41: Chapter 41 The Mad Wang Tianba

In the underground secret room, the air was as stagnant as a pool of dead water.

Portraits of the Wang family's past heads hung on the walls. Under the dim light, their dozen or so pairs of eyes appeared exceptionally sinister, staring fixedly at the father and son by the round table.

"Eat it."

Wang Tianba's voice held no trace of warmth.

A red sandalwood box was pushed in front of Wang Teng, making a piercing screech as it scraped against the tabletop. A black skull was carved into the lid, its hollow eye sockets seemingly filled with the hundred years of madness and paranoia of the Wang family.

Wang Teng's hands were shaking.

The trembling was uncontrollable, even causing the teacups on the table to let out fine clinking sounds.

"Dad, this is..."

"This is the Wang family's face."

Wang Tianba interrupted him, his fingers tapping the table rhythmically. "You can lose to anyone, but you absolutely cannot lose to that street-vending peasant. The Wang family cannot afford to lose face like this, and neither can I."

Wang Teng swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

Trembling, he opened the box.

A nauseating scent of blood instantly filled the air.

A crimson pill lay quietly on yellow silk, its surface swirling with an eerie dark light like a bloodshot eyeball.

Berserk Pill.

A black market forbidden drug that overdraws life potential in exchange for a brief burst of power.

Lin Fan's punchable smiling face flashed through Wang Teng's mind, followed by Su Qingxue's focused gaze whenever she looked at that trash, and the mocking eyes of the entire school's teachers and students.

Shame, anger, and malice.

All sorts of emotions consumed his rationality.

"Argh!"

Wang Teng let out a beast-like low growl, grabbed the pill, and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing it whole without even chewing.

The medicinal power exploded.

"Ugh... Argh..."

Wang Teng rolled off his chair and curled up on the floor, twitching violently.

The blood vessels beneath his skin writhed like earthworms as his veins bulged. His originally fair skin instantly turned an eerie purplish-red.

The whites of his eyes were rapidly swallowed by bloodshot streaks.

In those eyes, human rationality was quickly fading, replaced by a pure, bloodthirsty animality.

Wang Tianba watched all this coldly, not even moving an eyebrow.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Block all news. Also, prepare the post-match press release. The headline should be: Young Master of the Wang Family Breaks Through Before the Match, Showing Extraordinary Talent and Crushing the Field."

Hanging up the phone, Wang Tianba looked at the son on the ground, who no longer looked human, with a look of disgust.

"Useless! Then I'll put that uselessness to use!"

...

Jianghai City Gymnasium.

The drawing ceremony for the Top 16 was about to begin.

The atmosphere in the preparation area was heavy. Contestants were either resting with their eyes closed or nervously wiping their weapons.

Only a corner emitted an out-of-place "tap-tap" sound.

Lin Fan sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a calculator, his fingers dancing rapidly.

"Yesterday's livestream sales net profit was 320,000. After deducting the cut for Fatty and the material costs, 280,000 remains. Plus the traffic conversion from that 'Specializing in Fancy Palm' wave earlier..."

"The quality of this batch of leeks is pretty good."

He noted down a string of numbers in a small notebook and nodded with satisfaction.

The surrounding contestants, who were nervously preparing, looked at him as if he were a lunatic.

Was this guy here for a competition or to do financial reports?

A waft of fragrance approached.

Su Qingxue walked past Lin Fan, her steps pausing slightly.

An unopened bottle of mineral water was handed to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan subconsciously pulled out his phone and opened his payment QR code. "That'll be five yuan. QR code or cash?"

Su Qingxue's hand froze in mid-air.

On that eternally unchanging icy face, a rare crack appeared, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Consider it interest for the late-night snack you treated me to."

She stuffed the water into Lin Fan's arms and turned to leave, her ponytail whipping through the air in a sharp arc.

"It's free?"

Lin Fan put away his phone and took a sip after unscrewing the cap. "You should've said so earlier. Gave me a fright."

The large screen suddenly lit up.

The scrolling names stopped, and the Top 16 match list was revealed.

[Match 1: Zhao Gang VS Qian Ming]

[...]

[Match 4: Lin Fan VS Sun Ergou (Forfeited)]

[...]

[Match 8: Wang Teng VS Li Si]

A commotion broke out among the crowd.

Lin Fan, Wang Teng, Su Qingxue, and Chu Yaoyao—the four favorites to win—had perfectly avoided each other, landing in four different brackets.

