Zhao Qiang was casually watching foreign science fiction movies, trying to find some inspiration. When he saw the title of the movie Spider-Man, a flash of inspiration struck him. The abnormal screwdriver has the characteristic of automatic extension and retraction. If this function is further enhanced, then it is Spider-Man's spider web.
Without hesitation, Zhao Qiang decided to immediately begin improving the abnormal screwdriver.
Volume 2 [547] Strange Things
[547] Strange Things
Previously, the monstrous screwdriver had always been hanging on Zhao Qiang's waist. Because he used it as a weapon, its size was increased later on. Having a large screwdriver always hanging on his waist was too conspicuous, Zhao Qiang wanted to further improve it and make it more concealed. After thinking it over, he decided to design it as a wrist guard.
Although wristbands are only worn by special groups of people, if an ordinary person wears one, at most they will be called pretentious, and no one will think much of it. In addition, Zhao Qiang's shirt is long-sleeved, so he can cover it up when he puts it down. Moreover, the wristband is right next to his hand, so it will be convenient and easy to operate. In particular, if he wants to use it as a spider web, he can't put it on his waist, because that would be inconvenient to take out.
Zhao Qiang had accumulated plenty of energy, and having also eaten a hearty lunch, he directly channeled a large amount of energy to begin modifying the screwdriver. Under the control of the super biochip, the energy underwent detailed molecular-level modification. After about two hours, Zhao Qiang finally completed the modification. The monstrous screwdriver had now completely transformed into a wristband, and more importantly, it could extend further and become more flexible, and of course, it could also become harder when needed.
Zhao Qiang flicked his hand at the wall, and a thin, needle-like thread shot out. Upon hitting the wall, it scattered with a bang, then clung tightly to the wall like a suction cup. Zhao Qiang pulled hard, and with a crash, the wall collapsed. It wasn't that the wall was weak, but rather that Zhao Qiang was too strong, and also because he was testing the strength of the spider silk.
With another flick of his wrist, Zhao Qiang retrieved the spiderweb-like screwdriver. Unlike Spider-Man's weapon, which is launched and then retrieved, Zhao Qiang didn't have many of these. If he had to throw them away along the way, he would go bankrupt.
With another flick of his wrist, the wrist guard transformed into a sharp sword in his hand, and with another flick, it became a screwdriver. Its sturdiness was improved compared to before, and it seemed that the modification was a success. Zhao Qiang laughed, ignoring the dust in the room. He tidied up the things in the room and then went out to find a waiter to change rooms. As for what the waiter would do with the collapsed wall, Zhao Qiang didn't care.
Zhao Qiang didn't go out all afternoon. After successfully modifying the spider silk, he took a nap, then ate at the hotel restaurant. After returning to his room, Zhao Qiang changed into black clothes. He decided to go to the village where he had tea earlier that day. The guy named Liu Fang was very arrogant, and Zhao Qiang wanted to observe him and teach him a lesson if he had the chance.
The streetlights were still bright, but Zhao Qiang wasn't worried. He opened the window, and a spider web shot towards the rooftop. Using the pull of the web, and with his anti-gravity device activated, Zhao Qiang shot out of the room like an arrow and onto the roof. Then, with his running shoes and the anti-gravity device and the spider web, he jumped from building to building. Before long, he arrived at the old town area. Zhao Qiang found a dark corner to land. Because of the rain, although it wasn't late at night, there were no people on the streets.
Zhao Qiang put on a hood, covering his forehead and eyes, and slowly walked towards Liu Fang's villa. All he could hear along the way was the sound of rain and his own footsteps. The villa was brightly lit, and the large iron gate was tightly closed, but several private cars were parked in front. Zhao Qiang activated his X-ray glasses to observe the situation inside the villa. The main people inside were all gathered in the hall on the first floor. Zhao Qiang jumped over the iron fence and followed the wall to the window in the hall, so he could hear what the people inside were saying.
