"Li Hao..."
Gu Qianxue called out through her tears, running over to the stretcher.
"Li Hao, what's wrong?"
"Li Hao..."
"Young lady, he's fine!"
Du Kongcheng had already removed his gas mask.
"He just passed out!"
Even as he said it, Du Kongcheng found it hard to believe.
After Li Hao fainted, they had given him a preliminary checkup.
The results took everyone by surprise.
The teenage boy lying unconscious before them, without any protective gear, having spent nearly an hour in the disaster zone, was not only completely unharmed, but hadn't even been infected by the Evil Spirit Energy...
There were no signs of poisoning either...
He was simply exhausted and had passed out!
"Good grief!"
Du Kongcheng didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment.
In short, he was speechless...
You'd think he should be shocked!
What a joke, who the hell could handle being shocked all the time?
He was already thoroughly numb to it!
"Phew!"
Hearing this, Gu Qianxue let out a long sigh of relief.
Just then, Li Hao seemed to recover.
He slowly opened his eyes, feigning exhaustion as he struggled to sit up.
"Qianxue!"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"Li Hao, you're awake!"
Gu Qianxue cried out in joy. "Don't move! Li Hao, lie back down!"
"Qianxue, I'm fine!"
"How can you be fine? Li Hao, stop pushing yourself! Hurry up and lie down to rest!"
"I just woke up, and you want me to rest again?"
The guards carrying the stretcher wanted to punch Li Hao when they heard that.
"Honestly, we worked our tails off carrying you, and you slept the whole way."
Standing nearby, Du Kongcheng chuckled inwardly. "This kid's skill at flirting is almost as good as mine back in the day!"
Ever since he found out Li Hao was fine, Du Kongcheng's mood had lightened considerably.
Unconsciously, he thought back to his own youth, which seemed to feature similar scenes.
Only, this kid was way more impressive than he had been!
Just then, Zhang Wei, the deputy director of the Martial Defense Bureau, walked over with a group of staff members and reporters.
"Young man, you're remarkable! You're the pride of Yuncheng, a hero of Yuncheng!"
Seeing the attitude of the people around toward the newcomer, Li Hao naturally knew that the person speaking to him must be a leader.
So, Li Hao adopted a respectful and polite tone. "Sir, this is only what I should have done."
"Our teachers taught us to return lost property and to bravely do what is right."
"I simply did what I had to do."
"Click, click, click..."
Camera shutters flashed continuously.
Someone even pulled out a phone to secretly record.
Of course, live-streaming in this situation was inappropriate. Besides, with the leaders of the Martial Defense Bureau present, just try live-streaming and see what happens.
"What a fine young man! Such down-to-earth words!"
Zhang Wei was deeply moved.
He grasped Li Hao's hand, his expression emotional as he said, "Young man, what you consider something that 'should be done' is something so many people only dare to dream of!"
"You... are Yuncheng's well-deserved hero!"
"A hero!"
"Young man, well done!"
"You are the pride of Yuncheng!"
...
The conversation between Zhang Wei and Li Hao was broadcast live on television news reports covering the disaster relief efforts.
At that moment, on the top floor of a luxurious office building in downtown Yuncheng City, a majestic-looking middle-aged man suddenly stood up.
The man was none other than the richest man in Yuncheng and Li Hao's father, Li Chengqian.
After the disaster struck, the first thing he thought of was his son.
When Xiaoyao told him that Li Hao had gone to drop off his tutor, he had been filled with anxiety.
With his resources, he naturally knew Gu Qianxue's home address.
Connecting that with the route Li Hao and Gu Qianxue had taken, he grew even more worried.
However, the entire city was under martial law and road controls at that time.
Even with his status, he couldn't move about outside freely.
He had called countless times, but his son hadn't answered. He had also called the tutor countless times, but still there was no answer.
Li Chengqian had imagined the worst-case scenario!
Li Hao was his only son, and he couldn't bear to face such an outcome!
Yet, a shred of hope still lingered in his heart...
Even though he knew how slim the chances were!
He had kept his eyes glued to the television news reports.
Even at night, when the people on screen were hard to make out, he refused to miss a single silhouette.
Until...
Right now.
The moment he saw his son appear on screen...
This business tycoon, who commanded winds and waves in the corporate world and had been through countless battles, burst into tears!
"Son, as long as you're safe!"
Li Chengqian wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
He didn't care whether his son was a hero; he only cared whether his son was safe.
"Young master! Sob, sob, sob..."
"Haozi! Holy crap... how the hell did you become a hero, kid!"
At that moment, households across the country sitting in front of their televisions learned the story of a high school student from Yuncheng who had ventured alone into the disaster zone to bravely rescue children.
On this day, Li Hao's deeds resounded through Yuncheng and spread across Hua Nation.
He had a wonderful sleep.
The next day, Li Hao woke up in a hospital bed.
"L-Li... Student Li, you're awake!"
A pretty young nurse ran over enthusiastically, her face full of excitement.
"Uh..."
The head nurse, the department director, and others crowded around Li Hao.
"Student Li, no... heroic youth, you're awake!"
By the time he got home, it was almost noon!
That morning had completely exhausted Li Hao!
Having to pose for photos taken in rotation by the pretty young nurses was one thing.
He even had to make polite small talk with the hospital leadership and the leaders of Yuncheng City.
He was truly exhausted!
It was even more tiring than going in and out of the disaster zone!
Having lived two lives, Li Hao was still terrible at dealing with these things.
Li Hao knew very well that if he wanted to become a supreme powerhouse, he absolutely must not waste his energy on such matters.
Every single Martial God he had known in his past life was like this.
"Young master!"
"Sob, sob, sob..."
The moment the door opened, Xiaoyao pounced on him.
Crying tears that made her look like rain on pear blossoms, she was utterly pitiful.
"All right! My son is tired, hurry up and go give your young master a bath."
"Yes, sir!" Xiaoyao reluctantly released Li Hao from her embrace.
"Dad, don't be so serious! If you scare my little maid, I'll be upset with you!"
Li Hao said with a smile.
"Mhm... alright!"
"Son, you scared your old man half to death this time! Don't be so reckless next time!"
"Dad, look at me, aren't I fine?"
"Nonsense! A place like that..."
At this point, Li Chengqian paused.
On the way over, he had also asked about his son's condition.
He often dealt with Exotic Beast materials; he knew better than anyone just how terrifying the Evil Spirit Energy in a Rank-B Exotic Beast disaster zone was.
Yet his son had always been vague about it.
He was completely baffled as well.
Fortunately, Li Chengqian was one hundred percent certain that this was his own biological son.
Otherwise, he really would have suspected that his son had been replaced by an imposter.
Or parasitized by some kind of Exotic Beast.
There was a type of Exotic Beast in the Calamity Space that excelled at parasitizing the human body, making it very hard to detect.
Because of this, he had specially brought Li Hao to his company and put him through multiple rounds of checks.
The reason he said "again" was because the Yuncheng Martial Defense Bureau had also given Li Hao a comprehensive examination.
The result, naturally, turned up nothing at all.
Li Hao was simply an ordinary high school student at Yuncheng No. 1 High School.
Moreover, he was a slacker with a Vitality of only 0.4.
The only thing worth mentioning was Li Hao's background.
When Zhang Wei, Du Kongcheng, and the others found out that Li Hao was Li Chengqian's son, they were extremely shocked.
Li Hao's identity made them feel as though they had found some kind of answer.
"Perhaps Li Chengqian has some undisclosed technological breakthrough that we don't know about!"
Once they arrived at this guess, their minds were at ease.
However, as Li Hao's father...
Li Chengqian could not remain calm!
"Could it be..."