Chapter 221: Harmonious Joy

Cheng Konghai raised his head, his pale face filled with disbelief, because in all the time he had spent with his Second Brother, he had never seen him smile, and he rarely spoke, cold as an iceberg.

"Look at you, still not believing it. Take a look, this is from when I went to Tianjing with Aofei and the others." Kevin took out a group photo. "Look, isn't Aofei getting prettier? Those long legs could kick a few people to death. And this kid Luo Bi, you used to be able to take on three, but now this guy is incredible. Yan Peng, I don't know what he's been eating to get so sturdy. Depuya, quite a change, right? The only thing that hasn't changed is that foul mouth. Second Brother, the change is a bit big, isn't it?"

Looking at the photo, Cheng Konghai's emotions were a bit stirred, and his eye sockets turned slightly red.

"Very similar, much gentler. Second Brother doesn't need me."

"He does. Let me tell you, Second Brother is a man who does great things. Back then, we had strength but no worldly wisdom; we were too naive, which is why we ended up like this. A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. Although I don't know the specifics, over these past few years, I know Second Brother must have a massive plan, an unimaginable plan. A person like him is destined for the sea of stars. Succeed, and he conquers the Galaxy; fail, and it will still be a glorious blaze. Ant, come on, Second Brother has always trusted you the most; your strength is indispensable." Cheng Konghai gritted his teeth, struggling violently inside; it wasn't that he didn't want to.

Kevin knew the time was right. "I won't lie to you. This treatment has a 90% chance of making you a normal person, but a 50% chance of full recovery. For us, 50% is already a luxury. Monsters like us can only live like human beings by following Second Brother. I'll stay with you during this time, talking to you while you undergo treatment."

The light in Cheng Konghai's dead-gray pupils finally ignited with a desire to live. He wasn't afraid of death, but he didn't want to go out so worthless. "Compared to Second Brother, we are the normal ones, right?"

Kevin laughed and threw an arm around him. "Exactly. Let's go. That Duyanlang is still challenging Second Brother lately, so we can watch the show. Relax, the good part has only just begun. By the way, that guy Xilian didn't die either; he's been quite prominent lately. If he hasn't kicked the bucket, we certainly have to live even better."

On the other side in Tianjing City, Li Hao had to stop his little electric scooter. He had been sneezing all day. Damn it, who was thinking of him? His SkyNet buzzed; it was his kind and amiable boss.

A smile appeared on Li Hao's face: "Yes, Boss. Alright, Boss, I'll be right back. No need to call anyone else, I can handle it all by myself. Mission Accomplished 567... A raise??? Boss, you're making me a bit nervous."

"No, no, Little Li, you're making me even more nervous. I know you've always been diligent. We are a legitimate shop; more work, more pay. If you do well, you get more money. Besides, you're a top student from Tianjing, you should have a long-term vision and have the sea of stars in your heart. The shop... I'm leaving it to my daughter."

"Alright, Boss, I will always serve you well," Li Hao said.

The boss hung up the SkyNet with satisfaction, but suddenly felt a bit empty, as if something wasn't quite right.

Li Hao started the electric scooter. The scooter sputtered and didn't want to move. Li Hao kicked it twice, and with a 'Boom—', it worked again. Feeling great.

The sea of stars is actually nothing compared to this; free, simple, and close to home. That's life. I wonder if Er Ya's teeth have grown out yet. I should bring some ice cream back this week.

Friday afternoon, in the training room of the Tianjing Mecha Special Warfare Team, Wuzang and the others had finished their basic warm-up training. Everyone was resting tonight to watch the annual battle between Puppet and Lone Wolf together.

In the battle room, Zhou Naiyi and Wuzang were sparring. Wuzang had been practicing with the Black Night Saber lately to participate in the Mid-Season Tournament and the S Tournament. The core strength must have the reserves of a Super Mecha. Wuzang had also chosen from many mechas, finally deciding to follow Li Hao and choosing the Black Night Fighter. This mecha had a very low fault tolerance, but its upper limit was extremely high. Most importantly, it contained the soul of Ancient Martial Arts.

After Zhou Naiyi awakened the Golden Zone, she had been in a very wondrous state. Every day of training brought different realizations. Her choice of Super Mecha was the Yaoying Athena. She had actually tried many options, but facts proved that top female pilots ended up with similar choices; Aofei and Dita choosing the Yaoying was clearly a well-considered decision after many trials.

The Black Night Fighter and the Yaoying Athena were fighting intensely. The two had been exchanging blows for over half an hour, entering the Red Eye State almost simultaneously, and their mecha operation instantly improved by one level.

Watching from the outside, Ma Long and the others showed envy. Ma Long had been surging for a while after awakening the Golden Zone; after all, this was something he hadn't dared to imagine before. But after sparring with Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi, he felt the gap again. Although Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi's Red Eye State abilities were still being explored, they could still easily bully him. The key was that his ability was too useless. Could it be that heaven is jealous of talent?

Why couldn't he have a good ability? Why give him one for lighting?

If he traveled back to ancient times, he could be a charlatan. Now... he's just a lightbulb that gets complained about for not being bright enough...

Compared to Ma Long, Zuo Xiaotang and Huo Ying were under even more pressure. When there was only Li Hao around, they didn't feel it; everyone was about the same. But as others continued to awaken and break through, they felt a cliff-like gap during training. Awakening wasn't just mastering a trump card; every detail of daily life had changed significantly. Their appetites were much larger, training intensity had increased, and their bodies were constantly becoming tougher. Even Zhou Naiyi, who wasn't known for strength, could rival Huo Ying in power.

