"He's no longer on the same track as us. It will be very difficult to still treat him as an opponent, and his confidence might be shattered."
Lancelot Bell also saw the message at the same time.
Unlike Frank, whose fighting spirit remained undiminished, Lancelot looked completely dejected, like a drowned rat, with not a trace of fighting spirit in his eyes or posture.
"Then let him go, let him go where he belongs. What we need to do is stay on our track and achieve the best results."
The person who spoke was a tall, thin middle-aged man who appeared refined and cultured. However, when he flicked his wrist, a long whip lashed out like a venomous snake, striking Lancelot an inch away from him with a sharp crack.
But Lancelot's expression didn't change at all; he just lay on the ground with empty eyes, and if you looked closely at his chest, it was heaving rapidly.
He stared at the ceiling and said, "Being invincible at the same stage is already so difficult. I practice non-stop every day, even sleeping in the Temple of the Prodigies. When will this end?"
The middle-aged man pushed up his glasses and laughed: "Young master, impossible, never. Once you were born into this family, it was destined that you could never lie down. So get up, next time I'll be hitting you."
Lancelot, however, didn't seem to care about being whipped. As if he had thought of something, he suddenly turned over excitedly and said, "Do you think if I joined Wei Huan's car team, I could just lie down and relax?"
The middle-aged man smiled dangerously: "Then I'm afraid you'll have to talk to the master first. But as far as I know, your idea is just... wishful thinking."
"Smack!"
As the last sentence was uttered, the middle-aged man's whip fell on the young man's body.
But the young man, who hadn't even blinked when the whip struck him, suddenly appeared behind the middle-aged man, his dagger almost pressed against the man's throat.
Looking at the man with that lazy, dead-fish-eyed face, she said, "How would you know if you haven't tried? After all, my biggest dream in life is to lie flat..."
...
"..." After putting down his phone, Shi Hengjun raised his hand and placed it on his right shoulder, where it was empty. His entire arm was gone, and his sleeve hung down shriveled.
The wound had clearly healed, but pressing his fingers on it still caused him a sharp, agonizing pain that made his back sweat, just like the excruciating pain when it was first broken.
After returning from the secondary highway challenge, he spent a lot of money to hire "angels" to treat him, but he still could not regenerate his severed limbs.
Only sixth-tier "Angels of Life" possess the ability to regenerate severed limbs. However, at the current pace, it will probably take another three to five years to successfully reach the sixth tier.
For such a long time, he could only remain disabled, tormented by nightmares every night, waking up in excruciating pain.
Shi Hengjun felt he was close to going insane.
"This Wei Huan... is protected by the Great Xia, so it's very difficult to get rid of him..."
A woman's aged voice came from the other end of the line. Shi Hengjun was startled and quickly composed himself, respectfully calling out, "Grandma."
The woman's hair was streaked with frost, her face was wrinkled, and she was dressed in the distinctive ethnic clothing of the Mulberry Tree Kingdom, kneeling in front of her.
Her posture exuded a sense of distance and made her appear very dignified.
Her brows were furrowed, clearly as she checked the latest messages from Challenge World, and then glanced at Shi Hengjun.
He then said, "...You are no longer qualified to stop him. He has already established his power, and our Shiheng Group will probably have to avoid the area where he is..."
"But…" Although Shi Hengjun was also afraid of Wei Huan, he was clearly unwilling after hearing that the entire family should avoid Wei Huan.
The pain of his severed arm tormented him day and night, making him both hate and fear Wei Huan. He thought his family would avenge him, but instead, he was met with everyone avoiding him.
He was unwilling to accept it, and clenched his fists on his knees.
The old woman gave him a cold look, not wanting to explain the family's future development plans. Shi Hengjun's status in her heart had changed from the most anticipated junior in the family to an ordinary junior, and he was no longer qualified to participate in the family's future arrangements.
She simply said, "A batch of gold equipment we acquired in Daxia is awaiting a transaction. You will accompany Team Leader Shi Heng to bring the supplies back safely. Let's set off now."