"Brother Fang, time is running out. If we don't complete the relocation task, our bonuses will be reduced significantly," a man said anxiously.
Liu Fang said, "I'm even more anxious than you are. My superiors have urged me countless times, and I've been scolded a lot for this."
The person who spoke earlier said, "We can't hesitate any longer. It would be best to start in the next couple of days. Getting started is the hardest part, but once we get started, things will be much easier."
Another person said, "We're all from the same village, so we can't be too harsh on them. We see each other all the time, and we're all relatives to some extent. What can we do? They won't move unless we're ruthless."
Liu Fang said, "I've got an idea. Since we're too familiar with the villagers to take action, how about we hire people from outside? At most, we'll earn less, but the key is to complete the task. Otherwise, how will we make a living in the future? Wouldn't that ruin our livelihood?"
Two people spoke up at the same time: "I agree to hire people from outside. We can direct from behind the scenes. There's no need to provoke those villagers ourselves."
Liu Fang chuckled: "But we can't just sit back and reap the benefits. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Tonight, while it's raining, let's give those stubborn old fogies a taste of their own medicine. When they're scared and outsiders come to forcibly demolish our homes, we might just succeed."
Someone asked, "How do we intimidate them?"
Liu Fang said, "Isn't it raining outside? We can't let them stay at home and enjoy it. Let's go and smash the windows of the most stubborn and noisy households so they can taste what it's like to be battered by wind and rain."
Someone suggested, following Liu Fang's words: "What's the big deal about just breaking the glass? Let's just poison their dogs too. Since we've scared them, we can at least get some dog meat for ourselves."
Liu Fang said, "Good idea. Let's find someone to deal with this dead dog and make a dog meat hot pot." Everyone's interest was piqued at the mention of food, so they all headed outside. Zhao Qiang squatted by the window without moving. He decided to follow these people and teach them a lesson when they made their move. Otherwise, they might not even know why they were ambushed.
Zhao Qiang was well hidden, and these people didn't notice him. They excitedly left Liu Fang's villa, still discussing the hotpot they would have later. Because they were familiar with the people there, they split into several groups to save time. Zhao Qiang frowned, realizing he couldn't handle everything himself; should he act ahead of schedule?
Just as Zhao Qiang was considering, a scream came from the alley: "Who's there?" followed by a agonizing scream: "Ah!"
Zhao Qiang leaped out of Liu Fang's villa and rushed towards the source of the sound. Judging from the noise, it wasn't civilians being harmed, but rather members of the demolition team. Zhao Qiang wasn't worried about them getting hurt; he wanted to know who had acted before him. However, when Zhao Qiang arrived, he saw nothing.
Three people were lying on the ground. The small team heading this direction consisted of three people, and it seemed these were the only three lying there. Their condition was strange; their bodies were tightly bound with iron hoops. These hoops appeared to be ingrained in their bodies, with no visible gaps. It was difficult to remove them; cutting them with an oxyacetylene torch would be dangerous, so the only option was to cut them manually, bit by bit, with a hacksaw. This wasn't Zhao Qiang's concern. He wanted to know who had managed to bind three demolition team members with iron hoops in such a short time.
"Ah!" Another scream came from an alley, as if another team member had been ambushed. Zhao Qiang pushed off the ground and rushed to the other side.
There were only two demolition team members in this direction. They stood motionless behind a family's house like statues, each holding a large stone in their hands, poised to throw it. Their target was the house's window glass, as if they had been struck by a martial arts master's pressure point technique. At most, they could only cry for help, but they couldn't move.
Zhao Qiang scanned the two men's bodies again and realized that they hadn't been acupunctured, but rather were enveloped in a transparent substance, with only their mouths and noses exposed. Otherwise, they would have suffocated and wouldn't have been able to scream. Because he hadn't actually come into contact with the substance enveloping the two men, Zhao Qiang wasn't sure what it was; it could be glassy or some kind of glue.
