C7 Overclock Brain Damage

Zhou Ming was just about to tease Lin Xiaowu for being overly emotional when he felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

"Ouch!"

An elderly woman came hurtling toward him and tumbled to the ground mere inches from where he stood.

"Young man, could you help me up?" she implored, fixing her gaze on Zhou Ming.

Ignoring her request, Zhou Ming nonchalantly tossed his paper bag filled with buns into a nearby trash can and attempted to walk around the fallen woman.

"I'll help you," offered Lin Xiaowu, bending down to assist the old lady.

Zhou Ming grabbed Xiaowu's arm and scoffed, "With all these people around, someone else can surely lend a hand. We siblings aren't the strongest; I doubt we could lift you."

As the crowd grew, snapping photos and whispering among themselves, Zhou Ming realized he was in a bind.

The old lady, seizing the moment, clutched Xiaowu's arm and unleashed a flood of tears and snot. "I'm just an old woman, and these siblings knocked me over and won't even own up to it. They've broken my leg!"

She proceeded to roll up her pant leg, revealing a gruesome and pixelated mess beneath.

"Brother Zhou Ming, what do we do now?" Xiaowu was clearly out of her depth, having never faced such a predicament before.

In response, Zhou Ming unleashed his Exploding Fist onto the solid concrete, leaving a shallow crater. He leaned in close to the old lady, his eyes fierce, and whispered menacingly, "Your leg's broken? Well then, let me give it a few more stomps, since I'm going to have to pay either way."

The bystanders gasped at the display of Zhou Ming's strength, taken aback by the sheer force of his punch.

"Don't you dare! With all these eyes on us," the old lady stammered, her voice tinged with fear, though she didn't truly believe Zhou Ming would follow through with his threat.

"It's always better with more people around. It's all above board, and we might even get some compensation. What a great deal."

Zhou Ming lifted his right foot and stomped down hard on the old lady's calf.

"Ah!"

The old lady scrambled out of the crowd with surprising speed, outpacing what you'd expect from a twenty-year-old.

Zhou Ming lowered his foot, which had been poised mid-air, and walked away with Lin Xiaowu in tow.

The bystanders, realizing the show was over, dispersed.

"Brother Ming, I shouldn't have tried to help her," Lin Xiaowu admitted, feeling a bit aggrieved. If she had encountered the old lady on her own, she would have been in real trouble.

"It's okay. Just be more cautious next time," Zhou Ming reassured her, patting her head gently, unconcerned.

"Okay."

Lin Xiaowu nodded meekly, like an adorable kitten.

"Cough, cough. Let's head to the supermarket up ahead to pick up some things."

Zhou Ming withdrew his hand, wondering if he had developed an odd habit of head-patting. He couldn't help wanting to pat Lin Xiaowu's head. What if he ended up making her go bald?

"It's them. That guy must be loaded."

As they turned a corner, the old lady emerged with over a dozen burly men, pointing at Zhou Ming and shouting.

The leader, a muscular man with a menacing look, brandished a machete and sneered, "Brothers, we've got work to do! This one's going to be a big score!"

"Go hide," Zhou Ming instructed Lin Xiaowu before stepping forward to confront them.

Lin Xiaowu ducked behind a utility pole and whispered, "Brother Ming, they outnumber you. You're going to get mobbed." She was aware of Zhou Ming's special abilities, yet she couldn't help but worry.

Can't you be a little more optimistic? Zhou Ming thought, resisting the urge to curse at the system. Not running away in this situation was tantamount to suicide. But he couldn't flee; he had to stand his ground, prompted by two notifications that had popped up in his mind.

The combat mission commenced. Mission Details: Defeat all the strong men. Mission Difficulty: Medium. Mission Reward: 200 dream value. Additional Conditions: None.

If the mission fails, the corresponding dream value will be deducted. The system kindly reminds that if the host's dream value reaches -101, the system will execute an unconditional termination command.

So, failure isn't an option. Zhou Ming was seriously annoyed. Bring it on; he wasn't scared of anyone.

"Kid, I heard you're a trust fund baby?"

Do I look like a trust fund baby? Zhou Ming was at a loss for words. He was nothing more than a recluse who hardly ever left his house. But he knew he couldn't just let this slide and retorted with a nonchalant, "What do you think?"

"Guess my foot! You think I won't chop you up with this machete?"

The burly man with a face full of horizontal scars slammed his machete into the ground, his eyes glinting with malice.

Zhou Ming's expression turned grim. These guys were clearly accustomed to living on the edge. Their faces bore signs of aggression; they were no ordinary thugs. The system had really put him in a tight spot.

"Get him, but don't kill him. Do whatever else you want."

At the burly man's signal, three men lunged at Zhou Ming.

