Chapter 186 - 150: The Tailor-Made Position of Honorary Special Ops Vice-Captain for the Two Districts

"Oh, right! Thank you." Chu Bamboo paused in thought for a moment, then, as if suddenly remembering something, cupped his fist at Huo Qiming with a grateful expression. "Thinking about it carefully... now should be about right!"

Then, Chu Bamboo drew a dagger from his waist and, without the slightest hesitation, plunged it through his own chest.

Huo Qiming: "???"

His expression changed...

Then, in the next instant, Chu Bamboo pulled out the dagger. A thin, faint mist of light gathered at his chest. The wound then healed completely, as if time itself had reversed...

However, Chu Bamboo’s face turned deathly pale as a result.

Chu Bamboo was shocked. ’Wait... does Memory Rewrite consume this much essence and spirit?’

Chu Bamboo felt as if he’d been completely hollowed out.

"...?" Without a word, Huo Qiming turned and walked away, his face dark. The moment he recalled that he had actually worried about Chu Bamboo for a second, he felt like a complete clown! This Mr. Zhu hadn’t changed one bit...

"...What was that about?" Chu Bamboo was a little confused.

"Uncle Zhu, sometimes I can’t tell if you’re being serious or just kidding!" Ning Linglong practically floated to Chu Bamboo’s side, her voice haunting. ’Showing off to this extent is just too much! Didn’t he see even the Brigade Commander couldn’t take it anymore? It’s a good thing the commander is good-natured. Otherwise...’

Seeing the utter confusion on Chu Bamboo’s face, she furrowed her brow and thought for a long while before finally making a decision. ’If he’s really tricking me, I’ll just have to accept it.’ She sighed and said, "A Divine Technique from the First Realm is usually no different from a useless trinket! When I first... Ahem, but you can even recover from a fatal wound! That’s equivalent to having an extra life... Even if it looks like you can only use it once! This... is still unimaginable!"

Chu Bamboo fell into deep thought, and a look of understanding soon appeared in his eyes.

He carefully sensed his condition and finally discovered that his internal Blessing Power and Divine Thought had grown about fifty percent stronger compared to when he first entered the Dream World!

The reason... was likely because his constant battles with Huo Qiming, specifically through Huo Qiming’s Give Me Back My Beauty Fist, kept his internal Energy in a perpetual state of consumption and Amplification!

If that were all, it would be one thing, but he had also reset five times—

What was a reset? After resetting so many times, Chu Bamboo had a faint idea. A reset didn’t just instantly restore his state to peak condition; it also seemed to have a hint of making his gains permanent...

Otherwise, there was no explaining how his strengthened body could be carried over after a reset...

’I just don’t know if a physique or power level enhanced through forced overdraft could also be carried over. Hmm... maybe I should find some Demonic Path self-sacrifice Cultivation Technique to test the waters in the future?’

A thousand thoughts collided chaotically in Chu Bamboo’s mind.

So, his current situation was likely this: repeated cycles of growth and consumption had forcibly pushed his body to a temporary peak state—

It was like a balloon being constantly deflated and inflated, on the verge of being stretched beyond its limits...

Normally, after a period of slow recovery, the excess air in the balloon would dissipate, and it would shrink back to its normal size... but with a reset!

"Sigh, if you think about it that way," Chu Bamboo said with some emotion, then immediately shouted, "Thanks, Old Huo... We’ll be seeing each other again later!"

Chu Bamboo was being sincere. Not only did the man assist in his training, but he had also unintentionally pointed out such a grand path forward...

Huo Qiming, who had just reached the entrance of the Nuwa Base, stiffened upon hearing this and nearly tripped, his face darkening.

’That little bastard is still showing off, isn’t he? Wait a minute, when Chu Bamboo was looking at the Cultivation Technique Nuwa displayed before, he was just watching and silently practicing... he couldn’t have been pretending to be weak to catch a bigger fish, could he?’

’But that can’t be right.’ Huo Qiming was completely baffled. ’If the kid already knew it, why would the Great Goddess Nuwa bother placing the Cultivation Technique in front of him? I don’t think the Great Goddess Nuwa would conspire with someone to pull something like this.’

’So... is he really just exceptionally talented without realizing it? Am I the one who’s being too sensitive?!’