This old town area is mostly comprised of traditional courtyard houses, with a few converted villas, but no high-rise buildings. This is the reason for the demolition; in Beijing, where land is incredibly valuable, even this suburb holds significant development potential. The commotion outside alerted the family. Despite the rain, everyone rushed out with flashlights and sticks to investigate. The other two action teams immediately hid, but the groups bound by iron hoops and wrapped in transparent materials couldn't escape and were caught red-handed. Although Liu Fang and his group tried to rescue them, they were too heavy to move.
"It's Liu San and his gang, they must be trying to rob our house!" someone recognized and shouted, which immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
"They tried to smash our windows, who must have acupunctured them?" Some people analyzed the actions of the two people wrapped up as if throwing stones. Because of the influence of martial arts books and TV dramas, everyone's first thought was acupuncture, but this is actually a completely different concept.
"Send them to the police station," someone suggested, but it was quickly rejected. "Send them to the police station? They're all in cahoots. Sending them to the police station would just be freeing them up. That would be too easy on these guys."
Someone stepped closer to take a closer look. The flashlight beam was very bright, so the situation of these people was immediately clear. "Oh dear, what happened? How did they get caught in the iron hoop? There wasn't even a screw hole. How did they get in there? Strange, so strange."
"Come quick, take a look! They haven't been acupunctured, they've been wrapped in something! And what's even stranger is that even the heavens are against what they're doing! Heaven, please open your eyes!"
Someone stepped forward and touched it a few times: "It's glass, right? But how could the glass be deformed and trap them? Could it be a ghost?" This person was exaggerating, and coupled with the dark, rainy night that made people shiver involuntarily, some people started running home.
Of course, some bolder individuals stepped forward and asked the trapped guy, "What happened? Tell me quickly!"
The trapped people were even more frightened, worried that after these people left, they would be left alone in the dark. So they frankly admitted, "We wanted to break your windows to scare you into moving, but who knew that something would suddenly trap us. Please help us! Please, for the sake of us seeing each other all the time, help us. It's so uncomfortable being trapped like this, we can hardly breathe."
"It's outrageous!" someone shouted. "Make us relocate? We'll move if the compensation for our houses is the same as yours." The people in the old district don't ask for much; they'll be satisfied if everyone is treated fairly.
The trapped demolition team member said, "We can't control this matter; we're just following orders from above."
Someone said, "Ignore them, let them get soaked in the rain. Let's go, let them experience what it's like to be alone and helpless."
The idea was approved by everyone, so the crowd left amidst laughter and curses, leaving the two groups to exist in the dark, rainy night. Of course, Liu Fang couldn't just ignore them, but figuring out how to move them away and rescue them was the more difficult problem.
(Thanks to reader 100824115508896 for the 588 coin reward, thanks to reader 100326205844300 coins for the coin reward, thanks to reader 祇为伱ゑ猦誑、大大大番薯 for the 100 coin reward, and thanks to reader 100824115508896 for urging me to update.)
Volume 2 [548] Acquaintances
【548】Acquaintances
Zhao Qiang was puzzled. He lay on a rooftop watching everything unfold below. Given his speed, anyone secretly helping shouldn't have escaped his scan, but he found nothing. So who was behind it all? And how could they possess the ability to control metal and other substances? Xiao Wei had said that no one in this world besides Zhao Qiang could control energy, but who could accomplish this bizarre event without energy?
Could it be Xiao Wei? That's impossible. Zhao Qiang immediately rejected the idea. After all, Xiao Wei is a laptop. Although she can use energy to move her body, she can't maintain that for long, let alone move around outside. Just imagine how terrifying it would be for a laptop to float in the air; it would probably have caused a huge sensation.
Zhao Qiang wasn't one to dwell on things, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to sleep that night. After wandering around the area again without finding anything, he returned to his hotel, went to bed, and slept soundly. The next day, after breakfast, he checked the messages. Since he had nothing else to do, he strolled over to the neighborhood that was about to be relocated. By then, the sun was out, and with the heat, the old lady's tea stall was bustling with customers. When Zhao Qiang arrived, there were already three tea drinkers.
