Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 194 Time Zero + Moment, Gate of Divine Speed! (10K)

"By the way, you guys have been eating out a lot lately, right? Do you have any recommendations for restaurants in the city?"

Amidst the deep hum of the engine, Ye Sheng, who was in charge of driving, suddenly spoke. His gaze flicked towards the back seat through the rearview mirror.

The neon lights of the city at night shone through the car window, casting flickering shadows on the faces of the two people in the back seat.

"Did Teacher Zhang give you a holiday?" Lu Mingfei's daydreaming was interrupted, and he subconsciously asked back.

"What's with that surprised look and tone of yours? I'm not on a 24-hour workday, of course I have days off!"

Ye Sheng held the steering wheel with one hand and gestured in the air with the other, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction at being misunderstood, and declared righteously.

"Besides, my more important task right now is to entertain the members of the Kassel College Special Operations Team, isn't it normal to provide food and drink?"

"Your map of the Yan Kingdom is far too short."

Lu Mingfei casually made a comment, then thought for a moment, "As for restaurants... the one my senior brother and I went to today was pretty good, their stir-fried mudskipper slices were excellent."

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously swept over Chu Zihang, who had been silent beside him. The latter was looking down intently at his phone screen, the faint blue light reflecting on his expressionless face.

Mudskipper?

Ye Sheng thought for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. "Mudskipper, right? Aren't those things hibernating?"

"They're artificially raised. What era are we living in? We're no longer relying solely on the weather."

As Lu Mingfei spoke, he seemed to recall that lively and energetic scene, a strange light shining in his eyes.

"The quality is alright, they're freshly killed, you can even touch them before they're even cut open."

"I remember that creature was pretty fast, wasn't it?"

"That's right, that's why the meat is tender and springy!"

Lu Mingfei nodded seriously, then added, "And the fish itself is also very useful."

"Useful?" Ye Sheng looked bewildered.

"Its bizarre appearance makes it visually appealing, and its extreme speed makes it manipulable. You can try to pinch its head with chopsticks, and it won't budge even when you're almost touching it, but in the next frame it'll be somewhere else..."

Lu Mingfei's tone began to rise, carrying his unique, boundless excitement.

Having dealt with Lu Mingfei for so long, Ye Sheng immediately felt that he was talking nonsense again. If this continued, the topic might veer off course again, so he quickly interrupted and changed the subject rather abruptly.

"Alright, alright, I understand. Let's discuss this matter concerning Fujiwara Shinnosuke!"

There were few vehicles on the road into the city. He accelerated, and the night view outside the window receded and became somewhat blurry.

"What's there to discuss about that guy?" Lu Mingfei asked instinctively.

"Come on, that's still [Word of Power: Time Zero]! Even though the serial number isn't high, it's definitely a top-tier Word of Power, okay? Before that, Fujiwara Shinnosuke was just an unknown ordinary student. He probably secretly joined the Gattuso family long ago, so his Word of Power information was kept from him," Ye Sheng said.

"Just like how families in ancient times trained assassins to kill important targets at crucial moments, now they are using them to deal with you."

Chu Zihang, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his head and spoke, his voice calm, "But he didn't succeed."

"Yes... so what exactly were you typing all this time, senior brother?" Lu Mingfei asked curiously.

He had noticed long ago that Chu Zihang hadn't said a word since getting into the car, and had been looking down at his phone, typing long paragraphs of text, though the content was unclear.

What do assassins fear most?

Chu Zihang pressed the send button and asked calmly in return.

"Failure?" Lu Mingfei guessed.

"Do not."

Chu Zihang shook his head.

"It's fame."

A notorious assassin can never be an assassin again.

He handed the phone to Lu Mingfei.

The page displayed was one Lu Mingfei had seen before; it was the Night Watchers Forum, the campus forum of Kassel College, filled with all sorts of gossip and trending news. If he weren't completely busy and hadn't recently become the center of a media storm, Lu Mingfei would have liked to register an account to occasionally enjoy the gossip.

It was nighttime, which is daytime according to the time zone conversion, but it was summer vacation and students and staff were scattered all over the world, so the traffic was quite considerable.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous post was highlighted in red and pinned to the top! In fact, pinning it to the top was unnecessary, because just the red highlighting was enough to make it the top spot in the flood of traffic, the glaring red like a campfire lit in the darkness.

