Chapter 136: Breaking News—Su Mingyue Has Been Broken Out of Prison

A 7-star talent facing off against a 9-star beast-transformed half-orc. The kicker was that the creature’s face was devastatingly handsome. Zhang Chu simply couldn't bring himself to strike. There was truly nothing more awkward than being unable to defeat yourself.

"It has to be that old fox Fan Tianlei playing games."

Before entering the Brain-Machine Beast Sea, Chen Tianxiang had explained the rules in detail. Aside from a few half-orcs set by the game system itself, others were randomly generated based on the tester's own subconscious. The Fan Tianlei half-orc he had encountered upon entering was clearly a manifestation of his own mind. Zhang Chu could guarantee he had never imagined himself in such a half-orc state. It was obvious: Fan Tianlei was meddling. It was the equivalent of a game developer, unable to stand players being too skilled, tampering with the backend to crank up the difficulty. How shameless.

"Trash, what are you standing there for?"

Seeing Zhang Chu lost in thought, the half-orc lunged, appearing ten meters away in a flash. Its massive frame supporting that face looked grotesque.

Back in the Martial Administration Bureau's game hall, Fan Tianlei watched the scene with a smug grin, sipping his tea. "This brat dared to manifest me as a woman, so today I'll teach him what the harsh realities of society are like. That'll teach him not to respect his elders."

"Oh no, Professor Zhang Chu's mental data is fluctuating. The brain-machine interface is becoming unstable." Just as he spoke, the expert monitoring the data cried out. The entire hall descended into panic. Fan Tianlei rushed to Zhang Chu’s side, anxious. "Don't you dare have an accident, kid! I'll stop playing, just don't crash!"

"This kid is interesting," Zhang Daoyi remarked, staring at the screen with a hint of surprise. Chen Tianxiang and Luo Zhidong were equally stunned.

Facing the half-orc's provocation, Zhang Chu simply held up a middle finger. "What kind of status is this? Looking like me, yet so mongrel-like."

*Bang!*

The next second, the half-orc "Zhang Chu" swung its dragon-like tail and smashed down with immense force. Zhang Chu didn't even resist; he was flattened instantly. Having realized it was Fan Tianlei’s backend manipulation, Zhang Chu had decided to quit. A 7-star against a 9-star offered no chance of victory. Furthermore, he didn't want to expose too much, especially the secret of the vine demon seed within him. Plant demons were rare, and one fused with a human would undoubtedly lead to him being sent back to a safe house for dissection if the Martial Administration Bureau found out. It was just a game anyway; dying at his own hands wasn't shameful.

To everyone's surprise, the feed cut to black. "Notification: Beta tester Zhang Chu has died and automatically exited the Brain-Machine Beast Sea. Re-entry permitted after 24 hours."

***

The sound of the game backend echoed through the hall.

"Director Fan, what's the rush?" Zhang Chu slowly opened his eyes and removed his helmet.

"You brat, you scared the life out of me!" Seeing Zhang Chu perfectly fine, Fan Tianlei finally let out a sigh of relief. "If anything had happened to you, Zhang Daoyi would have torn me apart."

Zhang Chu scanned the hall. "Just as I suspected, all our gameplay footage was being broadcast live. Good thing I kept my guard up."

As they spoke, the 24-hour beta period concluded, and Zhang Xueying and the others were forcibly logged out. Huang Lili looked the most nervous. Her mental technique, "Array Construction," was the most useless at the Dual-Force Warrior level and only achieved its potential at the Spirit Realm. She had previously bought a copy of *Basic Array Construction Theory* to study, and if not for Liu Tianher leading her, she would have been eliminated the moment she landed.

"How was it?" Zhang Xueying asked, surprised to see Zhang Chu looking so energized.

"I died..." Zhang Chu blinked, gesturing for her to look at Fan Tianlei.

