Zhao Yi, whose control over firearms was akin to a flickering shadow, continuously waved his hand seals, rapidly imprinting a simple "Five Thunder Array" onto the gun bodies. Aided by Gu Xiechen, thousands of minute Zakura crystals were embedded within these arrays. The moment these firearms were discharged, the Five Elements’ lightning would erupt alongside the high-energy beams, creating an unforeseen advantage.

It took a full hour to complete the modification of these firearms. He then refined another thousand greatswords inscribed with the Lightning Attraction Array and the Sharpness Array.

Finally, there were the thousand sets of battle armor imbued with defensive formations. Gu Xiechen and Zhao Yi, already drenched in sweat, barely managed to complete the refinement of this armor, despite the crippling headache caused by spiritual exhaustion. They even managed to reinforce the defensive formations etched onto the suits.

As soon as everything was set, Zhao Yi, utterly depleted, dissolved into purple light and retreated into the Sea of Consciousness within the Purple Mansion. The near-fainting Gu Xiechen struggled to pull open the armory doors, flashing a grin at the bearded commander waiting outside. “Just a few more hours until the live combat test against the Gu Corporation! Uncle Beard, you absolutely cannot lose!”

The bearded commander embraced Gu Xiechen tightly, his voice deep with resolution. “Rest assured, I’ll lead the brothers into battle myself! We will not lose!”

He paused, stroking his beard with a wry smile. “But, we cheated by giving these suits such formidable power. When the Federal Military Procurement Office evaluates them later, their performance will inevitably be a tier lower. How are we supposed to show our faces?”

Bill Rokes happily ran a hand over the chillingly cold battle armor, smiling broadly. “Uncle Beard, don’t worry about that. Our lab is making huge strides experimenting with the metal formulas Mr. Gu brought back. In another half a month at most, we’ll be able to mass-synthesize those specialty metals. Heh heh, armor made from those materials will boast a performance increase of at least tenfold over these—we won’t have to worry about being exposed!”

The bearded commander laughed. Gu Xiechen took a breath and heartily returned the punch.

A perfectly lined row of one thousand modified Hercules I armors stood in the warehouse. Whether it was their plating, the standard-issue greatswords, or the high-energy rifles, a faint blue light pulsed from all the metal components, and through that light, countless snowflakes seemed to dance.

Five hours later, a Hadwor Corporation transport ship, escorted by twelve warships, descended into a pristine forest at the southern foothills of the Himalayas.

Two Federal Mechanized Divisions had already arrived, cordoning off a tract of forest thirty kilometers long and wide—this was to be the live combat testing ground for Hadwor Defense Corporation versus the Gu Corporation. A temporary command post had been hastily erected, where the grim-faced Wolf Fang and Hekoms, along with other high-ranking military officials, were seated in silent anticipation.

Besides military personnel, awaiting this clash of titans were representatives from thirty-seven Federal armament companies and executives from the other five major defense corporations.

What surprised Gu Xiechen the most, however, was the presence of the Vatican Holy See!

The individual present was a white-robed bishop with blond hair and blue eyes, bearing an uncanny resemblance to his brother, Andre. The moment he saw Gu Xiechen enter the command post, this bishop, who had been calmly observing the scenery from a corner, immediately stood up and eagerly hurried over with a broad smile.

Extending his hand enthusiastically, the bishop beamed, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Gu Xiechen. Thank you for looking after my brother on Paradise Star. I am Amphitrite, Bishop Amphitrite of the Vatican Consistory. On behalf of my brother, who is still enduring hardship on Paradise Star, I sincerely thank you!”

Grasping Bishop Amphitrite’s hand warmly, Gu Xiechen vigorously shook his arm and laughed loudly. “So you are Bishop Amphitrite? Ah ha! Bishop Andre and I are great friends! No need for thanks regarding looking after him. Last time Andre and I were drinking, he mentioned you—said you were the most capable and outstanding prodigy of the younger generation in the Holy See! Oh, I know a place, the girls there are excellent. Once I finish my serious business, we can go check it out?”

Throwing an arm around the stiffening Amphitrite, Gu Xiechen heartily slapped his back and roared with laughter. “Bishop Andre loves taking me there the most. The girls there are fiercely wild, tsk tsk, he especially loves their long legs! He said when they exert themselves, it feels just like being kicked by a wild horse—absolutely exhilarating!”

The command post fell into a dead silence. Wolf Fang stared at Gu Xiechen in shock, while Hekoms kept his head down, grinding his teeth so hard he almost bit through his lip. All the other generals, lieutenant generals, and major generals turned away, not daring to look at Amphitrite and his eight attendant bishops, whose faces had turned ashen.

