Swallowed Star

VOLUME 5 CHAPTER 9: BROTHER

Since he’s leaving China and headed towards the Dojo of Limits world headquarters at the end of the month, Luo Feng stayed at home with his family for nearly every single day since he got back. Even though father Luo Hong Guo, mother Gong Xin Lan, and brother Luo Hua were sad, they didn’t want to change Luo Feng’s great future.

On March 12th, Luo Feng gathered with his fire hammer squad members. The first thing they did was sell off the monster materials they got from before. Since this is the last time the fire hammer squad was going to sell their materials, Luo Feng suggested that everyone receive an equal share. The materials sold for around 800 million.

Technically, Luo Feng did the most work, so he should’ve received the most. He would’ve received around 300 million.

However, everyone knew that Luo Feng was about to leave the fire hammer squad. And the older members Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing were about to retire, so the fire hammer squad was going to be disbanded! Luo Feng stayed in this squad for nearly a year, while Gao Feng, Chen Gu, and the others stayed in the squad for a much longer time.

Everyone’s feelings were complicated.

Gao Feng immediately accepted Luo Feng’s suggestion that they split the profits equally. Even though Luo Feng and Gao Feng were supposed to receive most of it, they both agreed. Seeing this, Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing didn’t say anything more, and everyone received a bit more than 100 million.

After that, the fire hammer squad drank that night all the way until 3 to 4 AM. They rode the train home on the second day’s afternoon.

With this, the fire hammer squad was officially disbanded! Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing were going to retire, Luo Feng was headed towards the world headquarters, and Gao Feng would continue to fight in another squad!

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March 21st, the sun was shining and the weather was great.

Jiang-Nan headquarter city, main city sector’s university area. This university area was gigantic and the eight research institutes of Jiang-nan city were all gathered here.

In front of one of the colleges, the attractive characters ‘Jiang-Nan #2 military school” were shining on the main gate. At this time, quite a few male and female students were quickly coming out of the school’s gate. Some of them came out in couples, while others came out in huge groups.

There was one teenager, wearing a simple dark blue T-shirt, who was leaning against the bars of the gate as he watched the students leaving.

“Oi, Luo Feng!” a bright sound carried from far away.

Luo Feng turned his head towards the origin of the sound and saw a skinny teenager running on the road. This person who seemed gentle was indeed his good brother ‘Wei Wen’ that played with him ever since they were kids.

“Wen” Luo Feng smiled as he ran over, “I was even waiting for you in front of the gate, why’d you appear here”

“I finished my culture lessons this afternoon so I went back to my dorm. Our dorm is quite far from the school” explained Wei Wen.

“Oh, the school area is separated from the dorm? This sure opens the eyes of this person who never went to college” laughed Luo Feng in a weird matter.

“The fuck, you’re a fighter and you’re still making fun of me” laughed Wei Wen and couldn’t help but to punch Luo Feng in the chest, “We just entered Spring, so it’s still a bit chilly. Aren’t you cold just wearing a T-shirt? Hehe….. just what you’d expect from a fighter!”. Wei Wen was clearly wearing much more than Luo Feng.

Luo Feng looked around: “Let’s go find a place to sit”

“Haha, I’ve finally encountered a huge, fat sheep, so I need to cruelly slaughter it. I want to go to….. ‘Venetian'” followed Wei Wen.

“Alright, just lead the way to that Venetian or whatever” laughed Luo Feng. Since he’s usually in the wilderness, he’s always a bit cautious when dealing with the other fighters in the resupplying base. When hanging out with Wei Wen, Luo Feng felt relaxed like he was back in middle and high school.

Venetian, a restaurant with average prices. The meal they ate costed around 300 to 400 dollars.

However, for students with no source of income, this was quite extravagant spending already. For fighters, this was extremely, extremely common.

“Sirs, how many?” the waitress passionately received.

“Two” Luo Feng looked around, “Find a quiet place”

This waitress works here every day and has seen all sorts of people. With just a glance, she could tell that Luo Feng was different from the other students around him. That sharp gaze was enough to make her heart skip a beat, so she naturally lowered her head and said: “There’s a private room upstairs, please follow me”

“Hehe, a private room. I haven’t been there yet. I’ve only been here with my girlfriend a few times, and that’s in the lobby on the first floor” Wei Wen and Luo Feng went up the stairs.

“Girlfriend? I didn’t hear you say anything about that over New Years. How long has this been” Luo Feng asked as the two of them entered the private room upstairs and swiftly ordered some dishes and a box of beer from the menu. Wei Wen put the menu down as he laughed, “Over New Years, my relationship with my girlfriend wasn’t entirely set. It was only set right when we started school again after New Years!”

“Congrats, congrats” Luo Feng couldn’t help but to laugh, “Hasn’t even been a year since you entered school and you’ve already picked up a girlfriend, NICE!”

“I was just lucky, my girlfriend is from the neighboring Shifan university” Wei Wen popped the beer bottle’s cap, “You also know that there are more guys than girls in our school. The amount of girls is so small it’s scary”

“So that’s why you went to search in another school?” Luo Feng couldn’t help but to laugh.

“Alright, let’s do this first” Wei Wen held his bottle of beer.

Luo Feng also held his bottle of beer and drank two gulps.

