Chapter 24 - Exit Blocked, Toll Collection?
"Wow, handsome, what kind of shoes are those? They're glowing gold!"
"Take me with you to grind monsters, okay? I know lots of skills!"
"Handsome guy, carry me please. Otherwise I can't survive alone in this dangerous world."
"As long as you take me with you, I'll be yours. I'll obey any command unconditionally!"
...
A group of girls suddenly appeared ahead. When they saw Zhou Han's handsome face, their eyes lit up.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
What mattered was the equipment on Zhou Han—extremely flashy at a glance, clearly not ordinary.
So they immediately rushed forward to flatter him, hoping he would take a liking to them.
Only then would they have a better chance of surviving in this dangerous world.
They had tried killing monsters themselves, but they simply couldn't win.
With such poor talents, they could only survive by becoming someone else's appendage.
So when they saw Zhou Han—handsome and powerful—they swarmed him, hoping to be chosen.
It was Zhou Han's first time encountering such a scene, with so many women throwing themselves at him.
All kinds of looks—some dressed very boldly. Before transmigrating, they were probably in that line of work, otherwise they wouldn't dare say such provocative things.
He was startled and didn't react in time, instantly getting surrounded.
"Hey, don't pull my clothes! Yeah, you—keep your hands to yourself!"
Damn, these women are way too crazy!
And that's without revealing his identity. If they knew he was Zhou Han, they'd probably tear him apart alive.
Just as Zhou Han couldn't break free and was about to use force,
Han Xiangning rushed over to rescue him. It was better for a woman to deal with women.
"What are you doing? Move aside! The team is full, no more slots!"
Han Xiangning looked furious.
She immediately stood protectively in front of Zhou Han, like a mother hen, driving away these shameless female players.
"You sluts, get lost, or don't blame me for getting rough!"
Han Xiangning pulled out her refined iron sword, its edge sharp as she issued a threatening warning.
The meaning was obvious—she was declaring her claim.
The man she had her eyes on wasn't for these coquettish bitches to mess with.
"Tch, what are you pushing for? Just because you're a bit prettier—what's there to be proud of?"
"Exactly, no sense of fairness at all."
"Sisters, let's go. We're not taking this!"
Although the women were still sharp-tongued, their momentum had clearly weakened.
Han Xiangning was already level 9, equipped with a full set of decent gear—obviously not someone to provoke.
They weren't fools; each one was good at reading the situation. They cursed under their breath and quickly left.
"Sigh, actually they're pitiful too. If we hadn't met Zhou Han, we might have ended up like them."
Han Qinxue watched their retreating figures, her eyes filled with emotion.
She felt extremely fortunate to have met Zhou Han.
Without strength and with such beauty, they would definitely become someone's playthings.
She looked at Zhou Han, her gaze carrying an unspoken feeling.
Zhou Han noticed her look—it was the first time he had seen such an expression on her. He decided to tease this mature beauty a little.
"What's wrong? Mesmerized by my handsomeness?" Zhou Han brushed his hair, speaking with a shameless grin.
"Yeah… a little bit."
Unexpectedly, Han Qinxue blurted it out, completely unlike her usual composed and reserved demeanor.
Zhou Han was stunned and didn't know how to respond.
"Sis, are you serious?"
Han Xiangning pouted, sounding a bit aggrieved.
"Ah! Oh, I was joking, haha!"
Han Qinxue hurriedly explained, laughing awkwardly.
She also inwardly scolded herself for saying such a thing.
Her younger sister clearly liked Zhou Han—this could easily cause misunderstandings.
"Sis, you're usually so serious. Didn't expect you to joke around like this."
She said it with a smile, but her eyes were filled with suspicion.
Could it be that her sister really liked Zhou Han? After all, a man as outstanding as him was hard for any woman to resist.
Thinking that, for some reason, she felt a bit heavy-hearted.
"Let's go. It's getting dark. Outside the city isn't safe at night."
Zhou Han quickly said, breaking the silent and awkward atmosphere.
The system had already warned that nighttime was extremely dangerous.
As for what dangers exactly, it hadn't specified—and Zhou Han had no intention of testing it with his life.
In any case, they had to return to Azure Thunder City before nightfall.
He wasn't arrogant enough to think that just because he ranked first now, he was invincible.
This was the Divine Demon Continent—a world where gods and demons existed.
His current strength was far from enough. He needed to keep growing stronger to stand against them.
Soon, the exit came into view not far ahead—but something seemed off.
Zhou Han stopped.
He saw several people blocking the exit, each holding weapons and looking fierce.
From a glance, they had several pieces of bronze-grade equipment—quite luxurious among ordinary players.
"Hm, what's going on? Why are they blocking the exit?"
Zhou Han had a guess but still asked a passerby.
"They're collecting tolls. If you don't pay, you don't get through," said a passerby.
"Can't everyone band together and resist?"
"Their leader is Wang Teng. His awakened talent is very strong. He keeps bragging in the public chat about having the bearing of a great emperor," said another.
"He recruited a group of brothers, all with strong talents. They do all kinds of insane things. Weaklings like us can't fight back—we can only pay up obediently."
Zhou Han was speechless after hearing this.
This Wang Teng was quite the character.
By doing this, he could quickly accumulate initial wealth and widen the gap between himself and other players.
Unfortunately for him, he ran into Zhou Han—destined to be his calamity.
"Stop. Pay 50 copper coins per person as a toll."
Seeing Zhou Han walk straight over, a harsh voice rang out.
Zhou Han didn't stop. His expression remained calm as he ignored the shout.
"Didn't you hear me? Looking for death, kid?"
One of the lackeys, full of anger, drew his iron blade and rushed at Zhou Han.
"Die!"
Zhou Han struck with a single sword and killed him instantly.
The remaining lackeys were clearly shocked by Zhou Han's action.
They hadn't expected someone to dare challenge Wang Teng's authority.
Was he tired of living?
"What? You trying to wreck our turf?"
"Do you even know whose territory this is? Blind or what?"
"Hurry up and call Brother Teng over—let him bleed this brat dry."
"I'm telling you, you messed with the wrong person. Just you wait."
- 175 Advanced Chapters of {SSS-Rank Enhancement System: I Can Upgrade Anything}: patreon.com/aristo0_0