26 The One Who Tore Up the Script

"The Fort Master said it himself: every Water Prison Trial can have only one person pass in the end. I don't think this pretty boy can do it!"

"Just waiting for this Side Quest to collapse on its own."

"Just a passerby here, but honestly, have none of you watched Endless Food Bag? If you'd seen even one of its exciting scenes, you wouldn't say something like that!"

"Exactly. Although I'm a loyal fan of Chu Fan, objectively speaking, Zhang Guangmu's ability to take a beating is incredible!"

"Hahaha, now that you mention it, I'm wide awake!"

"A ten-year veteran Shou Mu Ren has arrived uninvited! My Mu Zai may be useless at everything, but at least he's tough and can take a beating!"

"Who's the strongest at taking hits? Changhe Guangmu is the True King!"

"What does taking hits have to do with resisting the cold? If your layer of fat isn't thick enough, you'll freeze into a popsicle. With those skinny arms and legs, he probably won't last either..."

Zhang Guangmu had already been so cold that he was nearly shivering, but after hearing the audience's comments, his fighting spirit was stirred instead.

Didn't they say mockery could increase combat power?

With the support of his Manifestation Obsession, Zhang Guangmu stopped trembling, and his teeth stopped chattering. Sitting in the water, he wore an expressionless face, like an old monk in meditation.

As the seconds ticked by, Zhang Guangmu silently sorted through the script content he had read before.

Wolf Fortress—Flame Wolves were a wondrous life-form. They possessed the speed of leopards, the strength of tigers, the endurance of oxen, and the agility of cats. They were born with the ability to wield flames. Wolf Fortress, meanwhile, was famous throughout the world for taming Flame Wolves. Now, with a powerful enemy at the gates, Young Wolf Lord Lin Xuan had developed Wolf Phobia...

The entire play was just the cliché story of a useless protagonist receiving a fortuitous opportunity, changing his fate, and defying the heavens.

After reviewing the entire script, Zhang Guangmu nearly blurted out, "Wolf Power, third stage."

Director Qian Yiyuan of Endless Food Bag was the narcissistic type of director who always pursued art and yearned to elevate his stories' themes.

As for Director Sun of Wolf Fortress, although he had the nickname "Real Director," in the eyes of many viewers, he was essentially a typical commercial-film director.

Zhang Guangmu had yet to gain any deep understanding of the differences between their filming methods or the way their Production Teams worked.

Even so, merely reading the script of Wolf Fortress allowed him to sense its obvious formulaic traces.

The protagonist, despised by everyone, refused to accept fate's manipulation. He trained tirelessly, overcame his psychological obstacles, received Fortune's favor, obtained a Golden Finger, turned the tables against the odds, changed his fate, charged forward triumphantly, defeated the Big Villain, and reached a perfect ending.

Although Wolf Fortress was no less clichéd than Endless Food Bag, Zhang Guangmu wasn't picky.

He loved perfect endings. The only problem now was...

The role he was playing this time was a Death Warrior under the Big Villain.

If everything followed the director's intentions, he would inevitably become an insignificant stepping stone on the Plot Protagonist's path to success—either kicked aside or ruthlessly crushed.

Zhang Guangmu could accept neither ending.

By that calculation, if he wanted to enter this year's Seven Stars list, he would have to Tear Script!

Zhang Guangmu felt that during this gradual collapse of the play, it would be even better if he could avoid causing the others too much trouble or negative impact in the Real World.

After all, he believed that he was fundamentally a kind and good young man.

Take Endless Food Bag last time, for example...

Zhang Guangmu had made a splash, gained a group of fans, and advanced to become a one-star Subconscious Actor. At the same time, the entire play had exploded in popularity and taken off, while the other actors had suffered little negative impact because of him.

Of course, Chu Fan didn't count!

After all, Chu Ba Zong had collapsed because his own transformation had failed. Zhang Guangmu wasn't taking the blame for that!

Moreover, from the perspective of long-term development...

Stimulated by Zhang Guangmu's performance, Chu Fan had begun diligently practicing marksmanship a month ago. Li Xiaoxiao had also been training her pain tolerance throughout this period, while Boss Zhao had become much more amiable, with far less of that heavy, embittered air about him.

In short, everyone had grown.

Even Director Qian Yiyuan, who had been invited by the relevant departments for tea, felt that Zhang Guangmu had saved the entire play, didn't he?

So, his last Tear Script had been excellent, wonderful, and immeasurably meritorious!

This time, though...

After reading the script, Zhang Guangmu vaguely felt that pulling it off would be a little difficult.

Zhang Guangmu's thoughts raced. "The individual combat power in Wolf Fortress carries far too much weight!"

"And I can't find any obvious loophole to exploit like last time..."

"Looks like after the Water Prison Trial, I'll have to develop for a while during my period of empty storyline before I'll be qualified to continue showing off in public."

As he sank into thought, the number of trial takers beside him began to dwindle rapidly.

The youths who had entered the Water Prison Trial together seemed to be mostly weaklings. They gave up far faster than Zhang Guangmu had imagined.

Before long, only two people remained in the entire Water Prison.

"Hah... hah..."

White vapor mixed with the chill and spread through the Water Prison.

Zhang Guangmu opened his eyes and glanced from the corner of them. He saw a youth hugging his arms and shivering in the corner of the Water Prison.

The youth's face was deathly pale, his eyes flickering, his features filled with conflict. He seemed to want to give up, yet was unwilling to accept defeat.

Clearly, he had already begun to waver.

