Chapter 101

For the rest of the afternoon training, s.h.i.+ Jin was silently pondering over a questionwhy had his progress bar dropped?

After dealing with Xu Jie, his progress bar first dropped to 100 for a while, then, when Xu Jie woke up in the hospital after her operation, it climbed up a bit, to 300. Lian Jun helped him send Xu Jie to a psychiatric hospital abroad; on the day she left B City, his progress bar dropped to 200. Once Xu Jie arrived in the hospital and met the nurse whod been her accomplice, as arranged by Lian Jun, s.h.i.+ Jins progress bar had been falling steadily. By the time he had reported to school, it had dropped to 100 and never moved again as if stuck.

This should have been the limit of Xu Jies influence on his progress bar, and with her current situation, he could be sure that the remaining value of 100 had nothing to do with her.

But if that was the case, what was the reason for the change in his progress bar?

There shouldnt be any lethal factors in the military base because if so, the bar would have increased the moment s.h.i.+ Jin arrived here, instead of inexplicably decreasing after a few days. And he hadnt done anything to improve his safety just now; he simply carried a bucket of water.

If he excluded these two reasons, coupled with the fact that the progress bar hadnt risen before dropping Maybe this wasnt related to lethal factors but survival factors?

He couldnt help but look at Xiang Aotingwas his brother the reason? Did Xiang Aotings presence increase his survival factor? Orhe glanced around at his surroundings, a closed and absolutely safe military base, uncertainwas it the environment? No, it shouldnt be, otherwise the progress bar wouldve dropped as soon as he arrived So the environment wasnt the cause.

His thoughtful gaze fell back on Xiang Aoting. The decline in the progress bar should still be related to his brother because at that moment, hed just finished a conversation with him. With 80% probability, Xiang Aoting was the reason.

But it still didnt seem to fit completely. According to his previous guess, the survival factor he obtained from someone should have a limit value, determined by the strength of that persons ability and desire to protect him.

When his relations.h.i.+p with his brothers improved, the survival factors they gave him shouldve already been maxed out, and the value by which these survival factors could lower the progress bar should have reached the limit. Not long ago, he received Ruxing from s.h.i.+ Weichong; such a huge security guarantee should be a big survival factor, but the progress bar didnt even budge. It proved that his last remaining progress bar value should not be affected by survival factors. Xiang Aoting didnt say anything special just now. He didnt make any promises to protect him or the liketheir conversation had been completely mundane, so why did the progress bar drop

This afternoons training is over, dismissed! Have dinner at 6:00 in the canteen, then a.s.semble for evening training at 7:00 on the training grounds. Youd better not be late! Xiang Aotings voice suddenly rang.

It sounded quite close. Awoken from his thoughts, s.h.i.+ Jin blinked and turned towards where it came from.

Xiang Aoting was standing at the side of the squad and just happened to be looking at s.h.i.+ Jin. Seeing him glance over, Xiang Aoting frowned and knocked on the air, pretending to make a reprimanding knock on the young mans head. Realizing that his absent-mindedness had been noticed, s.h.i.+ Jin raised a hand and knocked on his own head, smiling sheepishly at his brother.

Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translators site to get the fastest updates!

The evening training was rather relaxed; as everyone just jogged casually while singing, and practiced the basic drill commands theyd learned in the afternoon, time seemed to fly by.

Doubts and questions were spinning around in s.h.i.+ Jins mind even as he lay down on his bunk at lights-out. This matter was really important to him. Hed completely resolved the original novels plot, but there were still 100 points left in his progress bar; hed been unable to figure out what it was related to. Now that there was finally a clue, he couldnt let it slip away.

Still thinking about it, he drifted into sleep. He hadnt noticed that, strangely, Xiao Si kept silent after informing him that the progress bar fell, even though it would usually comfort and encourage him when he was struggling with a problem.

Probably because hed been entangled in thoughts all day, s.h.i.+ Jin had a dream that night. He dreamt about Xiang Aoting.

In the dream, he became the original s.h.i.+ Jin, lying on the cold ground with a bloodied face as the spark of his life faded away. His face had been disfigured and his ring finger had been cut off; he was in a lot of pain. Probably because he had lost a lot of blood, his body felt cold, and his mind was a little confused.

Am I dying?

He tried to blink but found he had no strength.

Why didnt his brothers come to save him? Why Oh, thats righthis brothers ignored him now, they no longer wanted him He moved his arms, trying to prop himself up. I cant die here, I need to get out, to get out of here

Bang!

