In the past, their little trick had worked every time. But today, they had really hit a wall.

...

On the bar street, the neon signs of the various pubs shifted through endless combinations of red, green, purple, blue, pink... It was a dazzling, beautiful sight.

Lin Li and his group were silent as they walked out of the bar. Everyone except Lin Li was replaying what had just happened in their minds.

Lin Li’s performance just now had completely overturned their impression of him. A similar question surfaced in everyone’s mind... ’When did Lin Li get so strong?’

Zhang Dawei, who was closest to Lin Li, asked him directly, "Lin Li, when did you get so strong?"

"Strong in what way?" Lin Li knew what Zhang Dawei meant, but he deliberately feigned ignorance and asked back.

"I’m talking about how you took down that annoying punk in one move..."

"Oh, you mean that! That doesn’t have anything to do with me being strong, does it?

He probably accepted the settlement because he knew he was in the wrong and was afraid of how things would end if he escalated it. So when I offered a way out, he took it and didn’t bother us anymore..."

"Is that how it was?" Zhang Dawei and the others looked skeptical after hearing Lin Li’s explanation.

"Alright, it’s over, so let’s just let it go! Don’t think about those annoying punks anymore... Just thinking about them ruins the mood," Lin Li said with a laugh.

"You’re right. There’s no point in thinking about those annoying punks." Zhang Dawei nodded, and the others agreed, all except for Zhang Yanmin.

Although Zhang Yanmin had only been working at the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild for a little over half a month, she encountered Cultivators there every day.

Her own cultivation level wasn’t high, but she had still noticed the faint golden Spiritual Light that flashed in Zheng Song’s eyes, telling her he was a genuine Cultivator.

’But Lin Li is just an ordinary person. How could he make the guy yield so easily?’

"Alright, everyone has to get up early for work tomorrow, so let’s part ways here," Lin Li said, stopping in his tracks to address his classmates.

"When we have time again in the future, I’ll organize another get-together," Zhang Dawei said to everyone with a cheerful smile.

"Sounds good! But let’s not go to a bar next time. We can find somewhere quieter," Lin Li suggested, his ears still ringing from the deafening music.

"Okay." Zhang Dawei nodded. As the organizer of the gathering, he felt a little responsible for what had happened at the bar and agreed that they shouldn’t choose a place like that for their next meeting.

After that, the group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Lin Li watched as his classmates either entered the subway station or disappeared around street corners. He then looked away and walked toward a minivan parked by the roadside.

"If I wasn’t worried about exposing the fact that I’m a Cultivator to Zhang Dawei and the others, I would have taught you all a real lesson."

Lin Li muttered to himself, then opened the minivan door. A moment after he got in, the vehicle started and headed for home.

...

A little after ten at night, Lin Li drove his minivan into Ping’an Garden District.

"SCREECH."

After parking the minivan, Lin Li got out and noticed a flashing light in a dimly lit gazebo in the distance.

He could vaguely make out a figure sitting inside it.

’Huh? Isn’t that Liu De, the guy who awakened the glowing finger Superpower? I didn’t expect his awakened Superpower to have this kind of effect.’

Lin Li saw that as Liu De used his glowing finger Superpower, the flashing light from his finger actually attracted numerous fireflies from the district’s greenbelt, which now danced around him.

After watching him play with the fireflies for a moment using his glowing finger Superpower, Lin Li looked away and turned to head home.

At the door to Apartment 601 in Building 3, Lin Li took the key from his pocket. Just as he opened the door, he heard the sound of his next-door neighbor’s door opening.

"Lin Li."

"Xia Qing, you’re still up? It’s so late."

"I don’t go to bed this early! I was just making some wontons, and now I’m about to take the trash downstairs," Xia Qing said with a smile, holding a bag of garbage.

Lin Li nodded to his neighbor and was about to go inside his apartment.

Just then, Xia Qing, who was about to go downstairs to throw out the trash, called out to him again. "Lin Li, I’m going to cook some wontons for a late-night snack in a bit. I’ll make an extra bowl for you. Come and try them, see how they taste!"

"Uh... that’s too much trouble! You go ahead and eat, you don’t need to make any for me," Lin Li said, turning back and shaking his head.

"It’s just a bowl of wontons, don’t be so formal with me. You helped me out so much before, and I still haven’t properly thanked you!" Xia Qing said with a smile.

"Alright then! Thank you."

"I’ll text you when they’re ready."

Lin Li nodded and went back into his apartment.

"CLICK."

After turning on the lights and walking into the living room, the first thing Lin Li did was turn on the air conditioner.

He had planned on taking a shower first after getting home, but since Xia Qing had just said she was making him a late-night snack, he thought it over. ’I’ll eat first, then shower.’

He sat down on the sofa, picked up the remote, and turned on the TV.

"According to the latest news received by this station, an inmate has escaped from South District Prison.

The inmate’s name is Tie Qiu Heng, thirty-six years old, one-point-nine meters tall, with a square face, a bald head, thick eyebrows, and a burly build.

According to Investigators from the Superpower Administration Bureau, two people assisted in the inmate’s escape.

The three individuals are now hiding somewhere in the city. If anyone finds any relevant clues, please provide them to the Superpower Administration Bureau..."

Leaning back on the sofa, Lin Li watched the beautiful news anchor report on the South District Prison escape. His mood was no longer as tense as it had been when he first heard the news from Liu Jialin.

Thanks to the unexpected windfall today, he had acquired a large amount of Mutant Beast flesh, which had dramatically sped up the progress of harvesting the Magical Little Fruit.

In just another two or three days, he would be able to harvest the mature Magical Little Fruit. Once he ate it, his strength was sure to increase dramatically.

Lin Li was confident that once he broke through to Second Order High Rank, even if Tie Qiu Heng—the criminal who was caught because of him—came seeking revenge with his two accomplices after the prison break, he would have nothing to fear.

After a moment of thought, Lin Li pushed the matter of Tie Qiu Heng’s revenge out of his mind. With a single thought, he vanished from the sofa and entered the Mysterious Small Island.

A few days ago, he had planted some watermelons in the fields he had cultivated. By his calculations, they should be just about ripe now.

He was going to Xia Qing’s place for a late-night snack soon, and Lin Li thought, ’It wouldn’t be right to show up empty-handed.’

So, he decided to go to his fields and pick a watermelon to bring as a gift when he went over to her place.

...

「In the basement of a somewhat old residential complex.」

A young man with a weaselly face, Xiaoli, watched as the three big shots from his organization—now wanted by the Superpower Administration Bureau—ate the late-night meal he had brought them.

After a moment of thought, he decided to report the information he had gathered today. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Mr. Tie, regarding the matter you asked me to handle, I had someone investigate today. We have news on the home address of that man named Lin Li."

Tie Qiu Heng, who had been wolfing down egg fried rice, snapped his head up at the words. A hateful glint shone in his eyes as he asked,

"Where does that bastard live? Does he have any family or friends?"

...