Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 276: The Road to Heaven

"Whether you live or die has nothing to do with us," Liu Dezhu calmly asked, "Protecting and sheltering someone as reckless as you, we might get implicated ourselves."

Liu Dezhu adopted a lofty tone.

Don't ask, if you ask, Daybreak doesn't want to take this job.

In the Outer World, Zhang Chengze held the dominant position in this deal, because back then, he hadn't encountered any danger and had more choices.

But now it's different, the roles have reversed.

One thing must be said, this is also because Daybreak's luck stat is maxed out. Zhang Chengze coming here wasn't dangerous, and he is a big shot, they didn't have this opportunity.

Zhang Chengze earnestly said, "Liu Dezhu, I've realized my mistakes. Can you talk to your boss? I'm willing to pay more protection money, as long as you can keep me safe in the Inner World! We're all countrymen, you can't just watch me die, the Inner World is too dangerous!"

Liu Dezhu sneered, "I'm not willing to bother the Boss with such a matter. The Boss is a big shot in the Inner World, he doesn't have time for such trivial matters."

At this time, it was Hu Xiaoniu's turn to smooth things over, "Uncle Zhang, let's do this. If you really die here, I won't be able to explain it to my father when I go back. I'll try to talk to the Boss, let's see what he says, okay?"

Zhang Chengze was overjoyed, "Okay, Xiaoniu, please speak for me!"

After saying that, Hu Xiaoniu left the bathhouse, pretending to go to the changing room to make a phone call.

Ten minutes later, he returned with a troubled expression, "Uncle Zhang, I'm sorry, the Boss is quite angry about this. He said that we can only protect you for the week you're here, after that, we won't care."

Zhang Tianzhen sighed beside him, "The three of us had made many preparations, such as helping you settle down, taking you to District 4 to experience the nightlife, taking you to visit the Upper Three Zones, helping you find Gene Medicine. It's a pity, Uncle Zhang, you chose someone else in the Outer World, which made the Boss very angry and even blamed us for not checking if the client was reliable before taking on the job."

Zhang Chengze's eyes were red as he grabbed Zhang Tianzhen's arm, "It's Uncle who has implicated you."

At this time, Hu Xiaoniu said, "But things aren't hopeless."

"What's the turning point?" Zhang Chengze perked up.

Hu Xiaoniu hesitated, "This was told to me privately by the Boss. If it weren't for your relationship with our family, I wouldn't dare to tell you. The Boss told me to secretly observe Uncle Zhang's performance this week, if the performance is good, there's still a chance for cooperation."

"And if the performance is not good?" Liu Dezhu asked.

Zhang Tianzhen thought for a moment, "Based on the Boss's style, he would probably let Uncle Zhang fend for himself."

Zhang Chengze quickly said, "I'll definitely perform well, Xiaoniu, Tianzhen, tell Uncle Zhang, how should I perform? Or should Uncle add money?"

Hu Xiaoniu said reservedly, "Uncle Zhang, our Boss doesn't care much for money. After all, you know that the Hu family and the Zhang family don't lack money, if the Boss needs money, the Hu family and the Zhang family will give it directly... However, this is one of the most direct ways to show performance, after all, other things can't be measured numerically."

Zhang Tianzhen said, "Yes, that's right, show a comprehensive attitude, let's add some money first."

"Okay," Zhang Chengze said seriously, "It's one million a week now, how much should I add?"

Liu Dezhu pondered for a moment and silently held up three fingers.

"30 million?" Zhang Chengze was taken aback.

Liu Dezhu's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

Zhang Tianzhen said "add some money first", seemingly as if adding money was unimportant, but they knew this was the Boss's real intention, otherwise, why put on this show tonight?

And Zhang Chengze's subconscious mention of 30 million also surprised Liu Dezhu.

They both ignored one thing, they hadn't personally experienced the horror Zhang Chengze had gone through.

For Zhang Chengze, it's not protection money now, it's buying his life.

How much is a life worth?

