Wang Bin continued to check his stats. It would take an hour for his Inner Strength to fully recover, meaning he could only use "Crossing the River on a Reed" 24 times a day without sleep. To upgrade it to level two would take at least a week.
Of course, not sleeping was impossible, which meant it would take even longer.
"Right, I can use it in the Apocalypse. One day in the real world equals seven days in the Apocalypse. A trip there could level up 'Crossing the River on a Reed' to the second level."
With this realization, Wang Bin no longer worried about leveling up. Seeing it was still early, he decided to go out for a walk.
Since returning from the Apocalypse, the once boring life now seemed so peaceful and serene. He cherished every moment in the real world.
"Am I really getting old?"
Noticing the change in his mindset, Wang Bin couldn't help but mock himself.
Wang Bin strolled leisurely down the street, taking in the scenery around him, and before he knew it, he found himself by the banks of the Panlong River.
The Panlong River divides H City in two. The water is clear, and many residents gather at the small square by the river in the evenings to do square dancing. Some elderly people in traditional costumes dance their ethnic dances, and if you're lucky, you might even see blond-haired, blue-eyed beauties joining in.
The Apocalypse is a lifeless world where people avoid each other, and over time, it becomes oppressive. So after returning to the real world, Wang Bin loved being in crowded places.
He found a spot far from the crowd and sat down, watching the people singing and dancing in the square, a smile appearing on his face.
Because of the crowd, some vendors gathered around the square to do business.
Just as he was enjoying this wonderful world, something unpleasant happened.
A bald man with a thick gold chain around his neck and tattoos on his body, holding a flamboyantly dressed woman, walked towards him.
Behind them were four men dressed in a thuggish manner, clearly up to no good.
When the woman reached Wang Bin, she whispered in the man's ear, "Brother Zhang, I'm tired. Let's sit down and rest for a while?"
The man agreed with a smile, then turned to Wang Bin and shouted, "Kid, get lost!"
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Wang Bin was instantly angered. The bench he was sitting on was long enough for four people, yet the man was so domineering.
He was generally easygoing, and if they had asked nicely, he would have given up his seat. But their rudeness was unacceptable.
"You should be the ones to get lost; you're blocking my view!" Wang Bin smiled casually, showing no regard for them.
The group was shocked by Wang Bin's defiance and his audacity to insult them, and they were immediately enraged.
"Kid, are you looking for trouble?"
The underlings, seeing their boss angry, quickly surrounded Wang Bin.
"Looking for trouble? If you want to eat shit, I don't mind giving you some!"
"Get him! Beat him up!"
Brother Zhang was furious, releasing the woman in his arms and kicking towards Wang Bin.
Wang Bin had already trained his Diamond Palm to the second level, capable of easily breaking bones with a punch. Seeing Brother Zhang's kick, he sidestepped and struck with his right palm.
With a crack, Brother Zhang's right leg was broken.
"Ah!"
With a scream, Brother Zhang fell to the ground, clutching his right leg and howling in pain.
Seeing their boss beaten, the underlings had to step in, throwing punches at Wang Bin.
Wang Bin's agility was far superior to ordinary people, easily dodging their attacks and counterattacking. Each strike broke a bone, and within seconds, all four were on the ground, wailing in pain.
Wang Bin had always despised these thugs who bullied others. Before, he didn't have the power to deal with them, but now that he did, he was eager to vent his anger.
The commotion quickly attracted a large crowd, and within moments, hundreds of people surrounded them.
"What's going on?"
"That young man beat up the Black Tiger Gang!"
"This guy's got guts, daring to take on the Black Tiger Gang!"
"Yeah, he's in trouble now!"
Hearing the crowd's discussions, Wang Bin realized the Black Tiger Gang's notorious reputation. Many locals knew about them, and from their comments, it seemed the gang had done many bad things and was not well-liked.
The woman, seeing Brother Zhang beaten, hurried to help him, pointing at Wang Bin and shouting, "You've got some nerve! Do you know who Brother Zhang is?"
Wang Bin initially didn't want to bother with the flamboyantly dressed woman, but seeing her siding with the bullies angered him. He walked over, raising his hand to slap her.
But then he thought better of it, deciding that a man shouldn't hit a woman, and lowered his hand.
The woman, seeing Wang Bin lower his hand, thought he was scared and put on a fierce face, shouting, "Brother Zhang is a hall master of the Black Tiger Gang, you're dead!"
Seeing the woman still acting tough, Wang Bin laughed. He paused, thinking about how to deal with her.
Wang Bin smiled faintly, stepping towards the woman, who retreated a step in fear.
"What are you going to do?"
"Not much, just want to clear your head!"
With that, Wang Bin grabbed the woman and tossed her into the Panlong River.
"Ah!"
"Splash!"
The woman screamed as she hit the water with a heavy splash.
The Panlong River wasn't deep, only waist-high, so Wang Bin wasn't worried about drowning her.
The woman climbed out of the river, shouting, amusing the onlookers who clapped and cheered.
"Brother Zhang, who did you tell to get lost earlier?"
"Which gang are you with?"
"I'm not with any gang. Remember, my name is Wang Bin!"
"Wang Bin! You're the one who was at Changchong Mountain yesterday..."
At this point, Brother Zhang shuddered, fear evident on his face, unable to continue.
Then he turned, trying to crawl away despite the pain.
He had been at Changchong Mountain yesterday, but by the time he arrived with his men, everyone was gone.
After asking around, he learned that Wang Bin had not only injured many of their people but also fired at two of them. He was relieved he hadn't arrived in time.
But now he had run into Wang Bin, and there was nothing to say. For the sake of his life, he had to back down!
"Stop, didn't you understand? I told you to roll, not walk!"
Brother Zhang's face turned pale, glaring at Wang Bin, then he rolled out, clutching his injured leg.
The four underlings, seeing their boss roll away, had no choice but to follow, leaving the crowd stunned. Some bold young people even whistled.
Someone started clapping, and soon countless people joined in.
"Well done, young man!"
"Young man, you should leave quickly, the Black Tiger Gang will come after you soon!"
Wang Bin waved to the crowd, then turned and left.
It wasn't that he feared the Black Tiger Gang's retaliation; he just wasn't used to being the center of attention.
He also knew that since he fired a gun yesterday, the conflict with the Black Tiger Gang was irreconcilable. Since it couldn't be resolved, he would make them fear him.