It was only because Huo Ying was optimistic and big-hearted that he could still be cheerful; otherwise, the pressure would have crushed him.

Zuo Xiaotang was open-minded and didn't have any grand ambitions. The influence of the Golden Zone on a Sniper was relatively smaller. During the exchange between the four major teams, Zuo Xiaotang had already shown excellent talent; he could be said to be a natural-born Sniper. Of course, if he could break through, he would have unexpected improvements.

Overall, the Tianjing Mecha Martial Arts Team had undergone earth-shaking changes since it was first formed. People are actually very strange; when their strength is average, they often think they are omnipotent, but as their power grows stronger and their vision widens, they discover more deficiencies. The exchange tournament of the four major teams indeed caused a qualitative change in Tianjing, one that even the team members themselves hadn't realized.

Li Hao appeared out of nowhere, a piece of pizza in his mouth. Perks of being a delivery driver; the boss is generous.

"Zuo Xiaotang, come back with me tomorrow. These little rascals have grown up, and I can't handle them alone."

"Alright, have Er Ya's teeth grown out yet?"

"Not yet, hehe, it's so funny. Let's go mock her together."

"We'll get beaten up. These little guys have so much strength now."

"It's fine, you have a lot of meat, it'll reduce the damage."

"Alright, but I'm not dressing up as a panda."

"Sure, a bear is fine too."

Zuo Xiaotang's chubby face twitched. "Let's stick with the panda, they're both bears." Dressing as a bear and getting beaten up was miserable.

Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi's sparring also entered the final stage. The two had limited time in the Red Eye State; it wasn't about winning or losing, but about experiencing the control of power just right, especially when applied to mecha operation.

There was also a process and proficiency involved in this.

"Hao Ge, our current strength should be enough for a fight in the Mid-Season Tournament, right?" Ma Long was still quite confident. Although it would be difficult in the S Tournament, the Mid-Season Tournament was definitely a case of upgrading from bird guns to cannons.

"Still a bit off. Keep pushing. There's one more training session later; once that's passed, it'll be about right." Li Hao nodded.

Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi ended their sparring. Unlike the exhaustion of the past, they were now relatively relaxed. Their bodies were constantly growing to keep up with the strength of their spirits. In fact, Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi both strongly felt the help of the training method Li Hao had used a while ago. Especially Zhou Naiyi; her foundation wasn't very solid, yet she didn't have much trouble after awakening, which largely stemmed from this.

Seeing Li Hao with the pizza in his mouth, Zhou Naiyi couldn't help but tease him, "Eating alone again?"

Li Hao hesitated for a second and tore off half for Zhou Naiyi, "Trying to please Sister Yi."

Zhou Naiyi smiled slightly and didn't stand on ceremony. She poured a glass of water and ate it with that. Stolen from Li Hao's hand, it tasted extra delicious.

The exchange tournament had added a layer of depth to everyone, and they had all learned to hide their pressure.

"Since everyone is here, Hao Ge, you just said we are still lacking one training session. Let's get it done as soon as possible. I'm starting to touch a bottleneck." Ma Long laughed. The daily gravity room pressure training felt like it was yielding minimal progress.

Tan Ziyuan, who had finished recording the data, also came out. Recently, Tan Ziyuan's style of dress had become simpler, yet it exuded a capable, indescribable freshness and confidence. She was becoming increasingly important to this team, and whenever everyone encountered any emotional knots or pressure, they would communicate with Tan Ziyuan. She blinked, "Isn't this the Team Leader? Rare, indeed. Your arrival makes us all think you've come to the wrong place."

Li Hao felt a bit awkward, "Ziyuan, don't be like that. Actually, I've been secretly working hard in places you can't see."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. In fact, they had been troubled by this question for a while, but later they discovered that Li Hao was simply not a normal person and couldn't be judged by normal logic. Perhaps delivering food and sleeping were also ways to become a master. With such an unreliable Team Leader, the team members were, ironically, more reliable than the next.

"Actually, when a person is in an extreme state—I don't mean physical extreme, but mental extreme—there will be a great improvement. Starting next week, there will be training in this regard. The content is temporarily confidential; the Principal will arrange it. Everyone just needs to be prepared."

"Prepared? Prepared for what?" Ma Long shrugged, "We are quite powerful now."

"Diapers?" Li Hao smiled, "Anyway, there will be surprises. Ah, it's mealtime. Let's eat."

"Why do I feel like you only came over to eat?" Zhou Naiyi looked at the somewhat eager Li Hao and laughed. Anyway, looking at Li Hao, her mood would always be a bit better; this person didn't know what worry was.

"Class Monitor, don't be like that. I know everyone must have missed me. After all, you need me. I understand."

Li Hao looked at everyone affectionately.

"We didn't!" Huo Ying was the first to shake his head.

"You're overthinking it!" Zhou Naiyi echoed.

"You're not a beauty, who would miss you." Ma Long rolled his eyes, "Oh, eating. I'll send my Manman a message to see if she's out of class. You guys wait."

Everyone cast collective disdain. This guy and Sheng Man being inseparable was truly speechless. Ma Long used to be a slacker, relying on his face and flair to have some reputation in school, but now, with Sheng Man, it really had the flavor of a celebrity couple.

Everyone cast looks of collective disdain; this guy being inseparable from Sheng Man really left people speechless. Ma Long used to be considered a slacker, having a bit of a reputation in school for his looks and flamboyant style, but now, with Sheng Man, he really did have the air of a celebrity couple.

"Darling, it's time to eat."

"Darling, wait for me, I want you to feed me..."

Some find peace, some are loved, and some are like a dog on the side of the road, kicked again and again...