Chapter 29: Your Son's Been Taken by a Monster! (Please Add to Your Library!)
As soon as those words were spoken, both Jolene and Katelan froze, utterly stunned.
They couldn't believe what they had just heard.
Where did he get such confidence?
A mere war general-level martial artist… A psychic war god… And he dared to say something like that in a virtual space?
The two quickly realized the likely explanation—this was probably Jiang Zhe's first time entering a virtual space. He probably had no idea about the rules here.
Jolene raised an eyebrow, her tone a little odd.
"Are you sure you want to spar in virtual space?"
"You probably don't know… In here, everyone's physical stats are equal—punching force of 10 tons, movement speed of 150 meters per second, neural response speed at upper-tier beginner war general level."
"And most importantly—there's no psychic power here. Your spiritual abilities, which you're so proud of, are completely unusable."
Katelan nodded.
"In the real world, your psychic techniques might be impressive enough to defeat us… but when it comes to physical martial skill—you're still far behind."
He even used himself as an example.
"I'm both a beginner-tier war god-level psychic and a martial artist. I have triple-force punches and master-level footwork. If we're all using the same body stats—you won't have any edge over me."
Jiang Zhe listened, amused.
These two weren't being malicious.
They were actually being kind by giving him fair warning—saving him the embarrassment of getting crushed in front of everyone.
Of course, they probably weren't doing it out of pure kindness, either.
He had two high-ranking parliament members backing him. People with connections like that weren't to be humiliated lightly.
Jiang Zhe thought to himself:
Grandpa must have set this up before leaving. He probably wants me to make a name for myself, to prove I truly deserve a spot in War God Palace.
Our family is a prestigious one. They care about appearances. All the whispers and rumors from outsiders… they don't like it. So they found two sparring partners from the HR Alliance to help me look good?
Realizing the effort his grandfather went through, Jiang Zhe, though normally disinterested in sparring, decided to play along with the plan.
With a smile, he said:
"Have you considered that… I might be just as talented in martial arts?"
Katelan shook his head and chuckled dismissively.
Still just a 16-year-old kid, he thought. Still too stubborn to admit weakness.
Jolene, however, noticed something different in Jiang Zhe's expression—it wasn't the fake confidence of someone bluffing.
But was it arrogance? Or genuine confidence? She wasn't sure.
"I don't get it," she asked. "Why do you seem so sure of yourself?"
Jiang Zhe grinned.
"The arena's right outside. Why don't we step out there—and you'll understand."
"You serious? I was actually hoping to see your psychic skills," Jolene said with a smirk, giving him a polite way to back down.
But Jiang Zhe suddenly remembered a line from a movie and chuckled.
"Once you've seen my martial arts… you'll revere me like a god."
"Ha! I like that cocky vibe," Jolene laughed. "You're nothing like the other Eastern guys in the training camp—they're all so reserved. What do you call that? Oh, right—Zang… Zang Zhu?"
Like a wild feline, Jolene wrapped an arm around Jiang Zhe's neck, dragging him toward the arena with a smirk.
"Come on, let's see whether you're going to be my little brother… or my god."
As the two walked out, Katelan's face darkened and he quickly followed.
He was in his twenties too—how could he not have feelings for Jolene? Watching her get so close to Jiang Zhe burned him up inside.
---
The movements of the three new War Gods quickly caught the attention of other warriors in the hall.
Among those circling around Jiang Zhe's older brother was a group of fellow War Gods. One of them joked:
"Yo, Brother Xiong, your precious son just got dragged off by a wild woman. Aren't you going to save him?"
Another laughed, "Young guys like him are clueless. First time getting seduced by a femme fatale—it could scar his pride forever."
"Speaking of pride… I just hunted a lord-tier spotted stag the other day. Anyone want fresh deer blood?"
"Deer blood? Come on, we War Gods need—uh, General Deng, mind lending me one of those 'gold spears' of yours to make a point?"
"Count me in! I've still got 40 pounds of premium tech-brewed Nirvana liquor!"
"Focus, people!" a higher-ranked War God barked, pulling the topic back.
"Brother Jiang, are you really gonna let your boy take this hit? Even if you want him toughened up, don't let those reckless Westerners beat him down."
Jiang Chengxiong swirled the red wine in his tall glass, face calm but slightly wistful.
