In District X of Dongdu City stood a run-down house of just over seventy square meters.

The peeling walls and flaking paint on the doors and windows revealed an air of desolation.

But the single word "Demolish" sprayed on the wall instantly gave the house a sense of prestige, drawing envious glances from passersby.

At the front door, a dozen burly men had gathered, their foul curses spewing from their mouths.

"Fck, that bstard Tang Laowu owes me half a million and just ran off. So when the hell are we getting our money back?"

"Exactly! We're all neighbors, and you're a sensible kid…

Everyone relies on that money to live. 'A father's debt is paid by the son'—I don't need to explain that to you, right?"

"We don’t want to push you this hard, but every household has mouths to feed. Making a buck isn’t easy, is it?"

"Fck this, enough bullst! If we don’t get the money today, we’re tearing this place apart!"

Some tried persuasion, others used threats, but all had the same goal.

Money.

A hot-tempered, dark-faced man shouted, but after glancing at the empty, bare house, he spat and cursed, "Fck, this shthole's so broke even rats would starve in here.

Your dad may have run off clean, but he screwed over all his brothers and friends. What a f*cking scumbag!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, a shared look of regret on their faces.

The one surrounded was a clean-cut young man, who smiled helplessly at the group, though bitterness filled his heart.

"Uncles, elders, big brothers… can I say a few words?"

Tang Zhen glanced at them and, seeing that all eyes were on him, raised his voice and continued, "I understand your difficulties. After all, no one’s money comes from thin air. You have to sweat blood to save a little.

Since the problem's already here, we need to find a way to solve it.

This house isn’t worth much. The demolition’s been delayed for years—you can’t count on it anytime soon.

Selling it now would be a huge loss, and I’m not selling!

But there’s always a solution. How about this?

I’ll pay back five thousand a month. As for who gets paid first, you can figure that out amongst yourselves.

The amount may not be much, and I’ll have to pinch every penny to manage even that. I can’t pay a cent more!

But let me make this clear—none of you can come to my home and cause trouble again. If you push me too far, I’ll just leave too. Then we’ll see who loses out the most!"

Tang Zhen wore a firm expression, coldly staring at the group.

He’d already proposed a solution. Take it or leave it. If they weren’t satisfied, they could go find the real man who owed them money.

Not everyone agreed with his proposal. One man instantly shouted in anger, rolling up his sleeves and looking ready to fight, his eyes bulging.

"Cut the crap! I want the house. Get the paperwork done, now!"

"F*ck that! Why the hell should you get the house? I want it too!"

"He owes you a little, owes me a lot more—don’t you have any shame?"

Well, now the debt collectors had started fighting among themselves.

After a whole morning of noise and chaos, Tang Zhen finally saw off the group of creditors, including those who wanted a piece of the demolition property.

But there was nothing the creditors could do. The real debtor had vanished like smoke, and scaring Tang Zhen off would mean losing everything.

At least with him around, there was still a chance—every few months—to get back a couple thousand yuan.

After everyone left, Tang Zhen cleaned up the cigarette butts and trash scattered across the floor, then sighed as he looked around the empty house, a trace of sorrow on his young face.

Tang Zhen was an orphan, taken in at a young age by his father’s brother.

In the second year of his adoption, the family had a daughter, giving Tang Zhen a younger sister.

But the peace didn’t last. The adoptive mother passed away suddenly, and the father started indulging in nightlife and developed a gambling addiction.

Shameless and selfish, the adoptive father cared only about himself. As for family bonds—they were paper-thin.

Disappearing for a year or half was nothing unusual.

Tang Zhen and his sister depended on each other, growing up in hardship with barely enough to eat.

They say 'a man’s nature is hard to change.' His adoptive father might have shown some restraint in his youth, but now he lived more recklessly with each passing day.

Being a parent doesn’t guarantee responsibility. In some people’s worlds, there’s only room for their own selfishness.

A year ago, the adoptive father scammed together a large sum and eloped with a married woman to live a life of pleasure.

Naturally, the creditors came after Tang Zhen, showing up every few days to curse at his doorstep, causing chaos for hours before leaving.

Tang Zhen hated his adoptive father. Many times he wanted to just walk away. He had two working hands—he could survive anywhere, right?

But every time that thought came, he would remember his sister and abandon the idea.

Their life depending on each other was his most treasured memory. He truly saw her as his own flesh and blood.

Sometimes, Tang Zhen hated himself deeply—for being so useless, for failing to give his sister a better life.

He didn’t even dare imagine what would happen if the creditors couldn’t find him and started harassing her.

For all these reasons, Tang Zhen endured the exhaustion and insults, struggling to survive in the cracks of the city.

In the end, it was all for that one thing he believed in.

He sighed, pulled out his phone from his pocket, and checked the time.

So much time had already been wasted, and with his body feeling off, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to set up his street stall today.

After tossing the phone onto the bed, Tang Zhen reached under it and pulled out a nylon woven bag.

He opened the bag and took out a translucent bead, about the size of an egg, playing with it absentmindedly.

This thing had a bit of a backstory. His adoptive father had bought it from a grave robber, claiming it was a genuine antique.

Like attracts like. Most of his adoptive father’s friends were shady types.

Antiques had been a hot trend in recent years. After watching a few TV shows, his father caught the fever for instant wealth and bought several items from his drinking buddies.

They were supposedly from some ancient, unknown tomb. Three items were dug up: a dagger, a piece of pottery, and the thing Tang Zhen now held.

His adoptive father, arrogant as always, believed the bead was a treasure and spent ten thousand yuan to buy it.

But after getting it appraised—turned out it was worthless.

His father sulked for a few days, then tossed the "glass ball" under the bed. Later, Tang Zhen found it while cleaning and kept it.

After fiddling with the "glass ball" a few times, he placed it on the table along with his phone, then stood up to prepare lunch.

With a bowl of instant noodles in one hand and half a bag of pickled mustard in the other, Tang Zhen ate while reading a novel.

After finishing his meal, he put the phone back on the table and turned to go into the kitchen.

Just as he turned away, the “glass” bead emitted a faint glow and enveloped the phone in light.

A few seconds later, the glow vanished without a trace.

Chapter 1: 1. People are often helpless in life

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