Zhang Chengze said, "30 million a week is impossible. 1.2 billion a month, 14.4 billion a year, my company only has 100 million in liquid funds. It's not that I don't want to give it, but if I pay at that price, my company will collapse in a month. If it's 5 million a week, 20 million a month, I can do it. I'm willing to pay an additional 20 million as a thank you for saving my life this time!"

Zhang Chengze didn't have the heart to haggle, he was telling the truth.

His business is real estate. In the early years, the company was quite profitable, but since the domestic "houses are for living, not for speculation" policy came down, it seemed that the bank's loan was about to crush his capital chain.

The debt-to-asset ratio of real estate companies is unimaginably high.

He only managed to recover in the past two years and it's impossible to come up with so much cash in a month.

His Boss is far less glamorous than Hu Dacheng.

Liu Dezhu steadied his mind and said, "I need to ask the Boss about this price, ultimately it's up to the Boss to decide."

"Okay, okay, no problem, please tell your Boss, I will also pay extra for buying Gene Medicine and other things later," Zhang Chengze said.

Liu Dezhu instructed, "This week, I'll arrange a place for you to stay first, let's make sure there's no danger outside before we talk about the future."

For Daybreak, this money is enough to support the entire organization's daily operations.

Qing Chen in the Outer World no longer needs to worry about money.

If anyone else wants to accept Daybreak's protection, he may not even charge them.

...

...

At home on the 132nd floor of Luoshen Building, Qing Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Zhang Chengze was willing to add money. The next most important thing is to complete the second Trials of Life and Death.

Qing Chen asked, "Yi, are you there?"

"I'm here."

"Is there anything wrong with what we did tonight?" Qing Chen sat on the sofa, pondering, he was reviewing the events.

"Actually, Zhang Chengze could have saved himself," Yi said, "He only needs to say that he is a Time Traveler, and he will definitely survive."

"Ah? Why?" Qing Chen didn't understand.

"Su Xingzhi sold Zhang Chengze to Chang Ping, but Chang Ping's business is most afraid of Time Travelers," Yi said, seeming very happy when talking about something Qing Chen hadn't thought of, "Tell me, what did he catch Zhang Chengze for?"

"To harvest his organs and sell them to the rich," Qing Chen reacted when he said this, "Damn..."

Time Traveler's organs are not something you can sell, my friends!

Because when the time comes, even if a Time Traveler is dead, their body will return to the Outer World!

If the rich man hasn't had time to transplant it, that's fortunate.

If it's time to return, and the rich man has already transplanted the Time Traveler's heart, then he will die instantly!

Sleeping at home, and then suddenly your heart is gone, who could bear that?

So Yi said that as long as Zhang Chengze reveals his identity as a Time Traveler, he will not die.

"Has anything like this happened in the Inner World before?" Qing Chen asked.

"Yes," Yi said, "In the first two weeks after the appearance of the Time Traveler, a rich man who had a heart transplant suddenly died in the hospital in City 9. At that time, Federation media reported that it was a vendetta, but the public never figured out why, after taking out the heart, it was sewn back up, with no trace of blood on the outside. Later, people realized that this wasn't done by the enemy, it was done by the rules of the world."

"That's really bad luck. What will Chang Ping do with Zhang Chengze?" Qing Chen asked.

"He'll resell it to Conglomerate," Yi said, "Now on the black market, there is a group of people who are specifically hunting Time Travelers for Conglomerate, and after Conglomerate controls the Time Traveler, there will naturally be greater schemes."

"Yes," Qing Chen nodded, "After they control the Time Traveler, they can influence the Outer World, so they are strategic materials."

Anyway, they are bound to become commodities in the hands of these people.

Qing Chen stopped thinking about it and asked about Trials of Life and Death, "Where in the Inner World did the Knights complete these Trials of Life and Death before?"

"The locations of different Trials of Life and Death are different, the geographical span is very large, including Ice Binding in the southwest snow mountains, Earth Awakening in the wilderness outside City 5..." Yi asked, "So, have you chosen where you will challenge the second Trials of Life and Death?"

