Threats

Xiao Fan went straight to the principal's office with his admission notice.

When he saw Xiao Fan arrive, a flicker of unease crossed the principal's face, but it quickly disappeared.

"Xiao Fan, what brings you here?"

Xiao Fan remained expressionless as he set the admission notice on the desk in front of the principal.

"Principal, if I remember correctly, admission to the Novice Villages is based on rankings, right? I came first in the city. So why did I receive an admission notice for Zone 18?"

The principal looked at the notice before him and gave an awkward smile.

"Xiao Fan, all eighteen Novice Zones were established by our country. It doesn't really matter which one you go to."

Xiao Fan was almost laughing from anger at this argument. The principal was blatantly playing word games.

He'd thought the school might have made a mistake, but now he was certain: this was a plot.

"If you think all eighteen Novice Zones are the same, then can I choose to go to Novice Village Zone 1?"

The principal faltered. "Xiao Fan, don't joke around."

"Who's joking around?" Xiao Fan's voice suddenly rose. "We both came first in the city, but other people get to enter Zone 2 while I'm sent to the worst one, Zone 18. Don't you think you owe me an explanation, Principal?"

"Xiao Fan, calm down. Let's talk this through."

As he tried to placate Xiao Fan, the principal cursed the Chen Family in his heart for going too far.

If they'd assigned Xiao Fan to Zone 3, 4, or 5, he could have come up with an excuse. But they'd sent him to the worst one, Zone 18.

What possible reason could there be for assigning the top student in the entrance exam to the worst zone?

"Fine. Let's talk." Xiao Fan dropped into a chair and folded his arms, looking at the principal. "Please tell me why someone with the top score was assigned to Zone 18."

"Well..." The principal stammered, unable to get a word out. After a long while, he seemed to make up his mind.

"Xiao Fan, you only came first in the entrance exam because you teamed up with Chen Xuewei." The principal adjusted his glasses, his tone turning firm. "With your fundamentals and potential, being assigned to Zone 18 is entirely reasonable."

"I only came first because of Chen Xuewei?" Xiao Fan pointed at himself as if he'd just heard the biggest joke of his life.

He admitted that Chen Xuewei had been crucial to the team's first-place finish. But without him, the team wouldn't have survived their encounter with the Wild Boss. What would their score have mattered then?

He'd earned that first place fair and square.

"The school required us to take the exam in teams, but when it comes to me, suddenly it's all about individual ability? Don't you think that's ridiculous, Principal?" Xiao Fan sneered at him.

"Hmph!" The principal slammed a hand on the desk, his face reddening with anger at being found out. "Xiao Fan, do you have any respect for your elders?"

"I respect people who deserve my respect, not someone as morally corrupt as you!"

Xiao Fan got to his feet and roared. The pent-up frustration of the past few days finally erupted.

The principal's chest heaved, his face flushed with anger. In all his years, no student had ever dared speak to him like that.

Whatever guilt he'd felt toward Xiao Fan vanished completely. He let out a cold laugh.

"The Game Bureau issued your admission notice. Take it if you want, or don't. The school can't do anything about it."

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

He knew there was no point arguing with the school any longer. If they wouldn't help him, he'd take the matter somewhere higher up.

"I refuse to believe no one will do anything about my exam results being switched."

With that, Xiao Fan picked up the notice and headed outside. It was evidence, after all.

Watching Xiao Fan leave, the principal quickly made a phone call.

Xiao Fan had just walked out of the school gates when a luxury car pulled up beside him.

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

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

When 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 warning you!"

Xiao Fan clenched his fists until his fingertips turned white, his mind consumed by rage.

"Being weak is a sin. I have to get stronger—stronger! Only then can I protect my family and keep people from bullying me whenever they please!"

Something inside Xiao Fan changed in that moment. He swallowed his humiliation and got into the car.

The car stopped in front of a tall building, and Xiao Fan was taken to a conference room.

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

The man in black left him with those words, then closed the door behind him.

"Who could it be?"

Xiao Fan searched through all the memories of the original owner, but couldn't find anyone he'd offended.

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

The man had a commanding presence, clearly someone who had held a high position for a long time.

Looking at his face, Xiao Fan finally recognized him.

Chen Xuewei's father, Chen Zhiqiang—the head of the Chen Family, Sea City's foremost clan.

In that moment, Xiao Fan finally understood why his results had been changed.

A surge of humiliation and rage welled up inside him.

Just because the original owner had befriended Chen Xuewei as a child, his uncle had nearly been beaten to death.

He'd only joined the team for the entrance exam because Chen Xuewei had invited him, yet the Chen Family had secretly altered his results and sent him to the worst zone, Zone 18.

He'd done nothing wrong, yet somehow everything was his fault.

Just because he was weak!

"Kid, I remember warning you before not to bother Xue Wei again."

"This is a warning. If you dare show up in front of Xue Wei again, don't blame me for what happens."

Chen Zhihao looked down at Xiao Fan.

"You, your uncle and aunt, and those twins—if you want them to stay alive, pretend none of this ever happened. Take your admission notice and go to Zone 18 like you're told."

Chen Zhihao turned to leave as soon as he'd finished speaking, as if the boy before him wasn't worth another moment of his time.

"I, Xiao Fan, won't forget what happened today. One day, I'll make you regret what you said."

Chen Zhihao stopped and turned back to look at the furious young man, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.

"Heh. Come talk to me like that after you make it out of the Novice Zone alive."

He'd seen plenty of people like him.

So what if he was resentful?

This world belonged to the strong.

Someone as lowly as Xiao Fan would never have access to the best resources in his lifetime. What could he possibly use to compete with them?

By the time Xiao Fan left the building, it was already noon.

The blazing sun poured down without mercy. Its scorching rays beat against the earth and fell across his slender back, hot enough to leave a brand.

He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the dazzling sun. His clenched fists slowly relaxed, though his fingertips still trembled faintly with rage.

The light was so harsh it seemed capable of piercing everything, yet it couldn't shine through the gloom in his heart.

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

So what if he'd been sent to Zone 18? So what if its resources were poor?

Xiao Fan had a thousand years of Earth's culture behind him.

"One day, I'll show you that I won't just make it out of the Novice Zone—I'll stand at the top of the world!"

"When that day comes, I'll make the Chen Family pay for what you've done!"