"You know what? Something strange happened last night," the tea drinkers said.
"What's going on?" someone asked, naturally prompting a response from a companion.
"Liu Fang and his gang got tricked by a ghost," the tea drinker said mysteriously.
The old lady greeted Zhao Qiang warmly, saying, "Young man, you've arrived. Please sit down. Today, the tea must be served for free, otherwise Grandma won't feel at ease."
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "Okay, I'll come here every day for free tea from now on."
The old lady poured tea for Zhao Qiang: "Drink up, come on, a cup of tea only costs a few dollars. You're such a benefactor. After you helped me yesterday, Liu San and his gang got their comeuppance last night. It's so satisfying." Liu San was probably Liu Fang's nickname.
Zhao Qiang feigned surprise and asked, "Really? It seems that God does have eyes after all."
A tea drinker carrying Zhao Qiang suddenly turned around and snorted, "Good heavens? You're really naive... It's you."
Zhao Qiang glanced at her but didn't recognize her. She was a girl dressed in men's clothing. If it weren't for her chest and throat, it would be hard to tell the difference. Why do people in Beijing like to imitate Yang Shiqi?
The girl stood up and grabbed Zhao Qiang: "Let's see where you run this time!"
Zhao Qiang finally realized who it was when he heard the voice, "You're the girl with heavy makeup from yesterday?"
The girl said, "You almost caused us to drown. I came down here today disguised to do some research. I never expected to find you so easily. Don't run away. If you have the guts, wait for me to call for help."
Seeing the two about to fight, the old woman rushed forward to mediate: "Young lady, young lady, what's going on? Don't accuse someone unjustly. The young man is a good person; he would never do something like drowning someone."
The girl screamed, "It was him! If he hadn't tried to run away, we wouldn't have chased him. If we hadn't chased him, he wouldn't have fallen into the puddle. So he deliberately tried to kill us. I must get revenge!"
Zhao Qiang was in a bind. Nothing he said could help when dealing with such an impolite person. If he waited for her to call for help, things would escalate further. So Zhao Qiang broke free from the girl's grasp and said, "You've only hurt yourself because you wanted to harm me. Now you're trying to shift the blame onto me. You're really something. Sorry, I can't play along with you any longer. You can have some tea by yourself."
After saying that, Zhao Qiang got up to leave. The girl rushed up and grabbed his clothes, but Zhao Qiang was much stronger than her. With one swipe, the girl fell to the ground. This made her even angrier. She got up angrily, ready to fight Zhao Qiang to the death. However, Zhao Qiang would not give her a chance. He slipped away from the tea stall. The girl chased after him for a few steps but was too exhausted and had to give up. She watched Zhao Qiang disappear into the traffic and stomped her feet and cursed helplessly.
After leaving the old city, Zhao Qiang began to tour the sights of Beijing. He decided to visit the Forbidden City first, as it is, after all, China's largest treasure trove. It would be a waste to come to Beijing without visiting the Forbidden City.
Zhao Qiang didn't take a car, but walked at a leisurely pace. Although the outdoor temperature was high, Zhao Qiang didn't sweat. When he was hungry, he bought some food from roadside stalls, and when he was thirsty, he bought a bottle of water. This leisurely stroll better reflected his state of mind. However, Zhao Qiang's leisure was soon broken when his phone rang. Zhao Qiang glanced at the number and felt a headache coming on, but he couldn't ignore it.
"Zhao Qiang, how could you do this?" The woman on the phone was very unhappy.
Zhao Qiang carefully smiled and said, "What have I done? I haven't offended you recently, have I?"
"I think I'm the one who offended you."
Zhao Qiang said definitively, "Impossible. Haven't you heard that it's always the man who's wrong between men and women?"
A woman's voice chuckled from the microphone: "Trying to make me happy again, I must have done something to upset you."
