Chapter 11: The God of War in Waiting

Back when he’d dined at Luo Feng’s home, Jiang Chen had already noticed the combat suit hanging on the wall.

Combat suits were, by and large, similar in style, but their quality varied greatly. With Jiang Chen’s keen eyes, he could tell the difference at a glance.

Anyone who could afford a Series 9 combat suit was certainly not of ordinary means.

“I had an unexpected windfall out in the wilderness,” Luo Feng chuckled, but he didn’t elaborate.

Jiang Chen understood his caution and didn’t press the matter. Instead, he raised his glass to Luo Feng, steering the conversation elsewhere with casual small talk.

Most of the time, it was Luo Feng recalling his experiences in the wild—close shaves, or fierce, heart-pounding battles.

Perhaps it was the butterfly effect caused by Jiang Chen’s presence, but the “hundred-billion bounty” incident, which by all rights should have erupted months ago, never occurred.

After Jarvis came into being, Jiang Chen specifically had him search online; that notorious son of Li Yao, the infamous second-generation scoundrel, was still alive and well. He’d long since left the Jiangnan Base City’s jurisdiction and returned to the HR Alliance’s European headquarters.

Still, this minor twist hadn’t impeded Luo Feng’s growth in the slightest.

Now, even without considering his psychic powers, Luo Feng counted among the top ranks of the War Generals. If his psychic abilities were factored in, he’d be considered a peak War General—an elite among elites. Unlike Jiang Chen, who had never fought a real battle, Luo Feng was no paper tiger but a true, battle-hardened warrior with countless life-and-death struggles behind him.

There was no denying it—battle truly was the best way for a martial artist to hone his strength.

Just months ago, Jiang Chen had overpowered Luo Feng with ease.

But now, while Jiang Chen still surpassed Luo Feng in raw stats, should they actually fight, Jiang Chen would unquestionably be the one to lose.

Luo Feng had clearly realized this as well. He repeatedly invited Jiang Chen to spar, his expression mischievous and full of challenge.

Jiang Chen, of course, refused to take the bait, turning him down flatly and giving Luo Feng no chance at all.

Seeing that Jiang Chen wouldn’t play along, Luo Feng could only pout and drop the subject, segueing into another topic. “Have you heard of Director Zhuge from the Limit Dojo? Not Jiang Nian, but the chief director of the Jiangnan region.”

“Zhuge Tao?” Jiang Chen nodded. “What about him?”

“He recommended me for the Limit Dojo’s ‘Elite Training Camp.’ Of course, I’ll have to pass an assessment to be admitted. If I fail, I’ll just go to the ‘Basic Training Camp.’ Either way, I’ll probably have to leave for quite a while.”

Luo Feng’s expression grew a little uncertain.

Though he’d spent months in the wilderness, risking his life since becoming a martial artist, the prospect of leaving home, even leaving Jiangnan Base City to head for another city, was still unfamiliar and daunting.

“If you have the chance to join the ‘God of War Reserves,’ you have to go. That place is full of treasures,” Jiang Chen laughed. “Once you become a War God, I’ll be counting on you to watch my back.”

The latter part was clearly a joke.

Though he lagged behind Luo Feng in strength now, Jiang Chen was confident that he’d catch up, or even surpass Luo Feng, in the future.

And that future wouldn’t be too far off.

Luo Feng saw through the jest and replied in kind, “No problem! If I ever make it big, I’ll tell everyone you’re my little brother—I’ll be the one taking care of you!”

Jiang Chen shot back, “Don’t get cocky now and forget all those beatings you took from me. When you get back from the God of War Reserves, I’ll make sure you remember them all!”

Luo Feng’s eyes lit up, seizing the chance to provoke, “Why wait? Let’s fight now—winner’s the boss, loser’s the lackey!”

Jiang Chen glared at him, “Do I look like an idiot? We’ll see who’s boss when you get back from your training!”

“Oh?” Luo Feng caught the undertone in Jiang Chen’s words and asked curiously, “You really think you’ll overtake me in strength?”

Since awakening his psychic powers and watching his abilities soar, Luo Feng’s confidence had grown day by day. Besides, he’d always known Jiang Chen’s heart wasn’t truly set on the martial path.

In Luo Feng’s eyes, once he surpassed Jiang Chen, their gap would only widen in the future. There was no way Jiang Chen could catch up.

Jiang Chen only smiled and said, “You’ll see when you come back.”

Luo Feng nodded thoughtfully. “Then I’ll be waiting.”

“By the way, hand me your comms wristband,” Jiang Chen said suddenly.

Luo Feng, puzzled, removed his wristband and handed it over without hesitation.

Jiang Chen placed Luo Feng’s wristband together with his own, tapped them together, then returned Luo Feng’s to him, explaining, “Every comms wristband comes with a ‘backdoor’—it can pinpoint your location, even monitor all your online activities. I’ve just closed that backdoor for you. Now you can use it without worrying.”

This was something Jarvis was capable of.

Since Jarvis’s birth, his true self remained within the supercomputer at the central computing facility. Yet, a “clone” of Jarvis existed in all of Jiang Chen’s electronic devices, able to tap into the mainframe’s computational power through the network, handling any task Jiang Chen assigned.

As an artificial intelligence, Jarvis was unrivaled—at least by the standards of Earth’s current technology. Unless he encountered an intelligence from beyond this world, he could do as he pleased. Cracking a mere smart wristband posed no challenge at all.

“A backdoor?” Luo Feng nodded slightly.

Such things were no secret among martial artists; they were practically common knowledge. Since the HR Alliance monopolized wristband production, unless one refused to use them altogether, there was no way to avoid their surveillance. People had simply learned to live with it.

Though it didn’t really affect daily life, it was still a bit unsettling.

Now that Jiang Chen had removed the backdoor from his wristband, Luo Feng’s mood soared. He raised his glass and toasted Jiang Chen three times in quick succession.

Both men were in peak physical condition and could hold their liquor well.

An entire bottle of potent, forty-proof spirits was soon emptied. Jiang Chen went ahead and pulled out every bottle in his liquor cabinet, determined to drink Luo Feng under the table.

As evening fell, the coffee table in the living room had become crowded with empty bottles.

Even with their war general–level constitutions, after consuming so much alcohol, both men were feeling the effects.

“That’s enough for today—if we keep going, we’ll just pass out,” Luo Feng said, rising to take his leave. “I’ll be leaving in a few days. If anything happens with my family, I’ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on them. Next time I’m back, it’ll probably be for just a few days during New Year’s.”

“Don’t worry. I owe Uncle and Aunt for all the help they gave me when I was young—I’ve long since regarded them as my own elders,” Jiang Chen replied, waving his hand and sprawling out on the sofa. “It’s only a few steps to the door. I won’t see you out.”