I want to follow you

Before long, the sky darkened. Jiang Nan was doing weighted training on the back slopes of Qixia Mountain again. Perhaps because of the shock of yesterday's events, he wasn't very enthusiastic about training today. His power level hadn't changed, remaining at 75.

Rain began to drizzle down, and the smell of rotting wood and dead leaves filled the air. Jiang Nan stopped training and sat in a pavilion halfway up the mountain, staring into space.

This sort of endless rainy weather was perfect for longing, and Jiang Nan was missing his family from his previous life.

Were Mom and Dad still in good health? Was Junjun doing all right?

Before transmigrating, Jiang Nan had bought an apartment with a mortgage and had just added Wei Jun's name to the deed. He also had seven or eight hundred thousand in savings invested in various financial products. Those assets should have been enough for Wei Jun and his parents to live on for a while.

But what about later? Wei Jun would surely remarry. Who would look after his parents in their old age?

Then there was Doris, who was in the same world as him but far away in North City. That woman was cold on the outside but warm within. He wondered whether Dr. Gero had punished her for secretly letting him go.

"Damned system, dragging me into this godforsaken world!" Jiang Nan cursed.

"Master, I wasn't the one who transported you to this world. I was only activated after you arrived here," the system suddenly interjected.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Nan suddenly felt mischievous. He asked, "System, can you change your voice? You know, personalization settings. Do you understand?"

"Master, what kind of voice would you like me to have?"

"Let me hear a cool, aloof older woman's voice!" Jiang Nan said with a wicked grin.

"Master, is this acceptable?" The system immediately switched to the cool, aloof voice of a mature woman.

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad! Oh, can you switch to the voice of someone I know? Doris, for example?" Jiang Nan continued.

"Master, I can imitate any voice in your memories," the system said in Doris's voice.

Jiang Nan's mind began to wander as he imagined the queenlike Doris calling him master.

Still grinning, Jiang Nan said, "Now imitate Junjun!"

"Jiang Nan!"

Crack!

It was as though a bolt of lightning had exploded inside Jiang Nan's mind, shaking his very soul and making his heart skip a beat.

So close. It was so close. That slightly reproachful voice was exactly like Wei Jun's.

Seven years. The goddess of Jiang Nan's dreams had been part of his world for seven whole years. The happy part was that his persistence had finally paid off, and he had won her heart. The tragic part was that before they could enjoy their life together, a bolt of lightning had struck him and swept him into this world.

(Note: To get the later plot moving, I had to give the protagonist a simp backstory in his previous life. Wei Jun is only a plot device and won't appear at any point before the book ends.)

Although Jiang Nan's phone had transmigrated with him, he was a science-and-engineering guy who didn't like taking pictures. There weren't many photos of Junjun on his phone, and most were pictures he had saved from her Moments posts. He didn't have any videos with her voice at all.

How could hearing that familiar voice again after three and a half years not move him? Longing instantly surged into Jiang Nan's heart, and a powerful resolve began to rise, rushing straight into his mind.

I had to get stronger, fast! I had to return to the world where Junjun was!

As his resolve hardened, the aura around Jiang Nan climbed, and his power level rose with it. It actually jumped five points, reaching 80!

So a person's will really could affect their strength!

"Use this voice from now on!" Jiang Nan told the system.

"Oh, okay!" The system even imitated Junjun's tone.

Newly fired up, Jiang Nan felt as though he had endless energy. He resumed training with his 150 kilograms of weights and kept going until midafternoon, gaining another point in power level. Only when he was utterly exhausted did he head back.

Tang Fei had waited all morning at Li's Beef Noodle Shop. When customers came in for lunch, Boss Li worried that the tattoos covering Tang Fei's arms would scare them, so he had him wait in the kitchen.

Even after all the customers had left, Jiang Nan still hadn't shown up. Was he not coming today?

Unwilling to give up, Tang Fei waited a little longer and even took a nap with his head on the table. Jiang Nan still hadn't arrived by the time he woke up. Just as Tang Fei was about to give up, Boss Li suddenly called, "Fei, Nan's here!"

The counter faced the shop's entrance, so Boss Li had spotted Jiang Nan trudging wearily toward them from a distance.

"Boss, the usual. An extra-large bowl!" Jiang Nan said tiredly.

"Brother Nan, Brother Nan, have a seat!" Tang Fei hurried over eagerly and reached out to take the backpack off Jiang Nan's shoulders.

The moment he took hold of the backpack, its weight nearly dragged him to the floor. Jiang Nan's gear weighed 150 kilograms in total, and the backpack alone weighed 120.

Tang Fei had practiced martial arts as a child and could carry something weighing over a hundred kilograms on his shoulders. But carrying it on his shoulders was one thing; lifting it with one hand was another. His arm wasn't that strong. Tang Fei was astonished. Brother Nan really was something! Did he train with this thing on his back every day?

A little baffled, Jiang Nan asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"

"Your teachings yesterday really opened my eyes, Brother Nan. So I came first thing this morning to see if I could run into you. I wanted to hear more of your words of wisdom," Tang Fei said shamelessly.

"Stop, stop, stop. Quit calling me Brother Nan every other word. Aren't we about the same age? You might not be embarrassed saying it all the time, but I am!"

Tang Fei looked to be in his early thirties. If Jiang Nan hadn't stopped aging in this world, he would have been thirty by now too.

Tang Fei was exceptionally thick-skinned. "I just grew up too fast. Makes me look old! Hehe, Brother Nan, sit down, sit down."

Jiang Nan sat down casually and asked, "Just tell me what you want. Stop beating around the bush."

Tang Fei sat opposite him, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Brother Nan, I want to follow you!"

Jiang Nan leaned back in his chair and said flatly, "Not interested."

"Brother Nan, I'm really capable," Tang Fei said, pitching himself. "Just say the word, and I'll be at your beck and call. Mountains of blades, seas of fire-I'll brave them all!"

"No need. You wouldn't survive the mountains of blades and seas of fire I'm headed for." Jiang Nan refused him outright. He knew how this world's future would unfold. Never mind major bosses like Frieza and Cell twenty years down the line-even King Piccolo, with a power level of barely over two hundred, would plunge the entire planet into despair. An ordinary person like Tang Fei would only be a burden at his side.

Tang Fei smiled shamelessly. "I know you're a man of great ability, Brother Nan. Even if I can't help, I can at least serve you tea and water, right? And don't underestimate me. I've got connections. If you want to find someone or ask around about something in White Cloud City, I can get it done in minutes."

"Oh?" Jiang Nan grew curious. As far as he knew, Tang Fei was just a low-level thug who bullied ordinary people. Now he was dealing in information too?

Seeing Jiang Nan's interest gave Tang Fei confidence. "Brother Nan, you've heard of the Black Tiger Hall, right?"

Having lived in White Cloud City for nearly half a year, Jiang Nan had heard something of the Black Tiger Hall's reputation. He simply wasn't interested in criminal organizations like that. No matter how large they grew, they were still organizations in the world of ordinary people. In the face of absolute strength, they were nothing but a joke.

"The current head of the Black Tiger Hall is my cousin. Its founder is my aunt's husband!" Tang Fei said.

"What?" Boss Li, who was setting the noodles on the table, couldn't help exclaiming, "Fei, you're related to the head of the Black Tiger Hall?"