Right on Target (TARGET)
The Colosseum had separate entrances for spectators and participants. It was Su Heting's first time entering through this side. He followed Hermit past the information checkpoint at the door. By the time they got inside, the pre-show warm-up had already concluded.
Hermit was completely absorbed in his phone, repeatedly opening and admiring his betting page while occasionally offering a few comments to Su Heting. Once they took their seats, Hermit suddenly began eyeing Su Heting with suspicion.
The temperature inside the arena was perfectly adjusted, making it very comfortable. Su Heting, still sleep-deprived, felt drowsy as soon as he sat down. Sensing Hermit’s scrutiny, he asked, “What’s up with you?”
Hermit said, “Something’s off. You’re really off today. Let me guess—that shirt isn’t yours, is it?”
Su Heting replied listlessly, “Do you live by the sea? Mind your own business.”
Hermit let out an “Eh,” wanting to ask what Su Heting had been up to these past few days. But then he remembered that Su Heting hadn’t replied to any of his texts on the subject, so he figured there must be a secret involved. Noticing that none of the nearby spectators were paying attention, he smugly lowered his voice and said, “You’re not seeing someone, are you?”
Su Heting, who had been leaning back, nearly hit his head at the question.
Hermit had initially just been speculating, but seeing Su Heting’s reaction, he slapped his thigh, growing even more certain. “You totally are! Wow, you didn’t even tell us! No wonder you’ve been MIA at the apartment building lately!”
Just then, the crowd erupted in cheers as a heavily made-up clown introduced the “Hermit”, with a close-up of Xie Zhenshu appearing on the screen.
The moment Su Heting saw the man on screen, he suddenly shoved Hermit down. “Stop talking nonsense! I—” He paused mid-sentence, then found himself ridiculous. Unconsciously straightening his posture, he declared with conviction, “I’ve got things to do. We’ll talk later!”
The matter of the Punishment Zone would have to be discussed with Hermit and Jiali eventually, but right now, the arena was full of surveillance. Their conversation would be recorded and archived by their seats—hardly the best time for a detailed chat.
Hermit also found it amusing and played along. “Yeah, right! What girl would even like a little tyrant like you?”
He was a few years older than Su Heting but younger than Jiali, positioning himself as the middle child of their trio and treating Su Heting like a little brother. Unfortunately, he wasn’t much of a fighter and was rather timid, so he rarely got chances to show off.
Adjusting his oversized sleeves with exaggerated seriousness, Hermit said, “When you’re ready to date, come to me. I organize old-world hometown meetups on the side. Oh, and bro, let me give you a heads-up—don’t go for survivors.” He glanced at the control panels on either side of their seats and dropped his voice to a whisper. “It’ll bring trouble.”
Survivors and Hybrids were strictly segregated in the Black Market. Hybrids needed to register and undergo information checks just to enter survivor residential areas.
Ordinary survivors rarely interacted with Hybrids outside of the internet, and even if they crossed paths on the street, they’d avoid them whenever possible. If a Hybrid was reported by a survivor, they’d face endless trials by Xingtian and could even end up shackled with sensor locks.
Su Heting found his ramblings absurd and gave a half-hearted nod before pressing the isolation button. A panel made of special material slowly rose, separating Hermit on the other side.
Hermit fumed. “Fine! Throw my kindness back in my face!”
The referee bribed by Hermit had done a thorough job, altering all of Hermit's personal information in advance. He even fabricated match records, making it impossible to detect anything amiss at a glance. However, being a substitute player meant hiding the contestant's past footage, which was easily noticeable—but everyone tacitly understood. After all, the Colosseum was never a place of fairness and justice.
The venue featured holographic projections and surround sound, with seat electrodes designed to immerse the audience further. If it were just about watching, they could have stayed home for the livestream. But Su Heting didn’t recline—he disliked these electrodes.
These electrodes didn’t transmit any pain, only wave after wave of stimulation, more addictive than connecting to a brain computer interface. Survivors jokingly called it "stitched euphoria". Originally, the term described the telepathic connection between two stitched individuals—they could link their brain computer interfaces, achieving a mystical experience akin to "I am in you, and you are in me."
Su Heting didn’t know the specifics. He had never tried it with anyone and had no desire to. Was there anything more terrifying than opening one’s consciousness for others to observe? Su Heting believed no one had earned that level of trust from him yet.
Tonight, the host was in high spirits: "Contestant Fei Yi is an old friend of ours! Remember his chase battle with Titan? The entire arena trembled—and so did my heart! Fei Yi is a seasoned veteran that was known for his steady performance..."
Su Heting scanned the crowd for Xie Zhenshu, but from his seat, he could only see a corner of the waiting area, where other contestants sat in rows but Xie Zhenshu wasn’t among them.
The host rambled on: "Fei Yi excels at maneuvering his six limbs to stabilize the fight, while his foldable quadruple wings are his ultimate technique. He isn’t one of those bloodthirsty fan favorites, but when necessary, he never holds back against his opponents."
The screen zoomed in on Fei Yi, giving Su Heting a clear look at him.
Fei Yi was a tall, lean contestant with stubble on his chin, around the same age as Hermit but far less refined. His sunken cheeks and dark under-eye circles made him look like he hadn’t slept for days. He wore an oversized tank top and his arms were modified with varying degrees of mechanical enhancements. When the host mentioned his name, he raised his hand stiffly, offering an awkward wave to the camera.
From the motion, Su Heting spotted the steel rods implanted under Fei Yi’s armpits, extending down to his waist. They were embedded into his body—whether for aesthetic or some other purpose, it was hard to say.
