When system cheat becomes rampant!

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Path is Chosen by Oneself

Lu Hong broke out in a cold sweat as he looked down at his chest, where a patch of mud was attached to his body like a piece of armor.

Even though his reaction was fast, he still couldn't completely dodge Chen Gang's strike due to the close distance.

However, at the critical moment, seemingly out of nowhere, a puddle of mud appeared in front of his chest, blocking Chen Gang's attack.

Had it not been for this mud, his chest would likely have been torn open by Chen Gang, creating a terrible wound with unimaginable consequences!

But, even with the mud blocking, he still felt a violent shock, his chest tightened, his blood roiled, and his throat was tinged with streaks of blood.

Fortunately, he quickly steadied himself.

But where did this thing come from?

And how did it block Chen Gang's attack?

Swish!

The patch of mud fell off and fluttered in the air, flying back into Xiang Beifei's hands.

"Beifei, you..."

Lu Hong watched Xiang Beifei in disbelief.

He never would have thought that the thing that saved his life came from Xiang Beifei, who had just awakened his system not long ago!

"Dad left it to protect me."

Xiang Beifei flicked the breath soil, twisting it into a whip before it vanished from sight.

"Xiang Tianxing?"

Lu Hong came to a realization.

So that was it! He knew that Xiang Beifei's father was a pioneer, an SR grade Awakener with extremely rare talents. It made sense for such a powerful martial artist to leave his son something for self-protection.

"But how could you—"

Lu Hong still didn't understand.

Even if Xiang Tianxing had given Xiang Beifei something for self-protection, in order to use it to protect others, Beifei would need to have foreseen such an event and also possess extremely agile reflexes.

How did this kid manage that?

"I didn't trust him, so I kept a precaution," Xiang Beifei said.

"You didn't trust him..."

Lu Hong was taken aback.

After all, he was a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, yet his vigilance in this matter was inferior to that of a youth who had only awakened his system recently.

"I was too naive," Lu Hong sighed.

He had been deceived by Chen Gang last time.

This time, he was almost fooled again.

He suddenly felt somewhat pitiful.

"You just didn't want to believe that he would kill you," Xiang Beifei said.

Lu Hong gave a bitter smile once again.

This youth saw things even more clearly than he did.

Even at the moment when he defeated Chen Gang, he still hoped Chen Gang would turn back.

But Chen Gang had already shredded the trust between them to pieces.

——

The aftermath work was being handled by others.

Lu Zhiwei and the others were unharmed; they were merely knocked unconscious by Chen Gang and would probably wake up soon.

Lu Hong didn't involve himself in these trivial matters; he just sat at the corner of the mall stairs, incessantly smoking away, staring blankly at the photo in his hands.

Xiang Beifei sat beside him, called over by Lu Hong personally.

He looked toward Lu Hong's system interface.

[Host: Lu Hong]

[S Rank, Investigation System]

[Realm: Early Meridian Opening]

[A detection has been made of a special N grade talent, would you like to investigate?]

...

Lu Hong's Investigation System issued a task.

Xiang Beifei knew Lu Hong must have many questions in his mind, but luckily, he had already thought of how to handle Lu Hong's inquiries.

Put everything on his dad, simply saying his dad taught him some recognition skills, and that's how he saw through Chen Gang's disguise.

After finishing an entire cigarette, Lu Hong finally spoke faintly, "Beifei, I heard you're just an N grade Awakener?"

"Yes," Xiang Beifei nodded.

Lu Hong looked up at Xiang Beifei, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

"I understand."

After a pause, he said slowly, "Don't bother explaining; just keep your secrets well."

Lu Hong looked at the task just issued by his system and chose [No].

"Hm?"

Xiang Beifei was slightly surprised.

He could see Lu Hong's system tasks, too, and he hadn't expected Lu Hong to select [No].

He had thought up a plethora of explanations, but they proved unnecessary.

This was unexpected.

"I once had the privilege of knowing your father. A man as formidable as your father is beyond my reach forever; such a powerful figure's son would naturally be no ordinary person. I should have thought of this earlier," Lu Hong said with a smile.

