Chapter Forty-Eight: The Motorcycle Youth Gang

Since the reclamation of Jingmen Safe Zone began, the area had already been divided into various districts, large and small. Long ago, when the city had been largely occupied by monsters, the recovery started slowly, advancing from the northeast to the southwest. As a result, the northern development hubs had always been more prosperous than those in the south.

The small shop that Zhu Qing and her companions had purchased was situated on an old street in the southern district. There were no large factories here, nor any key educational resources. Most of the residents were people who had gradually migrated from the eastern slums in search of stability. Although the Jianghe Guild had later taken over, this area remained one of little significance within the city.

About half the young people here did their best to finish high school; those with talent and aptitude would try for the martial academies. Yet, a large number of young men and women were reluctant to attend school—the cost was too high for them, and it yielded no tangible benefits. Many boys and girls began hustling and scraping by the time they were fourteen or fifteen, trying to enter the Otherworld to hunt monsters, level up, and gather resources, often serving as the “logistics backpacks” for other teams.

Asen was one of them.

His parents had died early, and he’d managed to get by thanks to the support of his only sister-in-law. At thirteen, he followed a few teams into the snowfields and deserts, picking up materials as their pack mule. By seventeen or eighteen, he had gathered his own crew on South Street, forming a small, self-styled “Motorcycle Youth Gang.”

Seven colorfully dressed youths burst into this wonton shop, laughing and chatting. Asen held his helmet in one hand, calling to the owner as he walked in.

“Uncle Zhou, Grandma, seven bowls of wontons—one without spice, one extra spicy, the rest however you like. Make the extra spicy one real hot for me!” Asen’s greeting was flavored with the distinctive dialect of the Jingmen Safe Zone.

The other yellow-haired boys and the long-haired girl were all familiar with the place, moving tables and chairs with practiced ease before settling down.

The shop was small.

Yi Shen and Zhu You were seated at the very back.

Once the Motorcycle Youth Gang had taken their seats, the two groups naturally entered each other’s line of sight.

“Hey? Xiao You?” Asen flicked his hair, recognizing Zhu You as she ate her wontons.

Zhu Qing ran her shop nearby and was a well-known figure in the neighborhood, so among young people, the Zhu sisters were familiar faces. Asen, naturally, knew Zhu You. In fact, he had once pursued Zhu Qing for certain reasons, but after Zhu Qing entered Qi Qiang Martial Academy, she’d drifted away from them, becoming merely an acquaintance—once a distant crush.

“Brother Asen.” Zhu You greeted him politely, a little embarrassed.

“Is this your boyfriend?” Asen strode over, dragging a chair over and eyeing Yi Shen with keen interest.

Yi Shen wore a cap, but since he was eating, he wasn’t wearing a mask. One could see he was a strikingly handsome youth, but to the locals of South Street, his face was completely unfamiliar.

“Ah… no…” Zhu You’s cheeks reddened slightly as she waved her hand in denial. “Just a friend…”

She glanced at Yi Shen from time to time, worried that his situation would be exposed.

“Hahaha, listen to Zhu You—she’s blushing! Just friends for now, I bet they’ll be a couple soon enough.” It wasn’t Asen who spoke, but a yellow-haired youth waiting for his meal, teasing her.

The others also turned their attention to Yi Shen, their curiosity piqued by this newcomer, and the banter began.

[Ding! Explorer 3815X29480 has used the Detection skill on you and obtained some information.]

While eating his wontons, Yi Shen suddenly heard the system’s prompt.

He looked up at the yellow-haired youth—the system indicated that this one had just used a probe on him.

Their eyes met.

The yellow-haired youth’s expression instantly tightened, his earlier teasing vanishing in a flash.

“Ah, sorry… I just did it out of habit, man, my apologies—didn’t know who I was dealing with.”

He immediately stood and apologized.

Detection skills carried a risk of failure and being noticed by the target, so in the city or in the wild, unless absolutely necessary, everyone tacitly ignored each other’s stats—no one randomly pried into strangers’ information.

Even if the yellow-haired youth had done it on a whim, among strangers, it was already a provocative act.

He’d thought Yi Shen was just another martial academy student, someone his age, and that his probe would go unnoticed. He hadn’t expected to be confronted with a string of question marks:

[ID: ???]
[Level: ???]
[Class: Mage]

His own level was seventeen, which meant that Yi Shen was at least five levels higher—maybe much more!

And he’d detected that Yi Shen’s class was Mage!

A mage’s transfer certificate cost at least fifty thousand contribution points; mages were always highly respected.

He had thought Yi Shen was just one of Zhu You’s classmates—who knew he’d stirred up such a formidable figure.

The others in the group, who shared a party link with the yellow-haired youth, received the same information. Asen grew tense, no longer as casual as before.

“Sorry, man, Huangmao didn’t mean anything by it.”

“We all look out for Zhu You like a little sister, so naturally we wanted to know a bit about you.”

“Let me pay for your meal today, and let’s get you something to drink too.”

Asen’s face was earnest and apologetic.

Yi Shen looked at him.

He had barely spoken, yet the entire atmosphere in the shop had shifted. The Motorcycle Youth Gang had stopped joking.

They had assumed Zhu You only socialized with the scrappy kids from the slums, never expecting she would be connected to a high-level professional—someone who was either a battle-hardened explorer or the heir to a wealthy family.

Asen went to Huangmao and smacked him on the head, grumbling at him not to cause trouble. Huangmao, taking the hint, came over to apologize again, now calling Yi Shen “brother” with eager sincerity.

“It’s fine, let’s eat. You’re all friends of Zhu You, after all.”

Though a little annoyed, Yi Shen saw their sincerity and let it go. Asen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“I don’t think he meant anything by it…” Zhu You glanced at Yi Shen, worried he would be upset, and quietly explained, “When my sister was bullied as a child, they were the ones who stood up for her.”

Yi Shen couldn’t help but laugh.

He wasn’t some monster, but these kids were certainly nervous enough.

“Really, it’s nothing. Let’s eat.”

He brushed Zhu You’s hair aside—a gesture that carried a hint of intimacy.

Even this small action finally eased the tension in the shop, and things returned to normal at last.