With the sound of the door being slammed open, the light finally poured in the dark, damp bas.e.m.e.nt.

They were coming again, his torturers He fell back to the floor, turning his head towards the patch of light with difficulty, despair welling in his eyes.

This is probably the end, isnt it

A tall, familiar figure rushed in.

Then there was a familiar voice: Xiao Jin!

He stared at the man, running straight to him, with wide open eyes that were reddening rapidly. He didnt know where the strength came from, but he managed to prop himself up on his injured arms. Holding up his weak body, he crawled forward a little, struggling to grab the hand reaching out to him as the man dropped to his knees in front of him.

Its warm. Its my brothers hand.

When he gripped the mans hand so hard, the wound from his cut-off finger was squeezed and hurt very much, but he didnt want to let go.

Hold it tight even if it hurts, dont let go, ever.

Fourth Brother he mumbled, slumping back to the ground. He wanted to see the mans face, but his consciousness was fading rapidly. It hurts.

If youre seeing this notice, youre reading this chapter on pirate site the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.

s.h.i.+ Jin!

The loud call woke s.h.i.+ Jin up. He blinked and opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. After a moment, he sat up with a frown, raising a hand to rub his forehead.

Luo Donghao knocked on the frame of s.h.i.+ Jins bed. Hurry up and get up or youre going to be late.

s.h.i.+ Jin returned to his senses and hummed in response. He gave his face a hard rub to perk himself up, folded the quilt, and climbed down the bed ladder.

Luo Donghao stood by and waited for him. Seeing that s.h.i.+ Jins face looked a little pale, he frowned and asked, Whats wrong, are you still feeling tired?

No, I just had a weird dream and my head hurts a little, s.h.i.+ Jin replied half-truthfully. He chatted with Luo Donghao as he changed his clothes, casually diverting the topic, then the two of them took their toiletries and went to the communal bathroom for the morning ablutions.

On the way to the training field, s.h.i.+ Jin was rather spiritless, keeping his head down and not speaking.

Last nights dream was too real, to the point that even now, he felt a dull ache in his finger. Hed never been affected by the memory of the original s.h.i.+ Jin to this extent. Before this, when he looked at s.h.i.+ Jins memories, it was from the third-person perspective, without really getting involvedlike watching a movie in which the protagonist looked a little bit like him. But last night, in the dream, he was the original s.h.i.+ Jin, and fully felt all the pain he had suffered.

It was a really bad experience.

He clenched and opened his hand vigorously to weaken the painful feeling, asking Xiao Si, Last night, I dreamed of the memories of the original s.h.i.+ Jin. It was not from the third-person perspective but from his perspective, and since waking up, they keep flas.h.i.+ng in my mind. Is this normal? Should I pay special attention to this?

Xiao Sis answer was succinct, which was rare: < Its normal. You dont need to worry about this, just wait it out. >

s.h.i.+ Jin frowned. Whats wrong? Why are you so listless today?

< I > Xiao Si began, then continued in a small voice, < I miss Darling. >

Once Lian Juns name fell, s.h.i.+ Jin paused, then let out a sigh. Pus.h.i.+ng everything that was troubling him right now to the back of his mind, he said, I miss him too I wonder if Xiang Aoting pa.s.sed my message on to him yesterday

Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translators site to get the fastest updates!

Probably due to the deep influence of the dream, when s.h.i.+ Jin arrived at the training field and saw Xiang Aoting, s.h.i.+ Jins heart suddenly flooded with chaotic emotions.

Wanting to avoid him, wanting to question him, wanting to rush to him and hold his hand These conflicting emotions ebbed as fast as they flowed in. s.h.i.+ Jin stopped for a moment, rubbing his forehead as he waited for them to fade, then lowered his head and followed Luo Donghao and the others to find their positions.

After they lined up, Xiang Aoting made them number off. He glanced at s.h.i.+ Jin, frowning when he saw him keeping his head down and seemingly dispirited, and said, As usual, first run three laps as a warm-up, then come back here and stand at attention. The rules for the additional training stay the same.

The students didnt have any special reaction when they heard his words. They neither let out a shocked gasp like the first day nor burned with the will to fight like yesterday, but just obediently went to run, appearing mature and calm.

Xiang Aoting looked at them pretending to be unperturbedthey seemed to be scheming something. He glanced at s.h.i.+ Jin, who was concentrating on the warm-up, his fingers unconsciously scratching the clipboard with the roster.

