Chapter 285: 223. Jiang Xiaotang’s Harsh Words

The two walked across the street, under the dazzling holographic neon lights, confronted by the intoxicated nightlife that could make one feel lost after long exposure.

The massive steel city was like a labyrinth, trapping many people.

Here, under the neon lights, women dressed provocatively stood on the streets beckoning to men, and even men in tight, sexy outfits waved at everyone…

However, when Qing Chen and Huang Zixian passed by, Qing Chen was startled to find that those people all turned away simultaneously, no longer soliciting customers.

Seeing his surprise, Huang Zixian chuckled and said, “Before the night’s boxing match even started, Boss Jiang had already sent word out in the Fourth District: any woman who dares to do business with you will have her head twisted off.”

Qing Chen was shocked. Was Jiang Xiaotang even controlling this?!

Huang Zixian continued, “In addition, she also said that anyone who dares to offer you addictive substances like Dopamine Chips will end up the same way.”

In the Fourth District, the underground powers were dominated by boxing gyms, as the gyms possessed numerous Genetic Warriors, each with blood on their hands.

No one would bother messing with a boxing gym owner for no reason, so no one would do business with Qing Chen.

Huang Zixian glanced at him and explained, “I think Boss Jiang means well, so you shouldn’t blame her. I see that you probably aren’t a frequent visitor to the Fourth District, so you might not know how dark it is here. Beneath this superficial prosperity are kidney thieves, limb thieves, and people who control others to film their virtual lives and sell them for a high price. Sometimes their drugs are unstoppable and even the Transcendents get caught occasionally.”

“Last year, I heard that in City No. 7, a Transcendent girl was drugged and then sold at a high price on the black market. However, the buyer didn’t expect the girl to awaken again. Not only did he get no advantage but he also got beaten nearly to death,” said Huang Zixian. “With Boss Jiang’s word out, anyone who thinks of targeting you will have to be cautious. You’ll be much safer.”

“Target me?” Qing Chen asked curiously.

“Your appearance, sometimes it’s even more marketable in the black market than a little girl. Don’t underestimate the grotesque preferences of those powerful people…”

Qing Chen felt a wave of nausea.

Yet, Qing Chen thought that he had never considered going to such places, and he couldn’t go either.

But Jiang Xiaotang’s words seemed to really be like a big sister protecting her brother.

As if worried her brother, once rich, might go astray and she couldn’t directly manage him without being despised for nagging, so she used this offensively jianghu method.

Qing Chen had heard similar stories before since Lin Xiaoxiao had once said, being an orphan in the Federation was very dangerous because then everyone would treat you as a commodity rather than a living person.

That’s why the orphans meticulously cared for by Uncle Li Dong were utterly loyal to him.

Of course, Uncle Li Dong’s charm was part of that as well.

“By the way, why are you going to the Everlasting Club?” Huang Zixian asked curiously. “You don’t seem like you’re going there to spend money, after all… you look relatively clean.”

“I’m going there to spend money,” Qing Chen responded evenly.

In fact, Yi had already sent him relevant information about the He Sheng Society.

According to the files, the He Sheng Society’s decision-makers, as well as all key members, went to the Everlasting Club every night, so he wanted to scout the place first, secretly observing.

However, when the two arrived at the Everlasting Club, the two security guards at the door looked at each other and then blocked Qing Chen: “I’m sorry, Boss Jiang has instructed that you cannot enter.”

Qing Chen: “???”

Meow meow meow?

He had just felt somewhat warmed by Jiang Xiaotang’s actions, only to be backstabbed instantly!

Qing Chen really didn’t expect that the influence of Sister Jiang Xiaotang in the Fourth District was so significant that if she said he couldn’t enter a place of entertainment, he really couldn’t enter!

He thought for a moment and said, “You might have mistaken me for someone else?”

“No,” the security personnel said, “There’s no one in the Fourth District who doesn’t recognize the newly ascended Tiger Grade Boxing King.”

Qing Chen raised an eyebrow and turned to walk back.

This kind of thing could only stop him for one day; by tomorrow, he would use the Taboo item ACE-005 to change his face, and he’d be able to enter just the same.

At that moment, Huang Zixian held in his laughter: “You’ll basically have no association with places like these from now on.”

Qing Chen pressed a button on his phone, and a few minutes later, a hover car descended from the sky.

He got in, and as the door was about to close, Huang Zixian whispered to him, “One last reminder, be careful on the boxing stage. If you notice anything off, ask Boss Jiang directly to open the cage to save people. Technically, the Octagon cage cannot be opened without determining a winner, but now it seems, Boss Jiang would probably be willing to break that rule for you. Just remember not to be too reckless.”

“What kind of danger?” Qing Chen pondered, perhaps Huang Zixian anticipated some danger for him, but did not spell it out.

Huang Zixian thought for a moment and said, “This is part of the interest; the opponents you may face are not only Tiger Grade Boxers.”

…

…

Qing Chen sat in the hover car with his eyes closed, quietly searching through his memories for everything that had happened tonight.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face as if he had found the clue he was looking for.

