Back to the Peak

e on the road, the shops with gleaming headlights on the roadside…the billboards that often displayed his favorite foods.
A Rad-Warrior advertised a new drink.
It was said that after drinking it, the child's aptitude would rise.

Of course, this was nothing more than boasting.
There were drugs that could improve a child's aptitude, but only a senior pharmacist could prepare them.
This kind of drink, with dozens of credits per bottle, was just that: a drink.

Shi Qingyang explored everything beyond.
It was exciting at first, but he soon lost interest.
He shifted his gaze to the left, only to discover Cheng Ran sprawled on the car windshield, his face squashed against the glass.

Obviously, this looks weird, but he thought it was kind of cute.

Shi Qingyang followed Cheng Ran's gaze and looked ahead, not feeling bored anymore…
In reality, the scenery outside was breathtaking.

Gu Changjin’s car didn’t drive fast, but it didn’t take long for the car to arrive at the city center.
The city had a semicircular defensive cover.
The outer buildings could not be constructed any higher than a certain height, but the buildings in the center could.
It was very high.
The tallest building was located in the heart of the city.
This was the City Lord's Mansion, as well as the headquarters of each city's radiation guild.

Shi Qingyang was staring up at the tall City Lord's Mansion when he noticed his clothes being pulled.
When he turned his head, he saw Cheng Ran was gazing at him intently, as he pulled away his hand as if previous action never happened.

“What's the matter?” Shi Qingyang asked.

Seeing Shi Qingyang was not angry, Cheng Ran became energized and pointed to the very bright protective cover illuminated by the lamp inlaid in the sky.

“What are those people doing?”

“Repair and apply of anti-radiation coating.” Shi Qingyang as well saw the figures and devices on the other side of protective cover.
“Some mutant beast pounce against the cover when they see the city’s lights.
When the anti-radiation paints start to flake off, it needs to be patched up.
Sometime, late at night you’ll see sight like this.”

Shi Qingyang grinned, as soon after, a low-level moth rushed over.
A blinding light sprayed out from the gun mouth placed on the protective cover as the moth beast advanced, and the moth beast was immediately killed.
It was ignited, turned into a small fireball, landing on the protective cover, and then rolled down it.

Many citizens in the city were familiar with such a scene, and he was well acquainted with it, since he had done the job.

“All right, get out of the car first, and I’ll go park.” Gu Changjin chuckled as the car came to a halt in front of a shopping mall.

Shi Qingyang took Cheng Ran out of the car, only to discover they had arrived at Spark City's largest shopping centre.
This mall was built in a half circle around a building in the heart of Spark City, with a wide plaza in front of it.
Almost everything was for sale here.

Cheng Ran admired and observed everything in front of him.
He should have been used to seeing such scenery as a person born in a first-class city, but he was much more country pumpkin than Shi Qingyang.

“Shi Qingyang?” A voice that was oddly familiar towards him, yet when Shi Qingyang turned around he saw a completely unfamiliar face that babbled intensely.
“Where have you been these days? Once your test results came out and you got admired in Spark Academy, you disappeared.”

‘One of my former classmates?’ After learning about his parents' deaths, Shi Qingyang seemed to have never returned to school.
With the passage of time, he couldn’t no longer remember those classmates.

“Something happened at my house.” Shi Qingyang smiled bitterly.
“No wonder, Shi Qingyang, He Ming had been looking for you as well.
He was often pressed down by you in exams, but now he was tested double C+ in rad-test.
He'd always wanted to show you, but you'd vanished.” The man said again, with an expression of watching a show.

He Ming? Shi Qingyang had a bit of an impression of this person.
He attended a minor school until the age of 16, and his grades were still among the best.
When sometimes he was second, He Ming was first.
Later, He Ming seemed to have attended Spark Academy as well, but there was no overlap between the two.

Seeing that Shi Qingyang didn't react much, the young man was a little disappointed, and asked.
“Do you want to go shopping together?”

“No, I'm with someone else.” Shi Qingyang came to a halt in front of Cheng Ran who wanted to go on.

That person clearly had a poor relationship with him; otherwise, how could he not inquire, even though he stated that something was wrong in his home?

As the so-called classmate left, Shi Qingyang turned his head, only to see Cheng Ran grasping his hand and smiling.

“Are you overjoyed?”

“Yeah, you're with me, Shi Qingyang.” Cheng Ran nodded.

Just now he was afraid that Shi Qingyang would follow the man.
Fortunately, Shi Qingyang didn't do so.

“Is that your classmate?”

“Not anymore.” Shi Qingyang grinned and held Cheng Ran's hands tightly.

Gu Changjin came soon.
They didn’t need to prepare too much for school.
Today, he mainly bought clothing for the two of them.
He led the two of them to a counter on the mall's sixth floor, but he didn't expect for Cheng Ran to observe the prices.
After passing the price tags, he was about to leave.

“Master, what's the matter?” Gu Changjin inquired in a low voice.
Cheng Ran wore this brand all the time.

“Grandpa Gu, it's too expensive; let's get something cheaper.” Cheng Ran stated flatly, frowning.

He had never been concerned with money before.
But when he used all his money in his account to buy one computer Shi Qingyang, he started to be concerned about running out of money.

Even if there was no money, only Cheng Ran would speak so casually…
Shi Qingyang admitted that he, too, thought the clothes here were overpriced.

“Heh, beggars came in without money..” At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded.

Shi Qingyang frowned mildly as he turned his head.
He expected to run into more classmates he didn't recognize, but when he turned around, he found instead a group of acquaintances, or more specifically, two of them were enemies.