Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 485 - 357: Boasting

Zheng Yan was a Fire Attribute Warrior, typically with high attack and low defense, meaning close combat was his weak point.

But it depends on who he’s compared with; Fire Attributes are aware of their weaknesses, so learning some close combat defensive techniques is normal.

The reason Zheng Yan had a Short Dagger hanging at his waist was because he had proficiency in this area.

He did not think that his close combat skills were much worse than those of Modified Warriors.

Before he was caught off guard, but now with the Short Dagger thrust out, it was incredibly fast.

Even if he couldn’t wound this bastard, the opponent surely needed to defend, giving him the chance to counterattack.

However, this fierce thrust actually struck air without encountering any defense, he was instantly stunned, "What’s this?"

Immediately, his right wrist was caught by an iron clamp, and his whole body was lifted.

Qu Jianlei didn’t use any special Technique, just pure Spiritual Influence.

The opponent’s fireball missed, and then decided to brace himself, all due to the Spiritual Interference he exerted.

Zheng Yan felt his reaction was acceptable, but it was an illusion; his response was indeed a bit slow.

His dagger was also off target, with the culprit being the interference in his consciousness.

However, Qu Jianlei’s movements were indeed fast, along with Wind Attribute Body Technique, he could thoroughly defeat the opponent using close combat alone.

As for whether the opponent could sense his Spiritual Power... what a joke, he was A-level, the opponent was just B-level.

With the suppression of cultivation and the difference in micro operation skills, he was truly unconcerned about the opponent becoming aware.

After disarming the Short Dagger, he delivered a series of punches and kicks, overwhelming the opponent like a storm so that he couldn’t retaliate.

If anyone witnessed this scene, their eyeballs would likely pop out.

A dignified B-level Warrior being beaten with fists and feet, just like street gang fights?

Finally, when the barrage of fists and feet ceased, Zheng Yan shook his head, and his inner fury couldn’t be extinguished by the pouring rain.

"Bastard, you’re dead, no one can save you!"

At this moment, an angry shout came from not far away, "How dare you cause chaos in the library!"

The person shouting wasn’t lacking in cultivation, at least B-level.

Only then did Zheng Yan realize he was causing trouble in the library and without thinking, he turned to run.

But the next moment, a sharp whistling sound came, it was a golden arrow quickly shooting towards his back.

The attacker was a Gold Attribute C-level, although the level was a bit lower, but with high defense breaking ability.

Zheng Yan flickered, a blood bloom appeared on his shoulder, but he paid no mind and rushed out without looking back.

These were library staff who went out for lunch and rushed back upon hearing the commotion.

The library originally had a cafeteria within the courtyard, but it was lost in a fire sixty years ago, afterward the cafeteria moved to a storefront facing the street.

At noon, everyone busied themselves replenishing energy, plus with the drizzle, they could enjoy a drink or two.

When they found out something was happening inside the library, they hastily returned.

The whole process didn’t even last a minute, but so much happened inside the library.

Qu Jianlei noticed people coming, and immediately left discreetly. He simply wanted to complete his duty.

There were at least three B-levels in the library, more than enough to handle the opponent, he didn’t need to add superfluous effort.

On the way back, he picked up the opponent’s Short Dagger, concealing achievements and reputation.

As for whether anyone knew he was a Spiritual Attribute A-level, Qu Jianlei thought the likelihood wasn’t high.

A-level Superpower Warriors weren’t common; the only A-level in the library, Granny Jia, was chasing another A-level.

Realistically, some energy fluctuation detection devices could make him defenseless, but their distribution wasn’t systematic.

However, today was a rainy day, most devices would be interfered.

For Qu Jianlei, the incidents today were a bit troublesome, mainly because he didn’t want to expose his skills.

But if he really wanted to handle it, he would have more than a dozen adaptable methods.

Yet since it was raining, he chose to slack off, directly using Spiritual Power to interfere with the opponent, followed by a full-out assault.

The means was somewhat crude, hardly the demeanor of a Superpower Warrior, but effective nonetheless.

Qu Jianlei returned to the entrance, and no longer continued reading. With such a commotion, pretending to be indifferent was unnatural.

So he stood under the eaves, lit a cigarette, smoking while curiously gazing around.

Soon, some who chased after returned, with faces full of anger.

These people couldn’t keep up with Zheng Yan’s speed, and feared more trouble in the library, they could only return.

Anyway, there were still people pursuing the opponent, and the City Guard also went after him, he likely couldn’t escape.

Next was damage assessment, with the Rare Books Tower bustling and some standing in the rain discussing.

It wasn’t just idle chatter; the confidentiality level of Rare Books Tower was high, many didn’t have the qualification to enter.

Qu Jianlei stood watching, someone came to summon him, "Hey you, go into the Rare Books Tower and help tidy up."

