Richest Rag-picker

’My men are strong, but they’re not much help to me personally anymore. Worse, they stick out like a sore thumb and could easily attract the wrong kind of attention.’

After confirming that everyone was all right, Fang Chenyi ended the call.

He glanced up at the sun, then reached into his bag and retrieved a compass from its storage space.

Once he had his bearings, he took off, running swiftly in that direction.

The moment he started running, however, Fang Chenyi was stunned once again.

’How am I moving this fast??’

He was running countless times faster than he had been just last night.

It was no exaggeration to say that Fang Chenyi’s current speed was well over a hundred kilometers per hour, possibly even faster.

And that was on uneven desert terrain. Who knew what speeds he could reach on a flat highway.

By now, Fang Chenyi was somewhat desensitized to such things; the little star had given him far too many surprises already.

His feet pounded the ground as his body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Not only was he incredibly fast, but he also noticed that after running for several minutes, he wasn’t even the slightest bit tired. ’This feels amazing!’

As he ran, the guy started to daydream. ’With my current speed, if I went to the Olympics, wouldn’t I take home all the gold medals for both sprints and long-distance races?’

Of course, he was just fantasizing. He wouldn’t actually go to the Olympics, even if he had the chance.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to contribute to Huaxia’s Olympic glory. It was just that he was so ridiculously overpowered, competing would be tantamount to bullying everyone else.

He ran without incident, and after just one hour, Fang Chenyi spotted the camp where Qi Xiaotian and the others were waiting.

His nine Warrior trucks were particularly eye-catching, so he knew at a glance that it was undoubtedly his camp.

"The boss is back!"

"Brother Fang, you’re finally back."

As Fang Chenyi entered the camp, all his men greeted him excitedly.

Qi Xiaotian hurried out of a makeshift tent, letting out a long sigh of relief when he saw that Fang Chenyi was unharmed.

At that moment, Vajra scrambled up from under a nearby vehicle. He trotted over to Fang Chenyi’s side, whining excitedly.

Seeing their familiar, worried faces, Fang Chenyi felt a warmth spread through his chest.

He returned their greetings with a smile, then immediately ordered everyone to pack up. "We’re heading home in ten minutes."

Just then, a somewhat awkward voice piped up:

"Um... Boss. I was wondering... could I get the money you promised? I did guide you to the place, right?"

Everyone turned at the sound of his voice and saw that it was the young guide who had led them here.

He was looking at the recently returned Fang Chenyi with an awkward expression.

Upon hearing this, Fang Chenyi looked at the man, who was flushed red from the heat and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. He simply smiled and shook his head.

Seeing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed the young guide’s eyes. He thought Fang Chenyi was refusing to pay him the promised money.

But the next moment, he heard Fang Chenyi speak:

"Heh. A promise is a promise. I told you I’d give you 200,000 for bringing us here, so I’m not going to break my word. In fact, you did such an excellent job that I’m going to add another 100,000 as a bonus. I hope we can work together again. Also, I don’t want anyone else to know we came here. I’m sure you understand what I mean."

When the young guide heard this, his crestfallen expression instantly turned to one of sheer delight.

He hadn’t expected to receive a bonus.

The already sky-high price of 200,000 had suddenly become 300,000.

’How many years would it take me to save that much money?! After this trip, I can go home and find a pretty wife!’ He immediately began nodding furiously at Fang Chenyi and stammered:

"Don’t you worry, sir, don’t you worry! Only you, your men, and I will ever know about this. I won’t tell another soul. Even if—even when I get married, I won’t tell my wife!"

Perhaps the sum was just too much, the temptation too great. The normally level-headed young guide was now babbling incoherently.

Fang Chenyi smiled and waved a dismissive hand.

"Heh, that’s good. But I’ll have to wait until we get back to town to give you the money. Is that a problem?"

The young guide immediately nodded and said it wasn’t a problem. ’Are you kidding?’ he thought. ’I wouldn’t dare take it right now anyway. Who’s to say they wouldn’t just kill me and dump my body out here in the desert?’

’Giving it to me back in town proves they still need me to guide them out of here.’

’And once we’re back in town with plenty of other people around, they won’t be able to try anything.’

Ignoring the guide’s inner turmoil, Fang Chenyi waved him off again, gesturing for him to go pack his things for the trip back. Only then did he turn his attention to Qi Xiaotian and his men.

Qi Xiaotian and the others could tell Fang Chenyi was in high spirits, so they too began to excitedly pack up the temporary camp.

Seeing this, the massive Vajra immediately turned to help the others pack.

Only Qi Xiaotian remained behind. He looked past Fang Chenyi, a puzzled expression on his face, and asked:

"Brother Fang, how did you get back on foot? Where’s the truck?"

Fang Chenyi paused at Qi Xiaotian’s question. "The truck? What truck?"

Suddenly, Fang Chenyi slapped his forehead as it dawned on him.

"Oh, you mean that Warrior. Don’t even get me started. It was so hot over there that the tires blew out. I had no way to get it back. Forget it. We’ll just have to squeeze on the way back; it shouldn’t be a problem."

’The tires blew out from the heat?? My god, just how hot is it over there?’

Seemingly sensing Qi Xiaotian’s curiosity, Fang Chenyi smiled and waved his hand.

"Don’t even ask. The temperatures are insane. You have no idea. Hell, there’s even lava over there."

Qi Xiaotian, however, simply nodded. "Uh, I know about the lava..."

Fang Chenyi froze. "How do you know that?"

Leading Fang Chenyi toward one of the trucks, Qi Xiaotian simply pointed off into the distance...