Chapter 32: The Power of a Nation

First, darkness, then light.

Fang Ge knew he had returned to the Main God Space. He grinned and said, “Long time no see, everyone… Of course, for you, it might have only been an instant.”

Seeing Fang Ge with disheveled hair and Jin Xi, who was noticeably “one size larger,” Zheng Zha immediately shouted.

“What the heck happened to your hair and beard? And this…”

“I am Jin Xi, the Charioteer’s servant,” Jin Xi introduced herself softly. She could tell Zheng Zha was speechless because he didn’t know how to address her.

The changes in their hair and body shape were, of course, due to the fatal fruit. With a hundredfold metabolism, one month was equivalent to eight years for an ordinary person!

Both of them were now masters of internal energy. While it didn't necessarily extend their lifespan, they still possessed the ability to maintain their appearance, showing no signs of aging.

It was just that Fang Ge had been busy practicing and hadn't groomed himself, making him appear disheveled.

Chu Xuan’s assistant, Fang Hui, was also startled when she found them, almost not recognizing them… Fortunately, no misunderstandings occurred.

Seeing that they were all shocked, the mischievous Fang Ge laughed and said, “Main God, make me handsome.”

Products from the Main God are always exquisite.

Fang Ge’s strikingly handsome head emerged from his long hair and beard.

“Holy cow, does the Main God even do this kind of work?” Zhang Jie clicked his tongue in amazement.

Fang Ge casually remarked, “As long as you’re willing to waste points, you can even use reward points to teleport continuously in this plaza… That’s the Main God’s business scope, isn’t it amazing?”

Zhan Lan felt that Fang Ge, after his return, was noticeably more masculine and handsome than before. She couldn’t help but ask, “Why such a big change? What happened to you two?”

“It’s a long story, so I’ll make it short. We stayed in reality for a month, diligently practiced the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and also received some assistance from the country.”

Fang Ge didn’t explain about the fatal fruit—after all, ordinary NPCs couldn’t exchange for that. He first threw the spatial bag back to its original owner.

This item had a space of 30 cubic meters, exchanged by Chu Xuan with his only C-rank side mission.

Originally, it was empty, but now it was packed full with “the love of the Motherland.”

“In short, the country promised to treat our families well and regard us as national heroes. While alleviating our worries, they will also do their utmost to help us achieve the final victory in the Main God Space.”

“Besides material aid, the military will also find a group of elite special forces, hypnotize them into feeling disillusioned with reality, and then have them stay in front of computers twenty-four hours a day…”

“This way, they might be conscripted by the Main God and become our teammates.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan also showed relieved smiles.

“National hero? I served in the army and retired, took a few bullets, and didn’t get any decent merits. Now I enter this damn place and become a hero?” Zhang Jie scoffed, laughing at himself.

“The casualty rate here is higher than at the front lines, so it certainly deserves such treatment.”

Chu Xuan calmly took out a list from the spatial bag, detailing the materials, as well as the difficulties and requirements encountered in manufacturing and research.

According to the agreement, for the next horror movie, an unsuspecting newcomer would be found to conduct the next transaction.

“Oh, by the way, your assistant collected your personal items for you, and I brought them all back. I also had her record an image of the Dragon Shadow Base’s starry sky… After all, you love stargazing.”

Fang Ge and Jin Xi reclined on the sofa, becoming hands-off managers once again.

“That little girl was quite thoughtful. She specifically asked the seniors in the base to confirm where your father used to take you to see the stars. This video recording can be considered a memento.”

—This game even made such human interactions for these unimportant NPCs. Could there be some hidden quests?

Fang Ge looked at Chu Xuan with a hint of anticipation, signaling that Chu Xuan could begin his specialty, explanations, but no new “character side quests” seemed to have unlocked.

“What dirty deal did you two make last night? Why do I feel like you’re so familiar?” Zheng Zha grumbled indignantly.

“Yeah, yeah… I even heard gossip that you were secretly involved with your male boss at the company. No wonder you became a manager at such a young age.”

Fang Ge’s casual retort completely broke Zheng Zha, proving that ‘gossip literature’ is timeless.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zha became furious: “Damn it, that’s all slander! A bunch of gossipy old biddies who only know how to complain and spread rumors, with no ability whatsoever, just barking because I got promoted!”

“…Thank you.”

Chu Xuan paid no attention to these interruptions. After noting the favor and thanking Fang Ge, he continued his explanation:

“According to the list, we obtained High-Frequency Blades, Monomolecular Swords, CN171 Military Exoskeletons, Gauss Rifles, Gauss Sniper Rifles…”

He rattled off a long list of high-tech items that could be manufactured in reality, like a menu, totaling over twenty different kinds, some of which even Fang Ge didn’t know about.

