After a while.
Mr. Walter Wang came back.
The medicine and water had been mixed.
"Go and try it."
"Okay."
Ethan Chen carried the sprayer on his back, pressed the switch, and sprayed it directly.
Wow.
The flies fell down like raindrops.
"Ding ding ding ding ding..."
The system prompt sound in Ethan's ears was as dense as pear blossoms in a rainstorm.
For him, this was the most beautiful music in the world.
The battle was over in three minutes.
The poisoned flies in the garbage pool were a black layer.
When looking at the panel:
Qi and Blood value: 94.
Ethan Chen was shocked.
The Qi and Blood had increased by nearly 12 points.
Equivalent to two Qi and Blood Pills.
Converted to money…
That was already twenty or thirty thousand yuan.
He took a deep breath.
If it were before, he might not have been able to save that much in his entire life.
Moreover—
Even if he had the money to buy Qi and Blood Pills…
He'd have to spend a month training just to absorb the pill's effects fully.
But now, he didn't spend a single penny.
The time cost was almost nothing.
Just three to five minutes.
It was equivalent to someone else spending 30,000 yuan and two months of hard training.
This was amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
Ethan was so excited he almost couldn't help but howl.
Mr. Walter Wang put his hands behind his back and smiled.
Ah, to be young again.
It was just killing some flies and insects, yet Ethan acted as if he'd won a battle, picked up a pile of free cash, and made giant strides in his Qi and Blood.
The battle had ended too quickly.
There was still a lot of liquid left in the bucket.
"Mr. Wang, I'll look around and return this stuff to you later, okay?" Ethan said.
"Sure, no problem, use it however you like.""I'm off to continue my walk," Mr. Wang said, humming as he left.
Ethan carried the sprayer out of the community.
After what he just experienced, the garbage pool effect was better than expected.
So naturally, the next target would also be a garbage pool.
The one in his neighborhood was already cleared.
So he set his sights on the neighboring community—Emerald Heights.
It was much larger than the Century Community where Ethan lived.
He wandered around until he found the garbage pool.
Even it was bigger than the one in Century.
Ethan was overjoyed.
Without a word, he got to work.
"Ding ding ding ding ding..."
Many residents noticed him buzzing around the garbage pool.
"Is he from our community?"
"Doesn't look familiar."
"I know him. He's from the next community over—Century. His name's Ethan Chen."
"Oh, that Ethan? The one whose aunt and uncle made him drop out of school half a year ago?"
"Yeah, they're total scum. Took his parents' pension and spent it on their own son."
"Disgusting."
"I heard Ethan's Qi and Blood scores were excellent in school. If he hadn't dropped out, he'd probably be a warrior by now."
"Such a shame for that kid..."
...
Ten minutes later, Ethan walked out of Emerald Heights.
The sprayer was now empty.
Name: Ethan ChenAge: 18Realm: NoneQi and Blood: 112/200
From 94 to 112.
An increase of 18 points.
Equivalent to three Qi and Blood Pills.
Ethan felt warm all over.
A comfort he couldn't describe.
"Boss, how much are these?"
Ethan placed a bottle of Erguotou, two hams, and two packs of instant noodles on the counter.
"115," the boss said without looking up, calculating instinctively.
In this chaotic world, many industries were affected.
Prices were high.
Ethan paid the money and rushed home.
All his life.
His total assets rarely exceeded a few hundred yuan.
Spending 115 in one go?
He'd never been this extravagant.
There was wine and food.
But this wasn't a celebration.
Even though he had already eaten dinner...
With the rise in Qi and Blood and improvement in physical ability…
He was hungry again.
As for the Erguotou—which cost the most—
It was for Mr. Walter Wang.
The old man had helped him a lot today.
Ethan knew he liked a drink or two.
He couldn't afford good wine, but this was the best he could do.
"Oh, I know it's hard for you to make money. Why spend it on wine for an old man? It was just some pesticide. You're too kind."
Mr. Wang tried to pay Ethan back no matter what.
Of course, Ethan refused.
After some back and forth, Ethan finally returned home.
Boiled water.
Cooked the big ham.
After a round of ravenous eating, Ethan let out a long sigh.
There was nothing like the feeling of a full meal.
After a hot shower—
He went to bed full of excitement.
The night passed quickly.
Beep, beep, beep...
The alarm rang at 4:30.
Ethan turned it off.
Dressed quickly.
Washed up.
Headed out.
It was still dark.
But the breakfast stalls were already open.
Ethan needed breakfast.
He didn't know how tough today's work would be.
No breakfast meant no energy.
Usually, Ethan would eat four buns and a bowl of porridge.
But today?
Twelve buns and two bowls.
And he was only about 70% full.
Of course, that was thanks to his rising Qi and Blood.
Not just his appetite—
But strength, speed, reflexes...
All of it was improving.
And he couldn't wait.
After breakfast, Ethan rushed to the Talent Market.
Even though he had a system now—
He still needed a job.
He had to eat.
Until he became a warrior, Ethan planned to work.
Also—
The Talent Market was filled with jobs from all sorts of industries.
Ethan had already made up his mind.
He would find a job as a butcher.
That way, he could earn money and level up at the same time.
It usually took thirty minutes to walk from home to the market.
Today, it took only twenty.
The Talent Market was massive.
Tens of thousands showed up every day looking for work.
Ethan came a bit early—
But it was already crowded.
There were stable jobs in the safe zones.
But those jobs were in high demand.
And you needed connections to get them.
Even something as simple as an uncle or aunt could get you in.
If you had no connections at all—
The Talent Market welcomed you…
"Ethan!"
Someone waved at him from afar.
Ethan smiled and walked over.
"Mr. Leo, Mr. Henry, Mr. David—you're all here."
They were the co-workers Ethan got along with best.
They often worked together.
Ethan had the lowest Qi and Blood among them.
They often helped him out.
"You eat yet?" asked Mr. Leo Liu, a dark-skinned man with a round face and a Qi and Blood value of 170.
"Yeah."
"Good."
"Honestly, Ethan, yesterday's work was tough. We thought you might sleep in today, but you're ten minutes early!"
Mr. Henry Han, whose Qi and Blood was 141, looked impressed. Even he was tired yesterday.
Ethan's was only 82 at the time.
"I was really exhausted, but a good night's sleep fixed me right up."
Everyone laughed.