Chapter 213: Aofei, You Must Believe in Science (Second Update)

The training ground next door exploded again. Li Hao looked at the shattered glass, the pitted and cracked walls and floor—these had just been repaired! He was speechless toward the heavens; he had told them not to listen, but it was fortunate that Aofei wasn't attacking, just reacting with subconscious defense. This was also a kind of awareness for seeking confrontation, though extremely unwise. He held his breath for a moment.

... The glass was all shattered by Aofei's defensive shockwave; that was roughly it.

Aofei's strength was far greater than Luo Bi's from not long ago, yet after only ten seconds or so, Aofei regained consciousness herself. She was still a bit dazed, looking at Li Hao with a touch of disbelief, her eyes filled with confusion. What was this?

She knew that even if five years had passed, even if Li Hao had no systematic training, and even without the support of a military academy or others, he would absolutely not be inferior. His starting point was too high; it was truly impossible to ignore. As for her attitude toward Li Hao, it didn't stem entirely from his strength, but from the trust and respect of having fought together through life and death.

Admittedly, there is a gap between talents, but they are all human; how big could the difference be?

But she was still wrong, because she had always been judging with human thinking. Yet the person before her—that light, dazzling like the sun, what was that violent power pouring out as if from a crack in the Abyss?

"Second Brother, have you already surpassed the limits of humanity? What kind of realm is that? Does God exist?" Aofei looked at Li Hao with a mix of longing and awe. In that instant, she felt as if she had returned to five years ago. Time can make people forget, but memories do not disappear. Even she, who considered herself the one who understood Li Hao best, had developed such a massive deviation.

Li Hao curled his lips and waved his hand helplessly. "Aofei, that was an illusion, just a trick of light and color. You are a Warrior; you must believe in science. My Mental Power is just a bit stronger; you all will be like this in the future too."

Aofei gritted her teeth. Only then did Li Hao remember to pull Aofei up and help brush the fragments off her body. Aofei grabbed Li Hao's arm. "Has this already surpassed Flowing Heart Martial Arts? What comes after? To what extent can it be done? Have you read Xilian's *Analysis of Dreams*? Can humans really reach this step? Does a different Space exist?"

"I'm very good at dreaming." Li Hao smiled. "That kid Xilian has some substance."

"Second Brother, come back. Reorganize the Hunter. Everyone is waiting for you. Lead us to stand at the peak of the world again!" The calm Aofei finally couldn't control the excitement in her heart. Only absolute strength could tame those unruly geniuses and integrate the power of Earth.

Li Hao smiled. "Aofei, don't put too much pressure on yourself. There are many ways to live. Being a person, happiness is the most important thing."

"Mm, Second Brother, I know. I'm very happy now, very happy!" Aofei nodded, her eyes filled with confidence. Yes, the strong never boast. This year's USE finally has a Leader.

Feeling her burning gaze, Li Hao was a bit speechless; she didn't seem to understand at all.

"Second Brother, what is your dream?"

"This? It was originally a secret, but since you asked, I'll tell you. Don't tell anyone else, hehe. I want to inherit the boss's shop after I graduate," Li Hao said in a low voice.

Aofei looked at Li Hao with a touch of worship. Second Brother is Second Brother; this is the king standing at the mountain peak. His thinking isn't as shallow as theirs. This "shop" must be an allusion to the pinnacle of the world—returning to simplicity.

The three major battle teams finally left. Aofei was still somewhat reluctant to leave, but Greg and the others didn't want to stay. Mo Yu and Chen Ang were a bit regretful, but it didn't matter; they would see each other at the Mid-Season Tournament. These two little fanboys believed that as long as they arrived, everything would return to its original trajectory. They would not come when at the peak, nor leave when in the valley.

This exchange between the four academies ended successfully, and Tianjing Martial Arts also had a full harvest. Zhou Naiyi, Ma Long, and Wuzang had all grasped the Golden Zone, while Zuo Xiaotang and Huo Ying had also received training. At the same time, they had learned the standard of the Alliance's top battle teams and had a measure in their hearts, so they wouldn't be like frogs in a well. The next period of time would be for self-training; those who needed to climb the ranks would climb, and those who needed to patch their weaknesses would patch them.

Li Hao was called away by Long Danni to the principal's office.

"Report, Principal, the glass was broken by Aofei. I've already made her pay for it," Li Hao said solemnly.

Long Danni smiled. She was already used to Li Hao's "passing the buck" style of opening. One was willing to hit, and the other was willing to be hit; what could she do? "Mm, well done. Even a landlord's family has no surplus grain. How was the harvest from this exchange? I heard everyone worked very hard?"

"Yes, Principal, we all worked very hard, training diligently every day, striving to achieve good results at the Mid-Season Tournament!" Li Hao emphasized the word "we" very forcefully.

"Student Li Hao, not 'striving,' but 'must.' The revival of Tianjing Martial Arts doesn't lie in me, but in you all. Time waits for no one!" Long Danni had to correct this student who was prone to amnesia from time to time. How could he keep thinking of escaping? She had to keep an eye on him.

