Chapter 27: The Frustrated Zhang Quan
What should I do, what should I do—how the hell am I supposed to know what to do?
Lu Hao agitatedly raked his fingers through his hair.
Ignoring them was impossible.
The ones downstairs—Shang Youliang and the others—maybe Zhang Quan would turn a blind eye, but he and Hao Guangming certainly wouldn’t. Both had eaten spirit beast meat; their bodies were far stronger than ordinary people’s. They already possessed a degree of fire resistance and could tank the monsters’ attacks in the dungeon, one man standing in for five!
Zhang Quan, though capable of teleportation, had average offensive power. Without these people holding back the monsters, Zhang Quan wouldn't be able to kill even one.
But they might very well resent him; in the heat of battle, if someone was annoyed and delayed rescuing him by a few seconds, Lu Hao’s body could be riddled with five, six, or even dozens of holes—after all, monsters in the dungeon move in packs.
No matter how disgruntled he felt, Lu Hao acted swiftly.
Three minutes later, he appeared at the stairwell with his bewildered wife and child, neither understanding what had just happened. Hao Guangming was a bit slower, but not by much, carrying his son Hao Yiming on his back and two bags in his hands.
The dungeon world had descended for seven or eight days now.
Those who were too rigid, unable to adapt, lacked enough strength, and had no one to protect them were long dead.
The survivors—who among them didn’t have sharp eyes?
Lu Hao walked to the doorway and cast a meaningful glance at Tang Yan.
Zhang Quan was a petty man—greedy, lustful, narrow-minded.
At this moment, he was wrapped around Song Xiaoqing, who’d finally agreed to sleep with him, enjoying himself. If Lu Hao dared to barge in now, even if Zhang Quan usually showed him some respect, the consequences would be dire!
Otherwise, he’d have gone to fetch reinforcements earlier.
No matter how powerful Tang Yan was, facing Zhang Quan with teleportation, the outcome could go either way.
At any rate, Zhang Quan wouldn’t lose out.
“Grass, just a plant!”
“Are you crazy? Who let you in—who are you?”
Zhang Quan stared blankly at the intruder bursting through the door. Where was Wang Dazhu, Shang Youliang? At worst, there was still Lu Hao and Hao Guangming on the second floor—were they all dead? At the critical moment, they’d let some random guy barge in?
Zhang Quan’s face darkened; he pulled the covers over Song Xiaoqing’s half-exposed body.
Clearly, he’d been too lenient with them lately—especially Lu Hao!
The guy was getting cocky.
“Get out, if you don’t want to die.”
---
Zhang Quan spoke coldly.
Tang Yan’s answer was to stride forward, his expression unchanged.
The boss was a woman; tossing her out naked seemed improper. So Tang Yan grabbed the quilt, intending to wrap them both in it and throw them out. But just then, a warning flashed in his mind, and he rolled swiftly to the side.
When he stood up, he saw that Zhang Quan, who should have been under the quilt, had somehow appeared behind him.
In his hand was a spring-loaded knife, its tip gleaming coldly—it was sharpened!
Sweat beaded on Tang Yan’s forehead; he’d been careless.
Since the dungeon world’s arrival, the boss had acquired many treasures, and meeting her had elevated his strength beyond recognition. It stood to reason that others might, by luck or skill, gain extraordinary abilities.
How could he so naively assume he could easily throw this man out?
Luckily, before coming upstairs, he’d seen his daughter shivering on the sofa, startled by the noise. Tang Yan had left her downstairs.
Otherwise, his daughter might have been hurt—but retreat now? Impossible.
This was his first battle since pledging loyalty to the boss—he had to perform well.
Tang Yan’s eyes narrowed.
The dungeon world was new; even if this man had gained abilities, they’d be limited. He didn’t believe Zhang Quan’s ghostly movement could be used indefinitely. Tang Yan pushed off with his heel, charging at Zhang Quan like a wild bull.
He flipped his palm, tightly gripping a jagged, dark green leaf.
Zhang Quan: “…”
For some reason, as Tang Yan approached, Zhang Quan felt a strange sense of oppression.
His usually flawless teleportation seemed sluggish for a fraction of a second. That brief delay, combined with his surprise that Tang Yan, after witnessing his ability, still had the courage to attack him, left Zhang Quan stunned for a split second.
Reappearing in another corner of the room, Zhang Quan stared in disbelief at the deep gash on his arm.
“What the hell is that in your hand?”
Zhang Quan was terrified.
It was the first time he’d been injured since gaining teleportation—wounded not by a fireball-spitting monster, but by a human.
Tang Yan didn’t answer, charging at Zhang Quan again.
Zhang Quan’s injury gave him renewed confidence—even if this guy’s ability wasn’t exhausted, he could still wound him! Smart as ever, Tang Yan realized from Zhang Quan’s reaction how powerful the feather leaf was—the boss never disappoints!
A casual gift of a leaf, yet it was so effective.
---
Tang Yan raised his arm, aiming the leaf’s tip at Zhang Quan. Sure enough, Zhang Quan’s movements, previously only slightly sluggish, slowed even more this time. Though the difference was only half a second to a second, it was enough for Tang Yan to close in.
Unfortunately, Zhang Quan was now extremely alert.
No longer hindered by that second of shock, Zhang Quan dodged the attack with ease.
“Brother, we’ve never had any grievances, either past or present.”
“You suddenly burst into my room, attacking me—shouldn’t you at least give a reason?”
Realizing Tang Yan was not to be trifled with, Zhang Quan decided to turn hostility into friendship.
Hell, what else could he do?
While Tang Yan couldn’t deal with him now, he couldn’t do anything to Tang Yan either. The guy was slippery as an eel, with a beast-like combat intuition. Every time Zhang Quan teleported near him, Tang Yan dodged instantly.
If this kept up, once his abilities ran dry, he’d be at Tang Yan’s mercy.
Of course, he could use his power to escape the villa, but why should he? This was territory he’d fought hard to claim.
At worst… he’d split it with Tang Yan.
On second thought, if Tang Yan was so strong, trading half his territory for Tang Yan’s allegiance was a good deal. Their team’s strength would multiply, and their monster kills would increase.
“Brother, as the saying goes, fighting breeds familiarity.”
“Why not join my team—together we’ll conquer the dungeon world?”
“Heh~”
Tang Yan sneered, attacking even more fiercely.
Join you? With your half-baked abilities, you got such a good power but can’t even beat me? This guy only shows off in front of ordinary people, Tang Yan realized.
“Hey, hey, don’t go too far!”
“I’ve already offered an olive branch, and you’re still attacking—do you think I’ll just take it lying down?”
“This isn’t how you treat people! What did I ever do to you? Can’t you be reasonable?”
Why was he being treated like this—at least give a reason! Zhang Quan was on the verge of tears; this guy had barged into his room, interrupted his fun, and he hadn’t even gotten angry.
Why wouldn’t Tang Yan let up?
Zhang Quan felt utterly stifled.