My Name is Wang Meng

"Who are you?"

Hearing a human voice instead of a monster's roar, the vigilance in Luo Zhe's heart eased slightly. As the figure slowly stepped out, Luo Zhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, his stomach was still churning; he was worried that if he had to engage in intense combat now, the undigested food in his gut might end up splattered all over the enemy.

However, since it was a human, and with the military region's surveillance system in place, he didn't have to worry about a sudden sneak attack.

Still, out of caution, Luo Zhe maintained a defensive posture, gripping his combat blade firmly while keeping his eyes locked on the newcomer.

Chen Gu had once said that in the Wilderness Zone, the threat from humans was far greater than that of monsters!

"Hello, Brother Zhe. My name is Wang Meng, from the Southeast Military Region. I've wanted to meet you for a long time; I never expected to run into you here."

Only when the thin, young man fully emerged from the alleyway could Luo Zhe see his full appearance by the flickering light of a distant searchlight. The youth held a large black hammer in one hand and a hexagonal shield in the other, a look of excitement on his face. Judging by his movements, he seemed to be trying to quicken his pace toward Luo Zhe.

"Stop! Just stand there and say what you need to say." Seeing the other party trending closer, Luo Zhe quickly reached out to halt his advance.

However, after hearing the introduction, Luo Zhe couldn't help but take a second look. He hadn't expected this thin youth to be from the Southeast Military Region, one of the few major military regions in the Huaxia Nation.

As for why someone from the Southeast Military Region would come to the Northern Military Region to participate in the martial arts combat assessment, Luo Zhe had no intention of prying; knowing too much wasn't always a good thing. He simply tilted his chin up and asked, "Speak up if you have something to say. I'm in a hurry to finish the assessment."

Facing Luo Zhe's near-indifferent attitude, the thin youth, Wang Meng, didn't seem to mind, simply chuckling, "It's like this: I snuck out behind my family's back to participate in this martial arts combat assessment. But I think I overestimated my strength. I accidentally ran into two Tiger Mastiff Hounds earlier; if I hadn't run fast, I'd probably be dead."

"Look, I was almost gutted." As he spoke, Wang Meng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear and turned around to reveal his back, which bore three bloody, deep wounds.

The wounds were still dripping blood, and they were deep enough that the bone was faintly visible.

Seeing this, Luo Zhe couldn't help but think more highly of him. To remain composed despite such severe injuries—he was indeed a tough guy.

"While I sympathize with your situation, I'm sorry, I don't have the ability to help you. Your communication watch has a distress function. I can protect you until the search and rescue team arrives to take you away."

Coming from the Southeast Military Region and having snuck out from home, he looked to be in his early twenties—clearly a "second-generation" heir. Luo Zhe had no interest in playing bodyguard.

Besides, the guy was so severely injured; if something went wrong, he would be in big trouble!

Even though he wasn't afraid of trouble, he preferred to avoid unnecessary complications like this clingy leech.

"You..."

Just as Luo Zhe was about to speak, he saw the other party pull a black card from his pocket.

Luo Zhe recognized this card; he had seen it online once. It was rumored to be a special bank card issued by Huaxia Bank exclusively to the big shots of the major military regions. This card allowed for unlimited overdrafts, with all expenses covered by Huaxia Bank. Only twenty-five of these cards had ever been issued.

Whoa, he thought. This guy looks thin and malnourished, but his background is actually quite significant.

"Brother Zhe, I know about you. I heard on the way here that you are one of the only two prospective martial artists in this batch to be recruited into the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in advance. I believe in your strength." Wang Meng looked at Luo Zhe with sincerity. "So, I want to hire you to protect me until this martial arts combat assessment ends."

"I refuse!" Luo Zhe rejected him without hesitation.

Are you kidding? This is clearly a walking disaster!

He didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, daring to sneak out to take the assessment without knowing anything—he was clearly not a simple character.

"Sorry, I have things to do. I'm leaving!" With that, Luo Zhe turned to walk away.

"Ten million!" Wang Meng stated the number seriously. "And I don't need you to help me complete the martial arts combat assessment, nor will I interfere with your assessment. You just need to protect me until dawn when the assessment ends."