Shi Hengjun was well aware that his successive failures were causing him to gradually fall out of the core of the family's power structure.
He harbored resentment and wanted to do even better. It seemed that the time had come to make use of the connections left by his grandfather. As long as he made greater contributions to the family, he would regain his lost status sooner or later.
"Yes." Shi Hengjun bowed respectfully, got up and left the room.
Inside the room, the old man stared at him with a cold gaze, but deep in those eyes, he could vaguely see a hint of expectation.
A burning passion resided deep within Shi Hengjun; he was determined to live up to expectations and do his best on this trip to Daxia!
...
Compared to other countries, where hearing Wei Huan's name again evoked a mix of fear, apprehension, and curiosity, the people of Great Xia were overjoyed, celebrating as if it were a festival.
Ten days ago, the grand scene of various challenging forces joining forces to recruit new members was still fresh in our minds.
When the challenge began, the sheer number of 75,000 challengers sent chills down everyone's spines, and they lost all confidence in the chances of success.
For the first two days, the Challenger Forum was full of negative posts.
[Are those who predicted what others predicted still doing well?]
[The number of participants reached 75,000, the highest in the past two years, but only 15 cars were sold, the lowest in history.]
Pray for peace.
[Breaking news! The main leader, Qi Jialu, is equipped with this much equipment?!]
[What? Wei Huan is also in the Level 3 highway assessment, and he's even become the lead driver?]
Is appointing a newcomer who has only been in the Challenge World for a month as the main leader a sign of moral decay or a lack of capable people in Great Xia?
...
For a time, the Challenger Forum was filled with condemnation of Great Xia's arrangements.
It's obvious that such a large-scale recruitment drive must be a national effort, but what should have been a good thing turned into a suicide mission due to insufficient preparation.
The challenger's family disagreed, and the kind-hearted people couldn't accept it either.
Even if half of the 75,000 people manage to escape, 30,000 will still be lost. While this number is less than the number of people who died in the beginner road challenge, it is still heartbreaking.
The challenge to the world arrived seven years ago, the Blue Star people
The population plummeted by nearly half. Even though countries called for population replenishment afterward, the reality was that the first batch of children under the plan had not yet grown up when the older generation was dying rapidly, and some countries were even wiped out as a result.
Therefore, while young people are precious, the older generation, who have accumulated strength over several years to challenge the world and attempt to break through their own limitations, are equally important.
The lives of these 70,000 people are on the minds of ordinary people day and night, who are constantly inquiring about and discussing the news coming from the world of challenges.
The news of challenging the world is not closed off.
Those who pass the highway test can still have private contact with friends outside the test, except they cannot trade goods.
With the return of these "friends," news about the third-level highway assessment was also brought out.
Initially, there will be some sensational news, both true and false, but after two days, more similar news will appear and corroborate each other.
The people of Daxia were in uproar.
Is Wei Huan really the leader of the car?
A newcomer who had only been in the Challenge World for a month had become the main leader, commanding Group B and nearly 40,000 people eliminated from Group A.
Did they do a really good job?
Yes, it's very, very good!
With Wei Huan's powerful ability to control the battlefield, both the Dark Beast Squad that came to cause trouble and the King-level tribe that came to launch a surprise attack were wiped out by Wei Huan.
Their steady and methodical "positional warfare" style displayed the true demeanor of a large army group, truly unstoppable and invincible!
The young people who already admired Wei Huan admired him even more, praising him constantly.
Some ordinary people and veteran challengers who were initially skeptical of Wei Huan are gradually changing their minds.
Challenging the world doesn't mean you can't use tricks. Just like Peng Zheng led those powerful second-generation families to complete the assessment, wherever there are people, there will always be cheating and privilege.
Only war has no script; the strength displayed in the face of life and death is the true strength.
The Dark Beast won't play along with Wei Huan's act.
