Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

A startled shout came from the distant Doomsday Base... It was Ji Chaoge's people. Mu Nandong ran dozens of meters, out of sight of the obstruction, and was spotted by the people stationed at the Doomsday Base. They were other alien races who had followed Ji Chaoge before, remnants of the Black Dragon, and thus had their own judgment—if they were demi-humans, they would be under Ji Chaoge's unified control at this moment.

The man shouted and quickly confirmed Mu Nandong's identity, knowing that he was not one of their own—although he didn't know who Mu Nandong really was, as long as he was sure that he wasn't one of their own, the rest would be easy to handle.

He moved swiftly and powerfully, grabbing a gun from the side.

Ji Chaoge had been fine-tuning the anti-detachment stance in order to reactivate the defenses of the Doomsday Base, a top-tier military fortress. And now, he had successfully removed the Doomsday Base from the anti-detachment stance... and even extended it slightly.

However, the Doomsday Base is a complex system with far-reaching consequences. Reactivating it would take some time, and Ji Chaoge's side was slightly outnumbered, failing to fully extend the base's defenses. Furthermore, Mu Nandong was alone, barely able to run, and felt that directly activating the defense program was overkill. Therefore, he simply picked up a gun and attempted to handle the situation himself. Otherwise, according to Ji Chaoge's orders, the Doomsday Base's magic-powered cannons should have been activated immediately.

Ji Chaoge was never afraid of his subordinates being stupid; he was only afraid of those who were stupid without realizing it and who had their own ideas.

The man raised his gun. He was about a hundred meters away from Mu Nandong. Given Mu Nandong's speed, this shot would be safe!

"What are they trying to do..."

The man was aiming at Mu Nandong when a sinister voice suddenly sounded behind him. He turned around and saw a face that could give a child nightmares for ten days straight—a red nose and a white face; it was the clown.

"Ji Chaoge's lackey really doesn't know the rules... You want to steal someone else's prey?"

The clown sighed and shook his head. The man suddenly realized what was happening and his face showed a look of horror. He was about to scream when his years of training finally came into play. He suppressed his fear, turned his gun around and pointed it at the clown, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Very few people knew about Ji Chaoge's collaboration with the Clown; Ji Chaoge's subordinates didn't share information at all. Even Ji Chaoge herself was unaware of all her plans and arrangements, hence the man's reaction.

He raised his gun and quickly aimed it at the clown...?

There was nothing in front of me.

Just as I was feeling confused, I suddenly felt a cold touch on the back of my neck, and then everything went black.

"What a disappointment..."

The clown's interest was like that of a girlfriend who had spent ten pounds on a day out with him, only to suddenly say, "I want milk tea, no ice," after he pretended to take a walk in the street after watching a movie and having dinner.

He looked back... Mu Nandong had fallen to the ground, together with the Doomsday Base guards who had been defeated by Ji Fenming. He was still trying to move forward at the last moment, so he was facing away from the sky.

"Ugh... what's going on? I couldn't hold on any longer... I was hoping to watch a little longer..."

The clown flashed behind Mu Nandong. He knew Mu Nandong was not dead. He hadn't used a method that was enough to kill him, but it was perfectly normal for him to faint. According to the clown's estimate, it would only take a few seconds, but he didn't expect it to happen a little too soon.

"Ultimately, after losing that weapon you painstakingly created, you're nothing. It's frustrating, isn't it? But there's nothing you can do, because—"

The clown was only halfway through his sentence when a deafening gunshot rang out, interrupting his soliloquy.

boom!

A thunderous sound rang out, a gust of wind swept by, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air.

His expression froze as he looked down at the large hole in his chest.

Thanks to Ji Chaoge's control over the anti-detached field, the alchemical weapons around the Doomsday Base were given the opportunity to be used. The Doomsday Base soldiers' sidearms were not some weak weapons that could "pass through the body" or even worse, "get stuck in the body." This shot emptied most of the Joker's chest.

