Chapter 81: The Armor of Qi

Lang Sheng lay prone on the ground, his emotions turbulent—a blend of despair, fear, regret, and even a touch of bewilderment, yet somewhere in his heart lingered a faint glimmer of expectation and hope.

He had risen and fallen by the hand of the System. Had it not been for this “Good Man System,” he would never have ascended to the Silver rank in such a short time, nor would he have navigated the recent vicious tide with such ease, relying solely on his own strength and a handful of scattered adversaries.

Yet it was precisely because of this “Good Man System” that, after eliminating Wang Kui, he refrained from eradicating the roots of the problem. Wasn’t a good man supposed to punish only the chief villains, not implicate the innocent?

Now regret gnawed at him. He had thought the three boys wouldn’t escape far, never imagining one of them would encounter a few wild experts.

Those wild experts sought to seize power and usurp his position. Fortunately, he was still a Level 2 member, which allowed him to cling to life a little longer.

But even that would not last long, for he knew he was a thorn in the side of the Silver Chamber of Commerce.

If, like many settlements, he had chosen to cooperate deeply with the organization, employing their puppet servants in large numbers, they would not have stood idly by. But because he tried to maintain his independence, they would not intervene directly, instead deliberately delaying, only coming to investigate after the fact.

His hope was not in the Silver Chamber, but in his own System.

After making his decision, Wang Shaochong clearly relaxed, knowing enough of the inside story to be certain the Silver Chamber was supposed to back Lang Sheng.

However, he could not openly slap the Chamber in the face; he still needed their recognition to solidify his position as president, lest these three outsiders relegate him to a mere figurehead.

He crouched, bone-picking dagger in hand, patting Lang Sheng’s face and pointing to those around them.

“Uncle Lang, weren’t you determined to be a good man? Look—despite all the benefits you’ve given these people, is there anyone here willing to speak up for you? Those who would, aren’t they all your old brothers?”

“And yet, what did you do? You took the benefits owed to your old brothers and handed them to these wretches and paupers, got my father killed, and now—do you regret it?”

The onlookers all kept their heads bowed, but none dared leave.

The three had summoned the crowd via loudspeaker precisely to make them witness the former president’s fate, to cow them into submission.

Indeed, regret gnawed at Lang Sheng. He regretted that after obtaining the System, he did not immediately change strategies, wholeheartedly embracing the protection of the Silver Chamber, bringing in their strength for his shelter, keeping a low profile, and buying himself time to grow.

Instead, he made a fatal mistake, believing that with the System as his backing, he could be more independent, even start regional alliances to elevate his own status.

He had failed to distinguish between primary and secondary contradictions—no wonder he had come to this end.

No matter how powerful the System, or how bright his prospects, with so little time to develop, he was no match for veteran experts.

Among the trio—a woman and two men—the men were unremarkable, but the middle-aged woman was formidable. Her defensive technique, a suit of spiritual armor, was something he had not yet learned.

At that moment, the voice he’d long awaited finally sounded.

“Host is at the brink of life and death. System has evolved. New module unlocked for host.”

Lang Sheng suppressed the surge of joy in his heart. He knew it—the System could indeed be relied upon.

He immediately closed his eyes in silence, feigning utter despair, while in truth, he began searching his mind for a new solution.

Just then, Feng Erjin returned pale-faced, following the young man.

“Sister-in-law, Second Brother, the people from the Silver Chamber have spoken. This is an internal blood feud—they won’t interfere. It’s up to us to handle it,” the young man exclaimed excitedly.

Feng Erjin, however, looked utterly hopeless. He knew that once Wang Shaochong took power, confidants of the former president like himself would inevitably be purged.

“You hear that, nephew? I told you to act first, but now you’ve let this man live half an hour longer for nothing,” the middle-aged woman could not wait to urge Wang Shaochong.

One look at Feng Erjin’s expression told Wang Shaochong the young man spoke the truth. Without further hesitation, he drove his knife straight at Lang Sheng’s chest.

