Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 697: The Divine Dragon Martial Arts Tournament (8)

Ren Takahashi, a shy, hoodie-wearing tech genius, hides behind the online alias GhostHood — a quiet legend in underground hackathons. Despite appearing average in school, he dreams of becoming a real-life Iron Man — not the hero, but the builder of world-changing tech.Enter Aoi Hoshizaki, a bold, gal-style girl with a love for code, a messy room, and a mysterious spark. When she moves in next door and discovers Ren's secret, their world begins to change — from quiet club meetings to national hackathons, late-night debugging sessions to secret rooftop conversations.What starts as teamwork grows into something deeper, more complicated, and far more electric than either expected. Together, they aim for Japan’s most elite tech university — and face rivalries, rumors, and the whisper of love in every line of code.

This world is not only as the public knows it; there is an underworld that ordinary people don't encounter.Government agents handle troubles in the shadows, while corporate assassins privately deal with issues.Assassins, mercenaries, arms dealers, and spies exist, along with a dark web that ties this world together, and tycoons who attempt to control everything with money.Gao Yi entered the underworld, unbeatable in close combat, carving out his own domain.But there are guns in this world. Beyond seven steps (close combats), guns are faster.Within seven steps, guns are both accurate and quick.Only within three steps does Gao Yi's punch become faster.Unable to beat them, he chose to join them, aiming to rule them all.To rule everything, become the king of killers in the eyes of mercenaries, the king of spies in the eyes of assassins, the king of killers in the eyes of spies, and the king of intelligence in the eyes of arms dealers.Until he is crowned king by the entire underworld, Gao Yi is the ultimate firepower.

In this world, there are people who are born to suffer. They have no home, no children, no relatives, and even die tragically at the end, just like Qin Xiangnuan, who carried her burdens alone. In her thirties, she is just a flower that bloomed only to wither in her declining years, and she also has nothing.There are also those who are born to enjoy blessings, possessing wealth, beauty, a capable husband, and smart, beautiful children, yet they still take someone else's life, just like Qin Xiangmei. Though being biological sisters, she plotted against her sister from childhood until her death.If it weren't for rebirth, Qin Xiangnuan would never have known that her half-sister, Qin Xiangmei, not only took away her father and her elder brother's life but also the only keepsake her mother had left for her, and even a tremendous opportunity.