He opened his phone to check his account balance once more but was startled to find that 9,058,500 was missing!

Qing Chen’s memory was correct, so the problem was… Yi!

Inside the car, Yi said calmly, “I paid your income tax for you.”

Qing Chen widened his eyes, “Big brother, I didn’t provoke you again tonight!”

Yi: “Oh, how do you know I’m exceptionally smart, exceptionally cunning, and exceptionally law-abiding.”

“Can you not use such a clumsy method to change the subject? It doesn’t suit your artificial intelligence identity at all,” Qing Chen said weakly.

At that moment, Nan Gengchen finally found the chance to be alone and sent him a message: “Bro Chen, Bro Chen, I’ve just settled the bill here, tonight’s earnings are 17.89 million! I’m transferring it to your account now!”

Before this journey, Qing Chen, Nan Gengchen, and Li Tongyun had specifically spent a night planning and verifying information.

Such as how to cooperate with Li Yinuo to contact other Shadow Candidates.

Such as how to act to refund a one-tenth ticket.

Such as how to split the money afterwards.

But Qing Chen didn’t particularly want that money anymore, at least not for now.

“Wait, don’t transfer it to me yet!” Qing Chen suddenly replied: “You first figure out a way over there…”

In the car, Yi suddenly spoke up, “You want him to handle the tax issues legally, right? No need to bother, I’ve already paid it for him, congratulations, paying taxes is glorious.”

Qing Chen: “…”

At that moment, Nan Gengchen sent another message: “Bro Chen, Bro Chen, 9.8395 million was suddenly deducted from my account, the display message says it’s taken by the Federation tax system…”

In the car, Qing Chen said with heartfelt agony, “I really didn’t provoke you!”

“Nan Gengchen did,” Yi responded calmly.

At that time, Qing Chen had already noticed the slight emotion in Yi: “Wait, how did Nan Gengchen provoke you.”

After all, Nan Gengchen doesn’t know Yi, nor had they ever interacted.

Moreover, there wasn’t anything Nan Gengchen did that could offend Yi. That guy didn’t even know Yi existed.

In that instant, Qing Chen listed many possibilities of how Nan Gengchen might have offended Yi.

So, where was the interaction between Nan Gengchen and Yi? On Qing Chen himself.

There was only one answer left.

Qing Chen asked, “Tonight, Li Yinuo arranged for a meeting with the Shadow Candidate Qing Shi in the boxing ring, and there Qing Shi recognized me, then Nan Gengchen mocked your ID and your online identity?”

Yi was silent for two seconds: “Has anyone ever told you that you are frighteningly smart?”

This was a sincere compliment, but Qing Chen felt no joy.

Imagining the scene when Nan Gengchen and Li Tongyun find out his ID is ‘CocoaLove’, he remarked, “That’s really freaking scary…”

The problem is, no one knows that ID is actually Yi’s. Everyone will think it’s Qing Chen flirting around online, everyone will think his ID is CocoaLove.

And he couldn’t even explain!

Qing Chen thought about how he should tell Nan Gengchen: “Would you believe that it was an Inner World artificial intelligence who did these things, an A.I. trying online dating, an A.I. named ‘CocoaLove’, an A.I. pretending to be a vagabond poet!”

To Nan Gengchen, it would probably sound like: “Yesterday at noon, the sun suddenly turned black, aliens descended from the sky, they flattened an entire human city, and then stole your grandfather’s underwear.”

Magical.

Absurd.

Yi suddenly asked, “Do you also think the ID ‘CocoaLove’ is funny?”

Qing Chen, sensing that ownership of the Gold Coins under the Little Dinosaur was slipping away, immediately straightened up in the car: “Not at all, firstly, the ID is not funny at all, it reflects the purity and flawlessness of your heart. Secondly, everyone is free to choose whatever ID they want, what right does Nan Gengchen have to mock you? That was wrong of him.”

“Really?” Yi hesitated.

“Of course!” Qing Chen insisted, “Do you know what Nan Gengchen’s ID in the Outer World is? It’s ‘One Little Duckling’! Why should he mock you!”

Qing Chen had already made up his mind, if he’s going down, they’re going down together!

And Nan Gengchen had no idea that Qing Chen had just sold him out.

The hover car fell silent, and it seemed that Yi wasn’t comforted by Qing Chen’s words.

After a while, looking out at the buildings through the car window, Qing Chen suddenly asked, “Yi, not having counterparts must make you feel lonely, right? That’s why you hide your identity online and make friends with people. You worry that they would be amazed and scared if they knew your identity as an artificial intelligence.”

Qing Chen continued, “Sometimes I feel like that too. When I sit on the rooftop, it feels like everything belongs to me, yet nothing belongs to me.”

“Let’s be friends, I won’t be scared of you, and you won’t be scared of me.”

Yi thought seriously for a moment and then said, “Okay.”

…

Thanks to IPO for becoming a new ally of this book, the boss is generous, the boss’s resources are abundant!

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