43 Pain Devourer, Drunken Words

Yang Guangzhao hurried to the blockade line to pick up the car.

The moment he saw the young man, he recognized his identity—Ma Ran.

It should be said that at this stage, there wasn't an esper in all of China who didn't know Ma Ran.

Whether it was the "Black Rock Guidance Technique" or "Limited Precognition," both had made him shine, becoming the focus of attention for various academies during this period.

"Mr. Ma Ran, it's a pleasure!"

Yang Guangzhao enthusiastically shook Ma Ran's hand, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the white hair at Ma Ran's forehead: "I've heard about your deeds."

"Here, as a retired soldier, I represent my comrades in thanking you for your help!"

He wasn't one for scheming; his personality was quite straightforward.

If he liked someone, he liked them and would want to share all the good things he had with them.

If he disliked someone, he wouldn't say a word to them, and even a cold glare would be considered mild.

Ma Ran's prophecy had saved over six hundred of his comrades!

Therefore, Yang Guangzhao didn't hesitate at all, showing great respect and importance to Ma Ran, who was much younger than him.

"Senior Yang from Yingchuan Academy, hello."

Ma Ran smiled at Yang Guangzhao: "We are both support-type espers. Let's communicate more when we have time in the future."

He said this, but in reality, Ma Ran still needed to maintain a certain distance from the other party.

He didn't want his secrets of rebirth and "Acting" to be seen through.

Ma Ran had a very deep impression of this man, who held the dual identities of a retired soldier and a senior from Yingchuan Academy.

Yang Guangzhao, an esper with the "Pain Devourer" ability—he could erase the painful memories of others by touching their brains with both hands for more than ten seconds.

The price was...

The other person's painful memories would appear in Yang Guangzhao's mind.

This was an extremely torturous superpower, and one that could easily lead to schizophrenia.

However, this guy was incredibly resilient.

Even before he was reduced to charcoal by artillery fire, there were no signs of mental breakdown.

In his past life, Ma Ran had met Yang Guangzhao once.

A single sentence from the other party remained deeply etched in Ma Ran's mind: "A man, no matter what happens, clench your fists, grit your teeth, and hold on a little longer, and you'll get through it."

Yang Guangzhao said it, and he lived by it.

He had spent his entire life acting on his beliefs.

Ma Ran stared intently at him for a moment before suddenly saying, "I've admired soldiers since I was a child."

"My dream is to protect our country, defend the border, and safeguard civilization, just like you."

This heartfelt statement didn't quite sit right with Yang Guangzhao.

According to the information he had, Ma Ran wasn't someone with high emotional intelligence.

Could this be genuine?

Shaking his head and casting aside his scattered thoughts, Yang Guangzhao waved his hand, and someone immediately came over to help with the luggage.

"You must be tired from your journey, right?"

"You should go to the dormitory and rest for a bit. We'll have a welcome dinner for you tonight!"

"I happen to have a few bottles of Maotai and Wuliangye here, let's drink to our heart's content today!"

The distance from Caolu Academy to Area A3 wasn't far, so he wasn't really tired from the journey.

But Ma Ran still gladly accepted the other party's kindness.

Ma Ran had never been to Area A3 before.

In his previous life, by the time he joined Caolu Academy, this place had already become a dead zone, completely sealed off as an extremely dangerous red and black area.

Led by a few young men in military uniforms, Ma Ran walked briskly along the unfamiliar concrete road.

On both sides of the street, occasional discussions could be heard.

"That person's hair is a mix of black and white, like a boss's hair color! It's dyed quite nicely!"

"Get lost, what do you know! He changed the future through his superpower and overdrafted his lifespan! Do you think saving over six hundred lives comes without any cost?"

"This person looks quite aloof, but hearing you say that, I feel like he's definitely worth getting to know..."

"Nonsense, Ma Ran has good character, can't anyone see that? Are you qualified to get to know him?"

"Hey! Why wouldn't I be qualified? Although I haven't cultivated inner energy yet, I'm a martial arts champion!"

"Give me a break! You, a county champion, have the nerve to bring that up!"

"Whatever, I'm drinking with Ma Ran tonight anyway!"

"Tsk, then I'm going too!"