He slowly looked over... It was Mu Nandong. He hadn't fainted; his fainting spell earlier was fake. Now he was drenched in sweat, breathing rapidly as if he had just been pulled out of the water. His right hand was bleeding from the recoil when he fired the gun, and one of his fingers was broken as a result. Mu Nandong had hidden the gun under his body earlier.

"You... you've been heading this way—"

The clown suddenly realized that the reason Mu Nandong had been running this way was because of this gun.

A wave of intense dizziness washed over him... What's going on, all for this gun?

What if the anti-external field covers this area? What if these soldiers didn't carry guns when they went out to intercept Ji Fenming because of the anti-external field? What if I need to maintain mind-reading ability at all times? What if the guys at the doomsday base don't distract me? What if I don't survive long enough to pick up this gun? What if I stay alert? What if I dodge it? What if this gun hits but is useless...?

What to do, what to do, what to do?!

"The answer is... I'll die."

The clown had too many questions in his heart, but he didn't voice them. But Mu Nandong seemed to see right through him and answered him with trembling hands.

"If the anti-detached stance still covers... I'll die."

"If these soldiers weren't carrying guns... I would be dead."

"If you keep reading minds... I'll die."

"If there's no one guarding that side, or if you hadn't stopped him... I would be dead."

"If I couldn't hold on before then... I would die."

"If you stay on guard all the time... I'll die."

"If you dodge it... I'll die."

"Even now, this shot hitting means nothing. If you can survive this shot... I'll die."

Mu Nandong lowered his gun... He no longer had the strength to fire another shot; his trembling hands were simply insufficient to complete the next strike. But it didn't really matter. If one shot was useless, a hundred shots wouldn't be useful either; if it were useful, this one shot was already enough.

Yes... as he himself said, he would have died if any one of these circumstances had occurred.

He had no certainty whatsoever, no backup plan whatsoever, yet he still did it. If asked why he did it... the person asking such a question doesn't deserve an answer from Mu Nandong. Because the answer is always obvious; if one is unwilling to acknowledge it and instead asks such a question, then one is simply too proud to answer.

Every living thing in this world, from birth to growth to death, even livestock that spend the entire process in cages, cannot escape the fate of struggle; the only difference is the specific targets of that struggle.

With others, with yourself, and with fate.

Mu Nandong remained silent... He listened to his increasingly faint heartbeat, his breathing so rapid. Yet, there was an unusual tranquility within him... Yes, too tranquil.

I have given it my all, and there is nothing left. I have done everything I can, so no matter the outcome, I can have a clear conscience.

The clown froze... his limbs grew increasingly stiff, and the exact reason remained unknown.

"So you weren't confident at all... Mu Nandong, how dare you hit him..."

A question is expressed in the tone of an elliptical sentence because the person asking the question does not expect to receive an answer.

The clown lowered his voice and chuckled softly.

"Consider this a win for you... You won, but it was a very ugly victory. Although I still have the strength to take you away, it was still a very ugly victory..."

The Joker certainly still had the strength to take Mu Nandong down—not to mention the strength, if he wanted to, this shot wouldn't have been enough to kill him. But the Joker had his own aesthetic; he believed he had already lost. With such a huge advantage, if he paid even the slightest attention, Mu Nandong wouldn't have had a chance at all. But to be shot through the chest under such a huge advantage... if he were to kill someone in a fit of rage after this, it would be too embarrassing.

Just like when he was provoked by Ji Chaoge last time... when Ji Chaoge saw him again, with that arrogant and mocking expression, the clown vowed never to lose his composure like that again.

so..

"I'll let you win this round!" The clown stared intently at Mu Nandong, slowly raising the corners of his mouth in an exaggerated yet terrifying smile that stretched all the way to his ears, like a real puppet.

"See you next time."

With a tremendous roar, the clown turned to ashes and vanished on his own.

...They always appear out of nowhere, and then, just as inexplicably, they leave in the way they want.

Not belonging to any party, able to freely change their stance, and capable of any crazy and unconventional behavior... the freest progenitor.

