In the town's multipurpose hall.
Eric was thinking about how to quickly make money to enhance his mental strength, while William King was earnestly explaining the key points of the knight exam to the students.
...
Meanwhile, in apartment 201, building 6, Jinghu Garden Complex.
A middle-aged man in his forties, with a simple and honest smile, was speaking to an older woman, saying, "Madam, don't worry, I promise I won't damage the furniture in the house. If anything does get damaged, you can deduct it from my deposit."
Standing opposite him, the woman, who looked to be in her fifties, smiled after hearing his words and said, "That's good. This apartment was only renovated a few years ago. Even though Jinghu Garden is a bit old, the surrounding environment is really nice! There are restaurants and supermarkets nearby, and the bus stop is right at the entrance of the complex, so living here is very convenient. Renting this place for 600 dollars a month is quite a bargain for you."
"Thank you for your kindness," the middle-aged man replied with a humble smile.
The woman thought for a moment and then reminded him, "You said you're living alone, so make sure to keep the place clean. If I hadn't seen how tidy you are, I wouldn't have rented it to you."
"And also, don't bring any shady people into the house. We all know each other in this complex, and if you bring strangers in, the neighbors will notice right away. When you take a bath, try not to use too much water, this old building has some leakage problems. Plus, there's a kid downstairs preparing for the college entrance exams, so try to keep the noise down—this apartment's soundproofing isn't great. And if my family needs to come back to stay, you'll have to move out in advance."
The woman nagged for a while, but the middle-aged man kept smiling and nodding patiently the entire time.
Seeing how cooperative he was, the woman felt more at ease. She handed him the keys and said, "The apartment isn't very dirty, I come by to clean it occasionally. The basic household items are all here, you just need to add your personal stuff."
"Got it, thank you."
"You're welcome, then I'll be going now."
Once the woman left, the man immediately locked the door and let out a long sigh of relief, murmuring to himself, "In an old complex like this, there shouldn't be any surveillance cameras, right?"
He walked to the balcony, scanned the surroundings, and said in a low voice, "I wonder if the people in this town will figure out the clues I left behind..."
He had deliberately led the investigators tracking him toward Cang Mountain, misleading them into thinking he had fled in that direction. Cang Mountain belonged to a different area, so they probably wouldn't waste any more effort in this small town.
Although he wasn't too worried about the local investigators, his heart was still filled with unease. What he feared most was that things might escalate, drawing the attention of higher-level knights. While he could handle himself well in a small place like this, if he ended up in a big city, he might not even know how he died.
Sighing helplessly, the man knew he had to leave the country as soon as possible and head to one of the more chaotic small nations, where it might be safer. In this country, with surveillance everywhere, his identity would be exposed sooner or later. If he wanted to truly hide, his only option would be to flee the cities, but living like that would be extremely difficult—he wouldn't even be able to meet his basic needs. After all, knights aren't immortals, they still need to eat, drink, and maintain a normal life.
"I have to find a way to leave the country soon..." the man decided, planning to lie low in this residential complex for the time being. There was no property management, and the number of residents was small, so he wouldn't attract much attention. The area had all the necessary facilities, allowing him to keep a low profile. Once he improved his skills and secured a smuggling route, he would escape the country for good.
After repeatedly reviewing his plan, the man was confident that everything was in place, which allowed him to relax a little. He felt a twinge of regret—if he hadn't been so eager for quick success, maybe if he had waited a few more years, he could have accumulated enough resources. But the path of the knight didn't allow for waiting. Now that he was over forty, his vitality was already declining. Time wasn't on his side, and if he waited any longer, he might lose the chance to ever reach a higher level.
Bitterness filled his heart as his gaze slowly darkened...
...
At the same time, back in the town's multipurpose hall.
The two-hour-long lecture ended amidst a round of applause. Eric had initially planned to say hello to William King, but seeing him surrounded by a group of students, he gave up on the idea.
With the lecture over, students were free to go home. Eric waved goodbye to Mike and the others, ready to leave, but Mike, full of anticipation, asked, "Eric, why don't you come over to my house tonight?"
Eric frowned slightly, thinking, *That sounds kind of strange. If a pretty girl said it, it would be fine, but you, a guy...?*
Completely unaware of how awkward his words sounded, Mike continued cheerfully, "Aren't you curious to see how much your vitality has increased? William King said you have a good chance of passing the knight exam, so your vitality must have gone up quite a bit. Come to my place, and we'll test it again."
Eric breathed a sigh of relief—it wasn't what he thought—but he still shook his head and declined, "No need, really."
"Come on, don't be shy. It won't take long, let's just go."
"I have something to do tonight, maybe another time."
Eric didn't want to hurt Mike's feelings. Right now, Mike wasn't sure about his own vitality level and could stay calm. But if Mike found out that Eric's vitality had already exceeded 120 calories, he might lose his cool entirely. Mike was a good guy, and Eric didn't want his progress to make Mike envious or upset.
Seeing how firm Eric was in his refusal, Mike could only drop the subject, though he still felt curious about Eric's vitality. After saying goodbye to the other classmates, Eric left the school and headed home.
...
Not long after Eric left, William King also walked out of the school. He had declined the school leaders' dinner invitation—his real purpose for coming to the town was to complete a task assigned by the local investigation bureau.
William knew that 500,000 yuan wasn't a lot, but for a small town like this, it was a considerable amount. Besides, the task wasn't particularly difficult or risky, so it was relatively easy money.
After leaving the school, he carried his backpack, and soon, a black Volkswagen pulled up in front of him.
As soon as he got in the car, he asked, "According to the information, the target has entered Cang Mountain. There are tourists during the day, so he's unlikely to make any sudden moves. Does that mean the target is still in the town near Cang Mountain?"
The driver nodded and replied, "That's right, Mr. King, the target is still within the town. If he tries to leave, we'll get the news immediately. The director said that if he crosses Cang Mountain, you can stop pursuing him."
William frowned. If the target left the town's jurisdiction, the investigation bureau wouldn't pursue him beyond that. Failing to catch the target would mean a huge reduction in his reward, or he might not get paid at all.
"Did your director even try to make contact?"
The driver chuckled awkwardly and answered, "The target is extremely cautious, we never had a chance to approach him."
"Didn't the director make any attempts?"
"No..." the driver mumbled, clearly embarrassed.
William smirked, knowing that these officials were always careful with their own safety and rarely took risks.
"Is the target really a second-grade knight?"
"Absolutely! In the past, he committed several crimes to obtain the resources needed for his breakthrough. But based on our intelligence, he still hasn't gathered enough. Even if he had the resources, he wouldn't have had the time to break through. We've been monitoring him the whole time he's been in the town, and everything seems normal. If he tries to break through, we'll know immediately."
William nodded slightly. Indeed, a knight's breakthrough required time to accumulate, and since the target hadn't broken through yet, the threat wasn't too great.
In his mind, William calculated that once this task was completed, with the bureau's 500,000 yuan and the 60,000 yuan he earned from the school, he would have nearly 2 million yuan. If he applied for some additional funding from his school, that should be enough to cover his training expenses.
Thinking back to a year ago, when he was still worried about the cost of blood-replenishing medicines, William couldn't help but smile wryly at how far he had come. Even though he had accumulated millions, the road of a knight was still fraught with challenges. It wasn't just about having money; knights required vast resources. For many, breaking through to higher levels was a lifelong struggle.
Still lost in thought, William's car sped toward Cang Mountain.
---