The Card Apprentice

Chapter 166: Chen Mu’s Proposal
Chapter 166: Chen Mu’s Proposal

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Thirty seconds was quite sufficient for Chen Mu as long as he could find a way; sufficient, that is, for Chen Mu in the state of breath control!

Without any hesitation, he raised another tailless shuttle in his hand.

The strange whoosh of the tailless shuttle sounded again, somewhat startling the big bug whose body flinched back with exceptional agility.

Chen Mu had been examining its style of activity for the last two minutes. In that brief time, he had analyzed a large quantity of data. Chen Mu didn’t understand the principles of breath control himself, but every time he entered the state he would always naturally employ frightening computational ability.

The probability of hitting the target was 55 percent!

With a poof, the tailless shuttle grazed the joint on one of the big bug’s legs, leaving a finger-sized hole, and fell onto the ground.

There was no change to Chen Mu’s expression, which was nothing out of the ordinary. Not having hit the target was certainly in accordance with things. In the instant he’d fired, Chen Mu’s brain had automatically displayed the probability of hitting the target. A 55 percent probability couldn’t be considered high with about a 50-50 chance of missing. That was something he couldn’t do anything about, since during his two minutes of examination, he was already at his limit to get that far.

Still, the data had already satisfied him. A 55 percent chance meant that if the situation didn’t present really bad luck and he were to fire off ten tailless shuttles, he would hit the target five times.

But, realistically, his rate of success would be a lot higher than the data since there was someone else there.

Wei-ah’s outstanding battle awareness was such that at nearly the same time the tailless shuttle Chen Mu fired grazed the joint on one of the big bug’s legs, he had determined what Chen Mu’s target was. He wasn’t actually clear about how Chen Mu had determined the big bug’s weak spot, but that didn’t prevent him from having confidence in Chen Mu’s ability.

He mounted his attack at about the same time.

By comparison, Wei-ah’s attack was like thunder, and Chen Mu could feel its abrupt murderousness in midair.

Wei-ah normally gave a sense of being taciturn like a rock, never being moved by other creatures. But, at that instant, when his uninhibited murderous spirit was showing, the power of his noise was shocking! From midair, Chen Mu could clearly capture the terror in the big bug’s brilliant green eyes. Even he himself had felt the surrounding air temperature plunge.

Unfortunately, Chen Mu didn’t have much concept of that so-called murderous spirit. He had no way to turn it into data and only knew that Wei-ah’s abrupt display of it was quite powerful. He hadn’t been intimidated himself by Wei-ah’s murderous spirit. On the contrary, he had been quite moved.

That made the perfect opportunity!

Just as he was making his move, he calculated that the probability of this attack hitting its mark on the big bug had reached over 82 percent.

Moreover, Chen Mu’s tailless shuttle wasn’t the first thing to hit the big bug. That was Wei-ah.

Like a leopard, Wei-ah swiftly appeared under the big bug’s belly. He bent his left knee, while his right leg was like an axe swinging up as it ruthlessly hacked at the big bug’s leg joint.

Ka cha!

The big bug made a blood-curdling screech, quickly losing its balance as its body toppled. Without waiting for it to stabilize its center of gravity, Chen Mu’s tailless shuttles came one after the other, precisely hitting its other leg joint.

The big bug had six long, skinny legs—like a giant spider’s legs—and its joints could be moved in any direction with extreme agility. This made its movements extremely nimble, but it also became its weak spot. Unlike the rest of its body, which was protected by a thick, hard carapace, those lively joints had become its weakest parts. Ordinary creatures naturally had no way to catch the bug, but the two in front of it then were no ordinary creatures.

The penetrating power of the tailless shuttle had achieved its most perfect embodiment in that instant as half of the bug’s skinny leg was blown away like a dried stick.

Having completely lost its center of gravity, the big bug cried out and fell to the ground with a bang.

Still, Wei-ah and Chen Mu had utterly no extra sympathy. Their moves hadn’t changed because the big bug had been wounded; on the contrary, they increased the frequency of their attacks!

In the blink of an eye, the six legs of the big bug had all been broken by Chen Mu and Wei-ah. Judging from the frequency of the blows, still more of the disparity between the two of them could be discerned. Four of the six legs had been broken by Wei-ah. The terminally suffering big bug was writhing on the ground, its mournful screeching pounding endlessly on the ear.

After Chen Mu drilled two more tailless shuttles into the big bug’s eyes, the screeching finally stopped.

Without waiting to examine the fruits of their success, a powerful desire to escape overcame them, and Chen Mu came wobbling down to earth. Once his legs touched the earth, a powerful impulse to vomit came surging up from his core. Almost unconsciously, Chen Mu squatted on the ground to vomit fiercely.