"Really not," Zhao Qiang said firmly.
"Since that's the case, tell me the truth, where are you now?"
Zhao Qiang said, "On the street."
"Which street?"
Zhao Qiang lowered his voice helplessly: "On the streets of Beijing."
"Look at you, look at you!" The girl's voice rose eight octaves: "You've actually come all the way to Beijing, but I, as your host, have no idea that you don't consider me a friend, Zhao Qiang. Do you dislike me that much? If so, I will disappear from your sight forever and never, ever bother you again."
Zhao Qiang hurriedly explained, "No, Xinyu, let me explain. I came here on important business, so I didn't bother anyone. Even Yang Shiqi and Hu Qian didn't come back to Beijing with me."
“They are them, and I am me. I am already in Beijing. Since you came, you should have told me. Anyway, I am angry.”
Zhao Qiang gave in: "Alright then, I'll go to the TV station to find you."
The voice on the other end was delighted: "No need, I'll come find you. You stay where you are, I'll be there in a bit."
It wouldn't be difficult for Chen Xinyu to pinpoint Zhao Qiang's location. With technology so advanced these days, and Zhao Qiang himself having built his fortune on technology, determining someone's location through a cell phone signal is quite simple. Moreover, Chen Xinyu and the other girls all have GPS trackers, which is a safeguard against accidents. Tracing cell phone signals through their GPS trackers is also extremely convenient and accurate.
A few minutes later, a black Ferrari gently pulled up beside Zhao Qiang. The window slowly rolled down, and a young girl with pigtails appeared in front of him. She was youthful and energetic, and smiled at Zhao Qiang: "Get in."
Zhao Qiang sat in the passenger seat, attracting the attention of passersby. Although the car's dark color made it seem somewhat understated, a Ferrari is no cheap car, and the girl inside was also very beautiful, making it particularly eye-catching.
"Not busy today?" Zhao Qiang asked. He and Chen Xinyu weren't strangers; they had been sleeping together in Africa, so there was nothing to be shy about.
Chen Xinyu rolled up the car window, and the car slowly merged into the traffic. "It's alright. Even if I'm busy, I'll stay with you now that you're here."
Zhao Qiang said, "I came here on important business, but I haven't been able to get in touch with anyone yet."
Chen Xinyu said, "I don't care about that. Anyway, you have nothing to do now, so you have to stay with me. Think about it carefully. How many days have we spent together since we came back from Africa? Plus, you lost your memory recently and only stayed in Donghai City after returning from Baiyuan. We're practically strangers now. You have to consider how I feel."
Zhao Qiang reached out and touched Chen Xinyu's arm; it was a little cold, probably because the car's air conditioning was on high. Chen Xinyu became increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, her eyes reddening. Thinking back on how difficult things had been for her lately, with Zhao Qiang not around, a woman like her with fame and beauty was easily harassed by men. Yet, she only loved Zhao Qiang, but he had so many other women around him—how unfair this was to Chen Xinyu!
Zhao Qiang suddenly stepped across the distance between them and kissed Chen Xinyu on the cheek: "I'll spend a lot of time with you during this period, as a way of making it up to you."
Chen Xinyu felt as if she had been electrocuted. She suddenly swerved the car to the side of the road. A car behind her stopped just short of hers, almost hitting her. The driver leaned out and cursed loudly, but Chen Xinyu ignored him. She let go of the steering wheel, turned to the side and threw herself into Zhao Qiang's arms. Then she looked up and used her red lips to find Zhao Qiang's lips. The two kissed passionately.
I don't know how long the kiss lasted; it was a truly passionate moment. It continued until the traffic police came and knocked on the car window. The glass was one-way, so people outside couldn't see what the people inside were doing.
Chen Xinyu then released Zhao Qiang, her face flushed as she lowered the car window halfway. The traffic policeman outside said, "Excuse me, your car cannot be parked here. Please show me your driver's license."
Chen Xinyu said, "I'm sorry, I'll drive away right away."