Your skills are excellent, and now I have them too.

Chapter 6 Want to Live

At noon, the school was noisy.

High school is when appetites are at their best, and regardless of the grade level, the ever-present theme is always fighting for food.

However, Lu Zhao and Chen Qinhu, the two selected children, walked out of the school gate alone, looking out of place in the lively atmosphere.

"Zhao, are you going to block the door? Maybe you should forget it. I think Teacher Zhou is no ordinary person. My dad said those old soldiers have really bad tempers. If you're really at his doorstep and there's no one else around, he might slap you twice. Don't come crying to me then."

"...I wouldn't cry even if you slapped me twice."

Lu Zhao felt that it was a bit funny for Chen Qinhu, who was all muscle, to say this, but it was also a reflection of his inner thoughts.

He had already begun to imagine a scene in his mind: at some point in the future, this guy, clad in heavy armor and wielding two machetes, would be on the battlefield, hacking and slashing while crying.

"Don't worry about it."

He said, "Since you can also tell that this Teacher Zhou is no ordinary person, doesn't that mean we must seize the opportunity?"

"Then, what should I do? You can't do it all by yourself."

Chen Qinhu said, "But I'm not good at social interactions."

"You stay put, I'll figure something out."

After a pause, Lu Zhao added, "I'll call you if I need anything."

He put the bag of books he was holding on the ground and moved his fingers because they felt tight.

"Okay then... What happened to your hand?"

Chen Qinhu had just noticed that he seemed to have never used his left hand.

Lu Zhao casually rolled up his short-sleeved shirt, revealing his swollen upper arm: "I strained it because I used too much force."

Chen Qinhu stared at the muscles with a puzzled look for a while, then clenched his fist and moved it up and down a couple of times before sighing.

"I heard that after we set off, the transport ship will stop at other continents for supplies. Some of the laws in those places are different from those in our Guzhong Continent, and they allow us to pay to resolve the issue."

"Huh? Pshaw! It's not like that! I was just testing out my power generation techniques."

"Of course! If it can strain your hand, it must be a new technique. Who could stand being used like that every day?"

"..."

Lu Zhao was too lazy to argue with him, picked up the book, ran a few steps, and stood on the escalator of the light rail station.

"Hey, wait for me." Chen Qinhu followed.

The two boarded the train and went home separately.

When Lu Zhao arrived at his apartment building, before he even went upstairs, he saw a furtive figure pacing back and forth at the entrance of the building. The figure had two ponytails swaying back and forth and was frantically tapping on a phone, seemingly sending messages, completely oblivious to its surroundings.

Why is Gu Jianing back?

Lu Zhao found it strange that students did not have conscription leave. If someone in their family was conscripted, only those who worked in regular companies could take leave to stay home and accompany them.

Oh, she skipped class again.

He quickly remembered that the girl's grades were not ideal. During the end-of-term parent-teacher conferences, whoever attended would receive a month's worth of compensation for not having to cook or wash dishes.

However, no one in her family expected that she had a talent for martial arts.

Without having any exposure to martial arts techniques, the fact that he has the Breath of the Dog skill hanging above his head suggests that he is likely the type Zhou Changsheng described, someone who can immediately comprehend special skills upon exposure to martial arts.

Lu Zhao held his breath, quietly moved from his blind spot to the back of the classroom, and suddenly roared, "Skipping class, huh! Tell your parents to come back with me to process your expulsion!"

!!!

Gu Jianing's attention was focused on her phone, and she was startled.

Then he knelt down with a thud.

"No! My grandfather suddenly fell seriously ill and is dying. I rushed back to see him one last time and didn't have time to ask for leave. Although it violated the school rules, it was out of filial piety. Please, please don't... Lu Zhao, you're going to die!"

"Who told you to skip class? You deserve it." Lu Zhao didn't really care. With his sister's grades, she was basically done with studying. The most important thing now was to find the right time to get a job in a factory.

As for practicing martial arts, he doesn't object, but he won't bring it up himself. If you don't join the army, learning that stuff is too expensive, and even if you learn it, its main purpose is on the battlefield.

"Let's go up."

Lu Zhao pulled her into the elevator.

