C7 I Am Unreasonable!

Inside the apartment, Chen Hao lounged on the sofa, while Mr. Ma and his henchmen lay scattered on the floor before him.

Mr. Ma was completely bewildered. Despite their number—eight in total, each armed and skilled in combat—they had all been taken down in under three minutes.

Chen Hao, on the other hand, didn't even break a sweat.

Could this guy be a martial artist?

What was even more baffling was that the pain from the blows he delivered didn't subside. Instead, it was excruciating, as if their hearts and lungs were being torn apart.

Observing their pitiful condition, Chen Hao asked, "Is the pain intensifying?"

"Uh, yes..." Mr. Ma clutched his abdomen, his face contorted in agony.

"Do you want to know how to make it stop hurting?"

"Uh, how can I make it stop?"

"Just pay up, and the pain will go away."

"Money?" Realizing he was in deep trouble, Mr. Ma hastily instructed his underlings to rummage through their pockets for cash.

After a thorough search, they scraped together a mere two thousand yuan, which Mr. Ma carefully arranged on the coffee table with utmost respect.

"Bro, is this enough?" Mr. Ma asked, his voice devoid of any earlier bravado as he cradled his aching belly.

Chen Hao raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "This is all you've got? Do you think that's sufficient?"

He collected the money without another word.

"How much do you want then?" Mr. Ma was desperate for relief, willing to pay any amount to alleviate the pain.

After a moment's thought, Chen Hao replied, "Fifty thousand yuan by ten o'clock tomorrow morning. That's when I stop waiting. You could go to the hospital, but I can't promise it won't cost you more."

Mr. Ma, biting back the pain, conceded, "Fine! But could you at least—"

"Take care now," Chen Hao interrupted, dismissing him.

Mr. Ma and his crew stumbled out, leaving Chen Hao untroubled by any concern for their potential retaliation.

Throughout the night, Chen Hao remained awake, steadfastly continuing his cultivation practice.

As morning arrived, he multitasked by preparing breakfast and switching on the television.

"Last night, a devastating fire broke out at Irethhone University. Firefighters responded, but a building began to collapse, resulting in the confirmed deaths of nine firefighters. The full extent of casualties is still being assessed. The investigation suggests the primary cause of the fire was..."

Ultimately, the incident at Irethhone University was dismissed as an accidental fire. The gunshots heard were explained away as natural gas explosions, and the casualty figures were conspicuously unmentioned.

The survivors and eyewitnesses were likely visited by officials and coerced into signing nondisclosure agreements.

These events mirrored those Chen Hao remembered from his past life, with the exception that the final casualty count would omit two names that should have been there.

He hoped these omissions wouldn't throw off the world's natural rhythm.

For Chen Hao to stay ahead, his knowledge from a previous life was crucial. Any butterfly effect could nullify his edge.

After breakfast and a change of clothes, it was barely nine in the morning when the doorbell echoed through the house.

Chen Hao greeted his visitor with a smile, "Learned to use the doorbell, have you?"

Mr. Ma, still holding his stomach, appeared with his entourage, his expression a mix of desperation and hopelessness. "Brother, Big Brother, I've managed to gather the money. Please, I'm begging you, let me off the hook!"

"Did you go to the hospital?"

"I did, I did. Big Brother, your skills are incredible, nothing short of miraculous. The doctors couldn't find a thing wrong with us and were at a loss. Big Brother, could you teach me? I swear I'll stick by you from now on," Mr. Ma pleaded with an awkward smile.

Chen Hao accepted the money, counted it, and advised, "Go home, lie flat, and sleep for an hour. You'll be fine. Farewell."

With a firm click, the door shut. Chen Hao, money in hand, returned to his room and retrieved a bank card from beneath his wardrobe.

"Twelve thousand yuan should just about cover it." Throughout the years, Chen Hao had been receiving a monthly allowance of six thousand yuan. With minimal expenses beyond his apartment rent, he had managed to save nearly all of it.

But now, with all his savings combined with the sum he had managed to get from Mr. Ma, he had just enough for the initial purchase of medicinal herbs.

It was clear that he would need to find a reliable way to make money moving forward.