"Yes, Principal!"

After chatting for a while, Li Hao left. Long Danni smiled. During this time, there were actually people looking for trouble, targeting Li Hao's past situation, wanting to strip him of his Mid-Season Tournament qualification. The funny thing was that it was from within Earth—a bunch of lunatics. They weren't great at fighting external wars, but they were experts at internal strife.

Having reached this point, Long Danni was undoubtedly extremely firm. She had locked in with Li Hao; if there were results, her decision would be wise. Once he failed, she would have to pay the price for her "arrogance." In this day and age, idle laymen specifically target the experts who are doing the work. If she backed down, she wouldn't be worth a damn as a principal.

With everything settled, Li Hao also let out a big sigh of relief. This group had finally all left, and he had time to handle other matters.

"Kevin, I'm finished on my end. How are things on your side?" In a corner of the campus.

"Boss, did you finish? I'm still struggling here. Something's not right. The other side's reaction is very strange. Our movements have already indicated the possibility of an attack, yet there are still loopholes in their defenses. I think it's a trap. Crete Base wouldn't be so careless. Give me some time; I'll check who our opponent is."

"Fine, notify me when you're done. I'm still free recently, but that might not be the case in a while. There's no need to drag this out." Li Hao planned to finish the matter before the Mid-Season Tournament to avoid any complications.

"So lazy!" Kevin hung up the Skycom. Actually, he didn't know what method Second Brother used to complete the missions, but it was just magical. He only needed to provide the comprehensive blueprints, layout, and internal situation, and then no matter what kind of mission it was, it would be completed—and always in the form of an "accident." It was simply inconceivable. This also made Mo Zi famous in the Alliance; clearly, only a master among masters could complete such operations. Many experts believed that Mo Zi wasn't a person, but a massive, mysterious organization.

In fact, this organization only had two people: one internet-addicted youth and one delivery driver with the codename 567.

In the EMP Four Great Federations war zones, on a calm night, a piece of news at the level of an interstellar weapon of mass destruction suddenly exploded.

Puppet will face off against Lone Wolf Romero this weekend. This topic, which was originally just media chatter, had actually come true.

The most heavyweight duel in the history of EMP challenges is about to be staged. One side is an unprecedented super internet celebrity who incredibly fought his way up from the Xuni Qu (this person actually maintained a considerable amount of combat time in the Xuni Qu). Any normal expert would not waste a large amount of time in the Xuni Qu, yet such a person erupted with even more terrifying power after entering the Zhenshi Qu, maintaining an undefeated record, invincible, and creating a terrifying S+ test record, having completed two first-clears. His momentum was unrivaled for a time.

The Faith of Xuni Qu players—Puppet!

The other is a big shot from the S Tournament, the king of Mars, one of the Three Wolves—Lone Wolf Romero. He occupied the number one record on RIOM for a long time, possessed Leader-level dominance, was selected for the best lineup of two S Tournaments, and is a well-deserved one of the three great experts of Mars, known for his ruthless style.

This is an existence who dares to challenge the entire world single-handedly.

This is also the holder of the highest S Tournament honors currently participating in the EMP challenge.

If the opponent weren't Puppet, it would definitely be a textbook case of dimensional reduction strikes.

This battle has finally been set!

EMP knows what they're doing; they immediately produced highlight reels—one for Romero and one for Puppet. Puppet doesn't have many S Tournament achievements, but his highlight reels are almost too full to display.

"Puppet's Path to Godhood" immediately topped the EMP trending list at number one.

It wasn't just the Earth players who were boiling; the onlookers from other federations were also present in unprecedented numbers. In their view, anything non-S Tournament is amateur, yet this amateur is stepping by step reaching the top, with opponents becoming stronger one by one.

And the controversy over who will win is also fierce, because this Puppet is not only powerful but also particularly good at causing trouble. In all his matches, he only uses the Armor Series. Of course, this is also the reason why Puppet is popular across the Solar System. No matter what kind of expert he faces, he only uses the Armor Series, and he uses them randomly—doing whatever he wants, unbridled and unrestrained.

Just by this move alone, he is practically challenging the entire world.

Now he finally faces Romero, a true top-tier powerhouse, an existence at the very pinnacle of the human Mecha Warrior pyramid.

Can Puppet still be as "arrogant" as before?

It's not just guessing the winner; there is also speculation about the Mecha Puppet is about to use. Facing Romero, does anyone really dare to use the Fries Brothers?

Once Romero uses a Super Mecha, such a fierce confrontation could very likely lead to the collapse of the Armor Series, and it's a high probability.

Speculation surrounding Puppet and Romero has already occupied the EMP section. This heat is incomparable. Whether it's Earth viewers or Mars viewers, everyone knows this will be a final battle; neither side has a way back. Those who watch for the fun of it don't think it's a big enough deal, and the Moon People and TAS are adding fuel to the fire, claiming this is absolutely a battle at the level of the two major war zones...