Chapter 82: New World, A Ruthless Person

Chapter 82 A New World, A Real Tough Guy

Sheng Qingquan was horrified.

Even though he knew it was just promotional merch, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt—what if, at this very moment, another dimensional tear had silently opened, and a new Roaming Gem had appeared to scout for an invasion?

It wasn’t until he held the fist-sized gem in his hand that Sheng Qingquan dared to confirm it was indeed just promotional merch.

"Could my luck be any worse?!"

"Of all things to get, why this?"

"Phew!" In places unseen by Sheng Qingquan, the staff who had just been startled by his thoughts finally let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn’t another real one.

Otherwise, with three consecutive gems landing on Sky-Blue Planet, even though they already had a solution, it would be hard not to suspect whether the appearance of Roaming Gems was truly random.

What if the shadowy alien race had already locked onto Sky-Blue Planet, dead set on claiming it as their territory, and thus relentlessly sent gems to remodel it?

If new gems appeared without any warning from the novels, and people only realized something was wrong after the net went dark each time—even if the invaders didn’t succeed, could Sky-Blue Planet ever find peace? Could humanity live and develop normally?

The thought alone was chilling.

Fortunately, it was just promotional merch. Otherwise, the future would seem utterly screwed.

Moreover, the most shocking discovery for Sheng Qingquan upon obtaining the gem was realizing that—

"This gem not only won’t remodel Sky-Blue Planet or transmit its coordinates outward, but on the contrary, if activated, it will actually lead me to its previous owner."

Don’t write this off as junk—it might just come in handy someday.

With this in mind, Sheng Qingquan had no intention of destroying the gem. Instead, he stashed away the Roaming Gem carefully.

As the authorities awarded Sheng Qingquan a bonus and the global meteorite-hunting event came to a successful conclusion, most citizens could finally rest. However, the official staff grew even busier.

They had to hurry to restore the network.

How much would be delayed otherwise?

A day without the internet wouldn’t bring life to a complete halt, but honestly, it was pretty damn close.

With no online distractions, Sheng Qingquan, aside from enjoying good food, had no other entertainment. So, he decided to focus on exercise.

Though he already had excellent physical fitness, regular workouts were still beneficial. If he grew too lazy, he worried he might start developing flab.

Stuck in this forced downtime with many leisure activities unavailable, others might choose to sleep in, go shopping with friends, or find some other way to pass the time.

But those in the neighborhood who often heard Sheng Qingquan’s mental commentary were seriously motivated. Most chose to strengthen their physiques and train harder.

They didn’t just follow the coaches sent by the authorities—they also jogged around the neighborhood morning and night.

Though their running schedules often didn’t overlap, Sheng Qingquan still encountered quite a few people during his workouts.

Like now, as he watched a young neighbor approaching, panting heavily. Then he glanced at the elderly man on the exercise equipment nearby, showing off crazy pull-up moves without breaking a sweat, his muscles clearly defined. Beside him, an elderly woman repeatedly traversed the monkey bars, going hard for ten-plus minutes, still showing no signs of slowing down.

"Man, this generation of young people just isn’t up to par!"

Sheng Qingquan shook his head internally, Dumbledore-style.

The young man who’d been told he couldn’t do it flushed red, unsure if it was from exhaustion or anger.

"A new Doomsday now?"

A new, semi-transparent novel materialized in front of him. It didn’t obstruct his view, and with few people around, there was no risk of collisions. Still, Sheng Qingquan walked to the side and sat down to rest before starting to read.

A new Doomsday?

The guy who’d just brushed past Sheng Qingquan got curious. He was already exhausted but afraid of missing out if he ran too far away. After a quick glance around, he grabbed a drink from a vending machine and pretended to be too tired to run, sitting down near Sheng Qingquan.

No one could tell if he was really that worn out, but Sheng Qingquan didn’t suspect a thing.

Sheng Qingquan focused on reading the novel.

"The protagonist is Gu Hefan?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the guy chugging his drink beside him. What a coincidence.

Gu Hefan paused mid-swallow. Wait, was this about him?

So, how did he die in the plot?

Gu Hefan shrugged it off. In reality, he definitely wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes. However he died in the story, he could take it in stride—no trauma, no shadow. Absolutely nothing would faze him.

"Who’d have thought? This guy looks like he can’t even run a lap, gasping like he’s about to collapse. And yet, he’s a hero."

"Respect, man."

Could it be that in the story, he heroically sacrificed himself for the country?

Gu Hefan swelled with quiet pride. No biggie—just doing his duty.

His family’s records might even give him his own page. Maybe he’d even rate a flag-draped coffin.

Following hometown traditions, they might build a shrine in his honor. Yeah, he knew gods weren’t real, but the recognition was solid gold! Getting a shrine was the ultimate hometown hero treatment.

The last person to get one was an old man who saved three drowning victims before exhausting himself and dying while trying to save a fourth. Further back, there was a girl who exposed a shady vendor for using gutter oil and was stabbed to death in the streets as revenge.

Guess he’d made the cut. If they built a statue of him, he hoped it’d include a national flag cape!

The thought alone had him grinning, so he took another sip of his drink to hide it.

Even the nearby staff, pretending to exercise, stroll, or chat, were now eyeing Gu Hefan with respect.

Kid’s got guts—a real hero! Everyone was proud of him.

"Absolute madman—he dove into a sewage pit!"