten the girl to death. But upon closer look, instead of a dead girl, he had found a pair of bloodshot vengeful eyes, filled with the promise of madness.

Chapter 235: Tactics of the Bladder

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

"Li Ruoer, how about we have a deal? You know there is no way you will win today, so just open the door."

"No way, I'd rather let us both die here." Li Ruoer looked at Wang Tong as if she wanted to swallow him whole. Her determination ruffled Wang Tong. He remembered that Old Fart used to tell him not to mess with women, and it appeared that he was right.

Wang Tong studied Li Ruoer and reasoned that his top priority should be finding a way out of here. Despite the immense influences exerted by House Li, Wang Tong figured that they would not dare kill him outright under so many watchful eyes.

"Miss Li, I am just a street dog. Wouldn't it be a shame if people found out that you had died with me?"

"The humiliation and the wrong you had done to me were beyond words. So, you can waggle your tongue all you want, but you are NOT getting out of here. " A mad curve found the corner of her lips; she would no longer listen to any reasons.

Wang Tong became desperate. He had disappeared for a while; Zhou Sisi must be getting worried.

"Li Ruoer, you better do as you were told. I have many methods that you don't want to know."

"Oh really? Try me! " Li Ruoer lifted her head with pride.

Wang Tong closed in onto Li Ruoer, and the latter slowly stood up and locked her eyes with Wang Tong's.

"Miss Li, how would you explain to people if they found you naked here?"

The question caught Li Ruoer off guard.

"What...what are talking about?" There was fear in her voice.

"Oh, Don't you worry. I have zero interest in ...this." Wang Tong said as he studied Li Ruoer from head to toe. "I know eventually someone has to come rescue us. What if they saw your naked body?"

"You...you are an asshole!" Li Ruoer shouted. There was an edge of calm in her voice that threatened to crumble.

"You made me do it." Wang Tong said indifferently.

"No, you won't ... You... can't!" Li Ruoer shook her head; fear was slowly festering inside of her.

"You spoke too soon, my lady."

"Then come! Even if I die, I will haunt you!" Li Ruoer gritted her teeth.

Li Ruoer watched in fear as Wang Tong's hand inched toward her body. She closed her eyes, trying to lock the tears within.

"I WILL KILL YOU…I WILL KILL YOU..." She repeated in her mind.

Wang Tong stopped, his scare tactic didn't work on her.

Recognizing that nothing was happening to her, Li Ruoer opened her eyes and saw Wang Tong was already trying to find another way out. Wang Tong's eyes found Li Ruoer's and the two stared at each other for a while until Li Ruoer broke the silence, "Beg me, and I will let us out."

Wang Tong looked away. He punched at one side of the wall, but it didn't budge.

"Don't waste your energy; we are in a vault. Not even a missile could penetrate these walls, much less you."

The thought of Li Ruoer evacuating a vault just for her sick game made Wang Tong speechless.

Wang Tong tired another few punches until his knuckle started to bleed, but there was not even a dent on the wall. Wang Tong gave up and decide to just wait for the rescue.

"We will see who would be the first to die of thirst and hunger." Wang Tong thought to himself. "Wait...thirst..."

Wang Tong slowly turned his head toward Li Ruoer, and an ugly grin crossed his face.

"What... what do you want, pervert."

"Shut up, drink!"

Wang Tong took out the bottled water and poured it into Li Ruoer's mouth. In about ten minutes, Wang Tong had forced all four bottles of water into Li Ruoer.

"You want my stomach to explode? Four is not enough you idiot."

"Not stomach." Wang Tong said slowly and quietly.

"Uh? Wait, what? Not stomach, what then? Hey! What?" Li Ruoer yelled at Wang Tong as the latter sat down and waited.

A few moments later, Li Ruoer found the answer she was looking for.

She wanted to pee very badly, but she wouldn't allow herself to lose face in front of this jerk Wang Tong. Wang Tong watched Li Ruoer's contorted face and tired his best not to laugh.

"Don't hold it, it will explode. I'm not joking with you." Wang Tong said with a smile, and he started to whistle a little tune.

"Wang Tong, I want you to know that I will remember this day and you will pay for what you have done to me! I swear under the name of my ancestor!"

