Chapter Two: Humiliation

After entering the principal's office, Zhao Tianyu ignored the expressions of the crowd. With a flick of his right hand, he spun Wu Tao around, and then, expelling his inner energy, threw Wu Tao out the door as if discarding garbage.

Immediately outside, an angry and unwilling roar echoed. Wu Tao, having some sense, realized that in this situation, there was no way to save face, so he resisted the urge to rush back in.

"Old Zhao, what kind of show are you putting on?" Han Yong, who was sitting on the right side, was the first to speak. He was the head of the Mecha Principles Department and had been a good friend of Zhao Yanguo since their youth, so he spoke directly and honestly.

When Wu Gaoyang saw Zhao Yanguo and his grandson enter, he was not surprised at all. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair with a confident look.

The two department heads sitting on the left side of the desk looked confused, still trying to figure out the situation.

Upon seeing that the meeting was not being presided over by the principal, Zhao Yanguo realized that the principal must be out for some reason; otherwise, Wu Gaoyang wouldn't be sitting in that position.

Without paying any attention to Han Yong's words, he walked to the desk, steadied his hurried breathing, and asked Wu Gaoyang, "What exactly do you want? I've already apologized for the past and gave up all my rights in the academy as you requested. Isn't that enough? Why do you still want to dismantle the Tian Qian men's hall? Cough cough…" His voice grew louder until he began to cough.

Zhao Tianyu quickly stepped forward, using his inner energy to help his grandfather regulate his breathing.

"What?" Han Yong stood up suddenly, finally understanding why Zhao Yanguo had barged in recklessly. If they were about to have their ancestral tombs dug up, anyone would act that way.

He then glared at Wu Gaoyang and said, "Old Wu, even if you have grievances with Old Zhao, you can't dismantle the Tian Qian men's hall. The principal wouldn't agree to this if he were here."

"The principal has said that I have full authority over this matter. Right now, the only place available to build the mecha training ground is Zhao's family. If it's not built there, can you find me another place? If we can't keep up with the government's planning, will you take responsibility for the consequences?" Wu Gaoyang replied coldly. His words were directed at Han Yong but were actually meant to show his authority to Zhao Yanguo.

"You…"

With the hat of government planning being thrown at him, Han Yong was left speechless.

Wu Gaoyang then looked at Zhao Yanguo with a sneer, "Old Zhao, Zhao the Great, you should hurry back and pack up. The dismantling will begin tomorrow."

Zhao Yanguo struggled to control his trembling body and took a deep breath before asking, "Do you really have to be so ruthless?"

Seeing Zhao Yanguo's trembling figure, Wu Gaoyang felt a wave of satisfaction. He sneered and walked over to Zhao Yanguo's side, saying, "Back then, I swore that I would return the humiliation you gave me tenfold."

Seeing Wu Gaoyang's smug look, Zhao Tianyu knew that staying any longer would only give him more satisfaction. He stepped forward and grabbed his grandfather's arm, saying, "Grandpa, let's go home!"

Although he said this, he was already determined that if anyone dared to come and dismantle the Tian Qian men's hall tomorrow, he would make sure that their blood would spill.

Zhao Yanguo realized he couldn't change Wu Gaoyang's mind, so he decided to go down with the men's hall. With Zhao Tianyu supporting him, he walked toward the door, as he indeed lacked the strength to walk out by himself.

Just as they were about to exit the principal's office, Wu Gaoyang shouted, "Wait!!"

Zhao Yanguo and his grandson turned around, puzzled by what Wu Gaoyang was up to now.

"If you want to save the Tian Qian men's hall, there is a way. As long as you, Old Zhao, kneel and beg me, I will tell you how to preserve the men's hall," Wu Gaoyang said cryptically.

"Wu Gaoyang, you've gone too far!" Han Yong shouted angrily. He had known Zhao Yanguo for decades and understood his temperament well; asking him to kneel was like asking him to die.

"You're daydreaming! Grandpa, let's go!" Zhao Tianyu pulled on Zhao Yanguo's arm, wanting to turn and leave, but Zhao Yanguo showed no sign of moving.

"Grandpa…"

"Is what you said true?" Zhao Yanguo asked, looking at Wu Gaoyang with piercing eyes. He had always taken pride in the Tian Qian men's hall, and the hall represented the very lifeblood of the Tian Qian men. As long as he could save the hall, he was willing to do anything.

"Of course, as long as you kneel and beg me, I will tell you," Wu Gaoyang said as he pointed to the ground before him.

Zhao Yanguo's body shook violently at the words. His hands tightened into fists, and his arms trembled. After three to five seconds, he took a deep breath and suddenly stepped toward Wu Gaoyang.

"Grandpa!!!"

