Getting Stronger By Fighting

Wang Zhan, inside the fortress airship, naturally had no time to concern himself with matters unfolding behind him. The Yang family, the Tang family, the Xu family, and various other prominent families whose names escaped him; or perhaps the Martial Arts Academy, Original Organization, companies, and so on. At best, they were dealings worth tens or hundreds of billions. For a young man like him, with a clear conscience and a courageous heart, what did that even matter...

Ahem, they do have some use...

As Wang Zhan pondered, he quickly cut off his train of thought and continued to vigilantly observe his surroundings, not daring to relax even for a moment.

He wasn't unaware that the Military Department had been infiltrated by the Original Organization. Although he couldn't for the life of him figure out what that woman intended to do, if she truly harbored any ill will towards him... Without a doubt, Wang Zhan, situated inside the fortress airship, would be the easiest target to attack and the most convenient one to succeed against.

Wang Zhan could even imagine it. They would only need a simple excuse to effortlessly cover up his death, and no one would suspect a thing.

For instance, a minor malfunction detected in the airship, causing the decompression system to fail...

They wouldn't be that ruthless, would they?

Wang Zhan muttered to himself, his expression unreadable as he focused his senses.

Although he was alone in the small cabin and felt no physical discomfort, still...

He had a fear of heights and couldn't relax.

…

RUMBLE… CRASH…

Suddenly, a dizzying pressure descended, almost suffocating Wang Zhan.

Had he jinxed himself by speaking too soon? Otherwise, why would such an unexpected event occur?

But...

"Please don't panic, everyone! We are about to pass through the black hole channel! Please remain calm, stay in your positions, and do not move around without permission…"

Listening to the announcement from the loudspeaker, Wang Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Evidently, the confident-sounding male voice was somewhat trustworthy.

But on second thought, Wang Zhan's eyes narrowed. A startling realization struck him, connecting to something even more horrifying.

A black hole channel? What in the world is that…

He found it hard to control his racing thoughts, his mind speculating wildly.

Black hole, black hole, black hole...

Previously, he had dismissed it as mere textbook theory. There was not a shred of information about it in the entire Federation; it had seemed utterly insignificant.

But who could have guessed that on today's journey, the mere mention of a 'black hole' would make Wang Zhan fully realize his own ignorance, and a corner of the truth—long hidden but finally emerging—would be revealed.

What are they hiding? Are the beasts on Earth truly invincible? Is the Star War Battlefield mentioned by the Old Man the same place as the one spoken of by those four... irreverent seniors?

Here, the 'Old Man' specifically referred to the elder from the Small World Book Repository, and the four 'irreverent... seniors' naturally meant the four deans of the Federation's Martial Arts Academies.

But these weren't the main points. The crucial thing was that Wang Zhan could never have imagined, nor could he have ever conceived, that the so-called Star War Battlefield wasn't in the cosmos beyond the Earth Federation. Instead, it was in a cosmos... beyond a black hole channel.

"Prepare for landing!"

It's here!

...

With a thud.

Wang Zhan was thrown to the floor. If he hadn't already strapped himself tightly into his seat, the force would have tossed him about like soybeans in a winnowing basket.

BOOM...

The immense impact and pressure made Wang Zhan's breathing labored.

HUFF... HUFF... HUFF... Damn it, this kind of landing won't kill me, will it? If I die here, wouldn't that be an epic failure, dying before achieving anything? What a massive loss!

It was no wonder he thought that way.

It truly was the first time Wang Zhan had encountered such a situation. There was no one nearby to talk to; he couldn't even find a hand to hold.

「Meanwhile, outside.」

A massive fortress plummeted from the sky.

With its terrifying speed and immense weight, Fire Light flared, the compressed air creating sonic booms, and the sky above shimmered with an ethereal glow.

Evidently, this was all due to intense friction—Heaven and Earth testing this fortress. It was a dazzling display, signifying both immense energy and extreme danger.

If it couldn't withstand it, the fortress would disintegrate completely, becoming nothing more than fertilizer for this land.

Finally.

BOOM...

A deafening roar erupted, and pillars of turbulent, searing light suddenly burst forth from beneath the fortress.

These not only stabilized the fortress, allowing it to hover mid-air, but then propelled it away with incredible speed, like a swift steed vanishing in a flash.

Although the airship had vanished, its arrival had already attracted the attention of the native inhabitants.

And so,

ROAR… SCREECH… HOWL… MOO… SNARL…

A series of ferocious, enraged roars suddenly erupted from the ground below.

Viewed from the sky, they might have appeared as insignificant ants, baring their fangs and claws.

But up close, one would discover an endless horde of diverse, awe-inspiring beasts, seething with fury. The weakest among them was at the General-level.

