Chapter Fifteen: The Game of War

Page 1 of 3

Jiang Taichu entered Yang Xianzhi’s room, finding him sitting at his desk, his brows tightly knit.

“You’re frowning. Is what happened this time affecting you that much?” Jiang Taichu walked over and asked.

“The impact is significant, but the responsibility doesn’t lie with me.” Yang Xianzhi shook his head slightly. “Although Lu Fang’s testimony is plausible, there’s one point—the location of the ‘Heavenly Dao Inhibitor’ is top secret!”

“Someone told him?” Jiang Taichu asked.

“Yes, but we haven’t identified the person. Lu Fang never saw their true face,” Yang Xianzhi replied, his brows drawn together. “And the pills that Tao Zhong and the others carried were unusual. They wouldn’t bring pills to work.”

“That person didn’t approach everyone, just not the three of us?” Jiang Taichu frowned. What did that mean—did they look down on the three of them?

Yang Xianzhi shook his head. “It wouldn’t be so troublesome. Just approach one or two people and have them contact the rest.”

“Then it’ll have to be a slow investigation. What’s this about the newly added deputy manager?” Jiang Taichu changed the topic.

“You must have seen the news. Our parent company’s mothership was destroyed, and our professional gold prospectors were lost. They need replacements,” Yang Xianzhi said gravely. “But to become a professional gold prospector, one must go through strict selection. I think you’re capable.”

“I can become a professional gold prospector?” Jiang Taichu asked with a smile, not showing any eagerness.

“You’re lucky, but still lacking in experience,” Yang Xianzhi said seriously. “Even if I want you to go, I can’t just send you to your death.”

“So what do you mean?” Jiang Taichu was puzzled.

“I want you to serve as deputy manager for a while, to gain experience and see if you can spot any suitable candidates,” Yang Xianzhi replied. “Let’s also discuss your compensation. This incident caused quite a stir. Someone from the Justice Bureau will come to question you soon. Just tell the truth; there’s nothing you need to hide.”

“All right,” Jiang Taichu agreed. “What compensation will the company offer?”

“Nothing more than pills, cultivation methods, things like that,” Yang Xianzhi mused. “Is there anything you want in particular?”

“There is,” Jiang Taichu admitted without hesitation. “I took three bullets this time. I’d like a body-forging method. With mech armor protecting me next time, maybe I won’t get hurt.”

“A body-forging method? That’s practical,” Yang Xianzhi nodded. “I’ll apply for you, but you’ll only get the basic volume.”

“The basic volume is enough,” Jiang Taichu said. The company would never part with the advanced version; that was far too valuable.

“Very well. I’ll let you know when your compensation comes through,” Yang Xianzhi replied.

Jiang Taichu got up, took his leave, and returned to his room. He had barely sat down when someone from the Justice Bureau arrived.

A burly man entered, his presence so restrained he might have passed for an ordinary person—an expert at the Qi Refining stage! Only those who reached Qi Refining could fully conceal their aura.

“Justice Bureau—Yang Shan. I’m here to ask about the incident,” the burly man said.

By his side stood a golden mech—one of the Bureau’s ‘Miaodao’ models, fully autonomous. These mechs, equipped with formation spirits, could act independently and would record everything during official duties.

“I happened to find a lode of earth-vein origin stones at the time...” Jiang Taichu recounted the events in detail.

Page 2 of 3

Yang Shan took notes. “Lu Fang said you managed to dodge bullets?”

“I was lucky to avoid a few, but I still got hit three times,” Jiang Taichu replied, still feeling a lingering fear.

Yang Shan nodded. “We’ll keep following up on this. You’ll get justice. You can appeal. If there’s any issue with Dadi Corporation’s compensation, you can go to the Company Administration Bureau.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Taichu replied politely.

But was there any use in going to the Company Administration Bureau? He’d tried that over his parents’ case, but they simply said Dadi Corporation had paid compensation already. If he wasn’t satisfied with the amount, they told him to negotiate with the company. Negotiate? He was just an ordinary person. What grounds did he have to bargain with a power controlling twenty-five star systems?

After Yang Shan left, Jiang Taichu was about to start mech training when Tang Yu sent an invitation: “Taichu, come quickly! Let’s play War Mode—our five against their twenty-five!”

“You’re kidding, right? Five against twenty-five? You think you’re all Qi Refining experts?” Jiang Taichu replied, lying on his bed and summoning ‘Heavenly Dao.’

