Money Wants to Buy My Friendship Too

Once everything was ready, Zhuang Hong did not linger on Earth.

Instead, he slung his backpack over his shoulders, passed through the Space Barrier, and headed toward the world where Xu Kaidong was.

As long as he had explored a space before, he could leave behind corresponding coordinates and easily locate its position.

However, reaching his destination was not easy. He still had to pass through other three-dimensional spaces and travel quite a distance; he could not arrive in an instant.

Perhaps this was an effect caused by the unique way three-dimensional spaces were stacked. Zhuang Hong had long grown used to it.

When he saw Xu Kaidong again, Zhuang Hong found that Xu Kaidong looked far more haggard and frail than before.

Surprised, Zhuang Hong asked, "Mister Xu, what happened these past few days? How did you become so weak?"

Xu Kaidong waved a hand. "Too much blood loss. It's a long story..."

He warmly grabbed Zhuang Hong's hand and instructed the servants to prepare wine and food.

Zhuang Hong hurriedly refused. He had not even finished digesting the Red Beard Monster—how could he possibly eat anything else?

"Mister Xu, there's no need for this. I've already brought you the books you wanted."

With that, he took the books from his backpack and handed them to Xu Kaidong. Xu Kaidong accepted them, flipped through them casually, and his face filled with excitement.

"Where is the Ivory Hairpin I wanted?"

Xu Kaidong slapped his forehead. "Look at this memory of mine. I'll fetch it for you right away, Mister Zhuang. Just a moment, just a moment!"

After saying that, he dashed into the room and returned with a box. When he opened it, an Ivory Hairpin lay inside.

Zhuang Hong's brow slowly furrowed. The one Xu Kaidong had brought was not the previous one.

Clearly, Xu Kaidong had quite the nerve, daring to play tricks with him. Zhuang Hong could not help but sneer. "Mister Xu, this isn't the Ivory Hairpin from before, is it?"

Xu Kaidong froze, then pretended to be confused. "Isn't it? To be honest, Mister Zhuang, I have two Ivory Hairpins like this. They look identical. Perhaps I took the wrong one. Just a moment, just a moment!"

With that, he ran back again and brought out another box. This time, he did not dare play any more tricks.

Zhuang Hong casually opened the box and removed the Ivory Hairpin. He had intended to toss it straight into his mouth and eat it, but he caught a whiff of blood and could not help frowning.

Unsanitary!

The next moment, dark-red armor plating grew over his hand with a crack-crack, as though he had put on a carapace glove. With a gentle squeeze, he crushed the Ivory Hairpin into fragments.

Immediately afterward, a great surge of Spacetime Essence flooded into his body, making Zhuang Hong narrow his eyes in satisfaction.

As the Spacetime Essence dissipated, the ivory fragments gradually turned into powder under Xu Kaidong's incredulous gaze.

Xu Kaidong murmured soundlessly, "So that's how it's used..."

The thought that he had brushed past "superpowers" like ships passing in the night made his heart twist like a knife.

Once, there had been a precious power before him...

After Zhuang Hong opened his eyes, Xu Kaidong asked enviously, "Mister Zhuang, after absorbing it, can you obtain great power?"

Zhuang Hong glanced at him without saying anything.

If Xu Kaidong had not played tricks, they could still have been friends across different worlds. But now? Better forget it.

Of course, he was not angry over something like this. He simply felt that Xu Kaidong's character was lacking and had no intention of becoming deeply acquainted with him any further.

Not sincere.

Xu Kaidong clearly sensed the shift in Zhuang Hong's attitude and immediately felt guilty, letting out an awkward laugh.

Zhuang Hong said, "You got the books you wanted, and I got my payment. We're even."

He took an electric baton from his backpack. "I brought this electric baton along on a whim. It has a high-capacity battery and is a useful weapon for self-defense. You can probably find a way to charge it yourself. Do you want it?"

Xu Kaidong held considerable power in this world. Building a small power station should not be difficult for him.

Golden Light immediately flashed in Xu Kaidong's eyes. "Of course I want it. Thank you, Mister Zhuang."

"One hundred taels of gold."

Xu Kaidong readily agreed. "Deal."

Zhuang Hong instantly felt that he had named too low a price.

After receiving the gold, Zhuang Hong bid farewell and left.

Xu Kaidong said reluctantly, "Mister Zhuang, leave me some contact information!"

"189xxxx6666. Call me if anything comes up."

Xu Kaidong: "..."