Zhang Guangmu had not intended to do anything unnecessary.

He had only planned to keep enduring until the other person gave up.

However, among the audience incarnated as White Balls, two normally taciturn balls suddenly became excited.

"Hou Zhengbeng, it's your chance to shine!"

"Kill Zhang Guangmu, force your way into the role, and take it from him!"

Holy crap!

How could he allow that?

Zhang Guangmu immediately became alert.

Originally, he had not taken these competitors too seriously. After all, in the script, he was supposed to be killed by the protagonist, Lin Xuan.

Now that he had come to his senses, Zhang Guangmu immediately learned from the experience: he could Tear Script, but so could the other actors!

Zhang Guangmu silently focused his attention and quietly moved the muscles in his hands and feet, lest he suddenly cramp at the critical moment and make a fool of himself.

There was nothing in the Water Prison that could serve as a weapon. The only weapons they could rely on were their own fists and feet.

The youth whom the audience called Hou Zhengbeng rubbed his hands and paced around the Water Prison, seemingly unconsciously arriving behind Zhang Guangmu.

Then...

He bent his right arm, suddenly exerted force, and smashed his elbow toward the back of Zhang Guangmu's head.

Bang!

Hou Zhengbeng pushed off with his foot, sending a splash of water exploding outward.

His striking posture was exceptionally standard, clearly the result of professional training. It was vicious and steady, and the moment he attacked, he went straight for the kill without the slightest intention of holding back.

However, Zhang Guangmu moved as if he had a third eye on the back of his head. With a tilt of his head and a twist of his body, he easily dodged the lethal elbow strike.

He even twisted his waist and turned his hips, smoothly rising as he took advantage of Hou Zhengbeng's momentum carrying him off balance. With a sudden burst of strength from both hands, he forced Hou Zhengbeng into the icy standing water.

Splash!

Hou Zhengbeng was completely dazed after being thrown into the water.

He had never expected things to develop this way.

Before attacking, he had deliberately observed his opponent. Zhang Guangmu had clearly been completely unguarded!

How had this happened?

He could not understand it at all, yet Zhang Guangmu had already locked his throat in a grappling hold.

"I knew something was wrong..."

Zhang Guangmu's voice sounded behind his head. "I've felt that something was off since earlier."

"Your eyes, breathing, heartbeat, and footsteps betrayed you."

Hou Zhengbeng thought Zhang Guangmu was talking nonsense.

He did not believe anyone in the world could maintain such powers of observation under these extreme conditions.

Unfortunately, Zhang Guangmu did not give him a chance to argue back.

"Weak. Far too weak!"

Zhang Guangmu's smile was filled with contempt, and his tone was arrogant. "For someone as frail as you to summon the courage to attack me is already quite impressive!"

"But..."

"Since you dared to attack me, I assume you've already prepared yourself, right?"

"I mean..."

"Prepared yourself for death!"

Imperial Body Forging Technique 1 was no joke!

Hou Zhengbeng's seemingly professionally trained elbow strike was, in the evaluation system of the Book of Acting, only a zero. It had no systematic basis and was not acknowledged.

Let alone in Wolf Fortress, even in the Real World, if everyone went unarmed into a street fight and engaged in bare-handed combat, Zhang Guangmu was confident he could beat this man senseless!

One against zero—an instant massacre!

There was no suspense whatsoever!

"Please..."

The pain and suffocation made Hou Zhengbeng want to beg for mercy, but he could not form complete words. "Don't... kill..."

As he spoke, his eyes flashed with viciousness and murderous intent.

As long as his opponent softened even slightly and loosened his grip...

Once he had the chance to breathe, he could counterkill him!

As long as he killed this arrogant pretty boy, he would become the sole person to pass the Water Prison Trial. He would then earn the Fort Master's favor, rise rapidly, and become a superior person!

"Shh... bear with it. It'll be over soon."

Zhang Guangmu spoke gently while maintaining the throat lock, without the slightest intention of loosening his grip.

That was because he had just remembered who this man he had subdued actually was!

Hou Zhengbeng was a Subconscious Actor who had debuted last year. He had once enjoyed a brief period of minor fame, but later, after getting into a fight in the Real World and seriously injuring someone, he had been sent to prison. After serving his sentence, his criminal record made it difficult for him to find suitable roles, and he gradually faded from the public eye, leaving only a group of die-hard fans quietly waiting for his return as a king.

Well, Hou Zhengbeng had never actually reached the peak in the first place.

In fact, let alone Hou Zhengbeng, even the protagonist of Wolf Fortress could not be considered one of the top figures among those who debuted last year.

When discussing Hou Zhengbeng, one had to analyze his subconscious.

Apart from being irritable, hot-tempered, and fond of causing trouble, his greatest characteristic was...

His despicability.

Being unable to defeat others head-on, kneeling to beg for mercy, then launching a sneak attack from behind and killing the victor—this was his standard procedure.

Overall, in Zhang Guangmu's view, this actor's subconscious was highly distinctive, and his acting path was extremely clear. He could be said to "portray villains with penetrating depth and play fools head and shoulders above the rest."

Hou Zhengbeng had originally possessed considerable potential for development.

Unfortunately, a series of foolish moves in the Real World had ruined his future. After leaving prison, his personal freedom had also been strictly restricted by the Empire. He could only leave his Small wooden house under escort by the relevant personnel when filming.

Ordinary directors were not very willing to work with Hou Zhengbeng, which was why this Empire certified one-star Subconscious Actor, who had supposedly been on the verge of advancing to two stars, had fallen into his current state.