Who says I can't become a Grand Master?

Chapter 32 brings in [Battle Card] thugs.

After dealing with her schoolwork, Gu Xintong brought up the "Dream Cards" again.

Did you know that Dream Cards were originally created for entertainment, allowing people to immerse themselves in a story? Have you ever seen one?

Zhang Qingzhe simply shrugged.

He has little interest in romance dramas.

But seeing how enthusiastic Gu Xintong was, he didn't want to spoil her fun, so he just vaguely replied, "I'll take a look if I have the chance."

Gu Xintong continued:

"However, the current Dream Cards have been improved and have become a tool for simulating real combat. They can construct a complete battlefield environment and even transmit pain feedback to the brain."

Zhang Qingzhe took a bite of vanilla ice cream: "What would happen if you 'died' in there?"

"The simulation cards used for training will bounce you out."

"So, you mean there are also non-training versions?"

"Of course there are."

Gu Xintong gave him a strange look, finding that this boy, who seemed to know a great deal about card making, was surprisingly lacking in certain common sense areas:

"The Illusion School specializes in this. They can trap people in illusions until they die. Throughout history, there have been many madmen who wanted to seal all of humanity into an eternal dream to achieve so-called 'ultimate peace'."

Zhang Qingzhe's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this.

It seems that beneath this seemingly harmonious world lurks a great deal of madness and crisis.

The two chatted for a while longer before leaving the milk tea shop in the twilight.

The waitress breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had just finished watching a new episode of a TV series, and a happy smile appeared on her face.

The setting sun melted into liquid gold, dyeing the clouds with a magnificent glow.

The streetlights began to light up one by one, as if the night were quietly opening its eyes.

Zhang Qingzhe's shadow was stretched very long, broken into several discontinuous segments on the stone steps.

He waved goodbye to Gu Xintong and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

However, in a corner that Zhang Qingzhe didn't notice, three people were squatting in the shadows, the red glow of cigarette butts flickering on their fingertips.

A young man with his arm in a cast slammed a cigarette butt to the ground.

"Brother Qi, that's the kid."

He pointed at Zhang Qingzhe's departing figure and said bitterly, "He was the one who beat us brothers up last time."

"Oh? It looks pretty average."

The man called "Brother Qi" exhaled a beautiful smoke ring, his tone somewhat languid:

"Xiangzi, you're so incompetent."

The young man with the cast on his arm was none other than "Brother Xiang" from before.

But in front of the real "brother," he could only smile and call himself "Xiangzi."

"Brother Qi, we can't be careless."

Standing on the other side, Ding Yongkai said cautiously, "This guy has improved a lot recently."

After being warned by Zhang Qingzhe last time, Ding Yongkai truly felt threatened.

As a result, he has become much more restrained during this period and no longer dares to extort students.

But if he stopped this "business", he would immediately run into financial difficulties.

He also longed to become a professor's apprentice and desperately needed money to improve his skills.

After much deliberation, Ding Yongkai decided that he could not bow down to Zhang Qingzhe.

So he and Xiangzi put their heads together and pooled together 10,000 yuan, determined to ask "Brother Qi" for help.

Brother Qi is a notorious ruthless character in this area.

It is said that he is close to the level of a formal card master, and has opened at least seventy or eighty magic circuits in his body.

If he's willing to find a respectable job, joining the middle class wouldn't be difficult.

But he doesn't like to take the conventional path; he prefers to make a living by his fists on the streets.

Ding Yongkai spared no expense to bring out Qi Ge this time, just to teach Zhang Qingzhe a lesson.

His choice of timing was also insidious—

I made my move just before the [Dream Card] simulation.

His goal was to injure Zhang Qingzhe.

Anything that affects his performance is tantamount to ruining his future.

"Brother Qi, he's almost gone, let's hurry up and get started!" Xiangzi urged anxiously, clutching his arm.

"What the hell are you talking about!"

Qi Ge slapped Xiangzi on the back of the head. "Trying to fight near the school? Want to get caught by the teachers? Idiot. Where did you get beaten up last time? Lead the way, let's ambush him there."

