Chapter 354: Team Practice Battle
Chapter 354: Team Practice Battle
That evening, after finishing dinner, feeding the cat, and tidying up, Feng Bu Jue climbed into his Gaming Pod. Through a series of routine operations, he finally returned to the familiar Login space.
Unsurprisingly, the moment he materialized in the elevator, a text window popped up, accompanied by a system voice notification:
[You are currently ranked 2nd on the Combat Power Leaderboard. Would you like to publicly display your nickname? (Currently set to anonymous)]
Immediately afterward, another dialog box appeared with three options: [Public], [Anonymous], [Choose Later].
Feng Bu Jue felt slightly surprised but quickly understood this was inevitable. After brief consideration, he selected Anonymous.
[Operation successful]
[You may change this setting anytime via the touch-menu in Login space]
[In the future, if you temporarily leave the Combat Power Leaderboard and return, the system will automatically retain your current setting]
With that settled, Feng Bu Jue proceeded to check his messages.
Needless to say, a mountain of emails had piled up in his inbox.
Sorted by senders, the first was from Kuangzong Jianying. On the 19th, he’d mentioned sending two items from [Hard Drive 2455-A-1] the next day, alongside the [Endless Grenade Magazine]. However, Feng Bu Jue hadn’t logged in since, causing the delay.
The first item was:
[Name: Wjq-308 Military Shovel (Indestructible Model)]
[Type: Tool]
[Quality: Fine]
[Function: Everything!]
[Background: Developed by a certain country as the most dominant military product after the "Yao Ni Ming 3000", this shovel combines the functions of an axe, saw, hammer, ruler, bottle opener, can opener, pliers, wrench, oar, shield, grappling hook, anchor, and ice axe. The "Made IN China" engraving on its wooden handle is an undeniable guarantee of quality.]
The second item was:
[Name: Energy-Storing Tri-Edged Bayonet]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Fine]
[Attack Power: Strong]
[Attribute: None]
[Special Effect: 100% chance to inflict bleed effect (against theoretically bleedable targets); provides 1%-100% damage bonus based on stored energy]
[Equipment Condition: Martial Arts Proficiency C, Level 30]
[Background: Automatic energy storage at 1% per second]
Jian Shao had truly delivered on his word, fulfilling an oral promise without witnesses. Feng Bu Jue couldn’t have blamed him for reneging on it. Yet Jian Shao had gone above and beyond, sending highly practical and powerful equipment—first the grenade magazine, now the military shovel and bayonet. None of these items bound upon use, meaning Feng Bu Jue could freely sell them at an auction house if desired.
Of course, Feng Bu Jue wouldn’t do that. These were top-tier items—perfect for teammates even if he didn’t use them himself.
"Feng Bu Jue, that’s everything I promised. Quality acceptable, right? Also, you’ve probably seen the tournament announcement today. You’ll participate, won’t you? Looking forward to facing you again—don’t get eliminated too early!"
This was the content of Kuangzong Jianying’s message from the morning of the 20th.
"This is basically a threat letter!" Feng Bu Jue joked as he read. "All because we had one unresolved one-on-one! What a vendetta!"
Next, Feng Bu Jue opened a message from Shiva:
"Feng Bu Jue, you seem busy lately. I have a matter to discuss in person. Please reply promptly upon reading this."
Feng Bu Jue pondered for three seconds, then smirked and typed a reply: "Appreciate the offer, but there’s no need to revisit this."
About two hours later, Shiva emerged from a scenario and saw Feng Bu Jue’s response. The moment could be likened to a boy placing a love letter in a girl’s desk, only to receive a reply before school ended: "You’re a good person."
For the next ten minutes, Feng Bu Jue skimmed messages from other friends or recent teammates—Seven Kill, Zhao Ying Wang, Yu Zhong Jichang, Qiu Fengse, Jibu Shao Ye, Meng Jing Chan, Hong Hu, and more. All declined.
