Chapter 301: Chapter 251: Using Evil to Combat Evil: Gao Neng’s Terrifying Ideal
The people of the Forgotten Land are all cowards!
They only know how to accept the status quo! They only know how to scrape by!
"I don’t believe it!" Team Leader Zhang shot to his feet, then strode toward the office door.
"Team Leader Zhang, where are you going?"
"The Eastern Capital Military Academy!"
...
「On the road from the Eastern Capital Military District to the Eastern Capital Military Academy.」
Gao Neng was sitting in the car Fang Tangtang had prepared, heading toward the Eastern Capital Military Academy. Fang Tangtang, meanwhile, was holding her cosmetics and touching up his makeup.
As for Song Tianyun and Gui Zian, they had their own transportation.
"Gao Neng, my acting just now was pretty good, right? Don’t you think you should consider giving me a raise?" Fang Tangtang bragged while applying his makeup.
"It was too over-the-top. Only those reporters would buy it. Principal Song and Teacher Gui didn’t believe it for a second, okay? I bet Vice Commander Chen will figure it out soon enough, too." Gao Neng pursed his lips.
"Hmph, isn’t that just because you’re always up to no good? Besides, Teacher Gui knows your real strength, so of course he wouldn’t believe it."
"’Up to no good?’" Gao Neng’s eyes narrowed slightly. "It’s true I hid my strength to make money, but I remember every single person who came to challenge me. Haven’t you noticed that most of the challengers during this time have been disciples from prominent families and some minor clans? How many were from the truly great clans? How many were from the Military Department?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. But what does that have to do with you being up to no good?" Fang Tangtang paused for a moment, then nodded.
"While the Military Department has its share of scoundrels, most of its people have courage and integrity. The same goes for the great clans. Only those opportunists from the prominent families and minor clans would fall for my scheme! If they weren’t incompetent themselves, yet still hoped for a lucky break—thinking they could get an easy win off me and shoot to the top—they wouldn’t have fallen for the act no matter how we performed. This isn’t being ’up to no good.’ This is fighting fire with fire!" Gao Neng replied.
"Fighting fire with fire?"
"You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it. You were born the granddaughter of the Celestial King Group’s chairman, raised with a silver spoon in your mouth. Of course you wouldn’t understand life at the bottom. Take where I was born, for example—the Forgotten Land... Over there, a lot of people don’t have enough to eat." As he spoke, Gao Neng’s gaze dimmed slightly.
"Don’t eat? Then what do you usually eat? Hamburgers or french fries?" Fang Tangtang asked, confused.
"There’s *nothing* to eat!"
"Huh? There are people with nothing to eat?"
"That’s why I said you don’t understand. I need to make money. A lot of money! Five billion isn’t enough. I’m going to make ten billion, a hundred billion!" Gao Neng’s fists tightened.
"Can you even spend that much money?" Fang Tangtang asked, completely bewildered.
"What if I use it to rebuild a city? Do you think I could spend it all then?" Gao Neng leaned his head back, letting Fang Tangtang do as she pleased with his face.
"Rebuild a city? You... you don’t mean you want to rebuild the Forgotten Land, do you? It’s full of outcasts. And I heard the people there are all cowardly, incompetent, and just scrape by... Okay, I’m not talking about you! You’re different from them. You’re the genius Gao Neng, right?" Fang Tangtang quickly caught herself at the end.
"Different? What if I told you that just a few months ago, my dream was just to get into the worst military academy in the City of Hope? Would you believe me?" Gao Neng didn’t blame Fang Tangtang. After all, her thoughts represented those of most people in the City of Hope.
It was just that Gao Neng had acted so forcefully from the moment he entered the Eastern Capital Military Academy that he had, without realizing it, made many people overlook his origins in the Forgotten Land.
"I don’t believe you for a second! You’ve broken through the Fourth Human Limit. How could you possibly aim for only the worst military academy? You’re a specially-recruited student, just like me, Death God Fang Tangtang! I had my eye on you the moment you entered the academy! My judgment is pretty sharp, isn’t it?" Fang Tangtang said with a proud look.
"’Specially-recruited student?’" Gao Neng knew exactly how he’d gotten that status. If it weren’t for Shen Ning’Er, he wouldn’t have even been qualified to apply to the Eastern Capital Military Academy.
He didn’t discuss the topic with Fang Tangtang any further.
Gao Neng knew very well what he had to do...
’Rebuild the Forgotten Land?’
’No, more than that!’
’What Gao Neng truly wanted to do was piece the territories of the City of Hope and the Forgotten Land back together. To make it so you no longer needed to take a plane to get from the Forgotten Land to the City of Hope.’
’This was a rather grand ambition.’
’It might even be impossible to achieve.’
’But Gao Neng wanted to try.’
’He wanted to build a passage between the City of Hope and the Forgotten Land—a passage that could never be severed, making the two cities one.’
’So what if he had to be the villain?’
’If his infamy alone could bring a new life to the tens of millions in the Forgotten Land, then what was the harm in playing the villain for a while?’
"The weather’s getting colder. Winter is coming, isn’t it? Every year during the harsh winter, the supply planes from the City of Hope to the Forgotten Land are delayed for one reason or another. Winter... the hardest time of year in the Forgotten Land." Gao Neng closed his eyes slightly. Last winter, he was still in the Forgotten Land.