Fan Tianlei rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Uh... the server had some issues. We'll organize repairs as soon as possible. We'll hold the second beta test in three days."

After Chen Tianxiang provided a brief summary, the group left the hall.

"Did you find the reason for the sudden drop in mental power?" Chen Tianxiang asked once everyone had cleared out.

"Director Chen, the data shows that the energy seemed to dissipate upon the half-orc's death, or perhaps it was swallowed by something, but we can't find the cause," the expert replied.

"Director Chen, could it have been that kid, Zhang Chu?"

Chen Tianxiang held up a hand to stop Fan Tianlei. One shouldn't jump to conclusions without an investigation. Besides, this was the Brain-Machine Beast Sea, a semi-open game. How could mental energy be devoured? "I will report this to the Martial God Academy and have them send someone from the Spirit Realm to take a look."

***

"Tianher, let's head back to the Armament Division." Outside the Bureau, Zhang Daoyi grabbed Liu Tianher and pulled him away.

"But..." Liu Tianher had wanted to have dinner with Zhang Xueying. Fair competition required action, after all. But as a warrior and commander in the Armament Division, Zhang Daoyi's word was law. He left, somewhat disgruntled.

"Dinner together?" Zhang Xueying asked, smiling at Zhang Chu.

"Mind if I tag along? I'd love to exchange notes on our experience in the beast sea," Huang Lili chimed in, playing the innocent fool. She wasn't intending to be a third wheel; she was doing it on purpose.

The three quickly took a taxi to a Western restaurant. After the meal, Zhang Xueying headed back to her dormitory. After putting Huang Lili in a taxi, Zhang Chu drove toward Xishayuan. He needed to pack some clothes. He would be staying at the Armament Division for the next few days, partly to avoid the persistent Dual-Force Warriors at Xishayuan and partly to leverage the Special Combat Hunting Grounds to boost his power level.

Before he even reached Xishayuan, he received a call from Zhao Wuming. "Mr. Zhang, you were at Xianchi Village during the last drug test, so the experiment was delayed. Can we proceed tomorrow morning?"

He had forgotten about the drug testing project. He had experienced the effects of the Rank-Breaking Pill himself; to reach 8-star as soon as possible, he needed to pull out all the stops.

After confirming the time, Zhang Chu arrived at the gate of Xishayuan. "Mr. Zhang, welcome home. There's something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead." Zhang Chu handed the guard a pack of cigarettes; he understood the value of social graces.

"Someone came looking for you yesterday, claiming to be your relative."

A relative? Zhang Chu felt a chill. Fame brought trouble. Not only had their identities been dug up, but the orphanage had become a hot topic, and Wang Peng had already gone into hiding. It seemed he wouldn't be spared either. At the thought of this, Zhang Chu stepped on the gas, heading into the complex. "Do me a favor, buddy: from now on, if anyone claiming to be a relative comes looking for me, turn them away. I don't have any relatives."

Just after he left, a couple, Li Tianher and his wife, appeared at the gate, only to be promptly thrown out by security.

Back home, Zhang Chu didn't even dare to turn on the lights, fearing that people would know the "Light of Binzhou" was home and come to harass him. He collapsed into bed and fell fast asleep, only to be woken the next morning by his alarm. The Martial Arts Research Institute was on a seven-day statutory holiday, so he didn't need to go to work.

Remembering his ten o'clock appointment at the Kowei Institute, Zhang Chu got up. While brushing his teeth, he couldn't help but kick "Iron Egg." "Any explosive news in Binzhou today? Give me the highlights."

"Certainly, Master. Broadcasting the Binzhou Daily News," Iron Egg said, tail wagging, blue light flashing in its eyes. "According to media reports, the Martial Administration Bureau's inspection team was attacked last night. Two members were severely injured, and the high-profile prisoner Su Mingyue was broken out of prison. The Bureau has yet to confirm this."

*What?* The inspection team was attacked? Su Mingyue had been broken out?