"No!"
Zhang Meizhu's cold voice came through the phone, her attitude extremely hostile.
Gao Teng shook his head with a wry smile. "Don't get so angry. Just say I was wrong—I shouldn't have kept making fun of you."
Zhang Meizhu corrected him firmly. "It's not 'say you were wrong.' You were wrong!"
"Fine, I was wrong."
"Hmph."
Zhang Meizhu gave a mocking laugh. She couldn't sense any sincerity from Gao Teng; he was clearly just humoring her.
"So, have you heard anything about monsters?"
Zhang Meizhu gritted her teeth and suppressed her anger. "There's really no news about monsters. They're a hot commodity.
"As soon as one appears, a crowd of martial artists rushes in. After all, you can earn a lot by killing a monster, and everyone has their eye on that prize.
"We only managed to kill one yesterday because we got lucky. Otherwise, we wouldn't have stood a chance against all the people competing for it."
Gao Teng immediately felt disappointed.
He'd planned to kill monsters and earn merit points, but that was out of the question now.
When he fell silent, Zhang Meizhu added, "Actually, you can check the Public Security Bureau app. Any monster-hunting mission disappears the instant it's posted. There's no way to beat everyone else to it.
"Don't forget that a lot of agencies depend on hunting monsters to survive. They have all kinds of ways to snatch up missions."
Gao Teng sighed. It looked like he could only hunt mutated creatures in the sewers. He hoped he'd find something worthwhile.
Still, he wasn't optimistic. The mutated creatures might hide because of the snake scent on him and never show themselves again.
"See you in the sewers."
Gao Teng said his piece and hung up.
After returning to the urban village, he showered, changed into his Public Security Bureau contract-worker uniform, and rode his bicycle to Sewer No. 3.
He met Zhang Meizhu outside the sewer. They exchanged greetings and got straight to work.
Six hours passed in the blink of an eye. The result was just as expected: the mutated creatures had all gone into hiding. Even after Gao Teng cut his palm and deliberately used his blood to lure them out, he managed to kill only a dozen or so rats.
"1654."
Gao Teng checked his merit points. Fortunately, he had a free ten-draw steal tomorrow, which would still let him make Zhou Xing taste despair.
"See you tomorrow."
He waved goodbye to Zhang Meizhu, got on his bicycle, and headed back to the urban village.
When he reached the rental room where he lived, the sight before him made his eyes flicker.
The door stood wide open, and a dim yellow light shone from inside.
A bespectacled, refined-looking middle-aged man sat by the bed, a cigar between his fingers.
Several men in black stood around him, ramrod straight and powerfully built, their imposing auras on full display.
"Gao Teng, you're back."
Lin Benqiang looked over, a trace of scrutiny in his eyes.
"I didn't expect you to live in a place like this. It must be hard on you. You've really struggled to train in martial arts."
Gao Teng smiled, walked into the rental room, and sat down by the bed. Lin Benqiang's status didn't make him nervous in the slightest.
Seeing his courage, Lin Benqiang's eyes flashed with surprise.
He could tell Gao Teng wasn't putting on a brave front. He was genuinely unafraid. That kind of composure was rare in someone so young.
"What should I call you?"
Gao Teng asked first, neither servile nor overbearing.
Lin Benqiang gave him a long look, his face tinged with mockery. "Since you approached Meng Yao, didn't you bother to find out about her family background?"
Gao Teng replied, "You might not believe me, but I only met her today. I didn't realize her family had so much influence until she invited me to eat at Hongshan Residence."
After a pause, he continued, "You must have looked into my background. You know I spent all my family's money training in martial arts and still owe a lot on online loans.
"So you suspect I approached Meng Yao with ulterior motives. That's why you came here to warn me to keep my distance from her, right?
"Honestly, you don't need to worry. I'm not trying to climb the social ladder. I just think of her as an ordinary friend."
Lin Benqiang looked surprised. He hadn't expected Gao Teng to be so frank.
He stared into Gao Teng's eyes and saw nothing but openness. There was no trace of deceit.
Lin Benqiang was genuinely taken aback. Things weren't at all as he'd imagined.
He'd thought Gao Teng was crooked, despicable, hypocritical, and deceitful. He'd never expected him to be so forthright, neither servile nor overbearing in the face of power, with no desire to curry favor.
Gao Teng cleared his throat. Seeing that Lin Benqiang still wasn't saying anything, he added helplessly, "You don't think I'm putting on an act, do you?
"If you do, then there's nothing I can do about it. Once someone suspects you, no matter how convincing your words are, you can't change their prejudice."
"Impressive."
Lin Benqiang praised him silently. If Gao Teng was lying, then he was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.
But if he wasn't, then his character truly deserved praise.
"I asked around at the Public Security Bureau about what you did on Snake Island. I heard you learned how to control snakes just by listening, then saved all the students.
"To call that kind of comprehension one in ten thousand wouldn't be an exaggeration."
Gao Teng narrowed his eyes. Even with Ma Wei's warning, word had still gotten out about what he'd done on Snake Island. This was clearly bad news. His enemies might be watching him and seeking revenge!
"With such extraordinary comprehension, your martial arts grades shouldn't be this poor. What exactly went wrong?
"What a shame. If your grades met the admission standards for a key university, our pharmaceutical company would definitely invest heavily in you."
Gao Teng raised an eyebrow. "Fuxing Pharmaceutical?"
Lin Benqiang laughed. "What else?"
Although Fuxing Pharmaceutical was owned by Meng Yao's family, Lin Benqiang was her uncle and held shares in the company, giving him some say in its affairs.
Watching Lin Benqiang's expression, Gao Teng grew serious and said, "Tomorrow is the physical assessment. Wait until you see my body measurements before deciding whether to invest in me."
"Oh?"
Lin Benqiang looked surprised. Where did Gao Teng get that confidence?
It seemed he was very sure of himself!
A look of earnestness entered Lin Benqiang's eyes. He stood up and said, "I was presumptuous today. I mistook you for a scoundrel, and I apologize."
Gao Teng was a little surprised. Given Lin Benqiang's lofty status, he hadn't expected him to apologize.
"I'm looking forward to seeing your physical measurements. I expect I'll be visiting you again tomorrow."
Lin Benqiang adjusted his glasses, took his leave, and walked out of the rental room.
Gao Teng watched the men go downstairs, then closed the rusted iron door.
Once they saw his physical measurements tomorrow, Fuxing Pharmaceutical would definitely invest in him. After he got the signing bonus, he could pay off his debts and put this miserable, impoverished life behind him.
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