Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Genuine

Inside the nine-million-credit Maybach, Liu Tian displayed not a hint of awkwardness as he chatted freely with Chu Zihang’s father, Chu Tianjiao.

“This car is worth a pretty penny, my friend. Which line of work are you in?” Liu Tian sat in the backseat, probing with casual curiosity.

The era was one where the “Young and Dangerous” series flourished, so Liu Tian’s question was hardly out of place. More importantly, Liu Tian’s age, his baby-faced appearance, and the cover of being a student at Shilan Middle School allowed Chu Tianjiao to relax his guard. As he deftly navigated the car through the flow of traffic, he replied without missing a beat, “I get by on the main road, just muddling through life.”

“Muddling through life and ending up with a Maybach—that’s pretty impressive,” Liu Tian said with a smile. Everything about Chu Tianjiao came into focus—bulging muscles, traces left by combat training, calluses on his wrists, the blade tucked inside the car compartment—all details reflecting his fighting ability mirrored in Liu Tian’s mind.

Thus, Liu Tian could assess this man’s combat strength—with his current level, if he grabbed a knife, he could take three punches from me. If I use some technique, he might survive one punch. That’s already formidable!

At least, Liu Tian had never met anyone stronger than himself all these years.

In fact, as he aged, Liu Tian’s physique had been improving at a bizarre pace. Just half a month ago, he privately tested his strength. He could wield a sedan like a ping-pong paddle with ease, his defense shrugged off stainless steel kitchen knives without breaking skin, and at full speed, he rivaled the velocity of a bullet train. His stamina seemed bottomless, and even martial arts techniques he’d never studied came naturally to him, performed by instinct.

This growth had never stopped, accelerating with time.

Liu Tian was curious himself—if he kept evolving, just how strong would he become? Would he turn into a superman from a comic? Perhaps not, but he would certainly surpass his current self.

Because of this, though curious, Liu Tian had never truly embraced this world; instead, he drifted along, observing it as one might watch a film.

To him, most people in this world were as fragile as rag dolls, tearing apart with a flick, and the concrete skyscrapers were nothing more than toys on the sand, easily toppled. With such power, Liu Tian could jokingly call Lu Mingfei, who clearly hid a great secret, a stray dog. Because he was simply that strong—stronger than anyone he had ever encountered.

“Now broadcasting emergency typhoon warnings and traffic updates. According to the city meteorological bureau, Typhoon Dandelion, number 0407 this year, will make landfall this afternoon on our southeastern coast, bringing torrential rain and gale-force winds up to level ten. All units should take precautions. Due to heavy rainfall, provincial and national highways passing through the city will close in two hours. Wind speeds are high and visibility is below thirty meters on elevated roads. Drivers still on the road are advised to take alternate routes.”

The voice from the radio interrupted Chu Tianjiao, who had been about to speak. Everyone in the car turned to look out the window, where visibility had deteriorated to the extreme.

Fifty meters away, even Chu Zihang in the passenger seat with 2.0 vision could see nothing. Raindrops collided violently, water splashing and blossoming like flowers, and only the occasional glimmer revealed the sluggish, turtle-paced traffic.

“Hold on tight, the veteran driver is taking off,” Chu Tianjiao said, apparently unable to tolerate the crawling traffic any longer. Seizing the moment, he pressed the accelerator, gripped the steering wheel like a blade, and sliced into the emergency lane, weaving nimbly through the cars before speeding onto the deserted elevated highway.

“Is your dad always this aggressive behind the wheel?” Liu Tian asked Chu Zihang, watching Chu Tianjiao’s focused driving. “This kind of skill doesn’t come from ordinary practice.”

“I haven’t ridden with him much,” Chu Zihang stared out the window, as if navigating the landscape, and replied, “I don’t know if his driving is good or not—but the broadcast said not to go on the elevated road, and he did, so I guess his skills aren’t that great.”

“Relax, as long as we can get up, we can get down. Worst case, slip the police a cigarette—I've got that much pull,” the man said as he pressed the accelerator on the elevated bridge—he didn’t want the boy in the back spending too much time with his daughter.

Although his daughter was so outstanding, her ambitions should soar high above, never settling for this unremarkable junior.

But feelings are unpredictable. What if a few words sowed the seeds? Just like himself, knowing it wouldn’t work, but still stubbornly plunging forward...

As Chu Tianjiao floored the accelerator, speeding as much as he could without frightening his precious daughter, a subtle change occurred, unnoticed by any of them. The sky was replaced, the road devoured. Before Chu Tianjiao or Chu Zihang realized it, a space identical to the original, yet under someone’s control, replaced the road they were racing upon.

“Let’s hope you can persuade the ‘police’ we’ll meet next,” Liu Tian said, though he hadn’t sensed the change, a killing intent made him aware. “This doesn’t feel like someone easy to reason with.”

“What?” Before Chu Tianjiao could process Liu Tian’s words, the car window was knocked upon, and a low, ancient laughter came from the radio.

In an instant, just a moment, Chu Tianjiao entered combat mode. Blue veins pulsed at the corners of his eyes like restless serpents, his once relaxed face tightening into steel.

“Are you one of His people?” Chu Tianjiao asked, his voice cold as an iceberg.

“We’re doing a hundred and sixty kilometers now, Chu Zihang, don’t open the door carelessly—it could get dangerous.” Liu Tian gently held back Chu Zihang, who instinctively reached for the window, then withdrew into the cabin and yawned, suddenly feeling sleepy. “There’s no one in this world who can make me belong to anyone.”

“Then get out of this car—jump, roll, whatever. This Maybach doesn’t welcome those who don’t belong,” Chu Tianjiao roared, furious as a lion defending its territory.

“I was invited onto this car by Chu Zihang, so I won’t obey your order to get off.”

“But I feel sleepy now. Let me nap for a while. If you want to do something, suit yourself…”

Despite the rude interruption, Liu Tian felt no anger. A wave of drowsiness washed over him, and curling up, he collapsed onto the back seat.

A flood of memories surged from the depths of his mind—secret techniques, combat, slaughter, destruction, prismatic shapes, white light. Even his body’s already accelerating growth sped up further.

Stimulated by a powerful opponent, his biological instincts pushed his body to acquire greater strength, and his soul, still suffering from the aftereffects of assimilation, forced itself to awaken fully.

The master of this strange place might forever regret having invited the wrong person at the wrong time—regret awakening such a person at a moment when they should never have been awakened.