Chapter 36 of 100

Chapter 36

16 min read3,997 words

After returning home, Zhuochuan once again began his usual work of absorbing soul power. The procedure was already set: first, he would use the intelligent ECG analysis software to find patients who were about to experience life-threatening crises that would be difficult to save. Then, he would review their files, looking for those who were older, well-educated, and had rich life experiences. After that, he would go to the hospital, accompany the doctors through the rescue process.

Of course, officially, he was still observing the clinical effectiveness of the software to improve its predictive accuracy.

During the mountain climb, he had used the "Sigh of Time and Space" twice, almost depleting his soul power. This time, when he came to the scene of a failed rescue, he indeed absorbed the soul power emitted by the dying patients once again.

This time, it took him two whole days to absorb the soul power emitted by nearly twenty dying patients before he could no longer continue.

"Finally full, now it's time for some serious practice," Zhuochuan sighed after discovering he could no longer absorb more. Then, he went to the body in the new world.

The duel was to be conducted in the new world, so he needed to train this new body well.

At the school's combat training hall.

Previously, he could only handle up to six standard combat robots.

Zhuochuan dodged the attacks from these combat robots, which were all made of top-tier artificial materials. In the past and now, he could at most knock them down, not destroy them, as their external defense materials were too sturdy.

After the experience on the snowy mountain, with his current mental calculation ability, he had long figured out how to use the "Sigh of Time and Space."

This skill was the pinnacle of offensive techniques. He could confidently say that in single combat, it combined locking, attacking, defending, and moving all together.

Time stasis would prevent the opponent from moving or attacking, allowing him to easily find and attack their weak points.

Spatial teleportation would allow him to instantly move to a designated position during the time stasis, which was a form of positional transfer. Zhuochuan had a hypothesis: if this hypothesis was confirmed, no one could defend against his attacks.

Now was the time to verify this hypothesis.

His eyes flickered slightly, and the entire combat training hall seemed to freeze. In an instant, Zhuochuan's figure had already appeared beside a robot.

However, he did not punch. Instead, he inserted his hand into the center of the robot's head and gripped it tightly.

At this moment, the effect of the "Sigh of Time and Space" had disappeared. The robot, which was originally flexible and sturdy, suddenly fell to the ground, its head no longer round but bulging outward, as if it had been compressed.

But Zhuochuan's hand was also firmly stuck in the robot's head, unable to pull it out. However, he did not panic and activated the "Sigh of Time and Space" again, instantly moving away from his original position.

After doing all this, he called a halt to the combat, looking at the damaged robot with great joy. His hypothesis had been confirmed. This spatial teleportation ignored any obstacles, and as long as the position was set, it would push aside the original matter, allowing his body to occupy that space.

He had discovered this when he teleported from the snow cave to the outside. Part of his body had entered the snow, not completely sinking, but rather a portion of the space had been pushed aside by this skill.

The only weakness was that the matter pushed aside would still compress his body under physical laws.

Therefore, the "Sigh of Time and Space" skill required a certain level of physical strength. The strength of the body affected the distance of the teleportation. If it were his body from the modern world, Zhuochuan would never dare to position his hand inside the robot's head; his hand would be crushed to pieces, as human flesh and blood could not withstand such pressure.

But now, this inherited body was strong enough, already at the peak of physical enhancement in this world, allowing him to perform such actions.

The only problem he faced now was whether this spatial positional transfer could break through the soul power defense of a citizen?

...

"Do you want to challenge He Qiang again?" Old Xu's face showed difficulty when he heard Zhuochuan's request.

He Qiang was the citizen friend Old Xu had invited earlier to give Zhuochuan advice. He had told Zhuochuan that as long as he mastered a B-level citizen's offensive skill, he could crush any E-level citizen.

Now that Zhuochuan had mastered the "Sigh of Time and Space," an extremely mysterious and powerful offensive skill, he naturally wanted to challenge a citizen to confirm its effectiveness.

"What's the problem?" Zhuochuan easily noticed the details of Old Xu's expression.

"Ah, let's not beat around the bush," Old Xu sighed. "Citizens' time is very precious. The last time I invited him was due to our long-standing friendship, and he had just been promoted to the citizen class, so the relationship was still strong. But it's been over two months now, and it's a crucial period for him to consolidate his strength. He has been in contact with me much less, and he no longer inquires about your affairs. I asked him a few times, but he just gave vague responses."

Old Xu was also helpless. The change in status between people was very subtle. Once was fine, but twice or three times would be difficult.

"But I'll still try my best," Old Xu said, as this was a matter of life and death for Zhuochuan. Even if it was embarrassing, he was willing to try.

Zhuochuan was not a naive young man. He had been through the ups and downs of the workplace for many years and understood human relationships well. The current situation was like asking a billionaire for help. The first time, they might be very willing due to childhood friendship, but the second or third time, they would likely think the person was being unreasonable, as there was no way to reciprocate.

Wait, Zhuochuan's mind was quick, and he immediately sensed something unusual.

(At the time, He Qiang was very polite to me, putting in a lot of effort. He said I was the soul successor of a B-level citizen and would grow quickly. It wasn't just out of friendship with Old Xu; he must have seen my potential. Why has it changed now?)

Zhuochuan, of course, would not voice this speculation. He had no information about the situation on the ground and could not make a judgment, so he could only keep this doubt in mind.

Old Xu quickly sent a message to He Qiang through the communicator.

The reply came quickly, but the two of them were immediately disheartened.

"I am on a mission and will be unavailable for a month."

At least the other party gave a reason, and Zhuochuan could only console himself.

"Ah, no matter how technology develops, as long as there is survival pressure, the relationships between humans will not change much from thousands of years ago," Old Xu, a robust man, sighed. He, like the previous Zhuochuan, who was also called a muscle man by his students, was clearly deeply affected by the subtle changes in his friend.

Zhuochuan, however, was more open-minded. In the modern world, such examples were countless. It was rare for people to remain close even after becoming wealthy; more often, the wealthy would fear those who might ask for loans.

For relationships to be stable, they always required equivalent exchange, whether in spirit or material. Other noble morals were not the norm and could not be maintained long-term. Zhuochuan shook his head. The principle he followed during the mountain climb in the modern world, when making choices, was once again confirmed here.

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