Future Holds Promise

"Teacher Tian, when do we leave?" Qing Chen asked, needing a more precise time.

Going to Xiancheng means going to an unfamiliar city to face an unknown environment, and even an unknown Time Walker.

The crisis in Los Angeles is not yet resolved.

Qing Chen knew that after he angered Huan Yu, the other party would definitely take action in the near future, so he specifically instructed Liu Dezhu to act alone and create opportunities for the other party.

He can't leave Los Angeles in An Xin until this matter is resolved.

Tian Hailong said, "I'll take you to Xiancheng in eight days. It only takes a little over an hour by high-speed rail. Give me your ID numbers in the next few days, and I'll book your tickets."

"Okay," Qing Chen said, "Thank you, teacher. I'm going home for dinner now."

"Okay, you all go back and eat," Tian Hailong waved his hand. The focus of this AMC math competition is Qing Chen. The head of the grade had specifically instructed that they must persuade Qing Chen to participate.

Among the candidates selected for this trip, the top three were Xu Zimo, Wang Jiale, and Qing Chen, followed by Zhou Xuanying, who consistently scores 150 points in math Xia Xiaoran, who ranks ninth.

As the five people walked out of the office, Xu Zimo, the long-haired girl who had been looking at Qing Chen earlier, said, "I know you're short of money, so you probably won't be holding back this time, right?"

Qing Chen was stunned for a moment.

One of the monthly exams in the first year of high school was particularly difficult. He scored 690, Xu Zimo scored 645.

It seems that Xu Zimo has remembered that incident ever since that day.

When rumors started circulating at school that Qing Chen only wanted to score 690 points, she was the first to believe it.

Compared to those academically challenged students who only listen to legends, she knew much better how difficult that monthly exam was. Even her homeroom teacher at the time said that the two major math questions and the English reading comprehension questions were deliberately beyond the syllabus, so it was normal not to do well.

However, Qing Chen still scored 690 points.

This means that the legend is true.

Later, Xu Zimo studied even harder, and she was almost always first in her grade in every exam, firmly ahead of Qing Chen.

The problem is that Qing Chen's score has remained unchanged at 690.

This left Xu Zimo breathless, because she knew Qing Chen hadn't gone all out, so even if she won, it wouldn't be meaningful.

Qing Chen glanced at Xu Zimo: "I always give it my all."

"Okay," Xu Zimo thought for a moment and said, "I can go with you this time and ask you for advice on study methods."

Zhou Xuanying, who ranked fifth, and Xia Xiaoran, who ranked ninth, looked over. They were somewhat surprised. Was the top student in the grade asking the third-ranked student for study tips?

However, Qing Chen said sincerely, "My learning methods are not suitable for you, I'm serious."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Xu Zimo was left behind, pursing his lips.

In fact, Qing Chen no longer cares much about the subjects taught in exam-oriented education.

As the old saying goes, one is never too old to learn, and he didn't stop learning; on the contrary, he studied even harder than before. However, the "syllabus" of his studies was no longer limited to what was taught in school.

Qing Chen gained a broader perspective.

When school ended at noon, Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen did not go back to their home on Xingshu Road, but were instead picked up by a driver and taken to the Huayang Hotel in Luocheng.

When Hu Xiaoniu got out of the car, he was picked up by Hu Dacheng's secretary.

As the middle-aged secretary led Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen into the hotel, he said to them, "The boss just arrived in Los Angeles this morning."

"Uncle Chen, why did my dad suddenly come to Luocheng again?" Hu Xiaoniu asked, puzzled. His father, Hu Dacheng, was extremely busy, spending about 300 days a year on airplanes, a typical frequent flyer.

However, after the time travel incident, the other party actually came to Los Angeles, a small third-tier city, twice within a month.

From this perspective, Hu Xiaoniu also realized the importance his father placed on the Inner World. However, he was not yet able to bring anything back from the Inner World to help the family business.

This made Hu Xiaoniu feel somewhat ashamed, as he had only finally found a way to establish himself during his last time travel.

Hu Dacheng's secretary explained to Hu Xiaoniu, "This time there's something rather special going on. Also, Zhang Tianzhen's parents asked the boss to send over some daily necessities."

