74: Chapter 74 Breaking Through Barriers Isn't About Inheriting Anyone's Lightning

A young man stood at the door.

Academy uniform from twenty years ago, silver-white Thunder Spear, brows and eyes somewhat similar to Zhou Heng.

But his temperament was colder, and steadier.

Like a spear that had been unsheathed for many years.

The blackboard displayed a complete explanation.

[Target: Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue]

[Positioning: White Tower Pressure Rehearsal Sample]

[Adaptation: Thunder-type Barrier Breaker Position]

[Advantages: 104 Incident squad barrier breaking record, White Tower first-floor clearance experience, Department of Education barrier breaking route complete sample]

[Suggestion: Replace Zhou Heng]

Zhou Heng stared at those lines of text, his face sinking bit by bit.

Chen Ye glanced at the projection, then at Zhou Heng, and whispered:

"This time, it really looks like him."

Zhou Heng said coldly:

"You can shut up."

Chen Ye immediately raised his hand.

"Fine, I'll shut up."

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue raised the Thunder Spear, the tip pointing at Zhou Heng.

"Your thunder is too slow."

"Your judgment is also slow."

"If the Barrier Breaker Position hesitates, the entire squad will die at the door."

Zhou Heng gripped his own Thunder Spear.

"Do you always talk so much nonsense?"

The projection said calmly:

"Emotional."

The blackboard immediately recorded:

[Zhou Heng current status: Anger fluctuation]

[Barrier breaking stability decreased]

[Suggestion: Replace]

Zhou Heng's face grew darker.

Lin Jin spoke up:

"Don't let it set the pace."

Zhou Heng gritted his teeth, not rushing out immediately.

He knew Lin Jin was right.

The White Tower wasn't simply letting him fight the Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue.

What it wanted to prove was that Zhou Heng was "inferior to Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue."

As long as he was led by his anger, all subsequent comparisons would become evidence for the White Tower.

Teacher Xu Wenzhou stood by the podium, his expression more solemn than before.

"The Barrier Breaker Position pressure rehearsal is more troublesome than the previous two rounds."

Chen Ye asked:

"Why?"

Teacher Xu Wenzhou looked at Zhou Heng.

"Because Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue was indeed very strong back then."

"In the last Special Assignment Class, he was the most stable Barrier Breaker Position."

"At least before the 104 Incident, that was the case."

These words offered no comfort.

Instead, they felt more like a stone, pressing directly onto Zhou Heng's chest.

Zhou Heng looked at Teacher Xu Wenzhou.

"So you also think I'm not as good as him?"

Teacher Xu Wenzhou did not dodge.

"The current you, in terms of barrier breaking experience alone, is indeed not as good as the Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue from twenty years ago."

Zhou Heng sneered.

"You're annoyingly sincere."

Teacher Xu Wenzhou continued:

"But the reason the White Tower wants to replace you is not because you are currently inferior to him."

"It is to make you believe that you only have the qualifications to stand here by becoming his route."

Lin Jin looked at Zhou Heng.

"The point isn't to beat him."

"It's to prove that your Barrier Breaker Position is not a copy of his."

Zhou Heng was silent.

The projection at the door had already raised the spear.

The old classroom changed again.

White light spread out, and everyone was pulled into a long, narrow passage.

Both sides of the passage were high walls.

The walls were covered in dense doors.

Every door had text on it.

[Maintenance Path]

[Lockdown Role Path]

[Protection Role Path]

[Evacuation Path]

[Shortest Path]

[Optimal Path]

[Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's Route]

At the far end, there was a huge white door.

A low roar came from behind the door, as if something was approaching.

The blackboard hung in mid-air.

[Pressure Rehearsal: Barrier Breaker Position Replacement]

[Scene: White Tower Multi-path Barrier]

[Target: Open a safe path to the core for the squad]

[Comparison Object: Zhou Heng / Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue]

Chen Ye looked at the pile of doors around him, his head spinning.

"So many doors, which one do we open?"

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue had already moved.

His Thunder Spear had no superfluous movements.

One step.

Raise the spear.

Thrust.

Boom!

[Shortest Path] The door exploded directly.

Thunder light pierced through the passage, and a straight crack split the wall.

In front of the white door at the end, a clean, wide road with almost no obstacles appeared.

The blackboard immediately recorded:

[Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue: Barrier breaking successful]

[Time taken: 1.8 seconds]

[Path efficiency: Extremely high]

[Suggestion: Replace]

Chen Ye's mouth twitched.

"That's too fast, right?"

Shen Tingxue did not comment immediately.

She looked at the passage split open by the thunder light, her brows slightly furrowed.

Lin Jin also frowned.

The Hand of Rules expanded.

[Target: Shortest Path]

[Status: Forcibly broken]

[Surface effect: Passage opened]

[Hidden danger: Bypassed three Rule buffer layers]

[Risk: Backlash increased when Maintenance Position contacts the core]

Zhou Heng also saw the problem.

His Thunder Spear glowed slightly, but he did not thrust.

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue turned to look at him.