Li Ruoer soon became panicked. Even Wang Tong's life would not be able to repay the humiliation she would have suffered, as the stakes had grown too high. So, she pushed a button on the telecom and said, "Open the gate!"

A large alloy metal panel cracked open, and four fully armed men stood at the gate. Wang Tong could tell that the four were top notch fighters, and a duel with any one of the four could be a fierce battle for Wang Tong.

The leader of the four saw the injured Li Ruoer and immediately issued a command to the other three, "Kill him!"

"No, let him go! Get the f*ck out of here!"

"My lady... you..." The guard was perplexed by her order.

"You too, get the f*ck out of here! NOW!"

"But..." The four looked at each other, unsure what had happened.

"If anyone of you dares to hurt him, I will personally strangle you to death. Do you understand?" Li Ruoer uttered a threat while pressing down on her lower belly; it almost came out.

Wang Tong shrugged. He knew that Li Ruoer didn't spare his life out of kindness, she saved his life only because she wanted to kill him with her own hands.

"Calm down, Miss Li. Anger builds up pressure inside of you if you know what I mean. See you...ah... I mean... NEVER!" Wang Tong waved his hand nonchalantly and set off.

After the four guards were gone, Li Ruoer slowly got up. Half-leaning against the wall, she gritted her teeth and swore that she would make Wang Tong pay ten times for what he had done to her.

As soon as Wang Tong walked out of the building that he was held in, he was surprised to find out that he was just a block away from the hospital.

"I need to get the heck out of this city." Wang Tong thought to himself.

Zhou Sisi was walking back and forth inside the medical room as Wang Tong appeared. Wang Tong gestured her to be quiet.

"We need to get out of here!"

"Why?"

"Pack your stuff now."

"We haven't done the paperwork yet."

"No time for that. Let's move."

Curiosity was written all over Zhou Sisi's face. Seeing Wang Tong's dirty outfit, she knew that he had been in a fight, but she found it incredulous that a fight would break out in Aurora City.

Wang Tong felt his body ache, exhausted and weak. Li family controlled this hospital, and Wang Tong could not afford to fall into another one of their traps.

Ten minutes later, Wang Tong and Zhou Sisi were on their way to the airport.

Li Ruoer lay on her belly on a medical bench; a few nurses were tending her wounds on her rump. No one dared to speak a word, but Li Ruoer knew that the horrified expression on the nurses' face was a tell-tale sign that Wang Tong had gotten her pretty good.

"I'll kill you...I'll kill you..."Li Ruoer repeated in her mind.

A few knocks on the door broke Li Ruoer's train of thoughts.

"Who the f*ck is that?" Li Ruoer bowled out.

He anger stopped the person at the door. He stood in the hallway and announced the news fearfully, "My lady, they...They have reached the airport. Shall we..."

"What!" Li Ruoer stood up, but the pain on her rump made her wince.

She chewed on the news for a while and gritted her teeth, then said, "Let them go. Remember, none of this had happened, do you understand?"

"Yes, my lady, nothing ... had happened."

Wang Tong's heart was in his throat until they safely boarded the airplane. He briefly described what had happened to Zhou Sisi, omitting a few embarrassing details.

"What a spoiled little bitch! I want you to sue her!" Zhou Sisi said indignantly.

"Save it. We don't have any evidence anyway. I have already taught her a lesson. As long as we don't see each other, which I'm sure we won't, I'll let the sleeping dog lie."

"Gosh, the people of the Great House, why are they so different from Ma Xiaoru?"

Chapter 236: Raise the Bar

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

"No kidding. I don't even want to think about that, so disappointing. Ah... I forgot to bid farewell to Zhang Jin."

"That's fine, just shot her a message on Skynet."

"Yeah, alright." Wang Tong nodded as he lamented over how quickly things had gotten out of control.

In Wang Tong's Emergency Room, Ma Xiaoru sat on the bed and stared into the distance through the window pane. Wang Tong's voice echoed in his mind.

"Xiaoru, you must be strong! I will save you!"

Her eyes were flooded with tears. Wang Tong had saved her again. Recognition dawned on her face as she finally understood why Wang Tong seemed so familiar as she remembered his warm smile.

