Chapter Forty-One: The Human Heart

The video lasted only twenty seconds, yet its content was explosive, carrying an immense impact. Shen Yue was utterly stunned; it was the first time he had witnessed such a brutally real fight, and what shocked him even more was that the protagonist was none other than his best friend, Gao Wu.

When he saw the final lines of text at the end of the video, Shen Yue suddenly understood—no wonder Gao Wu had disappeared. It turned out that Gao Wu had been detained by the Public Security Bureau.

As a good student, Shen Yue felt the bureau had done the right thing. Gao Wu had used a sword to cut a man in half; that was exceedingly violent! No matter how justified the reasons, such actions must be thoroughly investigated.

Yet as he thought further, Shen Yue realized something was amiss. Gao Wu was his best friend, and now his friend was being wrongfully accused of intentional homicide. He had to speak up for him!

On the technical side, the video was crudely edited and the final line of text lacked persuasive power. Still, the content was clear enough.

He checked the uploader—a new account, but the video had been forwarded to him via Gao Wu’s alternate account.

On Quicksound, there were channels dedicated to martial artists’ combat videos, accessible only to adults. Those videos showed fights, sometimes with broken bones and torn muscles, but never fatal outcomes.

This video was different; even with the mosaic censorship, its bloody brutality could not be concealed. For it to pass review and be published directly on Quicksound, the uploader must have considerable influence!

Ordinarily, Shen Yue would never share such a video. Its sensitive content could easily get his account banned. Sharing it brought little traffic, high risk and low reward—there was no point.

But this video was obviously meant to build momentum for Gao Wu and put pressure on the Public Security Bureau. He had to share it.

He also managed Gao Wu’s main account, which posted daily training videos. Thanks to Gao Wu’s outstanding performance in the high school martial arts league and the excellent video quality, the account had already amassed over two hundred thousand followers.

After some consideration, Shen Yue decided against sharing the video using Gao Wu’s account, as that would easily lead to trouble and the risk of getting banned. Running an account wasn’t easy; it was best not to endanger Gao Wu’s main profile.

His own account, though only with tens of thousands of followers, was followed mostly by Dongjiang students. Once he posted the video, it immediately ignited public opinion in Dongjiang.

As soon as Shen Yue’s account posted it, a few classmates who followed him saw it right away. Upon watching, they were shocked, swore, and then quickly forwarded it. Within minutes, the video spread like a virus among Dongjiang’s middle school students.

Yu Rulong, the star of the event, stood before the camera receiving the trophy, basking in the glory and reporters’ attention.

Huang Long and other members of the Ninth High’s martial arts team watched from nearby, their faces gloomy and dejected. Coach Huang Hai, however, remained calm, as if he cared little for the crushing defeat.

“It’s all Gao Wu’s fault—he made us lose face,” Huang Long grumbled angrily. “Always acting superior, but when it mattered most, he chickened out. Didn’t even dare show his face, what a useless coward!”

“He’s always putting on airs—it’s disgusting…”

“What urgent business could he possibly have? Didn’t even say a word. Total loser!”

Other members of the martial arts team echoed his complaints. Losing so badly on official livestream filled everyone with resentment. With Gao Wu absent, it was easy to vent their frustrations.

Zhou Yi didn’t like Gao Wu and was annoyed that he hadn’t participated, but he despised talking behind people’s backs even more, and felt contempt for his teammates’ ugly behavior. If Gao Wu were present, these loudmouths would be as meek as grandchildren, holding back every word.

He pulled out his phone, and saw several people in the class group @ him. A video had already been reposted several times, each comment a uniform “Damn!”

Curious, he opened the video and couldn’t help but curse after watching.

Seeing Huang Long spouting insults, Zhou Yi could no longer hold back. He handed his phone to Huang Long. “Gao Wu didn’t show up because something serious happened to him.”

“What could possibly have happened?” Huang Long scoffed, taking the phone and opening the video. The other team members leaned in, curious.

Zhou Yi watched quietly. In less than twenty seconds, the team members’ expressions changed drastically as they cursed aloud.

Huang Long didn’t curse; his mouth hung wide open, his terrified expression almost comical.

He quickly composed himself, but his face remained grim. No matter how formidable Gao Wu was in the ring, it was still just a sporting match. Yet in the video, Gao Wu had sliced his opponent in two with a single stroke—so ruthless and decisive it was terrifying. Huang Long was genuinely frightened.

He glanced at his companions’ strange expressions, realizing his own lapse, and dryly said, “I never knew Gao Wu was so ruthless!”

