These days, Feng Lianzhu has been closely following the live broadcasts on TV, just waiting for the result of the second trial.
What was supposed to be a ten-minute video call felt as brief as a few seconds.
After the call ended, Feng Lianzhu lay on his bed, reminiscing about the chubby little dragon and the mature buzz-cut man he had become, gradually feeling more at ease with the transformation.
Even though his appearance had changed, Pang Kirates, who had yet to inherit his ancestral memories, remained the same unaged dragon at heart, his soul unaltered. Feng Lianzhu believed that even if they had never met before, he would recognize those deep blue eyes in a crowd.
Feng Lianzhu wasn’t concerned about Pang Kirates’s safety in the game. The Golden Coin Amusement Park wasn’t a battle map. Bosses could choose to accept challenges from players or stop fighting at will. Besides, with a battleship in Pang Kirates’s arsenal, even if he couldn’t transform back into a dragon and was at his weakest during metamorphosis, Pang Kirates remained the supreme power in the game, safest within the Golden Coin Mountain.
His only regret was not being able to see the dragon form. It would have been nice to switch between viewing the human form and the dragon form during the video call.
At this point, Feng Lianzhu was not worried about the ten thousand points spent on the video call. Recently, he earned a substantial amount of points through the “Fake Smiling Boy” and with the continuous growth of the chubby dragon’s fanbase in the game world, their points had now surpassed 500,000.
Somewhere along the line, the system stopped notifying Feng Lianzhu about their individual points, only displaying their combined total whenever he checked.
With so many points, they could actually afford to video call more often, just to tease him a bit more. Sitting up, Feng Lianzhu mused with his chin propped on his hands.
ใCongratulations to the host Feng Lianzhu for comprehending emotions such as “Mischief” and “Teasing,” earning 5000 points.ใ
See, even the system seemed to encourage extending the video call time.
Feng Lianzhu was a person of extreme self-control. Even after learning to follow his heart with the help of Pang Kirates and the system, he remained very disciplined. He allowed himself only an hour to miss the chubby dragon. After that hour, he put away his thoughts and started planning his next moves.
After his internship ended, Feng Lianzhu began taking exams. He first took the Science Academy’s exam as a senior-year intern. After passing the exam, he entered the Alliance Science Academy directly without even receiving his university diploma.
The process was accelerated thanks to his college application choices.
Aiming to graduate from a sports university, Feng Lianzhu had filled out his college applications for the Alliance Sports University, a prestigious institution primarily admitting students through internal recruitment, many of whom had been sports trainees since elementary school and were pre-admitted before the college entrance exams. Only a few programs at the Sports University were open to public admission, with the rest requiring early interviews.
Graduates from the Sports University either joined the Alliance sports teams, with some having won interstellar championships before university, or were trained to meet mecha warrior standards. Those who found it challenging to enter the highly competitive mecha engineering program due to their theoretical grades often chose the Sports University, graduating to become mecha trainees in the military as another career path.
Even the least successful students could pursue postgraduate studies or stay at the university.
The principal of Alliance Third Elementary School believed that a top college entrance exam scorer, even if applying to a sports university, should aim for the best. Thus, they guided Feng Lianzhu to apply to the Sports University. After receiving his university acceptance letter, he immediately submitted his internship documentation and applied for his graduation exams.
Once he applied for graduation exams, Feng Lianzhu’s status changed to that of a prospective graduate, allowing him to take the Science Academy’s exams as a new graduate.
The Science Academy had already set their sights on this talented top scorer. Hearing that he had applied to a sports university, the director of the Science Academy was infuriated, deeming it a waste of talent. To their delight, upon his admission, Feng Lianzhu applied for the graduate exams, making a rapid three-step leap in status, much to the director’s joy, who promptly arranged for his exams. Naturally, Feng Lianzhu passed with ease.
Thus, he began his internship at the Science Academy before even receiving his university diploma.
With a vast array of exam subjects over four years of university, it took about a month of continuous testing for Feng Lianzhu to successfully obtain his diploma.
His internship period coincidentally ended, and he was set to become a full-fledged researcher the following day, working while pursuing postgraduate studies under a mentor.
This month had been fruitful for Feng Lianzhu.
He chose the rare plant conservation subject, mentored by a botanist. Under the mentor’s guidance, using his own wood attribute to frequently release spiritual energy onto plants, he cultivated a type of tree that could invigorate and stimulate human mental powers.
After numerous tests, this tree was found to release a pleasant aroma through photosynthesis, completely non-toxic and highly beneficial to human health, especially popular among the researchers at the Science Academy.
Feng Lianzhu, ever the exemplary student, despite being the one who tirelessly cultivated the tree, attributed all the credit to his mentor. The botanist mentor gained considerable fame, and the tree was named after them. Once the copyright was approved, it could be promoted across the entire Alliance, planted on every planet.
The botanist mentor was so delighted that he almost granted Feng Lianzhu his postgraduate degree on the spot, proposing that the cultivation and propagation of this plant serve as his thesis, guaranteeing its approval.
