32. Thug

"Actually... I'm not really after your allowance. I just asked casually," Qing Chen said awkwardly.

At that moment, even he felt a little embarrassed.

He'd really gone crazy for money...

However, Qing Chen realized that Li Tongyun also suspected he was a Transmigrator.

Perhaps it was because he was too interested in the Inner World, always asking questions, or perhaps it was because he had seen through her.

When he unhesitatingly said he didn't need Inner World money, she dismissed her suspicions.

Overall, Qing Chen had a very fruitful evening; at least he confirmed Li Tongyun's Transmigrator identity.

Now that he was caught in the Qing Clan's struggle for Shadow, having one more friend was better than having none.

Even though Li Tongyun was only ten years old, she might be able to help someday.

It was like when he prayed to Buddha before his first transmigration – preparation had to be done in advance.

While Jiang Xue was still washing the dishes, Li Tongyun whispered to Qing Chen, "I really don't have any allowance in the Outer World. How about you, Brother Qing Chen, ask for something else?"

"What else?" Qing Chen asked.

"I don't know, but you can't tell my mom," Li Tongyun lowered her voice again.

"Alright, you owe me for this," Qing Chen glanced at Jiang Xue's back in the kitchen. "Remember to take good care of your mom in the Inner World. I heard it's quite chaotic there."

"Mhm, don't worry," Li Tongyun said contentedly. "When you have a chance to transmigrate to the Inner World in the future, I'll protect you!"

Qing Chen felt a mix of amusement and helplessness; a child's promise was so pure and simple.

He said goodbye to Jiang Xue and went downstairs. Compared to upstairs, his home felt much lonelier.

No family, no one to talk to.

Qing Chen opened his phone and checked the class group chat. It was still filled with meaningless, blind discussions. In Class 2-3, the only Transmigrators should be him and Nan Gengchen.

He then opened Weibo and was surprised to find two trending topics rapidly climbing: a mysterious organization abroad was offering a bounty, paying exorbitant prices for mechanical limbs and future technology items from the Inner World.

Someone had taken screenshots and posted them online. The organization had even listed the items: NECE anti-aging drug, EDE-002 gene serum...

Among them were even targeted drugs for various cancers, which the Outer World had not yet developed.

These future technology items on the list actually shared a common characteristic: saving lives, extending life, eternal youth, and enhancing physical functions.

The organization claimed to have tested the efficacy of the drugs and confirmed they were effective on Outer World humans.

They even publicly taught Transmigrators how to carry them: wrap the pills in a protective film and hold them in the mouth, swallow them, or insert them into the rectum.

Qing Chen frowned upon reading this. To bring items back from the Inner World, these people were resorting to the methods of drug mules.

One had to consider the immeasurable value of targeted drugs and anti-aging medications. If a wealthy person was on the verge of death from cancer, and their only hope was a life-saving drug from the Inner World, what price would they offer?

What price could be equated to life itself?

Of course, there were many other life-saving items, such as bionic kidneys or hearts, but these couldn't be carried.

Qing Chen sighed. Just as he was contemplating how to become a Transcendental, others were already doing business.

However, he couldn't use this method now.

If you wanted to trade physical items, you would inevitably expose your identity.

Of course, you could also bring back technology directly via a USB drive, but which Transmigrator could usually access the core technology of the Inner World? Perhaps in the future, but it seemed there was no one like that yet.

Even accessing information from the outside world was difficult for Qing Chen within Prison No. 18.

The most important thing was to maintain a good relationship with Li Shutong.

Wait, Qing Chen suddenly realized that this mysterious organization was also acquiring mechanical limbs!

Just a few days ago, a Transmigrator had their legs severed. Now, these people were offering sky-high prices for them, which would likely further encourage such crimes targeting Transmigrators!

At this moment, Qing Chen suddenly remembered the two strange men he had seen in the courtyard when he returned from school!

He quietly walked to the window, pulled the curtain aside by a tiny slit, and looked outside.

However, the two people who had been squatting outside were nowhere to be seen.

Qing Chen hesitated for only three seconds before immediately dialing 110: "Hello, this is Building 12, Courtyard No. 4, Xing Shu Road. I saw two suspicious men this evening, and I think they have ill intentions."

He hesitated because if his judgment was wrong, he would be reporting a false alarm.

The female operator on the other end confirmed, "You are at Courtyard No. 4, Xing Shu Road, correct? Let me confirm again, you saw two strange men in the community..."

Before she could finish, Li Tongyun's scream suddenly came from upstairs!

"Please dispatch officers immediately, thank you!" Qing Chen said and hung up the phone.

His judgment was correct; these two were targeting Jiang Xue.

When he passed by them, those two looked in a total of four directions, one of which was the window of Jiang Xue's home!

Qing Chen went into the kitchen and picked up the entrenching tool he had bought earlier. As he was about to go out, he hesitated again.

He was just an ordinary 17-year-old student. He had seen death, but he was still an ordinary person!

They were two adults, and possibly more. Could he handle them?

With a click, Qing Chen twisted the doorknob and rushed out, carrying the entrenching tool.

He wasn't a saint; he was selfish. He hadn't cared when his classmates had gone mad in Prison No. 18.

But he couldn't stand by and watch a child like Li Tongyun be harmed!

At one point, he thought that even if he possessed extraordinary abilities, if he didn't have the courage to match them, then having those abilities would be useless.

However, just as he opened the door, he saw a middle-aged man tumbling down the stairs.

The man's arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and he had already collapsed on the stairs, unconscious.

Beside him, a switchblade was scattered.

Qing Chen looked up again and saw Jiang Xue, her face streaked with blood, standing on the upper floor. Her white long-sleeved T-shirt was also stained with red marks.

One of her sleeves was torn, revealing her mechanical arm, which glowed with blue patterns. It was slender and powerful, beautiful yet hard.

Her whole body was trembling, but her gaze gradually became resolute.

The feeling of a mother protecting her daughter was something ordinary people couldn't understand.

At this moment, Jiang Xue had a unique charm, a bit hardcore.

Jiang Xue looked at Qing Chen, then at the entrenching tool in his hand. After calming herself, she said, "Thank you."

She knew Qing Chen had come to help, and she had to remember anyone who would offer help at a time like this.

"Was it just one person?" Qing Chen asked.

"There was another one, but he ran away," Jiang Xue replied.

"Is Xiao Yun okay?" Qing Chen asked.

Jiang Xue said, "She's very scared."

Qing Chen frowned. "You take care of Xiao Yun first."

After speaking, he rushed out of the stairwell and saw a figure sprinting into the night.

Jiang Xue wanted to stop him, but before she could speak, the young man had already disappeared into the darkness.

However, she suddenly realized that he was running in a different direction.