But this year, he was already in the City of Hope, living a completely different life from his juniors at the Third Senior High School...
Living in his own private courtyard dorm.
Eating delicacies he had never tasted before.
No longer having to save money by drinking only half a bottle...
"Winter break is coming soon. Mom said I can see her during winter break." An image appeared in Gao Neng’s mind: a woman who, year after year, wore the same patched-up clothes.
’Mom!’
’I’m rich!’
’Billions! Can you believe it?’
SQUEAL!
The car screeched to a halt.
"Tangtang, Gao Neng, we’ve arrived at the Eastern Capital Military Academy." Guan San turned around from the front passenger seat, his gaze gentle as he looked at Fang Tangtang and Gao Neng.
"Oh, you can head back, Elder Guan." Fang Tangtang pushed the door open and got out.
"Gao Neng," Guan San spoke again.
"Yes? Is there something, Elder Guan?" Gao Neng looked at Guan San.
"Tangtang has never been to the Forgotten Land, so I hope you won’t hold her words against her. Also... never mind, it’s impossible for such a coincidence to exist in this world. Gao Neng, if anyone else said they wanted to rebuild the Forgotten Land, I wouldn’t believe them. But you... I believe you! And if the day ever comes when the Forgotten Land is truly rebuilt, I, Guan San, will give it my all!"
"Thank you, Elder Guan!" Gao Neng nodded.
"Go on. There are people waiting for you at the gate. Do you have the blood pack in your mouth?" Guan San chuckled softly, then glanced out the car window.
"Yep, a special blueberry-flavored one!" A corner of Gao Neng’s mouth lifted.
"Hahaha, youth is a wonderful thing... We’re leaving!"
"Take care, Elder Guan!"
...
Just as Guan San had said, when Gao Neng and Fang Tangtang arrived at the Eastern Capital Military Academy, two challengers were already waiting at the gate, along with several hundred reporters from various media outlets.
In truth, no one believed that Gao Neng would actually accept a challenge this afternoon.
But Gao Neng had said it with his own mouth.
The reporters didn’t believe it, but they still rushed over to try their luck, happening to block the main gate of the Eastern Capital Military Academy.
Of course, this was all part of Gao Neng’s plan.
He had specifically asked Guan San to drive slower. The trip, which should have taken half an hour, had been stretched out to over a full hour by Guan San.
「Time: 3:00 PM.」
The scent of autumn was fading as the weather turned cool.
"Gao Neng’s here!"
"He’s finally here? Look at his face, he doesn’t look so good..."
"His face is bluish-purple! He’s clearly been seriously poisoned!"
The moment the reporters saw Gao Neng get out of the car, they swarmed forward.
Amidst the crowd, a woman in glasses and a black professional suit was staring intently at Gao Neng. She didn’t approach, merely standing among the throng.
However, Gao Neng’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to this woman.
Because in a two-meter radius around her, there was no one!
"Gao Neng, let me help you back to the dorm to rest." Seeing the reporters surge forward, Fang Tangtang immediately moved to block their path to Gao Neng.
"Okay, but, I... PUH!" Gao Neng clutched his chest with one hand and took a step forward, but as soon as his foot landed, he sprayed a mouthful of black blood.
At the same time, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
And beneath him,
a spray of blood bloomed like a black rose.
When the two challengers standing at the gate of the Eastern Capital Military Academy saw this, a cold glint flashed in their eyes simultaneously, and they both walked over together.
"Gao Neng, I hear you declared you’d accept a challenge anytime, anywhere?" one of the challengers said.
"It’s gotta be fake, right? Looking like he’s half-dead, can he even take one punch from us?" the other challenger shot Gao Neng a disdainful glance.
’They’re pretty good actors themselves.’
’They even know how to use reverse psychology!’
Fang Tangtang’s eyes lit up, and she immediately played along. "You’re going too far! This is like kicking a man when he’s down, you know that?"
"’Kicking a man when he’s down?’ We’re just giving him a taste of his own medicine. Didn’t Gao Neng challenge Wang Nanlin and Wang Jun when they were injured? To put it bluntly, it seems Gao Neng himself set this precedent, didn’t he?" one challenger sneered.
"Forget it, just go back to being a coward and hiding in your shell! Don’t try to act tough!" the other one immediately chimed in.
"Gao Neng, don’t you dare accept! You’re poisoned right now. Even though we have a contract, I would never force you!" Fang Tangtang shouted with her hands on her hips.
"Hahaha... Coward! A coward from the Forgotten Land!" the two challengers laughed in unison.
"Fang Tangtang, help me up. I think I can still fight one more round!" Gao Neng struggled to push himself up, but his body quickly went limp again.
"Gao Neng, you really can’t fight!" Fang Tangtang said, her face full of worry.
"Three hundred million! Whichever one of you can put up three hundred million, I’ll fight!" Gao Neng ignored Fang Tangtang and looked directly at the two challengers.
"Three hundred million?!" One challenger’s expression changed.
But the other challenger’s gaze turned cold, and a smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. "Trying to scare me? Let me tell you something, Gao Neng, I am the direct heir of the Western Alliance’s Luou Clan! Ranked 233rd on the Dragon List! What’s a measly three hundred million? I’ll put up five hundred million! The more you put in, the more you get out. Gao Neng, do you dare to fight?!"
