Noon.
In the villa's living room.
Zhou Chen tossed a bowl of fruit into the air and, with a SHING, drew the tachi from his waist.
Countless streaks of purple light from the blade crisscrossed in midair, instantly slicing the fruit in two.
The perfectly halved fruit all landed in a stainless steel bowl on the table. Zhou Chen picked up a towel to wipe down Thunder Strike, sheathed it, and grabbed half an apple to eat.
Thunder Strike's sharpness far surpassed the five weapons he had previously forged. It could easily slice through "Alloy No. 24"—widely considered the best material for testing blades—leaving a cut surface as smooth as a mirror. It was truly a blade that could cut through tal as if it were mud.
The blade itself was wreathed in brilliant purple arcs of electricity, its audio-visual effects maxed out. It inflicted widespread paralysis on any area it struck. These crackling arcs weren't just for show, either; they were incredibly dangerous. A single one could burn a charred hole right through flesh and blood.
—Earlier, Zhou Chen had tested it on so pork he had at ho. By channeling just a little bit of power into Thunder Strike, he'd zapped the at until it was riddled with holes. It pained him deeply. 'If I'd known it was this deadly, I would've gone out and found a few bad guys to chop up instead of wasting a perfectly good piece of pork.'
Furthermore, Thunder Strike had an additional Skill: when the Thunder Energy stored within the blade was fully charged, it could unleash a powerful Magnetic Storm Slash, dealing devastating damage.
Zhou Chen was extrely satisfied with such a powerful weapon. He was confident it would secure him a high ranking in the weapon competition.
Just as he was thinking this, the villa's doorbell suddenly rang.
Zhou Chen went to the door and saw a young deliveryman in a black uniform. Parked beside him was a floating three-wheeled delivery vehicle, its cargo bed stamped with the Global Express logo.
Global Express and "Are You Hungry?" were two massive conglorates, practically Divine Level corporations. Their couriers and food delivery drivers were incredibly mysterious, appearing and disappearing like ghosts, as if there was no place in the World they couldn't go.
Whether on war-torn battlefields, in perilous Restricted Areas, or in the terrifying, endless Abyss, their figures could be seen everywhere, and legends of them were told all over.
It was said that every one of their employees was a tough character, the kind you'd read about in stories like "The Dragon King's Son-in-Law" or "Urban Soldier King." How else could you explain how they could show up in so many dangerous places completely unscathed?
The most frightening part was their mastery of all sorts of professional skills, allowing them to handle almost any ergency. In their spare ti, they could even help custors write code or draft outlines. It was no exaggeration to say they knew everything from astronomy to geography.
"You must be Zhou Chen? Sending a package?" the courier from Global Express asked as he looked up the order on his POS terminal.
"One mont."
Zhou Chen went inside, secured Thunder Strike in its sheath with an Alchemy Matrix, and hurried back out. "I'm shipping this sword."
"Oh! You're entering the weapon competition, right? I've been watching that show, it's pretty interesting. One group forges blades, another group breaks 'em. My next-door neighbor's second uncle's nephew's dad competed a few years back. He got a great score—138th place.
"By the way, did you watch last year's finals? One of the contestants tried to be all original and forged a sword out of maggots, slop, pig feed, and stinky iron. The audience and judges held him down and made him eat the sword right then and there. HAHAHAHA..."
"..." Zhou Chen was at a loss for words.
The courier took Thunder Strike while still laughing and sealed it in a box. "Are you going with the standard line, the express line, or the VIP express line?
The standard line is delivered within twenty-four hours.
The express line is delivered within six hours.
The VIP express line gets it to the specified location in just one hour."
"The VIP express, then," Zhou Chen replied.
The auditions were about to end, so it was safer to get it there as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected issues.
"Alright, just scan the code to place the order. Rember to check the box for insurance on valuable items."
Zhou Chen scanned the code, completed the series of procedures, and watched the courier place the box in the cargo bed. Just as he was about to turn and go back inside, he heard the man say, "Oh, and there's a letter for you too. Please accept it."
"A letter?" Zhou Chen paused, taking the large envelope from the courier. The shipping label indeed had his na and address, but the sender's information was all asterisks, strictly confidential.
"A letter from who?" he muttered to himself, frowning. He racked his brain but couldn't think of anyone who would send him a letter.
The courier shrugged, indicating he didn't know either. He just answered based on experience, "This ca via the standard line, so it was probably sent yesterday. If you could just sign for it, I've got other deliveries to make."
Zhou Chen had no choice but to sign for the letter.
The courier got into his floating three-wheeled delivery vehicle. As it gradually rose into the air, he stuck his head out with a bright smile. "Don't forget to give a five-star review, dear!"
Then he stepped on the accelerator and, with a WHOOSH, the floating three-wheeler sped away through the air.
Zhou Chen went into the villa, tore open the large outer envelope, and took out the letter inside. He sat down on the sofa to examine it closely.
The letter was sealed with wax, stamped with the mark of a tulip. The quality of the wax was quite high, and it gave off a pleasant, fresh fragrance. Normally, only prominent families would use such a seal.
On the back of the envelope, written in an elegant script, were the words:
—To my friend.
'My friend?' Zhou Chen scratched his head, completely baffled. 'Could the Global Express system have bugged out and sent soone else's letter to ?'
His social circle was small, and if any of them had sothing to say, they would just use WeChat. Why go to all this trouble?
'Could there be a deadly virus inside, or a Curse that activates when I open it?'
'That shouldn't be possible. Global Express inspects all items before transport, so sothing like that wouldn't happen.'
After hesitating for a long ti, Zhou Chen finally opened the letter.
[Hello, old friend.
By the ti you read this letter, I will likely be long gone from this world.
Nearly a month ago, I finally saw you again. You were still so young, so brave and fearless. You did a wonderful thing, fighting against fate to save that young girl.
Although I did not see the scene itself, I know you must have been fighting a bloody battle. I wanted to cheer for your success, but this old, decrepit body could no longer manage it. I don't even have the strength to hold a pen.
I want to tell you that I have lived well and happily. Most importantly, I have always missed you. It is just a pity that we can never et again. Perhaps this is fate—so grand as to be cruel and unfeeling.
Reading this letter, you must be full of questions. Do a favor: co to Hong City. All of your questions will be answered there.]
Zhou Chen finished the letter, his head swimming with question marks. He leaned back on the sofa, stroking his chin in deep thought.
The letter was unsigned. The handwriting was elegant, and combined with the part about the sender being too old and weak to hold a pen, it was likely written by soone else on their behalf.
But he had never even been outside of Jinzhu City, so how could he possibly know soone in Hong City?
His first instinct was that the letter had been sent to the wrong person. But the sender said they had seen him a month ago... seen him *again*...
—That was right around the ti of the great battle in Jinzhu.
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