Wolf Phobia, Wolf Rider

Splash! Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere!

Hou Zhengbeng, who had been twisting his body frantically like a loach, was gradually weakening his struggles.

A moment later, Hou Zhengbeng stopped moving. His head drooped limply, and Zhang Guangmu couldn't even hear him breathing.

Hou Zhengbeng looked as if he were dead.

However, Zhang Guangmu's eyes were calm, a smile playing on his lips. He maintained his posture, gripping the opponent tightly, his chokehold unwavering. He showed no signs of letting up, instead giving the impression of ruthlessly finishing him off.

Half a minute passed, and a violent "gurgling" sound suddenly came from Hou Zhengbeng's throat.

His previously weak and powerless body suddenly erupted with strength, almost breaking free from Zhang Guangmu's restraint.

"Die! Die for me!"

Hou Zhengbeng's desperate struggle even earned him a brief moment to catch his breath and speak: "If I kill you! And pass the Water Prison Trial, I'll become a Wolf Rider, someone superior to others!"

"I want to kill you... you... why... are you resisting!"

Hou Zhengbeng's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled frantically, spitting out broken, vicious words: "Just! Honestly! Go to hell!"

Anyone could feel the intense will to survive and the obsession radiating from him.

However...

If mere willpower could reverse the heavens and earth, Zhang Guangmu wouldn't have needed to train so hard.

After all, before acquiring Usable Ability Points from the Book of Acting, both his Acting Skill 1 and Imperial Body Forging Technique 1 were achieved through diligent practice.

Imperial Body Forging Technique 1 wasn't very strong, but it allowed him to easily crush a competitor like Hou Zhengbeng, who only had Imperial Body Forging Technique 0, when their physical qualities were similar.

The cunning fox had not escaped the hunter's snare.

Zhang Guangmu, ultimately a move ahead, re-established his lock on Hou Zhengbeng, who had exhausted his stamina to its lowest point.

"..."

Facing the frenzied Hou Zhengbeng, Zhang Guangmu remained expressionless and silent, simply exerting fierce force.

Sensing the chilling killing intent emanating from Zhang Guangmu, Hou Zhengbeng's eyes flashed with unwillingness and ferocity. He twisted his body madly, wishing he could skin him alive and drown him on the spot in this water prison.

This hatred came abruptly but was intense enough. Even just looking at his profile, Zhang Guangmu could feel the twisted resentment and ferocity.

Filming for Wolf Fortress had only just begun, and he hadn't even seen the Protagonist or the main Villain yet. If he were to fail and get eliminated here, it would be a laughingstock.

If Hou Zhengbeng really managed to kill him, he would definitely not be able to contend for the Supernova position this year, and he would also be mocked by Li Xiaoxiao and Chu Fan in their group chat.

So Zhang Guangmu tightened his grip even more.

Time trickled by, second by second.

Hou Zhengbeng's resistance grew weaker and weaker, like a dying prey. At first, he could still stir up some ripples, but later, all his struggles became powerless.

Only after confirming the other party had completely stopped breathing and no pulse could be felt in his neck did Zhang Guangmu release his hand, pushing Hou Zhengbeng's limp corpse into the water.

Plop!

Under the orange candlelight, the water prison shimmered.

Seeing this, a pile of white balls floating in the water prison trembled.

"Holy shit! So ruthless! Killing someone for no reason! I suggest you go see a psychologist right away!"

"I suggest we fast-forward to him being jailed! Although it feels like self-defense, this method is too damn terrifying!"

"If this were the Real World, this would be considered excessive self-defense without question, right?"

"Anyone looking for reality in a Subconscious Film must have a problem with their mind. Does the 'Flame Wolf' exist in the Real World? No!"

"Speaking of which, Hou Zhengbeng, has he finally been dealt with by evil with evil?"

"How can the malice and wickedness of a little [clown] compare to the aura and Elegance of a great [villain]? This move, this move is called Status crush, it's Sequence suppression!"

"I was feeling a bit sympathetic towards Hou Zhengbeng just now, but when I thought about all the unlucky people he harmed, I instantly felt a sense of Schadenfreude."

"I've been tired of righteous characters for a long time! This Newcomer Little Brother is truly a breath of fresh air!"

"He's ruthless and doesn't talk much, he just does it! He's my type!"

"Quick, within three minutes, I want to see this Newcomer's profile!"

"This person's name is Zhang Guangmu. 'Wolf Fortress' is his second role, so... are you going to be a Shou Mu Ren too?"

"Yes, yes! Shou Mu Ren... even the Fan titles are so Gloomy, it's clear he's a Big Shot planning to develop in the evil path! No more nonsense! Just for this scene, I'm totally hooked!"

"I thought Benzi Ge was already quite cultish, but I didn't expect there to be someone even more so. Brothers, I'm sorry! I'm planning to become a Fan of this Newcomer!"

"Hou Zhengbeng is the future King of Villains! Traitors, die for me, Master!"

And so...

Zhang Guangmu saw two white balls floating in the water prison start fighting each other.

Unfortunately, the Audience mode had no pain experience.

The two white balls argued for a long time without a winner, only able to angrily shout things like "We're cutting ties" and "I'm breaking up with you," before separating and continuing to follow the story.