For a moment, people in front of their computers or mobile phones held their breath. Such a thing should be extremely rare, but it has happened one after another in the past two days... which means big news!
I never expected so many things to happen during winter break. Could it be because of that S-class student who hasn't even enrolled yet?
[Announcement: Starting at 19:32 tonight, in accordance with school regulations, I hereby issue a duel challenge to Shinnosuke Fujiwara, Class of 2007, Department of Dragon History, Kassel College. This challenge is valid indefinitely.]

The post ID is "村雨".

This ID is extremely rare on the Night Watchers forum. It has never posted, only commented very few times, but everyone knows what this announcement means—Chu Zihang, the president of the Lionheart Society, has openly declared Fujiwara Shinnosuke as a mortal enemy in front of all members of the Secret Party worldwide!
Lu Mingfei remained silent for a moment.

He sensed the anger beneath Chu Zihang's seemingly calm exterior... If Fujiwara Shinnosuke really hurt him in the slightest today, even with the so-called "assessment" as an excuse, wouldn't the other party be roasted to a crisp?

Duel, a cultural symbol in the West, originated from the "divine judgment" system of Germanic tribes, one aspect of which was judicial duels. The theory was that the gods would side with justice and grant victory in the battle.

Then came the medieval chivalric system and chivalric spirit, which passed down this culture, and the honor duels in modern France... These duels were mostly popular among the nobility, and even the bans issued by the kings and the church could not effectively curb them.

The reason why Kassel College, a modern educational institution, would have a "duel" rule becomes clear... because the Secret Party originated from a mixed-race family!
As a family of mixed-race nobles with the longest-standing lineage, they are deeply influenced by this culture, which is why it has been incorporated into the school rules.

I never expected that a student council member would actually look through that thick, dictionary-like set of school rules that had been published in several versions, and I never expected that someone would actually find this particular rule.

In short, initiating such a duel means risking one's honor and life on the ring. Refusing is possible, but it will result in the loss of honor.

Unless they are mortal enemies, they wouldn't usually go to such lengths.

Shock, like an invisible shockwave, instantly swept over everyone who saw the post, leaving their minds blank.

After snapping out of their daze, their first reaction wasn't, "What did this person do to provoke such anger from the esteemed Lionheart Society's president?", but rather—

Who is Fujiwara Shinnosuke?

Even though the announcement specified the year and department, no one had ever heard of the name Fujiwara Shinnosuke, or even if they had, they had no recollection of it... But how could someone like that be considered an enemy by Chu Zihang?

If the name here were changed to Caesar Gattuso, it would be more like it!

It must be said that Fujiwara Shinnosuke's concealment was remarkably successful. And his imagined overnight fame has indeed come true, albeit in a way he neither anticipated nor desired—

A way to be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Without needing to search, someone quickly discovered the second newly posted, highlighted and pinned thread. The poster was Fingel, and the title was as sensational as ever—

[Reconstructing the entire incident, revealing Fujiwara Shinnosuke's identity and background? The Gattuso family's conspiracy thwarted by an S-class freshman!]

Even just reading the title is enough to instantly pique everyone's interest.

The challenge to authority is often the most exciting and captivating element. And the Gattuso family, as the most powerful mixed-race family within the contemporary Secret Service, undoubtedly represents authority as members of the Academy's Board of Trustees!

But now, they've been "taken out of the game," and their "conspiracy" has been thwarted?

As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. This is far more sensational than any gossip about the dean of students' first love!
With all the factors in place, no one hesitated on this paid post this time. Without exception, they all made the same choice—take my money and bring me the melon!
The number of subscribers has increased almost exponentially, and the content of the posts has become known to more and more people.

……

Rome, Italy.

In the suburbs, a historic castle stands in the afternoon sun.

Inside the brightly lit castle, Frost Gattuso, the acting head of the Gattuso family, an old man leaning on a cane, meticulously inspected the arrangement of the banquet hall, the light from the crystal chandelier falling on his neatly combed silver hair.

The upcoming banquet will determine an investment project worth hundreds of billions of dollars. His trusted secretary, Percy, has gone to China on a mission again, so he decided to inspect the site himself.

But just then, his substitute secretary came over, her face grave, and whispered something in his ear.

"How could this be?"

Frost's composure vanished instantly, replaced by astonishment and a hint of barely perceptible panic.

