The man, seeing Tang Lie struggling, pulled the gag from his mouth.
Tang Lie took a deep breath and quickly shouted, "I have absolutely no relationship with him. If you must say something, it's that we are enemies!"
"Still trying to argue?" The man glared at him and said, "I've investigated. In the third year of high school, you interacted with him the most!"
"??" Tang Lie's eyes widened. He didn't want to recall the dark days of the third-year high school special training class. It was simply a history of blood and tears. Did they call that interaction?
"Nothing to say now, right?" The man sneered and continued, "I heard he's quite loyal. He probably won't abandon you!"
"He wishes I were dead. Why would he come to save me!" Tang Lie was filled with despair. He couldn't even tell if the other party was Chen Shu's friend or enemy...
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I understand you young people. You insult each other, but your friendship is actually very deep!"
"I'm going to..." Tang Lie felt his brain about to have a stroke. He was truly convinced by this 'old six' before him...
He took a deep breath, managed to calm his emotions, and constantly thought, it seems I need to do the opposite!
Tang Lie's eyes rolled, and he opened his mouth to say, "Actually, Chen Shu and I have a pretty good relationship, but that guy..."
Before he could finish, he was interrupted, "See, you admitted it yourself! I told you your relationship was close!"
"I..." Tang Lie was instantly silenced. So, no matter what I say, it won't change anything, right?
"You just want to kill me, don't you?"
"Accept it honestly. If you have to blame someone, blame your poor choice of friends!" the man sneered, stuffing the gag back into Tang Lie's mouth. He then ordered, "Send something to Chen Shu! I don't believe he'll truly ignore this guy's life or death!"
...
Chen Shu's days that followed became incredibly peaceful. He expected the criminal group to come after him, but that was completely overthinking it.
Chen Shu didn't stay at home. Instead, he explored other parts of Nanjiang City. It was worth mentioning that the Strong Medicine potion shop he bought in the black market remained incredibly popular, allowing him to easily acquire the items he needed.
Taking advantage of his peak fame, Chen Shu bought all the shops on the black market street. They mainly sold urea bags, butcher knives, gas masks, and other items... With the boost from his 'original body,' all products sold exceptionally well. Most people came out of admiration, hoping to catch some of the champion's good fortune. Of course, this was just earning some extra cash. The shops' main business was still helping Chen Shu acquire various interdimensional materials.
On the evening of January 20th, Chen Shu, wearing a mask, returned to his apartment complex. He found another package left at his doorstep. His expression was calm, with no hint of surprise. He opened it, and it was another tattered piece of cloth, seemingly torn from clothing.
"What the hell, who's messing with me?" Chen Shu's mouth twitched. He casually tossed the cloth into the hallway trash can. This was already the eighteenth package he had received this month...
"Are they treating my place as a garbage dump?" Chen Shu muttered a couple of times and calmly returned home.
...
In the suburbs of Nanjiang City...
"Wuwuwu..." Tang Lie shivered from the cold, his clothes torn. From a distance, it almost looked like performance art.
"Boss, that ferocious bandit seems truly heartless!"
"The searches in Nanjiang City have become stricter. We need to act!"
"Boss, we can't wait any longer!" the others chimed in, their expressions showing a hint of panic.
"I miscalculated!" The middle-aged man frowned coldly and said, "We'll make our move directly tomorrow!"
"Boss, even if we kill Chen Shu, we have no way out!" Some had concerns in their eyes. In fact, they only wanted to cooperate with Chen Shu and didn't want to fight him to the death, but their boss insisted.
"Don't worry, I'll arrange our escape route!" The middle-aged man said calmly, "As long as we can kill him, we can escape anytime!"
Only then did the others somewhat relax.
...
The next morning, Chen Shu drove away from his apartment complex. With the Lunar New Year approaching, he planned to visit Ye Qing at the [Blazing Volcano].
"Old Man Ye must be missing me..." Chen Shu rubbed his chin, a smile in his eyes, as he sped towards the interdimensional space.
Two hours later, Chen Shu arrived outside the small town and was indeed... questioned.
"Are you really Chen Shu?" The soldiers at the town entrance looked suspicious, checking his ID.
"No, why doesn't anyone believe me!" Chen Shu spread his hands and said, "Do I need to carry a nuclear bomb on my shoulder?"
"No... no need..." The soldier's mouth twitched, and he handed back the ID. "Student Chen Shu, the ticket price to [Blazing Volcano] is doubled. Are you sure you want to come?"
"Huh?" Chen Shu was slightly stunned. He immediately recalled the special privilege Ye Qing had given him: 'All other interdimensional space tickets are discounted by 10%, but [Blazing Volcano] is doubled.'
"I'm just here to see Old Man Ye. I'm not entering the interdimensional space!" Chen Shu put away his ID and walked into the town.
"Do we need to report this to higher-ups?" the soldier asked, his eyes cautious.
"Definitely!" another soldier nodded. "Official regulations state that any dangerous individuals arriving in the interdimensional space town must be reported promptly!" The two exchanged a look and reported Chen Shu's arrival.
...
"He's cultivating so fast!" Chen Shu walked alone on the town's road. Various buildings stood on both sides, the entire town looking quite presentable with its well-equipped facilities. Two years ago, when [Blazing Volcano] appeared, the town outside the space hadn't even been built yet.
Passersby kept looking at him, seeming to find Chen Shu a bit familiar, yet not daring to believe it.
"Are you Champion Chen Shu..." Finally, a boy couldn't help but ask, his eyes full of curiosity.
Chen Shu smiled at the sound and looked at the surrounding crowd, saying, "That's right, it is I!" He closed his eyes and spread his arms, preparing to receive the gasps of awe and praise.
However, the surroundings were silent, with no response.
"What's going on? Am I out of fashion?" Chen Shu was slightly stunned and couldn't help but open his eyes.
"Holy crap! They all ran away?!" Chen Shu saw that the entire crowd had fled, some even losing their shoes.
"Run! The ferocious bandit has come to the interdimensional space!"
"Hurry, with him here, accidents will happen!" The crowd seemed a bit panicked, packing their belongings and preparing to leave the town.
If this were in a prosperous city, people would likely flock forward, asking for autographs. But since Chen Shu won the championship, netizens had dug up his past experiences. According to incomplete statistics, any interdimensional space the 'ferocious bandit' visited was bound to have an accident, whether it was a nuclear bomb or a beast tide... Everyone understood one principle: following the ferocious bandit on an expedition often meant certain death!