CH 52

Chapter 52: Buying an Armored Vehicle

Yin Tiancheng walked very fast. Shi Qingyang suddenly realized that, besides the bodyguards who had just helped to scold him, the other people with him were all strangers. He could not identify the level of those people, but just looking at their appearance and movements, he knew that they should all be radiation warriors who faced combat often.

The Yin Family became more and more low-key this year, but their strength was still there. Xing Ou was eager to take over the Yin Family’s position, but maybe he would face an unexpected stumbling block in the end.

“They were here first?” Cheng Ran looked at Shi Qingyang, a little confused. Just now he was very grateful to the manager for arranging his seat, but he didn’t expect that the seat was taken from others.

Even if he didn’t like Yin Tiancheng, he still thought it wasn’t good to do this.

“Is this what you meant by ‘arranged’?” Shi Qingyang smiled at the manager.

The beautiful manager’s face changed: “I’m really sorry, Master Cheng. The people below didn’t handle things well…”

“I think those people did well. It just so happened that our paths crossed.” Shi Qingyang said. If the manager really wanted to please them, she should have cleared the room in advance, otherwise it would have been fine to pick another room. There was no lack of people who would eagerly give up their seats for them, but she just had to let them rob Yin Tiancheng’s box… Most likely, she wanted to make a scene.

Even if they didn’t cause a scene, they could still plot for revenge, couldn’t they? Shi Qingyang saw Yin Tiancheng’s gloomy expression before.

Speaking of him, Shi Qingyang didn’t like Yin Tiancheng, but he didn’t want to treat him as an enemy. Yin Tiancheng, however, seemed to regard him as a dire foe.

The smile on the manager’s face did not change as if she could not hear the meaning of Shi Qingyang’s words: “We can’t help Master Yin’s bad temper. Please, go in, and the dishes will come up soon.”

There was more than one room on the top floor. The best seats were arranged for them. There were not only floor to ceiling windows where one could see the bright lights of Spark City at night, but also some flowers and plants.

Non-mutated plants would die if not treated carefully. Although there was little radiation in cities, some still existed. Generally, flowers and plants that came out of special breeding houses could only live for two or three days outside. It could be imagined how much money it cost to put so many flowers and plants here.

Cheng Ran’s attention should have been most concerned about such flowers and plants, but he was instead still thinking about what had happened just now: “Qingyang, what happened before?”

“Young master, there’s nothing wrong. You don’t have to take it to heart.” Seeing that Cheng Ran was suffering, Gu Changjin immediately comforted him.

“It was Yin Tiancheng who came to this room first. When the manager saw us, she deliberately asked someone to drive Yin Tiancheng away, and then let us come up, so that we could face off with each other…” Shi Qingyang analyzed the whole thing, and finally said: “Maybe the people who drove Yin Tiancheng away also pushed all the blame on us.”

“Isn’t that bad? Why would they do this?” Cheng Ran didn’t expect to encounter such a thing when going to dinner. His eyes were full of doubts.

“They should want to use us to suppress the Yin family.” Shi Qingyang smiled: “Ranran, you just need to be aware of this, you don’t have to worry about it.”

Cheng Ran nodded: “Yes, I’ll do as Qingyang says.” After figuring out the reason, he relaxed and began to look at the flowers and plants nearby. Gu Changjin sat next to him, sighed and whispered, “I used to protect my young master too tightly in the past.” Just like just now, his first reaction was not to let Cheng Ran know these dirty things… Fortunately, Shi Qingyang still remembered to explain them to Cheng Ran.

“It’s not just in the past.” Shi Qingyang whispered. Gu Changjin still kept a tight protection around Cheng Ran even now. If he just relaxed a little, Shi Qingyang and Cheng Ran would have been able to live peacefully in a two-person world.

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s in your mind,” Gu Changjin glanced at Shi Qingyang. “You’re may be decent, but it’s not as if the young master doesn’t have many other options.”

“Really?” Shi Qingyang replied casually, not very concerned. What Gu Changjin just said was most likely him simply trying to knock Shi Qingyang down. If he really disagreed, would he still let Shi Qingyang be around Cheng Ran?

As for Cheng Ran, though he might have other options… Shi Qingyang would nip all his rivals in the bud!

Cheng Ran gazed at the flowers in the box, and looked at the scenery outside through the French windows: “it’s beautiful at night.”

“Ranran, look at the sky,” Shi Qingyang suddenly spoke. The taller buildings in the city reached close to the protective covers, and this room at the top floor was of course the same.

Now that it was completely dark, outside the protective cover, a group of small flying beasts only the size of half an arm circled wherever there was light. Suddenly, a flame flew from the side, and those monsters were ignited, becoming fireballs one by one.

“Were the stars of ancient times like this?” Cheng Ran asked curiously.

“Should be so.” Shi Qingyang smiled, very satisfied with Cheng Ran’s demeanor. The small beasts outside were called thrips, or thunderflies. Most of them fed on mutated plants, but some ate meat. When they swarmed together, they became a disaster for people who were injured.

