Xia Yan sprinted through the streets, painfully aware that every single pair of eyes around him was staring at him like he'd grown a second head.
With that massive ball of green light hovering above him, his return-glance rate had probably hit a thousand percent.
Finally, as the distance grew, the green glow above his head faded and vanished.
"Someone used a contract spirit on me!"
Xia Yan clenched both fists, chest heaving, eyes burning with fury.
With an S-rank contract spirit, he'd had everything handed to him on a silver platter his entire life. When had he ever suffered humiliation like this?
Right now, he felt like his very soul had been trampled underfoot.
"I'll make them pay for this!"
He spotted a deserted alley up ahead and walked straight in.
There had been too many people around before -- he hadn't dared report the specifics.
Now he was going to lay out every last one of Chen Shu's crimes to the Spirit Suppression Bureau.
Just as he pulled out his phone to dial --
Chen Shu had already followed him in complete silence.
Despite his tall frame, the guy made zero noise when tailing someone. Like a ghost.
He gazed at the dark, empty alley ahead, and a wicked grin crept across his face.
"Well, well... someone knows how to hide."
Chen Shu calmly unzipped his backpack, urea bag in hand, and stepped into the alley.
"Hello? Is this the Spirit Suppression Bureau?"
Xia Yan's voice dripped with rage. "The people from Nanjiang Second High -- in the city, they--"
Mid-sentence, darkness swallowed him whole.
The alley was already pitch-black. He didn't even have time to react before the urea bag came down over his head.
"What the FUCK?! What is this?!"
Xia Yan thrashed on pure instinct, his body flailing wildly like a fish on a hook.
WHAM!
A heavy fist connected and Xia Yan's body lost all balance.
WHAM!
Chen Shu followed up with a flying kick that sent him tumbling.
Xia Yan ate dirt face-first. Absolutely pathetic.
"I'll KILL you!!"
Rage obliterated whatever was left of his judgment. He didn't even bother removing the urea bag -- just summoned his contract spirit right then and there.
"ROARRR!! AHHH!!"
The Inferno Raging Tiger materialized instantly, its fire-red body blazing in the dim alley like a furnace dropped into a closet.
But the moment it tried to unleash its power, a horrible shriek tore out of it instead.
"Goo-gii! Goo-gii!"
An enormous golden sphere appeared out of nowhere and slammed down on top of it, pinning the tiger flat.
The sheer weight crushed the S-rank Inferno Raging Tiger into total immobility. It couldn't move, couldn't even activate a single skill.
"What the--?"
Alarm shot through Xia Yan. He realized instantly that something was very, very wrong, and reached up to tear off the urea bag.
Too late. Chen Shu had already closed in without a sound, and in his hand was -- another urea bag.
Double-sealed. Lockdown complete. Didn't matter who you were -- nobody was getting out of this.
WHAM WHAM WHAM!
Chen Shu laid into him with fists and feet, holding absolutely nothing back.
From inside the bag, Xia Yan managed to speak. "All I can say is you've gone too far! The world's a small place -- no need to burn every bridge!"
Chen Shu's eye twitched. "Still trying to play tough in there?"
"You... you're DONE! I can tell you right now -- you're DONE!"
Xia Yan could only shield his head with both hands and endure the merciless beating, spitting out threats between blows.
"Done, huh?"
Chen Shu answered with a Thunderous Punch followed by a Skull Splitter. The combination was, frankly, a work of art.
Xia Yan howled in pain but refused to stop with the threats.
"Cross me and you won't live to see tomorrow's sunrise!"
"Oh good, rain tomorrow. Thanks for the forecast!"
WHAM WHAM WHAM!
Xia Yan curled into a ball. Am I giving him a goddamn weather report?!
Finally, under the relentless barrage, Xia Yan's pride shattered completely. He wailed:
"Big bro, I was wrong, I was really wrong..."
Chen Shu smiled wickedly. "Say it -- you did nothing wrong!"
Xia Yan's brain short-circuited. I did nothing wrong and you're STILL hitting me?
"Not gonna say it?"
WHAM WHAM WHAM!
"Uncle, please stop! Please! I... I did nothing wrong..."
"See?! Even NOW you think you did nothing wrong! You absolutely deserve this!"
WHAM WHAM WHAM!
Xia Yan nearly threw up. Are you running a goddamn sting operation?!
He finally shut his mouth. He couldn't identify the voice, but he was certain it was someone from Nanjiang City.
[Reward received: Large amount of Beast Taming Power!]
Chen Shu saw the System reward pop up and immediately prepared to pull out.
He issued a direct order: "You. Run straight ahead. Do NOT take the bag off."
When Xia Yan hesitated, Chen Shu planted a boot in his back.
"Don't -- I'll run, I'll run!"
Xia Yan recalled his Inferno Raging Tiger, and with the urea bag still over his head, charged out of the alley.
Chen Shu dusted off his hands with satisfaction, hid his merit and fame, and departed the scene.
Xia Yan didn't dare stop for even a second, terrified Chen Shu would catch up and deliver round two.
Moments later, he stumbled onto a bustling commercial street.
The noise and chatter of the crowd eased his nerves somewhat.
But the pedestrians were another story entirely. The sight of a walking urea bag careening down the sidewalk was enough to rattle anyone.
"Call the cops! Someone summoned a contract spirit downtown!"
"That's not a contract spirit -- that urea bag's become a freaking spirit! Call the Bureau!"
Xia Yan finally ripped off the bag. Listening to the crowd's commentary, he felt like his chest was going to explode.
His eyes burned with resentment. YOU'RE the one who became a spirit!
"Huh? Xia Yan?"
Three boys appeared in front of him, staring.
You've got to be kidding me. This unlucky?
He looked closer. They were his own classmates.
As the undisputed number one in the entire school, he'd always carried himself above everyone else, looking down on all of them.
If anyone saw him like this, his life was over.
He absolutely could NOT let them recognize him.
"You've got the wrong person."
Xia Yan dropped the urea bag, spun on his heel, and bolted -- only to stumble, trip, and slam face-first into the pavement.
"..."
One disaster after another. Xia Yan wanted to just sit there and bawl his eyes out.
But he knew it wasn't over yet. He forced himself to his feet, a single lyric echoing through his skull:
Run forward, into the cold stares and ridicule![1]
And right on cue, a voice rang out from behind, shattering whatever was left of his composure.
"Xia Yan! You dropped your ID card!"
A passerby had spotted the fallen ID, picked it up, and shouted after him.
"..."
In that moment, Xia Yan finally, completely, broke.
"I SWEAR I'M NEVER PLAYING TOUGH AGAIN!!"
Tears streamed freely down his face. His pride -- it couldn't even take a single hit.
The cold night wind cut through him, but his heart was colder still...
...
"Chen Pi, all done?"
Shen Wushuang was waiting in the hotel lobby when he spotted Chen Shu strolling back in.
"When I'm the one handling it, it's a walk in the park."
Chen Shu's face was the picture of moved gratitude. "Teacher, you were actually worried about me?"
"Heh... heh..."
Shen Wushuang patted him on the shoulder and headed upstairs without another word.
He hadn't been worried about Chen Shu. He'd been worried about the citizens of Daxing City.
What if this guy got a little too excited and dropped a nuclear bomb? Nobody could survive that.