It didnt take long to run three laps. When they were done, everyone lined up without having to be ordered and a.s.sumed at attention stance.

On that day, as if the team had some kind of agreement, no one gave up. Whether they moved or not, they kept standing; no matter what Xiang Aoting said or promised, they acted as if they were deaf.

Under such collective persistence, the training time was extended indefinitely as Luo Donghao had feared yesterday, and the total training time soon exceeded the training time in the morning. Realizing that he couldnt trick the cadets no matter how hard he tried, Xiang Aoting finally closed his mouth. He caught on to what their scheme was and, satisfied, decided to change his strategy.

Im very happy that you all chose to persist, he said in a gentle voice, stopping right in front of the squad. But we cant continue wasting time like this. Now, everyone who moved should line up to the side.

This shocked everyone. Although not all of them had survived the additional training, in their hearts, they felt that theyd defeated Xiang Aoting. The cadets who had moved hurriedly stepped out, relieved that they didnt have to drag their companions down any longer.

Out of the team of forty, thirty-nine people were suddenly gone, leaving only s.h.i.+ Jin standing in the original place.

The students, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, froze at the sight of the lonely s.h.i.+ Jin. Their insides ached with frustrationso, once again, only the young master was left in the end

Everyone looked at Luo Donghao, their gazes reproachfulyesterday, didnt you survive?!

Luo Donghao lowered his head in shame, whispering, Just now, there was a gust of wind. The sand blew in my eyes, and I couldnt help moving

Everyone: Alright, bro, this excuse is too solid.

Why are you just standing there in a daze? Line up! Xiang Aoting barked, scowling.

They complied in a hurry, then looked at the instructor, wondering what he had prepared for them this time.

Xiang Aoting walked up to them. You cant hold on to the end because your physical strength and stamina are not up to par. If so, you should practice until they are, and not give up! Each of you should remember how many times you moved. Oncedo ten push-ups, twicetwenty push-ups, and so on. Supervise each other, and dont slack off.

Oh, so its just push-ups. Thats easy!

The eyes of the students who only moved once, like Luo Donghao, brightened.

Before doing push-ups, go and run five laps around the field, Xiang Aoting amended, then looked over at the lone survivor on the other side. s.h.i.+ Jin was able to stand without moving for three days in a row. This proves that his endurance and physical strength are far beyond the required standard, so he doesnt have to run and do push-upshell be learning fighting from me.

Huh? Fighting?!

The cadets eyes lit up and they all looked at Xiang Aoting. Luo Donghao shouted, Instructor, I also want to learn fighting! Fighting was so cool, it was much more fun than running!

Unqualified personnel has no right to make demands, Xiang Aoting replied coldly, his icy gaze sweeping over the group of unruly quail chicks. When youre able to stand at attention without moving to the end of the training, Ill let you learn something else. Until then, you can only watch others learn.

Hiss So cruel!

The little quails gasped in shock.

Xiang Aoting scowled at them. Not running yet?!

Intimidated by his glare, they didnt dare to make any more requests and glumly went to the running track, throwing s.h.i.+ Jin envious glances.

s.h.i.+ Jin, tomorrow Ill accompany you! Luo Donghao said in a low voice as he ran past s.h.i.+ Jin. His eyes were full of admiration and envy.

The corners of s.h.i.+ Jins mouth twitched. Okay, Im waiting for you, he said dryly. Also, congratulations on biting Xiang Aotings bait.

When the little quails ran away far enough, Xiang Aoting immediately walked up to s.h.i.+ Jin and touched the teenagers forehead. You didnt sleep well last night? Your face looks pale.

The hand on his forehead was very warm. Taken aback, s.h.i.+ Jin looked up at Xiang Aoting, whose eyes were filled with concern. The images from last nights dream flashed in his mind; he took a deep breath, suppressing the impulse to slap his brothers hand away. He stepped back, took off his cap and put it aside, then turned to Xiang Aoting and beckoned to him provocatively. Come on, lets spar! I couldnt win against you last year, but this year, Ill definitely beat you to the ground.

Xiang Aoting was relieved to see him cheer up again. He took off his cap, put it aside together with the clipboard, and a.s.sumed a fighting stance. Yes, let me see how much you have grown since then.

s.h.i.+ Jin eyed him, burning with fighting spirit. His muscles straining, he immediately rushed to attack.