Do they really think I'm a pushover? A surge of anger rose within Zhou Ming. He hunched over and tightened his grip on his right fist, launching a punch at the nearest burly man.

The man seemed indifferent to Zhou Ming's punch, letting it hit him squarely. He was convinced that with Zhou Ming's slight build, even ten punches wouldn't faze him. But the very next moment, he was filled with regret.

"Boom!"

Zhou Ming's fist connected with the man's stomach, causing his shirt to rip open as he was sent flying backward, knocking over several others before collapsing on the ground, clutching his belly in agony.

The other two brutes seized the opportunity to attack Zhou Ming while he was distracted—one wrapping his arm around Zhou Ming's neck, the other aiming a kick at his knees.

Damn, that's brutal! Overwhelmed by a choking sensation, Zhou Ming realized things were looking bad. He had to come up with a solution fast, or he'd be done for today.

"System, I need to use the Dream Fulfilled feature. What can I do with ten dream values? Quick!"

Currently, the host had a limited amount of dream value. The system advised that the host should only apply the Dream Fulfilled function to a specific part of the body.

In a dire situation, Zhou Ming's thoughts raced. Silently, he invoked "Dream Fulfilled," and instantly, silver streams of light merged into his brain.

Brain Overclock: The brain enters an overclocked state. Once overclocked, the host's focus and reaction times are maximized, and their thought processes become extraordinarily active.

Given that it could only affect a particular area, it was best to target the most crucial and enigmatic part. Zhou Ming activated Dream Fulfilled on his brain, achieving an overclocked state in reality. In an instant, he devised hundreds of strategies to address the current predicament.

Zhou Ming swiftly kicked back with both legs, causing the muscular man clutching his neck to release his grip, his face turning ashen as he clutched at his legs. In the brief moment of kicking, another muscular man's kick missed its mark. Within seconds, Zhou Ming executed a ground roll, creating distance between them.

"This guy's tricky. Let's all jump in and subdue him!"

The burly man, mistaking Zhou Ming for a trained fighter, charged at him, viciously swinging his machete towards Zhou Ming's back.

The rest of the brawny men swarmed in, many wielding weapons like baseball bats and knives, as they furiously lunged at Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming remained eerily composed. He sidestepped the incoming machete and unleashed an Exploding Fist.

A single punch, threefold impact: the first force upon impact, the second force penetrating, and the third force detonating! The burly man was too slow to react and, propelled by his own momentum, collided with Zhou Ming's fist as if it had been perfectly timed.

"Crack!"

An appalling force radiated from his chest. The burly man stared at Zhou Ming's fist in disbelief; such a slender fist had shattered his ribs. The ferocious power burst forth, the machete dropped from his grasp, and after spitting out a mouthful of blood, he was sent flying.

One man toppled several others!

Zhou Ming caught the machete, twisted his wrist, and flung it away.

With his brain overclocked, Zhou Ming could clearly see each person's movements, which seemed to be in slow motion to him. As long as his stamina held up, he could easily handle them.

The saying goes, "Two fists can't beat four hands, and even a strong man can't stand against many." But in reality, the more people there are, the more likely they are to get in each other's way.

Zhou Ming, with his agility nearly maxed out, plunged into the fray. He alternated between drawing their attention and unleashing Exploding Fists. In under ten minutes, more than a dozen burly men lay defeated on the ground.

Despite his overclocked brain, Zhou Ming still sustained several wounds. He shook his numb arm and furrowed his brow.

The real-world mission was complete, with a reward of 200 dream value, bringing his total to 200.

Main Mission: Rescue Lin Xiaowu. Mission Difficulty: High. Mission Reward Dream Value: 500. If Lin Xiaowu dies, the mission will be considered a failure.

The system gently reminded him that the main mission was critical; failure would mean the host could not survive.

Three alerts popped up, and Zhou Ming quickly surveyed his surroundings.

Lin Xiaowu, who had been behind the utility pole, had vanished. There was no telling who had taken her.

The area was deserted; no one sticks around to watch a brawl, and they had all scattered. In the distance, an elderly woman crouched by a wall, shivering.

Zhou Ming approached her and asked without emotion, "The girl who was with me, who took her? Did you see anything?"

"Two men in black uniforms knocked your sister out and put her in a car, then they drove off."

Zhou Ming had previously referred to Lin Xiaowu as his sister, misleading the old woman into believing it was true. Now terrified, she hadn't picked up on the nuance in Zhou Ming's question.

Zhou Ming gave the old woman a penetrating look and sighed deeply. Ignoring his fatigue, he set off at a run back the way he had come.

Upon arriving home, Zhou Ming felt his head grow heavy, and he stumbled before collapsing to the floor.