The No. 1 Hunfen King in the Entire Server [Interstellar] Chapter 21

Xu Wanzhi closed the book, glancing up with an apologetic smile.

This only infuriated Dean Chang further. He slammed a hand on the desk: “Smile? You’re smiling?! Do you even realize how many eyes are watching you from outside?!”

Xu Wanzhi rested his hand casually on the book, nodding indifferently. “I know.”

“…..”

Dean Chang’s lips trembled. Having lived for more than half a century, it had been a long time since he’d been this furious. Yet, after the anger faded, all that remained was deep helplessness. He looked into the young man’s eyes before him—dark, cold, and pure—just as they had been the first time he met this child. Twenty years had passed, and they had not changed one bit.

Dean Chang shook his head and sighed. “Are you holding a grudge against me for assigning you all these messy tasks?”

Hearing the question, Xu Wanzhi’s smile faded slightly. He shook his head. “No.”

Dean Chang scoffed. “You say no, yet you turn everything into a disaster? Just telling an old man what he wants to hear?”

After a bitter laugh, Dean Chang straightened his posture. “The military has been asking me for a candidate, but until I’m certain you have normal human emotions, I won’t let you go. Now, let’s have a proper talk. I sent you in as an observer—what did you see?”

What did he see?

Xu Wanzhi thought for a moment, then smiled. “I saw an interesting little guy… or rather, an old acquaintance.”

Dean Chang had just picked up a pen, intending to take notes while listening, but at the words “old acquaintance”, he froze. The pen stopped midair. A long silence followed before he raised his voice in disbelief. “Old acquaintance?!”

“Mm.”

Xu Wanzhi leaned back on the sofa, resting his head on one hand as he casually flipped through a book.

His attitude was so nonchalant, as if the phrase “old acquaintance” was just a passing remark. But Dean Chang had raised him—he knew just how indifferent this kid was to everything. For him to call someone an old acquaintance? It definitely wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

Dean Chang looked mildly surprised. “What a coincidence?”

Xu Wanzhi lowered his gaze. “Mm.”

Dean Chang gave him a glance and muttered to himself before jotting down a few words on his paper.

He knew Xu Wanzhi well—if he didn’t want to talk about something, there was no point in pressing further.

“Meeting an old friend is a good thing. So, did seeing him make you happy?”

Xu Wanzhi’s fingers paused slightly as he flipped a page. He seemed to have something to say, but in the end, he didn’t. It was as if he was too tired for this conversation, so he answered half-heartedly, “Happy.”

Dean Chang smiled. “That’s good. To think I placed you in a six-player instance, and you still ran into your friend. Looks like you two have quite the connection.”

Xu Wanzhi chuckled. “Though, I think I might have made him mad in the end.”

Dean Chang raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And you actually noticed that?”

Xu Wanzhi lifted his gaze and said seriously, with cold certainty, “But I did nothing wrong.”

Dean Chang: “……”

Xu Wanzhi continued in a calm voice, “His teammates were all wiped out. The Third Prohibition was a death condition from the start. The outcome of this game was always in the players’ hands. I had no right to interfere.”

Dean Chang asked, “Then why was he angry?”

Xu Wanzhi: “I only followed his words and joined the game.”

Dean Chang sighed. “You’ve been like this since you were a child. Always strictly following the rules, yet never for any good reason.” If it were anyone else, they might be called difficult or stubborn, but for Xu Wanzhi, even the smallest trait could be magnified ten thousand times—enough to ruin him completely.

Xu Wanzhi fell silent.

Dean Chang continued, “Maybe he’s mad because he felt deceived.”

Xu Wanzhi replied indifferently, “From the start of the game to the end, I never lied to him. I said I was just here to watch the show—I repeated those words countless times.”

Dean Chang: “……” So d*mn stubborn.

He flipped through the report of the game Xu Wanzhi had just finished and read out the title: “The Door of Life and Death”? Sounds like it has something to do with life and death?”

Xu Wanzhi didn’t respond. He had played so many games that he’d long stopped analyzing their themes.

Dean Chang tapped his pen on the paper and chuckled. “What a coincidence. I remember your mother wrote a research paper on telomeres during her graduate studies. She used the same phrase as an analogy.”

But he quickly stopped talking. An awkward, stifling silence settled over the room.

Hurriedly, Dean Chang changed the subject. “You still have some time before graduation. Why don’t you stay here for now? A young man like you should enjoy playing more games anyway.”