Xiang Beifei had intended to attribute everything to his so-called SR father, but he hadn't needed to—Lu Hong had figured it out on his own.

This was fine, too.

"I won't pry too much. As for today's events, if you wish to keep a low profile, I will keep your secret," Lu Hong offered.

Everyone had secrets; if Beifei had secrets he preferred not to reveal, Lu Hong would naturally respect them without probing further.

"Thank you, Uncle Lu."

Interacting with intelligent people was simple.

Had it been anyone else, Xiang Beifei might not have intervened, but he trusted Lu Hong.

"Beifei, promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Your father was a tremendous person engaged in the most noble of endeavors, someone I could only ever look up to. I know I'm not your father, and I'm not qualified to teach you anything, but you have just awakened to your system, and you'll have your own path to follow and confusions to face. However, no matter what system you've awakened to, I hope you understand one thing."

Lu Hong stared at the photo of Chen Gang, his eyes brimming with endless desolation.

"What kind of person you become is your choice, not the system's!"

A flame appeared at his fingertips, igniting the photograph and turning the man within to a pile of black ash.

It was as if he had burned away his past with that person.

He had spent so long seeking strength and chasing after Lai Wuying in his quest for revenge for Chen Gang, only to discover that Chen Gang was Lai Wuying.

This truth was hard for him to accept.

He would have preferred Chen Gang to have died at the hands of "Lai Wuying," at least that would have meant a death with dignity.

The black ash drifted in the air, slowly dissolving.

Xiang Beifei watched the ashes, contemplative.

He had understood this principle long ago.

Just as Principal Li Nanxing's "Confucian Saint System" and headteacher Yang Hua's "Master Dao System" were both education and nurturing systems, the paths each chose were completely different.

Performing tasks related to the system.

But one's character had nothing to do with the system.

"I will remember your words, Uncle Lu, but I hope you will also heed a word of advice from me," Xiang Beifei said.

"What is it?"

"Next time you encounter a criminal like Chen Gang who intends to be utterly vile, don't show mercy. If you must kill, kill. At the very least, leave him half-dead, break his limbs, and ensure he cannot move. Otherwise, the one who suffers is yourself," said Xiang Beifei.

Lu Hong was slightly stunned.

He looked at Xiang Beifei.

His expression showed profound surprise.

The young man handled such matters with even more calmness and decisiveness than he did.

Was this really just a high school student who had just awakened to his system?

But on second thought, the young man's words were not wrong.

Mercy should be based on the premise that one can protect oneself.

If it hadn't been for Xiang Beifei seeing through Chen Gang, the one to die tonight would have been himself.

"I'll remember. You're right. I won't always be so lucky to have you save my life, like you did today," Lu Hong said, nodding.

Then, he sighed deeply, his eyes filled with a trace of bewilderment.

Xiang Beifei thought for a moment, then added, "I hope Uncle Lu won't be disheartened. There are many more Lai Wuyings in the Western District that need Uncle Lu's attention. Chen Gang is definitely not the last criminal you need to deal with."

Lu Hong was taken aback.

In the past six months, his strength had surged as he pushed himself to the limit to avenge Chen Gang. When he discovered today that Chen Gang was Lai Wuying, there was a moment when his half-year's conviction suddenly collapsed, leaving him questioning the purpose of gaining strength.

But Xiang Beifei's words were like an enlightening rush to his head, reviving his spirits.

As an elder, he should have been the one comforting the younger, yet the roles had reversed tonight.

This young man truly puzzled him.

"Thank you," Lu Hong said gratefully.

The collapse of one belief could lead to the birth of another.

Lai Wuying had become a thing of the past.

But the future could be carried on by the next generation.

"If you have any requests in the future, just let me know. I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Even if just for this child's sake, he must pull himself together.

"Of course, thank you, Uncle Lu," Beifei politely responded.

To protect Xiang Beifei, Lu Hong had given him the Azure Light Armor, inadvertently helping Xiang Beifei to illuminate a star.

Xiang Beifei was simply repaying the favor.