Wei Huan's prestige came from slaughtering the dark beasts, who hated him with a vengeance and wished they could tear him to pieces.
Wei Huan, who came stepping over the corpses of dark beasts, also conquered the hearts of the people of the Great Xia Dynasty on Blue Star!
As time went on, more news of Wei Huan as the leader of the car came back, and he even became the dream lover of many people, both men and women.
If the current challenger stars are still like the entertainment industry seven years ago, with so-called top stars and first, second and third-tier stars, then Wei Huan has now completely entered the ranks of "top stars".
As one of the most representative figures of the younger generation, he is sometimes even placed on the same level as William Fang, and they are often speculated about and compared in their spare time.
"If Wei Huan reaches the fifth rank, he will definitely be stronger. He can already fight across ranks, and he will definitely be able to defeat Captain Fang then."
"It's as if Captain Fang can't fight across ranks. The current top 100 in the world all have the ability to fight across ranks. Captain Fang can probably fight across two ranks."
"An endless army of undead is suitable for a direct, sweeping territorial war. Wei Huan can protect 40,000 people, but Captain Fang cannot."
"But Wei Huan's weaknesses are also obvious, he..."
While it's true that he lacks strong individual combat power, Captain Fang is the world's strongest single-target attacker. His powerful defense and self-healing abilities mean that even an army of undead couldn't kill him.
"This is a war of civilizations. I firmly believe that the truly strong are those who can save more of their fellow citizens. Captain Fang's protection is limited. What use is it if humanity perishes and only he survives?"
"No, no, no, let's not create conflict. Let's calm down. Captain Fang belongs to our Great Xia, and Wei Huan also belongs to our Great Xia. They are both our guardians. Isn't that a good thing?"
"Uh...right, my lousy brain! Hahaha~"
Such a dialogue elevates Wei Huan to a very high level, even comparing him to Fang William, the God of War of the Great Xia Dynasty, which is not the norm.
Most of the comments acknowledged Wei Huan's abilities, and even the Northeast Army, which supported Wei Huan as their leader, made some positive statements for the first time after their defeat.
"The Northeast Army has good vision. They dared to use a completely new person and actually achieved results. Their courage is top-notch."
"Ever since the Northeast Army Corps was defeated and Commander Hong fell into a coma, the Northeast Army Corps has been in a state of chaos, not knowing what to do. I heard that there is a lot of infighting and unrest within the corps. But this time they made the right bet. Spring recruitment is coming soon, and there will definitely be many young men vying for Wei Huan."
"Wait, how can you be so sure that Wei Huan is going to join the Northeast Army? He sent such important level-five supplies to the Southwest Army. Isn't that because he's going to defect to Commander Dong Chujian?"
"Want to take a gamble? I'm saying Wei Huan will definitely go to the Northeast Army, and the Northeast Army's decision to give Wei Huan a big boost will be a stroke of genius, allowing the Northeast Army to regroup. Believe it or not?"
...
"The message from Commander Mu is that Wei Huan will join the Northeast Army after this assessment. I have already confirmed this, and Wei Huan himself agreed to it."
The speaker was Commander Chai's adjutant. Because he was a confidant, he spoke more sharply and outspokenly: "There are rumors that Wei Huan will revive the Northeast Army. This is very offensive to our soldiers at the front. So, do you have any instructions regarding Wei Huan's joining?"
Beside Commander Chai, the screen of his cell phone on his desk was off, displaying a message from Challenge World.
He didn't answer the adjutant immediately, but instead lit a cigarette and pondered slowly.
He then asked, "Did you see the message that Challenge World just sent?"
The adjutant nodded: "I saw it."
Commander Chai slowly exhaled smoke, and after a while, L said, "Around noon, they arrived at Route 80, abandoned the challenge convoy, and left with only about 800 vehicles?"
"Yes." The adjutant nodded.
Commander Chai then asked, "Have you verified the origins of these 800 vehicles?"