Huo Qiming sighed internally. ’In that case, this is truly... But then again, the text of that Cultivation Technique was also quite strange... Part of it looked like the common script they normally used, but another part looked like ancient Divine Text! I couldn’t understand any of it, so I really have no idea how Mr. Bamboo... huh?!’

Huo Qiming stopped in his tracks. A dawning realization sent colossal waves crashing through his mind.

’Wait... That’s it! No matter who Nuwa is facing, she seems to communicate exclusively using Divine Text and Divine Words!’

’In other words, this kid knows Divine Text?’

’No, based on what happened before, it’s even possible... that the Great Goddess Nuwa taught him personally.’

Huo Qiming whipped his head around, about to say something, only to see Chu Bamboo grit his teeth.

And then...

Time reversed!

...

He climbed out of bed once more.

"Feeling a little pressure!"

Chu Bamboo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fatigue in his eyes. ’From the looks of it, around ten times is probably my limit.’

He slapped his cheeks. "This current state isn’t great! The results of my Cultivation should be worse than last time... Let’s try one more time... Hmm?"

Chu Bamboo frowned, realizing that this time, the reset hadn’t given him much of a boost.

"...Does this mean five times was enough to polish me to the absolute peak of my current realm? Sigh... what a shame!"

Shaking his head, Chu Bamboo used the Rewriting Technique this time to make his aura seem like that of an ordinary person. And then...

He first set it up so that any unauthorized access would automatically close all interfaces! Clear the background processes.

Finally...

Chu Bamboo began to read a novel with great enjoyment.

And this time...

When noon arrived.

Huo Qigang, Li Kang, and the others arrived. The friendly exchange between Huo Qiming and Chu Bamboo seemed completely normal from start to finish.

...

"Heroes emerge from the young, and the young become heroes!" Huo Qiming firmly grasped Chu Bamboo’s hand, his voice kind and gentle. As he reminisced about his interactions with Chu Bamboo five years ago, he couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. He silently recited in his heart, ’Long time no see, Mr. Bamboo.’

After a brief silence, Huo Qiming said with a smile, "Mr. Xiao Zhu! I heard you turned down my previous offer to promote you to interim captain of the Second District?"

Li Kang’s body stiffened, and he couldn’t help but feel a little panicked. ’Is he here to settle old scores? But I clearly did my homework... my superior isn’t that kind of person!’

"So, since I refused, what new reward are you planning to give me?" Chu Bamboo asked with righteous indignation.

Li Kang: "...?"

Li Kang almost thought he had misheard. ’Wait... isn’t that a bit too much! Ah Zhu, calm down! Don’t you know you shouldn’t court death!’

And then...

He watched as Huo Qiming, not the least bit angry, actually began to consider it seriously. Finally, he said, "How about this! I’ll pull some strings for you... and make you the honorary vice-captain of the Special Operations Brigades for... the Second District and the Third District!"

"Of course, it’s an honorary position! In theory, you have no control over the brigade members in either district. Who told you to refuse the offer before?" Huo Qiming’s words carried a teasing tone. "But for you, having the title should be enough..."

"I’m also offering this because parts of the shantytown redevelopment area are scattered within the Second District, albeit on the fringes."

Taking a deep breath, Huo Qiming thought for a moment to organize his words before continuing, "With these two positions, you’ll be better able to... coordinate! Coordinate the relationship between the Officials and the shantytown area... I know the shantytown area has joined the Official side! But with your group’s current rank... I’m afraid there are still many people, both openly and secretly, who will try to cause trouble for you, right?"

"That Old Lu, really." Huo Qiming shook his head. He really couldn’t stand this aspect of things. ’You’ve already decided to lend them a hand, and it’s mutually beneficial for both sides... yet you still insist on making things difficult! Not a shred of chivalry in him!’

"..." Chu Bamboo sank into thought. ’Cause him trouble?’

’Has there been? Has there?’

’Whatever. He’s giving me benefits, so I’ll just assume there has been!’

Meanwhile, Li Kang blinked, pondering a very serious question at that moment.

’What in the world is the relationship between Brigade Commander Huo Qiming... and Ah Zhu?’

’This is... This is just too ridiculous!’

’Giving him the honorary vice-captain position for one district is understandable, but two... And he deliberately offered this after Chu Bamboo had already rejected the interim captain position for the Second District!’

’It’s like the position was tailor-made for Ah Zhu...’

’This... is probably the kind of treatment you’d only give your own grandson, right?!!’