Zhao Qiang snorted coldly and stepped forward, unleashing his signature technique—military combat technique. Since the grappling and military boxing moves he used earlier had already been picked up by Chen Mo, he could no longer rely on them. His only option now was to switch tactics and use military hand-to-hand combat.
At the same time…
He had also identified Chen Mo's strengths: terrifying talent and learning ability.
Zhao Qiang knew he couldn't give Chen Mo any more chances. He intended to go all out with lightning speed and end the fight as quickly as possible.
Although Chen Mo was his boss, Zhao Qiang's pride and dignity wouldn't allow him to hold back. He was a professionally trained soldier, after all! If he lost—or even just tied—in this fight, it would be a total joke.
"Changing tactics, huh?"
Watching Zhao Qiang charge in with fierce momentum, Chen Mo gave a slight smile. With dynamic vision, all of his opponent's intentions were exposed, even down to their weaknesses.
Sensing Zhao Qiang's plan, Chen Mo quickly shifted into retreat, switching from offense to defense.
Right now, Zhao Qiang's hand-to-hand combat was powerful and aggressive, but not sustainable. As long as Chen Mo could dodge the attacks, he'd gain the upper hand once Zhao Qiang's stamina ran out.
"Hah!"
Zhao Qiang roared, closing in like a leopard. He moved fast, both fists hammering toward Chen Mo like twin boulders.
But Chen Mo wasn't going to fall for it. He avoided head-on confrontation by sidestepping each fierce strike, using his godlike reaction time and sensitivity to stay clear.
After a dozen moves, Zhao Qiang still hadn't managed to land a hit.
He was getting frustrated.
What made things worse was that Chen Mo had now grasped the military combat techniques. Though his moves were still a bit unpolished, he was quickly becoming proficient.
Cold sweat was starting to form on Zhao Qiang's forehead.
He had a bad feeling—if things kept going this way, he was going to lose.
What the hell…
What kind of monster is Chen Mo?
Such terrifying talent—was this even humanly possible?
Zhao Qiang was beginning to feel like his years of training had all been in vain.
Here he was, a battle-hardened soldier, getting shown up by a so-called ordinary person. It was hard to accept.
…
Just then, Chen Mo glanced at Zhao Qiang, then quickly looked away. Zhao Qiang's face was pale, his breathing ragged, and his punches lacked their earlier power.
He was clearly reaching his limit.
They had been sparring intensely for over thirty minutes—half an hour of nonstop high-level combat. For Zhao Qiang to hold out this long was already a testament to his incredible physical stamina.
But now his attacks were becoming repetitive—he was clearly running out of ideas.
At this point… Chen Mo realized Zhao Qiang was done for. If they kept going, Zhao Qiang would lose.
And that wouldn't do!
Chen Mo didn't want to be too high-profile. Suddenly, he had an idea.
As Zhao Qiang charged in once more…
Chen Mo deliberately left an opening.
Zhao Qiang, a seasoned warrior, naturally wouldn't miss such a chance. Seeing the flaw, his face lit up with joy. He raised his fists and unleashed a flurry of powerful blows, like a storm crashing down.
Chen Mo pretended to block for a few moments, then suddenly raised both hands.
"I give up."
Whew!
Hearing those words, Zhao Qiang immediately let out a sigh of relief and withdrew his fists.
He had just barely avoided losing to a regular person.
If Chen Mo hadn't exposed that final flaw, Zhao Qiang might've been the one admitting defeat.
Of course…
He never suspected that Chen Mo was faking it.
With the NZT drug enhancing his abilities, even Chen Mo's acting was Oscar-worthy. Since he didn't want Zhao Qiang to catch on, Zhao Qiang naturally didn't.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zhao Qiang forced a smile and gave Chen Mo a thumbs-up.
"Boss, even though you lost, it was an honorable defeat. For a regular person to fight me to this level is already impressive. If you hadn't made that mistake at the end, it's hard to say who would've won!"
"Losing is losing. Nothing more to say about it." Chen Mo cupped his fists slightly, his face calm. But deep down he was thinking, I went easy on you and you didn't even notice. Am I too strong, or are you just too weak?
Heh!
Suddenly…
Chen Mo felt a sharp pain in his brain, followed by a stabbing hunger that made his whole body reel. A wave of dizziness hit, and he couldn't maintain hyperfrequency mode any longer.
His body weakened drastically, face going pale.
It felt like every last bit of strength had drained away.
If he hadn't braced himself against a nearby wall, he would've collapsed right then and there.
"Boss, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Zhao Qiang rushed over in alarm, reaching out to support Chen Mo.
Chen Mo waved him off to keep him from noticing anything suspicious.
"I'm fine. Just overexerted. Just get me some glucose and high-energy food."
He wasn't exactly lying.
Using hyperfrequency mode had pushed his body to its limits, and the energy consumption was massive. Thirty minutes of sustained use was his current maximum.
"Got it."
Zhao Qiang was clearly worried. Chen Mo was the key investor in the nuclear power project. If something happened to him during their sparring session, Zhao Qiang's job—and livelihood—would be on the line.
He quickly took out his pager and contacted his team.
Soon, someone delivered glucose and high-energy snacks.
Chen Mo didn't hesitate. Left hand on glucose, right hand on energy bars—he devoured the food like a madman.
After half an hour of intense eating, he was finally full.
Only then did his strength slowly return.
…
Once recovered, Chen Mo left immediately and drove off—time to return to Qingmu University for class.
It was an ordinary day: classes as usual, nothing out of the ordinary.
That night…
Chen Mo returned to the library as usual. He checked out a dozen books on nuclear energy, sat in his usual spot, and resumed his intense studies. Unfortunately, the top-ranked campus beauty, Su Qin, was nowhere to be seen, and that left him a little disappointed.
He'd even bought snacks in advance, hoping to surprise her and make up for stealing her snacks before.
But Su Qin hadn't shown up…
Chen Mo sighed and returned to studying. Thanks to the NZT drug, his brain power had increased exponentially, and his learning speed had multiplied.
He could now grasp entire concepts with just a glance, deeply understand the content, and even apply it flexibly.
Just then…
He felt his wireless earpiece vibrate, and frowned. Study time—what's Red Queen contacting me for now?
He tapped the earpiece lightly.
Red Queen's voice came through, full of excitement.
"Master, didn't you tell me to monitor the military for any opportunities to help them out, so we could establish a connection? Well, the military just posted a tech submission notice. I think this is a great chance…"