New World Building

"Um, could you lend me ten thousand?"

Yang Chen's voice sounded, carrying a hint of awkwardness.

For a moment, everyone—save for Wild Wolf—including the Number 98 ability users standing on the viewing platform, was stunned.

What on earth?

Borrowing money?

You, a dignified figure capable of defeating an A-Class powerhouse with a single punch, actually need to borrow money?

For a moment, the minds of all the ability users couldn't quite process this.

Ten thousand yuan was like water to this group of ability users; sometimes, they would spend several thousand on a single meal when they went out.

Did a mere ten thousand yuan even need to be borrowed?

A trace of bewilderment appeared on Wild Wolf's face.

Ten thousand yuan—how much was that again?

At his level, ten thousand yuan was practically no different from nothing.

When he wanted to exchange for cultivation resources at Number 98, he started at a hundred thousand or even a million.

Ten thousand yuan was truly too little.

On the viewing platform, some quick-witted ability users had already started digging for cash, scraping together enough to make up the ten thousand.

After all, in this era, very few people carried physical cash.

Lending Yang Chen ten thousand yuan could not only bring them closer to him but might even earn them a favor; for every ability user at Number 98, this was a significant opportunity.

After all, someone who could defeat Wild Wolf with one punch, no matter how weak, had to be an S-Class ability user!

Such an existence was like a god in a small city like Hancheng!

Yang Chen took the ten thousand yuan handed over by several ability users, and feeling the thick weight of it, he felt an inexplicable sense of security.

"I'm off!"

Yang Chen smiled, then walked straight out of the arena, leaving the Number 98 ability users staring at his retreating back.

For some reason, after seeing Yang Chen, they realized that even beggar-like rags could look so imposing.

"Alright, alright, don't bother trying to cozy up to him. People like that are usually proud and arrogant; frequent contact might not be a good thing!"

After Yang Chen left, Wild Wolf called out to the surrounding Number 98 ability users.

"Get back to whatever you were doing!"

"Ugh~"

The group of ability users cast looks of disdain at Wild Wolf before dispersing one after another.

Only Wild Wolf remained standing in the arena, scratching his head and laughing awkwardly.

"Good grief, I've really lost all face today!"

In the very center of Hancheng stood a towering skyscraper, with large characters emblazoned on its facade.

New World Building!

Yang Chen stood at the entrance of the New World Building, looking up at the massive structure, and felt as if he had become a mere ant.

"Whew!"

Yang Chen took a deep breath, then stepped into the place he had always longed for.

He had been here before, but back then, his pockets were empty, and he hadn't dared to enter.

But now, touching the thick stack of ten thousand yuan in his pocket, Yang Chen felt his heart settle significantly.

As soon as he entered, it was as if the scenery shifted; shops of all sizes came into his view.

Ignoring the looks from those around him, Yang Chen headed straight for a men's casual wear store and bought an outfit.

Once he changed his clothes, Yang Chen's entire aura shifted.

With a slightly loose hoodie paired with baggy jeans, the previously unkempt Yang Chen suddenly transformed into someone who looked like the boy next door.

He spent nearly a thousand yuan on the set, and as for the beggar rags, he threw them away immediately.

Why keep the old when you have the new?

Afterward, he found a place to eat on the second floor.

The restaurant wasn't very large, but as he reached the entrance, he could smell a fragrance constantly wafting out, and it was that scent that had drawn Yang Chen inside.

Upon entering, he realized there weren't many people. The shop was simple, and when he first walked in, Yang Chen was puzzled—with such a delicious smell, why was it empty?

Only after walking further in did he realize.

A group of burly men was intimidating the proprietress of the shop.

No wonder there was no one else!

Yang Chen frowned; he didn't want to stir up any trouble.

However, the proprietress, who was surrounded by a group of burly men, seemed to have spotted a lifeline and cried out to Yang Chen.

"Young man, help me!"

As soon as these words were spoken, those burly men immediately noticed Yang Chen's presence.

"Damn it!"

Yang Chen cursed under his breath, then looked at the group of men with a sense of helplessness.

"Look, you guys carry on; I'll just be leaving!"