Xu Wanzhi raised his eyes. “I’m not a player. I don’t qualify to play.”

Dean Chang coughed lightly. “Even just watching for fun could be good.”

Xu Wanzhi replied, “Not interested.” He seemed to strongly dislike the idea of re-entering Survivor, but he didn’t outright reject Dean Chang’s suggestion.

The dean felt like he was coaxing a child and tried to persuade him gently. “Well, meeting some new friends might be nice.”

Xu Wanzhi closed his eyes. “New friends? Forget it.”

He paused, as if a thought struck him. His lips slowly curled into a smile. “But catching up with old friends? That, I wouldn’t mind. In fact, in the next game, I’d like to see one of them.”

Dean Chang: “…”

The research institute’s main facility was located in the outskirts of the capital city, sprawling across a large area but not particularly tall. It consisted of six levels, from the ground floor to the underground labs. Nestled deep in a tranquil forest, the institute was protected by isolated towers to prevent unauthorized access.

In this interstellar age, with complex transportation networks crisscrossing the universe, this was the only place on the main planet where the skies were clear of orbital pathways.

After leaving the dean’s office, Xu Wanzhi returned a book to the bookshelf in the hallway. This shelf had been there for as long as he could remember.

Initially, it had held mostly children’s books. As the base no longer had any children, the shelves were replaced with academic journals and newspapers. But one book, tucked away in the corner, had never been moved: Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Its cover was simple and childish, filled with colorful illustrations—a very ordinary children’s book.

The only reason it might have stayed was the name of its original owner written on the title page.

Xu Wanzhi’s gaze didn’t linger on it. He walked away, heading for the elevator. As he approached, a professor and a new assistant were stepping out. The professor greeted him with a smile, and Xu Wanzhi nodded politely before entering the elevator.

The assistant, a young woman, froze for a moment and asked, “Teacher, who is that?”

The professor, in a rush to return to the lab, frowned and replied, “Your junior—like you, he’s from Imperial University. But I’d advise you to stay away from him.”

The assistant was confused. “Huh?”

The professor replied curtly, “He’s dangerous.”

On Hailan Planet, Lin Jing sat in front of his computer, sipping milk with an expression of utter resignation. He was scrolling through the forum where Feng Haozhong was trashing his reputation. Lin Jing was calm—Buddhist, even. After all, as someone who had just been discharged from the hospital and experienced the drop of his mental power from SS to B, he’d already weathered a life-changing fall from grace. After such storms, what else could shake him?

He wasn’t in a rush, but Blondie, ever the idler, stumbled upon the post and instantly exploded. In a flurry of rage, Blondie fired off a string of frantic messages.

[One Hundred One Night]: D*mn it! Brother Lin, did you see the forum? Sharing a post with you! D*mn it! Feng Haozhong—what kind of person is this?!

[One Hundred One Night]: Post shared: “Heh, ranting about a certain pro player from my last match.”

[One Hundred One Night]: I’m so pissed! I’m going to expose him and reveal his ugly side to the world!”

Lin Jing: “???”

But someone beat Blondie to the punch.

586L [Like Willow Catkins Rising in the Wind]: I’ve been holding back all game, but seeing your behavior here is too much. What are you doing?? Can’t accept losing? Can’t handle playing the game?

587L: Wait, is this the person involved?

588L: LOL, “Brother Hao the Great Poet” has already made me laugh to death. Is there a twist to this?

942L [Like Willow Catkins Rising in the Wind]: Not the person involved, just a teammate. I can share the results screen to prove it. The “pro player” is legit. They found nearly all the key clues during the game.

Stop believing the OP’s nonsense about colluding with the boss to wipe us out. We were wiped out because of him! Feng Haozhong, you’re mad about losing 11 points? I lost 9 points, and I’m not mad? I trusted you, you idiot, and we lost because of it. The more I think about saving you from the scarecrow in Spirit Mountain, the angrier I get. Should’ve let it kill you. Maybe then I could’ve won.

943L [Like Willow Catkins Rising in the Wind]: I was polite in the game to avoid team arguments, but we’ve already lost. No need to hold back now. Let me summarize Feng Haozhong’s actions in the seven-day game—

At first, he acted high and mighty because of his score. Then, after being humiliated, he became meek and passive-aggressive. When it seemed like he might win, he started brown-nosing and acting all chummy. Finally, he wiped out the team like the genius he is and came here to twist the truth and smear his teammates. What’s this, Feng Haozhong? Can’t play fair?