An invisible force enveloped him, and his consciousness appeared in a virtual space. Besides Tang Yu and Zhang Jing, there was a man and a woman: their former class monitor, Shen Feng, and the class committee member, Li Wenyue.

Li Wenyue, the girl Tang Yu secretly liked, had fair skin and stood just over five feet tall—petite and pretty. She was an adept cultivator, her inner cultivation stat reaching 23%. Tang Yu, far behind, never dared confess—his crush died before it ever began.

Shen Feng was tall and thin. At graduation, his inner cultivation stat had already reached 31%.

“Taichu’s here,” Shen Feng said with a smile.

“What are you guys up to? Five against twenty-five—did you challenge someone?” Jiang Taichu asked.

“We played a match earlier—a small skirmish. They blamed us for not following orders when we lost, then challenged us to a rematch. How could we take that lying down?” Zhang Jing explained.

“So now you’re inviting me along to get beaten up?” Jiang Taichu rolled his eyes.

“Less talk, let’s start!” Tang Yu hit the start button. “Just twenty-five opponents. We’ve got the class committee and monitor on our side!”

The environment shifted—they were in a dense forest, towering trees, weeds chest-high.

“Jungle warfare?” Jiang Taichu raised an eyebrow.

In ‘War,’ any environment could be simulated, with total realism.

“Yes. Last time we lost in the jungle, so naturally we want a rematch here,” Shen Feng said. “Don’t worry, the other side are all newbies, probably high schoolers. Pathetically weak.”

“Right. Let’s get in, find a particle shielded area, and take them out one by one,” Tang Yu said.

Jiang Taichu, Zhang Jing, and Tang Yu piloted ‘Mountain Patrol’ mechs. Shen Feng’s was ‘Wind and Rain,’ and Li Wenyue’s was ‘Flora.’

Li Wenyue immediately used her mech’s ability to meld into a tree. Shen Feng looked a bit embarrassed; his ‘Wind and Rain’ mech excelled at speed, flight, and aquatic combat.

The other three instantly activated their spirit radars, scanning the five kilometers around them.

Beep beep—

Page 3 of 3

“These are the newbies you mentioned? They’re not giving us any time to hide—they’re encircling us!” Jiang Taichu muttered grimly.

The radar showed twenty-five red dots converging from all directions.

In the ‘War’ game, there were always particle-shielded zones, even ‘Particle Inhibitors,’ to evade radar detection. Normally, the first step was to find a shielded area—but this time, things were different. If he were the enemy, Jiang Taichu would do exactly the same.

“Pick a direction and break through!” Shen Feng soared into the sky, leading the way.

Li Wenyue darted through the forest, vanishing in an instant.

The other three, piloting ‘Mountain Patrol’ mechs, went underground—their tunneling ability far superior to their flight.

The five headed out in one direction and, in the blink of an eye, were nearly a mile away. There, they spotted four enemies. The four, sensing them, fired wildly in excitement, forgetting to aim.

Bang!

Gunshots rang out. The four enemies had no time to react before falling from the sky, eliminated.

“I believe they’re newbies now,” Jiang Taichu remarked.

“With opponents like this, I could take on a hundred,” Tang Yu scoffed.

But with those four down, the remaining twenty-one closed in fast.

“Let’s go. With enemies like these, there’s no need to hide,” Shen Feng said, charging forward.

Jiang Taichu shrugged. Bullying novices was hardly a test of skill.

Bang bang!

Gunfire sounded again. Four more fell.

Li Wenyue raised her gun in excitement. “Charge! Let’s teach these kids a lesson!”

Jiang Taichu followed, too lazy even to fire, watching as his teammates gleefully ganged up on the newcomers.

In no time at all, only five of the twenty-five remained, flying straight toward them.

The five charged again. Four of his teammates surged ahead, flying at full speed.

“Hm?” Jiang Taichu frowned. The radar showed two fewer people. “Shen Feng, Fatty Tang, be careful—we’re missing two.”

“What?”

Bang!

As the words left his mouth, gunshots rang out. Tang Yu and Li Wenyue’s heads exploded—eliminated!

Shen Feng and Zhang Jing returned fire instantly, taking out two more.

Jiang Taichu narrowed his gaze in the direction the bullets had come from, spotting two black gun barrels through a gap in the leaves.

“Particle inhibitors? No—that can’t be, they never had time to search... Wait, two prodigies like those twins?”

A chill ran down Jiang Taichu’s spine. No wonder the other side dared to challenge them despite being so green—they had geniuses among them.