When Wang Tong was carrying the two girls back to the Aurora City, to protect the two girls, he had channeled some of his GN force into their body. Due to the unique effect on the Tactics of the Blade, Wang Tong's GN force had removed the seal on Ma Xiaou's memory.

When she woke up from her coma, the first thing she thought about was to reconnect with Wang Tong. But in the end, she didn't have the heart to do so. She remembered that Wang Tong belonged to Samantha, and Samantha was her best friend.

'His eyes lingered elsewhere.

The Arctic wind carried that memory.

A city was waiting for me.

Love had already drifted away.

Because of him, I use to believe in tomorrow,

If it were a dream,

then let the dreamer sleep.'

Wang Tong was worried for his safety on the first couple of days back at Ayrlarng. He thought Li Ruoer would follow him to seek revenge. However, nothing happened during these few days. Media's attention was focused on Aurora city because of the VZPE battery, so Wang Tong thought that Li Ruoer had reasoned that it was too risky to make a move while being under so much attention.

Wang Tong didn't care even if Li Ruoer did make a move, he would just have to just deal with it accordingly. He was convinced that not all members of the Li family were crazy like her. Someone ought to stop her if she dared do anything crazy outside Aurora City.

School life was peaceful, and Wang Tong needed it.

He reflected on the moment that he had broken the bondage, and realized that he could not have pulled it off without the cold GN force.

"Mr. Wannabe, do you think all this is just an elaborate scheme? The crystal and all. "

Mr. Wannabe hovered in the air and chewed on the question. He had been busy remembering if he had any relationship, if not feuds, with the Blade Warrior.

"I don't see that being the case. Your ability was the same as that of the Blade Warrior."

"General Li Feng was too stingy! If he wanted me to save the world, then he should have given me something better, like the power of invincibility or what not. Heck, even a fleet of spaceships would be better than what I have. I can't even save myself in most cases." Wang Tong complained. Although the Tactics of the Balde was powerful, it was nonetheless only a tactics and was useless while facing an army.

"Don't you think I should return the crystal to the Li? Li Shimin ought to have an easier time than me in saving the world and solve the mystery of the crystal."

It hurt Wang Tong's head to think about the whole "save the world " business. He just wanted a quiet and simple life.

"Are you dumb or are you dumb? If he got hold of the crystal, there would be no more 'world' to save, because he would destroy it. At any rate, if you gave them the crystal, what do you think is going to happen to me? OK, let's stop the unnecessary worrying and focus on the benefits you could reap from it, shall we? " Mr. Wannabe scowled as he spoke.

"Kiddo, being so hesitant is never your style. Why don't you forget about all this and try to reach level 6 instead, so you can unravel more secrets in this damn crystal? "

"True that. I do need to focus on my cultivation. Should I not have discovered the ice GN force, Li Ruoer would have already killed me." Wang Tong's heart raced even thinking about Li Ruoer's crazed laugh.

"I am impressed. Unlocking the special attribute means that you have already reached level five. You have learned a lot from that Arctic trip, but you still need to practice your special ability in real combat."

Wang Tong knew Mr. Wannabe was right. So far, the coldness from five of his GN nodes could only alter the temperature but could not do any real damage. What made it worse was that the cold effect could only be triggered when Wang Tong's life was under threat, which meant that Wang Tong could never have full control over it. Wang Tong realized that he needed to first focus on gaining more control over the cold effect.

"The cold effect only happens when I feel my life is under threat. But, where could I find the opponent who could do that to me? Definitely not in Ayrlarng." Wang Tong pulled his hair as he spoke with frustration.

Wang Tong was right; danger was not that easy to come by in a controlled environment.

"Why don't you try the PA system? Crank up the realism to 120 percent."

"That's suicidal! No one would accept the battle request anyways."

"Well just ask! Based on your popularity right now, I don't think it would be a problem."

Wang Tong nodded as he agreed with Mr. Wannabe. Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes, "What about Lie Jian? He is the heir of House Lie and the best at using the Tactics of the Blaze. Don't you think that it will be easier for him to draw out my cold GN force? You know, ice and fire."

