Chapter Nine: The First Signs of Conflict

“Can you hurry up? Did we ask you here to organize clothes? Our time is tight—if this is how things are done in the Land of the White Dove, you might as well just send a different spokesperson.”
A voice suddenly rang out in the room, yet no one’s lips moved; it was impossible to tell who had spoken.
David swept his gaze around the back row. There were many extraordinary people present, and it wouldn’t be surprising if one of them knew ventriloquism. He couldn’t find the source, but such precise, fluent Mandarin could only have come from someone from the Rabbit Nation.
At that moment, an elderly man with white hair, seemingly at death’s door, turned from the front row and glanced back, letting out a cold snort.
A sudden sweat broke out on David’s brow. This was Ruì Huī, a bigwig from the Land of the White Dove—definitely not someone to offend. He quickly said, “Respected Mr. Li Daoran, here are three plans for you to choose from. Allow me to briefly introduce them. Once you have an idea of which suits you, I’ll provide further details.”
Li Daoran was somewhat interested in the ventriloquism but knew this was not the time for questions, so he simply noted it for later and nodded his agreement.
“The first plan: do you think killing Xiong Shan would have any consequences for you? To be honest, after much discussion, if there are no severe repercussions, the best way to ensure your safety is to incapacitate him directly. However, this may well result in his death. It’s also the simplest solution.”
Li Daoran looked at Chen Ming, who nodded and said, “If you want to kill someone who’s not on guard against you, it’s very easy.”
Li Daoran frowned, paused to think, then said, “That won’t do. The risk is too great.”
David nodded. “We thought so as well, which is why this is our least desirable plan. The middle plan is to snatch the wristwatch. It’s clear the place you’re in is controlled by a large organization, and Xiong Shan only removed his watch before sparring with you, which suggests such duels are not allowed by the organization. If you grab the watch, you can probably avoid the fight altogether.”
Li Daoran nodded. “Mr. David, your understanding of Rabbit Nation culture runs deep—even employing the three-tiered strategy. What is the best plan?”
David replied with pride, “The best plan is to fight. From the gene serum, we can see your organization’s medical science is highly advanced. According to current evidence, physical injuries only synchronize to the humans of Azure Blue Star three seconds after you return. So, even if you are hurt in Daoran World, as long as you don’t return, the injuries won’t be mirrored on Azure Blue Star.
In other words, even if you’re injured while sparring with Xiong Shan, as long as you heal before returning, there will be no effect on humans of Azure Blue Star. And Xiong Shan should also pull his punches in a training bout—he won’t inflict irreparable harm.”
The explanation was thorough and clear. Li Daoran’s mind sharpened, realizing his concern had clouded his judgment. Indeed, as David said, any injuries suffered in Daoran World would not synchronize to Azure Blue Star unless he returned, and though the technological limits of Daoran World remained unclear, it was reasonable to assume that non-lethal injuries like broken limbs wouldn’t be difficult to treat, let alone minor wounds from a friendly match.

“If you still have doubts, consider this: Xiong Shan once said that putting a cadet in the infirmary for a month is something to boast about. Most importantly, the cadet comes out, then goes back in. That means his injuries weren’t a one-time thing, but happened repeatedly after recovering. Think about what that says about their medical prowess.”
Li Daoran nodded repeatedly. “You make a strong case. We’ll go with the best plan.”
He accepted the thick dossier from David and was about to leave the oppressive room when Chen Ming stopped him.
“There’s more. Did you think that was it? Not even close—you won’t be sleeping tonight.”
David sat down. His job was only the introduction; many important matters remained.

Hou Liang, seated in the third row on the left, stood up. “We also believe the best plan is the most reliable. But simply taking a beating without fighting back isn’t appropriate. Many of us here are martial arts experts, each prepared with a set of moves and strategies for various scenarios. They’ll be your instructors. Fighting boils down to a few core techniques. Even if you lose, with their training, you won’t lose too badly.”
The martial arts instructors all stood, letting Li Daoran see them clearly, then sat down again.
Li Daoran looked at the twenty-odd people, sweat beading on his forehead. “Is this really necessary? I thought I just needed to take the blows. You don’t seriously think I can win, do you? I’m nowhere close to his level—did you see how high he kicks? How am I supposed to fight him? I’d probably be hurt less just going limp and taking the beating.”
Chen Ming frowned. Li Daoran had been an ordinary person before, which was both good and bad. The good part was that he had a low-key mentality and little ambition—a boon for humanity, since no one wanted a new god above them.
The downside was that humanity’s ambitions for Daoran World were vast, and this required Li Daoran to show some initiative; he couldn’t just settle for a quiet corner in that world.
Hou Liang continued, “Xiong Shan addressed Liu Meng as ‘Miss Liu.’ Based on what Liu Meng said about her applications and your initial assignment, we can be sure she holds a high status.
Xiong Shan’s motivation for causing trouble lies in this: he wants to prove Liu Meng was wrong. Gene serums are precious and vital for humanity. If you can’t demonstrate value, you’ll be abandoned—and that’s not in our interest.”

Chen Ming’s frown deepened. He felt that, from this moment, the rift and conflict between Li Daoran and humanity had begun to show. But he had no better solution.
Li Daoran ventured, “Is it really that complicated? I don’t think—”
“No, you must understand: this concerns all of humanity, not just your personal business. If you’re abandoned because of this match, and the supply of gene serum is cut off, we’ll have to pay an even higher price to recover it. Please consider this carefully.
I know, mastering so many combat skills isn’t something you can do overnight. But learning them will be beneficial for you in the future. Xiong Shan won’t be your only obstacle—there will be more fights ahead. If any day you face a mortal enemy and your poor skills lead to humanity’s destruction, that’s an outcome we cannot accept. For now, you’ll just get familiar with the basics, but combat training will remain a regular part of your schedule. You’ll learn to fight, systematically.”
Beneath the table, Li Daoran clenched his hands tightly. Chen Ming gave him a reassuring pat—saying nothing, but Li Daoran felt his tension ease.
“I’m sorry, I was wrong. I’ll study hard,” Li Daoran said.
Hou Liang, expressionless, glanced at his file. “Next, we have a few questions for you, as well as tasks for you to complete. This will take about two hours, after which you’ll begin combat instruction. If there’s no objection, let’s begin.”
Li Daoran was about to nod when Chen Ming interjected, “It’s been a long time—we’re hungry. Let’s have dinner brought in first.”
Hou Liang replied, “Dinner will arrive in fifteen minutes. We won’t break during this period because time is extremely tight. We estimate that as soon as you fall asleep, you’ll enter Daoran World directly. We won’t force you to stay awake, since that could be harmful to your health. Therefore, we must resolve everything before midnight at the latest. There won’t be any special breaks. Please bear with us. All humanity thanks you.”