19-Return!

Just from hearing that rough, hearty voice, Zhang Guangmu knew who was speaking to him.

He turned around and, sure enough, saw a massive bald head.

It was Zhao Zhengrong, the actor who had played Boss Zhao, the first-generation leader of Changhe Survivor Camp, in Endless Food Bag—the veteran actor known as the "Newcomer Crusher"!

The man was tall and powerfully built. Each solid, bulging muscle gleamed with oil, stacked across his body like steel armor and stretching the black traditional jacket he wore. He looked like a human-shaped Gundam, ten times more imposing than he had been in the film. One glance was enough to tell that he was a strongman with years of regular training behind him.

No!

A freakishly muscular iron man like this couldn't be explained away with the light phrase "he has a fitness habit"!

To forge a physique that made viewers think he could tear a tank apart with his bare hands, he had to maintain a self-abusive lifestyle for years on end!

Innate talent, a scientific diet, a professional support team, a schedule precise to the minute, high-intensity training...

There were too many factors. He would need to make a list before he could explain the intricacies.

Someone with shallow pockets could never maintain such a formidable body!

Zhang Guangmu couldn't help clicking his tongue inwardly.

No wonder Director Qian had weakened this character's condition in the film...

Otherwise, with that monstrous physique, small-caliber bullets wouldn't be able to penetrate his body at all.

If he hadn't been weakened, Boss Zhao could have charged through a hail of bullets and crushed Chu Fan to death. Zhang Guangmu wouldn't even have had a chance to show off his skills.

So...

The reason the renowned "Newcomer Crusher," Zhao Zhengrong, had received his death scene so hastily had also been found—it was all Director Qian's fault. He had directly weakened Boss Zhao from T1 level to T5 level.

With such a negative effect weighing on him, if Boss Zhao could still defeat the Plot Protagonist Chu Fan, it would truly be a supernatural event!

Earlier, while filming, Zhang Guangmu had thought that if he raised the Imperial Body Forging Technique to level 2, he might be able to go a few rounds with Zhao Zhengrong.

Now that he had seen the man and compared him with his own thin arms and legs, he suddenly realized that there was indeed a tiny bit of difference between them.

"What a ruthless man..."

After praising him inwardly, Zhang Guangmu crooked the corners of his mouth and said with a grin, "Brother Zhao, you've already looked through my profile?"

"Actually, it's nothing. You've got a genetic disease, but there's no need to wear such a bitter, sorrowful expression."

"I'm still young. My death date at twenty-five is still a long way off."

"Besides, Radiation Sickness isn't a terminal illness. It can be treated through surgery, right?"

The main reason he dared to say such things was that he had a cheat.

Zhang Guangmu still had some self-awareness.

Compared with the other Subconscious Actors, aside from having a relatively high pain tolerance, he was utterly ordinary and had no advantages.

The only reason he dared to speak so boldly was the existence of the Book of Acting.

Boss Zhao looked toward Zhang Guangmu. "So, your next goal is to work hard at acting and save enough for the surgery—"

Before he could finish, Zhang Guangmu decisively seized control of the final interpretation of the topic. "That's right! My next goal is to become a Subconscious Film Emperor!"

Zhao Zhengrong's mouth twitched as he was led off track. He looked at Zhang Guangmu as if to say, Are you trying to make me laugh?

A guy who couldn't even count as one-star...

All right! Because he had contributed an excellent work, Zhang Guangmu was now an officially recognized one-star Subconscious Actor of the Empire!

But so what? He was still a hundred thousand miles away from becoming a film emperor!

This boy really had courage...

Zhang Guangmu, unaware of Zhao Zhengrong's strange stare, was brimming with confidence.

Treating his illness could only count as a minor goal.

It was merely a fifty-thousand-Dragon Shield surgery fee. Wasn't that something one could handle as long as one had hands?

A true man's ambitions reached in all directions!

Zhang Guangmu was a man destined to become a Subconscious Film Emperor!

"Phew..."

Zhao Zhengrong quickly adjusted his mood and raised his brows. Unfortunately, he had no eyebrows. His bare brow ridges twitched, giving him the terrifying appearance of an escaped death-row inmate. "I think I understand now why you performed the way you did in Endless Food Bag."

"Qian Yiyuan, Li Xiaoxiao, and Chu Fan all have very high opinions of you."

"Now that I've seen you in person, you really are..."

"Someone worth befriending."

His teeth were straight and snow-white, completely different from the mouthful of yellow teeth he had in the film. They were clean and sharp, giving him the impression of possessing endless energy.

Zhang Guangmu was completely stunned when he heard that.

Director Qian's appreciation was easy enough to understand. After all, because of him, the final quality of Endless Food Bag seemed to be quite good. Aside from certain outdated stars' personal fans being sorely disappointed, most viewers had enjoyed it. Its approval rating was extremely high, and its reputation was gradually growing.

Li Xiaoxiao's attitude could also be reluctantly understood. After all, they had been comrades who had shot at each other on the battlefield. The friendship between men was sometimes just that pure.

Chu Fan thought highly of him?

Zhang Guangmu's face filled with question marks.

Could that guy have been traumatized by the abuse?

A hostage bond?

Had he developed Stockholm Syndrome?

That was a psychological illness. He had to get it treated as soon as possible!

