My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome

Chapter 185: Chapter 184: Tips (Request for Votes!)

The gate of the neighborhood had already collapsed, and even the road at the exit was buried under fallen leaves.

This kind of small road is common throughout the country, as they are abandoned for not being major transport routes between cities. Some of better quality still show traces of the road, but those of poorer quality have long been taken over by plants and turned into gravel paths.

The quality of this road wasn’t bad, walking on the fallen leaves felt quite smooth, likely because the Subterranean Authority had renovated the exit here recently.

Shao Zifeng had barely taken a few steps when he suddenly heard a noise behind him. Just as he was about to turn around to check, a black custom SUV pulled up beside him.

Shao Zifeng watched the SUV cautiously. Unlike ordinary sedans used in the city, the custom SUV not only had strong defenses but also made virtually no noise when it drove, a design intended to avoid startling wildlife when driven in the wilderness.

Furthermore, these types of vehicles were generally only assigned to official units that needed field operations.

Could it be that he had been targeted by the Abnormal Administration Bureau?

That seemed unlikely.

With Chen Zhenglong paving the way and with the scapegoat he’d sent, not to mention he hadn’t done anything illegal himself.

They really shouldn’t be after him.

But if it wasn’t an Abnormal Administration Bureau vehicle, it could only be one from the Subterranean Authority.

As he pondered hard, the car window silently lowered to reveal the face of a stern middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was probably around forty, his hair neatly combed aside from some gray at the temples. His eyebrows were thick, and his gaze sharp, giving one the illusion of being seen through.

He looked Shao Zifeng up and down a few times, asking seriously, “Shao Zifeng?”

Indeed, he knew him.

Alarms blared in Shao Zifeng’s mind. His right hand quietly reached behind him to support the base of his travel bag, ready to set it alight at any moment.

His gaze discreetly searched around, looking for a tactical advantage.

“You don’t need to be nervous. I am Zhao Liqian, a classmate of Chen Zhenglong. You can just call me Uncle Zhao,” the middle-aged man said, seemingly aware of his own stern expression and tugging at the corner of his mouth slightly.

However, he rarely smiled, so this forced smile looked somewhat stiff.

Shao Zifeng relaxed slightly upon hearing this; he had just heard about Zhao Liqian from Chen Zhenglong the day before, so it should be credible.

Only, he didn’t understand why Zhao Liqian found him just as he walked out of the underground platform.

Based on his understanding of the two entities in Su City, they seemed to be independent and non-interfering organizations. Communication between them was also very restricted.

In contrast, the information flow in Yundu City was frighteningly efficient; he had only spent a little over ten minutes in the neighborhood before Zhao Liqian found him.

Although he had many questions in his mind, he instead said, “Well … Chen Zhenglong is my big brother.”

???

Zhao Liqian’s mouth twitched.

This was awkward.

Thinking of how proudly Chen Zhenglong had spoken of Shao Zifeng yesterday, if Zhao didn’t know better, he might have thought Chen Zhenglong had an additional son.

What was more annoying was that Chen Zhenglong hadn’t clarified their relationship, leading Zhao to assume at first that Shao Zifeng was his nephew.

Zhao Liqian coughed twice to hide the embarrassment on his face, “Let’s talk in the car.”

Shao Zifeng hesitated for a moment but decided to get into the car with his fawn, as it was simply too cold outside.

Placing the fawn beside him, Shao Zifeng also took down his travel bag and placed it on his lap.

Zhao Liqian glanced at Shao Zifeng in the rearview mirror as the car slowly started.

He was a man of few words, usually listening rather than speaking. Wanting to chat with his old friend’s younger sibling but unsure how to start a conversation, the age gap was indeed significant.

At this thought, Zhao Liqian couldn’t help but curse Chen Zhenglong in his mind.

After driving around Yundu City for more than ten minutes, Zhao Liqian finally couldn’t help but ask, “Heading to Yundu Hotel?”