“Luo Feng, this girlfriend business isn’t easy” Wei Wen couldn’t help but to say after drinking quite a bit of beer; his skin was already red. He shook his head as he sighed, “Now everyone’s just competing. People compare how beautiful their girlfriends are, and this is even the small stuff! The most important thing is…… atmosphere!”

“Atmosphere?” asked Luo Feng in a confused tone.

“For example, if I don’t bring my girlfriend to a nice place when we eat…. My girlfriend’s temper is good, so she doesn’t say anything. But…… her female friends will start talking about that” Wei Wen shook his head, “You don’t know that the shit that goes on between the girls is way more dramatic than us guys!”

“Her boyfriend is some rich kid, her boyfriend is some elite member of the Dojo, her boyfriend is this and that, they always compare everything!”

“For the sake of my girlfriend’s appearance, I have to bring her to a nice place” Wei Wen couldn’t help but to shake his head.

Luo Feng froze.

He has never went to college, so Luo Feng really doesn’t understand all of this. However, in high school, some girls were already doing this.

“You know that eating outside is expensive, and I occasionally have to buy my girlfriend gifts. It’s only been a month and I’ve spent 4,000 already” Wei Wen drank the rest of his beer in one gulp and his eyes were a bit red, “And sometimes, I have to pay for the whole bill when I eat with her”

Luo Feng slightly frowned.

“My girlfriend and I are both normal people. Our rent is quite expensive already! Even though I’m a tutor now, but I’m not an elite member of the dojo. Tutors don’t earn much money” Wei Wen shook his head, “I pretty much understand now. People live just for their appearances!”

Luo Feng sighed inside.

Wei Wen’s family was a bit better off than his family was back then. When they were in middle and high school, Wei Wen had to lend him money.

“In just this one month, I’m already broke”

“It all comes down to this one word一一status!”

“This is a dog eat dog world. If your family is rich, there’ll always be people following you and girls will be flying to your arms! And people with strength, ‘fighters’, are also respected! Some people are always trying to hang out with others with a big enough background, hoping that the latter will help them out!”

“Money, authority, strength”

“People with those have status”

“People with a nice background have authority and status”

“Fighters, naturally have status too”

Wei Wen popped open another bottle of beer, “So, this world is simple. People respect those with high status and look down on those with low status”

Luo Feng couldn’t help but to nod.

Luo Feng has always thought that Wei Wen was smart. Even though these words were a bit rough, but they clearly explain what this society was like.

“If a rich person runs out of money, it’s over for him”

“If someone with a great position loses that position, his authority will probably disappear too”

“Position and money are external, only your own strength is truly reliable”

“So in conclusion一一the best thing is still your own strength! Fighters, even if they become handicapped, still have enough power to become dojo instructors” laughed Wei Wen, “This love business also made me solidify my thoughts. I must become a fighter!”

“I have the chance of becoming an ‘elite dojo member’ this year. Hopefully I can become a fighter by the time I graduate!” Wei Wen lifted his beer bottle, “Come, cheers”

Luo Feng worries were gone once he saw that Wei Wen wasn’t discouraged anymore.

“Cheers!” Luo Feng lifted his beer bottle.

The two brothers chatted as they drank. After finishing their drinks, the two of them ordered some tea and chatted until 4 PM. Only until then did Luo Feng bring Wei Wen back to his dorm.

Outside the dorms.

“Go straight on this road and after two traffic lights, you’ll see Jiang-Nan university” Wei Wen pointed forward.

“Okay” said Luo Feng as he took out his phone.

“Giving Xu Xin a call?” snickered Wei Wen on the side.

Suddenly一一Wei Wen felt his phone vibrate and took it out. He sighed: “It’s probably my girlfriend asking to eat dinner together, sigh, I have to spend money again”. He opened his phone and after looking, he saw a short message一一”Your card ending in 0306 has received 6,000,000 dollars on 16:51 of the 21st. Remaining balance: 6,002,100 (communication bank)”

“Six, six, six million?” Wei Wen’s eyes widened.

This is an astronomical number for him.

“Who transferred this money?” Wei Wen practically instantly thought of someone, the Luo Feng beside him! Out of all his friends and relatives, only Luo Feng can take out this much money without changing his expression.

“Luo Feng, this is your…..” Wei Wen lifted his head and looked at Luo Feng.

Luo Feng patted Wei Wen’s shoulder: “Wen, since you want to become a fighter, work for it with all your heart. Don’t waste your time being a tutor. Just think of this money as a present from your brother congratulating your first relationship. Let’s see what your girlfriend’s female friends are going to say now. Men always have to stand in front of their girlfriends with straightened backs”

Wei Wen’s eyes uncontrollably started to become red.

“Are you shitting me? You’re going to cry?” Luo Feng’s eyes widened, as if he just witnessed something extremely strange.

“Why the fuck would I cry” Wei Wen couldn’t help but to laugh.

This money was indeed nothing to Luo Feng. He’ll earn over ten million after randomly hunting a medium level commander level monster.

“Alright, I’ll be going to Jiang-Nan university now” Luo Feng waved his hand and started heading towards Jiang-Nan university.

Wei Wen looked at the message on his phone and the astonishing six million. He felt like this was all a dream. Previously, he was anxious inside as he held a smile on his face as he talked with his girlfriend. Who knew that in a blink of an eye he’d receive such a huge amount.