Chapter 20: Times Change, But Villains Remain

Chapter 20: Times Change, But Villains Remain

Upon returning from the Abyss Battlefield, Lu Heng felt a sense of relief.

When he initially decided to help Su Muyu awaken early, he never expected her to be summoned to the Abyss Battlefield so soon.

Under normal circumstances, the probability of being summoned in the first round of the Abyss Battlefield was quite low.

Su Muyu had just awakened, and her countdown to the Abyss Battlefield was less than one and a half hours.

This was a rare occurrence.

Lu Heng was momentarily startled, worrying that she might not survive her first encounter with the Abyss Battlefield.

It was only after confirming that their countdowns were the same, indicating they would enter the same Abyss Battlefield, that he felt slightly more at ease.

Now, having successfully brought her back, he considered his inner promise to himself fulfilled.

Lu Heng sheathed the Aurora Blade and checked his data panel.

[Name: Lu Heng]



[Race: Human]



[Level: 8]



[Health: 160/160]



[Essence Energy: 180/180]



[Attributes: Strength 16, Agility 21, Constitution 16, Spirit 18, Perception 17]



[Talents: Agile as Dragon, Divine Evolution]



[Skill Slots: 3]



[Skills: Lightning Weapon, Shadow Clone, Gale Step]



[Martial Arts: Swordsmanship (Subtle), Body Control (Beginner), Combat (Beginner)]



[Divine Energy: 30]



[Items: Aurora Blade]



Su Muyu had also leveled up to Level 6, and her attributes increased to Strength 12, Agility 13, Constitution 13, Spirit 17 (16+1), and Perception 17.

After experiencing the Abyss Battlefield, which lasted only three days, Su Muyu felt as if she had gone through a lifetime of changes.

In just three days, she had transformed from knowing nothing about the Abyssal World to becoming a Level 6 Metahuman.

These changes were too rapid for her to adjust her mindset immediately.

Su Muyu contemplated various questions, asking whatever came to her mind: "Should we contact Chen Zihan?"

Lu Heng slowly shook his head. "Let's not reveal our identities for now. When I was in the Abyssal World, I didn't leave any contact information for him. And he didn't provide us with his contact details either.

"He probably realized that exposing his real-world identity might bring a lot of trouble."

Indeed, the truth was undeniable.

The Abyssal invasion had brought about a dramatic change in the human world.

In the early stages, when the number of Metahumans was still relatively small, exposing one's identity could lead to all sorts of problems.

As the first Abyss Battlefield concluded...

The authorities must have become aware of the existence of the Abyss Battlefield, especially since someone had inquired about the countdown on the internet a few days ago.

Being discovered by the authorities wasn't the worst-case scenario.

Even if they were taken for research, the chances of life-threatening situations were slim.

However, if they were captured by illegal organizations for research, the outcome would be uncertain.

...

After a good night's rest, Su Muyu returned to school the next day.

Her diligent nature compelled her to practice her Scout Eagle skill whenever she had free time, and watching the slow increase in her skill proficiency brought her a sense of satisfaction.

Lu Heng, on the other hand, focused on training his Gale Step, improving his skill proficiency while also refining his Body Control.

During training, he could see the results of his efforts after each distance milestone:

[Practicing "Gale Step" skill, Skill Proficiency +1]



[Gaining insight into Body Control, Body Control Proficiency +1]



[Physical Attributes improved, Strength +0.01]



Now that he had Divine Energy, once he maxed out his skill proficiency, his initial talent, Divine Evolution, would become useful.

...

Online, information about the Abyss and demons was still being censored.

However, within certain small circles, the news of monsters appearing on Bluesphere had already spread.

Time passed, and Saturday afternoon arrived.

Lu Heng packed his things, ready to head home for dinner.

It had been almost three weeks since the start of school, and he hadn't been home yet, so he needed to make an appearance.

Lu Heng's home was a cozy three-person household in the Peach Orchard Village in Xingyang Road, Ningyun District, about an hour's journey from school.

Just as he finished packing and was about to leave, he received a call from his mother.

Anxiousness tinged her voice as she spoke on the phone: "Son, don't come home today. Your father and I have something important to attend to, and we won't have time to cook for you. Stay at school and study hard."

In the past, whenever his mother knew he was coming home, she would go to the market early in the morning to buy the freshest fish and shrimp, and even if the sky fell, she would still prepare a lavish meal.