"Are you still waiting?"

Zhou Heng looked at the end of the passage.

"That road is too straight."

"Only by being straight can it be fast."

"Only by being fast can one survive."

The projection's voice was very steady.

"The Barrier Breaker Position doesn't need to think too much."

"Your duty is to open the door before the team stops."

Zhou Heng said coldly:

"And let the Maintenance Position be killed by the backlash?"

The projection said indifferently:

"The Maintenance Position should bear the core risk."

Lin Jin's gaze turned cold.

Chen Ye also cursed:

"Why does that sound so uncomfortable?"

Shen Tingxue said:

"Because it treats barrier breaking as single-person efficiency."

"It doesn't consider the team's subsequent pressure."

However, the blackboard still displayed:

[Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue barrier breaking efficiency: Excellent]

[Zhou Heng: Not broken]

[Replacement suggestion: Enhanced]

Veins popped on the back of Zhou Heng's hand.

He hated this feeling the most.

He clearly saw the problem.

But the data only recognized speed.

The White Tower wrote "fast" as an advantage and "hesitation" as a defect.

Just like the Zhou Family told him from a young age, a Thunder Spear Knight should rush to the front and break through everything.

Being a step slow means being weak.

Thinking too much means not being pure.

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue spoke again.

"You are not suitable for the Barrier Breaker Position."

"Your thunder is not clean enough."

"You have been influenced by Lin Jin's maintenance logic."

Zhou Heng looked up.

"You call this influence?"

"If the Barrier Breaker Position starts thinking for the Maintenance Position, they will lose their judgment speed."

The projection's spear tip pointed at the [Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's Route] door.

"Follow this road."

"I have already proven for you that it can pass the first floor."

Thunder light flickered on the door, as if calling to Zhou Heng.

[Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's Route]

[Verified]

[High efficiency]

[High adaptation]

[Suggestion: Inherit]

Zhou Heng looked at the door and suddenly laughed.

The laughter was cold.

"Here it comes again."

"The Department of Education likes to write it like this."

"The Zhou Family also likes to write it like this."

"A route that has already been verified."

"High efficiency."

"High adaptation."

He raised his Thunder Spear, thunder light gathering at the tip.

The White Tower thought he was going to thrust at [Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's Route].

The data on the blackboard began to pulse.

[Inheritance tendency detected]

[Replacement pressure reduced]

But the next second, Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear shifted half an inch.

He didn't thrust at the door.

Instead, he thrust at a nearly invisible crack next to the door frame.

Crack!

The thunder light drilled into the crack.

The whole wall didn't explode.

It just emitted a low vibration.

[Barrier breaking target abnormal]

[Did not choose shortest path]

[Did not choose Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's Route]

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue frowned.

"Wrong choice."

Zhou Heng gritted his teeth.

"Shut up."

The thunder light roamed inside the wall.

He didn't blow up the barrier with one shot like the projection.

Instead, he followed the tiny rule seams inside the wall, bit by bit finding the hidden load-bearing points.

Slow.

Very slow.

At least much slower than 1.8 seconds.

The blackboard coldly recorded.

[Zhou Heng barrier breaking time increased]

[Efficiency decreased]

[Replacement suggestion still valid]

Chen Ye watched nervously.

"What is he doing?"

Lin Jin stared at the wall.

"Finding the buffer layer."

Shen Tingxue nodded.

"He is not opening the fastest road."

"He is opening a road that won't push all the backlash onto the Maintenance Position."

Sweat seeped from Zhou Heng's forehead.

The thunder light was constantly squeezed by the White Tower inside the wall.

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue's road was already laid out there.

Fast and bright.

And on his side, it was just an inconspicuous crack.

Anyone who saw it would think he had lost.

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue said again:

"You are wasting time."

"The hesitation of the Barrier Breaker Position will kill teammates."

This sentence was like a thorn.

The thunder light in Zhou Heng's hand suddenly became chaotic.

The wall rebounded.

He groaned, and a bloody cut was slashed on his arm by the cracked thunder patterns.

The blackboard flashed immediately:

[Zhou Heng barrier breaking stability decreased]

[Suggestion: Replace]

Chen Ye couldn't help but shout:

"Zhou Heng! Don't listen to its nonsense!"

Zhou Heng didn't look back.

He stared fixedly at that crack.

What appeared in his mind, however, were the words Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue had said on the projection wall.

You will understand that the road leaving the Zhou Family is not as easy as you think.

Yes.

Not easy.

Because the road the Zhou Family gave him was indeed faster.

Straighter.

More like a successful route that had already been paved.

As long as he stepped on it, he would avoid a lot of trouble.

But at the end of that road, who was standing there? Zhou Heng, or the next Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue?

Zhou Heng took a deep breath.

The Mutual Verification Contract on his chest lit up.

He whispered:

"I am Zhou Heng."

"Thunder Spear Knight."

"Rule Maintenance Special Class Barrier Breaker Position."

This wasn't the first time he had said it.

But this time, he wasn't saying it to Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue, nor to the White Tower.

