Chapter 31

Everyone in Class 6, from the teacher to the students, was stunned by Qin Su's utterly unexpected approach. For a long time, they couldn't recover.

None of them had ever imagined that the simulated combat exercise would end this way.

After an unknown length of time, low murmurs rose from the crowd. Some voices were shocked and astonished, some admiring and delighted, and others, naturally, puzzled and confused.

"Even though the leading edge of the Particle Pulse Cannon's attack wave deals the most damage, that doesn't mean the rest of the beam doesn't hurt. Qin Su attacked He Muzhi that way, which means he'd also be burned by the lingering force of the Particle Pulse Cannon. Can he... not feel pain?!"

"He definitely couldn't feel it. Didn't you see how Qin Su's expression stayed as icy as ever, from the moment he put his plan into action until the fight ended? Ordinary people's brows are the first thing to furrow when they're in pain, but Qin Su's didn't move an inch!"

"Agreed. How can we use ordinary people's sense of pain to judge how much pain Qin Su feels?"

"The way Qin Su treats He Muzhi... seriously, I'm crying! But then again, according to that Omega from Class 7, He Muzhi is an S-rank Alpha. I guess it's no surprise he caught Qin Su's eye."

"Yeah." Anthony seized the chance to speak sarcastically. "If we have to blame anyone, we can only blame ourselves for being useless A-rank Alphas. Our rank is too low, so Qin Su can't even be bothered to spare us an extra glance."

"...Anthony, why does that sound so weird? It's Qin Su's right to treat whoever he wants differently, isn't it? It's not like he's obligated to pay attention to every one of us."

His intentions exposed and his attempt to turn people against Qin Su foiled, Anthony immediately denied it. "What makes you think I'm morally blackmailing him..."

"Enough," Raymond interrupted. "More importantly..."

Raymond looked at Duan Lin expectantly. "Teacher, could you share the entire recording of how Qin Su ended the match with me?"

His attempt to show off had failed, so the problem had to lie with him. He thought Qin Su was absolutely worth learning from.

Even though Qin Su hadn't been trying to show off at all, he was... really cool, and absolutely worth emulating.

"Teacher, I want it too! I mean, I want all the footage, whether he's mimicking a black beetle or not!"

"Me too!"

Not only did the students all clamour for it, they didn't forget to greedily ask for everything.

The corner of Duan Lin's mouth twitched slightly, but...

Remembering every frame of what had happened, she could completely understand.

The thing was...

"No." Duan Lin adjusted the glasses on her nose. "Every simulated combat exercise is a school secret. Sharing the footage is forbidden to prevent it from getting out."

At her words, clear disappointment appeared on many students' faces.

After dealing with He Muzhi, Qin Su chose to read the bullet comments to distract himself. He hadn't taken off the Mechanical Outerwear yet, and the pain persisted.

He hadn't yet seen his classmates' expressions in response to his strong performance, but he did see the bullet comments arguing fiercely over his beating of He Muzhi.

Qin Su: "..."

Sure enough, he was getting scolded. He had made the protagonist hurt so badly he couldn't speak; the protagonist's die-hard fans wouldn't let him off. Just as the fans who liked his character wouldn't be happy if someone else hurt him.

With that thought, Qin Su decisively ignored the comments scolding him. After seeing He Muzhi's body disappear from the simulation, he walked toward the edge of the simulation area, following the directions with steady, elegant steps.

All the while, Qin Su continued reading the bullet comments to distract himself from the pain.

Some of the viewers' analyses were right, and others were wrong.

For example, their claim that he couldn't feel pain was false.

He hadn't even frowned, but that was only because he was forcing himself to endure it.

He also hadn't taken off his sunglasses the moment the simulated combat ended, so the "viewers" wouldn't think he had been in such a hurry to remove the sunglasses—which activated both the protective shield and the Mechanical Outerwear that simulated pain—because the pain was unbearable.

Nor did he have extensive experience fighting the Zerg. What he did have was a wealth of experience from repeatedly pushing his survival limits in the desert.