One of them, who appeared to be the leader, gave a look to one of his men. The man understood immediately and walked toward Yang Chen, a cruel expression emerging in his eyes.

Yang Chen sighed slightly in his heart.

As expected, one must stay away from women; women are simply a disaster!

He hadn't done anything at all, yet he was dragged into this for no reason, which left Yang Chen feeling quite annoyed.

"Kid, don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for barging in!"

The burly man chuckled, rubbing his fists with a ferocious look.

Yang Chen's expression gradually turned cold.

"What, you want to make sure I can't walk out of here?"

"Walking? You probably won't be able to walk, but crawling—you can still crawl out!"

As he spoke, the burly man threw a punch, intending to knock Yang Chen down instantly.

A thick, cruel look permeated the burly man's eyes; he could already foresee the scene of Yang Chen being knocked to the ground by him.

Although he was not an esper, his strength was astonishingly high; he could knock down a bull with a single blow!

Since the Spiritual Energy Recovery on Earth, human physiques had generally improved. Even those who were not espers had bodies much stronger than in previous eras!

Not to mention a burly man who had undergone such training!

In his view, Yang Chen's fate was destined to be miserable.

However, the next moment, the burly man's expression changed. He felt as if his arm had been seized by a pair of steel-like pliers.

No matter how much force he exerted, he could not pull his arm free!

Nearby, the burly man's accomplices also noticed the situation and all turned their gazes toward Yang Chen.

Among them, the leader frowned.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and finish this!"

Dense beads of cold sweat appeared on the burly man's forehead.

His heart was filled with bitterness.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was just that the young man before him was truly strange. His own strength was not small—even some E-rank espers who didn't specialize in power might not be able to match him.

Yet, his strength, which he took such pride in, seemed to have lost its effect here, appearing utterly useless.

"Get lost!"

Yang Chen's voice exploded in the burly man's ears.

Suddenly, it looked as if Yang Chen were swinging something extremely light, as he hoisted the burly man's entire body into the air.

Then, he threw him directly to the side!

Thud!

A loud crash echoed through the room.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the scene.

The leader's pupils contracted sharply.

Having often frequented the gray areas, he knew he had encountered a tough nut to crack.

The opponent was very likely an esper!

Otherwise, given the burly man's strength, it would have been easy to take this person down.

The leader slowly stepped forward, then put on a thin smile.

"Young man, I am a subordinate of Young Master Wang from Number 98. I hope you can make things convenient for us. We will certainly reward you handsomely later!"

A trace of arrogance emerged in the leader's eyes.

Clearly, this so-called Young Master Wang of Number 98 was not weak in strength, nor was his influence. Otherwise, his subordinate wouldn't be so arrogant!

However, since he was not an esper, he remained relatively polite toward Yang Chen.

Yang Chen brushed the dust off his clothes and said indifferently.

"I don't know anything about any Young Master Wang. I just came here to eat. Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now!"

Although Yang Chen did not fear this so-called Young Master Wang, he didn't want to invite trouble either.

After all, his current status could not yet be considered that of an official member of Number 98, and if he caused a major incident, it would be difficult to clean up the mess.

Yang Chen was not afraid of any of this.

"How about this, there is ten thousand yuan on this white card. Consider it my apology to you, little brother!"

The leader laughed heartily, then pulled a bank card from his pocket and handed it to Yang Chen.

Yang Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

The leader caught that trace of a smile, and his estimation of Yang Chen's status lowered in his heart.

In his view, this Yang Chen must be nothing more than someone who had just become an esper; otherwise, he wouldn't be so easily bought off for a mere ten thousand yuan.

Only those who had just become espers and were extremely desperate for money—those who had crawled out of poverty—would act like this!

And in the leader's eyes, Yang Chen was clearly one of those people!

Although such an esper was not someone a commoner like him could afford to provoke, the people backing him certainly had nothing to fear!

After all, the people behind him held significant sway even within Number 98!

Yang Chen smilingly accepted the bank card the leader handed over, but just as he was about to leave, he heard a shout.

"I offer one hundred thousand! I would like to invite you to take action, young master!"

To be continued!