Chapter 132: The Contemporary Foster Father of the Martial Arts World

"Brain-Computer Beast Sea? Beta test!"

Zhang Chu understood each of these six words individually, but when strung together, he was completely bewildered. Having just been released from the safe house, he was still skeptical about what Fan Tianlei had told him. He decided to turn to Zhang Xueying, who was standing beside him; she, at least, would not lie to him.

"Don't be nervous, Teacher Xiao Chu. 'Brain-Computer Star Sea' is a virtual reality game jointly developed by the Martial Arts Administration, the Armaments Department, and the Martial Arts Research Institute," Zhang Xueying explained patiently.

A game? Zhang Chu recalled that in his past life, a man named Musk was close to developing brain-computer interfaces. He never expected that this comrade's concepts would be so advanced here—that the Spirit Continent would actually be playing with such things was simply absurd.

"That's right, kid. You are one of the four members chosen for the beta test," Fan Tianlei added.

With his explanation, Zhang Chu finally understood what the Brain-Computer Beast Sea was. The principle was somewhat similar to the Star Beast Hunting Grounds; both were places for martial artists to train. The project was a top-secret initiative under the Martial Arts Academy, jointly developed by the Binzhou Martial Arts Administration, the Armaments Department, and the Martial Arts Research Institute. It had been established twenty years ago, following the first appearance of the "First Generation" half-beasts. Their emergence had overturned the very way martial artists lived, making the project a top priority for the Academy. After fifteen years of research and the recent destruction of Xianchi Village, the data on half-beasts was finally perfected, allowing the project to enter the beta testing phase.

"So, you're saying the Brain-Computer Beast Sea is a training game designed to help martial artists learn how to deal with half-beasts?" Zhang Chu gathered.

Unlike the Star Beast Hunting Grounds in the Boundary Stele Hall, this game allowed martial artists to enter through a brain-computer interface to slay half-beasts. The game was open-ended, automatically refining and synchronizing its construction. The greatest advantage was that martial artists could not die within it.

"You've got the gist of it. The beta test starts in about a week. That card key I gave you is your access code—it's the only way to enter the Brain-Computer Beast Sea."

After chatting for about half an hour, Fan Tianlei left in a hurry. Now that he had the formula for the Spirit-Attaching Liquid, he needed to report to Chen Tianxiang and officially initiate the production of the first batch for experimental testing. Zhang Xueying also had to deliver the formula to the Armaments Department. Soon, Zhang Chu was left alone in the guesthouse.

***

Having been without internet access for a week, Zhang Chu had no idea what had happened in the outside world. He turned on his phone, and a barrage of messages nearly crashed his CPU. Most were from Wang Peng and Hu Sanyi, asking about his safety. His departure to the safe house had been so sudden that it was as if he had simply vanished.

"Come over for a drink," Zhang Chu messaged Wang Peng with the location of the guesthouse, then lay on his bed to scroll through the forums.

Zhang Chu still occupied the top spots on the trending list. However, he was surprised to see the fourth post: a paid promotion—a heartfelt essay written in his defense. To his shock, it was written by Huang Lili.

"I never thought Sister Li would be the first to stand up for me on the forum. She truly is someone who has shared life-and-death experiences with me." Huang Lili held a special place in his heart; if she hadn't taken him to the low-quality pharmaceutical factory to test drugs, he would probably still be wearing diapers. Seeing her concerned messages, he suddenly realized: "That's right, isn't Huang Lili working at the Martial Arts Administration now?"

He quickly messaged her, inviting her to dinner and drinks at the guesthouse that evening. Huang Lili, just about to head home from work, was so excited by the message that she rushed straight to the guesthouse. Wang Peng and Hu Sanyi arrived shortly after.

That night, the four of them sat around, eating and drinking heartily. Without Zhang Xueying’s authoritative presence, Huang Lili was much more lively, leaning in close to Zhang Chu with an ambiguous look in her eyes, much to the envy of Wang Peng and Hu Sanyi.

Zhang Chu spent the next three days in the guesthouse. Zhang Xueying visited once, and Huang Lili stopped by every few days with snacks, which made Zhang Chu very happy. When he was bored, he would hunt star beasts in the Administration’s internal hunting grounds.

"Are you planning to run away again, kid?"

On the fourth day, as Zhang Chu looked at a frustrated Wang Peng, he almost laughed out loud. "You’re just too popular! By rights, I’m much more famous than you now, yet no one has come to impersonate my parents. You, on the other hand, have had wave after wave; the orphanage is practically becoming your family reunion convention."

"Xiao Chu, when you're famous, you get trouble. Being a salesman in the black market was much more relaxed," Wang Peng sighed. He had been annoyed by the situation for some time. If he hadn't moved to Xisha Garden, his home would have been swarmed by these fake parents. "I'm going out of town to hide for a couple of days. Keep an eye on Uncle Li for me."

"Don't worry."

As soon as Wang Peng left, Fan Dayong, whom he hadn't seen in a while, appeared in the room. "Why do you have time to visit me, Section Chief Fan?"

"My father sent me." Fan Dayong looked at Zhang Chu with a newfound intensity. As Fan Tianlei’s son, he knew about the Spirit-Attaching Liquid. Developing a serum to increase a martial artist's "magic resistance" in just one week—if that wasn't genius, what was?

"What did you say? The Martial Arts Administration really wants to embarrass me this much?" A few minutes later, after hearing the news, Zhang Chu felt his world go dark.

***

April 26th, 10:00 AM. Binzhou Martial Arts Square.

Zhang Chu finally ushered in his moment of "social death." At least twenty thousand people had gathered in the square, waiting with bated breath. Chen Tianxiang and Fan Tianlei spoke briefly on stage, announcing the "Spirit-Attaching Liquid." The news instantly ignited the crowd, the forums, and the livestream channels, spreading rapidly to other cities. The news of a way to expand a martial artist's capacity was revolutionary.

When Chen Tianxiang personally announced that the one who had developed the liquid was Zhang Chu—the man who had dominated the forums for the past few days—public opinion shifted dramatically. Someone in the crowd even shouted, "Zhang Chu of Binzhou, you are the foster father of this generation of martial artists!"

Every livestream channel was filled with people calling Zhang Chu "Foster Father." Standing on stage, clutching flowers and a certificate, Zhang Chu was so embarrassed he was digging his toes into his shoes. He didn't want this honor, but Fan Tianlei had insisted it was the only way to put the incident at Xianchi Village behind him.

Soon, he was awarded the honorary title of "Light of Binzhou" by the Martial Arts Administration in front of all the citizens.

"Sister Xueying, I'm leaving first. These 'foster children' are going to swallow me whole!" Having received the award, Zhang Chu greeted Zhang Xueying and fled.

He didn't notice a scruffy old man in the crowd, who excitedly dialed his wife’s number: "Dear, I've finally found Zhang Chu! The kid has made it big. I'm buying you a ticket—get here fast! He has to support us in our old age!"