Chapter 331: It’s You?
Chapter 331: Chapter 331: It’s You?
Time flew by during the lunch rush. After selling the last dish, Shen Lu quickly had Wang Daguo close the door and hang up the "Closed for Break" sign to keep customers from coming in for nothing.
After a quick lunch of tomato and egg noodles, Shen Lu sat at the front counter to edit today’s video.
Since she hadn’t had a free moment all morning, Shen Lu had to save the video editing—and publishing—for the afternoon.
She didn’t believe in having a backlog; she generally filmed and posted on the same day, prizing timeliness.
Suddenly, a few people appeared at the entrance. Too lazy to get up, Shen Lu sent Wang Daguo to check who it was.
"Boss, it’s people from the military."
Shen Lu sat up straight. ’They sure move fast.’
’The competition just ended yesterday, and they’re already at my door.’
"Boss, what did you say?" Her voice had been too quiet for Wang Daguo to hear. "Should I let them in?"
"What else would you do? They’re from the military. Do you really think you can turn them away?"
Wang Daguo quickly ushered the visitors to a booth. Shen Lu composed herself, then boiled some plain water, poured a few glasses, and brought them over.
"May I ask who you’re looking for?"
Of course, Shen Lu knew who they were looking for, but she had to play her part.
"Are you the owner of this restaurant?" the most amiable-looking man asked.
"More or less," Shen Lu answered vaguely.
"My name is Ge Quannong, and I’m in charge of the military’s department for new recruits..."
Ge Quannong briefly explained the reason for their visit and asked Shen Lu if there was a student from an Upper City District university working at her restaurant.
Shen Lu smiled faintly. "He’s not here right now. Would you mind waiting for him?"
"You want us to wait?" another, slightly older man frowned. "Can’t you just call him back?"
"He’s at the hospital."
At these words, the expressions of the military men changed slightly.
It was common knowledge that people in this era had robust constitutions; they wouldn’t go to a hospital for minor illnesses or injuries.
’So this 66527 actually went to the hospital? Did he suffer a serious injury, or is he gravely ill?’
"What happened?" Ge Quannong asked.
"Let’s wait for him to return and speak with you himself."
’Since the lunch rush had been ending later recently, Fu Cheng and Wu Jun had been finishing their own lunch early and heading to the hospital so he wouldn’t miss his physical therapy. At this rate, they should be back in about an hour.’
An hour later, Fu Cheng and Wu Jun returned. Through the window, the military officers and Fu Cheng caught sight of each other.
The others didn’t know Fu Cheng well, but Ge Quannong recognized him. In fact, he was the very person who had escorted Fu Cheng back to the Imperial City.
Ge Quannong’s eyes widened, his gaze filled with disbelief.
’That’s Fu Cheng?’
’He’s actually still alive.’
’No, he wasn’t just alive—he was conscious and could even move around in his wheelchair.’
’What in the world happened to him?’
Meanwhile, the men with Ge Quannong all focused their attention on Wu Jun.
Following conventional logic, a disabled man in a wheelchair, who was visibly missing limbs, couldn’t possibly have defeated Taoli Bubian in the game.
Others might not have known, but they were aware that the person behind the alias Taoli Bubian was the Eldest Prince, Han Xu.
The slightly older man walked over to the waiting area and spoke to Wu Jun, his tone somewhat cold. "You must be 66527. We’re in charge of the military’s new recruit department. We’re here today to ask if you would be willing to join the military."
Wu Jun blinked. "What 66527?"
Ge Quannong walked over from behind, glanced at Wu Jun, and then let his gaze fall on Fu Cheng.
"It’s you?"
Fu Cheng calmly met his gaze. "It is."
Ge Quannong muttered instinctively, "How is this possible?!"
’He knew Fu Cheng’s condition all too well. If there had been even a twenty-percent chance of successful treatment, the hospital would never have declared his case hopeless, and the military would never have abandoned him.’
’A once-in-a-century Dual Ability User, and one of them was even a rare Spiritual Ability. Most astonishingly, Fu Cheng’s Superpower Level in both abilities was remarkably high.’
’If he had been allowed to develop on schedule, he might have become a legend.’
’But alas, the accident occurred.’
Fu Cheng slowly clenched his left fist. "Surprised to see I’m not dead?"
"That’s not what I meant."
"Major Ge, what in the world are you talking about?" the man beside Ge Quannong couldn’t help but interrupt. "Aren’t we here to find 66527? Why are you two speaking in riddles?"
"Captain Liu, let’s go."
"?" Captain Liu frowned, and then understanding dawned on him. "You mean to say, *he’s* 66527? That’s impossible!"
"So that’s what it is," the other man realized. "No wonder 66527’s movements always seemed a bit stiff. It’s because..."
The gazes of the military officers fell upon Fu Cheng’s missing arm and leg.
Because his limbs were missing in reality, it affected his control in the game.
But even so, they still couldn’t believe that Fu Cheng could fight Han Xu to a draw.
"If you don’t believe me, then let’s go online," Fu Cheng said faintly.
Captain Liu was the most skeptical of all, and upon hearing the challenge, he immediately accepted.
The two connected their Light Brains and entered the game.
They opened an arena room. After they both entered and readied up, the match began three seconds later.
After just a few exchanges, Captain Liu grew increasingly quiet.
A person’s fighting habits are hard to change. They had all studied 66527’s combat videos and were quite familiar with his attack patterns.
The moment Fu Cheng attacked, Captain Liu knew they hadn’t made a mistake.
’But that made the truth even harder to accept.’
’Such a promising talent, why did he have to be disabled?’
’It wasn’t that disabled soldiers had no value, but even if Fu Cheng were fitted with prosthetics, his combat effectiveness would be significantly reduced.’
After five minutes of fighting, Captain Liu called for a stop, and they both logged out of the game.
"Well?" Captain Wang, who was standing nearby, asked.
"It’s him, all right," Captain Liu sighed. "Kid, what’s your name? Are you willing to join the military?"
"You can get that answer from Major Ge," Fu Cheng said, then turned and left without another word.
"Hey, this kid!" Captain Liu fumed. "Absolutely no manners."
With a troubled expression, Major Ge led his two subordinates out of the restaurant. Once in the car, he briefly explained Fu Cheng’s situation.
Captain Liu winced as if he had a toothache. "What a damn shame!"
The situation, it turned out, was even worse than he had imagined. Fu Cheng wasn’t just missing limbs—his Spiritual Sea was damaged as well.
"To be able to beat the Eldest Prince in his condition... is he just that strong, or is the Eldest Prince just that weak?" Captain Wang asked, posing the million-dollar question.
The only answer he received was a long, mournful sigh from Major Ge.
Shen Lu paid no mind to the men from the military. After Fu Cheng came back, she went to get started on dinner.
The spicy numbing stir-fry pot she made last time had been a big hit, so she made another large pot of it today, along with a pot of pork rib and kelp soup.
Xue Can arrived by himself today. Shen Lu glanced behind him and asked, "Little Bei isn’t playing chauffeur for you today?"
"The regiment doesn’t keep idle hands," Xue Can said, his expression impassive.
"True that. Times are tough all over, after all."