He turned around abruptly, his leather shoes clicking rapidly on the floor. He didn't even bother to glance at the meticulously arranged venue again, completely forgetting about this multi-billion dollar investment project as if it were a piece of insignificant trash.

The waiters looked at each other, bewildered.

"This is the detailed content of that post..."

Frost rushed into the office. Behind the huge oak desk, a computer screen was lit up. His substitute secretary brought up a page, and the more he looked at it, the more alarmed he became.

If we have to pinpoint the exact facts in the post, there are only three things that are definitively proven: first, the Gattuso family's "gift"—the test for Lu Mingfei; second, Fujiwara Shinnosuke's hidden identity and Word of Power; and third, his sneak attack that was countered and crippled by Lu Mingfei.

If it's just these three points, then it's nothing, because they can be easily explained.

For example, this is an assessment that concerns the position of school board member, so what's wrong with being strict? As for Fujiwara Shinnosuke's identity being exposed, so be it. The Gattuso family has many retainers, so even if it's exposed, it won't cost much to keep them, and they can be used as an assassin in disguise.

Furthermore, Fujiwara Shinnosuke's sneak attack on Lu Mingfei can be explained as a moral problem of his own, or, to put it more bluntly, as "the assessment is always ongoing, and the real enemy will not inform you before launching an attack."

This is just one explanation... Frost could come up with nine explanations in just a few seconds, nine! He's been in the business world and the secret service for years, so this solution is far too simple for him.

But the post contains more than just these three things!

It also explains that the real reason the Gattuso family was suddenly so "generous" was not to return the items to their rightful owner, but rather to use it as an excuse to acquire other things. Furthermore, it states that Fujiwara Shinnosuke's actions were instigated by the Gattuso family, with the intention of suppressing the S-class freshmen to prevent them from threatening Caesar—killing two birds with one stone!
The various analyses seemed reasonable and convincing, with logical chains that were so interlocking that even Frost himself thought that this was how the family thought... But the problem was that the family could think and act this way, but others couldn't say it!
The Gattuso family's reputation is undoubtedly extremely important, far more so than a multi-billion dollar project. This post is like a bucket of scalding dirty water poured on the family's prestigious brand.

Why is this post still up?

Frost's first question was this, his voice trembling slightly with anger. This matter must be suppressed immediately; it cannot be allowed to escalate any further!

"Because the post was published on the Night Watchers forum, which is the campus forum of Kassel College..." the acting secretary explained.

"Wouldn't that save us the trouble of buying the forum? We could just use the board's authority!" Frost practically shouted.

"We took immediate action when we realized the situation was escalating, but Principal Angers also used his authority to stop us..."

"Why would that lunatic Angers get involved in something like this!"

Frost roared this time, and the old paintings on the wall seemed to tremble. He slammed his hand on the heavy table, making the gold pen in the pen holder jump.

“It’s probably because Angers was a good friend of Lu Mingfei’s great-grandfather… He would be very happy to see Lu Mingfei become a member of the school board, which would further enhance his influence within the board,” the acting secretary explained, forcing a smile.

Frost was struck dumb. He had said Pompeii couldn't manage family affairs! This was a huge gift to the enemy right off the bat. How could he possibly limit Angers' power now? He had long been annoyed by Angers' careless spending.

But dwelling on that now is pointless, because what's done is done. His primary task now is to mitigate the negative public opinion caused by this incident, which is the only thing he can do.

"and many more……"

Frost forced himself to calm down, and a thought flashed through his mind.

"Why does the post reveal our true intentions? This is a leak! It seriously violates our contract with the External Cooperation Division, forcing them to take matters into their own hands!"

Although the Gattuso family used an open strategy this time, and Zhang Shanfeng's side also chose to accept it after research, a facade was still necessary.

Therefore, the agreement specifically states that if this trip is exposed, the External Cooperation Division needs to cooperate in publicizing that the Gattuso family's purpose in going there was to assess Lu Mingfei and give him a "gift," and that there was no other purpose.

"Although saying this might displease you..."

The acting secretary hesitated for a moment.

"When we discovered this post, we considered using this method. However, the descriptions in the post were quite clever; the confidential parts were all 'leading speculation,' and we couldn't use that to restrict them..."

Frost was stunned. He looked at the post on the computer screen again and studied it carefully... and then found that what the substitute secretary said was completely correct. The damned behavior of this post was like an old loach that had been soaking in an oil tank for decades or even hundreds of years!
Anything related to classified information, upon closer inspection, is all just "speculation," "possibility," or "perhaps," but it's so well hidden that it's impossible to notice it at a glance.

