Chapter 16

"Task: Troubles of Youth (Completed). Reward: Proficiency in High School Exams (City Level)."

As he received this reward, the previous reward, "Proficiency in High School Exams (County Level)," which was tied to an embrace task, had already disappeared.

Thinking about the words Ning Lan had said to him before, she was still looking forward to his efforts to make a comeback in the final two or three months of the college entrance exam. Zhang Qiu felt a bit excited and eager.

He immediately claimed the reward, and in an instant, Zhang Qiu had become an exam expert.

Many key points, question types, and test sites for exams were now vividly clear to him, and even his way of thinking about questions had become faster.

Although the proficiency in high school exams was only at the city level, it was enough. This skill had limitations and was only useful for high school exams. The upper limit was the provincial level, equivalent to the average level of the top scorers in the college entrance exams in each province.

Zhang Qiu's city-level proficiency in high school exams meant that he had reached the average level of the top scorers in the college entrance exams across the country. This level might not make him the best in Suxian City, but it would certainly place him in the top ten, and a spot at Tsinghua or Peking University was within reach.

"Big Brother Qiu, what are you thinking so deeply about?" Ning Lan noticed something was off with Zhang Qiu and couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Qiu shook his head and said, "Nothing, I was just thinking about how to deal with Cheng Jianwu. I'll take you back to school!"

Since they had gone through a small alley, Zhang Qiu and Ning Lan had already arrived at a side road of the school. This road was rarely used by people, mostly by vehicles.

"Ning Lan! Ning Lan! Wait!" At this moment, a clear female voice called out Ning Lan's name. She had followed them from the alley they had just come out of.

The girl who came was a young and beautiful girl. Unlike Ning Lan's cute appearance, her features were very well-proportioned, and her figure was well-balanced. If she dressed up, she could be quite attractive, but at first glance, she wouldn't leave a particularly strong impression. She was the type of beauty who looked better the more you looked at her, but initially seemed ordinary.

However, today the system's beauty radar had already been used up, so Zhang Qiu couldn't know the exact level of this beauty. But based on his intuition and appreciation, he determined that she was probably a county-level beauty.

However, the next system prompt revealed her approximate identity and beauty level: "New Task: Flirt with the Beauty. Actively obtain Ning Lan's best friend's name, contact information, etc. Reward: 100 yuan. For each type of contact information obtained, an additional reward of 100 yuan."

It turned out that this girl was Ning Lan's best friend. The task and reward were similar to meeting Su Yun, but the reward was at the hundred-yuan level, one tier lower than meeting Su Yun. Now he understood that the task reward was related to the beauty level of the girl involved, and this girl was a county-level beauty, one tier below Su Yun.

This made Zhang Qiu admire his own intuition and judgment, which was as accurate as the system's.

"Ning Lan, is she your best friend?" Since the task required him to actively obtain the name and other information, Zhang Qiu took the initiative to ask.

Ning Lan was a bit surprised that Zhang Qiu had guessed it right away, and she nodded in response, "Yes."

At this moment, the girl had already walked over, and Zhang Qiu asked, "Hello classmate, I'm Ning Lan's brother. Is there anything you need?"

Zhang Qiu took the initiative to introduce himself. If the other person was polite and not too shy, she would likely introduce herself as well, thus obtaining her name.

Ning Lan, however, found it strange that today's Big Brother Qiu seemed different from the one she remembered. There were too many differences, as if he had become a different person. But all the changes were for the better, whether it was his fighting ability or his confidence and initiative in introducing himself to girls.

A confident and strong man was indeed more charming and attractive than the timid otaku he used to be!

"I'm Ning Lan's classmate, Chen Lan." The girl's voice was very soft. As she introduced herself, she instinctively lowered her head, and her face turned red.

At this moment, the system prompt indicated that the name had been successfully obtained, and a reward of 100 yuan was given. Zhang Qiu could continue to obtain more information about Chen Lan for additional rewards, but it wasn't convenient or necessary at the moment, so he didn't claim the 100 yuan reward.