But at that instant, Lang Sheng flipped over, seized the stabbing arm, and sprang to his feet, his hand gripping Wang Shaochong’s throat, using him as a human shield.

The three immediately sensed trouble. The middle-aged woman reacted fastest, never having taken her eyes off Lang Sheng.

As he rose, a suit of grey-brown armor flashed over her, and an iron hammer appeared in her hand.

It was this very armor that had deflected the concentrated gunfire of Lang Sheng’s five most elite bodyguards during the earlier ambush. She had slain them with her hammer and then crippled Lang Sheng.

A Silver-ranked expert herself, she knew that when dealing with humans, psychic attacks were not always effective, but physical attacks often were. Many practiced meditation techniques, but few could master spirit-control arts.

The two young men, stunned, had no idea what had just happened.

“Shoot him!” the woman bellowed as she charged, issuing her command.

The two young men finally came to their senses, drew their pistols, and fired, heedless of the risk to Wang Shaochong.

Meanwhile, Lang Sheng, holding Wang Shaochong, used his body to absorb several bullets, then crashed into the middle-aged woman.

In that instant, white light flickered over her. A gap appeared in the chest of the grey-brown armor.

A bone-picking dagger tore through the gap, plunging viciously into her heart.

“This…this is impossible!” the woman gasped, feeling her strength rapidly drain away as she stared down at the dagger buried to its hilt.

With the System, nothing was impossible.

Lang Sheng, bullets still whizzing, used Wang Shaochong’s corpse as a shield and charged the two young men.

They made a fatal error: confronted with such a blood-soaked, savage man, they turned and ran.

Lang Sheng did not give chase, but ordered the crowd, “Shoot them dead!”

Feng Erjin instantly drew his pistol and fired at their backs. A few others, after a moment’s hesitation, also drew their weapons and joined in.

Moments later, in the chaos of the plaza, the two young men were shot to pieces.

Only then did Feng Erjin breathe a long sigh of relief. Before, none had dared resist because the woman’s grey armor had caused bullets to ricochet harmlessly away.

Five of their best-trained bodyguards, skilled in marksmanship and combat—though not true professionals, still elite—had been slaughtered by her. The rest, guns in hand, dared not act rashly.

Now, as the last of the crowd realized what had happened, screams erupted across the plaza. People scattered, fleeing in panic.

Lang Sheng, frowning, said to Feng Erjin, “Take some men and clear the area.”

Then, without another word, he departed alone in haste, heading in a particular direction.

At this moment, he trusted no one.

Meanwhile, Fan Bei, who had witnessed this bloody drama through the pages of a book, could not help but sigh.

Lin Zhongqing had gained a System and dared to stand on his own, facing the Silver Chamber’s pressure and surviving.

Lang Sheng, with his System for just two months, had already faced a fatal crisis; if not for Fan Bei’s timely intervention, he’d have been dead.

This was reality: even with a golden finger, if one was not cautious and kept a low profile, death still awaited.

Fan Bei himself was always discreet. He never sought to build empires or dominate, leaving such affairs to his steward while he focused on strengthening his own power.

Thinking of this, Fan Bei continued examining his new armor. The middle-aged woman’s defense had been a suit of grey armor enveloping her whole body, whereas he had chosen a cloud of white mist for his own protection.

A single thought, and mist billowed all around him.

He called this mist “Qi Armor.”

Ordinarily invisible, at the first sign of danger, it could expand to envelop his entire body.

Its density was adjustable; if confronted with powerful bullets, not only would his precise location be untraceable, but as bullets entered the mist, it would instantly condense, making it as dense as mercury, impeding their advance.

Just as bullets cannot travel far underwater, their energy would be absorbed by the mist, never reaching the protected target.

Qi Armor worked on the same principle, and with adjustable density, it could absorb even more energy.

Moreover, Fan Bei intended to develop more functions for his Qi Armor—anti-toxin, radiation shielding, heat resistance, suffocation prevention, acceleration, and more.

For Fan Bei, there was no need to worry about lacking spiritual power. He was well-read, with a vast reservoir of knowledge to realize all these functions.