"It cannot be verified precisely, but it can be confirmed that most of them are elderly people who have stayed on the Second-Tier Highway for more than a year, and they are challengers with some strength and good development."
"Hmm." Commander Chai nodded and summarized, "In other words, they had no connection with Wei Huan before, they were neither alumni nor had they ever met him, but this group of people who had been through the trials of the Challenge World still managed to help Wei Huan win the championship, and in the process, there were no injuries or deaths due to the fight. What do you think this represents?"
Actually, halfway through the conversation, the adjutant already understood what Commander Chai wanted to tell him.
What is it?
He looked ashamed: "I'm sorry, I only considered whether his position was beneficial to us, and I didn't realize that his prestige had reached this level."
Commander Chai exhaled a pale blue smoke, the wisps of mist obscuring his face. He said, "If Mu Dehao brings him here, let's hear Mu Dehao's plans for him first. Also, return the people who were transferred from Mu Dehao's office."
The adjutant's brow was furrowed, like a hyena that had its jaws on its prey and was unwilling to let go.
But during the silent standoff with Commander Chai, the tense lines between his brows gradually disappeared.
Finally, he stood up and said with shame, "I was short-sighted. The war against the Dark Beasts is a war of civilization. Humanity must win. We should also embrace the birth of every genius and give them the best environment to grow!"
As the smoke that had been obscuring Commander Chai's vision dissipated, a bright smile appeared on his face for the first time.
"I heard that Wei Huan and Mu Zhong entered the Challenge World at the Martyrs' Cemetery. Mu Dehao should be leading people to pick them up. You should hurry over there too and convey my message: whatever arrangements you make for Wei Huan is fine. Our Northeast Army will always be united to fight against the powerful enemy!"
"Yes!" the adjutant stood at attention and answered crisply.
...
Upon receiving notification of the challenge to the world, Mu Dehao immediately ordered the legion to prepare a helicopter and rush to the martyrs' cemetery on the outskirts of the capital.
He hurriedly boarded the helicopter, receiving a series of phone calls en route. One was from the children's mother, asking him to pick up the children and take them home; another was from the head of the Mu family, saying that a banquet would be prepared the following evening to welcome Wei Huan and Mu Zhong; and then even Commander Chai and his adjutant called one after another to inquire about the two children.
Not to mention the phone that rang non-stop all the way after that, when Mu Dehao saw the Martyrs' Cemetery in the distance, his lips were already sore from smiling. The joy and pride that welled up in his heart was like drinking a big can of ice-cold cola on a hot summer day, making him so happy that he was almost intoxicated.
He, who had never lost his composure before, even hummed a little tune while shaking his foot.
However, it wasn't until he saw the martyrs' cemetery that Mu Dehao realized he hadn't contacted the two children beforehand and didn't know if they would come out directly.
Or maybe they came out, didn't see anyone, and just left?
Always thorough in his work, Mu Dehao hurriedly made a phone call.
Hey, believe it or not, the call connected!
The challenge world and the phone number share the same mobile phone. If a person enters the challenge world, the mobile phone will be in a state of silence for a long time.
The fact that they can get through now means they've truly returned from challenging the world.
Great, it's good that you're back!
Although he had discussed the matter with him before participating in the assessment of the Class III highway, Mu Dehao was still worried for so many people when he learned that so many of them had made it into the assessment. He even regretted his decision.
Now that the result was pleasing, Mu Dehao's face was also filled with joy. Just as he was about to speak after the call was connected, he heard Mu Zhong's voice coming from the other end of the phone: "Dad, where is Lao Hang's grave? Can you help me find it?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Dehao's joy visibly faded. Only then did he realize where the two children were standing.
It is the place where heroes sleep forever. The endless tombstones covering the mountains and plains are the places where people sacrificed their precious lives for the victory of humanity.
Our human race is going through a difficult time, and countless heroes have passed away. Only by engraving our hatred into our bones and offering the heads of our enemies as a libation can we find joy and happiness.