"By the way, I just saw Cheng Jianwu making a phone call to call for help! He has connections with local hooligans, and his family's company seems to have some people here. I think he might seek revenge. You should quickly take a detour and enter the school from the back door! Cheng Jianwu already knows you're coming this way!" Chen Lan said.

Ning Lan, hearing this, anxiously grabbed Chen Lan's hand and looked at Zhang Qiu, asking, "What should we do?"

Zhang Qiu patted his chest and said, "Don't be afraid! No matter how many people they bring, I can handle them! As long as they don't have weapons."

"You are indeed very strong and good at fighting; I saw it just now, you're so cool!" Chen Lan said, "But those hooligans often carry steel pipes. A wise man doesn't take unnecessary risks, you should avoid them."

"Alright! Let's take a detour." Zhang Qiu said.

So, the two who were originally prepared to enter through the main gate, along with the newly joined Chen Lan, walked in the opposite direction and took a detour to the back door.

After just a few steps, Zhang Qiu, thinking about the task, couldn't help but say, "By the way, Chen Lan, can you give me your contact information? Your phone number, QQ, WeChat, or even Renren are fine."

When Zhang Qiu said this, both girls looked at him. Chen Lan glanced at Zhang Qiu and immediately lowered her head, her face turning red. Although she was also a beauty, she had no outstanding features, and her family background was average. She usually didn't stand out and had never been approached by a decent boy.

She never thought that a brave and handsome boy like Zhang Qiu would approach her several times, making her feel as if she were in a dream, blushing and shy.

Ning Lan, however, found Zhang Qiu's actions strange and wondered if her Big Brother Qiu had fallen in love with her best friend at first sight.

Seeing the reactions of the two girls, Zhang Qiu knew he had caused a misunderstanding and felt very awkward. But for the sake of the task, he had to continue.

"Um, well. I'm not in the same school as Lan Lan. After what happened today, I'm worried that Cheng Jianwu might continue to harass and seek revenge. If anything happens, having your contact information will help me know Lan Lan's situation. Don't misunderstand, please!" Zhang Qiu said.

With this, Ning Lan was relieved, but Chen Lan blushed even more. Despite her shyness, she still gave Zhang Qiu her phone number and QQ number, and Zhang Qiu received another 200 yuan reward.

After being enhanced by two skills, Zhang Qiu's memory had also improved significantly. He remembered the two sets of numbers after hearing them once, which made Chen Lan even more impressed.

At this moment, Zhang Qiu suddenly noticed several people coming out of the alley they had just left. As soon as they came out, they looked around and saw Zhang Qiu and the two girls, then quickly walked over. These people were all very tall, dressed loosely, and had a very aggressive look, clearly not students.

"Let's go faster!" Zhang Qiu suddenly put his arms around the two girls' shoulders and sped up.

The two girls were surprised by this sudden move. Ning Lan cursed in her heart, calling Big Brother Qiu a pervert, but didn't resist. Chen Lan, on the other hand, was so embarrassed that her mind went blank, and she didn't speak or resist.

Suddenly, a pedestrian underpass appeared ahead. Zhang Qiu instinctively wanted to go through it but then heard a voice from inside: "Go faster! Go up, it's on this road."

Then Zhang Qiu saw several construction workers climbing the stairs of the underpass, running up.

At this moment, the construction workers saw Zhang Qiu with the two girls and were taken aback, then their eyes lit up.

"Kid, you sure have good luck! Both of these schoolgirls are so pretty!"

"Why are there construction workers here?" Zhang Qiu was puzzled. He looked around but saw no cranes or obvious construction sites or sounds. Moreover, although these people were dressed like construction workers, they didn't have the usual simple and honest look of construction workers. Instead, they had the air of street hooligans and social scoundrels.