In the game, you’re all submissive to NPCs, but on the forum, you’re throwing punches at your teammates. What an ugly face.

The entire forum: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Lin Jing: “…”

Meanwhile, Blondie sent over a string of ellipses.

[One Hundred One Night]: … Good thing I didn’t piss her off in-game. Otherwise, she’d probably be roasting me right now.”

Xiao Xu’s reply turned the tide, making the post go viral. Most responses were filled with laughter. It might’ve been the only call-out post with such a humorous vibe.

999L: Submissive to NPCs in-game, aggressive toward teammates on the forum. I’m dead from laughing.

1001L: I can’t take it anymore, LOL. How is your script so fun? I want to join too!

1002L: Count me in +2. All the teammates seem so cute.

1003L: So, the “pro player” in the title is really tragic. To carry the team, they even… seduced the boss? Only to have their reputation tarnished afterward. [Eating popcorn]

1004L: Seduced?! Wow, the phrasing is so vivid. Now I want to see the sunrise with my smile.

1005L: Wait, didn’t the OP get exposed? Can we even believe them?

1006L: True. @Like Willow Catkins Rising in the Wind, sis, spill the tea on the pro player and the boss! Did they really sneak off to the woods for a romantic tryst while riding a cow? [Dog head emoji]

After hundreds more comments, Xiao Xu appeared again.

1123L [Like Willow Catkins Rising in the Wind]: Yes, the cow-riding tryst happened. Yes, setting the mountain on fire happened. Yes, getting detained three times also happened = =

The NPC in the game punished them by making them copy down Chinese love stories to correct their sexual orientation = =

Uh, but why are you focusing on that? Pay attention to the game itself.

The boss was genuinely impressive—keen, bold, and with a great personality. Scoring 25 points in the final tally speaks volumes. As for the boss, I think they’re likely a player guest-starring. To ensure fairness, they minimized their presence. Simply put, the team wipe at the end was our own fault, but I still need to vent—the boss is cold-hearted.

“???”

A stream of question marks filled the forum.

1134L: ? I was just here for gossip about the useless teammate, and somehow stumbled upon romance.

1135L: LOL, no, I refuse to accept this truth. I still love the clueless sweetheart x cold-hearted boss trope. Isn’t it satisfying to ride to victory on your husband’s coattails?

1136L: Absolutely satisfying [drools in dream].

The thread’s popularity kept climbing—guys laughing at the chaos, girls shipping the couple. The main focus of all this, Feng Haozhong, was probably fuming by now. Known for his temper, his last shred of rationality crumbled after his secrets were exposed.

1876 [Invincible Hao]: Heh, mock me all you want. I still refuse to believe someone with a zero score could find all the clues. Spending all day flirting with the boss, what clues could they possibly have? A freeloader is still a freeloader. Stop overhyping them. It’s ridiculous.

However, Xiao Xu countered with a screenshot of the 25-point score. Anyone with even a basic understanding of the game’s scoring mechanics knew Feng Haozhong had lost the argument. A full score of 25, including both base and performance points, was near impossible for a freeloader to achieve. Now Feng Haozhong’s sarcastic remarks only fueled more ridicule, as people imagined him fuming and stomping in frustration.

A male classmate typed:

“Hao, watch your tone.”

The forum burst into laughter.

Feng Haozhong: “……”

He was livid: Aaaaahhhhh!!!

Still, he tried to hold his ground.

[Invincible Hao]: Amazing, really. Anyway, I’ve remembered the username Shuang Mu Cheng Jing. I’ll dig up their ‘lover’ no matter what. A freeloader may survive one round, but not forever. Let’s see how long they can keep it up. Heh, no matter how much you praise them, in my heart, they’re still a freeloader*!
* Hunzi; refer to title name

The forum mostly saw him as a joke by this point.

“Hao, watch your tone.”

“Hao, watch your tone.”

“Sure! When you uncover the ‘lover,’ be sure to share. I’m totally into this freeloader-boss pairing. I’m on your side, LOL!”

“? Sis upstairs, watch your tone.”

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

Lin Jing: “……”

He smirked, then closed the page.

Thanks to the news from Dean Chang, his mood was unusually good, so he didn’t bother engaging further. Forum registration was too much hassle anyway. This thread was just a temporary sensation—soon enough, people would forget all about it.

His father was right: his body was still in recovery, and it wasn’t the best time to return to the main star. After resting at home for about three days, Lin Jing reconnected to the Survivor terminal and began his second match.