Future Masters in Modern Times

Chapter 38: One Letter of Recommendation and Another

Outside the main gate stood a dense, dark crowd. Annie stood about ten meters outside the boxing gym, gazing at the main gate. The main gate was tightly shut at that moment, and Anne felt a twinge of unease. To be honest, she certainly didn’t want Zhao Wuji to be a coward, and her intuition told her exactly that. Although Zhao Wuji had just entered the boxing gym at gunpoint, Hager and the others seemed convinced that he was a coward. But she simply refused to believe it, even with this so-called “fact” staring her right in the face. She hoped—she hoped—for a miracle to happen. In a daze, the image of Zhao Wuji’s fearless, invincible presence from just moments ago lingered in her mind. He was so powerful, so captivating. A true hero. Restless and anxious—that was Anne’s current state of mind… Anne furrowed her delicate brows slightly, while Hegel muttered impatiently to himself nearby. “Captain, the outcome has long been decided. Why are we still waiting here for this coward? I have no interest in watching him make a fool of himself any longer.” Hegel crossed his arms and said impatiently. “Shut your filthy mouth,” Anne snapped, her long eyebrows arched high as she glared at Hegel. Heigel’s incessant chatter was testing Annie’s patience time and time again. “But…” A burly arm suddenly wrapped around his head. Hegel was about to say something else when Krum yanked him away, pulling him far from Annie. With a cold snort and a glare at Hegel’s retreating figure, Anne bit her luscious lower lip and turned her gaze toward the gym’s entrance. That thin door seemed to separate two worlds. The gunfire coming from inside caused Anne to clench her fists; the intensity of the gunfire was no less than the hail of bullets they mercenaries faced on the battlefield. Suddenly, the gunfire ceased, and a deathly silence fell over the scene. All that could be heard was the heavy breathing of everyone present. Anne’s face paled, and a sense of foreboding gripped her. Could it be? She dared not think it through. “Captain, it looks like the fighting inside has ended,” Hegel said softly. Anne, somewhat dazed, nodded and began to move her legs, preparing to leave. Just then, there was a deafening crash. The door, which had been tightly shut, was smashed to pieces with a crash. A massive creature flew out from inside the door and crashed into a wall with a thunderous thud. Everyone stared in shock. It was actually a shark. The shark smashed the wall to pieces, only to meet its own demise in the process. Its massive jaws hung limply open, and the crowd could faintly make out the dense rows of sharp teeth inside. Blood flowed from beneath the shark’s body, and a thick, pungent smell of blood filled the air. What on earth had happened in there? That was a huge question mark in the minds of everyone present. Anne, her heart racing, widened her beautiful eyes and looked into the boxing gym. She wasn’t the only one—everyone present did the same. What on earth was happening in there? What had become of Aleks, that renowned figure? What about that Asian man who had been so arrogant just moments ago? Is he still alive? After all, everyone had heard the gunshots just moments ago. Inside the boxing gym, it was now completely silent, as if nothing had ever happened. But looking at the scene before them, could it really be that nothing had happened at all? The once-crowded hall was now empty; all those people who had been there just moments ago now lay silently in every corner, submerged in water, their fates unknown. Chaos reigned everywhere, a clear sign of the intensity of the recent events. Then, everyone froze. Anne covered her mouth, while Hegel and the others stared in disbelief at the hall. Amid the chaos in the hall, a figure stood motionless. This figure wasn’t particularly tall or muscular. Perhaps any random person from the crowd would be stronger than him. Yet there he stood, motionless, with the bodies of the fallen stretching all the way to the doorway at his feet. Even Aleks sat helplessly to one side, his expression one of deep despondency, yet tinged with a hint of reverential awe. Yes, it was awe—but whom did he fear? That lone Oriental man standing there? Such a strikingly contrasting scene captured everyone’s attention. That figure, clearly not tall, somehow gave off an aura of immense grandeur. At that moment, everyone clearly saw a look of condescension toward all living beings in his eyes. That look conquered everyone. With a splash Zhao Wuji stepped into the water and calmly walked out of the hall. His gaze grew calm, eventually settling into ordinary tranquility. It was truly as the saying goes: “Kill one in ten steps; travel a thousand li without a trace.” He brushed off his sleeves, and it was as if nothing had ever happened. Such nonchalance was truly awe-inspiring. Everyone watched as he walked away, gradually disappearing into the distance on Black Flag Street. Zhao Wuji silently monitored the amount of vital spirit within him, moving slowly yet walking with no lack of speed along the road. The living soul he had just absorbed from that shark amounted to a full one percent—equivalent to the combined living souls of ten people. “A bountiful harvest,” Zhao Wuji mused to himself, his thoughts turning to that crystal of vital souls. He wondered how many such crystals might exist on Earth. Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly furrowed his brow, stopped in his tracks, and his gaze hardened. “I wonder what you’ve been following me for?” Zhao Wuji turned around and glared at them coldly. He saw two men and a woman standing there, looking somewhat uneasy and dazed. It was Anne and her group. Having been spotted by Zhao Wuji, they were naturally filled with anxiety. Zhao Wuji’s power was well-known, and since Anne and the others didn’t know his temperament, they were very worried that he would fly into a rage because of their constant tailing. That could cost them their lives! In fact, their guess was spot on—if they didn’t give a proper explanation, Zhao Wuji certainly wouldn’t let them off the hook. Even though there was such a stunningly beautiful woman among them. “Um, hi, I’m Anne. Nice to meet you,” Anne said, stepping forward and forcing a smile at Zhao Wuji. Zhao Wuji didn’t respond, continuing to stare at them coldly. Annie pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, then plucked up her courage and said, “Well, we’re from the Fire Wolf Mercenary Corps, and we’d like to invite you…” “Not interested!” Anne’s words were cut short by Zhao Wuji’s icy retort. Without so much as a glance in their direction, Zhao Wuji turned and walked away without hesitation. “Hey! I…” Anne was about to say something else when Krum tugged at her sleeve; only then did she realize what was happening and fell silent. Zhao Wuji shot them a cold glance and walked straight away. Only after Zhao Wuji had disappeared from their sight did Annie say, somewhat resentfully, “What? Big deal.” Krum said stiffly to Annie, “If we want him to join us, there can’t be even the slightest hint of coercion. Any aversion he feels toward us could ruin everything.” Anne seemed to have a sudden realization: “You mean…?” “Exactly.” A faint, smug smile actually appeared on Krum’s stern face. He held up a device in his hand; on its screen, a gradually moving speck of light kept flickering. It was a state-of-the-art device that emitted a colorless, odorless substance to attach itself to a target and track its movements—even Zhao Wuji hadn’t noticed this minuscule object. “Let’s track its movements first, then decide what to do next.” When Zhao Wuji returned to the tavern, the chaos that had once reigned there had been completely cleared up. Garcia looked anxiously toward the tavern entrance, too distracted to even think about running the business. The young girl, Vanessa, was trying to reassure her father not to worry, while the only one who seemed completely at ease was Sikov. He sat there sprawled out, smugly sipping his hard liquor. As the lights in the tavern dimmed, everyone looked up, their eyes lighting up. “Buddy,” Garcia was the first to stand up. He grabbed Zhao Wuji’s hand, gave her a thorough once-over, and only let out a long sigh of relief after seeing she had no injuries. “You’re really something,” Vanessa said, her wide eyes brimming with admiration. The innocent young girl had taken Zhao Wuji as her idol. Zhao Wuji smiled faintly, but just then, Sikov approached her and asked in a soft, hushed voice, “Did you kill him?” “No.” Zhao Wuji shook her head, looking at Sikov with a meaningful expression. “I just taught him a lesson.” Sikov let out a long sigh. Noticing Zhao Wuji’s gaze, he feared the other might misunderstand and explained, “Aleks has been running rampant here for so many years; his influence is deeply entrenched. If we were to kill him rashly, it would likely cause a great deal of trouble.” Zhao Wuji gave a dismissive smile, his face showing no fear. “If I think he deserves to die, no one can stop me.” Sikov opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. Zhao Wuji glanced at Sikov’s expression, chuckled, and pulled the letter of recommendation from his coat. Sikov took the letter of recommendation, studied it for a moment, and wore a puzzled expression. “What’s the matter?” Zhao Wuji asked, somewhat puzzled. “Does he dare pull some kind of stunt?” As he spoke, he took the letter back from Aleks and began reading it. After a moment, Zhao Wuji smiled helplessly. “What on earth is this nonsense!” What Aleks had written in the letter left him at a loss for words—he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Aleks’s description in the letter practically praised Zhao Wuji to the heavens; according to the letter, Zhao Wuji was a one-of-a-kind genius, unique in all the world, and the entire letter was overflowing with all manner of praise. Even for someone as proud as Zhao Wuji, his face couldn’t help but flush a little. “Ahem… ahem.” Zhao Wuji put the recommendation letter away, thinking to himself, “Is this just setting me up to be roasted over a fire?” Under these circumstances, it would be hard to keep a low profile. But then Zhao Wuji had a change of heart. He was never one to settle for mediocrity—wasn’t this kind of challenging life exactly what he loved most? “Zhao, the Siberian Training Camp officially begins accepting students for this session tomorrow. Let’s go pick up the other recommendation letter in a bit!” “Sounds good,” Zhao Wuji nodded. Another coach, on the other hand, was more down-to-earth. Ever since arriving here, he had focused solely on recruiting students. Over the years, many of his students had entered the Siberian Training Camp, and he had gained quite a reputation in this generation—though not as notorious as Aleks’s.