At this moment, the several young men who didn't look like students suddenly sped up.

A bad feeling arose in Zhang Qiu's heart, and he said to the two girls, "Let's go through the crosswalk!"

He put his hands on the waists of the two girls, lifting them up to help them keep up with his pace.

"Ah!" The two girls felt their waists being grabbed and then tightened, and they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. When they felt their bodies being lifted, they marveled at Zhang Qiu's strength. They never thought his not-so-muscular arms could be so powerful, no wonder he was so good at fighting.

If it were the old otaku Zhang Qiu, he wouldn't have been able to handle the two girls, and lifting one girl would have been a struggle. But after being enhanced by the martial arts skill, Zhang Qiu could easily carry two girls, each weighing less than 90 pounds, as if they were two pieces of cotton.

At this moment, the several young men behind them suddenly shouted, "It's them! It's that guy who beat up Young Master Cheng!"

Now Zhang Qiu understood. These hooligans were sent by Cheng Jianwu, and these construction workers were probably the people from Cheng Jianwu's family company that Chen Lan mentioned.

"Damn! So it's you! You dare to beat up the young master of our demolition team? You must be tired of living!" It turned out they were from a demolition team, and from the looks of it, they were probably involved in forced demolitions, which explained their arrogance. He had heard that companies involved in forced demolitions often hired hooligans and scoundrels to complete their tasks, and they had a bad reputation in the news.

"Shit! We've always been the ones to beat people up, but today you actually beat up our young master! Brothers, let's kill him!"

"Those two girls are pretty! Kill that guy and take the girls to the construction site for some fun."

"Little girl, don't be afraid! I'll show you what a man can do!"

Hearing these vulgar and disgusting words, the two girls were terrified and instinctively hugged Zhang Qiu. At this moment, they realized that Zhang Qiu had suddenly hugged them not to take advantage but to protect them and help them escape.

At this moment, the construction workers had already rushed over, and Zhang Qiu simply picked up the two girls and ran forward frantically. Then he put them down and turned to face the attackers, ready to fight.

With his provincial-level martial arts proficiency, Zhang Qiu could perform a four-kick combo easily and sometimes even a five-kick combo. He was prepared and took the initiative, using a four-kick combo to easily take down four people.

However, after the four-kick combo, Zhang Qiu's stance was in a defensive position, and he couldn't attack again. Just then, the hooligans rushed over, pulling out steel pipes and swinging them at Zhang Qiu.

Zhang Qiu, having just landed and stabilized, didn't have time to attack again. Sensing the danger, he instinctively blocked with his arm.

"Bang!" The sound of the steel pipe hitting his arm was scary. The skin around the bone was already bruised and purple.

"Damn! Flesh and blood can't withstand steel!" Zhang Qiu cursed in his heart. After blocking the attack, his legs were free, and he could attack again.

He grabbed the steel pipe, pulled it, and kicked forward. The person was caught off guard and fell, and before he hit the ground, Zhang Qiu kicked him in the stomach.

At the same time, Zhang Qiu let go of the steel pipe, and the person, along with the pipe, flew out and hit the two people behind him, causing them to fall as well.

"Damn! Is he even human?"

"Such strength? He kicked a person into the air, is this a movie?"

"Shit, my intestines are broken. I'm going to pass out... Ah!"

While these people were stunned, Zhang Qiu had already rushed forward and unexpectedly kicked a five-kick combo, accurately hitting five people in the stomach and sending them flying, hitting two more people. This kick alone made seven people lose their fighting ability. Adding the three from before, ten people had already lost their fighting ability, leaving only five hooligans and fake construction workers standing.

Solving ten people in an instant took less than half a minute, faster than a movie. This scene shocked everyone.

At this moment, a patrol car without a siren stopped by the roadside.

"What's going on? Gang fighting! Do you know this is a serious crime? And it's near a school, which makes it even worse! Don't move, come with us to the police station!"