Chapter 85: Playing a F*cking Game? I

After leaving the Wenhren Dojo, Shengzai first searched online for information about Yu Chengzhang and Yu Cheng Jingzi.

Then, upon learning that the two were now the CEO of the electronics manufacturer “Rect” and a professor at the city’s university, respectively, Shengzai used his phone’s map to locate Yu Chengzhang’s company.

Yu Chengzhang and Yu Cheng Jingzi were Asuna’s parents—Yu Cheng Asuna.

The reason Shengzai sought out Yu Chengzhang was because the culprit behind the coma of Asuna and three hundred other SAO players was an employee of Yu Chengzhang’s company.

Shu Xiang Shen zhi was a classmate of Maochangjingyan and Shen Dai Linzi, and also the main game designer for ALO.

He had long disguised himself as a kind man, earning Yu Chengzhang’s deep trust—even to the point where Yu Chengzhang considered making him his son-in-law.

But in truth, Shu Xiang Shen zhi was an egoist who hated the brilliant Mao Chang Jingyan and was a ruthless, unscrupulous ambition-seeker.

If Mao Chang Jingyan was a cold-blooded executioner who sacrificed lives to realize his dream,

then Shu Xiang Shen zhi was a pervert who had utterly lost his humanity for power and money.

Though he despised Mao Chang Jingyan intensely, he could not help but envy his talent.

When Mao Chang Jingyan trapped players’ consciousnesses in a game, Shu Xiang Shen zhi, to prove he was no less capable, did the same thing and pursued his own research.

Mao Chang Jingyan created a game account named Heitzkliif; Shu Xiang Shen zhi, in turn, created a character in ALO with immense system permissions: “Elven King Oberon.”

He looked down on Mao Chang Jingyan with contempt, yet constantly imitated him and tried to surpass him.

ALO was another fully immersive MMORPG following SAO, and its current online player count far exceeded SAO’s peak.

If Shengzai remembered correctly, Asuna was now imprisoned by this pervert in a cage atop the World Tree.

Once his brain experiment matured, he even planned to invade Asuna’s mind and force her into absolute obedience, to satisfy his ambitions.

Of course, since SAO had only just been cleared, Asuna might be imprisoned, but Shu Xiang Shen zhi’s experiments were not yet advanced enough to invade another’s brain.

In the original plot, by the time Kirito recovered physically, found Asuna, and entered ALO (Fairy Dance), months had already passed.

Compared to social elites like Shu Xiang Shen zhi, Shengzai was merely a “normal” high school student.

Even though he knew everything about Shu Xiang Shen zhi, his words carried little weight—others might not believe him.

Two years ago, even if Shengzai had known everything, to bring down Shu Xiang Shen zhi, he would have had to do what Kirito did: team up with a journalist and enter ALO to gather evidence of his crimes.

But that was then, this is now. Shengzai had tried summoning spirit servants at home precisely to see whether he now had the arrogance to act.

If supernatural power couldn’t be used in the real world, and he was merely a swordsman with superior physical fitness, Shengzai would never dare challenge societal order.

But now that he was this powerful, to deal with a nobody like Shu Xiang Shen zhi, he’d have to play another death game? That’s a joke.

As long as he didn’t break the law or trigger official intervention, Shu Xiang Shen zhi was nothing but trash.

He didn’t refuse to play ALO—just playing it for a nobody like Shu Xiang Shen zhi was too much honor for him.

Using his phone’s map, Shengzai quickly found Rect Company, but as a regular high school student, walking in and demanding to meet the CEO would only get him labeled a lunatic.

Since normal channels wouldn’t work, he naturally turned to “special channels”—with his current abilities, bypassing security to infiltrate a company was no challenge.

When Shengzai found Yu Chengzhang’s office and pushed the door open, the man was still buried in work.

Hearing the door open, he assumed it was his secretary and snapped impatiently: “Didn’t I say I’m busy? Don’t come in unless it’s urgent!”

“Mr. Yu Cheng is indeed a busy man—your own daughter’s life hangs in the balance, yet you still have time to focus on work.”

Hearing Shengzai’s voice—not his familiar secretary—Yu Chengzhang froze. Then, when he looked up and saw Shengzai, his face darkened: “Who are you? How did you get in here?!”

“Didn’t I tell security not to let employees’ family members in without permission?!”

Clearly, Shengzai’s youthful appearance led Yu Chengzhang to assume he was an employee’s relative, and he immediately rose to throw him out.

“First, let me introduce myself—I’m Wenhren Shengzai. Like your daughter Yu Cheng Asuna, I was one of the players trapped in SAO.”

“As for why I’m here, as I said before—it’s because of your daughter Asuna—Yu Cheng Asuna.”

Hearing Shengzai’s words, Yu Chengzhang stared at him in shock, then suddenly exclaimed: “So you’re the one who caused Asuna’s coma?!”

No wonder Yu Chengzhang jumped to this conclusion—he’d seen today’s news: most SAO players had been rescued.

But his daughter Yu Cheng Asuna and some others remained unconscious.

At this moment, this unknown youth suddenly appeared, knew his daughter’s true identity and his own relationship with her—clearly, he’d done his homework.

“Mr. Yu Chengzhang, I truly admire your thinking. Yes, my sudden visit is suspicious.

But if I wanted to exploit Yu Cheng Asuna to extract something from you, would I come here directly?

And you overestimate yourself—if I truly meant to harm you, I wouldn’t need a hostage.”

As Shengzai spoke, he glanced around Yu Chengzhang’s office. Finding it spacious enough, his next actions shattered Yu Chengzhang’s worldview.

When the dragon—a creature only found in legends—appeared before him, Yu Chengzhang collapsed in terror.

At first, he thought it was some kind of “virtual projection,” but when the Dragon of the North, Geng Jin, extended a claw and effortlessly pierced through his solid wood desk, Yu Chengzhang went numb.

(End of Chapter)