Preparing for Battle

Whether Song Sijia was willing or not, the sequencing conference opened as scheduled.

After years of honing their skills, many sequencers are waiting to seize the top spot and claim the position of the Scarlet Alliance State's highest-ranking technology sequencer.

This involves genetic weapons, Gene Fighting Technique, blood serums, and advanced medical care.

Even winning a prize means a reward in the tens of millions.

"Right? My brother didn't guarantee he'd win either. He even said that anyone can get sick, and we can't force him to go to the competition!"

Seeing Song Sijia's dejected expression, Zhang Manqian could only offer gentle encouragement.

Zhang Xuezhou used to do this job, but since Zhang Xuezhou's not here, she has to do it.

"That's what they say," Song Sijia said dejectedly.

"You used to say that friendship comes first, competition second," Zhang Manqian said. "Even if we tear up the contract, can you really abandon our friendship and force yourself to join another team?"

"Why!"

"If you leave us behind, you'll definitely join a strong team, and they'll inevitably have to temporarily kick someone out. We can talk to them, but the person you squeeze out will see you as a mortal enemy for life and may seek revenge against you for the rest of their life."

"That's possible!"

"Sister Song, please think more about the trouble you'll cause if you leave us!"

But Zhang Xuezhou ...

"My brother is just unconscious right now. What if he wakes up tomorrow and comes to compete?"

Why aren't you worried? You're making his illness sound so trivial.

"My brother had a tragic childhood. That year, the hospital mistakenly issued him a medical diagnosis report..."

Zhang Manqian played the sympathy card, recounting Zhang Xuezhou's arduous life with great sorrow.

"Even now, when he falls into mental illness, he forms a closed loop in his brain, becoming so immersed in that psychological world that he can't extricate himself until he naturally wakes up," Zhang Manqian said. "This time could be one day, three days, five days, but it will never exceed seven days."

"That means?"

"He might wake up in the next moment, or at the latest in two days," Zhang Manqian assured her.

It wasn't until just before the competition that Song Sijia received real information about Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou and saw him lying in the isolation room.

Thanks to the special nature of Xuanshi Building and the relatively limited interaction between them, Zhang Xuezhou's intermittent ailments were rarely noticed.

"But can we hold out until he regains consciousness?"

Song Sijia felt a little more hopeful, but looking at the sickly Zhang Manqian in front of her, then at Wang Li supporting Zhang Manqian, then at Song Fengying holding a video device to broadcast live, and then at Zhang Weimeng holding a small flag ready to cheer her on, she felt that this team looked unreliable no matter how she looked at it.

If Zhang Xuezhou isn't clear-headed, this team will just be eliminated in one round.

"Let's try a little harder," Zhang Manqian urged, "We can definitely hold on until my brother wakes up!"

"Well!"

Song Sijia sighed deeply.

When Zhang Manqian reached out and grabbed her right hand, a tremendous force then impacted Song Sijia.

If Song Sijia hadn't given up resisting, she might have been lifted into the air by Zhang Manqian.

This made Song Sijia gasp.

Looking at the sickly Zhang Manqian, she was surprised that Zhang Manqian could still exert such terrifying power in such a sickly state.

"Wait... you're wearing makeup!"

After noticing Zhang Manqian's unusual behavior, Song Sijia began to carefully examine Zhang Manqian's face.

Song Sijia doesn't like makeup, but that doesn't mean she doesn't understand it.

After a careful comparison for more than ten seconds, Song Sijia realized that Zhang Manqian had actually put on a sickly yellow makeup look, which had fooled her.

"This is called feigning weakness," Zhang Manqian said smugly. "Then you can catch them off guard. This is the psychological warfare my brother told me about!"

"Great! Do you have any foundation left? Can you do my makeup like this too?"

Song Sijia's mind raced for a few seconds before she quickly changed her perspective.

Everyone participating in the competition was full of energy and wanted to present their best side, unlike Zhang Manqian who appeared sickly and listless.

If you lack the skill, make up for it with makeup.

No matter what method you use to participate, the priority is to overcome all obstacles.

The organizing committee's rules did not include a rule that contestants could not wear makeup.

Song Sijia even started asking Zhang Manqian to wear heavier makeup, preferably so that others wouldn't recognize her as Song Sijia.

"Your idea is more insightful than my brother's," Zhang Manqian said happily.

Few people pay attention to Zhang Manqian, but many people pay attention to Song Sijia.

Once Song Sijia enters the game, she will inevitably face the attention of the main players if she is recognized.

However, after changing Song Sijia's makeup, the probability of people recognizing her decreased.

As for Wang Li, Song Fengying, and others, whether they wear makeup or not, few people pay them any attention; makeup or not seems unimportant.

"Fengying, the martial arts tournament is about to begin, so please stop broadcasting!"

Zhang Manqian and Song Sijia were thinking about makeup, while Zhang Weimeng paced back and forth in the family waiting area.

He watched as Song Fengying continued filming with the camera, and after dozens of takes, he had to remind her.

"Brothers, I've mastered my martial arts! Today I'm going to the Martial Arts Tournament!" Song Fengying shouted. "The tournament organizers just came over to tell me to get ready. Once I've sorted out the registration details, we'll see you in a bit!"

Only after pausing the live stream did Song Fengying shake her head.

"You've at least reached the Blood Penetration Realm and have the ability to heal yourself, so why don't you go and participate in a competition?" Song Fengying said.

"I can only act as your support. Manqian will treat the serious injuries, and I'll handle the minor ones, to ensure your performance isn't affected by injuries," Zhang Weimeng said helplessly. "Xuezhou said I'm not agile enough, and the probability of me being eliminated if I go on stage is 100%!"

"You should get out and exercise more," Song Fengying said, pursing her lips. "As long as you practice scaling walls with me every day, how could you not be agile!"

"Once I finish writing The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, I'll definitely go out and practice my flying sheep and wall-running skills," Zhang Weimeng promised. "But for now, you'll have to shoulder the main responsibility!"

The couple whispered amongst themselves, discussing who should go on stage.

The final list of participants for the sequencing conference has been finalized.

The couple has been on a rollercoaster ride for the past few months, dealing with the explosive popularity and criticism brought about by Zhang Weimeng's aggressive promotion of many books, as well as the competition from the proliferation of live streaming apps in various provinces and cities after the rise of Feiyu Live.

Zhang Weimeng's books are not among the best novels on the online novel platform; in fact, their ratings have at times been below average.

The live streaming software built by Song Fengying and others is not invincible. Ordinary small businesses naturally cannot make much of a splash, but as large and influential companies and even large Lineage begin to enter the market, the competitive pressure faced by live streaming is also enormous.

What gave the two some confidence was that, thanks to the aggressive promotion of the novel and the somewhat irrational tipping mechanism of the live streaming software, the Zhang family's savings had exceeded 50 million.

This was even after Zhang Manqian used the X432 repair technology again.

Compared to the vast assets of many Lineage, their savings are clearly insignificant.

However, this deposit is the money that the Zhang family can currently freely dispose of.

If Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian have any needs, the couple will not hesitate to spend money on it.

The couple shared similar views on money, and their attitudes toward this sequencing conference were identical.

They need to win, and they will do everything in their power to achieve it.

Despite the seemingly simple exchange, Song Fengying was clearly prepared to go all out.