Trouble? Understood

Chapter 45: Trouble? Understood

Yan Hengbo wept bitter tears. "What a sin! Yan was a hero all his life, only to lose his good name in his final years. What kind of debt collector did I bring into this world? Tell me, why didn't you inform me of something this serious?"

Yan Zhennan was already covered in wounds, and after being whipped until his flesh split open, pain made the corners of his eyes twitch. Yet he did not dare move at all. In a low voice, he said, "I thought Father was in seclusion..."

"Seclusion my ass! With this 'Modified Ripple Force' out there, what face do I have left to release 'Ripple Force 2.0'?"

Yan Hengbo kicked Yan Zhennan to the ground and gritted his teeth. "You wretched beast, the Yan family will perish by your hand!"

Yan Feirou truly could not bear to watch any longer. She could only steel herself and step forward to shield her father, saying coquettishly, "Grandpa, what exactly happened to make you so furious? Dad just returned from the Mist Zone, and I heard he was seriously injured, yet you..."

"Hmph!"

Not even his beloved granddaughter could diminish Yan Hengbo's fury by half. He said coldly, "Ask that worthless father of yours what good deed he has done!"

"Dad?"

The Ripple Princess was utterly confused. Only after listening to her father hem and haw for a long while did she begin to vaguely understand.

"'Modified Ripple Force' wasn't fabricated nonsense—it was the real deal. At the critical moment between life and death, Dad switched to 'Modified Ripple Force' to support his entire force-generation system. Not only did his combat power instantly rise, but his attacks became smoother and more covert. Every move struck the weak points of the super-beast mutant, completely suppressing the Unknown Mutant that had evolved with barely any health left?"

Yan Feirou listened in stunned disbelief and stammered, "N-no way, right? Last time Dad trained seriously for three whole hours. Why didn't he discover it then?"

"Nonsense. This 'Modified Ripple Force' is broad and profound, concealing countless mysteries. Even your grandfather cannot fathom it in a short time. The more I ponder it, the more flavor I find in it. With that high-minded but low-skilled thing you call a father, let alone three hours—even if he trained for three days and three nights, he might not grasp its exquisitely marvelous essence!"

Yan Hengbo snorted. "Fortunately, your father's foundation was fairly solid. Though he could not comprehend many of its mysteries, he forcibly memorized them. Only by unleashing them when he was at death's door did he pick up his little life again!"

After thinking it over carefully, Yan Feirou began to tremble as well. "If 'Modified Ripple Force' is real, just how formidable would its creator have to be? Such an expert kindly instructed me, and not only did I fail to appreciate it, I publicly slandered him online. This expert must be furious!"

"Feirou, do you understand the gravity of this matter now?"

Yan Hengbo said with a dark expression, "Modern martial arts are not the nonsense from wuxia novels. Some great hero goes into a cave, shuts himself away for a year or two, and can then build a cart behind closed doors—how could that be possible? True martial arts require an extremely profound understanding of genetics, cell biology, ergonomics, exercise physiology, and even spiritual-energy physics, in every respect.

"It also requires building an enormous database, collecting big data through the life-and-death battles of countless martial artists, repeatedly deducing it using the most advanced super-biochemical brains, and then constantly testing it in real combat. How much manpower, material resources, financial resources, and intellectual power must be invested in all this?

"I led a research team made up of dozens of experts, and after so many years, we barely managed to upgrade 'Ripple Force' to version 2.0. Yet this 'Modified Ripple Force,' judged by my standards, is at least version 5.0. Think about it—what kind of terrifying power must its creator possess?"

Yan Feirou swallowed with difficulty and did not dare think any further.

"What is even more terrifying is that this technique possesses vision far beyond its era. It seems designed specifically for entirely new monsters that have undergone continual evolution. This can only mean one thing."

Yan Hengbo said in a low voice, "Its creator has ventured deeper into Deep in the Mist than your father, perhaps even farther than I did in my prime. He has seen countless peerless ferocious beasts that we know nothing about!"

Yan Feirou cried out, "There are even stronger monsters?"

"Of course there are. Dragon City tore through the void and descended, pressing down upon the Monster Mountain Range and causing drastic changes to the surrounding geological structure. Many monster nests hidden deep in the mountains will slowly emerge. In the past, Dragon City shrank into a corner and had little contact with peerless ferocious beasts. But as Earthlings' civilization continues to radiate outward, collisions will come sooner or later."

Yan Hengbo said, "Ordinary citizens, including low- and mid-level Transcendents, do not know this news. But the upper levels are actively preparing for war. Even those old monsters standing at the peak of Dragon City have long advanced into Deep in the Mist, establishing outposts, collecting more specimens and intelligence, expanding the monster compendium and the massive database. Every day, they study the traits of unknown super-beasts and consider how to upgrade current martial arts."

Yan Feirou's eyes widened. "Grandpa, was this 'Modified Ripple Force' created by those old monsters?"

"What else could it be? Do you think the Yan family's Ripple Force can be upgraded this perfectly by just any cat or dog?"

Yan Hengbo said, "Feirou, you should understand that those old monsters who had been fighting fiercely since Dragon City's crossing were all Peerless Experts from the first batch infected with the Zombie Virus. They were fortunate enough not to turn into zombies. Instead, they broke the genetic shackles and awakened Transcendent abilities. They have weathered wind and rain, guarding Dragon City for a full half-century as Pillars of Heaven!

"However, when we had only just crossed over, our research into genetics, spiritual energy, and life sciences was still extremely crude, even mistaken. These pioneers staggered and stumbled along the Transcendent path, opening realms never before explored, and they paid a devastating price.