Qu Jianlei pointed to himself in surprise, "Me? I’m temporary."

"As long as you’re a librarian," the person summoning didn’t have the patience to elaborate.

Qu Jianlei glanced at the large door behind him, "So about the borrowing..."

"With such a big incident, who’s thinking about borrowing anything?" replied the person casually, "Don’t close the door, someone will come to guard it."

"Oh," Qu Jianlei nodded, following the person into the Rare Books Tower.

Before long, indeed two individuals arrived to guard the main building, disallowing anyone without clearance and turning away those who came to borrow books.

After a while, some investigators came to find out what happened during the attack at noon.

No one knew what had happened here, only roughly aware that there was someone in the main building who activated the protective shield.

The investigators roughly assessed the main building, found no damage, and didn’t pursue further questioning.

Hence, no one knew that a B-level Warrior had been sent tumbling by Qu Jianlei.

Later in the evening, Granny Jia returned with a rather sour expression.

Not only had she lost the trail, but she was also questioned for quite some time by the City Guard for flying in the city area.

By dusk, the city patrol guards came to the library to investigate any losses.

The patrol guards’ responsibilities differed somewhat; they were more technically inclined and had strong investigation capabilities.

However, the library was somewhat resistant to this; they operate a self-contained system and maintain high confidentiality.

In a society with abundant extraordinary powers, relatively independent departments prefer to handle problems on their own.

The investigation continued until the end of the workday without reaching a conclusion.

Qu Jianlei, however, didn’t want to stay any longer. Four hundred a month, you can’t expect me to work overtime, right?

As he planned to leave, he happened to see Dave, so he greeted him, saying he was planning to go home.

After all, he was still not accustomed to sneaking away; he preferred to leave work openly and honestly.

Dave was quite surprised, "With such a big incident, you’re going home?"

Qu Jianlei nodded, "Anyway, the main building I’m responsible for is fine. If you want me to stay, is there overtime pay?"

Overtime pay...you’ve got the nerve to ask, Dave shook his head, "No budget."

"Still the case," Qu Jianlei thought about locking the main building door, but noticed there were still people around, so he turned and left.

The next day when he went to work, he learned that the B-level Warrior had been captured by the City Guard and was under interrogation.

In the morning, an assistant to the Old City District chief and someone from the City Library came to understand what happened the previous day.

Amidst the coming and going of people, Qu Jianlei was embarrassed to slack off openly; borrowing would also be halted, so he watched from afar.

Hearing all sorts of information, his ears were filled, and finally, he learned that it was the secret archives that had been stolen.

The secret archives hold the highest level of confidentiality in the library, containing books related to the empire’s latest technology, economics, and more.

The secret archives in the Rare Books Tower are of an antique grade, though most are copies, it’s hard to say whether there are originals.

After understanding, Qu Jianlei inexplicably felt a strange thought arising.

Could the library suddenly encountering such an incident be because of my troublesome nature?

Ahem, what am I thinking... However, what is so vital in the secret archives that provoked an A-level to act openly?

Close to noon, the City Guard escorted Zheng Yan to identify the scene.

After being captured, Zheng Yan confessed obediently after a slight intimidation from the City Guard.

In the empire, superpower warriors are a rare resource; except for those with severe crimes, they’re mostly not sentenced to death.

He didn’t partake in destruction in this event, only responsible for assisting, so his responsibility wasn’t significant.

Even if he had killed Qu Jianlei in a fit of rage, he wouldn’t have been sentenced to death—since a temporary librarian’s registered identity is that of an ordinary person.

So, he confessed candidly, aiming to reduce the task of redemption.

While identifying the scene, Zheng Yan arrived at the main building.

He didn’t deny having attacked the main building, as denial was useless; the elemental fluctuations confirmed it.

However, he didn’t attack the main entrance but misfired... this was an objective fact too.

He didn’t say it was his mistake, just said it was intentional—better to have stronger survival instincts than to lose face.

In any case, the building had already activated defenses, his attack was blocked by the protective shield.

According to him, the confession could end here but to downplay his own threat, he proactively brought up that librarian.

In his words, had he intended to act, the door was wide open, and the temp was just a modified warrior.

But he didn’t take action, and facing the temp’s attack, he only adopted passive defense.

The logic was clear: if a B-level warrior truly intended to act, wouldn’t the modified warrior be long gone?

Luckily, Qu Jianlei noticed his arrival and, to stay unnoticed, hid among the crowd voluntarily.

However, upon hearing this, the City Guard wanted to bring out the librarian to confront.

Qu Jianlei could only brace himself to step out, didn’t rebuke the other’s statement, and just briefly recounted his own actions.

Someone else testified that when Zheng Yan was discovered, he was indeed some distance from the main building.

Dave approached Qu Jianlei, whispering, "The director wants me to ask, why did you fill in ’ordinary person’ for the identity?"

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