Unsurprisingly, the content of these messages revolved around the upcoming tournament, falling into three categories: intimidation, recruitment attempts, and outright nonsense. Jin Fugui’s message, for example, read: "Morning a peasant, evening a court official. Generals aren’t born—men must strive upward."
Feng Bu Jue struggled to interpret its meaning. Was this a cryptic intimidation tactic? Self-motivation meant to psych out opponents?
Feng Bu Jue immediately crafted a mocking couplet in response: "Since ancient times, masterpieces flow from brothels—failed scholars are the trueest playboys!" A poetic jab to keep that idol group leader in check.
...
After organizing his messages and storing the items, Feng Bu Jue visited the mall before heading to Xiao Tan’s conference room as invited.
Hell Front’s other three members were already waiting. As Feng Bu Jue entered, Xiao Tan and Bei Ling sat at the table, studying equipment attributes via a projection device. Si Yu stood alone by the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed as if meditating.
After the Cangling Debate of Swords, Si Yu had followed Feng Bu Jue’s advice to change her attire. Considering mobility, warmth, and practicality, she’d purchased a "Survey Corps" outfit from the mall.
The ensemble featured a light brown, short-length, long-sleeved jacket with a turned-down collar, worn over a white dress shirt. The lower half was a pair of white, form-fitting trousers, paired with deep brown leather knee-high boots. A brown sash circled her waist, connected by suspenders and leather straps along her legs. Though lacking the Survey Corps’ iconic winged insignia, it bore Hell Front’s emblem.
"Hey everyone, long time no see!" Feng Bu Jue greeted.
"Only been three or four days..." Bei Ling replied listlessly.
Xiao Tan looked up. "Feng Bu Jue, how’s the manuscript coming?"
"Finished it before logging in", Feng Bu Jue answered, turning to Si Yu.
Their eyes met for a few seconds.
Feng Bu Jue observed, "Hmm... The way you’re looking at me feels... off today."
"Oh?" Si Yu replied coolly. "What kind of gaze would feel natural?"
"You know... The kind that says 'I could stab you right now and nobody would blink.'"
Si Yu emotionlessly shifted her gaze away. "Tch... Despicable."
"Ah, another unfiltered insult the system didn’t block..." Feng Bu Jue chuckled, walking toward the table. "Guess I brought it on myself."
"A blend of childish naivety and perverted creepiness", Si Yu remarked, her lips briefly curling into a faint smile before vanishing. "The definition of 'infuriatingly annoying.'" She joined them at the table.
"Enough joking", Feng Bu Jue said. "Ever notice the anonymous player who suddenly jumped to second place on the Combat Power Leaderboard?"
Bei Ling reacted fastest. "Commander, you’re not saying that’s you?"
"Exactly", Feng Bu Jue replied calmly, shrugging.
His tone left no room for doubt, shocking his teammates.
"Seriously?" Xiao Tan gasped.
Before Feng Bu Jue could answer, Si Yu murmured, "I see..."
"Oh? Did you guess from the start?" Feng Bu Jue asked, surprised.
"Mm."
"You’re not even going to elaborate? Like... why?"
"Nothing more to say."
Feng Bu Jue dropped the subject and shifted gears. "Anyway, just a heads-up—I’m a force to reckon with now. When we team up, brace yourselves for higher difficulty."
"Fascinating", Bei Ling chimed in, smirking at Si Yu. "Should I bring up my idea now?"
"Team practice battle", Si Yu summarized succinctly.
At Feng Bu Jue’s smirk, she added, "You figured it out already? Good idea."
"You’re really looking out for this kid", Feng Bu Jue said, pointing at Xiao Tan.
"Huh? What’re you talking about?" Xiao Tan blinked.
"Never mind", Feng Bu Jue laughed, leaning back. "So Bei Ling, you’ve already got the team splits planned?"
"Originally, strongest paired with weakest—me with you, Xiao Tan with Cousin. But now... Boys vs. girls, obviously."
Feng Bu Jue nodded. "Best way to balance strength and separate tournament participants from non-participants."
"Then let’s finalize details and begin", Si Yu said.
(End of Chapter)
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