Jiang Mingyue

After putting a few things together, Wang Cheng quickly grasped the whole situation.

Meanwhile, Jiang Mingyue, who was being watched by Wang Cheng, was overcome with anxiety. She had no idea that Wang Cheng had emerged from the ring on her spear tip. She thought he had suddenly appeared because he was moving so fast that she hadn't even seen him.

That speed, combined with the way Wang Cheng had casually smashed the Iron Armor Beetle King's head to pieces, led Jiang Mingyue to immediately conclude that he was probably someone Beyond War God!

Normally, Jiang Mingyue considered herself an honest person who neither stole nor cheated. If she met someone that powerful, she would be a little awed, but she wouldn't be too nervous.

After all, someone Beyond War God wouldn't ordinarily attack their own kind!

But this was different. Not long ago, she'd gotten incredibly lucky and found that unbelievable ring. She hadn't even had it in her possession for long. If the other person discovered how special it was and decided to take it by force, how could she possibly keep it?

I need that ring to kill the bastard. Please don't notice it. Please don't notice it, Jiang Mingyue kept repeating to herself. Unfortunately, things didn't go her way.

"What's your name?" Wang Cheng asked with a smile.

"Jiang Yueming!"

Jiang Mingyue answered. Her voice sounded a little hoarse, as if she were disguising it.

"Jiang Yueming? What a lovely name!" Wang Cheng praised her, then continued:

"But Miss Jiang Yueming, when I saw you last time, you were only a High-level War General. I never expected you'd be fighting Lord-level monsters already. You've improved so quickly!"

"I didn't want to fight it. It suddenly burst out of the ground, so I had no choice but to fight back!" Jiang Mingyue explained calmly. Whether Wang Cheng believed her or not, she'd already convinced herself halfway.

Unfortunately, Jiang Mingyue had no idea that Wang Cheng had already figured out the whole story.

"So I saved your life, then?" Wang Cheng pointed at the Iron Armor Beetle King, whose head had been smashed to pieces.

"I don't know how to address you, Senior. If I get the chance, I'll do everything I can to repay you!" Jiang Mingyue said sincerely. By then, her heart was pounding.

Wang Cheng had shifted his gaze to the tip of her spear.

Jiang Mingyue forced herself not to hide it. That would only make her look more suspicious!

"You don't need to wait until later to thank me. You can do it now!" Wang Cheng smiled. "That spear tip of yours looks nice. Why not give it to me?"

"You—"

Jiang Mingyue understood at once. Wang Cheng had definitely noticed something unusual about her spear tip. He'd only been teasing her with what he'd said earlier!

"What, you can't bear to part with it?" Wang Cheng asked.

"Yes. I can't. I'll repay your great kindness some other way," Jiang Mingyue said gravely. She knew Wang Cheng was still teasing her, but she also knew that picking a fight with him would do her no good.

"What if I insist?" Wang Cheng released a trace of his aura. It was only a trace, but even that sliver of a Stellar-level presence was enough to terrify a High-level War General.

"Are you giving it to me?" Wang Cheng asked again.

"No!" Jiang Mingyue didn't retreat. She clenched her teeth and resisted the fear rising in her heart.

"Hmm? You're pretty stubborn." Wang Cheng released an even more terrifying aura. The pressure was almost tangible. Jiang Mingyue fought it with all her might, but she still couldn't help taking half a step back.

Even so, Jiang Mingyue showed no sign of yielding.

"Strong willpower!" Wang Cheng raised an eyebrow. He was a Stellar-level being with a Thirty Times Gene Level. Even after splitting off three thousand Planet-level clones, his aura was still far more terrifying than that of an ordinary Stellar-level being!

Releasing just a tenth of that aura would be enough to make even a Planet-level being feel fear from the depths of their heart. It was normal for someone at the Apprentice level to collapse on the spot.

For someone like the person before him to remain standing and even refuse his demand—her willpower really was impressive!

Though willpower was one of the strengths of Earthlings, that didn't mean every Earthling had a strong will.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many good-for-nothings!

"Senior, I respect your strength, and I respect that you once fought for humanity. But that doesn't give you the right to take what you want by force!" Jiang Mingyue said with difficulty. Wang Cheng suddenly laughed, then withdrew his aura.

"You're right. Strength doesn't give me the right to take what I want by force. But you're wrong about one thing: I've never fought for humanity!" Wang Cheng said coolly. Then he reached out and, in an instant, snatched the spear Jiang Mingyue had been guarding.

Wang Cheng removed the ring from the spear tip, then handed the spear back to Jiang Mingyue.

"But you said you wouldn't take it!" Jiang Mingyue stared at the now-empty spear tip, unable to accept what had happened.

"This ring was mine to begin with. How could taking it back be stealing? You found someone else's property and wanted to keep it for yourself. Don't you think that's wrong?" Wang Cheng asked coolly.

"This ring is yours?" Jiang Mingyue asked in disbelief.