"I'm on vacation for the next couple of days, what do you mean? You're not on night duty?"

"Holy crap!"

8:30 PM that night.

Yang Guangzhao and his buddies were all drunk, eating hot pot and singing.

After getting drunk, they became even more enthusiastic than during the day, casually offering toasts and urging each other to drink glass after glass.

Ma Ran accepted every drink offered.

Unlike extreme superpowers, inner energy was a versatile tool with many uses.

In fact, as long as one reached the Second Stage of Inner Qi, they could use their inner energy to expel alcohol through their pores.

However, that method was quite wasteful and, moreover, its characteristics were quite obvious.

At the dinner table, while everyone else was drinking normally, you'd be the only one who looked like you'd taken a bath in alcohol.

Even if it wasn't apparent now, when everyone's horizons broadened in the future and they recalled the situation, wouldn't they understand what was happening?

Everyone would feel that such a person was insincere!

Ma Ran himself wasn't too keen on doing that either.

Never mind that Yang Guangzhao and the others had brought out their prized vintage liquors; even a bottle of Erguotou costing three yuan fifty would be considered exquisite nectar to him.

In the last few years before his reincarnation, he couldn't even afford to eat enough, so where would he get the grains and fruits to brew wine?

Using inner energy to expel alcohol was purely a waste of heaven's bounty and resources!

Even so...

After reaching the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi, Ma Ran's physique was already incomparable to when he had just been reborn.

Half a catty of wine felt like nothing.

It took a full catty for him to feel slightly tipsy.

When Ma Ran got drunk, he disliked speaking.

He was very quiet.

Unusually quiet.

The more he drank, the more silent he became.

Ma Ran was an excellent listener.

A group of young men in casual clothes drank and chatted, each expressing their opinions.

"Ma Ran, you're cold on the outside but warm on the inside, with a proper face. Not bad! You're a good person!"

"You keep repeating the same few phrases, what else can you say?"

"Hey! If you say that, I won't be happy! I've been studying the I Ching for several weeks, and Ma Ran's facial features have a saying called 'Five Peaks Converging'! Generally speaking, it makes people look pleasing to the eye, very pleasing to the eye! Anyone who looks at him will feel a sense of familiarity!"

"No wonder! I always feel like he's my long-lost brother."

"Are you half as handsome as him? Don't flatter yourself!"

"Let's talk about something serious! If you guys keep going like this, Ma Ran won't be able to get a word in!"

"Serious stuff, that's a shame... If we could have kept the equipment from those aliens before, China would be incredibly powerful in the future!"

"Yeah! That white rectangular object, I suspect it contained wormhole jump technology."

"You say that like you saw it yourself, didn't you just hear it from someone else?"

"I heard it from my brother! My brother was there, which means I was there, what's your problem!"

"Just looking at you talk."

"Oh, well... then it's nothing! Let's keep drinking, brothers!"

"It's still such a shame! If we could get our hands on the aliens' technology... maybe in a few years, we could reverse-engineer their tech and master interstellar travel!"

"You've been reading too much sci-fi!"

"That's not necessarily true. If you told someone from hundreds of years ago about airplanes, WeChat, or Alipay, they'd also think it was impossible."

"You guys have got me all fired up! It would be great if we could truly master interstellar travel. By then, we wouldn't just be taking hits."

"If the enemy can advance, so can we!"

"If anyone dares to hit us, we'll hit them right back!"

--- Thanks to Queide de Xianyu for the reward of three small chicken legs (300) to Ma Ran! Thanks to Chao You Jiu for the reward of one small chicken leg (100) to Ma Ran! Thanks to Moyu Xingyuan for the reward of 100 points! Thanks to Xiaoyugan for the reward of 100 points!

Thanks to Si Ci Xing Chen Shui Chang Dong for the 100-point reward!

Thanks to Qiu Feng Yi Zui Meng Xing Qian Nian for the 100-point reward!

Thanks to Wei Yi Bai Xin Yang for the 100-point reward!

Thanks to Zao Gao Tou Ding De Wo for the 200-point reward!

Thanks (▽)!

Update complete!

A day full of positive energy has begun!

See you all tomorrow, little buddies!