Shi Qingyang had always hated these kinds of beasts, or rather, all murderous beasts, so he would feel very happy watching this scene. But before, he had seen some so-called young masters and young ladies sympathizing with those insects. At that time, he would be speechless.

Fortunately, Cheng Ran had no extra sympathy for the killer creatures.

They had robbed this room, so it was likely that the food was prepared in advance after pulling some connections. Their meal was soon served, and there were more than a dozen kinds of pies in total. Gu Changjin had ordered one piece of each kind of pie today.

Of course, although there were many dishes, the quantity of each variety was not large because the state had stipulated that food should not be wasted.

Gu Changjin’s craftsmanship was good, but it couldn’t compete with the food here, which tasted absolutely delicious. After Cheng Ran finished eating, Shi Qingyang ate everything he could. He took out a small metal box to pack the remaining pies.

“You’re not going out of the city, so why are you still packing away food on your body to last all day long?” Gu Changjin asked suspiciously. Shi Qingyang would go to the kitchen every few days to make some dried meat or meat cakes. He would take food, water and medicine with him at any time, as if he wasn’t afraid of being uncomfortable. He could not understand such behavior.

“I can’t help it. After being hungry for a long time, I got used to doing this.” Shi Qingyang laughed. In fact, it was also a kind of psychological disease. Although there was enough food now, his hungry days had left too deep of an impression. Moreover, the act of taking food and water with him had saved him many times. “Grandpa Gu, I might leave the city in two days.”

“Going out to find herbs for the young master?” Gu Changjin asked. If Shi Qingyang went out of the city to find herbs for Cheng Ran, he would follow.

“Yes, I’ll look around,” Shi Qingyang said. Who knew if there was any change in the ant nest that his enemies had thrown him into in his past life.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Gu,” Shi Qingyang immediately responded.

After making up his mind to leave the city, Shi Qingyang prepared as he did before. Finally, after thinking about it, he went to the Radiation Battle Mall in the south of the city.

The Radiation Battle Mall sold various items for rad-warriors, such as battle suits, potions, and tanks. What Shi Qingyang wanted to see was the tanks.

Spark City was a third-class city. There were not many types of tanks. Many tanks needed to be rented in advance. After paying the deposit, they would be transported from Anhang City the next day.

Shi Qingyang came here to buy a tank.

Whenever he and Gu Changjin went out of the city, they had rented their tanks. Not only was the quality of the armored vehicles poor, but they had to rent whenever they wanted to use one. It was inconvenient, so he planned to buy one.

The robot shopping guide of the Radiation Battle Mall dutifully followed Shi Qingyang, and introduced information about whichever vehicle Shi Qingyang stopped in front of. At first, Shi Qingyang listened carefully, but suddenly he was attracted by the news broadcast on the nearby screen.

The person in charge of Huofeng Company recalled the 100 new combat vehicles launched previously. He apologized to and compensated everyone who bought this vehicle, and also admitted their design mistakes in front of everyone in the country and promised to do better in the future.

If a large number of Huofeng’s tanks had been put into the market, they would certainly not be able to recall all of them. Who knew how many people would complain in the end. But now, they had put only a hundred on the market, and of them could be refunded. Not only that, their attitude had won many people’s favor. After all, not many people were willing to admit their mistakes in this way.

“Is there a tank from Huofeng?”

“This way, sir.” The robot lead the way.

Shi Qingyang finally spent two million yuan to buy a Huofeng F-series tank. This kind of tank was not big, but it was very maneuverable and had good defense. The only drawback would be that it consumed a lot of energy. Shi Qingyang was not short of money, so that didn’t bother him.

The tank was not held in Spark City, so after Shi Qingyang paid the deposit, he took away a code that let him pick up the vehicle tomorrow. As soon as he left, several people came out. It was Yin Tiancheng, whom Shi Qingyang had met for dinner a few days ago, and several strangers around him.

Only this time, the leader was no longer Yin Tiancheng.

“The boy wants to leave the city after buying a tank? Tiancheng, do you want to mess with something on the tank?”

“Uncle, is it dangerous to do this? If they check the vehicle…” Since Shi Qingyang had bought the vehicle from here, if something went wrong, it would definitely affect this place.

“Then why not just do it directly.”

“Second uncle, Gu Changjin is level five…”

“I used to think level five was very strong, but now think about it, level five is nothing…” A very handsome man took out a cigarette from his body and lit it. This kind of cigarette was made of mutated tobacco after baking and radiating. When ordinary people smoked it did some harm to their bodies, but smoking had little impact on rad-warriors.

“Uncle, can you really do it?” Yin Tiancheng couldn’t help asking.

“Do you hate that Shi Qingyang?” The handsome man puffed the cigarette smoke over Yin Tiancheng’s face.

Yin Tiancheng’s eyes did not blink: “Doesn’t second uncle hate him?”

“Why should I hate them? If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have the good life I have now… But I still have to deal with this guy.”

“Second uncle?” Yin Tiancheng was excited.

“Don’t rush to be happy. No one knows whether it’ll work.” The man smiled: “Even if it can be done, we should also think about things. It must not involve the Yin Family…”

“Second uncle is so thoughtful!” Yin Tiancheng said immediately.