A coincidence?

No.

This was blatant capital manipulation.

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes, and his S-Rank Talent, Eye of True Sight, instantly activated.

His vision pierced through layers of obstacles, reaching the rostrum.

Several admissions directors were frowning at the list, clearly dissatisfied with such obvious behind-the-scenes manipulation. Only the Vice City Lord sitting in the center appeared composed, even leisurely sipping tea.

And under the nameplate in front of this Vice City Lord, a line of small text was clearly printed: [Wang Group Honorary Consultant].

"So that's how it is."

Lin Fan sneered in his heart.

The Wang family wanted to ensure Wang Teng reached the finals and avoid an early upset.

"Brother Fan, Brother Fan!"

Fatty Zhang Hao approached with a constipated expression, clutching the freshly printed match schedule, the names on it half-soaked with sweat.

"It's over. My next opponent is a top-eight contestant from last year, that Muay Thai-practicing maniac!"

Fatty kept tugging at the corner of his shirt, the fabric already crumpled from his rubbing.

"What are you afraid of?"

Lin Fan glanced at the data above Fatty's head.

[Status: B-Rank Talent integration 90% complete, defense is extremely strong.]

"You're a tank now, not a squishy," Lin Fan patted that firm muscle. "Remember, if you can't win, just surrender. Don't force it. We're businessmen; life is worth more than face."

Buzz.

The phone vibrated.

Su Qingxue sent an urgent message: [Watch out for the Wang family. I just received news that Wang Tianba used black market channels to buy a 'Berserk Pill'. Wang Teng's current state is very wrong.]

Lin Fan looked at the screen, his finger gently stroking the edge of the phone.

Berserk Pill?

That forbidden drug that turns people into mad dogs after consumption?

"Don't worry, the advantage is mine."

Lin Fan replied with those few words and casually turned off the screen.

A trace of bone-chilling killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Since you want to play with your life, don't blame me for taking it and turning it into a blind box.

"The first match begins!"

The referee's whistle blew.

On the stage, a contestant suddenly went berserk.

His eyes were blood-red. Ignoring defense, he attacked his opponent frantically, even attempting to bite the opponent's throat after they had fallen.

"Stop!"

The referee had to intervene, knocking him unconscious with a palm strike.

"Stimulants! Those are low-grade stimulants!"

An uproar broke out in the spectator stands.

Such low-handed tactics made the atmosphere of the competition subtle and frenzied, with factors of violence permeating the air.

"Match 4, Lin Fan wins!"

As soon as Lin Fan stepped onto the stage, his opponent immediately raised his hands in surrender.

The contestant named Sun Ergou looked at Lin Fan, his face pale. "Brother Fan, I'm your fan! I even bought a blind box from you! Don't hit me, I don't want to be a background character!"

After saying that, he scrambled off the stage.

Boos and cheers coexisted throughout the venue.

"This Lin Fan, isn't his luck a bit too good?"

"Luck? Didn't you see that slap of his yesterday? Who would dare go up and take a hit?"

Just then.

A cold aura suddenly enveloped the entire preparation area.

At the entrance of the tunnel, a figure slowly walked out.

Wang Teng.

He had changed into a black combat suit, and his originally well-fitting clothes were now stretched tight by his bulging muscles. He lowered his head, his throat emitting a sound similar to a beast's panting.

"Huff... huff..."

Wang Teng suddenly looked up.

In that instant, Lin Fan met a pair of eyes devoid of any human emotion.

Crimson.

Tyrannical.

Chaotic.

Wang Teng stared fixedly at Lin Fan, his mouth splitting into an exaggerated grin, revealing snow-white teeth. He slowly raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture across his neck.

A provocation.

A blatant death threat.

The surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees instantly. Even the usually thick-skinned Fatty couldn't help but shiver.

"Brother Fan... why does this guy look like a monster?"

Lin Fan didn't speak.

His gaze pierced through Wang Teng's false skin, seeing the reality within.

On the system interface, a line of blood-red text was flashing frantically above Wang Teng's head.

[Target: Wang Teng]

[Status: Gene collapse in progress (Severe drug backlash)]

[Life Countdown: 72:00:00]

[Note: This is no longer human; it is a walking corpse and an excellent... raw material.]

"He is indeed a monster."

Lin Fan gave a light laugh, his finger gently flicking away non-existent dust from the corner of his clothes.

"However, he's just a low-quality product with a shelf life of only three days."