Wei-ah was standing still by Chen Mu’s side watching him vomit.

The vomiting lasted ten minutes when Chen Mu finally felt a little better. He hadn’t realized Wei-ah would suddenly open his mouth to speak faintly, ”That’s very dangerous.” Wei-ah’s determinations were always quite precise.

Chen Mu stood up with a bitter smile, spreading out his hands helplessly. ”I don’t have any other means.”

”Why don’t you learn my skills?” Wei-ah had never been able to understand that issue.

Chen Mu thought it over and answered honestly, ”I’m a card master.”

”No matter what you are, you have to survive,” Wei-ah said without the least bit of courtesy.

Chen Mu remained silent; the likelihood of survival in that stretch of jungle would be very low if he were to rely on his half-baked ability as a card artisan! But, his thoughts had always been on that mysterious card. Although he didn’t have any time just then to do research, he was still full of anticipation about it. He still hadn’t connected himself to that stretch of jungle. He had never thought he was likely to live there himself, even though he had been very comfortable in the village.

To be able to have a shuttle car and card plays—or all kinds of cards in his life—were all things that really interested him. He wasn’t likely to be dancing with the wild beasts in that stretch of overgrown jungle.

So, whenever Wei-ah would hope Chen Mu would study those skills with him, he always got cut off. Of course, there was still another very important reason: Chen Mu felt the breath control method had already assured his safety to a certain degree. From any point of view, Chen Mu didn’t like violence, and he was far from Bo Wen or Cheng Ying in his requirements for power. The power the method of breath control had given him was already quite satisfying and could enable him to fight Bo Wen in a standoff. What would he not be satisfied about?

There were quite a few weak points with breath control: its slow response, fierce side effects, short duration, and so forth. But, Chen Mu had always thought of himself as an ordinary person who shouldn’t be prone to so much danger. He had never thought of becoming a professional card artisan. His ideal life would be in the lab, quietly studying his own cards, or finding ordinary work in some card firm.

He had certainly run into some issues at that time, though he still kept considering they were only temporary and shouldn’t have much influence on his fairly ideal life ever after.

That was the last bit of idealism remaining in his heart.

To be still more precise, he had already become wary of power. As with that mysterious card—from which he had gotten power and knowledge he never would have imagined previously—he had still lost quite a few things he cared about more. Such intimate understanding made Chen Mu strongly set his mind against any more great strength.

Once he had gotten greater strength from Wei-ah, what would remain of his ideals? Would they all be blown away to disappear like smoke?

So, Chen Mu kept firmly cutting off Wei-ah’s suggestion. Being able to defend himself with difficulty was sufficient, and he didn’t see having such great strength as such a good thing.

He didn’t know if Wei-ah’s clinging gaze was because of his taciturnity, but it put more pressure on Chen Mu. Chen Mu couldn’t help bitterly smiling again as he said, ”Maybe you should transmit it to those children. They need strength.”

”Their physical conditioning isn’t sufficient.” Wei-ah shook his head, vetoing Chen Mu’s suggestion.

”You can teach them a simpler version, and I can provide them with my exercise gymnastics. You have said they could improve a person’s constitution.” Seeing Wei-ah’s blank expression, Chen Mu was suddenly hit by some inspiration. He directly returned Wei-ah’s gaze and very earnestly said, ”If none of them can learn it, why would I be able to learn it? My basic physical essence? After they learn the exercise gymnastics, their physical essence should be more outstanding than mine.”

Seeing Wei-ah show some sign of having been moved, Chen Mu quickly struck while the iron was hot. ”If you can teach them all how to do it, that would validate that your abilities can be learned. Then when the time comes you can teach me, and I’ll certainly study. But, before that, I won’t be likely to study.”

”Ok,” Wei-ah responded very bluntly.

Chen Mu was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief after being pestered by Wei-ah every day, which had been giving him a headache.

Chen Mu had an urge to laugh when he thought about the over 2,000 children and whether he could teach them all. Ai, but to make fun in the midst of bitterness isn’t such a bad thing.

Chen Mu’s gaze fell onto the body of the big bug, which had already turned stiff in death.

”What is this?” Chen Mu asked with curiosity. The big bug was simply like a cockroach. Though if they hadn’t found its critical parts, even Wei-ah wouldn’t have had anywhere to begin.

”I don’t know; ask Alfonso. He knows.”

As one person using one hand, Wei-ah dragged the big bug, while Chen Mu followed behind on two legs, which had gone soft.

Once the two of them entered the visual field of the children, the camp abruptly burst out cheering!