The two men talked with quiet voices. They looked very close to the point Yin Tiancheng called the other “second uncle”.

Yin Tiancheng’s father had only one younger brother, Yin Ming, and Yin Tiancheng would only call Yin Ming ‘second uncle’, but Yin Ming had been exiled more than a year ago…

Why was this man who looked completely different from Yin Ming called second uncle by Yin Tiancheng?

After Shi Qingyang bought the vehicle and went home, he turned on his computer. A few days ago, when he went to RadiationBattle.net, some people had been scolding him saying that what he’d wrote about Huofeng Company’s tank was complete nonsense. After all, Huofeng Company hadn’t announced anything before, but now the situation was different.

The chairman of Huofeng Company recalled those tanks and personally admitted that they had design problems. The moderator of the battle technology exchange section also posted a thank-you letter from Huofeng Company. The words on the letter were not many, but they expressed their gratitude very clearly.

At first, there were many people spitting on Shi Qingyang on the forum. As a result, those voices all fell silent. On the contrary, those who had supported him had become even more supportive after this incident.

I don’t want to starve didn’t ask for money and was willing to advise them. How could they not be touched?

“Master Not Starving, are you online?” Cheng Xuze soon sent a message.

“What’s the matter?” Shi Qingyang asked.

“It’s the Huofeng Company. When they recollected the vehicles, they asked all the customers about you, but none of them admitted any relation. They couldn’t find a way to thank you. Finally, they went to our website to express their gratitude. I told them you asked for money compensation, and they sent over a large sum. Do you want me to send it to your account directly?” Cheng Xuze asked.

“That works.” Of course, Shi Qingyang would not refuse such an unexpected fortune. When he saw the number on the connector, he couldn’t help laughing.

The Huofeng Company was a place of great wealth. So much money was enough for him to buy two tanks.

“Master, they actually asked to meet you…”

“I won’t meet anyone.”

“That’s what I said.” Cheng Xuze smiled. Even he hadn’t seen Not Starving’s true face, how could it be seen by others.

“Master, there’s also the mobile fortress. I’ve already applied to two spots for modification. After I purchase it, should I directly register the fortress with Shi Qingyang?” The mobile fortress had very strong defensive power. Many of the materials used for the protective cover were better than those used for the city. It was also equipped with special weapons, and the modified ones would be even better…

Of course, ordinary people couldn’t afford or buy such things. They needed to apply for them. Once they bought them, they needed to register them under someone’s name.

“That’s fine,” Shi Qingyang agreed directly.

“Then I will immediately have someone refit and strengthen its protection. It at least needs to be able to withstand a full-out attack from a level-6 rad-warrior and defend against the attack of a level-8 rad-warriors!” Cheng Xuze said. The general mobile fortress could not reach this level. For the sake of safety, he decided to help Shi Qingyang upgrade.

“Thank you,” Shi Qingyang also shared this sentiment.

The next day after talking with Cheng Xuze, the tank ordered by Shi Qingyang arrived. Gu Changjin looked at the tank and stared: “Shi Qingyang, where did you get the money to buy such an expensive tank? Did you sublet your parents’ land? No, even if you sublet it, there wouldn’t be so much money.” This tank may not be top-notch, but Shi Qingyang couldn’t have been able to afford it.

“My master gave me money.” Shi Qingyang laughed. He had paid homage to a good master. Cheng Xuze knew about him, and Gu Changjin also knew about him.

“Your master really dotes on you…” Gu Changjin sighed: “Check it out. We’ll leave the city tomorrow.”

“No problem.” Shi Qingyang nodded. The Chinese New Year was coming in two days. The sooner they left the city, the better.

As long as they were rad-warriors, there wouldn’t be any who didn’t love tanks. Even Cheng Ran came out of the house and carefully touched the new tank: “This vehicle is much better than my family’s, but it’s a pity that I can’t go out of the city.” The white car used by his family as a substitute for walking could be dented by pressing carefully, but one was extremely strong. The two were as different as the contrast between his own arm and Shi Qingyang’s arm.

“I will definitely take you out of the city in the future.” Shi Qingyang said, thinking of the mobile fortress that Cheng Xuze had promised to buy for him.

“That sounds good.” Cheng Ran’s hand touched Shi Qingyang’s. He was not as embarrassed as before when touching Shi Qingyang, so he rubbed Shi Qingyang’s hand with his pinkie finger.

Gu Changjin wanted to tell Shi Qingyang that he could not take Cheng Ran out of the city with him, but he didn’t say anything.

It’s better not to crush children’s dreams… Gu Changjin was thinking about this, and saw Cheng Ran’s actions: “Shi Qingyang, since you want to take the young master out of the city, I’ll take you to practice.”

Shi Qingyang had explained some of Gu Changjin’s behaviors to Cheng Ran before. Seeing this scene, Cheng Ran immediately knew that he had implicated Shi Qingyang through his actions: “I… Grandpa Gu, let’s practice together!”

Cheng Ran wanted to practice together, what else would he do for Shi Qingyang? Gu Changjin suddenly felt sad.