Chapter 101: Refusing to Accept Fate

Inside the room, Ni Hu sat slouched in a chair, his eyes vacant, his spirit utterly crushed. Chen Meng pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. The chair scraped sharply against the floor, jolting Ni Hu awake and causing him to look up at Chen Meng.

“Didn’t expect us to meet here, at the Enforcement Bureau’s detention center,” Chen Meng smiled faintly. “Your family situation is terrible, but your grades were excellent—always top of the class. That became your only solace. You were filled with hope for the future, believing that once you became a divine lifeform, all your troubles would vanish. It was like a dream, your goal to strive for. But one day, that dream shattered, that goal became impossible to achieve, and you couldn’t accept it. So, you wanted to end your life, right?”

Ni Hu stared at Chen Meng, his gaze unsettling.

“Why so silent? Don’t you think I’m wrong?”

“Why are you here, at the Enforcement Bureau?” Ni Hu finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

Chen Meng chuckled inwardly. He wasn’t afraid of Ni Hu speaking; once he spoke, things would be easier to handle. “It’s simple. Because I’m also an enforcer with the Enforcement Bureau. This isn’t my first time here. Seems like you don’t know much about me. I can tell you in detail. After all, the old me and the current you are somewhat alike.”

Regardless of Ni Hu’s reaction, Chen Meng continued: “About two months ago, on my way home from tutoring, I ran into Wang Jie, a student who had stolen some potions from Jiangzhou University and was on the run. To keep his tracks hidden, he tried to kill me. By then, he was already a first-tier divine lifeform, and I was no match for him. If I had given up, I’d be a corpse now—or rather, my remains would have already been cremated. But I didn’t accept my fate. Why should I be killed by him? I fought back, and in the end, I killed him.”

Ni Hu looked at Chen Meng in disbelief. He couldn’t imagine Chen Meng had killed someone—let alone a divine lifeform.

Chen Meng smiled lightly. “Not long after, the Crescent Moon Sect tried to kill me too. I fled, barely escaping being beaten to death, shot, or bombed with a single-operator missile. But I survived, and even managed to kill a second-tier divine lifeform from the Crescent Moon Sect. After that, the Enforcement Bureau rewarded me, offering to guarantee my admission to Jiangzhou University. But why would I want to attend Jiangzhou University? The only place I wanted to go was Jiangdu University. No one can arrange my life for me, and no one can take my life away.”

Ni Hu was stunned, finding these tales almost unbelievable.

Chen Meng smiled again. “That’s not all, actually. After the battle with the Crescent Moon Sect and the Enforcement Bureau, I killed a sect member right at the entrance of Jiangzhou Academy of Sciences, seriously wounded another, and foiled their plan to steal some research data. At that time, I was still just a regular person, but each time, I survived against all odds, emerging stronger and better.”

Ni Hu looked at Chen Meng with a deep sense of awe, unable to imagine all the terrifying things that had happened to him. Compared to Chen Meng, he really was nothing but a flower cultivated in a greenhouse.

“Did you really go through all that?” Ni Hu asked tremblingly.

“Do you think I’d lie to you?” Chen Meng smiled. “How I became a divine lifeform, how I easily took a long leave from school, how I became an enforcer—all that proves it.”

“He’s not lying,” Jiang Feiyu entered at that moment, backing Chen Meng up. “Chen Meng’s story is even more legendary than you imagine. In our Enforcement Bureau, they’ve nicknamed him the ‘Crescent Moon Nemesis’ because the sect has suffered heavy losses every time he’s involved. So what you’ve been through compared to Chen Meng’s adventures is nothing. You’re both high school students, but Chen Meng has risked his life multiple times, fighting for his future. And you? You only prove how weak and cowardly you are by trying to take your own life.”

Chen Meng nodded. “So, Ni Hu, if all you think about is suicide, then you’re just an escapist, a coward. You think fate has been unfair to you, that heaven has wronged you. What you should do is fight back. You’re eighteen now. It’s time to grow up.”

After saying this, Chen Meng turned to Jiang Feiyu. “Jiang, let’s step outside and let him think it through.”

Jiang Feiyu nodded.

...

In the adjacent lounge—

“Weren’t your words a bit harsh just now?”

“Not harsh, just right. He needs a role model, a bit of a push,” Chen Meng said. “If he can’t even get past this hurdle, then even if he doesn’t kill himself later, he’ll just be a walking corpse.”

“You’re suddenly so serious, I barely recognize you.”

“I thought you’d say, ‘Once you put on clothes, I don’t recognize you anymore,’” Chen Meng teased.

“You’ve got my taste. If you don’t go to university, I think you could still make it in the Enforcement Bureau. Maybe one day you could even be a squad leader.”

“That’s too unambitious. At least let me be a bureau chief.”

“Ha! Ambitious. If you really become the head of Jiangzhou’s Enforcement Bureau someday, just give me a squad leader spot.”

“Deal.”

...

As the two joked and bantered, the door was pushed open.

Ni Hu stood there, looking at Chen Meng with a serious expression. “Though I think some of what you said was exaggerated, those things probably did happen. If you can do all that, so can I. I won’t be any worse than you. After all, your grades only surpassed mine once, and before that, I was ahead of you for three years.”

“What do you mean by ‘exaggerated’? That’s slander, pure slander.”

“Come on, Ni Hu, the first time you killed Wang Jie, you really did. Don’t think everyone’s clueless.”

“Oh, Jiang Feiyu, why do you have to reveal my secrets? Can’t I keep up appearances for once? Didn’t you see how he was utterly impressed by me just now?”

“Ha! Then I’ll pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“But you already did. No way—I’m making you treat me tonight to make up for it.”

...

After Chen Meng and Jiang Feiyu finished their playful teasing, Ni Hu spoke solemnly. “Chen Meng, you’re right. I should fight back. Why should I accept my fate? From now on, not accepting my fate will be my fate. If destiny is unfair, I will fight it to the very end.”

“Are you Nezha?” Chen Meng looked at Ni Hu and said instinctively.

Ni Hu blinked. “What did you say?”

“Nothing. It’s good that you’ve opened your mind.” Chen Meng paused, then added, “By the way, although you failed the physical exam, some of your health issues can still be addressed.”

“Yeah, failing the physical doesn’t mean you definitely can’t ascend to divine lifeform. There’s still a chance; it might just cost you more,” Jiang Feiyu added.

Hearing this, hope flickered anew in Ni Hu’s eyes.