22: Chapter 22 King-Level Mech Combat Master

In the kitchen, Mother Lu was cooking while tears fell from her eyes.

She took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the blue flames of the stove.

She had made a decision.

Before long, the meal was ready.

Lu Qingfeng ate with great gusto.

He had truly come to terms with things; he had been like this since he was a child—no matter how distressing something was, he wouldn't stay sad for long.

Mother Lu often called him a little heartless fellow.

Carefree and scatterbrained.

Actually, he felt that being carefree was quite good, wasn't it?

Life is short, so why set various restrictions for oneself and let a life that could have been brilliant...

become incredibly bleak?

In Lu Qingfeng's words, that was called...

After finishing his meal, he hurried back to his room.

He was afraid of seeing that look in Mother Lu's eyes, the way she kept watching him so tenderly.

It made him very uneasy and uncomfortable; he still preferred the Mother Lu who scolded him constantly.

He opened his bracelet to find several more messages.

The most frequent were messages from the Female Devil.

"Xiao Liuzi... why did you turn off your device again?"

"Just because it's the holidays doesn't mean you don't have to come pay your respects, right? You just wait."

"Xiao Liuzi, I think your skin is itching for a beating."

Then there was a message from Mo Xiaoyu, scolding him.

"Lu Qingfeng... you bastard..."

Mm, very good, they were all scolding him. Comfortable. This felt right.

If they were suddenly so nice to him, he wouldn't be used to it.

Who was he? Lu Qingfeng. Would he be someone defeated by a failed Cancerous Mutation?

How could that be possible?

He had also thought it through; this was destined by the heavens.

An accidentally obtained ring, an identical name.

And the same obsession with martial arts.

He decided that as long as his scores were high enough, he would apply for the Guoshu Academy.

Since his life was destined to be short, why not choose the major he actually liked?

He truly loved martial arts, loved it from the bottom of his heart.

Whether it was because of the ring or for other reasons,

the current him probably couldn't live without martial arts.

...

Early the next morning, Old Lu rushed back from the Moon.

Old Lu didn't try to comfort him; he just patted his shoulder.

Old Lu was the person who understood him best.

He knew he didn't need comfort; that would only make him feel worse.

At Mother Lu's strong insistence, the whole family went for an outing in the suburbs.

They also agreed that as soon as Lu Qingfeng's grades came out, the whole family would go to attend his grandfather's hundredth birthday.

At night.

Old Lu and Mother Lu sat at the head of the bed.

"Hubby... I've already accepted the transfer order. I only have one week at home. After my father's birthday, I'll have to leave."

"Mm... don't worry, I'll take good care of Xiao Feng. While you're out there, the first priority is to take care of yourself. Also, stay safe."

Old Lu's Face was full of reluctance and worry.

"Yaner, you must remember that Xiao Feng and I are still at home waiting for you. The sea of stars is boundless and incredibly dangerous; you must protect yourself."

"Mm... I will. I just can't bear to leave you and Xiao Feng."

Mother Lu threw herself into Old Lu's arms and wept bitterly.

She didn't want to go, but she had reasons why she had to.

Originally it was for Old Lu, and now there was their son; she had to seize the time even more.

...

The next day.

Mother Lu kept staring at Lu Qingfeng's bracelet.

She was really afraid that something would go wrong with his academic scores too.

"Mom... you're not going to work again today?"

Lu Qingfeng felt very helpless.

Mother Lu and Old Lu exchanged a glance and decided to tell their son; after all, once the college entrance exam was over, he was an adult.

Moreover, Lu Qingfeng had a strong heart.

"Xiao Feng... Mom... might have to leave!" Mother Lu said cautiously.

She was very afraid her son wouldn't let her go, and she wouldn't be able to harden her heart.

Lu Qingfeng seemed to have known for a long time; moreover, he had already thought this way.

Since Mom's talent was so good, how could it be wasted?

In his view, Mom belonged to the sea of stars, not this tiny Qingzhou District.

"Mom... you should have gone out long ago. Staying on this old land of Blue Star is a waste of your talent. Old Lu and I can't go to the sea of stars, so you have to go for us."

"Besides, in the future when I mention you to others, I can brag that my mom is out in the sea of stars and is a badass Mecha Combat Master. How much Face would that give me, right Old Lu?"

Old Lu cooperated and nodded.

"Wife... this brat is right. We both support you. Don't worry, we'll wait for your return."

Seeing the father and son play along with each other, Mother Lu wanted to cry, but she laughed instead.

Old Lu chuckled and said:

"Also... brat, I'll let you in on a secret: your mom isn't just an ordinary Mecha Combat Master, she's a king-class Mecha Combat Master."

Lu Qingfeng stood up and walked a circle around Mother Lu.

"Oh... my dear mother, you're truly my idol. For real?"

Lu Qingfeng said exaggeratedly.

Mother Lu was annoyed and gave him a smack.

"Stop being so silly... It's true, I reached it a year ago."

Lu Qingfeng was truly shocked. What did the concept of a king-class mecha master mean?

It was written in the textbooks.

A king-class mecha master was a true pearl of the starry sky.

The ace among aces.

A thousand years ago, a single king-class Mecha Combat Master could conquer the entire globe; that would be a piece of cake.

Even now, they could go head-to-head with Star Beasts that were like gods.

Rounding it off, a king-class mecha master was equal to a god.

Don't think that the seventh stage is easy to advance to.

Ordinary people like Old Lu can't advance for their whole lives, remaining at the first stage as little weaklings forever.

Their bodies can't withstand a second injection of cancer cells.

This is the result for most of the common people.

And someone like Mother Lu, a seventh-stage Ability User who is not even fifty years old, is simply rare among the rare.

You must know that there are specific times for injecting cancer cells.

For example, for them, after the college entrance exam, the first injection is after three days but within a week.

That is to say, this afternoon, they have to go to school again to control the cancer cells through drug injections.

Only then is the first Cancerous Mutation considered complete.

Then, a second injection cannot be performed within three years. After three years, if the cancer cells in your body are very active and have not spread,

then you can have the second injection.

If the cancer cells are active but have spread, then you need treatment and cannot have the second injection.

If they are not active, you definitely cannot have the second injection.

Because in that case, the second time would be a hundred percent failure.

To put it simply, the cancer cells must be very active, but they must be controllable through medication.

If you succeed, you can continue to evolve.

Until after nine times, achieving theoretical immortality.

But that is all theoretical.

Except for the first time, which has no risk,

every subsequent time carries a certain amount of risk. Within three days, you must rely entirely on your own willpower to withstand the erosion of the cancer cells.

The more times you do it, the more powerful the cancer cells become, the more pain you will feel, and the higher the risk. Many people, because they forced a cancer cell injection,

caused an outbreak and passed away before the three days were up.

They couldn't even be resuscitated.

There are also those who survived the three days, but the medication couldn't control it, requiring an increase in dosage to completely kill the cancer cells.

In that case, you also failed.

So every Cancerous Mutation is almost a gamble with one's life.

But the temptation after success is too great, leading almost everyone to strive for it.

Living an extra hundred years for no reason—who would have a problem with a longer lifespan?

A second Cancerous Mutation guarantees 220 years, and a third means 320 years.

Most ordinary people cannot endure more than three Cancerous Mutations.

Of course, those who have practiced special body techniques are the exception.

And the fourth Cancerous Mutation is a major hurdle.