He had won this simulated combat exercise entirely because the timing, terrain, and people had all been on his side.

If He Muzhi were given the same opportunity to grow, then, given the innate physical difference between them, Qin Su would very likely lose.

And the way to make himself no different from a native of the Comic World was a gland...

He couldn't get a gland in the short term, and the system's list of things he could exchange Life Points for didn't include anything like a physique enhancer.

For now, he could only place his hopes on his parents.

The apocalypse... His parents had devoted years of effort to vaccine research and produced countless batches. They still hadn't stopped, which proved that the apocalyptic zombie crisis was harder to resolve than he had imagined.

Aside from having brains that could think, the vast majority of humans couldn't match the physiques of the "living dead" zombies. Yet for some unknown reason, his father's face had even grown younger during the apocalypse...

Wasn't it... possible that they really had researched some drug that could make the body stronger in a short time?

Reaching the edge of the simulation area where he had originally entered, Qin Su saw the invisible barrier formed of light disappear and set his thoughts aside for the moment.

The instant he stepped out of the simulation area, Qin Su raised a hand and took off his sunglasses as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

As the sunglasses came off, the simulated combat scene faded, and the fiery, burning pain in his body finally receded. All that remained was a tingling numbness throughout his muscles, as though an electric current had passed through them.

Qin Su breathed an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

Sure enough, just as he had thought, the Mechanical Outerwear he wore was armor that protected his body from real harm, and also the "culprit" behind the simulated pain of an attack.

Freed from the intense pain, he silently declared his strong performance a perfect success. Only then did Qin Su have the attention to look at He Muzhi.

He was also curious: after such a ferocious attack, what reaction would He Muzhi, the protagonist, have...?

Curious as he was, Qin Su never forgot to maintain his "bigshot" persona for the sake of Life Points. There wasn't a trace of nosiness in the look he cast He Muzhi; he merely gave him a "casual glance" before forcibly looking away.

Having satisfied his curiosity, Qin Su walked toward the changing room as though it were the most natural thing in the world, beneath everyone's burning gazes.

Only when the changing room door closed and he had completely disappeared from everyone's sight did Qin Su's constantly tensed body gradually relax.

After concentrating fully on maintaining his persona for nearly three hours, Qin Su didn't immediately change back into his own clothes. Instead, he moved his stiff limbs.

As he eased his physical fatigue, the scene he had glimpsed when he looked at He Muzhi flashed through his mind.

He Muzhi was lying on his back on a layer of soft silver metal not far from the simulation area. Even after taking off his sunglasses, he hadn't gotten up. His eyes were vacant; clearly, the pain had stunned him, and he hadn't recovered.

Judging by where He Muzhi was lying and its distance from the simulation area, Qin Su could imagine how, after being hit by the Particle Pulse Cannon Qin Su wielded and eliminated, He Muzhi had been ejected from the simulation area in a parabolic arc.

"..."

If he had lost the fight, the sight of himself being ejected... He immediately put a big X over the thought in his mind.

It was far too undignified. Taking advantage of the fact that no one could see him, Qin Su shook his head to himself.

That didn't fit the script for the "bigshot" persona he wanted at all.

Fortunately, according to his roommate Jiang Lu, the Protagonist Group followed a growth-route script, so He Muzhi's current state wasn't out of character.

Outside the simulation area.

With everyone's attention fixed on him, they all saw that the first person Qin Su, the victor of Class 6's first simulated combat exercise, looked at upon leaving the simulation area was He Muzhi, who lay on the ground with his pupils trembling in shock.

Only after looking at He Muzhi did he withdraw his gaze and walk toward the changing room with an indifferent expression, disappearing from their sight.

Although Qin Su was gone...

The viewers sending bullet comments and the spectators on the scene couldn't help recalling everything that had happened between Qin Su and He Muzhi on the Simulated Battlefield. They simply couldn't stop their minds from running wild.

"..."

[...]

If Qin Su didn't treat He Muzhi differently, they'd wash their hair standing on their heads!

