Zhang Heng only realized the error of his thought by then.
He never realized that he had always been bound by human morals up until that point. It wouldn't have mattered if he was just an average person. However, given that he had to fight in a variety of planes from then on out, there was no doubt that such moral bondage would only bring about his doom eventually. He was impressed with how Corona was able to create and display a training program that even addressed his mental weaknesses.
Corona's expression softened seeing that Zhang Heng was reflecting on his weaknesses and said again, "Seems like we'd need some outside help to change that perception of yours."
"Outside help?" Zhang Heng was stunned right there and then.
"Yes, outside help." Corona then stepped out all of a sudden and appeared right beside him before he was able to react before she swiped her right hand like a knife at his neck.
Zhang Heng's body tensed right away and he put up his right hand, intending to catch her hand. However, she simply grabbed it in return and locked his elbow in a blitzing move. Her long slender leg was seen drawing a frightening arc in the air and clamped hard on his shoulder, using his arm as the center.
"Crack!"
The sound of his bones breaking was heard before the pain from it shot to his brain. In the eyes of regular people, everything happened so quickly that they were only able to see blurred movements. Despite being able to track her movements due to his enhanced dynamic visual acuity, his movements were utterly incapable of keeping up with hers. By the time he realized what was happening, he was completely pinned down on the ground by Corona, with unbearable pain from his shoulder shooting to his brain.
"F**k, f**k!" He saw how she broke his arm like someone picking a flower without him being able to do anything. There were also pieces of bones seen piercing through his muscles and skin, completely exposed to the air. The double impact from what he saw and what he felt caused him to scream at the top of his lungs.
It was only then that Corona clapped her hands, feeling satisfied as he let go of Zhang Heng.
"You b*tch! That f**king hurts! Heal me right now!" Zhang Heng shouted like a dog being put down while holding all that pain in.
"I'm very sorry but developing tolerance to pain is part of the lesson plan that I've designed for you. This is a request that I can't comply with until you've completely lost the capacity to fight," Corona said softly.
"I'm giving you an order as your Commander, do as I say at once!" Zhang Heng didn't yield after hearing her explanation just like that.
"I'm sorry but Yurianne has rejected your request and I was told to keep at it."
"Wait, what? What the hell does this have to do with her?" Zhang Heng was shocked at that moment after hearing that.
"According to the rank of access given, your highest access would only be applicable when orders from you do not come into conflict with that of Yurianne. In this case, I would only need to comply with Yurianne's orders," Corona fixed her bangs while she answered casually.
"That stupid support system set me up at a time like this!" Zhang Heng gritted his teeth and lifted himself by putting his left hand on the ground. Heart-wrenching pain was felt yet again from the movement of the muscles on his right arm as he picked himself up. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he was doing so, making it clear that the pain he suffered was very intense.
Zhang Heng's lips were turning rather pale due to all of the pain at that moment he stood up. He was about to say something when he got up, but then Corona went to attack his left side without even bothering to warn him, he watched as her hands clamped down on his left wrist.
"Again?" Zhang Heng's pupils contracted, with fear written all over his face.
"Crack!"
"F**k you!" Zhang Heng grunted. He was completely pissed off by the turn of events which prompted him to fight the pain of his left arm being twisted while shooting his right leg outwards towards Corona's petite, frail-looking body, his body fueled completely by rage. "Go to hell!"
However, she didn't even bat an eye at Zhang Heng's kick and sidestepped to his front right side quickly. She then lifted her knee and immediately kicked with her heel thumping down hard on Zhang Heng's left thigh with which he supported his entire body.
"Crack!"
That was the third time he heard his bones crack, and Zhang Heng's face had turned completely pale by then. That indescribable pain from the end of his thigh, the spot where his shattered bones lie, caused him to instantly fall over. He was seen falling flat on the ground while spasming all over.
"The first assurance of your survival is to maintain balance. Do not ever attack your enemies with your legs unless you're able to maintain absolute balance." Corona then continued with a grin on her face, "I'll be attacking your spine now, pay attention to how it feels." She then lifted her fist and jutted out her second knuckle a little, before punching down on his spine without any reservation.
Zhang Heng shuddered all over as the crack was heard in his ears. He then flopped around like a dead fish and completely lost all senses. His lungs were unable to contract, which meant that there was only air going out and none coming in.
He opened his mouth slightly but was unable to say anything. His pupils gradually dilated and all there was seen in his eyes was his clinging to the world of the living.
"You're dead now." Corona stood up and waved. Zhang Heng's gradually dilating pupils contracted again, and his broken spine and arms were completely mended in an instant.
Zhang Heng then drew breath like someone who was once suffocating being able to breathe all over again. He took deep breaths and it took him quite a while before he recovered. However, that feeling of death creeping up on him remained etched deep in his being.
"Gosh, that was really scary…" Zhang Heng was barely able to help himself up as he wiped away the cold sweat from his brow. He had literally been within an inch of his life just moments ago. If he wasn't in a virtual space, there would have been no way anyone could patch up injuries that severe.
"I assume that you'll be able to let go of all that mental bondage now then?" Corona grinned as she asked.
"Oh hell, I sure am now. Don't ever doubt that for a second." Zhang Heng chuckled dryly as he backed away.
"There is no need to be afraid. I was simply using pain and near-death experience to speed up your mental adjustment process. I believe that there would no longer be any doubt or hesitation in both your fists and your beliefs, after experiencing all of that. Now, please attack me at your earnest."
…
Zhang Heng woke up completely pale on his chair in the warehouse 10 hours later. He scanned his surroundings for a bit before being able to make out where he was at the moment.
10 hours in reality equated to 1,000 hours in virtual space. He had been training for over 40 days, and all that training for the past 40 days had been hellish. It hadn't been much at the beginning, as all he needed to train himself to do was simply to attack from all angles, normal or otherwise, until he was able to kill his opponent.
However, having to fight Corona, whose mental state was so airtight, while being armed with practically countless martial arts techniques and would never make any mistakes, not only was Zhang Heng unable to kill her, he was hardly able to grab the ends of her gi. As a way to punish and motivate him at the same time, Corona would attack in retaliation suddenly every 10 hours.
The results of such retaliatory attacks were foreseeable, as Zhang Heng was killed over and over again in all manner of ways, which included and not limited to, having his eyes gouged, his laryngeal cartilages crushed, his spine snapped, his crotch reduced to mush…
Zhang Heng's mouth twitched furiously at how he died the most recent time, as he would consider his opponent merciful no matter what else she did to him in comparison, even if it meant shattering every bone in his body.
All of his potential was driven out by all the extreme, inhumane punishments that he suffered. He was able to make a breakthrough at last and choked Corona down, drawing first blood on her for the first time, which enabled him to be released from the virtual space.
"Are you satisfied with the training, Commander?" Corona asked with a smile as she appeared on that huge screen before Zhang Heng.
"What do you think?" Zhang Heng appeared completely frustrated and exhausted, waving about lethargically and said, "I don't wanna see your face. Get lost… right now, immediately, at once!"
"Understood, Commander," Corona replied and the LCD shut down with a beep.
Zhang Heng stood up with a deadpan look on his face and took some frozen food out from the fridge and ate before he slumped down on his bed and dozed off.