Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 643 - 287 Test

Chapter 643: Chapter 287 Test

Time rewound to half a month ago, when Xiang Shan had just retreated from Secluded Crane City.

Most residents of this era chose to work at night, and during the day, they would unfold solar panels on their bodies to recharge.

In fact, if a person’s degree of cyberization exceeded a certain threshold and they possessed private solar panels, they could work for just one hour every few days without starving to death.

This was said to be a "gift," a legacy from a group of great individuals from many years ago. The benefactors of this welfare were part of the government... the government’s what again?

Most people were unclear and few cared to inquire about this matter.

To the average Benchmark Man, such things were taken for granted.

A Benchmark Man with minimal biological tissue, as long as connected to the network, could ensure they wouldn’t freeze to death. Their mental needs could be met with free network resources, and on top of that, they wouldn’t starve.

At the very least, the eminent figures of the past had indeed eradicated famine.

And on this particular night, it marked the end of Hiroshi Matsushima’s workday.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, facing Yuki who had just walked into the classroom he was using, and pointed to the floor: "Sit."

Yuki bowed to Hiroshi Matsushima, taking a look around. Hiroshi Matsushima’s advanced classes weren’t thronged with students, but there was a consistent attendance, and occasionally government officials would come for special tuition. Yuki, as a Hero, remained vigilant of such situations.

However, at this hour, there seemed to be no one else around, and the old Hero Ai Tielang was the only student in the academy.

He appeared very tired and adopted a posture conducive to heat dissipation, lying flat on the ground.

Yuki said to Hiroshi Matsushima, "Instructor Matsushima, I heard you were looking for me?"

"Your elder placed you here to learn external strength, and he also asked me to check on your progress. Let’s see your Martial Arts now."

Yuki bowed again and then stood up, assuming a stance that was the core of the Iron Block Style Dojo, the Mech Armor Iron Fist.

Some also called it the "Martial Ancestor’s Long Fist."

Hiroshi Matsushima also stood up. However, contrary to Yuki’s expectations, Hiroshi Matsushima did not cross his arms behind his back or spread them wide in a "come at me" pose. He adopted a stance nearly identical to Yuki’s, except with a lower center of gravity.

This left Yuki somewhat confused. Xiang Shan himself had told Yuki that Hiroshi Matsushima was on par with him in the realm of external strength. Over the years, Yuki had come to fully appreciate the significance of the title "Martial Ancestor," and Matsushima’s adoption of such a formal stance made him feel immense pressure.

But this was actually just a difference in style between Xiang Shan and Hiroshi Matsushima.

Xiang Shan’s "heroic justice" emphasized publicity wars, thus some theatrically styled moves that were dramatic in nature had become second nature to him. These techniques were designed to surprise and conquer, carrying the dual purposes of "attracting attention" and "humiliating the enemy," and if well-employed, could swiftly secure victory.

Many years ago, Boxing King Ali’s showboating in the corner of the ring, dodging attacks without guarding—this legendary scene entertained people for a century.

But Hiroshi Matsushima did not indulge in such habits. He was a pure Martial Artist, and also an instructor. In his value system, flaunting showboating methods was of little positive significance, and teaching his dojo students and disciples such could easily lead them to develop misconceptions.

Therefore, no matter what kind of opponent he faced, he always assumed a formal fighting stance.

Yuki charged forward with swift steps, launching a series of punches. The fists weren’t fast, but the underlying structure had already taken shape.

Simply put, Yuki’s ineffective movements had almost been eliminated.

In the era of Homo sapiens, even the most professional Martial Artists could not avoid "ineffective movements." However, Cybermen Warriors could reduce the frequency of ineffective movements to the minimum.

The senses of Cybernetically Enhanced People could measure distances with greater accuracy. A skilled warrior’s grasp of distance was extremely precise. Moreover, several models based on Markov chains are embedded within the Martial Arts Algorithm. The assessment of various moves’ risks and expected gains was constantly underway.

For a Cyber Warrior, the feeling of "Control Algorithm" was just like controlling the muscles during exertion.

The feeling was hard to find, but once you got it right, you could tap into the essence of Martial Arts.

Yuki had at least gotten a foot in the door.

Facing the oncoming Yuki, Hiroshi Matsushima’s expression remained unchanged. He sidestepped with textbook evasion techniques.

Yuki knew the might of this Boxer, his right hand throwing a Stabbing Fist towards Hiroshi Matsushima’s face. But this was only a feint; he extended his arm not just to force Matsushima to dodge, but also to limit his field of vision.

He kept his other hand hidden by the side of his body, making it difficult for Matsushima to anticipate the direction of the punch.

But Hiroshi Matsushima immediately retreated when his vision was obstructed.

Ai Tielang sighed from the side.

Unlike the Nameless Hero, this Instructor Matsushima was terrifying on another level.

Instructor Matsushima’s Neural Reflex was top-notch. There might only be the King of Godspeed who could surpass him in this aspect—a brain specialized and hardened through countless arduous training. Yuki’s tactic of "hiding the fist in the opponent’s blind spot" might have been somewhat useful, but it ultimately couldn’t hurt Hiroshi Matsushima. Given Matsushima’s neural reflexes, he could effortlessly catch Yuki’s wrist as soon as the fist was about to reach his face.

But Matsushima didn’t do that, instead swiftly retreating, stepping out of the range where Yuki’s punches could land with full force.

Matsushima didn’t rely on the speed of his neural reflexes to overwhelm his opponents, nor did he utilize preemptive predictions. All his movements were made after "actually seeing" Yuki’s actions and were all textbook-level Martial Arts basics.

Matsushima was capable of predicting the movements; it was as if he rehearsed the encounter several times in his mind, then only moved his body in response after his eyes actually saw the movements.

But even when he deliberately delayed his response, Yuki still couldn’t reach him.

The more this happened, the more Ai Tielang felt that this man was truly formidable.

Hiroshi Matsushima was essentially proving that solid foundational skills were enough to traverse the world.

Within a few minutes of their exchange, Matsushima caught an opening. His left hand seized Yuki’s left, and his left leg swept across Yuki’s legs, disrupting the younger man’s balance. Yuki fell backward in a flash.

But Matsushima caught his shoulders, steadying him: "Compared to the video when you first came here, you’ve made significant progress. Well done. But remember, what I can teach you is only the Martial Studies for the arena. If there’s a conflict between what you learn from me and from your elders, stick with the latter. In my opinion, you’re now capable of keeping yourself safe."

Matsushima paused, then said, "According to your master, you’re now able to protect yourself. His suggestion was, ’Maybe it’s time for you to go home and take another look at the place where you used to live, to honor your past and your departed family members.’"