(Third update complete!)
The next day, Mu Fan stuffed the dagger he had polished to a cold gleam into his military satchel and brought it to the martial arts gym. Last night, after taking the Helmet home, he had been forcibly drilled for two hours on the PO Battle Network by that perverted Fighter, using nothing but the green-glowing metal rod in his hand!!! The PO Battle Network's forced character settings prevented him from using his body's strength, leaving him only his personal techniques to dodge. With nowhere to evade, he was slaughtered in every conceivable way—more than ten times!!
Mu Fan had never encountered anyone so perverted in real life. He was practically developing a psychological shadow. Now, whenever he stood in the training room, everything looked like that nightmare Metal Short Rod glowing an eerie green!
Fortunately, the Fighter Instructor told him he would teach him how to use the short rod next. Mu Fan was in the Strength Training Room, swinging a long-handled training hammer. The hanging weight blocks before him had gained another two blocks since a few days ago!
Strength! Technique!! When techniques were evenly matched, crush the opponent with strength. When strength was evenly matched, win with technique!
After seeing the techniques the Fighter displayed with the short rod, Mu Fan decided to train his strength relentlessly...
There would definitely be a fight this afternoon. Mu Fan had to seize every moment to improve, even if only by the slightest bit!
When the fat boy arrived that morning, he had no mood to enter the PO Battle Network or watch videos. He had been living peacefully as a pacifist—why had someone suddenly set their sights on him?
Thinking about it resentfully, the fat boy took off his coat, then unfastened the bulletproof vest beneath it and tossed it onto the floor with a thud.
"Mu Fan!~~" Brother Fatty called out the moment he entered, slipping into grievance mode.
"I'm here." Mu Fan tossed aside the training hammer and walked out, drenched in sweat.
Brother Fatty pursed his lips. "Mu Fan, I almost couldn't sleep last night."
Mu Fan opened his mouth, then decided against saying anything. He had slept very well last night. Walking over, he asked, "As long as you've prepared everything you need to prepare, it'll be fine."
At those words, Brother Fatty's face scrunched up. The complaints he had been holding in burst forth as though a floodgate had opened. "Mu Fan, do you know? My old man insisted that I take some Military Academy entrance exam. There's no way I can pass it, okay? Then he told me that even if he had to donate half the family fortune, he would get me in. So I got sent here for some pre-exam intensive training."
Brother Fatty was full of grievance. "This young master suffers, but this young master does not cry. Fine, I came here to train, and meeting you was such a fortunate thing. But now someone wants to harm me again! Who did I provoke? Who did I provoke?!"
As he spoke, Brother Fatty lifted the heavy bulletproof vest from the floor, then bent down and pulled an unknown-model protective plate from his pant leg before tossing it down as well.
"Don't look at me like that. Is it so wrong for Brother Fatty to be afraid of dying?" Seeing Mu Fan's expression, Brother Fatty immediately protested indignantly. "There are also two High-Explosive Grenades in that bag of mine. You... what are you doing?!"
Mu Fan sprang away with monkey-like speed. Brother Fatty was nearly breaking down. Without giving Mu Fan a chance to respond, he blurted everything out in one breath.
"Don't run! The grenades can't explode without the safety being removed! I told my old man about the situation. He put a tracking device and an emergency distress device on me. He didn't dare send bodyguards, afraid those people would notice and flee. There's quite a lot of information behind this matter, so he chose to let you come with me too. He said that after this is settled, he wants to invite you over to our home!"
"Don't refuse. My dad is very rich. For next month's Federation Grand Exam, he said that if the circumstances are right, he can let you try it too." Seeing Mu Fan's curious-baby look, Brother Fatty decisively cut him off and hurriedly finished in one sentence.
"The Federation Grand Exam?" Mu Fan looked at Young Master Harry with bright, sparkling eyes.
"Yeah. On my side, my old man will probably pay to get me into an A-rank academy. You can go along and try your luck. The chances may be slim, but there's still a chance. If some other B-rank academy picks you, that would be pretty good too. Honestly, I don't want to go at all. I'd only become a target for ridicule there. Sigh." Brother Fatty patiently explained.
Academy, going to school! Mu Fan could not even form an image of it in his mind. He had longed for it just like other people his age, yet he never expected to hear news like this from Brother Fatty!!