[Does anyone understand how much that icy glance Boss 1 gave He Muzhi on the ground as he passed him was worth? Master-level!]

[Qin Su... master... Su, Su master? Host?]

[What the hell, host? Hahaha, that makes it sound like our Boss 1 is bound to a system, hahaha!]

[Exactly, that's hilarious. There's absolutely no way. With Boss 1's overwhelming presence, the system would probably have to kneel, kowtow, and make offerings to him!]

Qin Su, who had finished loosening up: "..."

That was indeed the case.

The truth was always so plain and unadorned, nothing like the elaborate scenarios the viewers imagined.

But...

Qin Su raised a hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat, and a flicker of relief at having survived crossed his eyes.

The instant a weapon like the Particle Pulse Cannon, used against the Zerg, struck him, he had felt as though his body were being reduced to ashes in a heartbeat.

"Dear God, please don't make me go through something that hurts the enemy a thousand but costs me eight hundred again..." Qin Su prayed with a sigh.

[I totally get it! It has that fated bad-ending feeling: the righteous hero and the villain are destined enemies, and in the final battle, the villain gives the hero several chances to kill him. But the hero ultimately can't win and is ruthlessly killed by the villain. After cruelly killing him, the villain passes the hero's corpse, casts it a cold glance, and leaves as if nothing happened!]

[Gah! This is so delicious!]

[It looks delicious and sounds delicious too! Any chefs here? Hungry! Save a starving girl!]

[Uh... is it possible that Boss 1 simply gave He Muzhi too many chances to "kill" him, but He Muzhi couldn't live up to them, so he was disappointed and gave him a cold look as he passed?]

[Someone, take that honest person out!]

[Just saying, is it possible that Su-baby was only curious about how He Muzhi was doing and took a quick look?]

[Are you kidding? Does our Top 1 look like someone who'd have a worldly desire to gossip?]

[Agreed. After the honest person got taken out, along came someone with an unusual train of thought.]

"..."

Qin Su didn't dare make a sound after someone inadvertently guessed what he was thinking, and he silently put his sunglasses back on.

He couldn't forget the unexpected turn during the simulated combat exercise that had forced him to "let himself experience pain" for the sake of his strong plan.

In front of others, he couldn't let himself be hit by any weapon and show an expression of pain.

But in private, he had to know what it felt like to be struck by different weapons, and use the experience of "being hit frequently" to get used to the pain.

That way, if he were ever struck by a weapon in front of others on a battlefield, he would already have experience being hit. He could prepare himself mentally, know just how much he had to endure, and keep his expression unchanged rather than contorted in pain.

After all, as things stood, he was just a person of flesh and blood.

A battlefield wasn't a simulation area. With conditions changing in an instant, he couldn't guarantee at every moment that he would truly never be hurt.

With that in mind, Qin Su used the detailed weapon data 777 provided to quickly draw up another table on his skin, listing the weapons' attack values from lowest to highest.

It was normal to take a shower in the changing room after a fight. Otherwise, why would every changing room have a shower? As long as he didn't linger too long, he wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Having finished the preparations, Qin Su said to the system, "777, use the weapon damage values I just listed to simulate damage and attack me."

The system had said that as long as his Life Points countdown hadn't reached zero, he couldn't die.

During class, he could take advantage of the free "protective suit" to keep his body from bursting apart from the damage. He'd be a fool not to seize the opportunity.

777: [?]

[...Not long ago, you prayed to God that you "didn't want to go through something that hurts the enemy a thousand but costs you eight hundred again,"] 777 reminded him worriedly.

Qin Su: "...Oh, I forgot to tell you. First, I've always been very good at forgetting my roots. Second, the me of now isn't the me from before, so what do the things I said before have to do with me now? Finally, I don't believe in God either."

With all those buffs stacked together, was there anything wrong with his prayer failing? Nothing at all.

Besides, in life, you were either eating your words or on your way to doing so. What he was doing was only human nature.

[...All right, as long as you're happy.]

It couldn't understand its host's behavior of seeking out suffering, and was deeply shocked.

Qin Su: "..."

