Chapter 123: Do I Still Need To Hurry And Run Away?

After the award ceremony, Li Xiaofei didn't immediately return to his seat. He deliberately took a detour that took him past Zhao Bufan's seat.

Zhao Bufan was in turmoil. When City Leader Tan Zhenwei read out Li Xiaofei's name, it felt like he had been hit on the head with a hammer, leaving his mind buzzing.

His last hopes had been extinguished when he saw Li Xiaofei walk up to the main stage. It was over. The slum brat had actually received the Kunlun Badge. Dealing with him in the future would involve uncontrollable consequences.

Moreover, he had seen City Leader Tan and Li Xiaofei talking pleasantly throughout the entire award process. It didn't look like the city leader was giving him any trouble. So, Tan Qingying's association with Li Xiaofei must have been known and approved by the city leader all along?

In an instant, Zhao Bufan was thrown into disarray.

Who could have predicted that dealing with a slum brat would backfire so spectacularly?

"Mr. Zhao, do I still need to hurry and run away now?" Li Xiaofei coldly smirked as he asked.

Everyone at the table immediately turned to look at Zhao Bufan. The Charity King who had made such a grand impression tonight was looking utterly deflated as his forehead gleamed with cold sweat.

"He just got lucky and found a water source," Zhao Bufan said, trying to sound tough but failing. "It's not real competence... I won't bother with you."

The others at the table secretly shook their heads. Even if luck had been involved in finding the water source, not everyone could donate it without hesitation. Such boldness at a young age, and now being valued by the city leader, all pointed to a promising future. It was unwise for Zhao Bufan to make an enemy of such a person.

"Won't bother with me?" Li Xiaofei didn't shy away, sneering, "But I want to bother with you. This isn't over between us."

He turned and walked away. As a holder of the third-class Kunlun Badge, he could now supervise corporate activities. Even if he just kept a close eye on Golden Eagle Guild and caused small troubles daily, he could make Zhao Bufan's life miserable.

Li Xiaofei quickly returned to his seat. By then, Tan Qingying had also come back inside. She looked at Li Xiaofei with genuine happiness. "Congratulations, you’re the youngest recipient of the third-class Kunlun Badge in history. This record will probably stand for a long time."

"Do you want to wear it? I can lend it to you for a bit," said Li Xiaofei jokingly.

Tan Qingying reached out and touched it, saying, "No, I want to wear one that truly belongs to me."

"Then work hard," Li Xiaofei replied.

Tan Qingying clenched her fist in a gesture of determination. Their interaction was natural and unrestrained. Xiong Zhigang and the others remained silent, pretending to be invisible. But Li Xiaofei wasn't going to let them off so easily.

"Xiong, do I still need to hurry and run away now?" Li Xiaofei asked, playing with his certificate and badge on purpose.

Xiong Zhigang didn’t say anything.

"I didn't expect to win an award, haha. This award was too easy to get. I wonder, Xiong, have you ever won one?" Li Xiaofei asked again.

Xiong Zhigang turned his head away, refusing to look at him.

"Haha, you were all so high and mighty just a moment ago as you looked down on others. Now, you've all gone mute?" Li Xiaofei mocked mercilessly. He was a person who bore grudges, and he couldn't resist such a perfect opportunity.

The faces of the teenagers at the table turned green with anger, but they couldn't find any way to retaliate.

"You're all just a bunch of useless blowhards," Li Xiaofei said unceremoniously. "You're not worthy to sit at the same table as me."

He completely ignored the two Jiepeng women.

Unable to bear it any longer, Xiong Zhigang shouted, "You only got that badge because you were lucky enough to find a water source. Don't get arrogant and tarnish the honor of the Kunlun Badge."

Tan Qingying couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"A young man should be bold and spirited. If you're not spirited, what kind of youth are you? You useless lot dared to mock the MVP of two consecutive league rounds when you didn't have any badges. If you actually got some insignificant honor, who knows how pompously you'd be strutting?" Tan Qingying, the city leader's daughter, retorted unceremoniously.

Xiong Zhigang was unwilling to back down. "A badge earned by luck isn't true competence. Real heroes earn military honors in battles against star beasts."

"And what military honors do you have to speak such words?" Tan Qingying shot back.

Xiong Zhigang replied, "I participated in the school-organized military training in July this year and was selected as a student representative to stand guard on the city wall. I performed excellently and received awards for being the most enduring and having the best military posture."

"Yes, Senior Xiong received such honors, and did he brag about them?"

"A real man should earn his merits on the battlefield, not by making donations and taking shortcuts."

"I still admire Senior Xiong more."

The other boys chimed in sarcastically now that they had an opportunity. As students, their reverence for the Kunlun Badge wasn't as high as it should be.

"You are truly shameless," Tan Qingying sneered. "Military training awards are considered honors? How can you say that with a straight face?"

"Every honor is earned through hard work and effort, so why shouldn't we brag about it?" Xiong Zhigang retorted stubbornly.

"Donating a water source isn't real effort? Six million cubic meters of pure water—do you know how many citizens that can sustain?" Tan Qingying insisted on arguing to the end. "Your double standards are truly laughable."

Xiong Zhigang continued to argue, "We are just high school students without the opportunity to engage in real combat. All we can do is train hard and seize every opportunity to improve our abilities... At least I stood guard on the city wall. Has Li Xiaofei ever done that?"

As they were talking, a thunderous round of applause suddenly erupted in the hall. It turned out the ceremony was moving to the next segment. Military Commander Ding Longao had appeared on the main stage to speak on behalf of the military. He was the head of the city's military forces, a figure of true power.

Liuhe Base City's garrison consisted of three major corps, totaling thirty-seven battalions and fifty thousand personnel. This formidable conventional military force was under the command of a relatively short-statured middle-aged man. Moreover, he was also one of the foremost martial artists in the city.

It was said that he had reached the Five Spirits Realm early in his career. He was known as the Liuhe Dragon in the martial arts community. In terms of sheer deterrence, the iron-willed and tough Commander Ding Longao surpassed even the silver-haired City Leader Tan Zhenwei.

"I won't take up much of your time. I came on stage to present an award to one individual," Ding Longao's voice was piercing and clear.

He spoke loudly, "The military awards have already been presented. This remaining award is to be given to a non-military martial artist who made significant contributions during last night's city defense battle. It is to thank him and his friends for their courage and determination in defending Liuhe Base City."