Threat

Xiao Fan took his admission letter and went straight to the Principal's office.

Seeing Xiao Fan arrive, a flicker of unease crossed the Principal's face, though it vanished just as quickly.

"Student Xiao Fan, what brings you here?"

Xiao Fan remained expressionless, placing the admission letter in his hand onto the desk in front of the Principal.

"Principal, if I recall correctly, admission to the Novice Village is based on ranking by grades. I scored first in the entire city, so why did I receive an admission letter for Zone 18?"

The Principal looked at the admission letter before him and offered an awkward smile.

"Student Xiao Fan, all eighteen Novice Zones are established by our country; in truth, it makes no difference where you go."

Xiao Fan was almost amused to the point of laughter by this remark; the Principal was actually trying to shift the goalposts here.

He had previously thought it might have been a mistake by the school, but now he was certain that this entire affair was a conspiracy.

"Since the Principal feels that all eighteen Novice Zones are the same, can I choose to go to Novice Village Zone 1 instead?"

The Principal choked: "Student Xiao Fan, don't joke around."

"Who is the one joking?" Xiao Fan's voice suddenly rose: "We both scored first in the city, yet others get into Zone 2 while I am sent to the worst, Zone 18. Don't you think you owe me an explanation, Principal?"

"Student Xiao Fan, don't get agitated. Let's talk this over calmly."

While the Principal tried to persuade Xiao Fan, he was inwardly cursing the Chen Family for going too far.

Even if they had moved Xiao Fan to Zone 3, 4, or 5, he could have found a reason to explain it, but it had to be the worst one, Zone 18.

What possible reason could there be to assign a student who ranked first in the college entrance exam to the worst zone?

"Fine, let's talk calmly." Xiao Fan slumped into a chair, crossing his arms as he looked at the Principal: "Please, Principal, tell me clearly why my first-place score resulted in an assignment to Zone 18."

"This..." The Principal stammered for a long time without saying a word. After a while, he seemed to reach a decision.

"Student Xiao Fan, you only managed to get first place in the college entrance exam because you were riding the coattails of Chen Xuewei." The Principal pushed up his glasses, his tone turning stern: "Given your foundation and potential, ending up in Zone 18 is a perfectly normal result."

"I was riding Chen Xuewei's coattails?" Xiao Fan pointed at his own nose, as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world.

He admitted that Chen Xuewei was crucial to the team taking first place, but without him, the team would never have survived when they encountered the Wild Boss. What kind of grades would there have been to speak of then?

He had earned this first place with a clear conscience.

"The school required a team exam, yet when it comes to me, you suddenly emphasize individual ability. Don't you find that ridiculous, Principal?" Xiao Fan looked at the Principal with mockery.

"Hmph!" The Principal slammed his hand on the desk, his face flushed with the shame and anger of being exposed: "Student Xiao Fan, do you have no respect for your teachers!"

"I respect those who are worthy of my respect, not someone who is morally bankrupt!"

Xiao Fan stood up and roared, the pressure of the past few days finally erupting.

The Principal's chest heaved, his face turning red with anger. In all his years, no student had ever dared to speak to him like this.

Any lingering guilt he had felt toward Xiao Fan vanished completely. He sneered.

"The admission letter was issued by the Game Bureau. You can take it if you want, or leave it if you don't; the school can do nothing about it."

"You!" Xiao Fan hadn't expected the Principal to be so shameless.

He knew that continuing to argue at the school would be useless; if the school wouldn't handle it, he would go to a higher authority.

"I don't believe that tampering with college entrance exam results will go unchecked."

With that, Xiao Fan picked up the letter and walked out; this was his evidence.

The Principal watched Xiao Fan's retreating back and quickly made a phone call.

Just as Xiao Fan stepped out of the school gate, a luxury car pulled up at his feet.

The window rolled down, and a man in a black suit looked him up and down.

"Xiao Fan? Our boss wants to see you."

Seeing that Xiao Fan didn't move, the man sneered: "If you don't want anything to happen to your family, you'd better get in the car."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm reminding you!"

Xiao Fan clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, a massive wave of fury flooding his mind.

Weakness is the original sin. I must become stronger, I must! Only by becoming stronger can I protect my family and stop being trampled upon at will!

In that moment, a profound change occurred within Xiao Fan's heart. He endured the humiliation and got into the car.

The car stopped in front of a high-rise building, and Xiao Fan was led into a conference room.

"Wait here. Our boss will be here shortly."

The man in black left this message and closed the door behind him.

"Who exactly is it?"

Xiao Fan scoured all the memories of the original owner, but he couldn't find anyone he had offended.

Before long, the door to the conference room opened, and a man wearing a Tang suit walked in.

The man possessed a powerful aura, clearly that of someone who had held a high position for a long time.

Xiao Fan looked at that face and finally remembered who he was.

Chen Xuewei's father, Chen Zhiqiang, was also the head of the Chen Family, the number one family in Sea City.

At this moment, Xiao Fan finally understood why his exam results had been swapped.

A sense of intense humiliation and fury surged in his heart.

Just because the original owner had become friends with Chen Xuewei when they were children, his Uncle had nearly been beaten to death.

He had only joined the team for the college entrance exam because Chen Xuewei had personally invited him, yet the Chen Family had tampered with his scores behind his back, forcing him into the worst, Zone 18.

He had done nothing, yet everything he did was wrong.

All because he was weak!

"Kid, I remember warning you before: stop pestering Xuewei."

"This incident is just a warning to you. If you dare to appear in front of Xuewei again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Chen Zhihao looked down at Xiao Fan from his superior position.

"You, your Uncle and Aunt, and those twins—if you still want them to live well, treat this matter as if it never happened and take your admission letter to Zone 18 obediently."

After Chen Zhihao finished speaking, he turned to leave, as if the youth before him wasn't worth wasting even a second more of his time.

"I, Xiao Fan, have noted today's events. One day, I will make you regret the words you said today."

Chen Zhihao paused, turned his head to look at the furious youth, and curled his lips into a mocking arc.

"Heh, wait until you can survive the Novice Zone before you say such things to me."

He had seen too many people like this.

Unreconciled? So what?

In this world, strength is what dictates everything.

People from the bottom like Xiao Fan would never touch high-end resources in their entire lives; what could they possibly use to compete with them?

It was already noon by the time Xiao Fan exited the building.

The scorching sun poured down without reservation, its heat baking the earth and landing on his thin back, burning as if it were branding him.

He squinted, looking up at the blinding sun, his tightly clenched fists slowly loosening, though his fingertips still trembled slightly from rage.

The light was too intense, almost piercing through everything, yet it could not illuminate the gloom within his heart.

"Chen Family, one day I will make you regret this!"

So what if it's Zone 18? So what if the resources are poor?

Xiao Fan had the backing of a thousand years of Earth's culture.

"One day I will let you know that not only can I make it out of the Novice Zone, but I will also stand at the pinnacle of the world!"

"When that time comes, I will make your Chen Family pay the price for your actions!"