Chapter 10 - 10: A Thousand Years of Time
Lin Zhen and Meng Dong got into Zhao Liang’s car, which was the latest model of the Great Wall Phantom bulletproof car.
Nowadays in the automobile industry, every country is basically using domestically produced cars, because all the seas and rivers have become the domain of monsters, with the maritime industry completely paralyzed, and the aviation industry not faring much better. The skies are ruled by mutated birds, so different countries no longer provide aerial transport. As a result, people can only use domestically produced cars, and the notion of buying foreign goods has vanished.
Great Wall is one of the high-end domestic car brands. The price of the bulletproof Phantom is more than 7 million yuan. It’s no big deal for Lin Zhen as a reincarnated person, but it’s quite shocking for Meng Dong, a fledgling youth.
“My goodness! Just look at this car, its sheen, its design! If I could have a car like this, I’d be satisfied for the rest of my life!”
Zhao Liang laughed and said, “You’re too easily contented, kid. If you two keep training and reach the level of senior warriors, you’ll be able to form teams and hunt monsters. As long as you kill a few high-level monsters, this car will be yours easily.”
After that, he looked at Lin Zhen and said, “See, Lin Zhen is much calmer than you. As a martial artist, a calm mind is extremely crucial. You should learn that from Lin Zhen.”
Meng Dong glanced at Lin Zhen dismissively, “I won’t compare myself to this guy. He’s best at pretending to be weak while actually being strong. Even though he has such strength, he doesn’t reveal it. I even worried about him for the longest time. He’s always been like this, and nothing he does will surprise me anymore.”
“Hehe, being able to conceal one’s abilities is also a skill. Let’s go, get in the car. We’re going to drink.”
Lin Zhen and Meng Dong got in the car, feeling the thickness of the door.
“When we martial artists choose a car, bulletproof capabilities are the top priority. The longer you train, the faster your reflexes become, and the fewer firearms will be a threat to you. But when you’re in a car, it’s a different story. If the enemy sprays you with machine gun fire, where can you hide? That’s why the car’s bulletproof capabilities should be as high as possible,” Zhao Liang advised as they drove, with Lin Zhen and Meng Dong listening attentively. Even though Lin Zhen knew far more than Zhao Liang, he didn’t reveal any of it; he saw that Zhao Liang treated them well and didn’t want to show any differences between them and others.
The car raced down the road and soon entered a bustling wide street.
“Wow! This is Shenwu Street; I heard that the consumption here is really expensive!” Meng Dong exclaimed as he looked at the bustling night scene outside.
Zhao Liang replied with a chuckle, “It’s true that the consumption on this street is considered high for ordinary people. A single meal could eat up their annual income. In one night, they could easily spend a decade’s earnings or even money they won’t make in their entire lives. But Meng Dong, remember this, you are now a member of the Gale Martial Arts Hall, so you need to adjust your mindset quickly. As martial artists, our lives are different from ordinary people.”
Meng Dong blushed, knowing his mindset still hadn’t been fully adjusted. Even though he had just joined Gale, he was still mentally an ordinary person.
On the other hand, Lin Zhen’s calm and collected demeanor was quite impressive to Zhao Liang. Having this mindset was a prerequisite for becoming an outstanding martial artist.
The car stopped in front of a bar, and a waiter came forward to greet them. “Brother Zhao! You haven’t been here for several days.”
“Is there a table available?” Zhao Liang asked.
“Of course, as soon as you arrive, there’s always room for you. No one would dare to take your spot at Gale Martial Arts Hall!” the waiter replied.
Zhao Liang smiled and tossed the waiter two banknotes, asking him to park the car and polish it.
The waiter beamed with joy and went off to work, as the bills totaled 2,000 yuan – a small fortune!
Martial artists, with their wealth and generosity, were always the favorite kind of customer for the waitstaff.
As they approached the entrance, Lin Zhen and Meng Dong looked up and saw the name of the bar: “Millennium Time”.
The bar was renowned among martial artists. The interior was decorated to resemble the era of the AD calendar from a millennium ago, giving it a vintage feel.
About that time in history, everyone had learned about the AD calendar, so they had some knowledge of the era. Although people’s potential had not yet been unlocked, the science, culture, and art at that time were no worse than now and might even have been superior. In terms of enjoyment, the God Transformation Calendar couldn’t match the time of the AD calendar.
Zhao Liang walked ahead, with Lin Zhen following beside him, his face expressionless and thoughts of the days he’d visited this bar in his previous life.
Although it was a bar, fights often broke out at Millennium Time. In his past life, after joining the Blue Sky Martial Arts Hall, the first time he went out to celebrate was that very same day at this very same bar. A fierce clash had erupted at the time.