I unlocked the door and went inside. As soon as I entered, I saw a huge pile of gift wrappings on the coffee table: cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and fruits that were hard to find in Guzhongzhou…

"Mom? Are you preparing so much to give as a gift to the Emperor?" Lu Zhao shouted into the inner room.

Gu Jianing said disdainfully, "Brother, your vision is too narrow. Would the emperor even care about such trivial things?"

"..."

"At least bring two more cases of milk."

"You don't have a very broad perspective!"

Lu Zhao ignored her. Just then, his parents changed into their home clothes and came out of the bedroom. It seemed they had just returned home after shopping.

Zhang Shuhua pulled the two apart: "Don't move. These are for your Uncle Hu, the rest are for your dad's classmate at Guzhong Heavy Industry, and there's some left to keep in reserve. I'll ask your grandpa to inquire; it seems like one of their neighbors participated in the last expedition."

"Hey, why are you telling them all this?"

Gu Yongchong said to Lu Zhao, "I'll treat your Uncle Hu to a meal tomorrow, and you should come too. He's a retired soldier from Gu Zhongzhou, and he can tell you some common sense and unspoken rules about military life. Listen carefully then."

This Uncle Hu, strictly speaking, is not an outsider, but a relative. However, he is roughly equivalent to "the brother-in-law of one's mother's cousin's wife." Anyway, Lu Zhao couldn't quite figure it out. He would sometimes see him when visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year, but they weren't close.

"understood."

Lu Zhao stared at the two bottles of Da Qin Gu Jiao wine on the coffee table. "Dad, this wine..."

"This is also a gift; I'm contacting the person in charge."

Zhang Shuhua said anxiously, "Hurry up, or it will be too late."

"I know, I know, they've been busy these past few days, haven't they?"

When Gu Jianing saw the two bickering, she wanted to go inside as if nothing had happened. However, as soon as she reached the connection between the living room and the bedroom, she was caught by her mother's eagle eyes.

"Hey? Gu Jianing, wait a minute, why aren't you at school?"

"....."

She froze when her real name was read aloud.

She had been pacing downstairs, debating whether to go home. Normally, she definitely wouldn't go home; she'd just stay out all day and as long as the school didn't call home, she wouldn't be found out.

But this time, the thought of her brother's impending death made her want to go home, which is why she hesitated.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Lu Zhao stepped forward and said, "The school is having a big clean-up today, so school will be dismissed at noon."

I love you so much, bro!

Gu Jianing's eyes immediately lit up. She had never been good at lying since she was a child, but her personality was the kind that didn't care about the consequences and would only complain if she felt good, so she often got beaten up.

Being both bad at the game and loves to play is a good example.

After hearing Lu Zhao say that, Zhang Shuhua no longer had any doubts.

"Have you eaten yet? I'll cook some dumplings; we haven't eaten at all. Old Gu, could you prepare those vegetables?"

Once they were both in the kitchen, Gu Jianing winked and whispered, "Thank you, brother."

Lu Zhao waved his hand dismissively: "Hey, there's no need for thanks between siblings. Helping each other is only right."

"Uh-huh!"

"Then do me a favor."

".....Hmm?" Gu Jianing sensed something was wrong.

If the previous rescue was a prelude to the current demand, then this demand must be quite demanding.

Lu Zhao whispered a few words in her ear.

!!!

Gu Jianing's face turned deathly pale: "What...what's the difference between this and sending me to rebel?"

.....

Tick.

The last few drops of beer leaked from the can into the bearded man's mouth.

Kara.

Zhou Changsheng crumpled the can into a ball and casually threw it into a trash can a few meters away.

He took out his keys and clattered into the elevator of his apartment building.

There was no signal in the elevator, so he couldn't use his phone. He stared at the decoration company on the left for a while, then at the tea brand in front of him, and finally chose the car brand endorsed by the female celebrity on the right.

After watching for half a minute, the other two people in the elevator got off, and he also arrived at the 12th floor.

As I stepped out of the elevator, the motion-sensor lights automatically turned on, revealing a boy crouching in the still dimly lit corridor.

Zhou Changsheng frowned slightly, but when he saw the two unpackaged bottles of Daqin Ancient Cellar liquor placed against the wall, his frown relaxed.

He gave a wry smile: "What exactly do you want?"

Lu Zhao looked at him with neither arrogance nor servility: "I want to come back alive."