Suppressing his rising resentment, Mu Dehao wiped the smile from his face and said, "I'll be there soon, we'll talk when we meet."
Mu Zhong's voice came through the phone: "I heard the sound of the helicopter, and Wei Huan said you've arrived."
"Yes, it's me, I'm here," Mu Dehao said.
The martyrs' cemetery on the outskirts of Beijing was a scenic spot seven years ago, but now all four hills are filled with the remains of Northeast Army martyrs who sacrificed their lives.
Such a vast cemetery should be eerily quiet, especially at night when no one should enter.
But the noble spirit of the martyrs has illuminated this place, making it a place where even children can pass by and play at night.
Volunteers come to clean the martyrs' cemetery every day, and a flower is placed on the tombstone. Those photos, some young, some smiling brightly, freeze their time forever at that moment.
As Mu Dehao's helicopter landed, Wei Huan looked away from the tombstone. The crows overhead were cawing loudly; he had found Lao Hang's tombstone.
But before that, he pushed Mu Zhong and went to meet Mu Dehao.
This time, perhaps because her feelings for Mu Zhong had changed, she looked at Mu Dehao with a mixture of warmth and nervousness.
Fortunately, Mu Dehao didn't put on airs as an elder. He stepped forward and warmly hugged Wei Huan, saying, "You've worked hard. After seeing Lao Hang, we'll go back first. Don't worry about anything and get a good night's sleep. We'll talk about it when we get up."
Wei Huan nodded, his tense face relaxing slightly.
Then, Mu Dehao's gaze fell on Mu Zhong's face. Although his eyes lingered on Mu Zhong's legs for a moment with a pang of heartache, he quickly looked away and ruffled Mu Zhong's hair. "You've gotten a bit stronger. It seems Wei Huan has taken good care of you."
Mu Zhong smiled faintly and called out, "Dad."
"Mmm." Mu Dehao replied warmly, but after holding back, he couldn't help but feel his eyes redden. "You've been very strong this past month. You've worked so hard. I'm really happy to see you like this now."
Mu Zhong laughed and said, "Didn't I already tell you? Wei Huan has taken very good care of me."
"Yes, yes, you can't be a burden either, you should perform well too." Mu Dehao wiped his eyes, forcefully suppressing the bitter pride within him. If he could choose, he wouldn't want this kind of pride.
"Mu Zhong helped me a lot; without him, I wouldn't be where I am today." Wei Huan's words were a bit dry, still not used to such small talk.
The Mu family father and son, L, noticed Wei Huan's discomfort and smiled, quickly changing the subject: "Let's go, let's go sweep the tombs first. It's my first time sweeping tombs at night, I don't know if I'll disturb their sleep."
Wei Huan then stopped talking and stepped onto the electric scooter that had come from the side.
The martyrs' cemetery is so big that it would probably take one or two hours to walk there.
The cemetery staff had already gone off duty, but were notified to work overtime. They drove over in their electric carts, clearly not in a good mood. However, after overhearing their conversation, he picked up his phone, looked at Wei Huan, and suddenly perked up.
As Wei Huan got into the car, a staff member asked with a smile, "Can we take a photo together?"
Wei Huan shook his head apologetically.
Although the staff were a little disappointed, they shook hands with Wei Huan in the end and were happy and energized again.
"...So attending the funeral directly led to entering the Challenge World?" The staff member skillfully navigated the small road in the Martyrs' Cemetery. "You're amazing! The head of the Dark Beast is the best offering for the martyrs."
Listen carefully, did you hear anything? I'm telling you, and you might not believe me, I heard applause. Our martyrs are clapping for you on both sides of the road. They're saying, "Well done! Humanity will prevail!!"
It was clearly nonsense, but at that moment no one spoke up to deny his ramblings.
If the martyrs who sacrificed their lives can become spirits to witness this moment, it would be a source of solace and encouragement for Wei Huan.
The head was used as a sacrifice, a great joy!!