“The Return of the Condor Heroes! Back in the Martial World!”
When Lu Zheng and Lin Wan finished giving their statements and left the Su City Police Station, the video had already climbed to local TOP 1 and national TOP 20, and it was still rising.
“This buzz, this speed, unreal!”
In fact, from the time they entered the station to when they left, only two hours had passed.
Verifying Lu Zheng and Lin Wan’s identities was straightforward. Not only did they carry their ID cards, but a quick call to the Hai City Police Station cleared everything up.
As for their skills…
Was there any other explanation? They were prodigies, plain and simple.
During their statements, staff from Su City Zoo arrived, checked the wild boars, and took them away, insisting on meeting Lu Zheng and Lin Wan.
Upon learning Lu Zheng was currently unemployed, they enthusiastically invited him to work at the Su City Wildlife Park, with the zoo director pounding his chest, promising a permanent position.
…
“So why didn’t you take the offer?” Lin Wan teased with a grin. “With that strength of yours, you’d be a top worker.”
Lu Zheng smirked. Back at the station, the police had already shooed the zoo director away before he could respond.
Joking aside, if Lu Zheng wanted money, with his skills, a stint in the UFC would bring fame and fortune in no time.
Rich second generation! Money wasn’t an issue!
“Pity, those wild boars were actually wild. Can’t even kill them for meat,” Lu Zheng shook his head, reminiscing about last year’s wild boar demon.
That boar’s meat had lasted ages, chewy, rich in flavour. Aunt Liu had cooked it in every way possible until it was all gone.
Hmm, the wolf meat later wasn’t bad either, but that was long gone too. Only a wolfskin coat, already made, sat at the bottom of Lu Zheng’s trunk, ready for winter.
*Gulp!* Lu Zheng swallowed hard.
“Hungry?” Lin Wan asked, amused. “Not craving wild boar meat, are you? Didn’t you say it doesn’t taste good?”
Lu Zheng shook his head. “Depends on the boar, but these ones probably aren’t great.”
“Come on, let’s get some barbecue!”
There were barbecue stalls near the scenic area. They picked one, ordered grilled fish, beef, and pig’s trotters, and enjoyed the lake district’s night view while casually eating dinner… or was it a late-night snack?
As expected, the chatter around them was all about the wild boar incident.
“Badass! Absolutely badass! Those two are definitely martial arts masters!”
“You read too many novels. I heard from an insider friend, they’re active-duty special forces, just took care of it on the side.”
“No, no, they’re secret agents. Notice how they kept their faces hidden, with hats and sunglasses, to avoid exposing themselves.”
“Exactly, otherwise they’d show their faces. How glorious would that be!”
The conversation then shifted to Chinese kung fu, saying masters hide among the masses, and with Lu Zheng’s skills, no one could stand in his way.
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan exchanged a smile. Lu Zheng scrolled through his phone and found that the best-angled video, later edited with music, had surged to national TOP 10.
Then Lin Wan’s phone rang.
“You and Lu Zheng went to Su City for fun?” Huang Xiumin’s voice came through. “And took down a pack of wild boars on the side?”
Lin Wan huffed indignantly. “Comrade Huang Xiumin, please use civilised language!”
“Tch!” Huang Xiumin scoffed. “Don’t know who’s got the dirty mind, always putting on a front!”
“Hmph!”
While Lin Wan and Huang Xiumin bickered over the phone, Lu Zheng looked up and saw four or five men walk in together.
“Li Changyang?”
Lu Zheng recognised one of them, a boxer from Hai City he’d met twice, who had strongly urged him to compete in the ring.
“God Lu! It’s really you!”
Li Changyang’s eyes lit up as he hurried over. “I thought the person in the video looked like you, but I wasn’t sure and didn’t want to bother you.”
Lu Zheng nodded and waved a hand.
Li Changyang got the hint and immediately shut up, though he eagerly came over, shook Lu Zheng’s hand with both of his, and greeted Lin Wan.
“What a coincidence, you guys in Su City for fun too?” Lu Zheng asked.
“We’ve got a training gym in Su City. We’re in closed training right now,” Li Changyang replied.
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Closed training, and you can still come out?”
Li Changyang coughed awkwardly. “Weekends, we can take a break.”
“Yang哥, your friends?” The other men who came with Li Changyang approached. “Join us?”
“Uh…” Li Changyang looked at Lu Zheng.
“Why not,” Lin Wan said with a smile.
Lu Zheng nodded, spoke to the waiter, and they switched to a round table. Li Changyang ordered more food.
After introductions, Lu Zheng learned the others were free-fighting athletes like Li Changyang, all signed to the same club, like brothers under the same master.
“By the way, you signed with UFC?” Lu Zheng asked suddenly.
“Nah,” Li Changyang gave an awkward smile, not hiding anything. “Didn’t make the finals in the last Kunlun Fight.”
“Sorry,” Lu Zheng said.
“No worries,” Li Changyang waved it off. “Not skilled enough, nothing more to say.”
“Yep,” Lu Zheng nodded, clinking glasses with Li Changyang. “Keep at it next time.”
At that moment, a guy named Liu Jingbo kept glancing at Lu Zheng and Lin Wan, finding them increasingly familiar. He suddenly pulled out his phone and opened the local TOP 1 video.
“Holy shit?” Liu Jingbo looked up sharply. “You guys are…”
“Cough!” Li Changyang quickly coughed, cutting him off.
Liu Jingbo swallowed hard, staring at Lu Zheng in disbelief, then at Lin Wan.
“What’s up, Little Bo?” The other two men were puzzled by Liu Jingbo’s reaction.
Liu Jingbo handed them his phone.
They took a look. “Didn’t we watch this afternoon? The most legit comment said the boars were pre-sedated, just a staged shoot for clout…”
Then they both looked up awkwardly at Lu Zheng and Lin Wan. No way around it, they hadn’t changed clothes, and there they were, right in front of them, recognised.
Lu Zheng gave a slight smile, putting a finger to his lips.
The group nodded, aware that people around were still discussing the video and that Lu Zheng didn’t want exposure.
Still, glancing at Lu Zheng and Lin Wan’s fair hands, their eyes betrayed a hint of disdain, but they just smiled and said nothing.
“What’s with those looks?” Li Changyang scolded quietly. “God Lu could take you all down with one hand!”
“Brother Yang, we know he’s your friend, and we won’t blab, but you don’t need to cover for him,” a guy named Tian Liyuan said. “We’re not idiots.”