On the track, after making a turn, Luo Donghao instinctively glanced towards their squads usual position. His eyes opened wide as he saw two figures fluidly exchanging blows. He quickly raised a hand to rub them and looked again, then cried out in disbelief, f.u.c.k, s.h.i.+ Jin is actually sparring with the instructor! He can actually fight!

Surprised, everyone looked in that direction, only to see s.h.i.+ Jin forcing Xiang Aoting back with a savage high kick. Their jaws dropped.

How fierce! Is that really s.h.i.+ Jin?

f.u.c.k, that kick was brutal! These moves look very skilled, s.h.i.+ Jin is no amateur!

Hit his face, his face! A kick, yeah! Come on, kick him!

d.a.m.n, is he really a spoiled young master? You guys totally lied to me.

Luo Donghao stared, dumbfounded. Looking at s.h.i.+ Jins flexible movements and ruthless attacks, he felt a chill on his back for some reason. Why did he think that s.h.i.+ Jins techniques were a little strange, as if they were all killing moves? Where did he learn them?

Xiang Aoting asked the same question when they separated for a moment.

s.h.i.+ Jin once again swept out with his leg, trying to throw him off balance. Last year, didnt you say that my attacks were too routine and predictable? I did my best to improve on this. And boy, hadnt he suffered because of it! During practice, hed continuously been beaten up by Gua Two and Gua One. The two men said they wanted to help him reform his rigid fighting skills, which looked nice on paper, but it was actually a euphemism for beating him up! Straight-out beating him up!

Xiang Aoting recalled Lian Juns dangerous group of subordinates and frowned, inexplicably feeling that they had dragged his younger brother over to the dark side. He deftly captured s.h.i.+ Jins arm and pressed down his shoulder, at the same time striking at the side of his waist. Here, the hole in your defense is too big. You should pay more attention to defense when attacking! Again!

Knocked to the ground with such apparent ease, s.h.i.+ Jins face darkened. Seeing Xiang Aoting look as if he still didnt need to go all out, he twisted and broke free from his brothers hold then threw a punch straight at his face.

It so happened that the rest of the squad was running by just at this moment. The cadets immediately became excited when they saw this scene; someone, emboldened by being hidden in the crowd, shouted at the top of his lungs, Hit him! Come on, s.h.i.+ Jin! Take the devil down!

Startled by the loud roar, s.h.i.+ Jin stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. His attack instantly lost momentum and Xiang Aoting directly caught his fist.

Youre too easily distracted, remember to work on this, Xiang Aoting admonished him, then turned to look at the runners. Liu Yong, it seems youre quite idle. Fifty push-ups! he growled in a cold voice.

All the cadets immediately stopped rubbernecking and ran properly again. The one called out by name, Liu Yong, looked away with a glum expression, filled with regret for shooting his mouth off.

Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translators site to get the fastest updates!

Lap after lap, everyone watched s.h.i.+ Jin and Xiang Aoting spar, their faces nearly green with envythey also wanted to be like s.h.i.+ Jin, who was able to fight on a par with the instructor!

The content of military training is fixed. Well all learn later what the instructor is teaching s.h.i.+ Jin today as long as we properly complete all the previous exercises, Luo Donghao said suddenly. Its like playing a game: we can only go to the next level after pa.s.sing this one. s.h.i.+ Jin already had the strength to reach the next level, but weve been dragging him down. Today, the instructor let him proceed to the stage where he should be. If we dont hurry and catch up, were going to be left far behind.

After hearing this, everyone thought of s.h.i.+ Jins outstanding performance in the past three days and calmed down a little. They looked to the front and started running seriouslyif they wanted to pa.s.s the current level, they needed to work hard. There was no time to waste.

They had calmed down, but when they finished running and were suffering through the push-ups while s.h.i.+ Jin was sparring with Xiang Aoting and learning military combat ahead of schedule, they still couldnt help but be envious.

They, too, wanted to join the world of the strong.

Also, who lied to them that s.h.i.+ Jin was a spoiled young master? Looking at the hard muscles bulging on s.h.i.+ Jins arms during the fight, where was he spoiled?!

Just as they were roaring in their hearts, the instructor of the squad next to them suddenly ran over. Eyes s.h.i.+ning, he observed the fight for a moment, then asked if he could also exchange a few moves with s.h.i.+ Jin.

Xiang Aoting agreed on behalf of s.h.i.+ Jin. He pulled s.h.i.+ Jin aside and said something to him, then walked to the side, yielding his place.

s.h.i.+ Jin and the instructor began sparring, and both squads began cheering for their compet.i.tors. The lively atmosphere soon attracted the attention of other squads, and more and more people came to watch.

