Wang Zheng had the sudden desire to train, so he entered a training room, and after selecting the Wargod No. 1 mech, he started his training session.
The focus required would help him to forget about his problems.
Everyone was waiting anxiously as they continued to observe the situation. At this point, Skeleton had entered the training zone. The training zone was made especially for beginners, so it barely provided any value for more experienced players.
“No way, what is Skeleton doing in the training room? How can he possibly get any benefit out of it?”
“The training room only allows you to better understand mecha and their equipment. There’s nothing difficult about that.”
“I have no idea. I really want to know what he’s doing in there. Too bad that it’s enclosed.”
Everyone was engrossed in their conversations, except Yan Xiaosu. Even Xiaosu was feeling impatient. He removed the physical interface and scratched his head…
Wang Zheng was training the accuracy of his attacks. His shooting techniques looked strange; it was as though he was out to make a fool of himself.
His mech’s movements were very queer. He kept shaking the laser rifle and tried to increase the speed of the movements. Shaking the rifle too much would only lower the accuracy of the shots. Xiaosu also observed him for a while before shaking his head. He had no idea what Wang Zheng was trying to get at.
He on the other hand, was trying to think of a better method for them to earn their first pot of gold.
It was not as straightforward and easy as he had initially thought.
At the same time, Wang Zheng’s training was looking more and more interesting. The mech Wang Zheng was shooting at possessed a magnetic storm equipment that could disrupt the enemy’s accuracy. The inaccuracy of his own shots coupled with the magnetic storm had caused the shots he fired to hit himself! As a result, his Wargod No. 1 had even exploded multiple times.
Yan Xiaosu could no longer stand idly watching Wang Zheng. He felt that he was dreaming… he could easily tackle this level with just the use of one hand.
Whereas on the other side, Wang Zheng, who had already caused his own mech to explode countless times, did not even seem concerned. He did not even bother adjusting his shooting posture as he continued to experiment.
At this point, Wang Zheng did not notice that the imprint of the Rubik’s cube was emitting a strange, soft light.
“Loading information…. 1 percent… 10 percent… preparing…preparing…continuing download…..”
The match lasted for quite a while. In the process, Wang Zheng was ‘destroyed’ countless times. Yan Xiaosu, on the other hand, had even won multiple games in that time while waiting for him. Ever since Xiaosu found out that Wang Zheng was Skeleton, it was as though he had become a war god himself. His skill had improved immensely. He had even won three consecutive victories, a rather rare achievement, and earned praises from his teammates.
Meanwhile, Wang Zheng was still fighting the same mech. His training results were tragic.
Xiaosu had no idea what Wang Zheng was doing and was too tired to figure it out. His main intention was to accompany Wang Zheng. Pondering about the issue, the best way for Wang Zheng to end his misery was to start a new romance, and Xiaosu knew that very well himself. His relationship with Yue Jing was only over after he had gotten together with An Mei. He knew it deep down in his heart too, and it stayed with him as a good memory of his first love.
Ye Zisu and Meng Tian would make good partners, but due to their individual circumstances, they were difficult to deal with.
Alas, it seem like he really had to rack his brains to find a suitable partner for Wang Zheng.
The two guys left the premises late that evening. It was a rare occasion that Skeleton appeared and yet did not fight any battles. His corp was, however, feeling very hyped up. They were making guesses as to what Skeleton was practicing and how long it would take him to master it. Training in CT was not the same as training in actuality. One did not need a lot of time to master techniques in CT. The number of people in the Skeleton Corps continued to increase in large numbers. Everyone was in high spirits and were indifferent between winning and losing. Rainbow and Qiangsen were surrounded by teammates who were eager to learn from their combat experiences. They were indeed highly skilled players and even started a special teaching game to teach many other players.
Due to his background and physical disability, Qiangsen could only play in solo tournaments. He was formidable in dark arenas, as he had a profound understanding of the working mechanics and operations of a mech. While the darkness barely affected and instead actually helped Qiangsen, the average player would not be able to know what was going on in such an arena and would need an even longer time to get their bearings, even with the help of specialized equipment. Their movements were even more delayed in such an environment and were totally directionless in those scenarios. Thus, they would always lose to Qiangsen in terms of speed, leaving him victorious.
Additionally, Rainbow had outstanding leadership skills on top of his knowledge on mecha, and he was able to make accurate decisions in battle.
Ailun and Chen Xiu, on the other hand, were in charge of analyzing battles. They complimented each other and worked well together and weren’t inferior to even the likes of Young Deer and Bubbly Foam.
Wang Zheng did not return to school but made a trip back home instead. His breakup with Aina gave him time to calm down and reflect on his life. Who the heck was the old man? Why did he possess such a profound scientific background? Even his random conjectures and words could result in a revolution! His identity was really quite questionable. Why was he willing to live in such a rundown hut for ten years? Why did he pass Wang Zheng the Rubik’s Cube, and what was the Rubik’s Cube all about?
Wang Zheng had so many questions that he wanted answers to. What was his fate? What was it with the Rubik’s Cube?
By the time Wang Zheng reached his door, the doors of the bookstore opposite him had remained closed. A notice was pasted onto the door, signaling that the landlord was looking for new tenants. It seemed like the old man had left and was not planning to ever return.