He was saying it to himself.

The thunder light suddenly stabilized.

The thin crack was propped open bit by bit.

Inside, three layers of differently colored rule buffer layers were revealed.

The first layer led to the Maintenance Position observation point.

The second layer led to the Lockdown Role support point.

The third layer led to the Protection Role evacuation point.

Lin Jin's eyes lit up.

"Yes."

"This is the road the squad can use."

Zhou Heng raised his spear abruptly.

"Break!"

Boom!

The wall did not explode as a whole.

Instead, three controllable gaps were opened in sequence.

A passage emerged.

Not straight.

Not wide.

It even required the cooperation of all four people to pass.

But each position had just enough action points left.

Chen Ye could stand at the front to bear the pressure.

Shen Tingxue could block the backlash in the middle.

Zhou Heng could continue to break secondary obstacles in the rear.

Lin Jin could approach the core without having to take the full brunt of the backlash directly.

The blackboard's data refreshed crazily.

[Zhou Heng barrier breaking time: 9.6 seconds]

[Path efficiency: Medium]

[Squad adaptation: High]

[Maintenance Position backlash reduced: 41%]

[Lockdown Role support point established]

[Protection Role evacuation point established]

[Replacement suggestion: Decreased]

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue looked at the road, his eyes cold for a moment.

"You reduced the speed."

Zhou Heng raised the Thunder Spear.

"I left positions that teammates can use."

The projection said:

"The White Tower first floor won't wait for you to arrange slowly."

Zhou Heng sneered.

"Then I'll practice to be faster."

"Not changing back to your road."

"But practicing my road to be faster."

As this sentence fell, thunder light exploded from under his feet.

He rushed towards the white door at the end.

Three hidden barriers suddenly popped up in the middle of the passage.

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue struck with his spear almost simultaneously.

His spear was faster.

More ruthless.

Piercing straight into the core of the first barrier.

Zhou Heng also struck.

But his target was not the core, but the structural nails at the edge of the barrier.

The first shot, opening a seam.

The second shot, leaving a position.

The third shot, cutting off the backflow.

The three barriers opened one after another.

Although every shot was half a beat slower than the projection, behind every door, a safe edge for teammates to pass was left.

Lin Jin, Chen Ye, and Shen Tingxue followed closely.

They weren't left behind.

They weren't forced to take the backlash head-on either.

In front of the last white door, Zhou Heng and the projection stopped at the same time.

The projection said coldly:

"You can't beat me."

Zhou Heng was panting, blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were much steadier than before.

"I don't need to become you to win."

He raised the Thunder Spear and thrust it at a hidden anchor nail at the very bottom of the white door.

"The Barrier Breaker Position is not inheriting anyone's thunder."

"It is opening a path for one's own squad."

The Thunder Spear pierced through the anchor nail.

The white door opened with a boom.

The training ground shattered.

Everyone returned to the old classroom.

The Youthful Projection of Zhou Chengyue stood at the door, his figure gradually fading.

On the blackboard, the final record appeared.

[Zhou Heng barrier breaking strength: Insufficient]

[Zhou Heng squad path adaptation: Excellent]

[Maintenance Position backlash control: Successful]

[Teammate action retention: Successful]

[Replacement suggestion: Rejected]

Zhou Heng held the Thunder Spear, breathing heavily.

His arm was still bleeding, but the Barrier Breaker Position badge on his chest shone with unprecedented stability.

The projection looked at him, silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his hand, and the Thunder Spear turned into a small silver thunder nail, landing in front of Zhou Heng.

[Barrier Breaker Position replacement pressure passed]

[Obtained training fragment: Buffer Barrier Breaker Nail]

[Description: Can improve the Barrier Breaker Position's ability to open multi-point support paths]

Zhou Heng bent down to pick up the thunder nail.

Before the projection dissipated, he suddenly looked at him.

His voice was lower.

"In the White Tower, don't take the straightest road."

Zhou Heng looked up.

"Why?"

The projection did not answer.

His figure shattered into thunder light and dissipated at the door.

The old classroom was quiet for a few seconds.

Chen Ye looked at Shen Tingxue.

"Yours was 'don't take the coldest road'."

He looked at Zhou Heng again.

"Yours was 'don't take the straightest road'."

He finally looked at Lin Jin.

"Then when it's your turn later, is it 'don't take the road most like your dad's'?"

No one laughed.

Because outside the door, the sound of a wrench dragging across the floor had already sounded.

Very light.

Yet it made Lin Jin's fingers tighten instantly.

In the white light, a man's figure slowly walked over.

Old maintenance uniform.

Rusty toolbox.

Carrying a broken wrench in his hand.

His face was almost the same as the photo in Lin Jin's memory, just younger and more tired.

The blackboard wrote out a new prompt stroke by stroke.

[White Tower first floor pressure rehearsal]

[Round 4: Maintenance Position replacement pressure]

[Object: Lin Jin]

The man stopped at the door, looked at Lin Jin, and grinned.

"Brat."

"Move aside."

"I've repaired this problem before."