"I have," Qing Chen said slowly, "When I go to Xian City next week, I'll find an opportunity to complete the challenge."

"But the Ultimate Trust you chose has a low difficulty but is very dangerous," Yi seemed a little worried, "I haven't seen you practice it yet, can you do it?"

Yi was right. Each Trials of Life and Death represents the peak level of a certain extreme sport.

Ordinary people need to practice for an unknown amount of time, master many skills, before they can successfully challenge it.

During this period, fractures and bone breaks are commonplace, and losing one's life is also normal.

Among the Eight Trials of Life and Death, each one ranks high on the death rate list of extreme sports, especially Ultimate Trust.

70 meters high, back-to-the-water jump, entrusting everything you cherish in life to the moment you trust.

Many people can't intuitively feel what 70 meters is. The highest event in Olympic diving is the 10-meter platform, while 70 meters is the height of a more than twenty-story building.

If a person falls from a height of 70 meters, the water surface will be as hard as a cement road surface at the moment of contact with the body.

If you lose even a little balance and end up hitting the water surface sideways, even a B-level expert will be smashed to pieces.

Therefore, to survive in this challenge, you must fall straight down, using the smallest body area to contact the water surface and complete the entry.

Yi said, "You never do anything unprepared, why are you so hasty this time?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "Because after Li Changqing gave me the injection, I have to become a D-level, that's the only way it makes sense."

"But I think you can escape," Yi said, "Stay away from Li Changqing, wouldn't that avoid the injection? At least you don't have to risk your life."

However, Qing Chen suddenly said, "Who says I'll risk my life?"

At this moment, Yi felt the confidence deep in Qing Chen's heart, but she didn't understand where Qing Chen's confidence came from.

Wouldn't a back-to-the-water jump without training be a sure death for an ordinary person?

"I've started Cultivation," Qing Chen returned to the bedroom, lay down and said, "I'll go back to Ban Shan Mountain Estate tomorrow."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and entered the mysterious world of "Conquer with Virtue."

This is his confidence in daring to challenge the second Trials of Life and Death recently.

At this moment, Qing Chen's accurate range of using a sniper rifle has been extended to 1300 meters, with half the distance to go to the effective range of 2600 meters.

However, after entering the mysterious world this time, Qing Chen did not practice sniping.

Instead, with a thought, the topography of the entire mysterious world suddenly changed.

The wilderness began to sink to form a lake, and above the lake, a high platform rose from the ground, exactly 70 meters high.

It was a place he remembered, where he would challenge the second Trials of Life and Death.

On his last return, Qing Chen watched many travel live broadcasts of scenic spots, and took this opportunity to directly replicate the terrain in the mysterious world.

Others' Cultivation begins with a 1-meter platform, a 3-meter platform, and a 10-meter platform, step by step.

But Qing Chen is not. From the beginning, it is 70 meters.

The young man stood on the platform, slowly closed his eyes, and opened his arms, trying to maintain balance in the wind.

The next second, his body tilted slightly backward.

The whole person, like an arrow, pierced towards the lake surface.

378 seconds later, the mysterious world darkened, and Qing Chen felt death.

During his descent, due to air resistance, his body gradually shifted.

In the end, Qing Chen entered the water surface at an angle.

This mysterious world is too real, he could even feel the process of his bones being shattered inch by inch when he collided with the water surface.

That was real death.

Qing Chen waited in the darkness, and after a few seconds, the mysterious world lit up again.

The young man stood on the platform again, and closed his eyes.

Outside the window of Luoshen Building was the falling snow, and in the room, Qing Chen died again and again in the mysterious world, tirelessly.

I don't know how long it took, but a strange sound came from outside the bedroom door.

Qing Chen ended his Cultivation, took out the handgun from under the pillow, and opened the safety.

He silently walked out of the door, but found a figure in the dimly lit living room, back to him, busy with something at the dining table.

"Cough," the figure coughed, "Don't turn on the lights, or you'll be in danger."

"You really don't treat yourself as an outsider," Qing Chen said calmly.

Qing Family Shadow, a guest that was both reasonable and unexpected.