He looked up at the night stars. The stars truly were beautiful. By now, Aina would probably have reached another part of the galaxy. He suddenly felt lost.
Wang Zheng made his way back to his room. It was coated with a thin layer of dust. His eyes lit up… There were footprints left amidst the dust…
It would have been unnoticeable to the average person, but this did not escape Wang Zheng’s eyes. Someone was here before. This shabby place would not attract thieves… unless!
Wang Zheng looked around the room and finally found a slip of paper on the table. To his surprise, he leapt forward and grabbed it, eager to know the information written on it. It was understandable, he was only 16 years old, and he still wanted the concern of his closest kin.
Scrawled on the letter was the Old Merchant’s handwriting.
“Knowledge is wealth. Believe in yourself and set your ambitions and goals far and wide… This house is sold, I didn’t expect the price to increase so much, don’t miss me too much. – Old Merchant”
Wang Zheng blinked his eyes.. and slowly wiped off the tears..
That wretched old man, he had only came back to take his real estate documents! Wang Zheng opened the cupboard. Gone, there was nothing left. He had nothing left to his name.
There was a new tenant notice on the door, and he only had the house to himself for a few more days. It was truly exasperating
After a letting out a howl of regret, Wang Zheng collapsed onto his bed. The bookstore was gone. The house was gone. His last form of communication with the Old Merchant was also gone.
What was going to happen from this point onwards?
At this moment, the imprint of the Rubik’s cube in his chest started to exude a faint light.
He could feel an electric shock coming from the cube. Wang Zheng stared at the ceiling blankly. No way… could this actually be the legendary saying of rain trickling down the cracked ceiling coming true???
It had not even been two years, Bonehead! Did he not even know how to count!?!?!?!
Wang Zheng opened his eyes to stare at Bonehead’s familiar face… it looked a little strict
“Haha, my dear Bonehead! It’s been awhile. You have been dearly missed!”
Bonehead was one that never played by the rules. Hence, Wang Zheng felt it was safer to have a lower profile.
Silence….
Wang Zheng was starting to sweat. Every time Bonehead was deep in thought, it would mean that there was trouble. The red light emitting through his eye sockets was studying him from top to bottom. Wang Zheng was as fearless as before. He did not want to die… because he had barely tasted the sweetness of life.
“An anomaly has arisen. The existence of the Rand Empire cannot be confirmed. After calculations, there appears to be thirteen unknown space dimensions for space travel. Executing Rand Empire’s first law,” the skeleton robot said meticulously.
Wang Zheng shrugged helplessly. “Everything that you are saying is contradictory. What was the first law again? I hope you are not out to destroy me again…”
“The first law is to rebuild the Rand Empire. You have ascended the throne as the fifth Emperor of Rand, and I will be responsible for searching across the world for your survivors.”
Looking at Bonehead speak, Wang Zheng could not help but find him extremely wearisome. What emperor? What survivors? Were there some issues with the system?
“Bonehead, come take a seat. Don’t pull such a face, we can discuss this issue again. You see, it hasn’t even been two years, yet you called for me. I have matters outside to settle, so let me go now and I promise I will have the energy to fight in two years.”
Wang Zheng was trying to pull out all the stops to prevent this.
“Your Majesty, reviving this country is the sole purpose of my existence. I will carry out the supervision plan for it. Please, you must cooperate. Otherwise, I might need to use coercive measures,” Bonehead said motionlessly.
Wang Zheng could not afford to go against him. He was just unreasonable! What a difficult position he held as emperor!
“Speak, what should I do?” Wang Zheng asked.
“Your Majesty, we need more information on this dimensional space. You now need to start the second phase of training and adjust the settings according to the characteristics of this space,” Bonehead said, with the same tone of seriousness.
“Bonehead, relax… don’t be so hard on yourself. Aren’t we reviving the country? We first need to discuss more practical matters. I became seriously ill during the last special training, so I have no more battle energy left. How did that happen?”
“Your majesty, your battle energy is connected to the energy source of the Rubik’s Cube. The implementation of the resurrection plan requires your genes and energy. Hence, it caused a temporary weakness in your battle energy and made you fragile.”
Wang Zheng wanted to reply…but he basically understood what was happening. The Rand Empire was an evolution of a military empire. There were top-notch soldiers throughout the army. It was surprising that they could all somehow co-exist together.
Something he was sure of was that the shackles that were holding him down the past two years were gone. The problem now was that the Rubik’s Cube needed more battle energy to complete the resurrection plan.
Wang Zheng initially wanted to take his time… He had the power to do so, and there were many ways to delay the plan. But he suddenly thought of Aina.
Perhaps this might be his only chance!
The Rubik’s Cube would become his greatest asset in his future battles.
Wang Zheng was starting to feel crazy and excited for the second phase of the training.
The first phase consisted of physical exercise. In Bonehead’s words, this was setting the foundations in becoming a War God. It was just the most basic layer of development. However, mankind’s greatest strength was their spirit. Simply speaking, it related to the development, usage, practice and refinement of the brain and its functions to the level of a War God. At this stage, the Rubik’s Cube could be used as a tool to greatly enhance the energy level of an individual.