"And I can pay you in advance!"

Luo Zhe stopped in his tracks, his expression flickering.

To be honest, he was tempted by the price.

Although the guy was a walking disaster, he was currently quite short on money. Cultivation manuals, weapons, equipment, and even the training hall at home needed various instruments to be filled—these were all places where money was genuinely needed.

Protecting someone until dawn for ten million? It was simple enough; it wasn't impossible. But if the guy went out of his way to provoke a horde of monsters, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

"I can guarantee that I won't go looking for death or provoke monsters I can't beat." Seeing Luo Zhe stop, Wang Meng quickly promised solemnly. "Besides, my strength isn't bad among this batch of prospective martial artists. If it hadn't been for those two Tiger Mastiff Hounds, I would have been perfectly fine in a one-on-one fight."

Seeing Luo Zhe waver, Wang Meng pushed harder. "Twenty million! Paid in full, right now!"

Fortune favors the bold! Let's do it!

Gritting his teeth, Luo Zhe nodded and agreed. "Deal! But I need you to transfer the money to my account first. And you must promise me that you will never leave my side by more than five meters, or the deal is off!"

Wang Meng nodded with a smile. "No problem."

Hiss!

It seemed the movement of nodding was too sharp, pulling at the wounds on his back. Wang Meng gasped, his facial muscles twitching involuntarily.

"Actually, I'm not afraid of death." Wang Meng found a spot to sit and rest, moving very slowly; it was clear his injuries were taking a heavy toll on him.

Hearing this, Luo Zhe couldn't help but roll his eyes. I know you're not afraid of death, he thought. You're so badly hurt and still refusing to leave, insisting on waiting until the assessment ends—how could you be afraid of death?

But worried that the guy's body wouldn't hold up, Luo Zhe hesitated before taking off his undershirt, leaving only his combat vest. He tore the shirt into strips and handed them over. "Since I've taken your money, I have to protect you. Use these to wrap your back wounds and stop the bleeding for now."

"Thank you."

Wang Meng smiled as he took the cloth strips and slowly began to bandage his wounds. "Honestly, I'm not afraid of death. Especially before I embarked on the path of a martial artist, I had already prepared myself to die in battle."

"But my family has been a single-child lineage for three generations. And when I was born, my mother unfortunately died in childbirth due to excessive blood loss. That's why my father has always stopped me. He never wanted me to follow in his footsteps, join the military, or walk the path of a martial artist."

"His greatest wish was for me to live a stable life as a spoiled heir, spending my days playing with birds, walking dogs, listening to crosstalk, and getting married early to have eight or ten chubby kids." As he spoke, Wang Meng looked up at the sky. Without the cover of clouds, the starry sky was revealing its brilliance to the fullest. "But I was never satisfied, because I felt I was a martial arts genius! So I snuck out this time to prove myself, and to see the ferocity of monsters with my own eyes. It's just... I overestimated my strength. Perhaps I'm really not cut out to be a martial artist."

"Brother Zhe, actually, I envy you." Wang Meng turned his head to look at Luo Zhe, his eyes flashing with a light Luo Zhe couldn't quite understand. "Your talent for martial arts is so good, and in the future, you'll have the chance to go to the Wilderness Zone and see the wider world outside."

"As for me, despite my own abilities and my burning passion, I might not even be able to survive on my own in a small wilderness town like this." Wang Meng shook his head with a bitter smile. "I really want to rely on my own strength to walk into the wilderness outside the base city and see the world beyond."

Luo Zhe opened his mouth, only to find he didn't know what to say. In this Monster Town, he could still rely on his strength, which far exceeded that of H-Class monsters, to forcibly ensure the other's safety.

But once they truly reached the Wilderness Zone, who could guarantee that they would survive?

"Hahaha!" Wang Meng suddenly burst into laughter, making a face at Luo Zhe. "Brother Zhe, you didn't think I'd actually be sad, did you? That's impossible!"

"Once the assessment ends, I'm going home to inherit the family business my dad left me and become a rich second-generation heir who just loafs around! Only a fool would want to be a martial artist! Hahahaha~"

Suddenly, he really felt like hitting someone!