C12 He Was Starting to Get Scared

At first, he had assumed it was all just a ruse, but to his surprise, it turned out to be true.

"The debt his daughter owes the hospital—I'll cover it."

A voice cut through the clamor.

"It's you..."

Lyu Wende instantly recognized the voice's owner.

It was the same stranger who had come to his aid not long ago.

Together, they made their way to the doctor's office.

"What's ailing your daughter?"

"Stomach cancer!"

The doctor interjected.

"Is she savable?"

Chen Cheng turned to question the doctor.

"It's touch and go! The poor girl... What's your relation to her?"

The doctor inquired.

"How much more will her medical treatment cost?"

Chen Cheng ignored the doctor's question.

"At least a million."

"What's your bank account number?"

Chen Cheng asked Lyu Wende.

"You..."

"Don't you want to save your daughter?"

Chen Cheng cut him off.

Chen Cheng didn't mind performing acts of kindness in this world.

"Perhaps this is what it feels like to do good anonymously."

Without revealing his identity, Chen Cheng transferred 1.5 million yuan to Lyu Wende.

He felt a certain destiny with Lyu Wende, having crossed paths twice, and decided to lend a hand since he was not short on funds.

This left him with just over a million.

Yet, Chen Cheng found he quite enjoyed this sensation, treating money as if it were mere dirt.

He then headed to the most bustling square, where he shopped for clothes, got a haircut, and unabashedly feasted on meat and wine under the astonished gaze of a restaurant waiter.

He wandered alone for a long time, buying a variety of items—both men's and women's—purchasing anything that caught his eye without haggling over the price.

The women's items, of course, were for Zhou Xuqing.

As for the goods, he simply tossed them into his system space when no one was looking, and that was that.

As dusk settled, the streets began to empty.

"Hey! Boss, isn't that the guy Brother Xiong told us to look for the other day?"

"You're right, he does look familiar!"

"Let's approach him."

A gang of thugs closed in on Chen Cheng.

With his keen hearing, Chen Cheng had already picked up on their conversation. He didn't react immediately, wanting to find some amusement first. Since his physical condition had improved, he found he needed less sleep.

"Hey, kid, our boss wants a word with you."

The thugs encircled Chen Cheng, their demeanor threatening.

"Sure, lead the way. I've got some time to kill."

Chen Cheng's response caught the thugs off guard, but they quickly recovered and escorted him to a nearby bar.

"Hey there, handsome, looking for some fun?"

A scantily clad woman called out to Chen Cheng. The bar regulars, familiar with the value of Chen Cheng's attire, assumed he was there for a good time.

"Scram! He's the guy Brother Xiong is looking for."

An impatient thug shooed away the women converging on Chen Cheng.

At the mention of Brother Xiong, the woman's face paled, and she quickly scattered with the others.

The entourage moved through the dance floor to a secluded hall teeming with drug users.

The head thug muttered something to the overseer, and they proceeded to a private room—though it resembled more of a lavish suite.

Muffled gasps and breaths echoed from behind a screen, and shortly after, a woman emerged in disarray, clutching her chest in panic.

"You've got some nerve showing up here, kid."

Black Bear emerged from behind the screen, clad only in his boxers, his torso bare.

Muscles rippled across Black Bear's frame, scarred and imposing, with a gunshot wound even marking his shoulder.

Once, the sight of Black Bear might have sent Chen Cheng running, but not today. "Heh, this isn't exactly a dragon's lair or tiger's den. Why wouldn't I come?"

Chen Cheng nonchalantly popped open a bottle of wine and took a swig, then sprawled out on a sofa.

Black Bear was taken aback by Chen Cheng's nonchalance in his stronghold, where snuffing out a life was as easy as swatting a fly.

"Thinking of making a move? Just remember to consider the consequences."

Chen Cheng, sensing the murderous glint in Black Bear's eyes, offered a friendly warning.

To Chen Cheng, who had endured the apocalypse's trials, taking a life was no longer a significant matter.

And in this post-apocalyptic world, disposing of bodies was all too easy.

They could even be repurposed as raw materials in the munitions factories, though Chen Cheng found the thought revolting.

"Click!"

The black bear brandished his pistol, aiming it squarely at Chen Cheng. "I'll concede that I'm no match for you, but even the most skilled martial artist is vulnerable to a bullet."

"It's surprising he got his hands on firearms, given Koprueles' stringent regulations. This man might just be of use to me."

In the apocalypse, securing and rationing weapons and ammunition was Chen Cheng's greatest challenge. Every faction guarded their weapon-manufacturing equipment jealously, maintaining a tight grip on their control.

To thrive, he needed weapons. Calcheth might sell to him for a while, but should relations sour and the supply be cut, he'd be as exposed as a maiden without her clothes.

Gunpowder weapons hadn't been completely phased out in the apocalypse. However, obtaining gunpowder was a significant hassle, not nearly as straightforward as using projectile or laser weapons. Some gunpowder weapons were even on par with laser arms, just squirreled away by the major powers.

If he could amass a cache of modern firearms to arm the apocalyptic forces, he wouldn't have to fear for quite some time. Acquiring missiles, tanks, and the like could significantly bolster his power in the apocalypse. Yet, the prospect of opening a tank factory seemed distant.

With these thoughts, Chen Cheng planned to inquire about the origins of Black Bear's arsenal.

"Listen up, kid. Kneel and give me a hundred loud kowtows. If it pleases me, I might just leave you with an intact corpse."

The humiliation from his last beating had spread like wildfire, turning him into a laughingstock. Black Bear brooded over this, unconcerned with any higher orders, and was determined to settle the score.

The henchmen snickered, anticipating the spectacle. As long as they kept quiet, who else would know? Noticing Chen Cheng's nonchalant posture on the couch, Black Bear resolved to give him a taste of pain, to collect some 'interest,' so to speak.

Bang! Sensing a whiff of murderous intent, Chen Cheng reacted instantly, flinging his glass of red wine and evading the bullet with a swift sidestep.

With his level of skill, subduing the black bear was a piece of cake for him.

"Ah!"

The black bear felt a sudden surge of heat in his grip, as if he had grasped a fireball, prompting a reflexive release of the gun.

"Nobody move, or I swear I'll shoot."

By the time everyone came to their senses, Chen Cheng had them at gunpoint.

The chance to cry for help had passed. Confronted with the imminent threat of death, not everyone had the mettle to play the hero. Fear had begun to take hold among them.