That clearly meant, Let's not keep in touch. Still, he refused to give up and shouted, "Mister Zhuang, if you're short on money, just come find me! Setting aside anything else, I have plenty of gold, silver, jewels, and treasures here."

Zhuang Hong waved a hand. "No need. I have enough for now."

Money wanted to buy his friendship too?

How ridiculous.

Only sincerity would do.

As he spoke, Zhuang Hong's figure vanished from this world.

Zhuang Hong's travels through space were usually aimless.

To him, anywhere was fine.

Like a dandelion drifting freely through the sky, letting the wind carry it wherever it wished.

Because no matter which direction he went, he would always encounter new worlds, all kinds of natural enemies, and one day, he would surely obtain the power that would let him sleep peacefully.

But now, another concern rested in Zhuang Hong's heart, lending a trace of urgency to his once carefree steps.

He needed to find a way to treat Chen Yuanfei's tumor as soon as possible.

Chen Yuanfei's cancer cells had already spread. As for those cancer cells scattered throughout his body, Zhuang Hong could do nothing about them.

Fortunately, he had previously passed by a world whose technology was somewhat more advanced than Earth's. There might be a way there to cure Chen Yuanfei's illness.

This trip was to try his luck there.

If it did not work, he would visit renowned doctors in every world.

Zhuang Hong passed through one space after another, traveling for two days before reaching his destination—Ji Ling Star.

He took a taxi to a familiar residential complex and rang the doorbell of apartment 501.

Ding-dong!

"Who is it?"

The door opened.

A girl wearing black-rimmed glasses poked her head out.

The girl was only about one and a half meters tall, small and petite, with a fair, clean little-girl face that made her look exceptionally cute.

When she saw Zhuang Hong, she blinked blankly, then jumped up in delight.

"Zhuang Hong? What are you doing here? Ah, your dark circles are even worse. Did you find a girlfriend or something?"

The girl's name was Wu Miaomiao. Zhuang Hong had met her the last time he came to this world.

Though Wu Miaomiao looked soft and delicate, the energy within her was beyond imagination. She was even more manly than many men.

Previously, Wu Miaomiao had gone hiking during a holiday. On a whim, she climbed atop a large boulder and shouted toward the distant mountains, "Fuck your grandpa!"

After shouting, she planted her hands on her hips and burst into laughter. Perhaps she had gotten too carried away, because her foot slipped and she fell from the boulder, drawing cries of alarm from the tourists.

By chance, Zhuang Hong, who had arrived from another space, saved her.

Afterward, Zhuang Hong became Wu Miaomiao's good friend, and Wu Miaomiao led him around to familiarize him with the basics of this world.

When Zhuang Hong had been about to leave, she had been extremely reluctant and tried hard to persuade him to stay.

Seeing Wu Miaomiao, Zhuang Hong smiled as well. "I came back to Sha Ting City to take care of something, so I stopped by to see whether you were still here."

Wu Miaomiao looked overjoyed. "I never thought you'd remember me when you came to Sha Ting. Come in, quick."

The two chatted for a while in the living room.

Wu Miaomiao suddenly asked curiously, "What did you come to Sha Ting for? Maybe I can help out. I know a lot of people."

Zhuang Hong said, "A friend of mine has late-stage lung cancer. The medical conditions where we are are limited, and treatment is difficult, so I came here to take a look."

"Cancer? Isn't that a chronic illness? One of my coworkers had it before. Two shots cured it."

Zhuang Hong asked delightedly, "It can be cured?"

"Of course, but it really is expensive."

Zhuang Hong had just obtained one hundred taels of gold and was brimming with confidence. "I'm not short on money."

Wu Miaomiao asked in surprise, "We haven't seen each other in over a year. Did you become a rich man?"

Zhuang Hong took a bag of gold bars from his backpack and placed it on the table. "I have gold. Five kilograms."

Wu Miaomiao's eyes instantly widened until they were round as saucers. Unable to resist, she grabbed the gold and examined it closely. "Fuck, this is the first time in my life I've seen this much gold."

As she spoke, she subconsciously put one in her mouth and bit it.

Zhuang Hong's mouth twitched. "Unsanitary."

Wu Miaomiao laughed. "That's how they do it in movies."

She took out her delicate phone and began calculating the gold's value. She soon arrived at a number. "It's worth twenty million Ji Ling Coins. If you sell it, they'll only give you eighty percent, which is sixteen million."

"Zhuang Hong, although this gold is valuable, it's not quite enough."

Zhuang Hong stared in shock. "Not enough? Didn't you say it was a chronic illness?"