Chapter 4

"If you win, even by just one move, this crystal will be yours!" Zhuochuan's words seemed to be within Jie Cheng's expectations. He tilted his mouth and narrowed his eyes again, saying, "However, remember, you only have three months."

Then he turned away, not looking at Zhuochuan again, and left the training hall. The black-clad men followed without a word.

Zhuochuan stood in the center of the venue, staring at the retreating back of the other person. Suddenly, he shouted, "Why, why do you want me dead?"

He had decided to fight to the death, but he still wanted to understand.

Jie Cheng did not turn around, nor did he answer. It seemed as if he hadn't heard, but more likely, he just didn't care. He walked out of the training hall door.

Zhuochuan gritted his teeth, watching the other person leave. He had only been in this world for a month and had already figured out the situation of his soul crossing between two worlds. He was just about to make big plans and achieve great things.

He had been kind to everyone here, treating Old Xu and the students with friendliness. Although some occasionally mocked his clumsiness, he never took the children's jokes to heart, only scaring them with his fists. However, he never expected that everything would seem smooth, but suddenly he would face such a sudden blow!

The students in the stands and Old Xu below all silently looked at Zhuochuan, who was silent. They could all understand his feelings at this moment.

It was over half an hour, during which the entire venue was silent.

At some point, someone patted his shoulder, and Zhuochuan looked up.

"There's always a way when you reach the mountain. It's an old saying, but I won't say more," Old Xu, who had walked over at some point, said to him, "As long as you're alive, there's hope."

At this moment, Wang Xin also walked over, and the other students followed from the stands.

"Uncle, are we still going for barbecue tonight?" Wang Xin, a bit scared, whispered.

"Of course, why not?" Zhuochuan smiled. His previously agitated mood had already calmed down. The sudden impact had made him a bit impulsive, but now he had thought it through. Since he couldn't die, and he had three months left, he would give it his all, "It's not a big deal, let's go eat!"

...

At 7 PM, the lights were dim, and a group of students, along with an uncle, silently ate barbecue at "Nature's Home" not far from the school. The fragrant grilled meat and the rich beer should have made for a joyful gathering.

Looking at this scene, Zhuochuan felt as if he were on modern Earth, not in a sci-fi world.

"Uncle, I'll toast to you," Wang Xin, holding a bottle of alcohol and swaying, came over. It seemed he had drunk quite a bit.

Zhuochuan couldn't remember the thousand-page "Legal Reference" to know if there were laws prohibiting minors from drinking, and he didn't have the heart to think about it now. This might be the last meal with these new classmates in the new world, and the others knew it, so this was a silent farewell party.

"Sure," Zhuochuan clinked glasses with him.

"Uncle, don't worry. I'll look up some information online. I don't believe the law would leave such a loophole for murder," Wang Xin, slurring his words, patted his chest and promised.

Zhuochuan was moved but also found it somewhat amusing. In the modern world, at Wang Xin's age, he had been a top student, easily getting into a prestigious university and excelling in his career. In just five years, at the age of 26, he had become a department manager, overseeing the futures of over a hundred people.

Now, he had to rely on a kid to find a glimmer of hope. The others didn't know he could return to another world and thought he was doomed.

Before he knew it, it was 9 PM. Zhuochuan checked the time. He could return to his modern world body every six hours. He needed to go back now, or his body would be in trouble, and he would be truly in a bind.

Zhuochuan got up, intending to leave, and saw the female class leader bargaining with the barbecue shop owner.

"Boss, we're all students, can you give us a 50% discount?" The class leader's haggling reminded Zhuochuan of his female colleagues in the other world, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Maximum 90% discount. Save your money, kids. Don't go around inviting people for no reason. You'll need it for other things," the owner, naturally, refused and tried to persuade the girl.

"90% it is," the class leader muttered, knowing the owner wouldn't budge, and glared at the swaying students, "Next month, the cultural performance will be twice as big."

Hearing the class leader's words, Zhuochuan felt a bit ashamed, embarrassed by his body's protests and the fact that he was taking advantage of these kids for a meal.