"I guess so. Heck, I haven't seen a good fight for so long. Based on your description, it sounds like it is going to be an uphill battle for you. It would be a good opportunity to see exactly how much stronger you have gotten."

"I have just reached level 5. I suspect that Lie Jian has already reached the peak of level 5 if not even higher."

"Great! I can't wait to see you're a*s getting handed over to you! Haha"

"Hehe, don't draw your conclusion so soon. It's not that easy to defeat me."

The two started laughing. They didn't care about the outcome of the match. As long as it served as good practice, it would be a good fight.

Wang Tong took action right away. He rushed to the Dream Heaven, the virtual café that he hadn't visited for a while. He was surprised to find out the owner had installed a statue of a mascot at the entrance.

As Wang Tong walked into the virtual cafe, he saw the place had been completely renovated, and looked much cleaner and spacious.

"Hi, Is this your first time here?"

"A receptionist? How much money did the owner make? " Wang Tong thought to himself.

"No, here." Wang Tong gave the receptionist his membership card.

"You are the VIP member. Terminal number 5 please."

"Ah...Ah...ha! Isn't it my lucky..Er... Wang Tong? How are you doing! Long time no see! "

"I'm doing great. You have a good memory."

"Of course! Did you see my new café? I have renovated everything. Make sure you tell your friends, OK?"

"Sure thing!" Wang Tong nodded. The owner had been kind to him, so he thought he shouldn't refuse the request.

The receptionist's eyes were filled with admiration. Finally, she had met the "lucky charm" her boss had been talking so much about.

When Wang Tong walked into room number 5, he saw that the small room had also been fully renovated. There was even a juice machine right next to the terminal. It suddenly occurred to Wang Tong that a cup of juice would have cost more than what he had paid.

"How generous, but what a bad business decision." Wang Tong muttered to himself.

Outside the room number 5, the owner too, muttered to himself. "Thank God, my lucky charm has returned!"

Chapter 237: Charcoal Revived

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Wang Tong turned on the terminal, signed in and then sent a letter to the DREAM development team. Should it be any other player, the letter would never have reached its destination, but DREAM had delegated a team to handle all of Einherjar Wannabe's request, so Wang Tong's requested were received immediately.

"Boss, we have received a letter from Einherjar Wannabe."

"Oh? Forward it to me." Cameron's eyes sparkled. He was mired in a pile of paper works, but the news caught his attention immediately.

Upon reading the letter, Cameron's face turned black.

"Ridiculous." Cameron lit up a cigarette, "Lie Jian is not just any no-account that he could challenge as he pleases."

The fight could be a commercial success, but, Cameron was worried that Wang Tong would lose the battle since the gap between the two players' strength was unbridgeable.

After having chewed on his options for a while, Cameron replied Wang Tong and asked him politely to reconsider his decision.

"Perhaps we should pick another opponent?" Mr. Wannabe asked.

"It's alright! From a commercial point of view, DREAM is the benefactor, I am not. Let's see them pass up the opportunity to make money."

"Is that all? You are not afraid that once you have piqued too much of their interest, they will decide to investigate your identity?" Mr. Wannabe's words had hit the mark. It suddenly made Wang Tong feel that his identity might have already been compromised.

"Ojisan, let's hit the road. You are right. Sooner or later, DREAM would be able to find us out." Wang Tong was agitated with paranoia. Even the familiar face of the café owner seemed ominous.

"Calm down Kiddo. I don't think things are that simple. If they wanted to figure out your identity, they must have already had done so. Your previous fights had stirred up things quite a bit, but they didn't come bother you. So why now?"

Wang Tong considered what Mr. Wannabe had said and found it reasonable. He had raised the suspicion when he defeated Huo Quan, yet, nothing had happened to him. So, Wang Tong reasoned that DREAM might not have the capability of tracking him down.

But why? Wong Tong found it incredulous that an omnipresent company like DREAM was not able to track a user's location. Even the Zhang brothers from Bernabeu could do that much without a sweat.

Suddenly, Wang Tong noticed his crystal was flashing.

Wang Tong put reached into the crystal and searched with his soul energy.

"Yes, master."