While Zhang Guangmu racked his brains over Chu Fan's attitude, Zhao Zhengrong stood from a professional perspective and seriously examined the youth before him as a veteran Subconscious Actor.

First, young people were always unsettled in temperament, and their subconscious types were difficult to stabilize. Since he had only acted in one film, it was temporarily impossible to judge the strength or type of his subconscious. All Zhao Zhengrong could say was that his potential ceiling might be very high, and his future looked promising.

Second, Zhang Guangmu's appearance was fairly distinctive even in an acting circle packed with handsome men and beautiful women.

His features were regular, his contours clear, and his eyes limpid. He had the makings of an actor.

Zhang Guangmu's handsomeness alone was not much of an advantage in the industry.

The crucial point was...

Because of his genetic disease, Zhang Guangmu's skin had a sickly pallor. At the same time, it made the capillaries in the thinner parts of his skin particularly obvious. The corners of his eyes were always faintly red, making him look as though he had been crying. His entire person resembled a crystal bottle that would shatter at the slightest touch.

With that added in, his appearance became highly distinctive.

Finally, from Zhao Zhengrong's perspective, if Zhang Guangmu's personality hadn't been so "special," then by taking on more pitiful roles as miserable wretches, he could probably have achieved some success quite easily.

"If anything comes up, call me in the group chat."

Zhao Zhengrong gathered his thoughts and nodded toward Zhang Guangmu. "I'll do my best to help wherever I can."

With that, he turned and left without hesitation.

The bald strongman, whose body resembled a small mountain, strode away with the gait of a dragon and tiger, stirring up a fierce wind as he walked.

Zhang Guangmu was nearly knocked off balance by the wind.

"Good grief, this sickly body of mine is really pathetic!"

Zhang Guangmu was deeply dissatisfied with his current state of health. "The next time I get Available Ability Points, I'm definitely putting them into the Imperial Body Forging Technique to strengthen my body."

When Zhao Zhengrong acted, the director directly weakened his character template. Zhang Guangmu, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.

Who knew when he would reach Boss Zhao's level...

The good news was that, just as Zhang Guangmu had predicted, adding points in the Book of Acting was not limited to the Film World. It worked in the Real World as well.

He could clearly feel that he had indeed grasped the Firearms Shooting ability that a Normal Human would need at least ten years of training to master!

And...

Some parts of his body related to firearms had also undergone subtle changes.

For example, the stability of his hands had been enhanced.

Compared with before, his eyesight had improved slightly as well. Things in the distance seemed clearer.

Adding points through the Book of Acting clearly did more than provide experience and knowledge. It could affect the body at the same time!

"If I had ten thousand Available Ability Points, then... Forget it. I'd better stop dreaming for now."

Zhang Guangmu had only just begun fantasizing when he immediately interrupted himself, deciding to keep his feet on the ground and move forward one step at a time.

Withdraw money, buy cat food, and take a flying car home!

The journey was over a thousand kilometers, and the fare cost one Dragon Shield.

A month's worth of cat food cost one Dragon Shield.

Treating himself cost another Dragon Shield.

After getting off the Magnetic Levitation Flying Car, Zhang Guangmu walked along a tree-lined path filled with pastoral scenery and couldn't help complaining about the Empire's distorted prices again.

Basic necessities were practically free, while everything related to enjoyment had inflated to a level that made Normal Humans tremble with fear.

Take the candied hawthorn skewer Zhang Guangmu was chewing, for example...

It only had three bright-red hawthorns on it, with a little syrup drizzled over them, yet the seller had dared to charge him one Dragon Shield. Weren't they afraid of consumers reporting them to the relevant authorities?

Was this enjoyment? No, it was the feeling of heartache!

Along the way, all he could see were standardized one-bedroom, one-bathroom pine cabins and lush pine woods.

Whenever the wind blew, the scent of grass and trees filled the air.

Zhang Guangmu happily finished his candied hawthorn skewer and happened to complete his walk down "Songmu Street," arriving at "Shanyangmu Street."

Just as its name suggested, all the residential homes along both sides of the road were single-room Poplar cabins with only one bedroom.

The place where Zhang Guangmu lived was one such ten-square-meter house.

When he reached his front door, he raised his Black jade bracelet-like Personal terminal. A blue light flashed across the wooden door.

A mechanical notification immediately rang in Zhang Guangmu's ear. "Household 001, welcome home! Household 002 has been waiting for you for quite some time!"

Every time he came home, Zhang Guangmu couldn't help wanting to complain.

Was the Xuanlong Empire really lacking the black technology to build houses?

No!

The Empire lacked nothing. It had merely created a "Treatment Grading System" in every aspect of daily life, giving its citizens the motivation to work hard and strive upward.

"Meow!"

Messy Fur Household 002 stood proudly atop the bookcase, several small wounds on its body still faintly bleeding.

It glanced at Zhang Guangmu, then turned around and flung a black lump in front of Household 001.

Two chapters today, over 6,200 words! Hmph!

I've grown stronger!

Thanks to Sprite Chicken for the 122-point reward!

Thanks to The masses who love to eat sweet potatoes for rewarding Zhang Guangmu with a little chicken leg!

Thanks to Swimming Fish 6 for the 100-point reward!

Thanks to Where is my dried fish for the 100-point reward!

Thanks for the support!

(▽)!

Friends, see you tomorrow! (Very loudly)