Upon arriving at the hotel's private room, Hu Xiaoniu was surprised to find a familiar face present. "Uncle Zhang, what brings you here?"

Uncle Zhang, Zhang Chengze, was a close friend of Hu Dacheng and had helped the Hu family a lot.

Zhang Chengze smiled and said, "Little Niu has grown up so much in the blink of an eye. Come and have a couple of drinks with your uncle."

Hu Dacheng glanced at him. "They have classes this afternoon, so they can't drink."

"Alright then," Zhang Chengze said with some regret.

"Dad, is this trip to Los Angeles on official business?" Hu Xiaoniu subconsciously assumed that the other party was here to discuss business and just drop by to see him.

Hu Dacheng replied, "We came here specifically to find you."

"Huh?" Hu Xiaoniu exclaimed in surprise, "What happened?"

Hu Dacheng gestured for Secretary Chen to leave the private room, and then Zhang Chengze pointed to his arm. "Xiao Niu, this morning Uncle got a countdown on his arm. I thought to myself, maybe I've become Time Walker too."

Hu Xiaoniu gasped. The generally accepted age range for Time Walker on the internet is 10 to 35 years old, while Zhang Chengze is 42 years old this year, which does not fit the perception.

However, the age range of 10 to 35 is just a pattern summarized by netizens, and no one has ever really confirmed it.

It seems there will still be exceptions.

Hu Xiaoniu looked at Zhang Chengze: "Uncle Zhang, what do you plan to do?"

"What else can I do? Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. Since it has already happened, I naturally want to find a way to protect myself before I transmigrate," Zhang Chengze said. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth it to spend half a lifetime struggling and then lose my life because of something like this."

Zhang Chengze spoke of life and death with a calm expression.

Such important figures are not so flustered when facing danger; they have long been through many trials and tribulations.

"Uncle Zhang, where did this countdown appear?" Hu Xiaoniu asked frankly, "Transportation between cities in the Inner World isn't convenient. If you weren't in Los Angeles when the countdown appeared, you wouldn't have come to my City No. 18, and I wouldn't be able to go to other cities to help you. In comparison, you should have looked for Time Walker locally and hired them with money."

Zhang Chengze smiled and said, "This morning I was traveling in a van from Echeng to Xiancheng for a meeting. The countdown timer only started appearing on my arm when we passed through Luocheng. If I hadn't been certain of this, I wouldn't have bothered your father to find you."

Hu Xiaoniu said thoughtfully, "Uncle Zhang, you know I'm the type to say what I think. I probably can't help you much right now, and I can't make too many promises. I've just arrived in City No. 18 and have been helped out, but the problem is, I also have a boss, and I need to follow his instructions."

At this point, Hu Xiaoniu didn't even mention that he had joined an organization called Daylight, which had the same boss as Liu Dezhu. He kept this crucial information a secret because he didn't know if his boss wanted people to know.

Zhang Chengze thought for a moment and said, "I don't intend to make things difficult for you. I came to find you because your father mentioned that you can contact important figures among the Time Walker in the Inner World. Here's what I'm planning: you should discuss it with your boss. I'm willing to pay a fee in exchange for temporary protection, and we'll continue to pay as needed."

"I can help you negotiate for Uncle Zhang," Hu Xiaoniu said, "But the price will definitely not be cheap. Uncle Zhang, you are so rich, I won't feel sorry for you spending money on such material possessions."

Zhang Chengze teased Hu Dacheng after hearing this, saying, "Old Hu, have you noticed? Your son has only been in this world for a short time, but he's already starting to side with outsiders."

"Of course," Hu Dacheng said calmly. "Everyone has their own stance, and we both understand that. If he can't figure out his own position and acts like a fence-sitter, he'll never become one of them. So, I support him being an outsider for you. Just pay up honestly; you're not short of money."

"Alright," Zhang Chengze said, looking at Hu Xiaoniu. "I don't know what my identity will be in the Inner World, or where I'll end up, but I've always been interested in Time Walker and have been following them. After I travel through time, I hope to be protected, and ideally, I'd like to get some gene serums so I can experience being a superhero."

