Counterfeit Hero

The fighting dagger slipped from his hand, silently embedding itself into the simulated wood-strengthened plastic floor. The handle vibrated rapidly, then slowly came to a stop.

The room was dead silent.

Fatty was still sound asleep. He turned over, smacked his lips, muttered something incomprehensible, lost in some dream.

Who knows how long passed. "Splash!" A cup of water was poured over Fatty's face. He jolted awake, sat up abruptly, still dazed and confused, "Who—who... what's going on?"

The little kid threw away the cup, backed away cautiously, trembling, "It's me."

"Why did you splash me?... Ah!" Fatty screamed, curling up in the corner of the bed like a violated victim, disbelief plastered across his face, "What's going on?..." He covered his chest with one hand and his privates with the other, looking around in terror, "How did I get here? Where are my clothes?"

The little kid looked helplessly at this shameless Fatty, unsure whether to sigh or self-destruct.

After his initial panic, Fatty realized he was in Bonnie's bedroom. Looking down, he saw Bonnie's clothes torn to shreds on the floor, recalling the strange sensations during his martial arts practice, it finally dawned on him. He mumbled, "It's over, I practiced that perverted skill, last thing I remember was feeling unbearably hot all over, and then everything went blank... could it be... did that woman assault me?"

"Bah!" The little kid could no longer remain calm. If he wasn't a robot, he would have spat on that idiotic Fatty. Angrily, he said, "Assaulted by someone? I recorded the whole thing, why don't you take a look at who assaulted who!" As he spoke, he extended a tentacle-like data transmission line and plugged it into the port on the wall.

After a slight flicker, the holo-TV on the space rest pod wall displayed the scene of Fatty going berserk. His beastly behavior left him dumbfounded, even with his thick skin, he couldn't help but blush deeply. Regardless of his loss of reason at the time, the fact remained that he had assaulted someone.

As the real-time recording played, the little kid shook his head in disappointment, "I thought you were a righteous gentleman, turns out you're just a beast. It's just going berserk, wait a bit, I could have given you a tranquilizer. Did you have to assault a pure maiden, you beast!"

While the little kid continued to watch the recording, clicking his tongue and shaking his head in scolding satisfaction, Fatty suddenly grabbed him from behind, making him cry out in panic, "What are you doing, you damn Fatty, want to kill to silence me?"

Fatty sneered, "I did go berserk, but who gave me that manual? Without you, would I have done this? Your life is mine now."

The little kid turned pale, trembling, "Lord Jian, I was just kidding. I was really jealous of your valiant and imposing presence. I momentarily lost my mind. Please just think of me as a fart and let me go!"

Fatty wouldn't be fooled by his flattery. Angrily, he said, "First, tell me why practicing that manual led to this?"

The little kid sighed pitifully, "Lord Jian, I didn't write that manual, how would I know! Besides, I've never practiced it." Knowing he had to distance himself from the manual, the little kid quickly dodged responsibility, "Lord Jian, you know I'm just a crappy computer, only good for research, this really isn't my fault!"

The little kid's words were half-true. He had indeed created the manual, but the situation that arose with Tian Xingjian was beyond his understanding.

The original intent of creating this martial arts technique was genuinely for humans, leveraging seventy-one unique moves, combined with breathing exercises and hormonal control, to train blood vessels, meridians, and muscle tissue to break past original bodily limits and achieve a higher level.

In other words, besides its unique moves, the martial arts also served as an enhanced fitness regimen, getting stronger the more you practiced.

To break physical limits required pure yang energy, the ultimate martial force. However, once the limits were broken, if the body's Yin Yang Balance wasn't restored, rapid deterioration would occur.

The final technique, Nine Yin Scripture, intended to balance yin and yang, was conceptually correct, combining martial arts and science. But as a robot, the little kid lacked personal experience, so the manual had many inaccuracies and some sections were based on his robot's standards. Training successfully with such a manual would be a miracle.

Remarkably, Fatty, with his persistent study of the vague methods, developed an interest in practicing them. Unconsciously, he began following the book's methods and noticed his body becoming more robust, driving him to continue.

He trained intensely, becoming stronger, but the final yin-yang balance technique, Nine Yin Scripture, failed to produce the anticipated effect. Instead, it acted like pouring cold water into molten steel, activating all the yang energy within him uncontrollably.

Had he been rational, a bit of self-satisfaction would have resolved the problem, dispersing the internal excess heat. Alas, running amok, he found a gorgeous woman nearby. Bonnie's scent was irresistible, akin to placing a roast chicken before a starved tiger. A disaster was inevitable.

Seeing no answers forthcoming, Fatty resigned himself to misfortune. He yanked the little kid from the wall, looked around, and asked, "... Where did she go?"

"She left!" the little kid replied crisply.

"Left?" Fatty was stunned, then fumed, "Why didn't you stop her?"

The little kid, feeling aggrieved, said, "You told me not to let her see! Besides, I can only carry a cup of water, how could I stop her?" He grumbled, "And if I did stop her, what then?"

Fatty sighed, feeling that Bonnie leaving might be a good thing, sparing them both embarrassment and averting awkward explanations to Ann Lei and Milan. Turning around, he spotted a bloodstain on the bed and the fighting dagger embedded in the ground, gleaming coldly.

Fatty stared blankly at the fighting dagger, stunned.

Though he was asleep at the time, seeing the bayonet, the image of it slipping from Bonnie's hand played like a movie in his mind. He suddenly remembered Bonnie and he were enemies from opposing camps, and he had inflicted the greatest harm on her yet lived.

Forcing himself to calm down, Fatty gritted his teeth, a true man takes responsibility. He couldn't let Bonnie leave like this; some things a man must face.

He acted immediately, grabbing the little kid, dragging him out of the room, and threw him into Logic, commanding it to delete all recorded footage. Then he found a combat suit and put it on, amid the little kid's furious protests. In three swift moves, he savagely ruined the ship's main computer.

The ancient warship had outlived its usefulness. The little kid's intelligence core had already been implanted into Logic, only final integration remained. Training was complete, since waking up, Fatty felt his body had transformed significantly. Despite looking the same externally, his body now brimmed with agility and strength never before experienced. He knew without testing, his physical capabilities had doubled.

It was an extraordinary strength.

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Others write about romantic affairs with fluid grace, making it a joy to read. When it comes to my turn, it always feels like I'm writing sleazy, third-rate erotica, even after countless revisions. Damn it, is this what they call a realm?

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, good health, and prosperity.

The weather's cold, and there's much to do, so updates are affected, please understand.

(To be continued, to find out what happens next, visit www.cmfu.com. More chapters are available, support the author and read authorized works!)