"Class, Teacher Yao is sick."
"I'll be in charge of all your body-forging classes from now on."
On the training ground, the students let out a chorus of groans when they heard their homeroom teacher's announcement.
They would never get to see their beautiful teacher again.
Qin Ze's eyes flickered.
The scene of Teacher Yao showing up with the law enforcers yesterday surfaced in his mind.
So Teacher Yao had finished her mission?
It was just as well that she was gone.
He no longer had to worry about his secret being exposed.
Without their beautiful teacher, body-forging class was dull and tedious.
The students were listless all afternoon.
When school ended, the class monitor walked up to the lectern.
"Next week is my birthday."
"I'm planning a birthday party, and I hope everyone can come."
"This might be our last get-together before the martial arts exam."
Their class monitor was a cute girl with a baby face, and quite a few of her classmates had secret crushes on her.
When they heard her birthday was coming up, some of them immediately began to get ideas.
"Brother Ze, are you going?" Fatty asked.
"No." Qin Ze answered without hesitation.
Parties and the like were the biggest hassle.
Fatty said, "If you're not going, then I'm not going either."
"Lately, I've had a feeling my ability is about to break through."
Qin Ze patted Fatty on the shoulder. "Keep it up. Your ability is very useful in actual combat."
As he spoke, he couldn't help picturing BT's ghostlike figure.
Unfortunately, Fatty was still a long way from BT's level.
That evening, Qin Ze was invited to dinner at Ma Yan's home.
He had to admit, Ma Yan was an excellent cook.
They were both besties, so how come Qin Yu was so lousy?
"Sister Ma Yan, are you in a good mood today?" Qin Ze had noticed that Ma Yan had been humming in the kitchen the whole time.
"Yes! I got paid today, and I even got an extra bonus!" Ma Yan brought the dishes out, beaming.
"No wonder." Qin Ze smiled.
To pay for her bedridden mother's treatment and medicine, Ma Yan wished she could work ten jobs a day.
Seeing her life improve little by little made Qin Ze happy too.
Now that Qin Ze had money, he had offered to lend Ma Yan some so her mother could get back on her feet sooner.
But Ma Yan had refused.
The favor was too great, and she didn't know how she could repay it.
Ma Yan had a stubborn streak of her own.
Smash!
"Ah!"
A startled cry came from the kitchen.
Qin Ze hurried in and found Ma Yan staring blankly at her cut, bleeding finger.
"Are you all right?"
When she didn't respond, Qin Ze shook her shoulder.
"Sister Ma Yan?"
"Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Ma Yan's eyes finally returned to normal, and she gave a start.
"I-I'm fine. My hand slipped just now."
"I spent an hour making that red-braised pork!"
Ma Yan was heartbroken as she looked at the shattered plate and ruined food at her feet.
Qin Ze grabbed a broom and swept up the shards.
"The rest of the food is enough for us."
During dinner, Ma Yan suddenly said, "A new batch of Qi-Gathering Pills just arrived at my company. Do you need any? I can get them at the employee price!"
Qin Ze shook his head. "Qi-Gathering Pills aren't much use to me right now."
Qin Ze's qi sea had reached its limit, so eating more Qi-Gathering Pills would do no good. What mattered most now was tempering his bones.
"All right."
"Just tell me whenever you need them."
After dinner, while Ma Yan was washing dishes in the kitchen, Qin Ze quietly left some money behind and departed.
In a top-tier private room at the Jiang City Grand Hotel.
Three middle-aged men were drinking and exchanging toasts.
"Fuck, what the hell are the law enforcers even good for? They actually let that Wang Biao get away!" the balding man cursed.
"Let him run. I doubt he'll dare keep such a high profile from now on," said the man in black-framed glasses.
"The priority is to replenish our supply as soon as possible," said the other man, who was bald. "That dumbass caused such a mess that the supply chain was broken."
"The ones who died were all suppliers. Phoenix Tower hasn't had fresh blood for a long time now, and all the organ transplant operations have stopped."
The man in black-framed glasses sighed. "Last quarter's financial results were cut in half. We can't let this go on."
The bald man looked at the balding man. "Old Zhao, you've always been in charge of the supply. You can't drop the ball at a critical moment."
The balding man smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I've already found a new partner. I called everyone here today to meet him."
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock suddenly sounded at the door.
The balding man raised an eyebrow. "And here he is."
As the door opened, He Guang walked in, travel-worn.
Though he had prepared himself for this, a storm of shock still surged in his heart when he saw the faces of the three men in the room.
The He Family might have been one of Jiang City's foremost martial arts families, but it still fell somewhat short before these three men.
"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was backed up," He Guang hurriedly explained.
The balding man said, "Let me introduce you."
"This is He Bi, the second son of Jiang City's He Family. His older brother is a major in our Jiang City Defense Bureau and a Level Three Martial Artist."
"He Guang will soon break through to Level Two Martial Artist himself. A promising young man."
Hearing this, He Guang was flattered and surprised.
"Not at all. It's all thanks to the various resources you've provided me."
The balding man smiled, clearly pleased.
The man in glasses asked, "You should know why we called you here, right?"
He Guang nodded. "Mr. Zhao has already told me."
"You need fresh goods. I know Jiang City well, so I'll take charge of that from now on."
The bald man said, "Work hard, young man. As long as we have meat to eat, you'll be sure to get a taste of the soup."
He Guang stood up and poured wine for the three men, then raised his glass.
"I'll go through fire and water for you three seniors without hesitation."
The men resumed drinking and exchanging toasts, and the atmosphere was wonderfully cheerful.
"I reckon I'll only be able to work for you seniors until the end of the year. I'll have to go to the Abyss next year."
The bald man caught the implication behind He Guang's words.
"As long as your work satisfies us, you won't ever have to go to the Abyss again in this lifetime."
He Guang was overjoyed.
Having been there once, he never wanted to go again.
He didn't want to experience that fear of death when facing a mutated beast again.
"Thank you, senior. I won't let you down!"
"This morning's practical class will be a field trip to the Black Mountain Research Institute."
"Classes one through three will go in the first group."
"The buses are already parked on the sports ground. Everyone, head down and assemble."
The homeroom teacher made the announcement to the class early that morning.
Practical classes were held at the end of every semester, usually involving visits to companies and businesses connected to martial artists.
The Black Mountain Research Institute researched various pills and cultivation techniques for martial artists. There were even rumors that it researched mutated beasts.
Because the Black Mountain Research Institute offered excellent pay and benefits, fresh university graduates fought tooth and nail to get in every year.
The Black Mountain Research Institute also had a student aid fund and signed agreements with selected students based on merit.
Anyone who accepted aid from the fund had to work at the institute for ten years after graduating from university.
As Qin Ze boarded the bus, he felt a little excited.
Lin Siyao was a researcher at the Black Mountain Research Institute, and the Alpha Reagent had been produced there.
The bus soon left the city, and half an hour later, it stopped before an alloy gate at the foot of a great mountain.
Rumble-
A ten-meter-high alloy gate slowly opened.
It was the first time the students had seen a gate so tall, and they cried out in surprise.
Qin Ze thought nothing of it.
Compared with the shelter's gate, the Black Mountain Research Institute's was a little low-class.
Inside was an enormous parking lot, with a track running through the middle and a black train stopped beside a platform.
"Students, welcome to the Black Mountain Research Institute."
A staff member in an institute uniform had already been waiting there.