Zhao Tianyu stepped forward, grabbing Zhao Yanguo's arm with despair. "Grandpa, you can't! A man's knee is worth gold. This is what you taught me."

Tears of humiliation streamed down his face. The hatred for Wu Gaoyang in his heart felt as if even the vast lakes couldn't wash it away.

Zhao Yanguo gently brushed Zhao Tianyu's hand aside and said slowly, "When you have something worth protecting with your life, you will understand that the worth of a man's knee is nothing." After saying this, he resolutely walked toward Wu Gaoyang. "Old Zhao…" Han Yong's throat felt a bit choked; his eyes became moist. If Old Zhao still had his strength, he wouldn't be enduring such humiliation.

Standing before Wu Gaoyang, Zhao Yanguo calmed down instead, looking at him with a dull gaze and saying, "Remember what you said."

Then he took a deep breath, straightened his body, and suddenly bent his legs.

With a "thud," he knelt on the ground.

This sound deeply reverberated in the hearts of everyone in the office.

In Zhao Tianyu's mind, it felt as if a thunderous explosion echoed, leaving him dizzy. Tears of humiliation surged again like a tide as he clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his flesh, blood seeping through his fingers. In his heart, he howled, "This humiliation will be repaid in the future."

Han Yong quietly turned his head away, unable to bear watching his old friend suffer such humiliation when he had no way to help.

"Please… please…" Zhao Yanguo trembled as he lowered his body, tears streaming down his face, hitting the ground like a testament to a hero in decline.

"Hahaha, Old Zhao really knows how to bend and stretch, hahahaha!" Wu Gaoyang laughed wildly, finally releasing half of his pent-up grievances over the years.

Then he pointed to the documents on the desk and said, "I have a military hero competition waiver here. As long as you, Zhao Tianyu, sign this, he will be considered a member of the military, and the government cannot dismantle a soldier's home."

"What? Hero competition? Wu Gaoyang, you're too insidious, letting Xiao Yu go to his death." Han Yong shouted in frustration.

Zhao Tianyu rushed to his grandfather's side and helped him up, noticing how his grandfather now looked ten years older. He found himself increasingly convinced that strength was the foundation of everything.

What Wu Gaoyang wanted him to sign was called the Heroic Competition, also known as the Death Competition, a method for the military to select talent. However, in the last three cycles, no one from any academy had returned alive, leading all academies to dread participating in this competition. Yet, they could not violate federal law. Thus, selecting participants for this competition became the academy's biggest headache each year.

Upon hearing this method, Zhao Yanguo nearly fainted; the immense humiliation he endured was to put his grandson to death. This was clearly a trap that had been planned all along.

"You old bastard, you will end up in hell sooner or later. Cough cough…" He pointed a trembling finger at Wu Gaoyang.

Wu Gaoyang shrugged nonchalantly and said, "I've given you the solutions. You can choose for yourselves." Then he sighed dramatically, "It's really hard to be a good person!"

He wasn't offering Zhao Yanguo advice; he was clearly digging two pits for Zhao Yanguo and his grandson to jump into, both leading to the abyss.

"Fine, I'll sign."

Zhao Tianyu made a decisive choice. Preserving the Tian Qian men's hall was the priority; although the Death Competition was dangerous, it wasn't an immediate threat.

"Xiao Yu…" Zhao Yanguo, tears streaming down his face, wanted to say something.

"Grandpa, you don't need to worry. From now on, the Tian Qian men will be entrusted to me. I will ensure that the Tian Qian men's hall is renowned throughout the universe." Zhao Tianyu interrupted his grandfather, speaking firmly.

His grandfather had suffered such a heavy blow today; he wanted to instill confidence in him, especially since this was also a goal he had long pursued.

"The waiver is on the desk; you can sign it yourself." Wu Gaoyang pointed to the desk, feeling pleased with his scheme. It had been years since he had felt such satisfaction.

Zhao Tianyu approached the desk and saw that the waiver and signing materials had already been prepared. He quickly understood that this had all been a meticulously plotted scheme by Wu Gaoyang. To persecute his grandfather and him, Wu Gaoyang had gone to great lengths.

He didn't reach for the pen on the desk. With a sudden strike of his left hand on the desk, a small knife from the fruit plate beside the waiver flew up into the air, spinning. His right hand swiftly glided across the blade… blood stained his fingers as he pressed down onto the waiver; the desk shook with the motion, leaving a bright red blood imprint on the document.

Raising his blood-stained finger, he glared coldly at Wu Gaoyang and said, "Today, my grandfather kneels; you will pay for it someday." After saying that, he quickly returned to his grandfather's side, supporting him as they strode toward the exit.

"Hmph, I'll be waiting for you," Wu Gaoyang sneered, watching Zhao Tianyu's back. How could he possibly fear a young boy like Zhao Tianyu?