Caleb Li stood right in front of the intimidating burly man without an ounce of fear on his face. He said calmly, "Yes."
The burly man looked at Caleb Li for a couple of seconds, and a flash of surprise appeared on his face. This was the first time a kid would not get intimidated by his physique.
He had the lowest level of the Stone Physique, a Low Grade-9 Stone Physique. Still, it was not something an ordinary person could withstand his gaze without getting intimidated.
Quickly, he recovered and smiled. "Boy, I won't make it difficult for you. Work for us, and I will talk to the boss to let go of your debt."
"Work for you?" A slight surprise appeared on Caleb Li's face before he shook his head. "No, thank you."
"That's bad." The smile on his face disappeared, and it became stern. "Your Grandma borrowed money from us and has yet to pay. Are you ready to pay for her?"
Caleb Li wasn't surprised, since the Vulture Gang came to abduct Grandma and Lihua. He knew Grandma Shu must have a dealing with them.
"How much?" His voice was flat and cold.
Though he knew why the gang kidnapped his family, that didn't stop him from getting angry. The burly man named Bai had a deep sneer on his face and responded.
"Five Hundred Dollars."
"Give me one week, and I will pay you back. If I can't pay back in one week, I'll join your gang." His voice calm and decisive.
This time around, Bai couldn't hide his surprise. Five hundred Dollars was a huge amount, and he didn't expect Caleb Li to readily agree to his insane bluff.
Even though he was shocked, he was happy. What does a gang need if not to make money and exploit the gullible ones? And today, another foolish and gullible one just fell into their net.
He grinned and nodded. "Good. I'm expecting my five hundred in a week."
With that, he motioned to one of his men to bring Grandma Shu and Lihua from their prison.
....
Back at home, Grandma Shu looked at Caleb Li for a couple of seconds and asked.
"You passed the trial, right?"
"Yes." His voice filled with pride.
"Really, brother?!" Lihua exclaimed with wide eyes.
He looked at her and nodded with a bright smile on his face. Lihua couldn't contain her joy and shouted in joy.
"Finally, we can leave this dirty place."
He ruffled her hair and looked at Grandma Shu and asked. "What are you thinking?"
A smile crept up her face, and she responded. "I'm surprised and happy for you, my son."
"Before the gang came to take us, your friend came to check on you." She added.
"Yes, Rose was worried about you, brother. You should go see her tomorrow."
"Hmm, I shall see her tomorrow in school." He responded.
The following day, Caleb Li woke up early and prepared for school. Even though he was stronger than before and could probably get stronger quickly in the Ancient Realm.
He knew the importance of the College Entrance Examination; there won't be a joke with it. In his past life, he was mediocre, and that's what led him to join the army.
With the memory he gained from the previous Caleb Li, he quickly navigated himself and appeared in front of Maple High School.
Maple High School was one of the best schools in the outer city. In Riverside city, there were eight high schools in the outer city and two in the inner city.
Entering the class, the room was empty, making him the first person to arrive. Without thinking too much about it, he took his seat by the window and looked at the peaceful scenery of the school field.
As a soldier, lateness was never a thing. Therefore, it had become a part of him to stick to time. After a couple of minutes, his classmates began to arrive one after the other.
Everyone was surprised when they realized Caleb Li had arrived before everyone else. Still, everyone maintained their distance.
Even though they were surprised, that was all. Caleb Li was the trash of the clan with no friends. His only friend was the tomboy in class, Rose Smith.
Suddenly, he felt his body react strangely, and he raised his head. Coming into the class were the five students that ganged up on him and beat him to death.
As if sensing his gaze, the leader of the gang looked at Caleb Li's direction. His heart jumped to his throat, and he froze in his step.
"What happened?" Justin asked, his voice filled with confusion.
Kenzo didn't respond immediately as he was lost in thought with his heart pounding heavily against his chest. Justin, confused and lost, followed Kenzo's gaze and saw the dead looking back at them.
'What the….' He jumped in fright.
Just then, a sweet commanding voice came from their behind. "What are you doing, standing like a fool?"
Their homeroom teacher, Miss Freya, appeared right behind them. Instantly, the group of delinquents woke up from their stupor and rushed to their seats.
Miss Freya didn't care about them and walked to the podium with her heel, resounding through the class.
She was a beautiful woman with a blond oval face and long brown hair. Her deep blue eyes were beautiful and could make anyone lost just staring at them.
Though her eyes were beautiful, they were sharp like an eagle's and could spot anything happening in her class.
"What do we have here?" She said, staring at Caleb Li's direction. "I understand the pressure of the upcoming entrance examination for a person like you. But you mustn't give up easily. Hope this won't happen again?"
Even though she didn't call out a name, everyone knew who she was talking about. Caleb Li nodded and said, "It won't."
"Good." She smiled and averted her gaze, ready to address the class when another student rushed into class.
"Sorry…" Rose said with a flushed cheek, wiping off the sweat from her forehead.
"Your home is not far from the school. Why will you always come late?" Miss Freya asked with a serious expression.
Rose, dressed in long baggy jeans and a big polo shirt, stared at the ground nervously. Seeing this, Miss Freya shook her head and said. "Go to your seat."
Breathing a sigh of relief, she rushed to a seat right in front of Caleb Li and gave him a cursory glance before she averted her gaze.
On the podium, Miss Freya had her no-nonsense expression and began to speak.
"You should have heard, Amanda has transferred to Golden Crest High school in the inner city. With her talent, I believe her talent would shine better in the inner school and bring glory to our school."
Caleb Li was surprised. He was ready to confront her for his Jade Pendant, but now, that wench had transferred to the inner city. He was furious and clenched his fist and had to take a deep breath to calm his ragging blood.
'No matter where you go, I will find you.' He vowed in his heart.
Kenzo and his men exchanged glances and sucked in a cold breath. With Amanda not in the school anymore, they knew they have to handle the trash.
When they remembered he was trash, the fear in their hearts disappeared into thin air and was replaced with confident grins.
On the podium, Miss Freya continued her speech. "With one of her best students transferred to another school, we need to train harder not to be left behind."
"So, on your feet. We're not having a cultural class today but the martial class."
******
[AN: Please vote for this book with your power stones. Thanks]