Mu Nandong loosened his grip and collapsed completely onto the ground.

After the clown disappeared, his breathing became calmer, but he still lacked the strength to get up.

".."

"Were they let go...?"

Without a trace of joy at escaping death or defeating a powerful foe, Mu Nandong knew in his heart that he had merely been spared. The prey, desperately fleeing, had put up a resistance that surprised even the hunter. But frankly speaking, prey is always prey. Perhaps some prey can rise to become hunters. But this absolutely does not include Mu Nandong and the Clown; the gap between them was too vast.

Of course, he knew in his heart that the Joker was probably just teasing him, and that once he had recovered, he would suddenly find some time to come back and recreate the previous scene... But even if he knew, it wouldn't matter. That's the tyranny of the Progenitor. Even if you knew what he was going to do and what he would do, you simply couldn't defend against it.

So all we can do is live each moment to the fullest.

"Having lost his 'courage,' he came knocking on our door. Was this timing deliberately chosen? If so, what is the significance of this weapon?"

【“..”】

"No...even so, it's okay."

"Courage... why did I name it that in the first place..."

"'Fear'...yes, it's because of 'fear'."

"To confront fear, one must either possess power or courage. I clearly intended to bestow upon myself 'power,' but I named that weapon 'courage,' because in most cases, courage is an adjunct to power; possessing power naturally leads to possessing courage."

"However, 'courage' is not the same as 'confidence.' It doesn't mean that one can't have courage without strength."

"So... 'courage,' is the courage I've gained from it true courage—courage that exists independently, not dependent on power, or is it merely courage that only appears briefly when one possesses power, a courage that is simply a byproduct of power?"

【“..”】

"I don't know..."

"In the end, I don't know if holding this weapon truly gave me courage, but one thing I'm absolutely certain of..."

"When it left me, it couldn't take that courage with it."

"Whether this courage is a byproduct of strength or a great quality existing independently... it's all the same now."

Even if you lose 'courage' and 'strength', you will still have courage. Nothing can take it away or take it away. It is the spark that ignites starlight in the darkness and truly remains within you.

Mu Nandong reached out and felt his heartbeat... one beat after another, thumping loudly.

He recalled the Joker's last question, a question he himself knew the answer to.

"Why did you dare to fight..."

Even if you lose your 'courage', you still have courage, don't you?

Chapter Seventy: Cain's Departure

No one knew this infinitely deep darkness better than Cain.

He has been here since the most ancient and chaotic era... In that time when even the progenitors were just beginning to emerge, he was defeated by a battle god who traveled through time and space. In his despair, he activated the Void Formation, abandoning all the information he carried, and rushed into the 'gate,' using the information randomly captured from within to complete himself...

Cain later learned that behind the 'gate' was a resurrection transfer point for mythical creatures with resurrection abilities. However, when he arrived, the era was too chaotic, and not a single mythical creature or primordial alien had ever been there, leaving no 'information' behind. Therefore, what he randomly grasped was the power of the 'gate'... This can no longer be replicated. Even if someone were to launch a void-based attack to rush into the 'gate' and resurrect themselves by grabbing information, they would mostly obtain residual information from mythical creatures and primordial aliens.

His power comes from the door; he has spent countless ages behind it, and no one in the world knows this infinitely deep darkness better than him.

Why do I see this infinitely deep darkness again?

"!!"

Cain suddenly realized what was happening and abruptly stopped the ability to create the blurry figure.

As a higher-ranking being, he inherited the abilities of the ethereal figure in its entirety without any reduction, including the ability to glimpse the future.

After inheriting this ability, he activated it immediately, intending to find the divine truth and satisfy his curiosity, but...

Cain's mind raced, and he began to make some guesses. He quickly exited this state... but it was too late.

The hazy figure reappeared before him—or rather, before his eyes; Cain could see the hazy figure. But the hazy figure was already dead; this was the hazy figure's deadly move left on the real timeline, and also a declaration of victory.