Students from Dragon Slayer and Gale Martial Arts Halls had fought there that day. Meng Dong and Ouyang Yu had both participated in the battle, defeating their opponents and making a name for themselves in the martial artist circle.
Reputation was also very important for martial artists. Gaining recognition in the circle was no easy feat.
However, that day’s protagonist was not Meng Dong, but a first-class student from the Gale Martial Arts Hall named Fu Chengya. He single-handedly resisted the joint attack of a first-class student and a second-class student from Dragon Slayer, and did not fall in five minutes.
The main reason Gale did not completely collapse that day was Fu Chengya’s presence. His reputation as a first-class student was well-deserved.
That battle was very famous among the students at that time. Although Gale lost in the end, Fu Chengya made a name for himself in that battle. At that time, Lin Zhen was just a spectator in the corner.
It is said that Fu Chengya even received a reward from the Gale Martial Arts Hall, but Lin Zhen didn’t know the specifics.
“Fu Chengya, a first-class student from the Gale, was the one who snatched my Mutant Wild Buffalo King last time and made me lose several billion out of thin air. I will see you again soon.” Lin Zhen thought as he followed Zhao Liang into the bar hall.
Upon entering the bar hall, there was a dance floor in the center, surrounded by dozens of round tables for guests to drink at. On the stage in the center of the dance floor, a girl with a pure appearance was playing and singing an old song called “Dream Chaser” with a guitar. It was said that it was once popular during the Gregorian calendar era, with a band accompanying her.
It is said that all the decoration and furnishings are based on the style of the year 2000 in the Gregorian calendar, which is indeed quite different from today’s style.
There were already many tables of guests in the hall, all of whom looked like martial artists or martial arts school students.
Today was the end of the graduation exam, and almost every martial arts school was recruiting students who would choose to go out and celebrate. All the bars on this street were full.
With the help of the waiter, Zhao Liang brought Lin Zhen and Meng Dong to his most familiar spot, a position not too far or too close to the stage, with a great view.
“What do you two want to eat?” Zhao Liang asked them first.
Lin Zhen and Meng Dong both shook their heads, not knowing what to order.
Indeed, rookie students who come here really don’t know what to order. Zhao Liang wasn’t surprised and decided, “Then give us a magic wolf leg, two pounds of mutant beef, a plate of fruit and a plate of nuts, and a case of that… Ice City beer.”
The food was served quickly here, and within five minutes, the dishes were ready.
The waiter opened three bottles of beer, and Zhao Liang handed one to Lin Zhen and Meng Dong, “Come on, as a martial artist, you must learn to drink. This environment is perfect for drinking beer. Let’s not go home until we’re drunk tonight.”
They clinked their bottles together and chugged the entire bottle.
As soon as they sat down and ate something, more people walked in.
“Our people who went to recruit students from School One, Old Hu, come here!” Zhao Liang saw them and immediately called out.
Four people came in, led by a tall martial artist, followed by three students.
“Liang, you’re here too.” Old Hu walked over with a big laugh and sat down casually.
“Yeah, Brother Hu, you had a good harvest today. You recruited three students and even got a first-class one.” Zhao Liang looked at the three students behind Old Hu with a hint of envy in his eyes. It has always been excellent to recruit students from School One, but it’s not easy to get a first-class one. He didn’t expect Old Hu to find one, and he made a lot of money this time.
“Hahaha! It’s just luck. Fu Chengya is indeed a good boy. You are not bad either. It’s already very rare to recruit a second-class and a third-class student from a place like School Six. Come on, let your students get to know each other so they won’t be strangers in the martial arts school in the future.”
Fu Chengya was handsome and slightly aloof. The other two, Zhu Haoran, a second-class student, and Zhang Yi, a third-class student, came over to greet Zhao Liang first and then introduced themselves to Lin Zhen and Meng Dong.
Seeing that the table was a bit small, Old Hu called out to Zhao Liang, “Old Zhao, let’s go to a private room. Let these young ones play together. There are quite a few old friends in the private room today, and it seems they want to play cards. Let’s go and have some fun.”
Many martial artists like to gamble, and Zhao Liang was no exception. His eyes lit up when he heard it, “Okay, let’s go and take a look.”
The two got up, and Zhao Liang said to Lin Zhen and the others, “You guys just have fun and eat and drink whatever you want. Just charge it to my account if it’s under 300,000. If any other martial arts school students come to cause trouble, don’t be polite and just beat the shit out of them. Don’t tarnish our Gale’s reputation, okay?”
The students all agreed, and the two martial artists went off to play cards arm in arm.
There were now only five students left at the table, and Lin Zhen knew the real show was about to begin.