"Who is this Fingel? Is it possible to bribe him?"

When one plan failed, another was devised. Frost decided to use the Gattuso family's most prized weapon—"money power."

"other side……"

The substitute secretary spoke hesitantly, lowering his voice even in the well-soundproofed office.

Although he was the acting secretary, he was actually Percy's former secretary. He was just temporarily reassigned after Percy left.

As the former secretary, he knew about what happened back then and had the authority to verify Fingel's information.

The secretary's voice was barely audible.

"The other party is Fingel von Frings, one of the only two survivors of the Greenland Project."

Frost suddenly felt a lump in his throat, unable to exhale or swallow.

The Gattuso family was the main driving force behind the Greenland Project because the allure of the ancient dragon embryos was simply too great... Although they trained the students of Kassel College like soldiers and treated them as their own private army, and soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders, it is an undeniable fact that their hasty advancement led to disaster.

This matter could only be covered up. The Gattuso family and the rest of the school board could not bear the stigma of this mistake, so apart from the parties involved, almost no one knew that this had happened.

Given the Gattuso family's arrogance, they naturally neither worried nor cared about the survivors of the accident. However, under this premise, trying to bribe them with money... it's obvious that that's impossible.

The phone rang abruptly. Frost glanced at it, then immediately clutched his head, feeling a headache coming on.

The caller was Caesar. Normally, Frost might have had some expectations about his nephew contacting him, perhaps because the other man had finally turned over a new leaf and decided to acknowledge the family's kindness to him.

But now… Frost’s heart sank.

It's obvious this won't be a good thing!
"You go out first."

Frost waved wearily, and after the substitute secretary quickly left, he took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

"I crave glory and power, and I also yearn to prove myself."

It was Caesar's voice on the other end of the phone; very few people had heard him speak with such a cold and detached tone. "This is a good thing," Frost said in a deep voice, trying to maintain his elder's authority. "The family's expectations of you are also..."

“But I am different from you. You consider yourselves part of the Gattuso family, but I am not. I will take control of my own future. I will fight Chu Zihang, Lu Mingfei, and anyone else who might threaten me. I will fight them face to face!”
One day I will have everything I desire, not as the head of Gattuso's family, but as Caesar, and only as Caesar!

After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Frost's reply and hung up the phone immediately.

Only a busy tone remained on the receiver, sounding particularly jarring in the spacious, luxurious office. Frost, gripping the phone, stood frozen in place, his face ashen.

"Pompeii! Look what you've done!"

……

I enjoy working with outstanding people. I've always thought Kassel College is a miracle, a place that brings together the best people in the world. But at the same time, many unqualified people are able to get in. Since the school rules allow it, I can accept it.

I can understand how unqualified people live, but now there's one such person making noise that's bothering me, and I don't like noise.

Therefore, the duel with Fujiwara Shinnosuke will have no time limit.

Furthermore, Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei, I am very much looking forward to your challenge. You are both excellent opponents, so don't keep me waiting too long.

The poster's ID is "Diketuido".

This is Caesar Gattuso's ID on the Night's Watch forum.

Students of Kassel College, scattered all over the world, whether they have graduated or not, whether they are in the sky or on the ground... all celebrated this moment together.

There were three pinned posts that were highlighted in red.

Too much information has been revealed in these three pinned posts. The sheer volume of information has left onlookers wondering which post to take the first bite of!

Perhaps this is the "happy trouble"? There are so many choices that it leads to decision paralysis.

The Night Watchers forum experienced a surge in traffic, but fortunately, the forum's server was Norma, which is the world's largest and most advanced supercomputing cluster. This surge in traffic was nothing to them, and they easily handled it.

Netizens from all over the country were discussing the matter, some wondering why the post was still there, others questioning the authenticity of the content... For a time, chaos reigned, with posts increasing by hundreds or thousands per second, making it impossible to keep up with the discussions.

But who is Fingel? How could the Minister of the Information Department not have a solution to this situation! He easily organized the special supply section, like an experienced fisherman casting a large net, dividing and organizing the surging flow of information, and guiding the traffic to different "ponds".

