Xue Fang woke up at quarter to noon the next day with cheerfulness.
When he came home the previous day and logged into the license website, he was thankful that Mei hadn't exhausted the license enough to make it enter cooldown.
"I guess today is for shopping. I have so many things to buy in Hunter's Mall that I'm afraid I will max out the limit, and the license would enter cooldown straight away,"
He muttered, already planning his purchases.
***
"Resumption is next month, I still have time to enter the HighRealms and grow stronger, I heard there are many types of competitions in military school, compulsory ones and optional ones, I hope to have some fun!!"
Walking down the street, Xue Fang clutched the purchase bags, having maxed out the limit of his license, and as part of the privilege of hunters, he couldn't board a free transport, and he was as poor as a church rat so he tried walking the little distance.
"Mei will also start school next month, I hope she copes well, she is very intelligent after all"
Xue Fang gazed happily at the license in his other hand. "It sure great to have this privilege, Hunters are humanity heroes, even though I don't understand what being a hero is, as long as I grow strong enough to protect my family, there is nothing anymore"
Although Xue Fang wasn't as chivalrous as other orphans who made it their mission to become a hunter because of their dead parents, he made up his mind to become strong enough to protect his future family so that one day, like his parents, he wouldn't think of hiding his child in a basket in order to protect them.
"I will grow stronger, stronger enough for the sake of my family and loved ones' safety"
Xue Fang was so embroiled in his thoughts that he gave the noise at the back no attention.
However, it seemed the sound was getting louder as they approached him, he turned back and tried to figure out what caused the noise.
It appeared a man was being chased by some bounty hunters, the hunters were in full armor and they were riding some reptilelike creatures.
"What type of battle pets are these, they seemed fast!! Gliding over the road like a sports car, even faster than that!"
The reptile-like battle pets had scaly bodies and shape like crocodiles but were a lot bigger.
Their scales were larger, and they didn't resemble crocodiles, their speed was so fast that if Xue Fang wasn't straining his eyes, they would have appeared blurry.
Xue Fang was even surprised his appraisal skill managed to evaluate the battle pet even though his eyes were struggling to catch up with their speed.
"Level 100 huh? An enhanced speed, as expected, supernaturals like these will mostly excel at speed"
The man being chased wore a flowing black robe and wide-rim hat, there were two long swords by his side and while he ran with speed barely surpassing that of the battle pet, his hands were fixed on the hilt of the swords.
"A sword master huh, I wonder what he did"
Just then Xue Fang heard a voice echoing from the radio of the bounty hunters.
"Stop! You are hereby declared a rogue operative for destroying infrastructures, your actions have been deemed unlawful, and we have the right to arrest you! Any further resistance than this will result in more severe punishment!"
Xue Fang could feel his blood boiling, he was no hero but he would never condone the act of destroying the infrastructure in the poor locality, he was one of the many poor who benefited from these infrastructures.
However, it seemed this man was skilled, and before the hunters knew it, he had vanished.
"Huh? We lost him even with these battle pets, unbelievable, is he that strong?"
"You can never know, he must have been greatly enhanced, because only someone whose body has broken through many levels of human limits can outrun Desert Lizard Kings, even certain Baron-level hunters would find it hard to surpass the speed of these reptiles on land and in water"
After having some conversations and giving reports on their radios, the bounty hunters left, however, just where Xue Fang stood witnessing these events unfolding like every other onlooker, he managed to grasp what others didn't see.
"Did I just see a figure run past that alleyway?"
Just before the figure of the swordmaster disappeared, Xue Fang's eyes were following him, but just when he disappeared from sight, Xue Fang caught a faint figure walking into the alleyway close to the spot he was.
It was as though this figure appeared out of thin air just at the entry of the alleyway and then walked into it.
Given the direction of the sun, the alleyway was covered by the shade of the tall buildings that formed it, was it because Xue Fang could now see well in the dark, coupled with his efficient vision that made him see the faint figure that appeared from thin air and walked into the alleyway?
However, Xue Fang knew he could only see well in any dark area by simulating Night Vision, so was Night Vision simulation a permanent effect? If so, Xue Fang was quite amazed.
Xue Fang walked boldly to the shaded alleyway, and to his surprise, the swordmaster was walking confidently away in the distance.
"So he was confident that he had shaken off the bounty hunters? What an arrogant man, but unfortunately for him, I caught him, he will pay for whatever he destroy that is potentially beneficial to any of my good acquaintances"
"Hey! old geezer! Stop right there and pay for what you did!"
Xue Fang's voice echoed in the alleyway, prompting the man to stop in his tracks.
The man then turned back apathetically, and after all this moment, he released his left hand from the hilt of his sword and used the pinky to stroke his ear: "I don't remember having business with an impudent brat today.
Calling someone young like me old geezer, don't you think that was a little unfair?"
"Well, an old geezer is an old geezer, there is nothing more, why are they chasing you?
I heard them say you destroy some infrastructure, is it true?
People in this region have found it hard to get a good living, and if you destroy the infrastructure that is still being managed, it is sure to bounce back on the people, and that I wouldn't want since I'm still living here"
"And so what? Even I had my reasons for cutting down some buildings, go home lad, I don't have your time"
Xue Fang gnashed his teeth upon hearing this, even tho he knew some rogues lived in this locality, none of them did any harm to the infrastructure, their criminal activities were mostly planned here but they operate in more prominent regions.
"What absurd reason will that be to make people suffer, apart from other people, as long as I and my sister live in Spirit Shell Town, I won't permit someone like you here"
"Picking a fight huh? Lad! You act too cocky for your age, I should have made my movements more unpredictable or I should have adjusted my enhanced speed to what your eyes couldn't follow, even though I adjusted my enhanced speed to what the hunters' battle pets couldn't follow, you managed to follow it.
I didn't know someone of your caliber was also on my tail, what a hassle, well, if you so want to get cut badly, then, be my guest"
"Simply because, there is nothing I can't cut"
The man drew out his swords from their sheaths.