Zhang Guangmu was inwardly laughing his head off.

Fortunately, he had added [Acting Skill] to 2 points.

Otherwise, he would have broken character and laughed out loud by now.

After all, the environment this time was different from the "Endless Food Bag" last time. Zhang Guangmu wasn't being tortured, and if things had escalated to that point, it would have been difficult to logically justify. Some intelligent viewers might have keenly noticed the flaws.

With the boost from [Acting Skill 2], Zhang Guangmu's face showed no cracks. He could even maintain his previous emotions, transitioning seamlessly.

He lowered his head, looking down at the corpse floating on the water, his lips pressed together, his face cold.

"Uninteresting weakling."

Tap, tap, tap...

The sound of hard soles stepping on the ground echoed.

Zhang Guangmu looked towards the sound and saw a black-clothed figure wearing a wolf bone mask walking towards him.

Before long, the wolf bone mask figure arrived beside Zhang Guangmu, skillfully opened the water prison's lock with a key, and said in a chilling tone, "Congratulations on passing the Water Prison Trial and becoming the only Wolf Rider among this batch."

This person was cold and ruthless, seemingly accustomed to the cruelty of chaotic times. He didn't even bother to glance at the corpses floating in the water prison. He merely scrutinized Zhang Guangmu's expression, as if trying to find a trace of fear, cowardice, or lingering shock from the killing in his eyes.

Unfortunately...

Zhang Guangmu showed none of the emotions he expected. Instead, he looked at the masked man with curiosity, like a young master out for a spring outing.

The masked man was slightly displeased. "What are you looking at?"

Zhang Guangmu didn't respond immediately. He pushed open the cell door, stepped out, and onto the dry ground, stretching his body.

After warming up, he tilted his head and said with a cheeky grin, "Masks are for concealing identity, right?"

"Your bone mask has holes everywhere. It's useless for anything but looking cool."

"When I get out, I'll draw you a pig mask. I guarantee it'll be better than that one!"

The masked man subconsciously touched the wolf bone mask on his face. He imagined Zhang Guangmu's promise and shivered.

The youths who participated in the Water Prison Trial were all war orphans adopted by the Fort Master.

These youths had lived, trained, and grown up together since childhood. Their bonds and connections, even if one wasn't part of it, could be felt to some extent.

But just now, Zhang Guangmu had personally killed a companion in the same situation as himself. Even though he was forced to retaliate and was in the right logically, the guilt wouldn't be lessened at all.

The masked man thought that Zhang Guangmu might have become mentally unstable and a bit deranged due to harming a companion.

Such a person was best not to provoke easily until their mental state returned to normal.

"Let's go!"

The masked man, who originally wanted to show off in front of Zhang Guangmu, became wary after realizing this. Everything suddenly felt meaningless, so he said concisely, "You should go meet your 'other half'."

Above Wolf Fortress.

Director Sun, with a God's perspective, controlled the overall situation surrounded by a group of little black balls. Naturally, he received intelligence about the "sudden situation" immediately.

"Hmm? Hou Zhengbeng made a move on Zhang Guangmu? Considering his subconscious, this move is normal."

Director Sun was not flustered at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Hou Zhengbeng is a standard [Criminal] sequence. I would only worry if he suddenly became honest and well-behaved."

While speaking, an assistant, who had transformed into a little black ball, reminded him, "Hou Zhengbeng has already been killed. Zhang Guangmu killed him in just two moves."

Hearing this, Director Sun finally showed some interest, "He's dead? Good riddance!"

"Without conflict, there's no selling point. Without a selling point, a film has no commercial value!"

If it weren't for the intervention of the Empire's super AI forcibly assigning roles, Director Sun wouldn't have wanted Hou Zhengbeng to be in his play.

Although Director Sun, who had transformed into a Golden Little Lightball, showed no expression, his tone conveyed a sense of "everything is under control": "I knew that putting Zhang Guangmu and Hou Zhengbeng together would definitely lead to friction and conflict."

"Now it seems Zhang Guangmu is somewhat useful. His personal combat ability is not weak, right? That means I was right. He indeed has the potential to develop in the [Assassin] or [Death Warrior] sequences."

"A cold heart, extraordinary skills, and self-destructive tendencies—these three personality puzzle pieces can indeed form the subconscious of a [Death Warrior] sequence."

Speaking of which, Director Sun shook his head and changed the subject, "Whether it's Zhang Guangmu or Hou Zhengbeng, it doesn't matter to me who wins or loses."

"The new favorite Wolf Rider of the Water Prison Trial is ultimately an insignificant supporting character in this play. His potential is capped and he cannot affect the Main Plot in any way."

"The plot direction of 'Wolf Fortress' ultimately depends on Yang Chi and Zhu Nanhua. Keep a close eye on them! Provide them with Script Hints! Don't let them go off track, understand?"

Two chapters today, 6300 words, hehe...

Thanks to Life Is Not Just About Malingering for the 1500 Points Reward~

Thanks to Long Haomiao for the 200 Points Reward~

Thanks to Fishing Rod Can Go To Class for the 100 Points Reward~

Thanks to Where is my dried fish for the 100 Points Reward~

Thanks to Little Qiang Rises for the 100 Points Reward~

Thanks for the support!

See you tomorrow, Little Friends!