"Also, that muscle-bound uncle, with such a strong body, even better than Teacher Xu, can only eat nutrient paste every day and doesn't know how to make money. He's really brainless. I was going to design some programs for him, but with this, he probably won't have the mood to perform."

Zhuochuan couldn't help but smile bitterly. Who could he blame?

"Class leader Fu, I'm going back," Zhuochuan said, not because he was in no mood, but because there was no need to send the drunk students home. In this world, crime was zero.

"Okay, Zhuochuan, see you," the class leader looked at him sympathetically and waved.

Zhuochuan nodded and quickly ran to the intersection, raised his hand, and in less than half a minute, an empty car stopped in front of him.

"Home," Zhuochuan said simply.

"Identity scan successful, identity number B47995, location 377-243," a white light scanned him, and the car's door announced.

Zhuochuan got into the car, which looked similar to modern cars but had no driver's seat, only passenger seats.

Suddenly, the class leader put her hands to her mouth and shouted, "Uncle, don't lose heart, we'll all help you!"

The other students, who had stopped eating and drinking, gathered around and shouted together:

"We'll all help you!"

"Thank you," Zhuochuan, sitting in the car, whispered, seeing their mouths through the glass and hearing their faint voices. His eyes couldn't help but moisten. Although he had only been with them for a month, these kids, who had been smart and mischievous, now left him with a sense of kindness.

The car started, separating Zhuochuan from the students, and followed a fixed route.

It drove to a building marked "Vertical Passage" and entered, stopping. It was a special elevator.

It was wide enough to accommodate the car, and the lights on the 377th underground floor lit up.

Soon, the rapidly descending car reached the designated floor and emerged from the vertical passage, now moving horizontally. It quickly followed a route to stop in front of room 243.

Zhuochuan got out of the car, looked up at the sky, and saw the stars shining brightly, the moon clear, and even a band of the Milky Way.

If he hadn't known from books that these were real-time scenes broadcast from the surface, he would have thought he was on the surface, not 3,000 meters underground.

However, such a scene wouldn't last much longer. Zhuochuan sighed, thinking about the previous events, and came to a house.

It was a house with a small yard, about 100 square meters.

Zhuochuan came to the gate, and a white light, like before, scanned him.

"Identity scan successful, identity number B47995, confirmed, entry allowed."

Zhuochuan entered his home in this world, feeling a sense of security despite the emptiness.

Zhuochuan's home was not small, over 100 square meters, which was a normal size in the modern world but could be considered overly luxurious in this time and space. Other students' homes were very narrow, just single rooms of less than 10 square meters, barely enough to live in.

This was one of the few benefits left by the previous soul.

Zhuochuan didn't immediately return to his modern world body but first went to the storage room to look at something.

This thing was completely black, with black eyes, long ears, and two short legs. Yes, it was a rabbit.

It was motionless, its eyelids drooping, and its body had no elasticity. It wasn't a stuffed toy or a dead creature.

This was the most important legacy left by the previous soul, besides the identity number. Of course, the body didn't count, as Zhuochuan wouldn't have been able to possess it otherwise.

Next to the rabbit was a manual: "Soul Intelligent Guide for Citizen B47995. User locked, non-transferable, currently powered off. Minimum one high-quality soul crystal required to activate, can operate for one year."

Just the term "Soul Intelligent Guide" told Zhuochuan how advanced it was, containing vast amounts of knowledge and the best growth guidance. Once activated, he could shed the "brainless muscle man" label.

And such a device required a high-quality soul crystal to operate, which Zhuochuan knew was extremely valuable. Even then, it only worked for a year, further proving the rabbit's true value.

However, for him, in the coming days, he not only had to fight for his life but also needed a turning point. Otherwise, no matter how valuable it was, he would only have three months to enjoy it.

Since he had decided to fight for three months in this new world, he needed to finish his business in the modern world first. He went to the bathroom, then returned to his bed in the bedroom.

He looked at the ceiling, recalling his body in the other world. A few minutes later, his eyes showed spirals, and soon his soul left this world.

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