"If I'm not mistaken, you found this ring in a Residential Building—and on the tenth floor!" Wang Cheng asked with a smile. "Am I right?"

"Th-this..." Jiang Mingyue was at a loss for words. She really had found the ring by chance while resting in a Residential Building. And that place did seem to have been on the tenth floor!

"What's yours is yours, and what isn't yours won't do you any good, no matter how much you take. As compensation, you can have the Iron Armor Beetle King's corpse. Take care." Wang Cheng smiled, then shot into the sky and vanished from Jiang Mingyue's sight in an instant.

"..."

After Wang Cheng flew away, Jiang Mingyue sank to the ground, feeling utterly dejected. The Iron Armor Beetle King's corpse nearby was worth a fortune, but she couldn't find the strength to start cutting it apart.

"Someone Beyond War God, and his mere aura left me unable to move? And now the ring I was lucky enough to find is gone..." Jiang Mingyue thought dejectedly. After some time, she finally got up, took a dagger from her backpack, and walked over to the Iron Armor Beetle King's corpse.

While Jiang Mingyue was dissecting the Iron Armor Beetle King's corpse, Wang Cheng had already returned to his villa in Mingyue Community, Yangzhou City without a sound. Wang Cheng's Clone had disappeared more than ten days earlier, and the villa had been empty for over ten days. A thin layer of dust had settled over everything.

"I'm a Stellar-level genius, someone with status even in the universe, and now I have to clean my own house... Hmm, I should find myself a helper to do odd jobs if I get the chance." Wang Cheng helplessly sent three clones to clean the villa, then sent out an Apprentice Tier 3 clone to gather some news.

As for Wang Cheng Main Body, he lazily stretched out on the sofa in the living room and quietly turned his thoughts over.

At first, Wang Cheng had thought he and Jiang Mingyue were fated to cross paths, since they'd met twice. He'd planned to spend more time with her, but one thing she said changed his mind. That was why he'd simply taken back the World Ring.

"Fought for humanity?" Wang Cheng shook his head.

Wang Cheng could be called an Earthling, but he wasn't from this world's Earth. His original world was still at peace in 2022, while this Earth had suffered the Great Calamity in 2013. The two had nothing to do with each other.

So Wang Cheng didn't feel any deep attachment to this world's Earth. If anything, he felt some attachment to Huaxia Country. Otherwise, when Jiang Yueming had clashed with the Foreign Squad earlier, he wouldn't have taken her side.

From the very beginning, Wang Cheng had wanted to grow stronger so he could protect himself, because he knew this world was dangerous!

Warriors on this Earth were raised to believe that they were humanity's line of defense, its strongest shield. That was why, in the most desperate moments, one Warrior after another would step forward.

But Wang Cheng was different. He'd never been exposed to any of that. The memories he'd received from the original owner of this body couldn't move him much, either.

"Strictly speaking, I'm an alien!" Wang Cheng thought to himself.

Wang Cheng knew that, if he could help all of humanity without putting himself in danger, he wouldn't hesitate. After all, this place could be considered his second home. But asking him to lay down his life like Luo Feng in Swallowed Star? That would be difficult.

He didn't have any close family or friends on this Earth. Expecting him to risk his life for no reason? That was asking too much.

"Besides, there doesn't seem to be anything on Earth that would require me to risk my life!" Wang Cheng shook his head.

As Wang Cheng Main Body pondered, the clone he'd sent out to gather news met Luo Feng's father, Luo Hongguo, in the courtyard of the Luo family home.

"Uncle Luo, getting some exercise?" Wang Cheng greeted Luo Hongguo with a smile as he saw him stretching his legs in the courtyard.

"Xiao Wang, you're back from the Wilderness Area?" Luo Hongguo looked at Wang Cheng in surprise.

"The Wilderness Area?" Wang Cheng paused briefly, then immediately understood. Everyone in the community must have assumed he'd gone to the Wilderness Area during the ten-plus days he was gone. And here he'd been worrying there might be a little trouble!

But it made sense. Wang Cheng usually kept to himself. If he suddenly disappeared, where else would people think he'd gone?

He'd left his squad earlier, but who could say he hadn't joined another one?

"Yeah, I'm back!" Wang Cheng nodded with a smile.

"Xiao Wang, did you run into Luo Feng in the Wilderness Area? That child's teammate, Zhang Ke, came back more than ten days ago, but Luo Feng is still out there." Luo Hongguo brought up Luo Feng. Wang Cheng realized that Luo Feng was probably using his advantage as a Mental Master to push himself relentlessly in the Wilderness Area.

It seemed he'd even earned the nickname "Madman"!

"I didn't run into Luo Feng. We must've gone to different places!" Wang Cheng smiled. "But Luo Feng's strength is improving quickly. He should be fine out there!"

"I'll take your word for it, Xiao Wang!" Luo Hongguo laughed.

"..."

After chatting with Luo Hongguo for a while, Wang Cheng got the information he wanted. Soon, he had his clone return to the villa.