67: What kind of cutting-edge technology is this?

Zhang Zhifei raised his eyebrows slightly, understanding immediately when he saw Bai Xiaofei's startled expression.

"Oh my, you're Mingshen!"

"I watched the replay of that battle, it was incredible!"

He Ming chuckled softly.

"Just lucky."

"What do you mean, 'just lucky'?!"

"Mingshen, you're too humble. God Bai was on a 33-win streak back then, and you completely crushed him. How is that luck?"

Zhang Zhifei was about to continue praising him when his phone rang in his pocket.

You are my little one... Hearing that sound, He Ming was momentarily stunned. It brought back memories; he hadn't expected 'Little Apple' to exist in this dimension too, though the tune was slightly different.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call."

Zhang Zhifei jogged to the yard, looked at his phone, and saw the caller ID: Dad.

"Sigh, what's meant to come will come."

After answering, he quickly moved the phone away from his ear, but even so, he could still hear the roar from the other end.

"You brat! Where have you been gallivanting?"

"Your class counselor called me, saying you skipped class all day today!"

...After a long while.

Zhang Zhifei waited until the roaring subsided before bringing the phone closer to his ear.

"Dad, I went to participate in a Xinghai Group event. If I pass the test, I can get a limited-edition mech. Maybe I can achieve financial freedom with it then."

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Zhifei's father, Zhang Guoqiang, was so furious his face turned beet red and veins popped out on his forehead.

"Financial freedom?"

"I sent you to Longke University to study, not to play games!"

"Longke University is a place for you to learn knowledge and technology. When you graduate, you're going to do scientific research, serve the country, and contribute to national defense."

"But look at you, mechs, mechs all day long. Can that thing be eaten? You're going to be the death of me!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhifei's rebellious streak immediately flared up.

"Dad, didn't you trick me back then, saying that if I got into Longke University, I'd have the chance to personally build a real mech?"

"I believed your nonsense and studied my heart out to get in."

"But what was the result?"

Zhang Zhifei snorted softly.

"When I told my classmates my dream was to build mechs, they all looked at me like I was an idiot. Those theoretical knowledge and building mechs are two completely different things."

"If Longguo can't build mechs, I'll never be able to build one in my life."

"Don't talk to me about all that. Tell me where you are right now?" Zhang Guoqiang's tone softened a little, but remained firm.

Zhang Zhifei was silent for a moment, then finally let out a bitter laugh.

"Dad, ever since I was little, I've always followed your arrangements."

"This time, just let me decide my own future, okay?"

"Tell me where you are quickly, or else... I, I'll disown you!"

Zhang Zhifei's eyes reddened, feeling a wave of bitterness in his heart.

After only three seconds, he deflated like a punctured ball, wilting.

"I'm in Xijiang, next to the Xinghai Group's large construction site. There's a guesthouse called Starry Sky Posthouse."

"You wait for me there!"

The call was disconnected by Zhang Guoqiang.

Zhang Zhifei stood rooted to the spot for a long while, then vigorously wiped his face. After adjusting his emotions, he walked back into the hall.

He Ming looked up, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Had an argument?"

Zhang Zhifei waved his hand, sat down nonchalantly, and poured himself a cup of tea, drinking it in one gulp.

"No, the wind outside blew sand into my eyes."

At this moment, a smart robot walked forward, placed a silver-cased box on the table, and opened it. Inside were two smart bracelets, exquisitely designed and full of technological flair.

He Ming: "These are smart detection bracelets. They're quite useful. Try them on."

Zhang Zhifei took a smart bracelet from the box and put it on without hesitation.

The bracelet screen lit up, displaying a series of real-time changing vital sign data.

At the very top, there was a completely independent interface that looked somewhat out of place.

"life index: 151"

"Oh, quite advanced."

"It measures vital signs, but what does this life index mean? What are your guys' scores?"

Bai Xiaofei put on his smart bracelet and glanced at it.

"87."

Zhang Zhifei immediately chuckled, understanding roughly what the number represented.

"This value should be related to physical fitness, right?"

