Chapter 42: Mouse Bebe’s Little Treasury

Hearing this, Han Hao grew curious as well.

“Tell me more about him. If his marksmanship is that impressive, he has a bright future ahead. Is he a student at Jiangzhou University? I’ve heard there are several students with good shooting skills there—one of the freshmen girls has already mastered the Instant Shot and Rotating Shot.”

Recently, Han Hao had been investigating the Wang Jie incident, and he had already looked into all the outstanding shooters at Jiangzhou University. None of them seemed suspicious.

“I didn’t ask, but he’s not a university student yet. He told me he’s preparing to apply to Jiangdu University, so he should still be in high school,” Lü Guang recalled. “That kid is a real genius. After just four hours of my lessons, he mastered the Instant Shot; after another four hours the next week, he learned Recoil Control. Unfortunately, I missed the third week due to other commitments, but I’ll be there in the fourth week to give him more guidance. In the future, he’s sure to become a sharpshooter every bit as skilled as I am.”

“A high school student?” Han Hao frowned. “What’s his name?”

“Chen Meng, I think. That’s the name he gave me.” Lü Guang noticed Han Hao’s strange reaction. “What’s wrong? You look odd all of a sudden.”

“Just thought of something, that’s all.” Han Hao forced a smile, not willing to explain.

“I know you, Han. You must have something on your mind,” Lü Guang pressed, frowning.

“I have some things to take care of. When you’re ready to set out, be sure to let me know.” Han Hao didn’t want to say more. He set down his glass, grabbed his coat, and left in a hurry.

“So dull. I thought we’d chat a bit longer,” Lü Guang muttered. “But his reaction when I mentioned Chen Meng was really off. Could there be something wrong with Chen Meng?”

Pondering for a moment, Lü Guang decided to call Chen Meng—he didn’t want to cause him trouble unintentionally.

Chen Meng had just finished his tutoring session when he saw Lü Guang’s call, greatly surprised.

He’d swapped numbers with Lü Guang mainly so he could consult him later about things related to prehistory or marksmanship. He never expected Lü Guang to call him first.

“Coach, what made you think of calling me all of a sudden? I was just about to ask why you didn’t show up at the range last week,” said Chen Meng.

“I had something to deal with last week. I’ll be there this weekend—probably my last time, as I’ve already resigned,” Lü Guang replied. “But that’s not the main reason I called. I was just talking to a friend about you and mentioned your talent for firearms. He reacted very strangely. Have you gotten into any trouble lately? My friend is a squad captain at the Law Enforcement Bureau.”

At this, Chen Meng’s heart skipped a beat.

It’s over!

Lü Guang is going to get him killed. He thought he’d covered his tracks perfectly, but now it seemed the Law Enforcement Bureau was already onto him.

“It’s no problem—maybe they just need my assistance for an investigation,” Chen Meng replied calmly.

He had killed Wang Jie, but it was in self-defense, and he wasn’t yet eighteen. As for the serum that Mouse Bei Bei had taken, that wasn’t his responsibility. Given Mouse Bei Bei’s special status, the Law Enforcement Bureau wouldn’t dare trouble him. What worried Chen Meng most was the fifty-nine thousand eight hundred yuan. He’d likely have to pay it back, and the thought of losing that money, which to him was as precious as knowledge points, was deeply unsettling.

“If that’s all, then good. If you need anything, just call me,” Lü Guang added after a moment. If not for Chen Meng’s remarkable talent, he might not have made this call at all. That’s the benefit of being talented—wherever you go, people look out for you.

...

Chen Meng guessed that the Law Enforcement Bureau would come for him either tonight or by tomorrow at the latest. There were a few things he had to settle right away.

The most pressing matter was Mouse Bei Bei’s stash. If they found him, they’d find Mouse Bei Bei too, and then Mouse Bei Bei would be sent to the Animal Protection Association. That would be the end of the stash.

With this in mind, he didn’t dare delay. He hailed a cab instead of taking the bus.

When he arrived home, Mouse Bei Bei squeaked excitedly at his return, though Chen Meng hadn’t brought him any roast chicken today.

“Bei Bei, I’ll buy you roast chicken later. For now, we need to take care of something important,” Chen Meng said with a smile. “This is the IOU you signed. The Law Enforcement Bureau has already stopped searching the old neighborhood, so let’s go retrieve your stash.”

Mouse Bei Bei glanced at the IOU and nodded obediently.

One must own up to one’s debts, after all.

Chen Meng packed his bag. To keep Mouse Bei Bei hidden, he let him crawl inside, then slung the bag over his shoulder and headed out.

When his mother came out and found him gone, she was puzzled. Luckily, Chen Meng had left a note on the table, saying he’d just gone out to buy something and would be back soon. Otherwise, she’d have been worried.

Man and mouse arrived at the old neighborhood. After making sure no one was around, Chen Meng let Mouse Bei Bei out.

Mouse Bei Bei squeaked and looked around before darting off in a particular direction.

Chen Meng followed and saw that it was the abandoned sewage pipe of the neighborhood. Part of the manhole cover was broken, just big enough for Mouse Bei Bei to slip inside.

“Eek eek!” Mouse Bei Bei called out, about to dive into the pipe.

Though it was a sewage pipe, it had long since dried up, and the narrow pipes of the old neighborhood were far too small for an adult to enter.

“Take this,” Chen Meng said, handing over his backpack and lifting the cover. “Use this to carry it.”

Mouse Bei Bei stared at the large backpack for a long moment before grabbing it in his teeth and disappearing into the abandoned pipe. Chen Meng waited anxiously for nearly twenty minutes.

Finally, he heard sounds from below and saw Mouse Bei Bei dragging a heavy backpack out of the pipe.

Chen Meng took one look—good heavens, it must weigh at least twenty pounds. If Mouse Bei Bei hadn’t evolved into a divine creature, he might never have managed to bring it out.

“Well done!” Chen Meng praised, taking the bag and lifting Mouse Bei Bei out as well.

He opened the bag to find it filled with chunks of gold, some weighing several pounds each. When he hefted them, he estimated there must be around twenty pounds in total.

Mouse Bei Bei, for his part, seemed to have only collected gold—nothing else.

“We’re rich.” Chen Meng was ecstatic—this much gold could be worth over a hundred and fifty thousand yuan.

But then he looked at Mouse Bei Bei, hope flickering in his eyes. “Is there more?”

Of course, Chen Meng wasn’t satisfied with just this much.

Mouse Bei Bei shook his head.

Chen Meng was a bit disappointed, but one should be content. With this much gold, his college entrance exam was secure.

Coming to this world, the biggest obstacle in his path was now gone.

“Let’s go,” Chen Meng said, having Mouse Bei Bei crawl back into the bag. He bought two roast chickens at the shop next door, then caught a cab straight to the martial arts hall.

The hall was empty, but Chen Meng had the key. He planned to stash both the gold and Mouse Bei Bei there for now.

Not only that, but he fished around in his pocket and added the gold Mouse Bei Bei had given him earlier to the collection, storing it all in the martial arts hall.