“They completed most of the component manufacturing, which is 30% more than I expected. It seems they deployed quite a few Level 8 machinists…” 【Note 1】

“Next, I only need to use alchemy to complete the remaining high-tech components and further assemble them, and we will be armed to the teeth.”

At this point, he made his first “page turn.”

“Then there are items of the ‘Magic and Legend’ category… Most of the Cultivation or Martial Arts inheritances in reality have gaps, with only a small portion of literature remaining.”

“Among martial arts, the more complete and valuable ones are mostly external skill secret manuals and Cultivation insights, such as the Golden Bell Shield, Iron Cloth Shirt, and Twelve-Road Tan Tui… If exchanged at the Main God, the average price is 200-300 points. In total, they are only worth a little over two thousand reward points, better than nothing.”

—If the “Poor Zhou Team” from the original work heard your words, they would probably cross the timeline to chop you…

“For internal energy, there is currently only one, an unnamed internal energy technique passed down by a subordinate’s family, with insights left by his grandfather noted on it.”

It sounded like Cheng Xiao’s family internal energy, and he didn’t expect it to be contributed… Right, if even the most talented and beloved grandson could be sent into the reincarnation world, what was a secret manual?

Fang Ge also left the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Northern Darkness Divine Art, and Sunflower Manual in the real world. Perhaps Cheng Xiao would switch to another Cultivation method then.

“I already have the Nine Yang Divine Skill; I don’t need this internal energy technique.”

“As I recall, the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt are external skills cultivated by enduring blows and toughening the skin, and sometimes even by applying poison to the skin when necessary…”

“The Nine Yang Divine Skill is said to be able to cultivate an indestructible body, so these rudimentary external skills are useless to me. I suggest all these martial arts… be left for Zheng Zha to use.”

“Seconded,” Zhan Lan voted in a proper manner.

“Seconded.”

“Seconded.”

Seeing himself as the popular choice, Zheng Zha pointed at himself blankly: “Me? Me? All of them?”

“Too much to chew, but more skills don’t weigh you down.” Zhang Jie chuckled, as if stating the obvious.

“The Twelve-Road Tan Tui is relatively the most important, containing both combat techniques and lightness skills.”

Fang Ge smiled and suggested,

“However, logically speaking, the Cultivation methods and secret manuals exchanged at the Main God are the best versions from countless worlds. Don’t expect to cultivate the Main God’s version of power. It’s a blessing if you can even gain some escape abilities.”

“As for the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt, they’re just about taking hits, and I can accompany you.”

Saying that, Fang Ge exchanged for a three-inch throwing knife, infused it with Nine Yang True Qi, and threw it with force!

The throwing knife transformed into a scorching golden stream of light, piercing towards the steel wall where Zheng Zha had previously tested the power of the Symbiote’s battle blade!

“Buzz!”

With a sharp whirring sound, the throwing knife passed through the wall with energy to spare, then melted into a puddle of molten iron in mid-air and burst apart!

Only a blackened small hole left on the steel wall proved that the attack had occurred.

Although the destructive power was not as great as Zheng Zha’s Symbiote’s vertical slash, the visual impact of this scene was far greater!

If it were internal energy obtained through reinforcement, it certainly wouldn’t achieve such an effect. But Fang Ge cultivated it himself, so even without a high-level Gene Lock, he could master most of its power.

“Hiss… Is the Nine Yang Divine Skill that powerful?”

Zheng Zha gasped, immediately admitting defeat: “How about we just forget it? I’m afraid you might accidentally kill me…”

“I learned the Nine Yang Divine Skill from a secret manual. As an A-rank Cultivation method, it’s certainly extraordinary, far beyond your half-baked internal energy… Oh, right. That person you created should be named Loli, right? I’ve seen your file; she should be your deceased childhood sweetheart.”

Fang Ge smiled and motioned for Zheng Zha to lean in, and Zheng Zha, confused, complied.

Then, Zheng Zha heard the “Devil’s Whisper”:

“If you don’t want Ms. Loli to know that after her death, you indulged in self-degradation, eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, throwing parties, and dating high schoolers, I suggest you work hard to become stronger, otherwise…”

“…” Zheng Zha felt his will to survive reach an all-time high.

Zhan Lan, not far away, immediately showed a look of disgust.

Ignoring Zheng Zha’s expression, Fang Ge, looking more and more like a leader, instructed Chu Xuan to move on to the next topic.

“Next is the Cultivation part. I didn’t expect to find something like this in reality…”

Chu Xuan paused, keeping everyone in suspense.

“It’s a… foundation establishment pill recipe!”

“Huh?”

Note: In reality, there is no longer such a classification as a Level 8 machinist. This sentence is only used to facilitate understanding of high-end technology.