Wang Tong was startled by the voice and jerked his hand back. He looked at Mr. Wannabe, and the latter shot him a look that said: "What the heck was that?"

"Who was that?"

"Yes, master."

A black box rose out from the space crystal; it was Charcoal's mainframe. Wang Tong was shocked.

"Hey, Kiddo, what the heck is that thing?" Mr. Wannabe asked.

Wang Tong gestured him to be quiet and then asked the black box, "Did you speak to me?"

"Yes, master." A voice came out from the black box as it suddenly morphed into a miniature version of Charcoal.

"Char...Charcoal? Is that you?"

"Yes, master. I am Charcoal. Charcoal- Goldie 2"

The light inside Charcoal's visual sensor flashed as he staggered a few steps before he regained balance, "Master, I am your assistant, Charcoal-Goldie 2."

Wang Tong scratched his head.

"Charcoal-Goldie 2?"

"Master, you had met the minimum requirement to unlock me. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT: FIFTH LEVEL SOUL ENERGY."

"Hold on a second, can you please tell me what are you first?" Wang Tong was confused.

"Master, I am your assistant. I am the incarnation of Goldie." Charcoal said.

"Who is Goldie?" Wang Tong found his explanation as clear as mud, "OK, how about you start from the beginning?"

Charcoal then explained the relationship between Goldie, the Blade Warrior, and General Li Feng. Based on what Wang Tong had understood, Goldie was an intelligent life form from another dimension, and the technology of FFC was inherited from General Li Feng. Even the rate of the 'new' technology being 'discovered' was decreed by General Li before he passed away. The purpose of this seemingly redundant micromanagement was to prevent the human from gaining too much power at once.

Wang Tong started to gain measures of respect towards General Li Feng after hearing the responsibility he had carried on his shoulders. Then and there, he realized that it was his turn to take the weight.

"Alright Goldie, since you have already merged with Charcoal's mainframe, I think I'd prefer calling you Charcoal. How about that?"

Charcoal-Goldie 2 nodded.

"Where is General Li Feng?"

"He is gone. Perhaps you will follow him one day, but that would be your decision. I only assist."

A smile appeared on Wang Tong's face as he found delighted to have a loyal assistant, "Charcoal, could you assist me with my rent next week? Do you know what I mean?"

"Master, this command is...unavailable...Execution attempt failed."

Wang Tong rolled his eyes. "What a stingy general! It won't hurt him to leave me a couple million credit or so." Wang Tong muttered.

"What else can you do for me?"

"Master, someone was trying to trace your IP address, and I had blocked their attempt." Charcoal said.

Wang Tong shrugged, he figured that this was probably the only function of charcoal.

"What about that Einherjar Wannabe? Can you help him get out of the crystal?"

"Master, my level of clearance depends on your soul energy. I am not able to access that data based on your current soul level."

"OH! For f*ck's sake... How much can you access?"

"One percent."

Looking at the dead-serious expression of charcoal, Wang Tong wanted to curse out loud at his former owner. "Why don't you make it fifty percent, you stingy Li?" Wang Tong screamed in his mind.

But then, as he watched the familiar face of Charcoal, a smile appeared on Wang Tong's face. Charcoal was alive, and that was something worth celebrating.

"That will be it for now; I will call you when I need any help."

"Yes, master. " Charcoal bowed in a cumbersome manner. The comic appearance of Charcoal had brightened Wang Tong's mood.

Wang Tong thought that despite the stinginess, General Li Feng had done him a favor. Without him and Goldie, Charcoal would still be a piece of metal lying in his space crystal.

For some reason, Einherjar Wannabe had temporarily lost consciousness while Charcoal was out of the crystal, but he regained consciousness as soon as Charcoal disappeared. Wang Tong went on and told Mr. Wannabe about what had happened. Mr. Wannabe appreciated Wang Tong's honesty since he could have chosen not to tell him anything.

"That's strange. Oh.. What about your invitation? Did the DREAM reply?"

Wang Tong was surprised to find out that it had already been an hour since charcoal came out from the Crystal. He checked the message, and it looked like DREAM and agreed to his request and posted his challenge on DREAM's official website.