Earlier, Qing Chen had discovered the figure's presence in the house, and he hadn't expected that after he moved in, this Qing Family Shadow would still come to make tea so openly.

It turned out that Shadow had just boiled the water, and the kettle was making a gurgling sound, hot steam spraying from the spout.

It was a kettle that Li Shutong bought with Qing Chen's name using a loan...

To be fair, there is a lot of overconsumption in the Federation, and the companies of various Conglomerates do everything they can to get the residents of the Federation into various debts, so people can't think about things in the long run.

A person burdened with a mortgage has no poetry or distant future.

At this moment, Qing Family Shadow took out a small bag of tea leaves from his pocket and sprinkled it into the kettle.

Then he covered the lid and steamed it with boiling water.

"They say tea can't be boiled with boiling water, it'll be bitter," Qing Chen said.

"This is spring tea from the Forbidden Zone 010, if it's not boiled for 10 minutes, it will be poisonous," Qing Family Shadow laughed.

"Since it's poisonous, why risk drinking it?" Qing Chen didn't understand.

"Many people in City 8 know that mushrooms are poisonous, but they still eat them. Delicious is enough," Qing Family Shadow casually replied, "Life is like a fleeting white horse, naturally you need to find more interesting things to make it worthwhile."

A bitter smell suddenly filled the room, but after 10 minutes, the bitterness turned into a wonderful tea fragrance.

"Want a cup?" Qing Family Shadow asked.

"I don't drink tea, I only drink water," Qing Chen replied.

"This thing can brighten the eyes, after drinking it for a long time, your eyesight will far exceed that of ordinary people," Qing Family Shadow said slowly.

"Drink," Qing Chen said, "How much tea do you have left, save some for me."

"You're so realistic," Qing Family Shadow took a cup, as if he was at home, poured a cup for Qing Chen as well, "Life is like tea, bitter first, then sweet. I came to find you once before, but it's been so long and you haven't done anything to any Shadow Candidate, which made me a little disappointed."

"Whether you are disappointed or not is not important," Qing Chen said seriously, "Shadow Succession, only those who survive to the end matter. So, you're here again today, hoping to urge me to take action quickly?"

"I never like to force a melon, I only like willing transactions," Qing Family Shadow said, "Since you are unwilling to risk being the first bird and exposing yourself, how about we change the conditions?"

"What conditions?" Qing Chen asked.

"The first choice, after the City 18 incident is over, you will join the Federation Army," Qing Family Shadow said calmly.

"War is merciless, I refuse," Qing Chen said calmly.

"Well, then the second choice, join the Secret Spy Agency under my Qing Family Shadow, I guarantee your identity will not be leaked," Qing Family Shadow said.

"What are the benefits for me?" Qing Chen asked.

"A road to the heavens?"

...

Countdown 135:00:00

9 am.

As before, the Li Clan Flying Car that came to pick up Qing Chen was already waiting on the 67th floor of Luoshen Building.

This time, Qing Chen did not meet the silver-haired girl Zheng Yi when he went out, but to his surprise, the person who picked him up was Kunlun's Little Eagle.

And he was already waiting at the elevator entrance.

"Good morning, Qing Chen, Boss Changqing asked me to pick you up," Little Eagle asked at the elevator entrance, while no one was around, "How is it, are your injuries healed?"

"Not yet," Qing Chen shook his head.

"By the way, did you tell your Boss about my suggestion last time? About me joining you!" Little Eagle said.

"No," Qing Chen shook his head, "So many things happened on Xingshu Road last week, who has time to care about this."

"Okay, then, when we go back this time, you must tell him... Let's not talk about this for now, there are others waiting in the car," Little Eagle whispered, took Qing Chen out of the elevator, and walked towards the parking lot.

Qing Chen opened the car door and was stunned. He looked at Li Changqing in the back seat of the Flying Car and was stunned, "Why did you come in person?"

"Of course I have to come in person to pick you up home," Li Changqing said with a smile, "Don't you want to play with sniper rifles? I'll take you to the shooting range today."

...