"No need to worry, General Zhou. Little sparring between youngsters is nothing serious. To my son, it's just a walk in the park."
Then he downed the wine and added:
"You won't believe it, but… with equal physical stats, even I can't lift a finger against my son."
A stunned silence fell over the group.
Some frowned in disbelief. Others just chuckled and shook their heads.
What kind of father hypes his kid up this much?
"You don't believe me?" Jiang Chengxiong smiled faintly.
"Fine. Come on, let's go see for ourselves."
The whole crowd began moving.
---
War God Palace Plaza.
In front of one of the many sparring arenas, Jolene finally unhooked her arm from Jiang Zhe's neck and patted his shoulder.
"You're the one who insisted—so if you can't beat Katelan first, you'll never be my god. Just my little brother."
She reached out playfully, trying to pinch Jiang Zhe's handsome cheek, but he dodged.
Jiang Zhe looked at Katelan.
"So how do you want to do this?"
Katelan shrugged casually.
"Just a good ol' fistfight. Or as you guys in Hanxia say—'stop at first blood.'"
Jiang Zhe rubbed his chin.
The scene reminded him of a Western strongman duel. Like reenacting a two-century-old farce…
The gathered War Gods stayed at the arena entrance, watching but not interrupting.
On a corridor high above the plaza, over a dozen gold-robed parliament members stood, observing the match with interest.
They loosely formed a circle around two distinct figures—one dressed in black, with a straight-backed, spear-like aura and a youthful face… but an ageless presence.
The First Chairman: Hong.
And beside him, a serene man in white robes, bald-headed, with a Buddha-like expression.
The Second Chairman: Thor.
---
Back on the platform, Jiang Zhe and Katelan leapt up together.
They declined the equipment selection prompts.
As the countdown in their ears ended, the duel began.
Jiang Zhe stood calmly, hands behind his back.
Katelan instantly felt disrespected and attacked in anger.
At 150 meters per second, in such a small arena, he reached Jiang Zhe in an instant.
With triple force, he launched a punch.
30 tons of raw impact!
That was the high end of mid-tier war general strength. There was no way Jiang Zhe could block it… right?
But just as Katelan was certain of victory—Jiang Zhe moved.
He merely raised his arm—but that was enough to shock Katelan to his core.
It felt like Jiang Zhe had sped up time itself—like watching a video at 2x or 3x speed.
It wasn't real time acceleration, of course… Jiang Zhe hadn't reached that level yet.
But he'd grasped a special rhythm, a subtle essence. Still far from mastering time laws—but enough to seem otherworldly.
Like a rooster shaking its feathers, Jiang Zhe lifted his arm in a sudden motion, deflecting Katelan's strike.
Their arms collided—
CRACK!
Katelan's arm bent outward grotesquely, the flesh tearing to reveal exposed bone.
Shock rippled through the watching War Gods.
One move—and an arm was ruined?
But Jiang Zhe wasn't done.
His right hand shot out like a viper, aiming straight for Katelan's neck.
Katelan tried to intercept it, but Jiang Zhe's forearm knocked his good arm aside—leaving him completely exposed.
Humiliated and furious, Katelan lowered his head and launched himself like a cannonball toward Jiang Zhe's chest.
It was like a beast's charge—powerful enough to rival a beast general's collision.
But it still wasn't enough.
Jiang Zhe's right hand clamped tightly around Katelan's throat.
He didn't even flinch.
Katelan shouted hoarsely, "Kill me!"
Jiang Zhe nodded, tightened his grip—
—and snapped his neck.
Katelan's body shimmered, then dissolved into pixels.
He had logged out.
Jiang Zhe moved to rub his chin in thought, but remembered the blood on his hand and paused, pulling back.
Several War Gods watching the fight were instructors from the elite training camp. Familiar with Katelan's power, they immediately realized just how terrifying Jiang Zhe truly was.
Up on the outer corridor, the gold-robed members were unusually quiet.
They were all seasoned veterans. They could sense something unusual in that short fight.
Thor, eyes filled with lingering awe, clicked his tongue softly as he replayed the fight in his head.
"That power amplification… it's close to mine…"
Was it an illusion?
Just a hallucination… right?
He touched his shiny bald head and turned to his long-time colleague.
"Brother Hong… you've got the real data, don't you?"