His companions agreed. Gao Wu, always cheerful and helpful, had never seemed so cold-blooded. They’d been loudly insulting him moments ago; now, they felt guilty.

Yu Rulong, holding the trophy, looked up and saw Huang Long and the others’ uneasy faces. He raised his trophy at them in a mocking gesture. Ninth High’s martial arts team was truly weak—winning against them brought little satisfaction.

Seeing their grim faces, Yu Rulong finally felt a surge of interest. These guys were sore losers, and he enjoyed dealing with such types.

Song Minglin and Yang Ru, watching nearby, burst out laughing; they found Ninth High’s crew quite amusing.

With his teammates’ support, Yu Rulong grew more arrogant, waving a finger at Huang Long and the others. “You can train to get better, but cowards will always be cowards!”

The Ninth High martial arts team was furious. Winning was one thing, but mocking them was another.

Huang Long, holding his phone, retorted loudly, “If Gao Wu hadn’t missed the match, you wouldn’t be acting so cocky!”

“Gao Wu didn’t miss the match because of some urgent business—he wet his pants from fear and had to stay home washing them…” Song Minglin mocked.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Huang Long disliked Gao Wu, but despised the arrogant First High team even more.

He handed his phone to Song Minglin. “Watch this before you say anything!”

“Whatever…”

Song Minglin sneered, tapping the video open. Twenty seconds later, his smug expression froze.

Yang Ru and Yu Rulong noticed Song Minglin’s odd reaction and watched the video themselves. Their faces changed drastically, and Yu Rulong even blurted out a curse.

Han Yang was puzzled. His teammates, though immature, weren’t usually so easily shocked.

“Second Brother, you should watch this video…” Yang Ru quickly handed her phone to Han Yang. After viewing, Han Yang fell silent.

That sword strike was genuinely terrifying. More frightening was Gao Wu’s fierce resolve, inspiring awe.

Huang Long, satisfied, took back his phone and smugly said to Yu Rulong and the others, “You got lucky today!”

His words were harsh, but Yu Rulong’s group had no energy to argue. The twenty-second video had truly shaken them.

As high schoolers, they’d fought many league matches, but had never experienced real combat, much less such brutality.

The First High’s coach bus slowly pulled away from Ninth High’s gate. Inside, the mood was somber; the martial arts team’s members looked grim, with no trace of victory’s joy.

By late afternoon, the sky was already dark. Buildings along the road glowed with lights; the bus sped up, the flickering lights casting shifting shadows on everyone’s faces.

After a long silence, Yang Ru couldn’t hold back and asked the mature, beautiful Song Yunhui beside her, “Coach, what level was Gao Wu’s sword strike?”

Song Yunhui, noticing everyone’s low spirits, simply played the video on her phone and explained, “Look at the swordsman’s strike—the sword’s whistle is piercing, the speed astonishing. That suggests a swing force of about seventeen or eighteen hundred kilograms.

“Such fierce power, yet Gao Wu relied on the sharpness of his blade to counter it. Only because the opponent’s strength was so great could Gao Wu shatter his long sword in one blow.

“Then he reversed his grip and struck back—a move from the Swimming Dragon Sword, called the Wavebreaker. Not difficult. The swordsman’s mind was clearly clouded; he countered with his broken sword, and they both gambled their lives.

“Though Gao Wu was inferior in many ways, he remained calm under extreme threat. In a split second, he figured out how to use the blade’s sharpness to overcome his foe. His swordsmanship may have been average, but his resourcefulness was impressive. Clearly, he’s got real talent for combat!

“What’s truly remarkable is his willingness to strike, to kill without hesitation. That courage and resolve—that’s the temperament of a born warrior…”

Han Yang sighed regretfully, “It’s a pity I didn’t get to spar with him today. And probably won’t have the chance in future.”

Yang Ru added, “He’s facing a homicide charge—who knows when he’ll be released!”

The others nodded in agreement. They all came from good families, so they knew that homicide charges were complicated.

The Alliance had always enforced strict controls on such matters. Only officially recognized cultists or wanted criminals were exempt from legal protection. The man killed looked like a cultist, but appearances were deceiving—no one could say for sure.

Gao Wu’s family wasn’t influential; even they would have been in deep trouble if caught in such a situation, and it would be hard to extricate themselves.

“Heh…”

Song Yunhui laughed. Yang Ru and the others were still too naïve. The fact that the video was spreading so widely, with over a hundred million views in just a few hours, proved that someone was pushing it from behind.

With such overwhelming public pressure, and Gao Wu having done nothing wrong, the Public Security Bureau would surely release him soon to quell public outcry.