Soon, the section with the most traffic stood out, and the topic of discussion in this section was—since Fujiwara Shinnosuke's Word of Power is [Time Zero], then how was Lu Mingfei able to defeat him? Could it be that his Word of Power is also [Time Zero]?
If so, how much faster is Lu Mingfei's [Time Zero] speed than Fujiwara Shinnosuke's?

"Yeah, how much faster are you than him?"

Ye Sheng, who was waiting for the green light, saw this on his phone, glanced at the rearview mirror, and asked curiously, "Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped, it'll be a complete secret!"

He didn't know if Lu Mingfei's Word of Power was Time Zero, but based on Zhang Shanfeng's previous analysis, it was definitely of the Extreme Speed ​​type, and possibly the third unknown type besides Time Zero and Moment.

"I don't know the specifics either."

Lu Mingfei tried hard to recall, then shook his head slightly. His eyes were somewhat unfocused, as if he were trying to remember that fleeting moment.

"But it will definitely be very fast, much faster."

He didn't hide anything; his tone was calm but carried an undeniable certainty.

He hadn't measured the exact speed difference; he only had a rough guess in his mind.

The speculation was so frightening that he dared not say it aloud.

With his physical attributes taken into account, Fujiwara Shinnosuke's speed when activating [Word of Power: Time Zero] is basically the same as Lu Mingfei's speed when activating [Burst Sprint].

However, by observing the motion trend represented by each vector in the [Force Analysis], Lu Mingfei, who was already on guard, was able to react the moment Fujiwara Shinnosuke was about to make a move. By the time he entered a state of extreme speed, the game was already over.

Because he now has more than just the [Explosive Sprint] attribute that can amplify speed!
When Lu Mingfei was chatting with Ye Sheng earlier, his explanation after saying that "fish itself is very useful" was indeed just random nonsense.

But he wasn't making things up about the fact that "mudskippers are useful."

The usefulness here doesn't refer to some strange nuns or fish, but rather to a rather serious and "scientific" method of use, derived from Lu Mingfei's Level 2 Biology entry—Phenotype Simulation!
Ever since he obtained the term "phenotypic simulation," Lu Mingfei has been pondering which organism to choose as the subject of his phenotypic simulation.

This simulation can be stored; he can't just grab a creature he wants to simulate every time he needs it.

In that case, a more convenient way might be to carry several different animals with you to switch between them...

What kind of Druid-style playstyle is this!
At first, Lu Mingfei thought of ants.

Ants, with their nimble bodies, can lift objects several times or even dozens of times their own weight—a phenotype known to all.

Although Lu Mingfei's physical structure limits his ability to reach the same multiple after simulation, he will definitely be significantly stronger, which will make up for his lack of normal strength compared to hybrids.

But his idea changed after he and his senior sat down in the restaurant and witnessed the explosive speed of the mudskippers that were specially placed in the display tank.

There's a line in the movie *Kung Fu Hustle*, spoken by the Fire Cloud Evil God: "Of all martial arts, none is invincible except speed." The most typical example is Principal Angers, who possesses the ability to achieve zero time! His fighting power against hybrids might even rival that of some Dragon Kings…

Lu Mingfei possesses a near-zero-time [Burst Sprint] ability, which, when activated, allows him to increase his speed by sixteen times. By normal standards, this is already an exaggerated ability... But when has the world of hybrids ever considered "normal standards"?
Ever since he learned that the speed of the Word of Moment was also two factorials, and could reach up to two to the power of nine, Lu Mingfei always felt that his sixteen times speed was not enough.

The mudskipper's burst speed is undoubtedly astonishing. Although it cannot be sustained, the way it moves during the burst looks just like "Flying Thunder God"!
Isn't this just a fleeting moment?

The mudskipper's ability to leap and "teleport" is clearly a phenotype, a composite manifestation of both "behavioral phenotype" and "physiological phenotype," which can naturally be simulated through [phenotypic simulation]!

Upon realizing this, Lu Mingfei's mind began to race.

When used in combination, the amplification effect is far more than just 1+1=2. If he uses [Burst Sprint] and then adds [Phenographic Simulation] to the Mudskipper's Burst Speed, how much faster would he be?

As Lu Mingfei said, he didn't know.

Even though he had just used this combination in actual combat, he couldn't explain it clearly... because he was just too fast back then, so fast that he couldn't even react!
Lu Mingfei could not accurately estimate the value at that instant.

He could only speculate based on his intuition—it was as if a moment of the same rank had been superimposed on top of time zero.