Cameron had wanted to give Wang Tong the cold treatment by not replying his request. However, the joke was on him as he started to get anxious seeing Wang Tong didn't make a move for a long time. Cameron eventually gave in and conceded feeling that he could not change Einherjar Wannabe's mind. During that one hour, Cameron felt being ignored, as if DREAM and the PA system wasn't crucial to Einherjar Wannabe at all, and that had scared the sh*t out of him.

The Mysterious Einherjar Wannabe was in full control of the situation because everyone needed him, but he, as it had appeared, was not interested in anything. Cameron regretted playing his little game with Einherjar Wannabe, and decided to agree to all of his requests from now on.

As for right then, Cameron figured that he should try as much as he could to persuade Lie Jian into this match.

Facing a successful businessperson, Wang Tong had won his battle by accident.

If Wang Tong was aware of the passage of time during that one hour, he might have wavered. Wang Tong would not afford to be disconnected from the PA system as it had become the only viable option for him to improve himself. He made a mental note of being more cautious and not to reveal his identity, so he could keep on reaping the benefits of the PA system while remaining anonymous.

While Cameron was lamenting over his wrong move, Wang Tong was surprised by how quickly his request was approved.

Wang Tong heaved a sigh and said, "There are lot of nice people in this world after all."

The news of Einherjar Wannabe's challenge to Lie Jian had shocked everyone. If Lie Jian accepted the request, it was going to be a fight of a lifetime.

Chapter 238: Father's Counsel

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Cameron had sent the challenge to Lie Jian on behalf of Einherjar Wannabe. In the invitation, it specified that the realism would be cranked up to 120%

That was a blatant taunt to Lie Jian, a member of one of the most hawkish families of the great houses.

Some believed that the battle was Einherjar Wannabe's retaliation for the fight instigated by Huo Quan. The bigger question was: "Would Einherjar Wannabe win the fight if Lie Jian accepted the challenge?"

It was common knowledge that no outside of the great houses had ever defeated anyone who was a part of them. Therefore, this fight was not the same as any fight, and it was a test to the power of the great houses. As one of the most influential fighters of his generation, Lie Jian had never lost a battle except for once when he was against Li Shiming, and even that had been a close call for his opponent. Should the two fight again, it would be hard to forecast the results.

Everyone was worried for Einherjar Wannabe, who was only a fourth level fighter as he had to stand up against a fifth level warrior from a great house.

The news about the fight had also reached beyond the PA circle. Ever since he defeated Huo Quan, Einherjar Wannabe had become the target of hatred for people who didn't like earthlings.

Shocked by Einherjar Wannabe's bravery, students from both earth and the moon waited impatiently for Lie Jian's reply.

Some audiences had reasoned that Einherjar Wannabe's bravery came from his arrogance. They believed that Huo Quan's defeat had convinced Einherjar Wannabe that all fighters from the Mars could be easily defeated.

Such a brazen taunt angered the Martians. To them, Einherjar Wannabe didn't only send a challenge to Lie Jian, but also insulted every Martian.

The online community soon became sizzling with debates between the earthlings and the Martians. The Ivantians remained neutral and just wanted to enjoy the fight.

Truth be told, Lie Jian didn't have to accept this challenge, because he no longer needed to prove himself to anyone. However, the real stake in this fight to Lie Jian was his family's reputation. As the heir to the Lie Family, he could not afford to overlook any element that threatened to weaken his family's position.

Meanwhile, Wang Tong had much less burden. He thought that if Lie Jian wouldn't accept his challenge, then he would gladly accept the reality and find himself another opponent.

Wang Tong browsed the website as he waited for Lie Jian's reply. He suddenly realized that his dance video had gone viral online. He figured that it had become so popular because the name of HG and Mike must have grabbed viewer's attention.

The entire entertainment industry went crazy over the masked dancer as they tried to figure out his identity. However, all their attempt had failed.

There had been some trails behind the dancer that was still hot, but Li Ruoer had ordered them to be covered. Without enough evidence, no one could make the connection between an ordinary student with the best dancer they had ever seen.

