Chapter 164: Shameless Thugs

Regular A and Shi Ji chatted for a while longer. Soon Regular A learned that Shi Ji was from Yinshuang Academy. The envy in Regular A’s voice was obvious.

Shi Ji, however, couldn’t understand what there was to envy about. If it weren’t for the fact that he had no money and was only hanging around Yinshuang Academy for free food and lodging, he wouldn’t even be staying at that place.

With that thought, Shi Ji shook his head lightly. Maybe, if the day came when he truly had to leave, there would be reasons for him to miss it after all.

At this point, Regular A started to share some painful memories.

“My entire family died during the Great Cataclysm. I was the only one who survived. That’s why I decided to become a hero. I’m not very strong, and I really wanted to get into a hero academy, but my constitution held me back. In that situation, I had no choice but to rely on myself. When I finally passed the exam and became a hero, that’s when I realized just how huge the gap was between me and those Starborn heroes.”

Shi Ji stood by the bedside, staring out the window. He listened closely to Regular A’s story.

The heroes who had passed on were once people’s spiritual pillars, symbols of hope. In simple terms, “hero” was just a nickname the public gave them.

But now, things were different. Being a hero had become a profession. Many people boasted about being heroes, but they were really just hypocrites or cowards. Many who were looked down on or ridiculed by others were the real heroes.

The self-aggrandizement of so-called heroes, the contradictions they faced, and the gap between them and the common people—that was the reality of today’s world.

This world was full of contradictions, and it needed to be set right.

Whether someone called themselves a hero or was just an ordinary person, if Shi Ji saw something he didn’t like, he couldn’t help but speak up—or even throw a punch to set things straight.

“It’s not just the strong who are heroes. As long as you do your job and work hard, you’ll see results,” Shi Ji said seriously.

Regular A was a good person, but he needed to face himself honestly.

Regular A nodded, agreeing with Shi Ji’s words.

“Yeah, thanks, Shi Ji. I get it.”

Regular A only knew that Shi Ji was a student at Yinshuang Academy and had no idea of his real strength. But now, looking at the young man standing by the bedside, he had a sense that this youth was filled with power, an overwhelming strength.

Just as he was lost in thought, a rumbling noise snapped Regular A out of his daze.

He winced in pain as he sat up straighter and asked urgently, “Shi Ji, did you hear that sound?”

Shi Ji was already staring outside at a particular spot, his expression completely unchanged.

“Yeah, I didn’t just hear it. I saw it too.”

Not far from the hospital, a dark figure was leaping between buildings, heading straight toward the hospital.

The hospital was full of patients, and if this creature caused trouble here, countless people would be caught in the crossfire.

“Looks like it’s time to get to work.”

Hearing this, Regular A immediately understood, but he quickly added a warning: “We don’t know its level yet. You’re not a hero. Don’t push yourself too hard. Remember to–”

Before Regular A could finish his sentence, a gust of wind blew in from the window, and Shi Ji had already disappeared.

Regular A froze for a moment, staring out the window as he muttered, “Don’t die on me, Shi Ji.”

Shi Ji hadn’t left the hospital; he had climbed out the window and jumped onto the hospital roof.

The creature was quite large and moved at an alarmingly fast pace. If it wasn’t dealt with immediately, this thing could wreak havoc across Silver Frost City.

“It’s my time to shine.”

With that, Shi Ji’s body leaned forward, preparing to move.

But just then, a sharp voice called out behind him.

“Shine, my foot! Get out of the way.”

That voice was all too familiar to Shi Ji.

When Shi Ji turned around, he saw Jing Xin, whom he always called “the little girl,” walking over with her arms crossed over her flat chest.

Today, Jing Xin was dressed in a white skirt, paired with white stockings on her legs. The overall outfit was simple and practical, well-suited for combat.

Shi Ji and Jing Xin never got along. As they stared at each other now, it was clear that neither of them could stand the sight of the other.

“Oh, it’s you, little girl,” Shi Ji said as she came up beside him.

Without missing a beat, Jing Xin rudely lifted her foot and tried to stomp on Shi Ji’s foot. But getting the upper hand on Shi Ji was never that easy. With a light jump, he easily dodged her attack.

By now, Jing Xin was used to Shi Ji’s impolite way of addressing her and didn’t even bother to respond anymore.

Looking back at the dark figure darting between the buildings, they could now make out its form more clearly. Judging by its appearance, it was likely a wolf. Its massive build, muscular limbs, and sharp fangs made it quite an intimidating sight. Even from a distance, Shi Ji estimated the creature to be at least three meters tall and ten meters long—a real giant.

Despite its large size, the wolf moved swiftly and gracefully, gripping the walls with razor-sharp claws as it leapt between the buildings.

Squatting down next to Jing Xin, Shi Ji asked, “Did you come here just to hunt it? What the hell is that thing?”

“That’s a Wasteland Wolf, on the peak of the Nether rank, nearly at Spirit rank. The Star Alliance sent out a notice to hunt it down about half an hour ago. Even with the combined efforts of several A-rank and B-rank heroes, they couldn’t subdue it, and it got away. One A-rank hero and several B-ranks were injured. It’s been roaming around, and apparently, it ended up here. Hey, brat, this has nothing to do with you. Get out of here before you get in the way.”

Jing Xin stared at the rapidly approaching Wasteland Wolf while explaining the situation to Shi Ji, but after finishing her explanation, she noticed that Shi Ji wasn’t responding.

When she turned to look at him, she saw Shi Ji tilting his head up, sneakily looking under her skirt, a mischievous grin plastered across his face.

“Oh, today it’s sexy black panties. Heh heh!” Shi Ji chuckled.

At that moment, Jing Xin finally realized why this scoundrel had squatted down beside her earlier. So, it was for this.

Her face flushed bright red as she gritted her teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter from the pressure.

“Shi Ji, you perverted, shameless, despicable bastard! Scoundrel! Lecher! Filthy lowlife!”

With that, she stomped down hard on Shi Ji’s foot, and this time she got him good.

Still furious, she continued to stomp on him with her short legs, not even counting how many times she stepped on him.

Shi Ji lay on the ground without saying a word, not even making a sound of pain.

After several seconds, he finally cried out, “Stop! You can stomp on me later, the big wolf is here.”

As soon as Shi Ji said this, Jing Xin gave him one last hard stomp before finally stopping.

As mad as Jing Xin was at Shi Ji, now wasn’t the time for petty squabbles.

“Pervert! Get lost!” Jing Xin still wasn’t pleased with Shi Ji.

Shi Ji, however, didn’t seem too bothered. He stood up and patted the dust off his clothes. “No worries, I’ll just watch from the sidelines. You go handle the wolf. No need to protect me.”

Jing Xin kicked at him again. 

“Who said I was protecting you, you self-absorbed jerk! Shameless!”

But this time, Shi Ji dodged.

Then Jing Xin added, “That injured A-rank hero? It’s Xinyan. Shouldn’t you check on her?”

The moment those words left her mouth and she turned to look back at Shi Ji, he had already disappeared.