The burn on Wu Jun’s calf was small and not at all serious.
He could already get out of bed and walk to the restroom on his own.
The doctor said it was just a superficial burn affecting the outer layers of his skin. It would peel and heal within a week without leaving a scar.
The rest of his skin, protected by the film of water from the Water-based Fire Extinguisher, had already returned to normal, showing no signs of redness or swelling.
Moreover, the Water-based Fire Extinguisher was non-toxic and harmless. It was so safe you could spray it into a fishbowl without affecting the goldfish; there were no adverse effects whatsoever.
A small object, left forgotten under the bed for so long, had been a huge help at a critical moment.
Without that Water-based Fire Extinguisher, Wu Jun knew his back would have been severely burned as well. The consequences would have been unthinkable.
After Ma Siyu rushed over, Wu Jun had Xu Minli take Xu Fei and Cui Zhishen home.
After they left, Ma Siyu asked what caused the fire. Wu Jun didn’t tell her the truth; there was no need to make her worry. He just said it was an accident.
"Who called you? It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious. Why did you rush over here in the middle of the night? You’re not even wearing shoes!" Wu Jun noticed her bare feet and finally understood just how hastily she had come.
"Just pretend I was sleepwalking. Have you ever seen a sleepwalker get all dolled up before heading out?" Ma Siyu shot Wu Jun a look and unceremoniously slipped her feet into a pair of slippers by the hospital bed.
Wu Jun added, "Don’t tell the rest of the family about this. There’s no need to get everyone worried."
"Got it," Ma Siyu replied, turning and heading for the restroom.
Inside the restroom, she twisted the knob on the faucet and splashed her face with cold water. Seeing that Wu Jun’s injury really wasn’t serious, the knot of worry in her stomach finally loosened.
When she came out, they made small talk for a while. Wu Jun asked why she had a backpack full of cash, and Ma Siyu said she was planning to buy a car.
Wu Jun told her to hold off on buying it and to keep the money for herself, joking that he might need to borrow it from her someday.
Of course, that was just an excuse. He had just received a 30 million down payment from Ueshiba Maruko yesterday. After setting aside 6 million for the company’s operating funds, he had pocketed 24 million.
With his previous savings, he was now a minor tycoon with a net worth in the tens of millions. Ma Siyu’s million-plus was what he could make in a single day.
He still remembered his promise to buy her a top-of-the-line, purebred BMW, and he had no intention of breaking his word. So he said that to put her off for now.
They chatted into the wee hours of the morning. Around three, Ma Siyu couldn’t stay awake any longer and crashed on the empty bed next to his.
Wu Jun leaned against his headboard, staring at the sterile furnishings of the hospital room, not the least bit sleepy.
His gaze fell upon a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that Cui Zhishen had left on the metal bedside cabinet. Though he had always hated the smell of smoke, he suddenly felt the urge to have one.
He reached for the pack and lighter, pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it between his lips. With a CLICK, he flicked the lighter and lit the end.
In the pitch-black room, the fiery tip of the cigarette glowed and faded. Wu Jun’s eyes were narrowed, his mind flashing through a slideshow of recent events.
He had always lived by the principle of not striking unless struck first. Just as his cousin, Qian Na, used to say, peace brings prosperity.
Even after acquiring the [Resource Tycoon] system, he had kept a relatively low profile. He just wanted to use the game to make more money so that he and his loved ones would no longer have to worry about finances and could live a more comfortable life.
Even though he could now casually summon hundreds of burly Farmers with off-the-charts combat prowess, he’d never thought about stirring up trouble. He just wanted to stick to his own business.
’He had no desire for power or domination. He wasn’t some overpowered protagonist from a novel—a reincarnated master or a returning immortal emperor.’
’He still saw himself as an ordinary guy. He had a loving family, parents who got along, an aunt who was like a big sister to him, and a great group of friends and relatives. He was just a little luckier than most, that’s all.’
But this time was different. Being targeted, nearly dying in a sea of fire with Xu Fei... the experience had shaken him to his core.
’All this time,’ he thought, ’have I been too low-key? Or to put it more bluntly, have I been too weak?’
’Wang Hongliang—that classmate of Xu Fei’s—and Wang Lei, and He Qingfeng... all these clowns kept prancing around in front of me, one after another. This time, they nearly got me killed.’
Wu Jun reached under his pillow and felt for the phone bound to the [Resource Tycoon] system.
Previously, he’d only ever seen the amazing [Resource Tycoon] app as a tool for making money. But now, for the first time since the app bound to him, he truly contemplated the meaning of its name.
’Resource... that must refer to the resources that can be materialized from it.’
’But ’Tycoon’... what does it mean to be a tycoon?’
The app’s name sent Wu Jun into deep thought. He pondered this question for a long time, not closing his eyes to rest until the first light of dawn broke in the East.
The next morning, Wu Jun didn’t open his eyes until after nine. Ma Siyu was sitting on the adjacent bed, her hair a mess, eating breakfast.
Xu Fei was sitting on a stool by his bed, staring into space. She only snapped out of it when Wu Jun called her name.
After having his injury treated and getting a night’s rest, he was feeling much better.
Walking wasn’t a problem for Wu Jun, though his gait was still a little stiff. Not wanting to waste any more time in the hospital, he immediately sent Xu Fei downstairs to take care of the discharge paperwork.
Wu Jun also instructed Xu Fei and Cui Zhishen not to tell anyone at the company about the fire at the supermarket.
Knowing Ma Siyu had the day off, Wu Jun asked her to go help look after his dad at the hospital, as Ma Dongmei had been feeling a bit unwell the past two days.
"Not a single person in this family gives you a moment’s peace." After finishing her breakfast, Ma Siyu went into the restroom and changed into a set of clothes Xu Fei had brought for her. She then emptied the cash from her shoulder bag into the bedside drawer and left.
Halfway out the door, Ma Siyu turned back around. She used the tip of an IV needle to pop out her SIM card, then left her phone for Wu Jun.
After Ma Siyu left, Wu Jun used the phone to log into WeChat and contact Dong Lizhu. He told her to notify the other three regional managers to control their shipment volumes.
The top priority was completing the Ueshiba Maruko order. If they didn’t rein in sales at the warehouse, it would be difficult to scrape together the 1,000 tons of rice needed.
He had just finished dealing with company business when Xu Fei came in, followed by three police officers.
Wu Jun recognized one of them. It was Officer Zhou Xing, the policeman who had handled the dispute between him and Wang Hongliang.
’Zhou Xing recognized Wu Jun as well. ’This supermarket owner has some rotten luck,’ he thought. ’Nothing but trouble for him lately.’’
’First, the graffiti on his wall, then the retaliatory brawls. And now, someone’s even burned down his supermarket.’
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Xing got straight to the point. "Mr. Wu, our on-site investigation confirms what you suspected: last night’s fire was an act of arson. We reviewed the surveillance footage from around the supermarket and found a suspicious vehicle that isn’t from the area."
"It was a Wuling Hongguang registered in Pingshan. The DMV records show the owner is a man named Xu Penghui. Do you have any connection to this Xu—"
"Xu Penghui?" Wu Jun and Xu Fei, who was standing beside him, exclaimed in unison the moment they heard Zhou Xing say the name.