Wang Tong shook his head after reading the comments. He wondered what the fuss was all about since he only moved his body with the music the way he felt like it. It proved to him that he was not meant to be in the entertainment industry. Perhaps, he thought, being an entertainer would be a good fit for Hu Yangxuan, but he doubted Hu Yangxuan would be willing to give up his future as a soldier.

As the protector of human civilization, the social status of a soldier had been elevated higher than that of any other profession.

Wang Tong decided to sign off the terminal and go home. He didn't bother to look at the heated debate on the online forum about his challenge, neither did he care about other people's opinion about him. He reminded himself to check his mailbox more often in a couple of days to see if his challenge had been accepted. He figured that he had been using the terminal quite a while, and he shouldn't take advantage of the kind owner.

The next day, Wang Tong came to school as usual. The S club had been running very well, thanks to Zhou Sisi. But, Samantha seemed to have encountered a conundrum.

As per the new edicts of the confederation, all military academies were to dispatch some of their students to Norton to help the army to eradicate the Zergs. The confederation's goal was to help the ground tropes by enlisting fresh blood into their ranks while offering the students an opportunity to prepare themselves for the harshness of war. Most of the students would not be assigned a combat mission. Instead, they would be doing ground keeping works in the barracks.

It all seemed noble and grandiose on paper, but as a principal, Samantha understood the reasons for such a move at a much deeper level.

Samantha knew that recently, the council and the military had been butting heads over the matters of campaign funding.

The pan-human race council had been dominated by Earthlings ever since General Li. However, things seemed to be changing rapidly. Martians had publicly challenged Earthling's position a few times, and had exerted significant influence on the new colony states, thereby weakening the earthling's position in the council.

The debate over the funding of the Norton campaign was also part of the Martian's plan to challenge the earthing's dominance.

Under pressure from both outside and inside of the council, the Li family eventually came up with a compromise that was this so-called 'official edict' in Samantha's hand.

The students' lacked experience and had weak combat skills, but they were, nonetheless, incredibly cheap.

From a strategic point of view, the confederation's military academy system was not without its weakness. It had done little to no help in advancing the combat ability of the next generation soldiers since the best graduates all eventually ended up becoming officers who would not partake in combat. This had caused the officers of the military to be out of the touch with the foot soldiers at the bottom. General Li Feng, on the other hand, was a paragon of earnest and bravery. He started from the bottom and worked his way to the top, and therefore, he understood the difficulties the first line soldiers had.

However, right then, the idea of having the best academy graduates spend time among the ranks of the foot soldiers would seem like a joke. The students then were more pragmatic, as they considered becoming an officer as fast as they could their only goal. Therefore, Samantha knew that this edict would meet student's resistance as soon as she had finished reading it.

Anyone could do the math themselves: the risk was too high, but the benefit was nonexistent.

The students were not very eager to volunteer for the program. So far, Ayrlarng had no student who had shown his or her interest yet.

There was no position in the fleet, but even if there were, Samantha, reasoned, the situation wouldn't change the slightest since the life on a ship out in the nowhere was excruciatingly dull.

Confederation had sensed the lack of motivation among academy students, but there had been no data to draw any conclusions. Therefore, they had purposely decreed the enlistment a voluntary act, so the edict served a census across academies. So far, Ayrlarng had zero volunteers.

House Li.

"Are you looking for me, father?" Li Shiming asked respectfully.

"You volunteered to go to Norton?"

"Yes, father."

Li Daozhe turned around to face his son. Lights reflected off the hard lines etched to his face. His gaze was soft and caring, but his figure projected a sense of dominance. He was the backbone of the Confederation: Einherjar Li Daozhe.

"You had done well in the recent series of events, although your methods could be more discrete."

"Please father, I am listening."

"The exercise on Paradise Island was near flawless, but your involvement won't escape Ma Dutian."

"Father, I had just visited Uncle Ma. He seemed normal to me. Plus, we had cleaned all evidence on the island."

"Hehe. Don't underestimate your Uncle Ma; he is smarter than anyone else. The lack of evidence was a telltale sign. Who else, except for the Li Family could have done so much damage without leaving any evidence?"

Li Shiming chewed on his father's words for a while and bowed deeply, "Thank you for your counsel, father. But, what should I do next?"