Zhao Xuan couldn't think of any excuse, so he headed home. Fortunately, the Panerai's design was fairly low-key—aside from its unusually large case, it didn't scream luxury.
His family lived in an aging residential complex. The location wasn't bad, but the layout was a nightmare, with way too many turns. Just as he rounded the final corner, several figures stepped into view and blocked his path.
The leader was someone Zhao Xuan knew all too well.
"Cao Shudong?" Zhao Xuan took a small step back. These guys were clearly up to no good.
"Miss Wan wasn't thrilled to hear you're applying to the same school as her, so I figured I'd come talk some sense into you." Cao stood a full ten centimeters taller than Zhao Xuan's 175 cm, oozing intimidation. Flanking him were four burly young men who looked like trouble. Escape wasn't an option.
Zhao Xuan was used to Cao and his crew throwing their weight around, but he'd never imagined they'd resort to violence.
"Hell, let's do this!" He opened his status panel, ready to spend the unused attribute points, when a notification popped up:
[Seek peace through struggle, and peace shall endure; seek peace through submission, and peace shall perish. You've endured enough bullying. Now is the time to strike back. The System grants +5 attribute points and a Danger Aura bonus.]
The sudden prompt cooled his impulse. He quickly scanned the four thugs' stats: Strength 12–13, Agility around 10. Compared to Zhao Xuan's original 9 in both, he'd normally be outmatched.
Cao's stats were surprising—Strength and Agility both a middling 10, and his health marked suboptimal. The four underlings had a hostility of –5; Cao's was a staggering –70. Clearly, they were just hired muscle.
Zhao Xuan immediately allocated his 10 available points, splitting them evenly between Strength and Agility.
A warm surge flowed through his body. Now at 14 in both stats, he was well above average. He could take on two of them, but four was still dangerous.
Instead of trading blows with the four, Zhao Xuan charged straight at Cao. Despite his size, Cao's fighting ability didn't match his frame. Caught off guard, Cao took a direct punch to the gut.
"Argh—!" He crumpled to his knees, face pale as paper. Seizing the moment, Zhao Xuan locked his arm around Cao's neck.
"Tell your goons to scram, or I'll snap your neck!"
"Go on, hit me! He won't dare!" Cao ignored the threat. Humiliation burned, and three years of habit made him instinctively look down on Zhao Xuan.
"You wanna test that?" Zhao Xuan tightened his grip; Cao's neck cracked ominously.
Fear flooded Cao's face. He tried to speak but couldn't. The four toughs felt an inexplicable chill and backed up. They usually dealt with debt collection and protection rackets—nothing like this.
Cao had told them Zhao Xuan was just a student. They'd expected a quick beating and maybe some extortion. This guy was no ordinary student.
"Get lost, or wait too long and he might paralyze you. Nobody wants that!" Zhao Xuan had no intention of killing Cao, but he saw the four for the paper tigers they were. Showing overwhelming force and acting ruthless had them spooked.
He eased his grip slightly to avoid real harm.
"Zhao Xuan, you bastard, do your worst…" Before Cao could finish, Zhao Xuan drove another punch into his gut—Strength 14 packed a wallop. Cao couldn't even groan.
Seeing that, the four gradually retreated to the alley entrance, but didn't flee.
Zhao Xuan released Cao, grabbed his collar, and slapped him twice.
"Scram. Don't mess with me again." He tossed Cao to the ground. Pain still wracked Cao's abdomen; he struggled to rise, leaning against the wall.
"And don't kid yourself—Wan Chu Jun isn't into you. She enjoys the chase, having you chase and flatter her. If you'd beaten me to the hospital today, you think she'd risk her connections to bail you out?"
Zhao Xuan shook his sore wrist, then turned and walked out of the alley.
The whole class knew Wan treated Cao like a lackey and simp, but no one had said it aloud. Maybe Cao was oblivious, or maybe he pretended, thanks to his father's status. After Zhao Xuan's words, Cao's friendliness rating plunged to –100.
