Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 109: Chapter 93: The Enemy Is Unworthy

In a noisy corner of an arcade, the screen of an arcade cabinet flickered with light.

A man in a black baseball cap sat quietly on a plastic stool.

His left hand was on the joystick, while his right tapped the red attack button in a rapid, almost surgically precise rhythm.

On the screen, the pixelated fighting character under his control dodged and weaved, executing a fluid, seamless combo.

His opponent’s health bar depleted rapidly.

BAM!

The special effect for the final heavy punch exploded, and the words ”GAME OVER” filled the screen.

The man seemed unsatiated. His fingers hovered over the coin slot for a moment, as if he were considering another round.

Just then, a masked man dressed in black appeared abruptly behind him. His posture was deferential, his voice hushed to a near-whisper. ”...Boss, we just received confirmation. Jie Zhengyang is dead.”

”Oh.”

The man replied with a single, indifferent syllable. He didn’t even turn around, his gaze still fixed on the game screen.

’One more game?’

’Or...’

’Forget it?’

The man in black behind him, however, grew anxious. Though his head was bowed, his breathing quickened. He forced himself to continue, ”Boss... our explicit orders from the higher-ups were to break him out of prison... Now that he’s dead, I’m worried... I’m afraid that when we return, it will cause dissatisfaction, and we may even be held accountable...”

”A hassle.” The man finally spoke again, his quiet voice tinged with impatience.

But those two words were enough to instantly silence the man in black behind him. He even softened his breathing, not daring to make another sound.

The arcade’s background music remained as boisterous as ever.

Time in this corner of the room seemed to freeze for a second or two. The bouncing light of the screen saver began to play across the man’s profile... as if in defiance.

The man arched an eyebrow slightly, released the joystick, and slowly stood up. His movements weren’t fast; they were almost casual.

But as he straightened to his full height, an intangible aura spread out from him.

The man in black lowered his head even further.

”What was our mission?” the man asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

The man in black paused for a second, then answered cautiously, ”To break him out of prison... and save him.”

”Hasn’t he been saved already?” The man turned, the shadow of his cap’s brim obscuring most of his face.

”But...” The man in black’s throat went dry. He wanted to say that Jie Zhengyang’s corpse was currently lying in the Police Headquarters morgue, a result completely different from what they had anticipated before setting out.

But he didn’t dare to refute, much less question his boss.

The man seemed to see right through him. He reached up and adjusted the brim of his cap, his tone as detached as if he were stating the simplest of facts:

”A failed experiment has no further research value.”

He paused. His gaze seemed to sweep past the man in black and toward the bustling street outside the arcade, yet it was as if he saw nothing at all.

”Call the team back.”

”...Yes, Boss.” The man in black had no more questions. He bowed and complied.

...

On the surface, the entire Holy City seemed to have returned to its usual rhythm, but in reality, the undercurrents were growing more turbulent. The various factions seemed to be accelerating their movements under some form of invisible pressure.

A storm was brewing!

But Wan Ze, as if nothing had happened, was keeping his promise. He took his sister to a restaurant and laid out a spread of her favorite fried chicken and french fries before the little girl.

”Brother, hehe, you’re the best.” Wan Xiaoyu took a huge bite of a french fry slathered in ketchup, her face a picture of pure bliss.

Seeing her so carefree, Wan Ze was reminded of the poor little thing who had been so scared she was a sniveling mess just a little while ago. He couldn’t help but chuckle. He reached out to ruffle her hair, a smile in his eyes. ”If you like it this much, I’ll bring you here every day. But don’t tell anyone about what happened today, not even Mom and Dad, okay?”

”I get it, Brother.” Xiaoyu nodded vigorously. It wasn’t really that she felt obligated after being treated to a meal, but rather...

She truly believed that Wan Ze had awakened a supernatural power!

Just like a superhero from a comic book!

So much so that when they left after their meal, she insisted on holding Wan Ze’s hand.

At first, Wan Ze didn’t think much of it. But the little girl got more and more carried away. As they walked, she started looking up at him with pleading eyes, demanding to be carried. ”Brother, carry me?”

”What are you really up to?” Wan Ze stopped and gave her a suspicious look.

”Brother, I want to awaken too, so I can help you fight bad guys in the future,” Wan Xiaoyu said with a completely serious expression.

”...”

Wan Ze froze for a moment, a soft spot in his heart stirred.

He fell silent for a moment, seemingly in deep thought.

Then, he crouched down.

He looked his sister in the eye and asked with a hint of hesitation, ”You really want to awaken?”

”I do! I really, really do!” Wan Xiaoyu immediately started nodding her head like a chick pecking at grain.

Wan Ze chose his words carefully, looking somewhat troubled. ”I do know a way... but it might be a little tough. I don’t know if you’ll be able to stick with it.”

Hearing there was a chance, Xiaoyu immediately grabbed her brother’s arm, her face flushed as she eagerly declared her resolve. ”Brother, I can handle it! I can handle anything! Tell me, what’s the way?”

Wan Ze held up his index finger, his expression grave. ”First, you have to finish your homework on time and diligently every day. You have to pay close attention in class and not let your mind wander...”

Wan Xiaoyu was stunned, her little face a mask of bewilderment. ”Huh? Wait, Brother... are you serious?”

’This isn’t quite the ’awakening’ I imagined!’

”Of course. Haven’t you noticed how much my test scores have improved lately? That’s actually one of the prerequisites for awakening. Building a solid foundation of knowledge is very important. What, you can’t even handle a little hardship like that? Then forget it...” Wan Ze made a move to stand up.

”No! Don’t forget it!” Wan Xiaoyu quickly grabbed him. Although her face still showed a hint of doubt, for the sake of awakening, she was going to give it her all!