Among the only two speed-type incantations, the extreme speed of an instant is actually no slower than zero time; theoretically, its speed has no upper limit.

The so-called ninth-order limit is simply because even the most outstanding hybrid's physical strength will be near its limit when subjected to 512 times the speed. Any higher and their muscles and fascia will tear their bodies apart.

A moment is not time zero. Time zero is a bug. The user is obviously accelerating, but it seems like time is slowing down. When acting, there is no need to bear that extreme speed load, and it can even accelerate thinking.

In comparison, simply pre-setting the moment of action is not enough.

But even at its worst, it's still incredibly fast!
[Explosive Sprint] is something even more broken than Time Zero. The domain surrounding Lu Mingfei can switch the reference frame of kinetic energy. But Lu Mingfei is not satisfied yet. He has added another layer of brokenness on top of this brokenness...

Overall, the bug is functioning normally.

On top of the already 16 times faster speed, it will be increased another 16 times!
Two to the power of 8, two hundred and fifty-six times!
At that moment, Lu Mingfei saw the legendary "Gate of Divine Speed," which speedsters pursued throughout their lives.

Even when Fujiwara Shinnosuke activated Time Zero, he was frozen in front of Lu Mingfei at that moment. In the contest between speedsters, even a slight difference can be fatal, let alone such a difference that is like an insurmountable chasm.

Fujiwara Shinnosuke should feel honored to have been crippled at such a rapid pace.

Such speculation could only be kept to himself. He wasn't worried about the saying "the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind," but subconsciously wanted to keep some unknown trump cards for himself.

As for the price...

Lu Mingfei glanced down at his legs. They were limp and not very responsive, but he could still walk.

Mudskippers are able to make explosive jumps because of the large number of fast-twitch white muscle fibers in their tails. These fibers are responsible for absolute power and explosive force, and are a type of skeletal muscle fiber with very few mitochondria.

The normal ratio of red and white muscle fibers in the human body is generally determined by five months of age and formed a year later, and cannot be changed through postnatal exercise... But just now, [phenotypic simulation] probably performed a temporary "adaptive modification" on his body.

The so-called "adaptive modification" refers to the modification of the internal structure of the human body while keeping its external form unchanged.

It was precisely because of this that Lu Mingfei was able to achieve that near-instantaneous burst of power without damaging his body.

Modifying muscle fiber ratios and unleashing explosive power both require energy, but this time, due to the extremely short time, Lu Mingfei's stamina bar held up, and he even seemed to have some ease.

His legs now feel empty and weak, and he can't feel his muscles. This is entirely because his brain cannot adapt to experiencing that kind of power and explosive force, and then returning to its original state.

It's like going from using top-of-the-line hardware to going back to regular equipment; a strange sense of disorientation washes over you uncontrollably.

"If it continues to grow..."

Lu Mingfei thought to himself, "Once my running skill is upgraded to LV3, wouldn't I be able to achieve 512 times the speed and reach the Gate of Divine Speed? And after that... I can even surpass it!"

The so-called "Gate of Divine Speed" was not a setting that Lu Mingfei came up with out of his own delusions, but rather something he stumbled upon while looking at some information about hybrids.

The general idea behind this setting is that 512 times is the maximum speed increase that a hybrid with a speed-enhancing spell can achieve.

This is a door, representing the upper limit of hybrid races. Before the door are humans, and behind the door are gods.

The "Gate of Divine Speed" is definitely not something that hybrids can cross; only gods can cross it!
The researchers in the materials confidently stated that although there was no actual evidence for this setting, there was absolutely no problem, because "the extreme of yang numbers is called nine" and so on... In short, it was a bunch of words that Lu Mingfei could understand, but couldn't quite comprehend.

However, he understood why this setting was relatively niche; Chu Zihang and the others hadn't told him about it.

Even excluding those completely illogical arguments, just looking at the points... It is said that the highest-ranking Setsuna is the former "Silver Wing," Viscount Charlotte of the Secret Party Elders' Council. It is said that he was able to reach the eighth rank of Setsuna and was also one of Angers' teachers.

There isn't even anyone who can reach the ninth level, so who can prove this theory? It's utterly shameless!
Now, the person who can prove it has appeared: Lu Mingfei himself, and he naturally believes—

"It can't be that difficult, can it? I don't think it's that hard."

