In the hall of an underground base in Kyoto, Huaguo, a middle-aged officer in a general's uniform stood beside a black Game Pod, watching an enormous screen mounted high on the opposite wall.
On the screen, two young soldiers wearing thin silver armor were fighting each other bare-handed.
Their movements clearly bore traces of the Four Beasts Art. With the silver armor enhancing them, they moved at astonishing speed, darting several dozen feet in a single blur.
Every punch produced an ear-piercing boom, as though it carried the force of ten thousand tons.
Whenever either soldier took a punch, he flew more than ten meters as though struck by something enormous, smashing a large crater into the sandy ground.
Yet protected by their armor, both soldiers quickly climbed back to their feet and charged at each other again, like two beasts that knew nothing of fatigue.
Just then, the indicator on the black Game Pod lit up. Its lid slowly opened outward, and another man sat up inside and stepped out.
It was Dr. Chen, who had met Wang Yu in the game earlier.
"Well? Is that man No. 1?" the middle-aged general asked in a low voice after glancing at Dr. Chen.
He was General Xu, the base's other director.
"By my assessment, there's a greater than ninety-nine percent chance that he is No. 1," Dr. Chen replied.
"So he really is No. 1?" A trace of surprise appeared on General Xu's face.
"These exoskeleton combat suits made from talisman inscription alloy seem quite effective. They weigh at least half as much as the old suits made from super titanium alloy. Much lighter." Dr. Chen did not answer General Xu immediately. Instead, he also watched the enormous screen for a moment, a hint of delight appearing on his face.