After a long moment, Amphitrite slowly spoke, “Perhaps you have mistaken something, esteemed Mr. Gu Xiechen. My brother, Bishop Andre, is a devout believer! He would never frequent such a foul, lowly place. You owe me an apology, for you have insulted his dignified and pure character.”

Looking at the stone-faced Amphitrite with feigned surprise, Gu Xiechen frowned. “Oh, my apologies, I got too excited seeing you and lost my composure for a moment. Ah, now I recall! Last time Bishop Andre was smoking marijuana, he did specifically instruct me not to reveal his activities of drinking and seeing women. However, are you truly fond of handsome young boys, just as he described?”

“You!” Amphitrite roared, pointing at Gu Xiechen, speechless for a moment.

Releasing his grip on Amphitrite, Gu Xiechen cheerfully waved to Gu Juechen, who was standing nearby. “Brother, hello! Long time no see, how is your health?”

After nodding cordially to the surrounding high-ranking military officers, Gu Xiechen strode confidently toward Wolf Fang and executed a perfectly crisp salute. “Marshal, Hadwor Defense Corporation’s one thousand Hercules I individual combat suits are ready. Led personally by our Uncle Beard, they have entered the ‘Exercise’ zone.”

Wolf Fang smiled and took a sip of strong tea from his large cup.

“Good. Hadwor Defense Corporation is ready. Gu Juechen, is your Gu Corporation ready?”

Gu Juechen strode forward a few paces, passing Gu Xiechen to stand a step ahead of him. He gracefully stroked his beard and smiled calmly. “Completely ready. One thousand elite warriors from our corporation, operating our Thunder God III suits, have entered the ‘Combat’ zone.”

He glanced back, and Gu Juechen sneered, “Gu Xiechen, this is a combat test, not an exercise! Combat means people can die!”

Glaring at Gu Juechen, Gu Xiechen also sneered back, “Are you suggesting we can guide the casualties?”

Hekoms cleared his throat, speaking slowly and deliberately. “This is a ‘Live Fire’ test.”

Amphitrite hissed coldly, “Since it is a live fire test, then one should not fear death. The procurement plan of the Military Department shall be decided based on the number of surviving personnel from both sides!”

The Gu brothers exchanged a look; their gazes collided with potent spiritual force.

An invisible mental shockwave radiated outwards. Everyone in the command post scrambled to evade or block the aftershocks of their clash.

Gu Xiechen violently snapped his head backward, his long hair shooting out straight behind him like arrows, whipping with a loud crack-pop. Seconds later, his hair abruptly snapped mid-length. Tens of thousands of black strands shot out with a sharp sound of cleaving air, grazing past Amphitrite’s body. Amidst a dense barrage of noise, the hundreds of thousands of hairs plunged deep into the earth, leaving behind a patch of dirt riddled with holes like a sieve. Amphitrite stared dumbfounded at a tear in his own robe, large beads of cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

Gu Juechen merely widened his eyes. Hot air blasted from his nostrils, and two thin streaks of blood slowly trickled from the corners of his eyes.

Wolf Fang slammed his hand down on the table, shouting sternly, “Unacceptable! What are you doing? This is the Federal Military’s temporary command post! Do not think I am unaware of your history. Have both Mr. Gu’s forgotten that you are forbidden from slaying one another?”

Gu Juechen glared back at Wolf Fang and snorted disdainfully.

Gu Xiechen let out a few soft laughs, slowly placed his hands behind his back, and smiled ingratiatingly at Wolf Fang. “Marshal, you are absolutely right. We are brothers, after all; drawing steel is inappropriate. Since my elder brother stated that this live combat test allows for casualties, then let us proceed by the rules: whichever company has the most surviving soldiers at the end wins this procurement contract!”

Wolf Fang and Hekoms exchanged cold glances. Hekoms spoke slowly, “Openness and fairness, reasonable and just. With so many colleagues from the arms industry present to observe, deciding the ownership of this procurement order based on survival rate is acceptable to me.”

With the two top figures having made their decision, the generals present naturally voiced their agreement.

The Gu brothers had nothing more to say, and they glared fiercely at each other once more.

Gu Juechen leaned close to Gu Xiechen’s ear and hissed menacingly, “Don’t blame me for bullying you; our Gu family is set to win this time!”

Gu Xiechen leaned in close to his ear and chuckled softly, “Can you really represent the Gu family? I doubt it. But I also want to tell you: I intend to bully you!”

The brothers fell silent and retreated to opposite corners of the command post.

Several light screens descended from the ceiling, displaying a squadron of thirty modified Thunder God III individual combat suits from the Gu Corporation.

Seeing these individual suits, Gu Xiechen turned in anger toward the smiling Amphitrite.

(Intermission reminder)

Hmmph.

(Where are the monthly tickets?) (To be continued)