They galloped and roared, their eyes bloodshot, their bodies reeking of blood and violence—a terrifying sight to behold.

…

With a HUM.

Soon after, a CLICKING sound was heard.

The cabin door in front of Wang Zhan was opened from the outside by a young man in uniform, who looked at him with a broad smile and said,

"We're here, Student Wang Zhan! I hope you had a pleasant journey!"

Wang Zhan struggled to lift his head and glance at him, recognizing the man as the one who had led him onto the airship.

However, just as he tried to smile to ease the atmosphere, this slight movement triggered another sudden, unpleasant reaction.

BLECH...

Sputter...

It felt as if someone had punched him hard in the stomach; Wang Zhan nearly vomited everything he had eaten three days prior.

Of course, since there was no food, he could only bring up... stomach bile.

RETCH...

This was definitely not what he intended.

By the time the exasperated young man helped Wang Zhan up and escorted him out of the fortress exit, Wang Zhan suspected he might have actually vomited himself to death today if it had continued.

He felt incredibly weak.

This is killing me...

He truly hadn't expected that he, of all people, could suffer from 'space-airship sickness'.

Fortunately, he was out now.

Along the way, Wang Zhan had no idea who else might be traveling with him. Of course, he didn't ask.

He knew in his heart that most people who boarded this airship were likely not involved in entirely legitimate affairs.

Therefore, inside the airship he was on, he hadn't seen a single other living soul—aside from the young man and himself.

However, he did see quite a few people en route.

Everyone hurried through this spartan yet spacious, and impressively grand, Air Base.

No one greeted each other or spoke. Like Wang Zhan, they moved through the slowly gathering crowd, some in casual wear, others in uniform, their faces indistinct and hard to tell apart.

In fact, apart from the lack of features like glass floor tiles, Wang Zhan found this Air Base rather remarkable and was secretly amazed.

It's practically no different from Earth! The Human Race... has actually developed such a base in this place? Then where did that slogan 'Humanity Shall Never Be Slaves' come from...

…

Not long after,

Wang Zhan walked out of the Air Base, only then noticing the many dilapidated old buildings outside, some even with gaping holes in them.

But despite this, people, whether hurried or unhurried, still walked about contentedly on the ground or worked within offices behind those holes.

This scene once again made Wang Zhan wonder.

Was he really here to complete a mission, or was he dreaming, transported back to his freshman year of university? It just didn't make sense! How could the Human Race be living so comfortably? Weren't they supposed to be on the brink of being wiped out by beasts... cough, cough... fighting desperately for survival?

As Wang Zhan's mind raced with these thoughts, Wei Daoming's arrangements began to fall into place.

Upon hearing Wang Zhan's arrival,

A young man, who had been leaning against a pillar by the Air Base gate reading a book, immediately put it away and leisurely strolled over to Wang Zhan.

He gently removed his cap, revealing a very friendly smile as he greeted him,

"Hello, are you Student Wang Zhan?"

After carefully observing the young man before him, a sharp glint flashed in Wang Zhan's eyes.

"Are you Lin Hao?"

Sure enough.

Lin Hao produced his identification—a small student ID card.

Clearly visible on it were a few easily overlooked words: Lin Hao, senior student, Yanjing Martial Arts Academy.

Confirming his identity, Wang Zhan immediately grinned and said,

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Where do we head first?"

In truth, Wang Zhan had never met Lin Hao and didn't know what he looked like, but this didn't hinder his intuition or judgment.

This place felt strangely, almost unnervingly, safe to Wang Zhan. Yet, precisely because of this, a sense of reassurance settled in his heart.

If Wei Daoming, that old fox, could make such a mistake in his arrangements and lead me straight into a tiger's den, then so be it. If death comes, it comes; there'd be nothing I could do.

Lin Hao laughed heartily and said,

"Student Wang Zhan, you truly live up to your renown as a young hero of the Federation. Meeting you today, you're indeed extraordinary! Come with me. Although I don't know what mission you've accepted, if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

With that, he started a car even more decrepit than a jalopy... ahem, a jalopy.

He drove Wang Zhan away from the Air Base, meandering through this enigmatic city as they searched for their destination.

Wang Zhan observed the surroundings, growing increasingly curious.

The people living here didn't seem to be ordinary people; all of them were accomplished Martial Artists with cultivation.

Yet, strangely, most of them lacked the spirited drive and unwavering conviction typical of a Martial Artist, appearing more like ordinary people.

What could be the reason for this?

He immediately asked in a low voice,

"Senior Lin Hao, I'd like to ask, what's the story behind this city?"

A subtle glint flashed in his eyes as he noticed certain... blind spots.

Since I'm new here and have no sources of information, Lin Hao, right in front of me... is naturally my new tool... ahem, tour guide.