Chapter 347: I Thought You'd Run Away
Chapter 347: I Thought You'd Run Away
November 3rd, 2024
If every second for those in the room felt like a year, then at this moment, it felt like an entire century.
As the footsteps outside grew louder, the people inside revealed despair on their faces.
Had they been discovered?
But how could that be?
They hadn't made any noise, and the lights were off.
Just then, the footsteps paused, and after two or three seconds, they gradually faded away.
The people inside relaxed, only to realize they were drenched in cold sweat.
"Bang!"
A loud sound echoed.
The tightly shut door suddenly flew open, slamming into the wall, and wood chips scattered on the ground.
A figure stood at the doorway, eyes sharp as blades.
At this moment, those inside could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. Forget about running; they didn't even have the strength to get up.
"Please, please," a man begged, "don't, don't kill us."
The others also realized their situation and pleaded for mercy, filled with regret. If they had known it would come to this, they shouldn't have hidden here; they could have escaped much further.
"Let you go?"
Jiang Cheng let out a cold laugh.
"What's your reason?"
When he had gone upstairs earlier, he had heard these people confidently assuring Xie Tian that they would swindle more people.
"We have money. If you let us go, we can give it all to you!" someone said.
"How much money do you have?" Jiang Cheng asked with a mocking smile.
To him, a few million was just enough to refine a day's worth of potions. Once his alchemy skills reached perfection, even a thousand million was possible.
The group exchanged glances.
Finally, someone gritted their teeth and said, "Our master has a set of combat gear that he bought for over twenty million. If you want it, you can take it from the fifth floor. Just let us go in the end."
"Twenty million for combat gear?"
Jiang Cheng's interest was piqued.
Top-grade A-rank combat gear was worth around ten million.
Could the twenty-million-dollar gear be S-rank combat gear? The kind that could withstand Grandmaster attacks? But upon further thought, he felt it was unlikely, as Xie Tian was only an Eighth Rank Force Warrior.
"That's right. It's Black Aura combat gear. They say that when worn, it can withstand attacks from a Tenth Rank Force Warrior!" The speaker grimaced.
If they had chosen to leave directly, this whole situation could have been avoided.
Perhaps when they returned the next day, the combat gear would still be on the fifth floor.
"Black Aura..."
Jiang Cheng felt a sense of familiarity.
"Where did he get it from?"
"The... black market."
The speaker spat out the words.
"I never imagined that the person who bought that combat gear would be him."
Jiang Cheng sighed inwardly.
In terms of defense, Black Aura combat gear was even better than his Sky Net Umbrella, and unlike the latter, it didn't require the consumption of Essence Energy; it just needed to be charged.
Of course, everything had its pros and cons.
The downside of the Black Aura gear was its size; it couldn't be carried around like the Sky Net Umbrella. Even when worn, it was unlikely anyone would just stand by and watch.
So, there was some relief.
Fortunately, he had launched a surprise attack; otherwise, even a Tenth Rank Force Warrior, without the corresponding weapon, would be a challenge for him.
"Thank you for reminding me, but I still have one question."
Hearing Jiang Cheng's inquiry about the loan company, several people eagerly blurted out the answer.
"Senior, now, can you let us go?"
"Yes, Senior, we know, I've already told you."
"I'm sorry."
But Jiang Cheng shook his head.
"You guys are loan sharks, causing many people's families to break apart and become homeless. If I let you go, I'm afraid they would be the first to disagree."
"That, that was all because our master forced us to do it!"
Hearing these words, everyone grew anxious.
"Yes! It was all our master's doing! And before, it was Second Senior Brother who was in charge, but recently, something happened to him, so we took over."
"We really didn't harm that many people!"
"Senior! Spare us! Spare us!"
A series of screams echoed in the room, soon followed by silence.
Jiang Cheng walked straight out of the room and headed upstairs.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, he immediately spotted the Black Aura Battle Armor hanging on the side.
The all-black armor shimmered with metallic gleam under the light.
Jiang Cheng's curiosity got the better of him, and he tried it on.
It had to be said that this combat suit, which looked rather light, actually weighed several hundred kilograms. If an ordinary person wore it, they would be crushed to death.
He exerted all his strength and unleashed a punch.
The power was indeed slightly stronger than before.
However, compared to this slight boost, the combat suit's formidable defense was its true strength.
If he wore this suit for hunting, even in the mountains, it would provide significant protection.
"I wonder if that day will ever come."
Jiang Cheng muttered to himself.
But no matter what, he decided to keep this combat suit.
As the saying goes, it's always better to be prepared.
After removing the combat suit and placing it in its accompanying large box, Jiang Cheng leaped down from the fifth floor and vanished into the night.
He arrived at the Dinghu Neighborhood.
With ease, he scaled the wall and entered the central zone.
As he approached his home, Jiang Cheng paused.
Then, with a bitter smile on his face, he walked forward.
Entering the living room, he saw a figure sitting by the table, a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of them, and Lin Yue, wearing a practice uniform, standing awkwardly to the side. Upon seeing Jiang Cheng's arrival, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother Jiang Cheng, you're back!"
"Mhm."
Jiang Cheng smiled and nodded, then glanced awkwardly at Gu Changkong.
"Big Brother Gu."
He had thought that he couldn't hide his departure from Gu Changkong.
After all, the sensory array here could identify strangers and, naturally, everyone who entered.
But he hadn't expected the other party to arrive so quickly.
"Brother Jiang, you've given me quite a scare," Gu Changkong sighed, then glanced at the large box Jiang Cheng was carrying. "Over an hour ago, you left the central zone and didn't go to the alchemy chamber. The cameras in the neighborhood didn't capture your whereabouts, and I called you several times, but no one answered. If it weren't for your family still being here, I would have thought you had run away."
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat and glanced at Lin Yue beside him, saying, "Little Yue, you can go back and rest now."
"Yes, Brother Jiang Cheng."
Lin Yue looked at Jiang Cheng with concern, then obediently left.
Jiang Cheng walked to the chair opposite Gu Changkong and sat down, speaking calmly, "I'm not a man who breaks his word. The reason I left for a while was to settle an old grudge."
(End of Chapter)
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