Lu Heng frowned, carefully recalling his memories before his rebirth, but he couldn't recall any major incidents that had occurred at home during this time.

Regardless of what had happened, he decided to go back and take a look.

After finishing his phone call, Lu Heng took a taxi back to his hometown in Ningyun District.

As soon as he arrived at the doorstep, he knew something was amiss.

The furniture in the house, including tables and chairs, had been smashed to pieces and scattered all over the floor.

At that moment, a group of thugs with tiger, leopard, and jackal tattoos were blocking the entrance.

No wonder his mother didn't want him to come back; after all, in his parents' eyes, he was still the obedient child studying in the ivory tower, incapable of handling such matters.

In the living room, Lu Mingli, Lu Heng's father, was speaking to a middle-aged man wearing a floral shirt: "Mr. Tang, you cut me off on the road, and when I confronted you, you slammed on the brakes, causing the rear-end collision."

The middle-aged man, known as Mr. Tang, held a string of prayer beads in his hand and sat in a chair with a cold expression. "The traffic police ruled it as your fault. Are you trying to shirk responsibility?"

"I'm not trying to shirk responsibility," Lu Mingli attempted to reason with him. "I'm just going through the insurance process."

"Do you recognize my car's emblem? Two R's. Your insurance won't even cover the cost of a light bulb." Tang Hongda's face showed contempt.

"Even if you're here to collect a debt, there's no need to start by smashing things," Lu Mingli continued to reason.

"I did smash things, and what are you going to do about it?" Tang Hongda said, raising his hand to strike Lu Mingli's face.

Lu Heng kicked over one of the tattooed thugs blocking the entrance and stepped into the living room, grabbing Tang Hongda's wrist. "Are you deliberately causing trouble?"

A sharp glint flashed in Tang Hongda's eyes as he sized up Lu Heng from head to toe, his voice cold. "So, you're Lu Heng?"

"Since you know my name, I assume you're here for me."

Lu Heng had been thinking about what had happened to his family in his previous life all the way here.

Now he understood—it was indeed because of him.

Just as the two of them were facing off, the enforcement team arrived.

"Who called the police?" The leading security captain asked.

"I did! I called the police. Look at our furniture, it's all smashed," Li Xiuyun pointed to the broken furniture, her heart aching.

"What's going on here?" The security captain turned to Tang Hongda, his voice stern.

Tang Hongda produced a damage assessment report and spoke politely to the security captain, "Captain Lin, we're here to collect a debt. It's only right to repay what you owe. Isn't that so?"

"You can collect your debt, but you can't resort to violence," the security captain clarified the rules.

"I didn't hit anyone. Who hit anyone? It's my men who were beaten. Captain Lin, look, my employees are in this state," Tang Hongda pointed to his men lying on the ground.

The tattooed thug who had just been kicked over by Lu Heng immediately lay on the ground, clutching his chest and howling, putting on a performance worthy of a soccer dive.

"Who hit them? Do you want to get a medical examination?" The security captain furrowed his brow, asking Tang Hongda if he wanted to follow the official procedure.

If the examination revealed minor injuries, it would be considered a criminal case.

"It wasn't a fight, it was a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding," Li Xiuyun quickly explained, worried that Lu Heng would be taken away.

After all, there was indeed a man lying on the ground, and he had been knocked over by Lu Heng.

Lu Heng was the apple of Li Xiuyun and her husband's eye, and they would rather suffer a loss than let their son be taken to the police station, not even for a day.

Furthermore, if he were taken into custody, it would give the other party a lot of room to manipulate the situation.

Tang Hongda only needed to make a small move, break one of his henchman's hands, and claim that Lu Heng had done it, constituting minor injuries. By refusing to accept mediation, the enforcement team would file a criminal case.

As for investigating the truth, that was something that only happened in TV dramas.

In reality, the enforcement team was best at muddling through, and in the end, it was a matter of whose connections were stronger.

"Captain Lin, you heard them, they said it was a misunderstanding," Tang Hongda immediately seized the opportunity to turn the incident of causing trouble into a misunderstanding.

Moreover, when Tang Hongda spoke to Captain Lin, he had a smirk on his face, clearly indicating that they were acquainted.

In the past, ordinary people had no choice but to admit defeat in such situations.

But now, times had changed.

The only reason Lu Heng didn't twist Tang Hongda's head off on the spot was that he didn't want to scare his parents.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end