"Many pioneers suffered brain damage. Their minds were eroded by the mysterious power of the Otherworld, and they became both righteous and wicked, even half-mad and deranged, liable to lose control at any moment.

"When they are in a good mood, they might casually offer you a few pointers and let you soar by leaps and bounds along the Transcendent path.

"But if you offend them and they happen to go berserk, they really could wipe out the Yan family in an instant—otherwise, why would they be called 'old monsters'?"

"Then what do we do?" The Ripple Princess spun anxiously in circles. "This time, we've offended this old mon... old senior terribly! Will he destroy the Yan family in a fit of rage?"

"Don't panic. If he wanted to destroy us, he would have done so long ago. He would not still be holding his troops back now."

Yan Hengbo pondered. "From this 'Modified Ripple Force,' I can sense the old senior's deep and earnest affection for the Yan family. If he did not hold extremely strong feelings for 'Yan Family Ripple,' he could not possibly have upgraded it so perfectly. Perhaps this old senior once had some connection with our Yan family. Could he be one of my benefactors on the Transcendent path? Otherwise, why would he guide you?

"Third, there is nothing for you to do here. Go recover from your injuries. Once you are healed, you need not concern yourself with the group's affairs anymore. Focus on being your monster hunter!"

Yan Zhennan fell silent.

With a single sentence, the old master had cut off his future in the Yan family.

But after offending an unfathomable old monster, this was already the lightest punishment.

"Yes, Father," Yan Zhennan said dejectedly.

"Feirou, this matter began because of you. I feel that this mysterious senior still likes you fairly well. Why not have you step forward again and issue a public apology? Try to be as sincere as possible, as pitiful as possible, and see whether the old senior is willing to spare the Yan family."

Yan Hengbo sighed. "If even that does not work, then I can only throw away this old face of mine and beg for his forgiveness."

That evening, during Meng Chao's self-study session, an uproar broke out in the classroom.

"Go look! The Ripple Princess is reading a public apology letter on the livestream platform!"

"Heavens, the princess is dressed so delicately and looks so pitiful today. It feels like she is about to cry!"

"Is this for real? With the Yan family's power, who could force the Ripple Princess to apologize like this? Does the Yan family have no pride at all?"

The students erupted into discussion.

All the boys were filled with righteous indignation.

Meng Chao was stunned for a moment. When he unlocked his phone and looked, sure enough—the eldest daughter of the Yan family had adopted yet another look today. Unlike the gentleness of her public lecture or the toughness of her statement that day, today she seemed somewhat... like pear blossoms battered by rain, trembling with fear?

"A few days ago, because of Feirou's youth and ignorance, I acted impulsively and deeply offended an old senior of lofty status, causing an extremely negative impact online..."

Yan Feirou had not hugged Meng Chao's thigh.

But she certainly had the air of a sobbing "boo-hoo-hoo."

The boys watching were furious enough to burn.

Chu Feixiong howled beside Meng Chao. Who was it? Who had frightened his goddess into such a state? He was going to fight that bastard!

Comments and bullet chats were disabled for the video.

But countless netizens had long united in common hatred in the gossip sections online.

Everyone was asking who the "old senior" mentioned by the Ripple Princess was. Who had such a huge face that he forced the Yan family to show such weakness and make a public apology?

Meng Chao touched his face.

He felt that his face was not all that huge.

He truly could not understand why Yan Feirou had gone from arrogant to respectful, becoming like an entirely different person.

But he was a kindhearted man.

After watching the apology video, and after Yan Feirou sent him an extremely long private message filled with earnest words and blood-tear sincerity, Meng Chao sighed and decided to let the Yan family off the hook.

"Oh."

He replied with a single word to indicate that he understood.

Yan Feirou was overjoyed. Very soon, she sent another lengthy message thanking the senior for his magnanimity and asking whether he had any needs.

"We know that with Senior's influence, offering money or cultivation resources would only insult you. We wonder whether there is anything else for which Senior might have use of the Yan family. The Yan family will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

This letter left Meng Chao stunned for quite a while.

He very much wanted to reply, "It's fine. This old man has a strong resistance to pressure and can endure all manner of insults. Don't stand on ceremony—go ahead and viciously insult me with money and cultivation resources!"

Then he grew annoyed. Why had he played at being some aloof, mysterious senior for no reason? Now he felt too embarrassed even to ask others for compensation.

After scratching his head for a long while, he inadvertently looked up and happened to see Zuo Haoran staring at him gloomily.

Meng Chao thought for a moment, then sent a message. "Within three days, help me investigate 'Vast Ocean Group.'"

Vast Ocean Group was Zuo Haoran's family company.

Meng Chao knew that Zuo Haoran was a sinister petty man. There was no need to fear him at school even if their conflict escalated, but what if he used his family connections to target Meng Chao's parents?

His father's small company had only just gotten off the ground. It was a tiny skiff that could not withstand great wind and waves. Naturally, he had to investigate every uncertain factor thoroughly.

The other side hesitated. "Vast Ocean Group is..."

Meng Chao felt a little embarrassed.

In the future, "Ripple Force" had originally been created by Yan Feirou. He had put on this mysterious act and seemed to have frightened her badly, yet now he was asking her to help him. It felt a little like eating and demanding more besides, utterly shameless, didn't it?

"There is some trouble," Meng Chao replied.

To preserve his persona as an aloof senior, he did not explain in too much detail.

He meant that it was rather troublesome to investigate a company thoroughly in such a short time. If it could not be done, then forget it. It was not a major matter to begin with.

The other side was silent for a while before replying, "Trouble? Understood."