"I will pass on your message, Uncle Zhang," Hu Xiaoniu said.

"Alright, there will be a generous reward once it's done!"

At this moment, Hu Xiaoniu said to Hu Dacheng, "Dad, come out for a moment, I have some things I want to ask you."

As he spoke, he walked out, to prevent Zhang Chengze from overhearing their discussion at the dinner table...

Uncle Zhang felt a little uneasy, seeing his nephew, whom he had watched grow up, start to treat him like an outsider.

Outside the door, after confirming no one was eavesdropping, Hu Xiaoniu said, "Dad, I've joined the organization Liu Dezhu belongs to. I expressed my sincerity to the boss, offering to give him my house as a base, but he refused. Later, I gave a member a watch as a token of gratitude for the Laojun Mountain incident, but he refused that too. Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course you made a mistake," Hu Dacheng said slowly, "Because you turned a friendship into a business deal."

Hu Xiaoniu was taken aback for a moment. "Huh? I just wanted to express my gratitude."

"It's different," Hu Dacheng said. "What you owe on Laojun Mountain is your life. If you want to integrate, you have to repay it with your life. I'm not teaching you how to die, but how to be a decent human being. It's a good thing the other party didn't take the money. If they had, you would always be an outsider."

"I see," Hu Xiaoniu said thoughtfully.

Hu Dacheng asked, "What are your boss's plans for you?"

Hu Xiaoniu said, "Let me join a gang and start from the bottom. It's dangerous, but at least I'll have a foothold."

Hu Dacheng then asked, "Did he promise you what heights he could reach in the future?"

Hu Xiaoniu shook his head. "No."

Hu Dacheng said, "That's good news."

"Why is it a good thing?"

"If he promises you future success, it's because the road ahead is too difficult, and he's afraid you'll give up halfway, so he's just making empty promises," Hu Dacheng laughed. "But if he arranges for you to go to a very dangerous place without making any promises, then he's deliberately testing you, wanting to see if you can take on heavy responsibilities without any temptations. Do your job well, and the future is bright."

During the afternoon class, Hu Xiaoniu had clearly drunk some alcohol, and his mood was much better.

Qing Chen continued to lie on the table, continuing his unique cultivation method.

The other four AMC10 contestants had already started working on past competition problems, but he didn't care about that at all.

It wasn't until evening that Qing Chen brought Nan Gengchen home. The first thing he did was go to Yang Yang's room to check if there were any new letters.

He knew that Huan Yu, the holder of the Demon Stamp, wouldn't write to him for no reason. Huan Yu was trying to win him over, hoping to play a role in the upcoming counterattack against "Liu Dezhu's boss".

Since the other party hasn't written to "Qing Chen" asking for cooperation, they probably won't make a move today.

Although the possibility of it being a deliberate misdirection cannot be ruled out, Qing Chen trusted his own judgment.

The other party will definitely give me clearer instructions before I take action.

Qing Chen cultivated in the gravity chamber until 9:40 p. m., and only returned home after confirming that Liu Dezhu and the others should have finished school.

He closed the bedroom door and said, "Yi, are you there?"

"I'm here," Yi replied.

"Where did you go yesterday?" Qing Chen asked doubtfully. "You didn't cause any trouble, did you?"

"What trouble could I possibly cause? Why don't you trust me at all!" Yi said indignantly. "Speak, what do you want?"

"Help me create a separate private group chat for Liu Dezhu, Li Tongyun, Hu Xiaoniu, Zhang Tianzhen, Nan Gengchen, and Jiang Xue, the kind I'm using on my phone right now," Qing Chen said. "I need to hold a meeting with them to discuss something."

"Okay, I can help with this little thing," Yi said. "By the way, do you like a female singer named 'Bai Li'...?"

Qing Chen's expression changed. "This is the moth I was talking about! Don't chat with random people!"

"Okay, okay, I understand," Yi said. "It will take about 12 minutes to create a group chat for you. Should we require real names or let them register their own nicknames?"

"Let them register their own nicknames," Qing Chen said.

At this time, Jiang Xue did not know that Li Tongyun was also Time Walker. If real-name registration were implemented, Xiao Tongyun would be doomed.

Requesting monthly votes.