Age of Legends

Chapter 341 Something happened
The final battle will eventually come.

In another timeline, Zhang Chen was unaware of Zhao Tao's fate that summer. Perhaps this year, the "land king" did not stir up any storm in Fuzhou, and Liu Qi's momentum was as high as the sun.

Zhao Tao continues to run his arcade and internet cafe, working as a small business owner, and steadily grows in the future, eventually becoming a big shot.

But in this timeline, Zhao Tao started a courier business, establishing the first courier station in Rongcheng, and becoming the "big brother" who led teams to evade postal inspections every day while "sweeping" through commercial streets.

Sometimes Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei would run into him when they ate before evening self-study. He had dark skin from the sun and would occasionally ride a tricycle, waving to the two of them from a distance.

During internet cafe gatherings, Zhao Tao would point to two people and tell his group, "Zhang and Wang are both capable people. Their grades are better than everyone else's; they're good at studying and will amount to something. You'll both be successful in the future. You two used to fight all the time, and some were even expelled from school. Now nobody's allowed to hang out with them; we're dragging them down the street. You don't have the capital or the brains to do business. You're always so aggressive. Without me, none of you will amount to anything. When will you ever amount to anything? Focus on working with me in the courier business; there's no better path for you! When you make it big, one of you can lead a whole street of businesses. Isn't that better than anything else?"
Zhang Chen knew that Zhao Tao was a legitimate university graduate, and his family had paved a good job and a promising future for him through their connections, but he still didn't choose that path. Sometimes Zhang Chen felt that Zhao Tao didn't like a conventional life; after all, Zhao Tao, used to being in charge and having a lot of excitement, might find it difficult to be controlled and follow the rules within the system. He probably preferred doing business and making big money.

But he doesn't seem to make much money. The arcade and internet cafe are always full of "brothers" who come in to use the machines, and they can spend a few dollars to surf the internet all day. The electricity bill might not even be enough for him to make money.

There was another guy named Liu Jie, whom they called "A-Jie," who followed him around. Later, his elderly mother was diagnosed with kidney disease and needed dialysis every week. The family's meager savings were gone in just a few months. When Zhao Tao found out, he didn't say a word. He pulled an envelope wrapped in an old newspaper from under the counter. Inside was the money he had saved to buy a batch of new machines. He didn't even count it before stuffing it into A-Jie's hand.

There was a young man named Sun Xing in the internet cafe. His father had injured his back in a construction accident and couldn't do heavy work, cutting off the family's main source of income. Zhao Tao then had him come to the internet cafe every day to "work," ostensibly to keep watch, but actually to find a way to help him out. He paid him far more than the average internet cafe manager.

Zhao Tao didn't bring these things up himself; he only heard about them piecemeal from Wang Shuowei.

Therefore, many people are willing to follow Zhao Tao.

Zhang Chen began to understand why Zhao Tao had given up on repairing his relationship with his father and opted for a stable job arranged by his family. Given their family's connections, even reaching the level of a mayor, it wouldn't be long before Zhao Tao rose rapidly through the ranks and took over the family's power. This also aligned with the requirements of Secretary Yan Mingshu, the eldest daughter, for a suitable son-in-law.

However, he was still at odds with his father and cruelly rejected Miss Yan's advances.

Perhaps some people, after achieving success or on the verge of meteoric rise, will sever ties with their past, leaving behind anything less respectable or potentially burdensome, so that they can move forward unburdened and leap over that dragon gate.

But Zhao Tao grew up here and had long seen the extinguished light in the eyes of laid-off factory workers, and had long seen the hopeless youths in the urban villages wasting their meaningless lives in alcohol and cigarettes on the streets.

He was familiar with the helplessness and sorrow that this land bred. Those specific human sufferings might only be a few lines of print in the newspaper, but they were real burdens falling on A-Jie's family, and the back that Sun Xing's father could no longer straighten.

So he also wondered if he could find a way out for these people. Since everyone considered him a leader, he tied his life to the lives of these people. Even if they were stuck in a quagmire, could they forge a path together?

The phenomenal success of "Seven Days' Promise" generated a buzz this summer, causing Wu Yue to lose her motivation to retire from the entertainment industry and Meng Lihui to back down, leaving Liu Qi's mouthpiece in silence.

Things still escalated.

As night fell, Shengfeng's fleet of vehicles shuttled back and forth between Rongcheng and neighboring cities and counties, carrying mostly goods from small manufacturers and packages entrusted by individuals. Now, with Shengfeng's reputation growing, business was booming, including next-day sales to individuals. Shengfeng's business finally began to improve, going from initial losses to some profitability.

Bu Ruijie drove his truck along. The old, secondhand truck rattled everywhere, but the engine was still reliable. Bu Ruijie lit a cigarette. He could deliver this batch of goods today and get back overnight. He could sleep for five hours and then start the next batch. There was a CD player in the truck. He didn't like the truck radio; instead, he preferred to buy expensive Sony CD players to listen to rock music. He actually loved music. He couldn't remember how many times he'd been huddled in a corner starving, or bullied in the training camp without daring to utter a sound. He'd endured those toughest days with music from a cassette player.

So as soon as he got paid, he spent a large sum of money to buy a state-of-the-art Sony CD player, which was almost a luxury, to pass the time he spent driving to and from the suburbs.

At that time, Rongcheng and its suburbs were still on the old national highway. Fortunately, it was a plain area with endless rice paddies and trains running in the distance. However, the road surface was full of potholes, and sometimes large potholes would suddenly appear, testing your reaction time. If you couldn't avoid them, the car would end up in the pothole, which would cause delays.

In that instant, Bu Ruijie suddenly felt the car being pushed, as if it had been rear-ended, followed by a loud "boom!"

His heart sank instantly. A tremendous force from the steering wheel sent his strong arms flying, and the car went out of control. He felt as if the world was beginning to shift and spin.

A tire blew out!?

Upon hearing the explosion, that was the only thought that came to Bu Ruijie's mind in that instant.

The truck came to a stop, swaying and smoking.

Bu Ruijie was soaked in sweat. The sudden explosion caused the car to lose balance and swerve uncontrollably on the road. He finally managed to bring it to a stop after a few efforts to regain control.

A few seconds after the car came to a complete stop, the door opened, and Bu Ruijie fell out.

He didn't jump out of the car immediately because his legs were weak and he had no strength at all. In the end, he almost tore off his seatbelt, opened the door, and fell down, letting his body hit the ground and roll to the side.

When he got up, he was horrified to find that there was a huge hole in the back of the truck, and countless pieces of express delivery and cardboard boxes were scattered over the road behind him for dozens of meters, spraying out in a burst.

The explosion alerted the surrounding farmland and villages, and many local villagers came over, some intending to put out the fire, others to see what had happened and help deal with it.

Only Bu Ruijie felt ice-cold all over.

He realized what the sound had just been.

Back in those chaotic times, Luo Yue from the west side of the city once got into a fight and threw detonators into someone's shop. The explosion could be heard throughout the entire street.

That's the sound he just heard.

detonator!

explosive!
(End of this chapter)