With his parents away, hiding alone in a changing room in another world and secretly getting "beaten up," he wasn't actually very happy.

After silently indulging in absurd thoughts, Qin Su sighed without a sound.

If he hadn't known how simple the system was, incapable of hiding any other meaning in its words, he would have suspected it was being sarcastic.

"Start."

He didn't have time to dwell on absurdities for long. Qin Su quickly composed his expression and told the system to attack him.

Soon, pain spread from the spot where Qin Su had been attacked.

Having just experienced the Particle Pulse Cannon's power, Qin Su found his pain threshold unconsciously affected. He actually felt that the Laser Rounds were... tickling him.

That's it?

Realizing what he was thinking, Qin Su said, "..."

That was sick, and deeply troubling.

He couldn't stay in the changing room too long, and there was little time and much to do to make the most of this opportunity. With barely a pause, Qin Su immediately said, "Continue."

Another wave of pain struck, still within the limits of what he could endure.

"No problem."

"Faster."

"I can still take it."

"Again."

As the pain intensified again and again, the final, lethal attack left Qin Su in so much pain he could barely breathe, as though the top of his skull had been ripped off. His entire body couldn't have been any more numb.

In a daze, Qin Su thought bleakly:

Fate had mercilessly slapped him, and he stubbornly insisted it hadn't been as loud as the last one.

Qin Su: "..."

Maybe he should just keep typing 1 to speed up the world's destruction?

"Enough." Unable to stay in the changing room too long, Qin Su told the system to stop attacking him. "That's all for today."

He, Hu... Qin Su, would be back.

After being repeatedly assaulted by pain like being struck by lightning, Qin Su's voice was a little hoarse.

[...All right.] Unable to bear watching, 777 hesitated for a long while. Finally, after Qin Su changed out of the mechanical protective suit, it wrote a precious strategy in its notes: attack yourself in turn with every weapon on the market.

The first thing Raymond said as he helped He Muzhi up was, "If you say there's nothing between you and Qin Su, I won't believe it."

He Muzhi's head was full of thoughts like: Why did the simulated battle end that way? Was it an insult...? No, Qin Su doesn't look like he'd ever think that way. Then was Qin Su telling me that even though I took second place, I'm still far too weak in front of him, and reminding me that I need to get stronger? He had no idea that Qin Su had "swept a cold glance over him" before leaving. Hearing Raymond, his newly focused eyes turned to the man holding him, and he asked a question from the depths of his soul.

"Huh?"

Before Raymond could speak, he seemed to notice something. He looked up and saw Qin Su appear before them again.

His expression was indifferent, and he didn't look disheveled in the slightest.

Raymond: "..."

Elegant. Truly elegant!

Duan Lin withdrew her gaze from Qin Su and looked at the simulated combat statistics. After a quick glance confirmed that everything was in order, she announced, "The data from this simulated combat session has been posted here and in the class group chat. That concludes today's Weapons and Mecha Fundamentals class. If any of you have questions, you're welcome to ask me anytime."

"That's all. Class dismissed."

As Duan Lin finished speaking, lists appeared in the air before everyone, displaying detailed data from the simulation's five hundred participants. There were individual rankings for damage output, evasion, kills, survival, number of weapon switches, and time survived on the battlefield, as well as a final overall ranking.

The name "Qin Su" was not only first in the overall rankings; it also stood alone at the top of every individual category.

The fans who supported "Qin Su" were completely satisfied when they saw the data.

[Our precious No. 1 is still being "No. 1" all day today!]

[So satisfying!]

[As expected of a "host"-level man. Terrifying!]

[I hereby announce that, starting today, I'm joining "No. 1," the more authoritative circle led by the big shot Boss 1!]

Hearing Teacher Duan, Qin Su raised his eyes and cast an indifferent glance at the giant data screen in the air. His face was cold and unconcerned, but in truth, he was in too much pain to think straight and couldn't muster interest in anything.

After that glance, Qin Su left at an unhurried pace, while everyone watched the screen and occasionally cast him looks of either admiration or shock.

