Chapter 54: A Shadow for Life

Yun Meng’s tone was calm—almost too calm.

But her smug little smirk, the unmistakable air of effortless superiority in her words, was enough to make the nearby Coral Knight facepalm in silent exasperation.

He regretted asking that question.

But he wasn’t the only one left speechless.

The viewers in Reality Station 13 were equally stunned—caught between disbelief and amusement.

> “Not gonna lie, sis… keep it down. You’re literally broadcasting your smugness from space.”

> “Yun Meng: Hasn’t mentioned the ‘I found little Tian Dao on the street’ story in three whole minutes.”

> “The Story of How I Accidentally Found the Apex of the Stars While Walking Home.”

> “Tian Dao sweat-dropped through an entire season, and then—bam—MVP goes to Yun Meng. Tian Dao? Just a lucky bystander. (LOL.jpg)”

While the audience vented their outrage at Yun Meng’s effortless, cringe-inducing bragging, they also couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Rongshan and Claude—their newly introduced villain duo.

Because if Rongshan had been this arrogant at the start, then his final, panicked retreat was that absurd.

That dramatic collapse from “I’ll handle these brats alone” to “Please, don’t kill me!” was nothing short of legendary.

At first, with his cocky taunts—“I love hearing geniuses scream”—and his unwavering confidence, the viewers almost believed he was the second-best Stellar Envoy in the universe.

Even Tian Dao, the Vertex of the Stars, had supposedly given him a wide berth.

For a moment, the fate of the protagonist team felt genuinely uncertain.

But then came the fight.

And suddenly… it was all so ridiculous.

Not a single move, not a single technique—just empty words.

All that bravado, all that self-proclaimed dominance… and in reality, they couldn’t even beat Chen Kong—the weakest of the Stars.

When things went south, Rongshan even tried to pull the “two-on-one” trick—cheating by numbers.

But Tian Dao stepped in.

One move. One kill. One panic-stricken retreat.

If not for Yun Meng’s intervention, the two would’ve been wiped out in a single wave.

No resistance. No pressure.

Not even a flicker of threat.

So now, when Rongshan still dared to say, “One man is enough to deal with these kids,” the audience could only laugh.

The real title of “Best Clown of Stellar Season One” was now a duel—and Rongshan and Claude were clearly in the lead, with a massive gap.

Thanks to their epic failure, and Tian Dao’s flawless, almost supernatural performance, the viewers in Station 13 erupted into a frenzy of commentary.

> “Rongshan: Wait… seriously, who’s the real villain here? Because I’m starting to think you’re the one playing the part!”

> “Tian Dao: Before I showed up, you were arrogant. After I showed up? You were this close to dead.”

> “Vertex of the Stars? No contest. But the title of ‘Clown King’? That’s the real mystery. Two strong candidates… and both are equally bad.”

> “Claude: Damn it… I was supposed to just lie back and win! Why am I the only one in the C-zone?!”

> “Rongshan: Oh, you want to talk about blame? How about you stop blaming me when you’re the one who got knocked out by a cheat? What about when he locked your head? You don’t blame yourself for that, do you?! Answer me!”

As the live chat drowned in mockery for the “clown duo,” Rongshan—barely alive after escaping Tian Dao’s wrath—had already returned to the familiar confines of his first appearance: the CEO’s office at Luen Technology Co., Ltd.

He sat on the sofa, trembling, his face pale, eyes wide with unprocessed terror.

He looked like a man who’d just survived a nightmare.

The others in the room exchanged uneasy glances.

No one needed to speak.

They all saw it—the dread in each other’s eyes.

Finally, Bodean, the one who’d gathered them all, stepped forward.

“Rongshan… what happened? Why are you back alone? Where’s Claude?”

No answer.

Rongshan remained curled up, arms wrapped around his head, shaking uncontrollably.

He wasn’t just nervous—he was broken.

Bodean, Yingzhi · Lina, and Yi Yi · Wiser exchanged worried looks.

Then, Lina—closest to him—moved forward gently and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey… Rongshan? What’s wrong?”

She expected him to calm down.

Instead, the slightest touch triggered a full-blown panic.

Rongshan jolted like he’d been electrocuted.

He leapt from the sofa, scrambling into the farthest corner, trembling, eyes wide with terror.

“Don’t kill me! Please, don’t kill me! I’ll do anything—I’ll give you anything! Just… don’t kill me!”

Silence.

Lina stared at him—shocked.

This wasn’t the Rongshan she knew.

The man who once looked down on everyone with fire in his eyes, who spoke like a god among mortals…

Now he was a trembling, broken thing—scared of a touch.

So… what had happened?

What kind of horror had reduced a man of such pride and power to this?

“Hmm… perhaps I should answer that,” came a dry, rasping voice.

Lina turned.

A frail, emaciated man—nothing but skin and bones—was being wheeled into the room by a mechanical assistant.

He was strapped to a wheelchair, tubes snaking from his arms, his breathing labored.

He looked like a corpse kept alive by machines.

Lina narrowed her eyes.

“…Claude?”

The man nodded weakly.

“Yes. I am Iron Coffin · Claude. The one you saw earlier? That was just a droid—a decoy.

This… is my true body.”

With the robot’s help, the real Claude was slowly brought to the center of the room.

He glanced at Rongshan, still curled in fear.

Then he looked at Bodean and the others.

And then, in a voice like wind through cracked bones, he began to recount what had happened at the supermarket.

When he finished…

Bodean’s face went pale.

Lina and Wiser exchanged stunned glances.

Even Wiser—usually obsessed only with medicine—had gone rigid.

“So… you’re telling us,” Wiser finally said, voice trembling, “that this kid—Tian Dao—was only level one… and yet, alone, he nearly killed both of you? With zero effort?”

“Yes,” Claude coughed. “I felt it… he knew I was here. He saw me. And he could’ve killed me—after Rongshan, he had the chance. But… he chose not to.”

He paused.

“Why?”

Silence.

Lina and Wiser frowned, baffled.

Only Bodean remained still—his eyes distant, his mind racing.

After a long moment, he exhaled.

“If what you say is true… then I know why he spared you.”

“…What?” Claude’s hollow eyes flickered with sudden interest.

So did Lina’s. So did Wiser’s.

Bodean took a deep breath.

Then, quietly, he spoke the truth—something no one in the room had ever known.

“Because I made a deal… with certain members of the Stellar Envoy Association… back in Deep Blue Metropolis.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end