The Passion of Youth

Qin Heng's lips twitched.

This guy had come to throw down the gauntlet.

It seemed that today's test result of 928 kilograms of punching force, and having the title of Number One Genius snatched away, had dealt him quite a blow.

"Fine, I'll be there." Qin Heng accepted the invitation.

Xiao Yang nodded and turned to leave.

He himself said nothing, but the people gathered around him had plenty to say, chattering loudly enough for everyone to hear.

One girl said, "Xiao Yang, Xiao Yang, don't let him get to you. This guy isn't as handsome as you, his family isn't as good as yours, and he definitely falls short of you in every way."

Someone else said, "I heard this Qin Heng only got so strong because he took some miracle drug. He's really just trash."

Others muttered under their breath, "Their whole table is covered in meat. They don't even understand balanced nutrition. That group is obviously a bunch of poor wretches—they'll eat themselves sick sooner or later!"

Qin Heng paid no mind to such trivial remarks.

Coach Yang Huai'an asked Qin Heng with a smile, "So, you've got an opponent now. How does it feel?"

Qin Heng shook his head. "Doesn't feel like much."

Xiao Yang might have been a genius, but Qin Heng felt he had no real need to compete with anyone over who was better.

Someone had thrown down the gauntlet, so he accepted it. Whether he won or lost when the time came, he had nothing to lose.

Compared to that, Wang Peng, that hooligan, was the one he hated most. He wished he could get rid of him once and for all.

Yang Huai'an said approvingly, "That's a good attitude. Martial artists competing with one another can push each other to grow, but remember not to let grudges go to your head. Otherwise, you'll only trap yourself in a cage and limit your own development."

"Thank you for your guidance, Coach!" Qin Heng took those words to heart.

Everyone continued eating.

The meal was thoroughly enjoyable. Only when everyone felt the food had reached their throats and they could not swallow another grain of rice did they finally stop in satisfaction.

After the meal, Qin Heng and the others did not linger long before being sent out of the camp.

More than twenty people returned to the battered bus, carrying cooked meat they had secretly packed from the cafeteria.

Some trainees from the other districts traveling with them had also brought back cooked meat. No one laughed at them.

After all, this world still had more poor people than rich ones. Everyone understood one another's hunger.

"Old Wang, home."

Coach Yang gave the order, and the vehicle started up, heading back along the route they had come.

Compared to when they had arrived, Qin Heng and the others were now in a somewhat different mood.

Looking back toward the Border Wall, that fortress-like wall, coiling like a giant dragon, seemed even more magnificent than before.

The black figures standing atop it also appeared immensely towering.

Jiang RuLong, who had failed the assessment, said, "Coach, if I stop training and enlist in the military, would that be better than working while training?"

Yang Huai'an replied, "That depends on your own choice. The military has martial artist training institutions too, though the conditions aren't as good as those at a Martial Hall."

"Then I'll go enlist in a few days!" Jiang RuLong nodded, making up his mind just like that.

Yang Huai'an was not surprised. Smiling, he said, "Every year, there are always a few hot-blooded youngsters like this."

Zhou Yan also laughed. "It was the same last year. Zhou Lixia and Wang Lan packed their bags and reported to Military Command as soon as they got home. I heard they're doing pretty well now."

"Martial artists are high-end combat power. Quasi-Martial Warriors who join the military will definitely be treated well."

Quite a few people seemed tempted, especially those who had failed the assessment and would have to start paying membership fees next school year.

Qin Heng had no such thoughts.

It was not that he lacked the resolve to serve at the border and fight for humanity. Rather, he knew that his aptitude was high, and studying at the Martial Hall was the better path for his growth.

Once he became a top-tier powerhouse, there would be more he could do and greater value he could create.

The bus rattled and swayed along for more than two hours before finally returning to the Slum District.

It was already past three in the afternoon.

Qin Heng got off at the street corner, intending to find Fang Lingxue.

But when he arrived at the Frost Snow City shop, Fang Lingxue was nowhere to be found.

"Sister Lingling, where's Lingxue?" Qin Heng asked.

Yu Lingling's tone carried a hint of reproach. "Lingxue didn't come in today. I haven't seen her all day, and she didn't say she was taking leave. Who knows what she's busy with."

The shop would not close until the end of the month. By all rights, they were still supposed to be on duty these days.

Qin Heng frowned slightly. "She rarely takes leave. Could she be sick and feeling unwell? I'll go check on her at home."

With that, he immediately set off. He borrowed a bicycle from one of his Martial Hall classmates and rode toward the other side of the Slum District.

Fang Lingxue lived rather far away, near the exit on the other side of the Slum District.

District 7 Slums lay on the southeastern side of the entire Base City. Nearby were District 6 Slums and a Weapons Factory, beyond which stretched the vast Buffer Zone Protected Fields.

Fang Lingxue lived near the Weapons Factory. She had said that her parents had once been laborers there and had died in an explosion accident, leaving her all alone.

Qin Heng saw her as his benefactor and the love of his life, while she saw him as her only family.

If Qin Heng's home had not been so small, they might have moved in together long ago.

The bicycle lurched forward along the cracked, pothole-ridden concrete roads of the Old City District.

More than twenty minutes later, Qin Heng arrived beneath an old thirteen-story building.

"Oh, Little Qin, are you here to see Xiao Xue?" A skinny old man downstairs greeted him.

"Yes, Grandpa Li. Getting some air downstairs? Why isn't Brother Xiao Li keeping you company today?" Qin Heng replied.

He and Fang Lingxue visited each other often, and both were quite familiar with one another's neighbors.

Grandpa Li chuckled. "My eldest grandson went to work. The Weapons Factory just opened up a cleaning position, and he happened to get picked."

"That's great. The Weapons Factory pays well."

"Why are you here at this hour? Xiao Xue doesn't seem to be back yet." Grandpa Li asked.

"Not back? Where did she go? She didn't go to work today either." Qin Heng was puzzled.

Grandpa Li said, "This morning, I saw a very expensive car come downstairs and pick her up. It's almost been a whole day now."

"A very expensive car?" Qin Heng frowned.

Grandpa Li said, "Yes, it was black, as tall as one floor, and very long. It took forever to back out."

A bad feeling immediately rose in Qin Heng's heart.

The buildings in the Slum District were not tall, but each floor was still two meters high.

A vehicle two meters tall and very long had to be some kind of luxury car, or a Wilderness Battle Vehicle.

Could it have been that martial artist boss he had seen yesterday?

But Frost Snow City was about to close down. Why was she still in contact with the boss?

That girl... nothing better have happened to her...

Qin Heng's heart leaped into his throat as several grim possibilities came to mind.

He ran upstairs, wondering whether Grandpa Li might have been mistaken.

But when he reached the seventh floor, he found the door locked. Fang Lingxue truly was not home.

"I'll wait here for her to come back."

Qin Heng did not leave. Unable to put his mind at ease, he simply went down to sit with Grandpa Li at the mouth of the alley and wait for Fang Lingxue to return.