"..."
The moment he finished speaking, a knock echoed at the door.
*Bang bang bang!*
"Chen Shu, open up, I'm your captain, Fang Si!"
Chen Shu quickly opened the door. Fang Si strode in carelessly and gave him a hug.
As she turned, she saw Chen Shu's parents looking at her and said with a smile,
"Uh, hello Uncle and Auntie."
His father, Chen Ping, smiled and said, "Xiao Fang is back?"
"Mhm, just finished dealing with the Imperial Dragon Guard matters."
Without any pretense of politeness, Fang Si helped herself to a bowl of congee and sat at the table.
"By the way, sis, when does the World Championship start?"
"Around mid-year."
Fang Si asked, "What's up, can't wait?"
"Heh heh~~~ I'm already prepared to capture all the foreign geniuses!"
Chen Shu curved his lips, a bandit's grin appearing on his face.
"What are you planning to do?!"
Fang Si was slightly taken aback and quickly said,
"I'm warning you, the competition is the competition. If you dare do anything inhuman, even the Legendary rank won't be able to protect you!"
"What are you thinking..."
Chen Shu said seriously, "I only want to compete fairly."
"Half a year..."
He rubbed his chin, considering his training plan.
For others, half a year might not yield much improvement, but he was different. Getting more options could boost him significantly.
He didn't just want to win; he wanted to win spectacularly!
"You'd better prepare yourself properly!"
Fang Si said, "As the most prestigious competition, don't underestimate your opponents!"
Seeing Chen Shu's apparent nonchalance, she added,
"Last year, our country's best result in the Silver group was eighth place!"
"Hmm?"
Chen Shu's expression flickered, and he said, "That bad?"
"It's already quite good!"
Fang Si said, "Eighth place in the world, to a certain extent, means you are the eighth among the younger generation worldwide!"
"I plan to take the championship!"
Chen Shu rubbed his chin. This was an opportunity to gain global fame.
Moreover, the resources obtained would allow him to attempt to break through to the Gold rank.
Although there were still King and the unattainable Legendary ranks above, the Gold rank was already considered upper-tier combat strength for humans.
...
After breakfast, the two went to the rooftop.
Fang Si looked confused and asked, "Chen Shu, why are you on the rooftop?"
"To let my aspirations fly!"
"??"
Chen Shu summoned his round, chubby slime, and at the same time, pulled out a long banner.
It read, 'Congratulations to Chen Shu for winning the National Championship! For business cooperation, please contact Super Chat: ****12138!'
"Take flight, Xiao Huang!"
Chen Shu tied the banner to Xiao Huang's head and let it fly.
Fang Si's mouth twitched, and she said, "What are you doing?"
"Letting Xiao Huang tour the country!"
Chen Shu grinned, "Don't I have temporary flight privileges? If I don't use it, why bother?"
"You're really not afraid of your contracted spirit getting into trouble!"
Fang Si hadn't expected someone so ostentatious, using a contracted spirit to show off.
"It's fine, I'll stick to visiting big cities."
Chen Shu chuckled. Big cities had King-rank powerhouses, so there was no need to worry about criminals.
Besides, if they had the strength to instantly kill his contracted spirit, why wouldn't they just come and do it?
Just as Chen Shu finished letting his contracted spirit fly, a voice called out,
"I say, you two bandits are really something, always meeting on rooftops?"
The two turned to see Zhang Dali approaching, carrying an iron pot.
"Dali, you're back?"
Chen Shu's expression lit up, surprised that their trio was reunited.
"Let me show you something!"
Zhang Dali chuckled and took out a golden booklet, on which were written four characters: 'Golden Spirit Chef'!
"You're a Gold Chef now?!"
The two were shocked, surprise flashing in their eyes.
"I told you, I'm a genius!"
Zhang Dali pouted, but an unstoppable smile adorned his face.
Although the status of a Golden Spirit Chef was not as high as a Golden Beast Tamer, it still surpassed most Silver Beast Tamers.
Most importantly, Zhang Dali was so young!
"I'm protecting the nation with the Imperial Dragon Guard, Dali is making a name for himself in the Spirit Chef industry, and Chen Shu is dominating the criminal world..."
Fang Si's eyes were filled with emotion, and she said,
"We all have bright futures!"
"..."
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Why did that sound so strange? Was that really a compliment?
The three chatted and laughed, gazing out at the city, just like years ago.
The difference was, they had all grown.
...
As night fell, the three families gathered for a reunion dinner, the atmosphere incredibly warm.
Their parents' smiles never ceased.
Compared to their peers, the three were exceptionally outstanding.
Who would have thought that the South River trio from back then would have grown to this extent?
On the streets on New Year's Eve,
Passersby were all smiles, and the street decorations were full of festive spirit.
At this moment, everyone's expressions turned astonished as they parted to make way.
Chen Shu and his group were walking down the street.
Xiao Xing, Old Xie, and others had returned to South River City, including Xu Xiaoyu and the like.
"I suggest we set off a giant firework tonight!"
Chen Shu turned to everyone, a grin on his face.
Upon hearing this, everyone's mouths twitched, instantly recalling that New Year's Eve night...
Because of Chen Shu's earth-shattering fireworks, the entire city had fallen into panic.
He himself was directly arrested and spent New Year's Eve at the Spirit Suppression Bureau!
"Don't be too nervous, it's completely different from the last fireworks!"
Chen Shu smiled and took out five bottles of gray potion.
"Holy crap! Are you crazy?!"
Fang Si and the others' expressions jolted, and they rushed forward, trying to snatch the potions.
"You call a nuke a firework?!"
"Chen Shu!"
Just then, a voice called out to him.
"Hmm?"
Chen Shu turned to see three men and one woman approaching.
Each of them had a golden armband on their shoulders, and passersby looked at them with respect.
"You guys..."
Chen Shu's heart skipped a beat. Were they here to arrest him?
He hadn't done anything, no matter how much he predicted!
The only female Imperial Dragon Guard smiled and said, "It's the New Year, and our superiors sent us specifically to accompany the champion!"
"..."
Chen Shu's eyes widened, and he said, "Four Imperial Dragon Guards, isn't that a bit too much of a grand display..."
"Not at all! That's the standard for international criminals!"
"???"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. This New Year felt a little too nerve-wracking.
Passersby looked on with peculiar expressions.
Four Imperial Dragon Guards accompanying you for the New Year, no, including Fang Si, it should be five Imperial Dragon Guards. This kind of treatment was indeed top-tier.
"Us, is there a possibility..."
"No!"
An Imperial Dragon Guard directly interrupted him.
According to the official intelligence, generally speaking, a bandit's next words were not good...
Clearly, the four had prepared thoroughly before coming.
"I..."
Chen Shu gave a dry laugh, silently weeping in his heart, accepting this cruel reality.
At one in the morning, as everyone was about to head home, they took a group photo before parting.
Chen Shu had spent the most special New Year's Eve of his twenty-one years.