There was something unsettling about him. Su Heting felt Fei Yi moved like a marionette, every action delayed as if following commands. With that thought, Su Heting swept his gaze across the venue, searching for Wei Zhixin amidst the chaotic play of light and shadow.
Since his match with King Shen, Su Heting had refused to eat Wei Da’s synthetic meat. The memory of King Shen’s grafted legs—linked to the words "synthetic meat"—made him nauseous.
The host announced: "Fei Yi’s current monthly ranking is 70th, while Hermit sits at 74th. These two are neck and neck—who will claim victory tonight? The countdown to connection begins now—"
After sitting down, Su Heting's phone lost its internet connection, but even without looking, he knew Wei Zhixin's million had pushed the match to the center of tonight's discussions. The live stream traffic must be substantial. But for now, he pushed all thoughts of Wei Zhixin aside, focusing on just one thing: what did Xie Zhenshu's virtual avatar look like in the Colosseum?
—Surely, he couldn’t use his actual Inspector appearance.
The live countdown began, and with the shouts of "Three, two, one," the virtual arena instantly unfolded, sweeping over the spectator stands and drowning out all the frenzied screams.
The electronic chanting of scriptures was the first to sound, accompanied by rainwater surging from the ground.
The old monk symbolizing the start of the match appeared at the far end of the arena. From this moment, the atmosphere began to shift, and a storm of insane comments flooded the live stream.
Standing in the arena, Su Heting was unaware of this, as his ears were completely filled with sound effects. The virtual arena was so lifelike that even without using neural electrodes, he could almost feel the vibrations beneath his feet.
The Nine-Headed Bird soared out!
Its massive shadow swept across the sky, stirring gusts of wind. Gliding along the edges of the arena, it flipped and perched atop the inverted architecture once the structures had fully stabilized. Its nine heads dangled midair, silent and eerily peculiar.
Su Heting had been to the Punishment Zone and seen the Bifang. Now, observing the Nine-Headed Bird, he noticed their gliding postures were strikingly similar. Unfortunately, the Nine-Headed Bird lacked a beak cannon and didn’t emit those chaotic "beep" sounds.
On the other end, the host officially announced, "The match begins!"
Before the word "begins" had fully left his lips, Fei Yi made his grand entrance. Or rather, half of his body did.
Hermit gasped sharply, his pupils trembling in shock. "What kind of avatar is this?!"
Generally, fighters in the Colosseum could undergo secondary modifications to their virtual forms.
To enhance the spectacle, the arena provided data packs for fighters to customize their avatars. However, these modifications were usually based on the fighters' real-life implants.
For instance, King Shen’s pair of cold snakes existed in reality, though they couldn’t enlarge to such proportions. Since virtual combat relied on neural reflexes, Hybrids like Su Heting—who had specifically tuned their reaction speeds—were rare, a feat tied to the technical skill of the surgeon performing the modifications.
For most Colosseum fighters, sticking to their most familiar forms was advantageous. Only a handful deviated from their real-life implants, opting for the most exaggerated and bizarre virtual avatars—a risky move.
Fei Yi was one such fighter.
He had split his body into two halves, his form nearly resembling King Shen’s cold snakes as it slithered low to the ground. His soft, corpulent body displayed brown blotches as it moved Nd his excessively long tail dragging into the darkness. Strangely, both halves still shared a single head.
A serpentine head, covered in scales, with a triangular implant bulging at the back.
Su Heting almost mistook it for a split viper competing in the match. He even suspected Wei Zhixin had outfitted them with the same model of mech armor. The surface sheen was identical—just a different color.
"A familiar yet terrifying figure," the host's deliberately slowed voice heightened the atmosphere. "We softly call the name of Fei Yi... He has added a gigantification effect to himself. Good heavens, gigantification is truly a marvelous invention for virtual competitions, allowing us to observe these masterpieces of the new world with even greater clarity. This is a challenge of consciousness—in all the matches I've hosted, few contestants have been able to control two bodies simultaneously. Fei Yi is the most exceptional among them! He was once paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident, and during his debut, he used two bodies. Though that match didn’t go smoothly, he worked incredibly hard. Later, he added numerous aggressive modifications to himself. I’ve heard he even wants to achieve this in reality—"
The host’s words were abruptly cut off. Whether it was the eyes of the live audience or the barrage of comments in the livestream, all were drawn in another direction.
"Hermit" contestant, who had remained silent and nearly invisible until now, arrived belatedly.
Xie Zhenshu stood with his arms crossed, resting on either side of his waist, where two unsheathed narrow blades hung. Though the blades remained undrawn, their cold gleam was unmistakable. His face was concealed beneath a demonic mask, blocking all prying eyes. His high-collared uniform was neatly fastened, revealing only a sliver of pale skin. He resembled a shadowy nightwalker, wrapped in darkness and exuding an air of aloof detachment.
But none of this was the main point.
The true focus was the towering, several-meter-tall shadow looming behind him. Composed of diamond-shaped fragments, the shadow gradually coalesced into the form of an Asura—three faces glaring in fury, three heads, and six arms.
Author's Note:
① Fei Yi: Currently unlocked information can be found in this chapter's details.—"Punctual Sniper Chronicles"
①-1 Inspiration for the setting: On Mount Hua, there is a serpent named Fei Yi, with six legs and four wings. Its appearance heralds a great drought across the land.—"Records of the Investigation of Things" (It also appears in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas.")
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