Fortunately, the mentor calmed down, realizing Feng Lianzhu’s academic progression was already extraordinarily fast, having advanced from elementary school to university graduation in just six months. Completing postgraduate studies in a month would be too quick, even for him.
At the very least, it took three months to graduate from university, so postgraduate studies should take at least half a year, right?
Unsure of how to further reward his diligent student, the mentor decided on a bonus. However, Feng Lianzhu declined the bonus, shyly explaining that his initial intention was to ease the mentor’s burden from working late and to alleviate the fatigue of the Academy’s scholars, who had sacrificed so much for the nation. He wished to support the Academy’s researchers with his own efforts, hoping the tree could assist the scholars.
The mentor was overjoyed at the proposal to place one of these trees in every office, lending prestige to their Plant Science Department.
The tree proved to be safe, non-toxic, and beneficial to humans, with additional tests confirming its bark could treat certain types of seborrheic alopecia, making it even more popular. The Science Academy’s leadership, appreciating the plant’s value and given Feng Lianzhu’s mentor’s esteemed standing, approved the request swiftly. Just two days ago, many trees were delivered to each department.
Aside from the laboratories, almost every office now housed such a plant. Each tree, requiring soil cultivation, came with a hidden little clay figure in its pot.
Within just two days, Feng Lianzhu had mapped out the Science Academy in his mind.
Using the trees and soil to gather information was the safest and most discreet method Feng Lianzhu could devise without revealing his identity.
He had received much assistance and care along his journey. From Ms. Jenny at Alliance Third Elementary School to the principals and teachers at his internships and Alliance Sports University, including his current botanist mentor, their recognition and support were what enabled him to advance so swiftly.
Alliance laws included a system of educational accountability, implicating many individuals connected to Feng Lianzhu’s account.
Should he rashly infiltrate the Science Academy’s most secretive lab to destroy the dragon specimen and commit treason, all his mentors would be implicated. Even if they weren’t sentenced, their lives would be ruined.
Feng Lianzhu disliked many of the Alliance’s policies, but a flawed system or country doesn’t mean all individuals within it are bad. Many people live ordinary lives, including his botanist mentor at the Science Academy, who was blissfully unaware of the Kirates situation, devoted solely to botany.
He couldn’t allow his personal desires to endanger these individuals. Therefore, Feng Lianzhu must remain untainted, unconnected to the destruction of the dragon specimen.
Others might find this impossible, but Feng Lianzhu, with his unique abilities, could.
He felt the system tailored the bosses he had to defeat, with the abilities he acquired from them precisely enabling him to undertake this task.
Through the clay figures’ investigation over the past two days, he had almost pinpointed the dragon specimen’s exact location.
Even the most secretive conversations wouldn’t guard against a tree. And since Feng Lianzhu wasn’t interested in stealing secrets, only locating the dragon specimen, he specifically sought offices discussing gene enhancers and Atavist individuals the most.
The term “Kirates” wouldn’t appear in the researchers’ discussions. After careful consideration, Feng Lianzhu determined that the rare specimen JS-001 mentioned by the researchers was the dragon’s body.
Fortunately, the secret vault’s corridor housing the specimen, to maintain uniformity with other storage areas, also featured one of Feng Lianzhu’s cultivated trees, enabling him to approach the vault door smoothly.
All was ready, except for an opportune moment.
Feng Lianzhu turned on the TV, which was broadcasting the second trial of the underground arena case. The defense presented numerous pieces of evidence, countered one by one by the prosecutor.
The Imperial Army aimed to decisively deal with the criminals involved, while the Alliance sought to save key individuals in the public eye, sparking a strategic battle between the two. The Imperial Army was already mobilizing forces, ready to assassinate these key generals if the court didn’t sentence them to death.
Following the assassinations, they planned to publicize the event under the name of the Imperial Army, declaring the Alliance’s leadership corrupt. Seizing the moment, they aimed to capture several planets outright, no longer operating in the shadows but openly declaring their power against the Alliance.
Feng Lianzhu was waiting for this chaos. After the trial’s conclusion, the Imperial Army would act swiftly, likely within three days.
This timeframe presented him with the perfect opportunity to blame the destruction of the dragon specimen on the Imperial Army.
Pirate Lind had mentioned that Major General Laurie claimed they had developed a gene enhancer, which Feng Lianzhu knew could only be made from Kirates cells.
In other words, there were likely Imperial Army spies within the Science Academy, possibly even having stolen some specimens. Blaming them would raise no suspicions.
With the dragon specimen destroyed, the impending war between the Imperial Army and the Alliance would ignite, providing an ideal moment to repeal the “Atavist Protection Act” and declare Atavist independenceโa double victory, accomplishing two tasks at once.
Feng Lianzhu closely monitored the televised broadcasts daily, awaiting the trial’s verdict.
Author’s Note:
Chubby Dragon: While Aโzhu is fighting for me, I too must strive! Starting with learning to walk, heave-ho, heave-ho!
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That’s it for the second update. See you tomorrow, muah (ใฅ๏ฟฃ3๏ฟฃ)ใฅโญโค๏ฝ
Amazing to see mc come a long way. Future planning. Having considerations for the people he have met so far. And, for using his research slash thesis as his way to spy OwO