“Ah, right…” Shao Zifeng, who had been staring out the window, snapped back to reality, somewhat embarrassed, said, “Do you have any clothes in this car?”

Zhao Liqian glanced at Shao Zifeng’s clothes through the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but slightly raise his lips, which he had been pursing. He took out his mobile phone, “Xiao Wang, you are on duty near Yundu Hotel, right… Yes, go to the Yundu Hotel…”

At this point he paused, and Shao Zifeng hurriedly said, “Room 1101.”

“Yes, go to 1101 and ask the student there for Shao Zifeng’s clothes… Yes, everything from underwear to jacket.”

“Yes, hurry up.”

After hanging up the call, Zhao Liqian thought for a moment and said, “The commotion you caused yesterday was too big.”

Upon hearing this, Shao Zifeng showed a remorseful expression, “Sorry for causing you trouble.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. You were smart to send someone to me; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to suppress this.” At this point, he glanced approvingly at Shao Zifeng through the rearview mirror.

“However, yesterday’s incident has alerted the top four academies, and they’ve started making small moves.”

“Top four?”

Shao Zifeng was somewhat puzzled; since arriving in Yundu, he hadn’t had time to rest properly, and after a battle and an incident, he was unaware of the current rumors online. He even didn’t know about Qiuqiu’s fan club raiding the qualification competition’s official forum.

He also didn’t know where Qiuqiu had captured the Ice Crystal Bird yesterday, and what Zhao Liqian was talking about regarding the top four academies and their subtle maneuvers; he couldn’t connect the dots.

The peak of the morning rush hour in winter around eight or nine o’clock found Zhao Liqian sticking his head out of the window to look, then turning off the engine, “It’s jammed ahead, let’s wait.”

Then he turned back, looking Shao Zifeng up and down with a faintly smiling expression, “Burning Wings?”

Shao Zifeng was stunned; why bring up Burning Wings again, which was Qiuqiu’s fan club’s name? Mentioning this even made him slightly indignant; he didn’t have his own fan club…

Wait a minute!

A thought flashed through Shao Zifeng’s mind, and his expression gradually became serious.

Combining what Zhao Liqian had said earlier, Shao Zifeng had roughly guessed the situation but still asked, “Is it because the Dragon Battle Trainer has alerted the top four academies?”

“Correct, no wonder Zhenglong likes you so much,” Zhao Lijian said, nodding in satisfaction as he looked at Shao Zifeng. “I’ll try to manage things at the committee, but the top four are entrenched, and you need to prepare in advance.”

Shao Zifeng didn’t respond, his brow furrowed tightly; he couldn’t have imagined yesterday’s battle would lead to such consequences.

Shao Zifeng was acutely aware of his own side’s weaknesses, which the top four could easily see.

The biggest weakness of their team was the lack of people, which he had discussed with Bald Strong before coming to Yundu.

Although Bald Strong was optimistic, Shao Zifeng always had his doubts.

If they succeeded in locking the competition mode to “team combat,” all the efforts he and Li Yiming had made over the past six months would be in vain.

Facing this kind of stratagem, he felt somewhat powerless and just wanted to go back and discuss with Bald Strong as soon as possible.

“Oh, by the way, there was indeed a problem with that person yesterday. I originally only wanted him to take the blame for a few days, but someone came looking for him just a short time after we detained him.”

“If there isn’t a major conflict, try to ease the relationship as much as possible.”

“Do you understand what I mean?”

Zhao Liqian looked at Shao Zifeng, and various memories of him and Chen Zhenglong flashed through his mind. They had been roommates from high school to university, entered the military together, and fought side by side.

They cared for each other more than ordinary brothers, which is why he always felt compelled to help Shao Zifeng more.

After all…

A brother’s brother is also my brother.

Thinking this, he grew slightly irritated and planned to scold Chen Zhenglong properly when he got back.

Shao Zifeng could tell from his words the hints and concern, and he gratefully thanked him.

Zhao Liqian nodded slightly and restarted the car, heading towards the Yundu Hotel with the traffic flow.