Chapter 86

【PS: Second update of the day! This is a transitional chapter, which might be a bit dry. A new adventure will begin tomorrow.】

On a side street of South Street, a three-story storefront quietly opened for business. Many people in the vicinity didn't even notice until they realized they had a new neighbor called "Peaceful Mountaineering and Adventure Equipment Store." They had no idea when the storefront had changed hands, and there was no grand opening celebration. Many people only discovered this somewhat peculiar store several days after it opened.

Inside the store, a sharp young man bustled about, introducing the products to customers. However, he didn't seem very business-savvy, and his product descriptions sounded more like he was reading from a manual, with no intention of selling. The store's products were also quite unusual: high-strength nylon ropes, alloy carabiners, waterproof backpacks, high-powered binoculars, mountaineering boots, climbing suits, diving masks—these items seemed quite distant from the average person's life.

The true owner of this store was, of course, He Ping. He had bought the three-story storefront, using the first floor for business, the second floor for storage, and the third floor for living quarters. The person running the business was Li Yutang, who had handled all the paperwork, including the purchase of the property and the business license, under his own name. This place was He Ping's first base and the雏形 of what would become Peaceful Company in the future.

Choosing mountaineering and adventure equipment as a front was, of course, because He Ping could mix in the items produced by his portable armory system and sell them. As long as they were sold, He Ping could earn war points. Moreover, outdoor adventure activities were just beginning to gain popularity, though most people didn't understand or appreciate this somewhat self-torturing behavior. However, the number of people who enjoyed outdoor adventures was gradually increasing, and because the cost of these activities was still high, most outdoor adventurers had good financial means.

Making money was, of course, not to be missed, but He Ping didn't really care about the store's profits. Earning money was good, but even if he lost money, it didn't matter. What he needed was a base where he could move freely. While his home was safe, there were things he couldn't do in front of He Xiangdong and Yin Xiulan, and many things were hard to explain. Having Li Yutang as an agent made things much easier, as there was no need for explanations.

With a base and an agent, the family crisis had ended. His enemies had either received their due punishment or were left to be dealt with later. At this point, He Ping suddenly found himself with free time. Realizing he was idle, He Ping couldn't stay still and began to more frequently deal with the criminals on his blacklist. However, his activities were limited, and he could only handle the local criminals in Qingshan.

Thus, a legend began. Every few days, a person would appear at the police station's entrance, either lightly injured and tightly bound or severely injured and unconscious. Initially, the police thought it was a violent crime, but when they brought the severely injured person inside, they discovered he was a nationally wanted criminal, charged with murder, robbery, and rape.

They thought it was just one incident, but to their surprise, every few days, another person would appear at the police station's entrance—either an escaped criminal, someone whose crimes had not yet been discovered, or someone who was being pursued. The security situation in Qingshan improved significantly, and despite so many strange incidents, the police couldn't figure out who was capturing and delivering these people. Everyone said it was a masked soldier.

What did this mean? Was the military helping to maintain local security? But they hadn't heard of such an operation, and even if it were the military, they should have notified the local police. Could it be a secret national unit? But would they have nothing better to do than to handle such minor matters? The police were baffled, and when these stories spread outside, they became even more exaggerated.

Superhero films from abroad were just beginning to gain popularity in China, though not as intensely as they would be a decade later. However, there were still a significant number of fans. The events in Qingshan were strikingly similar to those depicted in these films, and rumors of a superhero in Qingshan began to spread. Because this superhero always wore a mask with a skull and appeared and disappeared without a trace, people called him the "Ghost."

"Don't do anything wrong, or the Ghost will knock on your door at night!"

This phrase became a popular saying in Qingshan. For He Xiangdong and Yin Xiulan, the idea of ghosts and zombies didn't matter; they were law-abiding citizens and had nothing to do with superheroes. But for the Jiang family, this was a time of torment. Thinking about the mysterious disappearance of the wooden box from the third workshop of Dongfang Hardware, the strange shadows and laughter that night, and their current dire situation, they were terrified and couldn't sleep.

In this atmosphere, He Ping finally graduated from elementary school, no longer a primary school student. His future life would unfold in the junior high school of Qingshan Middle School, and he became a proud junior high school student. Dong Dapeng was also overjoyed, as the time until He Ping's promise to teach him how to shoot in high school was less than three years away. The only slightly annoying thing was that Jiang Xiaochong also entered Qingshan Middle School and was in the same class as He Ping and Dong Dapeng.

Even in junior high school, Dong Dapeng was still a fatty, and he seemed to be getting even fatter. In contrast, He Ping's growth was rapid. In his previous life, he had only reached 1.75 meters, a normal height. But now, just starting junior high school, he was already 1.68 meters tall. By high school, he would reach his previous life's limit and eventually surpass 1.8 meters.

The summer after elementary school graduation passed quickly, as there was no homework. Before they knew it, the time to report to the middle school was approaching. At this moment, He Ping entered the Tower in his bedroom, looking at the accumulated resource points and the large number of weapons and equipment in the inventory. He smiled, feeling well-prepared. He couldn't waste time here; it was time to venture into other worlds!

Looking at the time on the main world's door, He Ping sighed in relief. The time was fixed, meaning that no matter how long he stayed in other worlds and the Tower, the time in the main world remained unchanged. However, time in other worlds continued to progress. This was both a benefit and a limitation. He didn't have to worry about being missing for a long time in the main world, but if he stayed too long in other worlds, his sudden return with noticeable changes in appearance could raise suspicions. A month or so was fine, but any longer would be problematic.

However, before venturing into other worlds, there was one more thing he needed to take care of...

Page break AD starts

Page break AD ends