……

It was still early, and going straight home would only mean studying. His original plan for the evening was to work out. Therefore, after calling Su Xiaoqiang to confirm she was still at the gym, Lu Mingfei asked Ye Sheng to take him there.

Don't miss a single moment of exercise!

[Fitness] A well-planned schedule is crucial; upgrading it could potentially add a margin of error to one's current "glass cannon" state.

"Wait, putting aside the upgrade issue... would you say I'm habitually pushing myself too hard?"

Lu Mingfei suddenly realized this and his expression changed.

But in the end, he only murmured a few words and didn't say anything.

Firstly, I'd already agreed to go with Su Xiaoqiang, so I couldn't go back on my word. Secondly, going home is the same as studying, so there's really no difference.

He realized with a touch of sadness that, in just thirteen days, without him even noticing, the schedule seemed to have successfully transformed him...

Could the electric shock punishment be permanently eliminated if the modification was successful? He secretly wondered to himself, and subconsciously extended this thought.

If that day ever comes, he can, outside of his unplanned schedule, take a little break and be a little lazy...

His distraction interrupted his long-standing multitasking mode.

During this journey, whenever there was no important business, he had to study. This was something Lu Mingfei had come up with himself, a "non-human" method certified by the schedule, and it was full of tears.

[Warning, electric shock countdown...]

With a start, Lu Mingfei stopped his delusions.

Just then, I felt a slight forward jolt, and the car slowly came to a stop. Passing by the small square, I arrived at the entrance of the gym.

"Tomorrow is the official start date. Exercise tonight, but remember not to overexert yourself, as this could lead to poor recovery or injury, which would be counterproductive."

Chu Zihang gave his instructions.

“Yes, in principle, you shouldn’t be allowed to participate in this kind of operation without training… But since you’ve accepted the assessment, there’s nothing we can do. Fortunately, your strength is indeed sufficient, and you dare to take action, which is very good…” Ye Sheng also chimed in.

Don't let his seemingly kind-hearted personality fool you. As one of the most outstanding young people in the Executive Department, how could he possibly be a genuinely kind-hearted person? When it's time to be ruthless, he doesn't hesitate at all.

If you really want to know, Lu Mingfei was actually too lenient. Given Fujiwara Shinnosuke's behavior, killing him outright wouldn't have mattered.

But considering that Lu Mingfei was a minor high school student in a peaceful world yesterday, his performance was already quite good... If he really did kill someone, that would be strange, or even a bit abrupt.

"Don't worry, my stamina is top-notch!"

With the boosts of [Stamina Recovery] and [Stamina Boost], Lu Mingfei was brimming with confidence during sustained exercise. It was easy to drain him in a short time, but what about in the long run? He wasn't afraid!

"If we have to say something, shouldn't it be the two senior brothers who should be paying attention?"

Lu Mingfei opened the car door and winked.

"Senior Brother Chu, please don't catch another 'cold,' and Senior Brother Ye Sheng, well... it's dry, be careful with fire!"

After he finished speaking, he jumped out of the car, closed the door, and sped off to the gym.

A two-second silence fell over the car. Ye Sheng frowned, somewhat puzzled, and looked at Chu Zihang: "What do you mean by 'be careful with fire' in this dry weather?"

He knew that the sentence was not what it seemed, but as for its true meaning... his low-level "Road Talk" skill was too much to translate, so he had to ask Chu Zihang for help.

"Dry wood and raging fire".

Chu Zihang's translation, a master of slang and slang, was as concise as ever. Seeing that Ye Sheng was still stunned and hadn't reacted, he added another sentence.

"Wine Virtue and Achievement".

"Oh……"

Ye Sheng suddenly realized, shook his head with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "That brat!"

He paused, then asked, "What did Mingfei mean when he said you had a cold?"

Chu Zihang remained silent.

It's perfectly normal for the obvious lie about having a cold to be exposed. Lu Mingfei saw through it but didn't ask any questions, only making a slight joke... Chu Zihang's silence was naturally not because of that.

He was genuinely thinking about this serious problem very seriously—because he himself didn't know how he had become "weak and powerless," and who knew if this situation would happen again tonight?
Tomorrow is the official operation date; they're to take a special plane to Xiang Yu's tomb. If they suddenly become weak again for no apparent reason, and need almost a whole day to recover like today… wouldn't that jeopardize everything?
"Could it be..."

Chu Zihang's eyes flickered slightly as he considered a possibility.

The only unusual thing last night...

(End of this chapter)