Chapter 30: How can I teach you if you're not weak?

Xing Yuanzhi stood in the corridor of the sewer, her peacock feather backpack unfurled behind her, her gaze locked onto the iron gate ahead.

Just moments ago, Wang Wanrou's signal had come through, instructing her to immediately take up position here.

There were over twenty similar positions in the original plan, and she knew the route to each one by heart. As soon as Miss Wang gave the code, she would sprint to the designated location according to plan and lie in wait, ready to strike.

The weapon she wielded was called Peacock Feather, full name being the Pulse Ignition Projectile Launch System, capable of unleashing a metallic storm that could tear through any fortress in an instant.

Only users of Mass Effect or soldiers equipped with exoskeleton armor could bear the terrifying weight of Peacock Feather, most of which came from the massive metal projectiles it fired.

The signal for firing, Wang Wanrou had made it clear, was a bright light.

Though unsure of Miss Wang's arrangement, Ah Zhi executed the tactical command with precision. As the sound of explosions above ground abruptly ceased, she slowly held her breath in the darkness, focusing her attention.

After some time passed, clear footsteps could be heard from a distance, growing closer.

In the darkness, it was hard to see, and she could only make out a figure opposite her. She didn't know if it was Cheng Jinyang, Su Zizhong, Chu Qingqing, or someone else, so she continued to patiently wait and observe.

The person rushed to the iron gate, took half a second to examine the lock, then pulled out a shotgun and turned on their helmet light. With two crisp shots, they shattered the gate.

Then he directed the light towards the wall, and at the same time, Xing Yuanzhi could vaguely see his face reflected on the wall by the light.

Su Zizhong!

So the peacock feather went into full operation, pulsing with electricity, firing bullets, and in an instant, emptied all its ammunition, tearing apart the walls of the sewer, the iron gate, along with Su Zizhong's body, into cruel fragments.

Did we win?

Xing Yuanzhi was somewhat uncertain. She instinctively wanted to step forward to confirm the body, only to find that all the fragments had completely disappeared.

"The target has been eliminated," she signaled to her companions.

Cheng Jinyang was still advancing in the sewer when he received the signal.

Ah, is it done? Finally...

Thinking this, his consciousness suddenly interrupted.

The virtual simulation had ended.

——————

"Good fight," Princess Nankang said.

"You're too kind, Your Highness," Su Zizhong shook his head.

Eight battles, six victories, with two instances of being outmaneuvered, especially the last one where he was directly schemed against. As the seventh on the Tianluo List, such a record was rather unimpressive.

Therefore, he wasn't interested in saying much, just bowed to the princess and bid farewell before leaving with his nephew.

"Oh, one more thing," Princess Nankang called out from behind, "Don't speak of today's events."

Su Zizhong hesitated briefly at her words, then quickly understood.

From the previous battles, he knew the one man and four women opposite him were all from prestigious families of ability users.

If they were just ordinary scions, with their close ties to the princess, there would be no need for secrecy. However, her specific instructions implied something more.

Those four young people weren't just ordinary scions... They might be core members of their families, which is why maintaining secrecy about their relationship with the princess was crucial.

So, Su Zizhong immediately showed a look of surprise again and promised eagerly.

In a prominent family, the difference in status between core members and ordinary members can be vast. The latter's lowest position is akin to being a pig raised by the family, while the former may eventually have the authority to access the family's resources.

By serving as sparring partners for those four, he essentially established connections with four influential families in the social network, and the value behind this is immeasurable—of course, even without these connections, earning favor in Her Highness's heart today wouldn't have been in vain.

Su Zizhong once again turned to look at his big and clumsy nephew.

His nephew is truly too foolish; he'll have to give him a good lecture when they return to prevent him from accidentally leaking anything outside.

On the other side, Cheng Jinyang and the others emerged from the equipment and relaxed on the nearby sofa, awaiting Princess Nankang's comments and analysis.

"You did well," Princess Sister casually closed the door of the training room, crossing her arms as she turned around.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"In the final round, your decoy tactics with the metal dummies were excellent," Princess Sister praised Chu Qingqing first. "But there were flaws in the color details of your disguise. Su Zizhong sniped from a distance, so he couldn't see it clearly. If he had observed from up close, he wouldn't have been fooled. The Yangdi Chu family has algorithms specifically designed for puppetry, enabling realistic deception. Haven't you learned that?"

"I have," Chu Qingqing cautiously replied, "but my bloodline concentration isn't sufficient to use it."

"Oh," Princess Nankang immediately understood.

To simulate different colors, one needs to control the internal structure of the metal itself to alter the wavelength of reflected, transmitted, and scattered light.

However, Chu Qingqing, currently at the eighth grade, couldn't perform such fine-grained microscopic operations, so she couldn't simulate complex color changes... This is also why she only wears green dresses, white shoes, and no hairpins (to reduce the number of colors).

Princess turned her head to Ah Zhi again, whispering, "Hemophobia?"

Xing Yuanzhi remained silent.

"It's not hemophobia, she just finds those things repulsive," Cheng Jinyang explained nearby.

"There's no avoiding blood on the battlefield," the princess shook her head, her opinion of Ah Zhi further diminishing. She then turned to Miss Wang and remarked, "The tactical arrangement was impressive, the choice of sniper points impeccable, and the psychological prediction of Su Zizhong was also remarkable. It's hard to imagine that just a few hours ago, you were a newcomer with little knowledge of modern military affairs... It's just those two lines written on the wall at the end, they were somewhat unnecessary."

Wang Wanrou didn't respond, only sneering in silence.

Cheng Jinyang sat beside them, thinking: Wasn't it beceause of Su Zizhong choosing to target Miss Wang's head every time in ambush just to completely annoy her? Writing two lines to humiliate the other party is already being considerate, or else going back and putting up a reward at the Taiyuan Wang family, that guy will be even more finished.

Princess Sister shook her head silently when she saw her ignoring her. This Wang Wanrou, despite her extraordinary cunning and talent, unfortunately, had too narrow a mind, and being from the Five Great Family, she was by no means a suitable match for Jinyang. She could be relied upon in the future, but trust should not be placed in her unconditionally.

However, Jinyang is also clever; I shouldn't intervene too much in this regard.

"What about me?" Unable to hold back, Cheng Jinyang asked when she had commented on everyone else, "Do I have any problems?"

"As for you?" Princess Sister smiled, "Your problem is quite obvious."

"Your combat power is too weak."