Chapter 86: A Helping Hand in the Dark

On the street, the air was cool.

Yenir habitually pulled his hood up as he walked alone down the darkened road.

A steady drizzle fell all around.

Unlike the brightly lit Tianfeng Security Zone, the Zhenjiang Security Zone still buzzed with light, its streets lined with both illuminated and dark shops.

‘Should I just hack my gear?’

He mumbled the thought under his breath.

After a brief hesitation, Yenir shook his head. There was no need for that.

If things turned out as miserably as in his previous life, he’d hack his gear anyway.

With only a month left, even if he wasn’t at Stage Three yet, he’d soon have no choice. With his potential, the Military Department wouldn’t withhold resources unless they’d lost their minds.

Given his status, returning a favor was as simple as uttering a word.

In a sense, Chen Yong’s investment had truly paid off.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Yenir stared at the throng of people and suddenly felt uncertain about his next move.

In both his past life and this rebirth, he was used to constantly striving to grow stronger and to fight.

While waiting for his skills to cool down, he had nothing pressing to do.

Maybe it was time to find a place to grab a bite…

‘Ping, private message request.’

?

Curious, Yenir glanced at his system’s private messages and casually clicked one open.

His communication ID was known to very few; aside from his family, only Captain Huang and the training camp instructors had it.

Opening the message, he saw that the sender was Wang Kun.

‘Could you lend me some Credit Points? I’ll repay you very soon.’

‘Or maybe offset it with some Crossbow Bolts…’

Yenir paused, a bit taken aback.

Reading the terse message, Yenir’s expression turned suddenly serious.

Wang Kun was the stall owner from whom he had bought Sleeve Arrows at the Tianfeng Market. After the purchase, Yenir even paid extra Credit Points and left his ID.

The taciturn middle-aged man had left a deep impression on him—one he was truly grateful for.

In his previous life, after missing a crucial test, he had struggled to gather enough Credit Points… and simply survive.

It was during that time that he met Wang Kun.

When he was penniless, it was this kind-hearted man who gave him a Crossbow, saving his life. Later, Wang Kun repeatedly helped him sell items at cost, always taking care of him. Without Wang Kun, Yenir might never have managed to escape to the Capital!

‘Wang, how many do you need?’

‘Is something wrong with your daughter?’

He replied urgently.

Yenir remembered that Wang Kun’s daughter had always been in poor health, though she managed to hang in there. So why would he send a late-night message…?

In the Tianfeng Security Zone.

Inside a dilapidated shipping container, a quiet middle-aged man wore a look of deep shame on his face as he sat amidst piled-up materials that left hardly any room. On a small, clean bed lay a seven- or eight-year-old girl.

The little girl’s cheeks were flushed and her breathing was rapid.

Clenching his fists while watching Yenir’s swift reply, Wang Kun’s expression wavered before he finally managed to speak in a strained tone:

‘Little brother, just lend me 170 Credit Points…’

‘Or 160… 160 will do…’

‘I promise to repay you. If not, you can take my belongings as collateral—grab whatever catches your eye.’

After sending the message with difficulty, Wang Kun took a deep breath, feeling utterly ashamed.

Living off selling Crossbows and Crossbow Bolts, he was skilled at his craft but never excelled at business, scraping by on meager earnings. Just three days earlier, after paying his stall fee, his daughter had suddenly developed a high fever overnight. With empty pockets, he had searched far and wide for help.

But a man as socially awkward as he was had hardly any friends—the ones he did have were equally destitute. Just when he had managed to gather some money, he was swindled by a fake doctor.

In utter desperation, he finally thought of Yenir—the man who had once been generous.

A man who prided himself on his resilience felt that begging money from even a barely acquainted little brother was no less than humiliation!

But…

Seeing his daughter suffer, his heart ached unbearably.

Doctors and medicines in the Security Zone were exorbitant. Poor people had to combat illness with sheer willpower—failure meant death. Given his daughter’s frail health, he couldn’t risk letting her fight it out. With 160 Credit Points, plus his meager savings and a bit from selling materials, he hoped to gather enough for treatment in the Inner City…

Hesitant to check his private messages, he feared his plea might be rejected.

160 Credit Points was no small sum—enough to feed a family of three for half a year!

‘Useless… I’m a complete failure! Swindled, unable to earn money, and now my daughter suffers along with me! How shameful—to borrow money from someone I barely know…’

Cradling his head in his hands, the honest middle-aged man winced as his daughter whimpered in pain, and in a moment of sheer exasperation, he even slammed his fist against his own head.

Seconds later, a series of message notifications abruptly broke the silence.

‘Ping, your ID Card has received 2000 Credit Points.’

‘Wang, use the money first. If it isn’t enough, let me know. Repay only when conditions allow!’

His whole body trembled.

Wang Kun stared in disbelief at the 2000 Credit Points that had suddenly appeared on his card—a sum so large it nearly stunned him. He had never seen such an amount in his life.

It felt like a dream as he read Yenir’s message and then snapped back to reality.

‘Thank you!! Thank you!! Little brother, there’s more than enough—way too much.’

Instinctively, he reached to return the excess Credit Points, only to find that Yenir had directly refused the transaction.

‘Wang, just think of it as me buying all your Crossbows. With your skill, I’m the one getting a bargain here.’

Reading Yenir’s final message, the honest, unassuming man’s eyes filled with tears. Even the dullest mind could see that Yenir’s words were meant to preserve his pride.

Deeply moved, with a mix of bittersweet emotion, Wang Kun slowly walked to the bed and lifted his little daughter into his arms.

Taking a deep breath as if steeling himself, he sent a message to Yenir:

‘Brother Yenir,’

‘I’m not good with words, but from today on, my life—Wang Kun’s—is yours!’

……

Back on the street, Yenir smiled dryly at Wang Kun’s message. He knew the earnest middle-aged man all too well.

At first, he had considered transferring 10,000 Credit Points, but fearing it might overwhelm Wang, he finally opted for a smaller sum.

Yenir believed that any kindness—no matter how small—deserved a hundredfold return. Whoever had done him a favor would receive it back many times over!

A gentle smile, a small compensation for past regrets, lifted Yenir’s mood considerably.

But in the very next moment, his smile froze abruptly.

In the distance, several vague yet deadly intentions locked onto him!

His muscles tensed, rendering him motionless.

Goosebumps erupted as his powerful sixth sense warned him of a lurking predator behind—a beast poised to strike at any moment!

‘Stage Three! At least Stage Three qi!’