"What day next month?" Mu Fan gritted his teeth, as though making up his mind.
"The 10th, on Zicui Star. Don't think so far ahead... think about how I'm supposed to survive tonight first. Sob, sob~"
"Not on Luoqie Star?" Mu Fan continued asking curiously.
"No... our planet isn't qualified to host the exam. Don't worry about that when the time comes. We need to get through tonight first." The more Brother Fatty thought about it, the more frightened he became. How had he so muddleheadedly agreed yesterday afternoon?
Mu Fan's eyes suddenly lit up! Even his breathing quickened. There was a chance... to go to school!
His fists clenched unconsciously, cracking loudly. His face was filled with uncontrollable excitement. Looking down at Brother Fatty, who had already sat down, Mu Fan said in a firm, powerful voice, "Don't worry. Tonight, leave everything to me!"
How could Mu Fan know how difficult the exam Brother Fatty mentioned was? How could he know that even the playful Brother Fatty himself did not understand just how fierce and perverse the competition was? A person who had never left District 22 wanted to compete against millions of examinees from several nearby planets. If others found out, they would laugh their teeth out.
Knowing nothing of any of this, Mu Fan eagerly prepared for battle with fighting spirit surging through his entire body.
16:40.
"Hah, at level 40, I can dodge 13 out of 17 bullets." When Brother Fatty called him, Mu Fan emerged from the Gravity Room, muttering to himself.
He had to think of every possible way to improve his strength now! After another afternoon of training, Mu Fan had already adapted fairly well to moving under four times standard gravity. If he held on a little longer, he would soon break through level 40.
After tonight was over, he would find Black!
He needed to use the fastest, most direct method to improve his strength!
Nodding to himself, Mu Fan put those thoughts away.
Brother Fatty had already fully armed himself. Then, with a light fastening of his suit jacket, the grinning fat boy appeared before Mu Fan without a hint of anything unusual on his face.
Mu Fan had already gone head-to-head with Young Master Wen. Could Brother Fatty not go head-to-head with some robbers?
Do it!
When the little fat boy got serious, he displayed the essence of a merchant family to the fullest—different inside and out.
Adjusting the dark red bow tie at his neck, the little fat boy tossed over a light gray waiter's uniform.
"This is our family's waiter uniform. If they've been watching, they'll definitely think you were invited to my home today. I already informed the martial arts gym."
Mu Fan took the waiter's uniform. The fabric was soft and comfortable, even far better than the training uniform. He inwardly marveled that although the little fat boy seemed carefree, he had truly considered every detail.
After the two finished getting ready, Mu Fan had transformed into a young waiter. With his head lowered, he followed behind Brother Fatty as they left the martial arts gym.
"Young Master." Uncle Wu had been waiting nearby for some time. Seeing how Mu Fan was now restrained and respectful like a real waiter, he nodded to himself in approval.
Mu Fan's expression remained normal as he lowered his head and said, "Hello, Uncle Wu. I'm Mu Fan."
"Mm, get in." After Uncle Wu spoke, Mu Fan naturally opened the car door for Brother Fatty.
In a dense forest beyond a fork in the road seven kilometers outside the eastern gate of the district, one tall man and one short man lay low against the ground. Their camouflage blended into the surrounding vegetation.
The tall man looked at the palm-sized surveillance screen in his hand, then turned and said, "The little fat boy brought someone from the martial arts gym out today. Why does he look so much like the kid you hit yesterday? Are we really doing this ourselves? The boss definitely won't be happy if he finds out."
On the screen was the side of Mu Fan's face as he replied with his head lowered.
The short man glanced over and sneered. "This kid? I checked yesterday. He's a new sparring partner at the martial arts gym. Look at that skinny body, and he's even wearing a waiter's uniform. Seems like the little fat boy recruited him. Maybe they can hang out together. He can only blame his bad luck. Don't worry, I'll explain things to the boss. Hurry up and get ready. They'll be here soon."
The short man paid not the slightest attention to the utterly unmuscular youth. At worst, one more person would die. Chewing a grass stem with relish, he pressed himself completely into the grass.
The tall man kept feeling his eyelid twitch. Forcefully suppressing the discomfort in his heart, he lowered himself into a prone position.
After this job, he would absolutely quit!
At that moment, the Hover Car carrying Mu Fan and the other two had already left the district...
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