He didn't even dare let his steps show any sign of unsteadiness in front of them.

"Wait, he's leaving already? Isn't he going to take a proper look? Isn't he curious about his exact stats?"

"First place. He's first in everything. What's there to be curious about?"

"True... That's further proof Qin Su has been through so many battles that he doesn't care about boring data like this at all."

"Agreed. Qin Su must find the stats from a simulated battlefield like this really boring—so boring that he only gave them a casual glance."

"Doesn't anyone think Qin Su's expression has gotten colder? He's wearing a pheromone-blocking patch and isn't leaking any pheromones, but his aura is terrifying."

"..."

Qin Su didn't pause for a moment when he heard the discussion.

He was curious. Of course he was.

But to fit the stereotype of a big shot who "left looking unruffled after causing a sensation," he couldn't openly show his curiosity.

The same data had been posted in the class group chat, so he could sneak a look back in his dorm without anyone finding out.

Besides, while He Muzhi was still dazed and hadn't recovered, Qin Su had better leave before he came to ask "why"—a question that, for the sake of his persona, Qin Su could only give the stifling answer "there's no why" to.

Of course, most importantly... his soul was numb with pain! He needed to go back and recuperate.

A cold face? Sorry, it was probably a sour face.

Anyone who'd taken a beating and couldn't let it show on their face would have an expression as twisted as his.

"When will I be able to stop caring about stats like Qin Su?"

"First you'd have to get as strong as Qin Su, strong enough that the killing power of any weapon stops mattering to him."

"...Then forget it." Nothing in the world was difficult, as long as he was willing to give up.

Amid remarks like these expressing shock at Qin Su, He Muzhi belatedly looked away from the repeated "Qin Su" and "1" on the screen and discovered that Qin Su himself had vanished from the simulated combat venue.

He Muzhi: "..."

Whether it was the way Qin Su had been merciful to him at first, then so merciless as to be almost cruel, breaking his "Dao heart" and "killing" him in the final "showdown," or Raymond's strange remark that he "didn't believe there was nothing between him and Qin Su," which He Muzhi had heard when he came to his senses—

He hadn't had time to ask about any of it.

Full of questions and tormented by the lack of answers, He Muzhi silently shared what had happened in the four-person group chat.

The three of them after reading He Muzhi's account:

Lailisi: ...? You've changed.

Samuel: Is that a flex? Are you flexing? (uncertain cat face.jpg)

Lin Yin: ...@Samuel be more confident. @He Muzhi if that isn't a flex, I'll hit his artery when I stick a needle in his vein.

Lailisi: @He Muzhi (clenched fist.jpg)

He Muzhi: It's the truth. I really wasn't showing off.

Lin Yin: ...Twisted with jealousy.

Lailisi: Deformed with jealousy.

Samuel: Crawling around like a creature of darkness with jealousy.

He Muzhi had just thought to reply when, the next second, he saw the open group chat on his Optical Brain display:

'You have been removed from the group chat by "Samuel."'

'You can't send messages to a group you've left.'

He Muzhi: "..."

He was telling the truth. Why did nobody believe him?

[Pfft, hahaha, poor precious Muzhi.]

[The three of them: I don't dare open my eyes. Please let this be a hallucination.]

[Precious Muzhi: Huh?]

[Samuel: You wanna flex? Take my invincible roundhouse kick! Out you go!]

[I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe. Every time, our precious Samuel looks innocent, adorable, soft and easy to bully, but he's incredibly quick to act. He rolls up his sleeves and goes for it without another word, hahaha.]

While He Muzhi was full of questions over the "jump ticket" his dear friends had given him, Qin Su had already returned to his dorm.

Shut off from all prying eyes, Qin Su dragged himself toward the shower to rinse off again. Although he'd already showered in the changing room, he'd come back wearing clothes he'd worn outside.

After showering and changing into pajamas, Qin Su was just about to throw himself onto the bed and close his eyes for a rest when he saw a new message pop up in the family group chat on the phone he hadn't dared take out while he was outside.