Three minutes later, s.h.i.+ Jin executed a beautiful side throw and pressed the instructor to the ground.

The cheering stopped abruptly, and the crowd on the training field fell deathly silent. What did they just see? Did a cadet really manage to throw an instructor down?

s.h.i.+ Jins teammates were stunned at first, then burst out into deafening cheers.

He won! s.h.i.+ Jin actually won! The student beat the instructor! The rumored pampered young master beat the instructor!

s.h.i.+ Jin released his hold and stood up, then reached out to help the other man up, saying, Thank you for your guidance, sir.

What guidance, as if I could teach you anything. Youre very strong, young man. Have you received special training? The instructor didnt refuse s.h.i.+ Jins help and let himself be pulled up, looking at him as if he had found a treasure. Looking at Xiang Aoting, he asked, Whats this cadets name?

Xiang Aotings eyes were beaming with pride, but he forced his voice to sound flat: His name is s.h.i.+ Jin. Hes the top candidate on this years admissions listhe scored 600 points in the college entrance examination.

Oh, its the student who was almost recruited by XX military academy, no wonder. The instructor looked s.h.i.+ Jin up and down in surprise. He patted s.h.i.+ Jin on the shoulder happily and said, My older brother is also a graduate of your police academy. You have an eye for quality, youve chosen a good school.

s.h.i.+ Jin was patted so hard his shoulder ached. Forcing out a smile, he said, Thank you, sir, I just happened to have good luck.

The instructor became more and more enthusiastic. I heard youve also been on a mission. What kind of mission? Do tell!

Not really, it was just a small task Overwhelmed, s.h.i.+ Jin quietly moved closer to Xiang Aoting.

Xiang Aoting hurriedly jumped in to save him, finding an excuse to send the other instructor away. Then he announced the end of the morning training, and took s.h.i.+ Jin away on the pretext of discussing the spar they just had.

The crowd watched them walk away, stunned by too much informationfirst place candidate? Special training? Mission? What the h.e.l.l? This was about s.h.i.+ Jin? Wasnt s.h.i.+ Jin a spoiled young master whose family had a mine and who didnt even know how to make a bed? What the instructors said just now and what theyd heard was really about the same person?

Hey, Luo Donghao. Liu Yong couldnt help poking Luo Donghao next to him, who seemed to be petrified.

The other youth turned to him stiffly.

Who the h.e.l.l said that s.h.i.+ Jin was a young master? Liu Yong asked, looking at him expressionlessly.

Luo Donghao let out a cough. Who knows

s.h.i.+ Jin became famous once more. This time, it was positive renown, but he didnt feel very happy because he kept dreaming every night.

The pitch-dark bas.e.m.e.nt, dying, Xiang Aoting rus.h.i.+ng in when he was about to give in to despair. Again and again, the same scene, the same pain, the same dull ache in his fingers.

s.h.i.+ Jin plunged his face in the wash bowl, sobering himself up with the cold water, then straightened and looked at his trembling fingers. Weary, he poked Xiao Si in his mind. Its been five days already. He Chun, the weakest person in the squad, can already stand at attention without moving, so why is this dream thing still not over? Xiao Si, is this really normal?

The system remained silent.

I know, you cant tell me. s.h.i.+ Jin buried his face in the towel and let out a long sigh. Xiao Si, weve been together for more than a year. All this time, youve only refused to answer when I asked you two questions: what is your existence and why was I reborn in the body of the original s.h.i.+ Jin. With you being like this now, it really makes me think.

Xiao Si didnt keep silent this time, but only reminded cautiously, < JinJin, you should go now, or youll be late for training. >

You little fellow s.h.i.+ Jin put down the towel and looked at himself in the mirror. Suddenly, he laughed. Okay, why do I hear crying again? I wasnt trying to scare you or anything.

Xiao Si was silent for a while, as if it was holding back sobs. Finally, it said, < JinJin, please dont be angry with me, and dont hate me and not want me anymore. >

Silly, how can I not want you? s.h.i.+ Jin tucked his towel and toiletries in his wash bowl one by one. He clenched his fingers, which began aching again, and sighed, Xiao Si, I miss Lian Jun.

Translators Notes:

The corners of s.h.i.+ Jins mouth twitched. Okay, Im waiting for you, he said dryly