Chapter 8: The Fat Man Forced to Take the Fall

Early the next morning.

“Old man, your wild days are behind you now, aren’t they?”

“You brat, you’ve got a lot of nerve talking like that. The money you sent before, it’s all gone…”

In another room, Liu the Fat and the old director were chatting idly.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ze was already up, no longer lying in bed. While he looked forward to the skills the system might reveal tomorrow, he was already up and getting ready for the day.

Once he was dressed, he called out to Liu the Fat in the next room.

“Fatty, I’m heading out to deal with these things.”

Hearing Zhang Ze call, Liu the Fat hurried out of his room.

“You’re going alone?”

“You don’t need my help?”

Zhang Ze thought to himself, I’m a bona fide first-class martial artist now—what could I possibly need you for? While he grumbled inwardly, his figure had already vanished from the courtyard.

…

“Fatty, did you guys get into some kind of trouble this time?” the old director asked, limping over just in time to see Zhang Ze leave.

“Don’t worry, old man. Now that Xiaozhe and I are back, you’ll be living the good life soon enough.”

As the two continued talking, Zhang Ze’s figure had already exited the orphanage. He weighed the satchel in his hand, and the system panel appeared at once.

Wealth: 1.2 million

That was why Zhang Ze was secretly delighted. From just over a hundred thousand before, thanks to this one bag of medicinal pills, his fortune had soared past a million. Once he sold off these pills, his savings would be even more substantial.

With ambitions burning in his heart, Zhang Ze could hardly contain his joy. Still, more than the swelling numbers on his system panel, what truly satisfied him was his body—now that of a genuine first-class martial artist.

…

Though Mengyang County was a rare county-level city, the outskirts were still terribly rundown. Zhang Ze had barely left the orphanage when a small river blocked his path. The old wooden bridge had collapsed. He stopped, frowning at the five or six meters of water.

But with a muffled thud, he landed steadily on the other bank a moment later. Breaking through to first-class martial artist, the 169S cellular enhancement had brought his physical abilities to an astonishing level.

And this was only the beginning! A grandmaster of the seventh or eighth rank could likely shatter mountains with his bare hands.

…

Relying on his memory, Zhang Ze soon arrived at a cluster of low, shabby buildings. Before he even stepped inside, a chorus of shouts greeted him.

“Hey, kid—got any money?”

“Do you know where you are?” One crew-cutted youth stepped forward to block Zhang Ze’s way as he approached.

With a sudden crack, Zhang Ze drove his fist into the wall beside the youth, punching a hole straight through the battered masonry. The intimidation worked; Zhang Ze suppressed a smirk.

“I’m here to see Baldy,” he said, taking out a first-grade Body-Strengthening Pill.

The crew-cut, sharp-eyed enough to recognize Zhang Ze’s status as a martial artist, immediately changed his tune.

“Big brother, please wait—I’ll take you right in…”

With a fawning smile, the young man led Zhang Ze toward one of the houses.

…

Inside was a middle-aged man, completely bald and shirtless, a faded dragon tattoo coiled around his torso.

“Can you handle these?” Zhang Ze asked, unzipping his satchel.

Baldy was visibly taken aback. Nearly twenty first-grade Body-Strengthening Pills, and even a few of the second grade. A glance was enough to know the haul was worth over a million.

But Baldy’s answer disappointed him.

“There’s too much here,” he said gravely. “It’s not realistic for me to move all of these at once…”

Before he could finish, Zhang Ze interrupted him.

“No. You know as well as I do how risky these things are. They need to be sold off quickly.”

Zhang Ze hadn’t expected that even Baldy, with his many connections throughout Mengyang County, couldn’t handle this batch of pills. He was already feeling a touch of disdain when Baldy spoke again.

“For a hundred thousand, I can introduce you to someone.”

…

Meanwhile, it was just past noon. Fatty Liu was already restless in the orphanage.

“Old man, do me a favor—tell me why my luck with women’s taken such a sudden nosedive these past couple of days.”

The old director let his lame right leg dangle, but Fatty’s question caught his interest.

“You little scoundrel, how many girls have you led astray?”

“Must be some girl cursing you behind your back,” the old man said, pointing at Fatty’s nose.

“No, no…” Fatty protested, recalling recent events. He was sure the old man was just talking nonsense.

Their conversation was abruptly cut off by a loud crash.

In the next moment, Wang Chao appeared.

“I’m at the orphanage now. There’s a fat guy and an old man…”

“That’s them. One’s Zhang Ze’s close friend, the other’s the former director,” a woman’s voice—Fat Third Madam—came through the phone.

“What do you want?” Fatty Liu demanded, having no idea about the relationship between this middle-aged man and Wang Chao.

Wang Chao ignored him, sneering. “You know Zhang Ze, don’t you?”

The moment he sensed a flicker of recognition in the two men’s eyes, he moved. Even Zhang Ze, who had just broken through as a first-class martial artist, could punch through a wall—so one could only imagine the terror of a second-class martial artist like Wang Chao.

With a dull thud, over two hundred pounds of Fatty Liu collapsed to the floor, groaning, blood trickling from his chest. And that, only because Wang Chao held back.

The old director, seeing this, cursed Zhang Ze and Liu Neng for their heartlessness.

“You brat, what trouble have you gotten into now? So much for the good days ahead…”

He cursed inwardly, but with his lame leg, there was no escape.

“Tell the kid to bring back the goods, and I’ll let him go,” Wang Chao said coldly, hefted Fatty Liu with one hand, and left the orphanage. Seconds later, the roar of an engine echoed through the yard.

…

Meanwhile, Zhang Ze was riding to his next destination, guided by Baldy.

“Looks like you’ve broken through,” Baldy remarked, glancing at Zhang Ze as they sat together in the back seat.

Zhang Ze only smiled, but Baldy continued, “Guys like me, first class is probably as far as I’ll ever get. But you—so young, already first rank. Interested in joining up with us? You saw my gambling houses—ten or so, and with two or three years’ profits, getting you to second rank wouldn’t be a problem.”

The more Baldy spoke, the more enthusiastic he became, his admiration for Zhang Ze growing.

His words did move Zhang Ze, if only a little.

“Is this why Wang Chao wanted to see me earlier?” Zhang Ze wondered silently. Then, after a pause, he spoke.

“These pills have to be dealt with quickly. Otherwise, even if I stick with you, you won’t be able to protect me…”

Though he said this, in his heart Zhang Ze knew that if he had managed to survive the provincial capital’s investigation department before breaking through, he certainly didn’t need Baldy now.

After all, in Zhang Ze’s mind, he hadn’t crossed over to this world with a cheat just to become someone else’s lackey. Who knew—perhaps he was destined to save the world?