"Hahaha, God Bai, you might be fierce with your controls, but you're clearly a night owl, skinny as a monkey. Your physique isn't good at all."

Bai Xiaofei pouted, but held back his retort.

Zhang Zhifei patted Bai Xiaofei's shoulder, chuckling as he said, "God Bai, you can't go on like this. Your body is the capital for revolution. Games are important, but without a good body, you can't properly enjoy the fun of gaming, can you? Don't you agree?"

Seeing Bai Xiaofei offer no response, Zhang Zhifei looked towards He Ming.

"Mingshen, what about you?"

He Ming raised his hand and looked at the value displayed at the very top: [life index: 32611].

"200."

"200, impressive! That physique could probably get you into the provincial team."

At this moment, the smart bracelet flashed several beams of light, which intertwined to form a palm-sized virtual projection.

The small figure had antlers on its head, an extremely delicate face, a curvaceous figure, and was dressed very coolly.

"Holy crap, what kind of black technology is this?!"

Bai Xiaofei raised his eyebrows slightly, but his adaptability was clearly much stronger than Zhang Zhifei's.

"Virtual games exist now, so this isn't strange."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Baize."

"Your first mission has been issued to your smart bracelets. Go complete it now."

As soon as the words fell, Baize's virtual projection disappeared.

Zhang Zhifei raised his wrist and looked at his smart bracelet.

[Ten-kilometer run, Time limit: Three hours]

[Timer starts in ten seconds]

"Ten kilometers, three hours?"

Zhang Zhifei gave a disdainful sidelong glance.

"Who are they looking down on? I usually run five kilometers in just over half an hour."

Bai Xiaofei stared intently at the mission content, his face turning a little pale.

"Please follow me."

Inside the room, a smart robot quickly ran outside.

Seeing that He Ming and Zhang Zhifei had both run out, Bai Xiaofei gritted his teeth and could only steel himself to follow.

Zhang Zhifei ran very easily, his pace perfectly controlled.

Not long after he started running, he looked back over his shoulder.

He had only run less than three hundred meters, and Bai Xiaofei was already gasping for breath, covered in cold sweat, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead, so heavy he could barely lift them.

Bai Xiaofei pressed his lips together, his abdomen starting to ache faintly. He was almost unable to continue.

This ten-kilometer run was simply a hellish test for him.

"God Bai, are you okay?"

Zhang Zhifei slowed his pace, running alongside Bai Xiaofei.

"You can't run like this, your breathing is all over the place."

"Listen to me, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth, maintain a rhythm of one long inhale and three short exhales."

Bai Xiaofei nodded slightly, trying the method Zhang Zhifei taught him.

After running a short distance, he suddenly felt his stomach no longer hurt.

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

Zhang Zhifei smiled knowingly. He had been the same when he first started running, feeling stomach pain after not running for long.

"Don't take such big strides. Lean your body forward as much as possible, let inertia carry you. That will be easier."

Zhang Zhifei ran ahead, patiently guiding Bai Xiaofei's running posture.

Before long, Bai Xiaofei was barely able to keep up with Zhang Zhifei's pace, though the cold sweat on his forehead never stopped dripping down.

He Ming observed all of this, very pleased with Zhang Zhifei's character.

Such a person, suddenly possessing extraordinary power, would likely not turn out too badly.

Ten kilometers was nothing for He Ming and Zhang Zhifei, but for Bai Xiaofei, it was not much different from enduring torture.

He almost entirely relied on his willpower to tough it out and complete the entire course.

When he returned to the posthouse again, as soon as he relaxed, he immediately collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The accompanying robot rushed forward, skillfully pulling a syringe from its waist pouch and injecting it into Bai Xiaofei's arm.

This injection, called [Life Potion], was an upgraded version of longevity water. It could be directly injected and had a very potent effect.

It could instantly boost brain neural activity, muscle activity, provide extremely efficient fatigue resistance, and rapidly replenish energy at the cellular level, fundamentally restoring one's vitality and spirit in a short period.