Chapter 27: Demigod Life

Two and a half hours had passed before Chen Meng finally stopped; he had no choice—such prolonged practice was taking its toll on his wrist.
Knowledge Points: 27
Page Progress: High School Alchemy (16/909), High School Forging (0/712)
Analysis Progress: Ghost Lotus Step (3%), Recoil Suppression (85%), Rotating Gun (4%), Concealed Gun (2%)
Chen Meng glanced at his current analysis progress; he was only 15% away from fully mastering the recoil suppression technique. By now, he had fired 700 rounds.
The constant gunfire in his training area drew curious, astonished looks from those nearby.
“You’re improving rapidly.”
Lv Guang walked over. “If you practice a bit more, you should be able to learn recoil suppression.”
Chen Meng smiled, acknowledging, “I think so, but my wrist feels terribly sore. I need to rest for a bit.”
Lv Guang nodded, and the two stepped aside.
Chen Meng picked up a bottle of mineral water and drank it all in one go.
“Coach, when you were at the Primeval Frontier, did you ever fight with beast creatures?” Chen Meng asked after some thought.
“That was a routine occurrence for us. Our main enemies at the Primeval Frontier are those unintelligent beast creatures,” Lv Guang began, falling into a reflective silence. “To keep those beasts from entering Earth, tens of thousands of soldiers sacrifice themselves every year. Even some powerful divine bodies among us humans—those at the demigod level—have fallen.”
“Demigod?” Chen Meng frowned. Could humans really be called gods, even if only half-gods?
“A seventh-tier divine body is also known as a demigod. It’s said that at that stage, there’s little difference between them and true deities. Even if only the head remains, their broken bodies can regrow, though it takes immense energy. Seventh-tier divine bodies can change their cellular structure, shift their forms—animals can become human, humans can become animals. It’s terrifying,” Lv Guang said calmly. At that level, divine bodies are nearly the backbone of humanity, its foundation.
Chen Meng inhaled sharply; this was the first time he’d heard of demigods.
Such divine bodies—how were they any different from the gods of legend? No wonder the term “god” was used.
“I read in books that there are civilizations on the other side of the Primeval, and that the Primeval language is what those civilizations use. Have you ever encountered people from those civilizations?” Chen Meng pressed. It was a rare chance to ask Lv Guang questions.
“The Primeval aliens are our second greatest foe after the beast creatures, and we believe they’ll eventually become our number one enemy. The beasts may be numerous, but lack intelligence; the Primeval aliens are intelligent,” Lv Guang said evenly. “In fact, they’re already infiltrating our side. Those cults you’ve heard about are actually the minions of these Primeval forces.”
“So that’s how it is.” Chen Meng nodded, suddenly understanding much more.
He wanted to ask something else, but someone approached. Chen Meng looked up, stunned—it was the same receptionist as last time.
The new receptionist had already told Chen Meng her name was Xiang Yan.

“You’ve come,” Lv Guang slowly stood up. “I told you, you don’t need to stay with me. I’m not worth your time.”
Chen Meng was bewildered. There was history between these two!
“Because of you, I argued with the shooting range manager and have already resigned. I probably won’t be coming here much anymore,” Xiang Yan said. “I don’t think you should give up on yourself. Even though you’ve lost an arm, your cultivation and marksmanship remain. If you could advance to fourth-tier divine body, perhaps your arm could regrow.”
“Fourth-tier divine body—that’s too difficult,” Lv Guang shook his head.
Chen Meng had long suspected Lv Guang might be a divine body; now it was no surprise.
“Your student?” Xiang Yan looked at Chen Meng. “He’s a good kid, gifted in marksmanship. If you really intend to retire here, find someone to inherit your skills—he’s perfect for you.”
Kid?
Chen Meng was miffed. He was about to graduate high school, and she called him a kid?
“The Old Wolf and the others have retired, but they still want to hunt beast creatures. They’ve formed a small team and invited me. I’ve agreed, and at the start of next month, we’ll launch our first operation—entering the Primeval to hunt beast creatures. If you’re interested, you can contact me anytime. They’d welcome your joining.” Xiang Yan said.
Lv Guang’s breathing grew heavy. He fished a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took several deep drags.
Chen Meng didn’t quite understand their conversation, but sensed it might be useful to him someday.
“They won’t mind me?” Lv Guang asked softly.
His broken arm had severely affected his marksmanship, which was why he’d been forced to retire. He’d always taken it to heart.
“Even with a broken arm, you’re a remarkable marksman,” Xiang Yan said. “You should have confidence in your skills. At least among the warriors I’ve seen, no one has surpassed you. Why do you think I like you and not others?”
“I understand. I’ll think about it,” Lv Guang said, clearly moved.
“We’re looking forward to your good news,” Xiang Yan said, glanced at Lv Guang, and finally turned to leave.
Chen Meng watched in wonder. Miss Xiang Yan was actually quite attractive, while Lv Guang looked like a typical uncle—how did Xiang Yan come to like him?
“What kind of look is that? I used to be dashing and elegant myself,” Lv Guang grumbled, feeling he couldn’t let Chen Meng underestimate him.
Chen Meng just chuckled, not bothering to reply. Like anyone would believe that.
…

Chen Meng resumed his training, and after consuming another 14 knowledge points, finally raised his recoil suppression progress to 100%.
The moment he fully mastered recoil suppression, Chen Meng felt his understanding of marksmanship rise to a new level.
“Eight hundred twenty rounds to master recoil suppression—truly a genius.”
Lv Guang murmured, watching Chen Meng with genuine astonishment.
Chen Meng chuckled inwardly. You only saw how many rounds I fired; you didn’t see how much money I spent. Today alone, another ten thousand yuan went up in smoke, not to mention 87 knowledge points.
…
Leaving the shooting range, Chen Meng returned to school to review academic subjects before heading home.
But today, he didn’t see Tang Wenjing. The entire class was empty except for him, sitting alone in the deserted classroom, fully absorbed in his studies.
At ten in the evening, he got off the last bus and headed straight for the roast chicken shop. Ahead of him was a man wrapped tightly in a hat and heavy clothing, who also bought a roast chicken.
Watching the man hurry off with his purchase, Chen Meng muttered, “What’s wrong with him? It’s so hot, and he’s bundled up like that—won’t he get heatstroke?”
He turned to the shop owner. “One roast chicken, make it a fatty one.”
The owner packed up the chicken for him, and Chen Meng headed toward the old neighborhood where Mouse Beibei lived. The weather seemed even more stifling, so he took off his jacket and slung it over his shoulder.
“This damned weather—they said it’d rain, but it hasn’t.”
He grumbled as he slipped through the collapsed wall into the derelict old neighborhood. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks; that tightly wrapped man was just ahead.
Roast chicken, abandoned old neighborhood, Mouse Beibei?
“Damn, he’s here to steal my business!”
Chen Meng immediately realized: Mouse Beibei must have found another agent and ditched him.
That wouldn’t do. His daily profits from Mouse Beibei were substantial, and his progress in high school alchemy depended on milking Mouse Beibei for all he was worth. He couldn’t let someone else cut off his livelihood.
He hurried after the man, pondering how to reclaim his business.