An Enemy

Chapter 3: An Enemy?

Wang Ji inevitably woke up late the next morning. Of course, he hadn't ended up fighting until dawn.

After entering three times in total, including the first, Wang Ji realized he couldn't get back in. Can I only enter three times a day? he wondered.

On his last attempt, he'd barely managed to kill the Steel-Bristle Pig, then failed to escape the Shadow Cat's slaughter. He'd gained another Essence Source point.

"Strength: 550 kg." It had increased by another 10 kg.

Wang Ji headed to school full of confidence, thinking as he walked, How can I kill that Shadow Cat? It was no easy task!

The Shadow Cat's speed definitely exceeded 35 m/s. Wang Ji couldn't react in time at all!

"Thump!"

"Hey, watch where you're going, kid!" a mocking voice rang out. Just hearing it made one's skin crawl, bringing to mind words like vicious and punchable. Along with it came a sudden surge of anger from deep within.

Wang Ji's mind clicked, and he understood. So the beating he'd taken the day before yesterday, right after he'd crossed over, had been this guy's doing!

"Liu Biao!" Wang Ji glared.

"Oh, it's Wang Ji! How have you decided? Why not help me talk your sister into it? Don't worry, if you and your sister come with me, I'll make sure you're well taken care of!" Liu Biao said, his triangular eyes slanting.

Liu Biao was in his twenties, wearing a brightly patterned checkered shirt and looking every bit like a bad guy. His eyes were narrow and triangular, his gaze cruel.

Wang Ji glared at him. "Forget about it!" Without another word, he walked straight toward the school gate.

Liu Biao's eyes turned vicious. He wanted to stop Wang Ji, and even moved his hand, but in the end he didn't block him.

After all, this was the entrance to Yi'an No. 3 High School. His father might be a martial artist, but he wasn't. The law still had some power to deter people! What happened in secret was another matter, of course. Liu Biao thought viciously, "Let's go!"

A little underling who looked like a street punk said indignantly, "We're just letting him off?"

"Letting him off? Don't make me laugh. There are plenty of ways to deal with him!"

"Why not beat him up again?" the underling blurted. "We went too easy on him last time!"

"Heh! Let's go back for now. I'll get Wang Yan eventually!"

Wang Ji went through the school gate without giving it much thought. To be honest, he'd heard that Liu Biao had connections and that his father was supposedly a martial artist, but this was China, after all. The laws were much better than those in Europe and America. Even martial artists couldn't openly disregard the law. He'd been beaten last time because he'd been lured into an unoccupied alley. As long as he was more careful from now on, he'd be safe.

Besides... heh! With the dungeon space as his cheat, if he could just lie low for half a month, it was anyone's guess who would be dealing with whom!

Wang Ji entered his classroom with practiced ease. Senior Year, Class 1.

It was March 2056. "The wheels of fate are about to start turning!" Wang Ji sighed.

"Huh?" Fatty Yu said. "Old Wang, since when did you start talking like some kind of mystic?"

Wang Ji chuckled and patted Fatty Yu on the shoulder. "Kid, you wouldn't understand!"

"Get lost!" Fatty Yu slapped Wang Ji's hand away and shot him an exasperated look. Then, with practiced ease, he pulled out a magazine with some rather racy pictures. Phones weren't allowed at school; even if you brought one, you had to leave it in your personal locker at the back of the classroom. So printed novels and magazines remained popular on campus.

Wang Ji smiled too and took out a copy of Zhuangzi: Free and Easy Wandering. Fatty Yu was stunned. "Holy crap! You really have become an immortal! Studying this kind of classical literature!"

"Kid, this is the good stuff! It's even better than Thor's Nine-Layered Thunder Blade!" Wang Ji said with a smile.

"Bullshit! Get lost, you charlatan!" Fatty Yu felt like his intelligence had been ground into the dirt. The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade was an ultimate manual that cost 100 billion Huaxia Currency per set! Even people who weren't martial artists knew that. It was like arguing over whether Musk was worth 200 billion or 300 billion. Some old man on the street might know better than Musk himself. Just listen to them argue with absolute certainty!

Wang Ji smiled and said no more, soon immersing himself in the charm of classical literature. These old books were hard to get through, but if you carefully read even one page and savored it, you could always feel a genuine sense of satisfaction and gain. The wisdom of the ancient sages!

In the blink of an eye, the day was over.

School let out at 4:00 p.m. Just as Wang Ji stepped out of the classroom, he ran into his older sister, Wang Yan.

"Little brother, I heard you ran into Liu Biao this morning?" Wang Yan asked worriedly.

Wang Ji smiled reassuringly. "Don't be afraid, sis! Liu Biao wouldn't dare do anything. But you should be careful too. Don't go alone into secluded alleys. When you get off work at night, stick to the main streets instead of taking shortcuts. Call me when you're close to the neighborhood, and I'll come meet you!"

"Mm, I know! You shouldn't get into a fight with Liu Biao either. Just act like you don't see him. In broad daylight, he wouldn't dare do anything!" Wang Yan said.

Wang Yan had grown up enduring hardship and had learned how to protect herself from a young age, so there wasn't much to worry about. That was what Wang Ji thought. More importantly, he had confidence in his future!

Afterward, Wang Ji took the bus to the garbage-sorting plant as usual. Another busy night passed. Unfortunately, he didn't come across any more unusual treasures.

The next night, in his bedroom.

"How can I kill this Shadow Cat?" Wang Ji raked his fingers through his hair. He'd died at the Shadow Cat's hands again tonight. At least he hadn't missed out on the one Essence Source point from the Steel-Bristle Pig each time. But his progress had stalled here.

Wang Ji refused to give up. Essence Source points, use!

Strength: 590 kg

"Enter dungeon!"

He entered the dungeon again. By now, Wang Ji could predict the beast's roar and cover his ears in time. Then, while the young martial artist was locked in a fierce battle with the Steel-Bristle Pig outside, he searched the house.

"Huh! A basement?"

Under the stairs was a small, inconspicuous door. It was well made and had somehow survived. Dust covered it, though, so it was hard to notice. Wang Ji gave it a powerful yank, and the rusted lock snapped. Holding his breath against the dust and musty smell, he squeezed inside. The passage was narrow, and after a turn at the bottom, it opened into a basement of twenty or thirty square meters. The basement had partially collapsed, but it was still standing.

"This is a good spot! Maybe I can make use of it. At the very least, I can hide here!" Wang Ji thought, then quickly headed back upstairs. The young martial artist and the Steel-Bristle Pig were about to decide the fight. After going through the scene seven times, Wang Ji had the timing down perfectly.

Wang Ji hurriedly tossed some scraps into the basement passage, then went straight outside. When he reached the window, he didn't even bother looking out. He charged out, drew the War Blade, and thrust!

"Splurt!" The martial artist's War Blade pierced the same wound again with pinpoint accuracy. Wang Ji twisted it hard, then immediately pulled it free and retreated without lingering.

The Steel-Bristle Pig struggled violently, launching a desperate counterattack, but struck nothing but empty air. With its insides mangled, it died even faster than before.

Wang Ji immediately turned and rushed toward the basement. The Shadow Cat would be here soon! Even moving this quickly, he had less than twenty seconds before it arrived!

At the bend in the basement passage, Wang Ji gasped for breath. Then he slowly calmed down.

A minute later.

"Click!" That was the scrap Wang Ji had deliberately left in the basement passage! The Shadow Cat was here!