Upon hearing this, Xiangzi recalled the beating he had received last time and couldn't help but shudder.

Ding Yongkai immediately flattered him:

"Brother Qi, brilliant! Let's go to that alley, corner him, and give him a good 'lesson'!"

***

The streetlights in the alleyway looked like a row of sleepy eyes.

A dim, yellowish glow seeped from the frosted lampshades, bathing the entire street in a thick, honey-colored liquid.

Visibility became somewhat ambiguous, and the angles of buildings and the silhouettes of pedestrians resembled pencil marks being slowly erased.

Zhang Qingzhe often took this shortcut home.

Qi Ge had Xiangzi and Ding Yongkai keep watch outside the alley, while he quietly followed them inside.

Qi Ge followed at a distance, not too close, and saw that Zhang Qingzhe was about to turn into the side road.

He suddenly sped up to catch up, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a card.

The card features clean, sharp lines, with a throwing knife depicted on it.

This is precisely the card that made Qi Ge famous: a Level 3 [Throwing Knife] card.

These "battle cards" are worth at least 30,000, and are completely illegal controlled items.

In contrast, if Zhang Qingzhe were questioned by the police about his "Wasp Card," he could at least argue that it was a "pet" card.

But someone like Qi Ge who carries a throwing knife can't exactly be said to be ready to eat steak all the time, right?

Saki ran his fingers over the cold card, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

In his eyes, a seasoned veteran like him, even if Zhang Qingzhe, an academic student, had a considerable number of [magic loops], he lacked real combat experience and was definitely no match for him.

What's more, he has even more insidious "street tactics" that this kid has never seen before.

He then took out a LV1 [Poisoned Card] and gently placed it on top of the [Throwing Knife Card].

Now, as long as he activates the [Throwing Knife Card], the blade will pass through this [Poisoned Card] the instant it is launched.

Throwing knives themselves have limited power; if they don't hit a vital spot, they can only cause superficial wounds at most.

But after being poisoned, the situation is completely different.

Even a tiny scratch on the skin is enough to land someone in the hospital.

This is a kind of "wisdom" from the grassroots level of the streets, and it can be considered the simplest type of [card chain].

Qi Ge had just heard Ding Yongkai mention that the kid in front of him was a "card maker," and he probably had some valuable cards on him.

After he's been poisoned, we'll force him to hand over everything.

***

Zhang Qingzhe was getting anxious.

My sister texted me again saying she was hungry.

He felt that time was running out.

During class, she has to deal with Xia Qiwei's "pressure," after class she has to deal with Gu Xintong's "asking for advice," and when she gets home she still has to feed her younger sister's "appetite."

He now has increasing admiration for those "time management masters" who can juggle multiple girlfriends with ease.

He's already overwhelmed with worries because he doesn't even have a girlfriend.

I really don't know how those playboys manage to do it?

Just as he reached the dimly lit corner, preparing to step into the narrower alley—

A sudden surge of energy coursed through his entire body's magical circuits!

A chilling sense of crisis suddenly surged into his heart.

Zhang Qingzhe suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He immediately recalled that his body had given him a similar warning when he last encountered Brother Xiang and his gang.

Could it be... that we're being targeted again?

Zhang Qingzhe slowly turned around, quietly slipping one hand into his pocket as he scanned the deep darkness behind him.

Hiding deep in the alley, Saki-san narrowed his eyes in surprise.

From his perspective, Zhang Qingzhe stopped without warning and began to cautiously observe what was behind him, as if he had sensed danger approaching.

"This kid...did he use [Magic Circuit] to enhance his senses?"

Qi Ge frowned, a sense of dissatisfaction rising within him. "Ding Yongkai and Xiangzi said they only had a dozen or so loops, but now it seems they must have at least thirty or forty. Those two are truly useless; they can't even figure out their opponent's strengths."

But this did not stop Saki.

Because his current thought is—"The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!"—this kid must be a big fish.