According to the System, that was rock bottom for normal human relationships. Below –100 meant the person might try to kill you; –150 meant a blood feud.
[Mission complete. Bonus attribute points permanently retained. New funds: ¥2,000,000.]
Zhao Xuan was secretly thrilled, but the aftermath hit him. Reflecting on his actions, he barely recognized the pushover he used to be. Partly the mission's push, partly bottled-up rage exploding out. His threats to Cao had flowed effortlessly.
Still, he worried. He didn't care for himself, but his parents still lived in Lianhai long-term. If Cao's crew kept harassing them, especially in this sketchy neighborhood, it'd be a real problem.
"Guess it's time to move…" He looked around at the dim, chaotic surroundings.
"You've got some fight in you. What got you mixed up with those guys?" A cool voice rang out behind him.
He turned to see a stunning short-haired woman in a blue-and-white T-shirt stretched tightly across a chest easily a C cup, paired with blue shorts showing smooth, tanned legs sans stockings, and white sneakers—like she'd just finished a workout.
"Yang Wenyu. Police."
Zhao Xuan's heart sank. Did Cao have a backup plan?
Yang Wenyu
Youth
Healthy
Strength 13
Agility 14
Stamina 15
Energy 12
Focus 12
Friendliness: 25
Obedience: 0
Seeing the positive friendliness rating, Zhao Xuan relaxed. The others had negative scores; 25 meant she wasn't here to cause trouble. Plus, her outfit screamed "casual jog," not "on duty."
"I'm Zhao Xuan, just finished the Gaokao. You…"
She cut him off, as if she already knew his question.
"Relax, I'm not here to hassle you." Her words erased his doubts.
"Those thugs are notorious loan sharks around here, mostly using violence for debt collection. I was out for a night run, saw them cornering you. I was about to flash my badge and step in, but you suddenly exploded with intensity—scared even me."
"Intensity?" Zhao Xuan realized that was the System's Danger Aura at work. No wonder the four acted nothing like the hardened enforcers she described.
"Thanks anyway. Anything you want to ask?" Zhao Xuan doubted the coincidence. This wasn't a typical running route, and her striking up conversation meant she wanted something.
"You really just finished the Gaokao?" Yang grew curious about his identity, then guessed he might distrust her.
"Oh, here's my badge." She produced her ID.
That confirmed it—she wasn't just passing by. Who goes jogging in shorts with an ID strapped to their arm? And she hadn't intervened even when it looked like someone might die.
"I really just graduated. Here's my ID, check it yourself." Zhao Xuan showed his ID but didn't hand it over. She merely confirmed he was 18.
Putting his wallet away, he noticed her gaze flick to his wrist—specifically, the Panerai 10-Day GMT.
"Living in this dump and wearing a watch worth tens of thousands? Or is it a knockoff?" She was familiar with the brand but mistook it for a cheaper Luminor model. Even so, it clashed with the run-down setting.
"Did you take out a loan shark loan?" she asked.
To her, the evidence lined up: flashy watch, modest clothes and housing, plus those infamous collectors. It screamed a reckless teen who'd borrowed heavily.
Her question made Zhao Xuan frown; her impression of him dropped. He understood her reasoning, but being judged on appearances still rubbed him raw. Fresh wealth hadn't erased his poor-kid sensitivity to others' stares.
"Nope. We had a conflict. That guy on the ground tried to beat me up, but I drove them off." He kept his irritation in check.
Yang asked a few routine questions, still suspecting a loan connection. Before leaving, she warned, "Those four are slippery. If they bother you again, call the cops. And if you did borrow, ignore anything over 36% interest." Then she strode off on those long legs.
"Pretty high and mighty…" Zhao Xuan scowled. He knew she meant well, but her snap judgment left a bad taste and fueled his urge to change his situation fast.
Pulling out his phone, he scrolled news while brainstorming an excuse for his sudden cash. Suddenly, he remembered losing his dad's ¥20,000—a huge sum back in middle school—and nearly getting beaten by his mom for it.
He opened Baidu, typed "Bitcoin," and smiled.