The Ambush (Seeking Votes)

Xiao Hen left the building with satisfaction. Now that the contract was signed, he was officially a Martial Arts Instructor at Chen's Martial Arts School. The work hours were very flexible, and from the contract, he could tell that the so-called instructor recruitment was a front—Chen's Martial Arts School mainly wanted to hire a skilled expert for the upcoming City Martial Arts School Competition.

Chen Xinyu had been honest with Xiao Hen about this. At the same time, the Shuttle issued a Side Quest.

Side Quest: First Show of Skill.

Participate in the City Martial Arts School Competition and secure first place.

Normally, the Shuttle only issued main quests and side quests when crossing into another world. Main quests revolved around repairing the Shuttle, while side quests were tied to the storyline. From his two previous otherworldly missions, Xiao Hen could analyze some patterns, but this time, the Shuttle was issuing a side quest in the Real World—a first.

"Shuttle, I want to ask, will this side quest conflict with my timeline for entering other worlds?" That was Xiao Hen's main concern. Earlier, he had emphasized that his work hours as a Martial Arts Instructor had to be flexible precisely because he needed time for the Shuttle's repair missions.

"It won't interfere with your otherworld missions. Rest assured!" The Shuttle's answer put Xiao Hen at ease.

"Good. But after I complete this Real World side quest, there's a reward, right?" Xiao Hen leisurely rode his electric scooter back home, asking in his mind.

"Yes. Rewards for completing side quests are mostly Enhancement Potions, with occasional other prizes. Keep up the good work, Host!" the Shuttle said calmly.

"Hey? Where do these rewards come from?" That was something Xiao Hen found puzzling. The Shuttle was already so badly damaged, yet it still held so many reward resources. Truly not to be underestimated.

"As I told you before, before it was damaged, the Shuttle was always a tool for the Kroatia civilization to explore other dimensional planes. Its internal space still contains many leftover resources from the past. The rewards you receive after completing missions come from these accumulated resources," the Shuttle explained.

"Are there a lot of powerful things among them?" Xiao Hen's eyes lit up as he asked.

"Of course. But these items won't be given to you for free. If you want them, you'll have to earn them through missions!" the Shuttle said.

"Tch!" Xiao Hen sighed. He knew it wouldn't be that easy to get his hands on those benefits. Still, at least those resources were stored inside the Shuttle. Once he gradually repaired it and gained full control, those things would eventually become his private property. A resource trove gathered by an immensely powerful cosmic civilization from various dimensional worlds—just thinking about it made it clear it wouldn't be simple.

Xiao Hen rode his scooter into Mingyue Residential Area, deep in thought. He was considering that he would definitely need to build his own power base in the Real World. Otherwise, every time he prepared to enter another world, he wouldn't have the money to buy necessary supplies. That wouldn't do.

Joining Chen's Martial Arts School was just a temporary measure, a stopgap. As he grew stronger, the plot worlds he'd face would become more terrifying, and the preparations he'd need would multiply. For instance, the gun ammunition he had already used up—he couldn't replenish it. Buying guns and bullets in the Real World required certain connections.

"Once this side quest is done, and after the next story world is completed, I'll start building my own force. Then buying supplies will be much more convenient."

Xiao Hen made up his mind. His electric scooter was nearing his building. Not far to his right, a White Hyundai Sedan was parked in a spot. Inside the car, a few people seemed to be staring at Xiao Hen as he approached.

"Boss, is that him?"

"Yeah, that's him. Matches the photo perfectly."

"Let's all jump him!"

"Alright, but keep it measured. Cripple him, don't kill him."

"Don't worry, boss. Heh."

"Hm?" Xiao Hen's combat instincts were razor-sharp now. He had a strange sensitivity to people staring at him. He planted his left foot and looked up.

The four doors of the white sedan swung open. Several burly men in short sleeves stepped out with sneers, carrying iron bars and wooden clubs. They walked up to Xiao Hen and surrounded him. The leader was a Bald Man—well, "burly" was generous; they were just a bunch of fat, thuggish young men.

"What do you lot want?"

Xiao Hen calmly stopped his scooter, propped it up, and glanced around at the four, asking.

The four exchanged looks. The Bald Man tilted his neck, a thick gold chain hanging there, dark green tattoos peeking out from under his undershirt—hard to tell what weird design it was.

"Kid, heard you're pretty tough. Someone paid us to teach you a lesson!" The Bald Man grinned, swinging a steel pipe at Xiao Hen. The other three sneered and aimed their clubs and iron bars at Xiao Hen's arms and lower back.

"Someone's after me?" Xiao Hen's mind raced, but he couldn't think of anyone in the Real World he'd offended. Could it be that Coach Xu from today's Challenge had sent them?

No, that didn't fit. These four were just street-level thugs. In terms of skill, even ten or eight of them wouldn't be a match for Coach Xu. Would that Coach Xu hire these small fry to deal with him?

Impossible!

Xiao Hen immediately dismissed the idea. That left only one person he had a grudge with: Zhang Quande.

The whistling sound of clubs and pipes cutting through the air reached his ears. Xiao Hen smirked, reached out, and snatched the steel pipe from the Bald Man and the wooden club from a Short Stocky Man beside him. With a flick of his wrists, the two ordinary weapons turned into formidable arms in his hands, blurring as they struck the hands of the two attackers behind him.

"Ahh..."

Two screams rang out. The two behind Xiao Hen stumbled back, clutching their right hands—completely numb. They stared in terror at Xiao Hen, who stood calmly in the middle of the scene.

Smack, smack...

Xiao Hen didn't pause. The two behind him were dealt with, but there were still two in front. He jabbed forward, tapping the club and pipe against the Bald Man's and Short Stocky Man's chests. Both felt a tightness in their chests, followed by a spreading numbness that forced them back a few steps. Then the numbness faded, replaced by a wrenching, sharp pain.

"Ah, it hurts!" The Short Stocky Man clutched his chest, bending over in pain.

The Bald Man, clearly the leader, also held his chest, his face grim. He gritted his teeth, enduring the searing pain. What terrified him more was the young man across from him—clearly not that old—who had effortlessly taken down all four of them. They had barely made a move before getting wiped out. What a disastrous start!

"Let's go! This guy's trained. We hit a wall. Move!" The Bald Man backed off a few steps, growled, and prepared to flee.

Xiao Hen casually tossed the pipe. It smacked into the Bald Man's knee, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Did I say you could leave?"