Chapter 31: It Was an Outsourced System

After Ethan familiarized himself with all kinds of contacts, Xavier happily took out a bag from his car. He opened it, revealing a sleek pistol and four boxes of bullets. Of course, there was also a gun license.

"Here, this is what I promised you last time. I'll teach you how to use it," Xavier said, handing over the weapon.

Ethan took the pistol, inspecting it with a raised brow. The principle of a pistol was simple, but shooting accurately required training. Luckily, Xavier had brought two hundred bullets — more than enough for Ethan to practice with.

Once Xavier left, Ethan stored the pistol and bullets into his ring space. He also prepared for his trip back to his hometown. Using the remaining seventy million from the company's earnings, he divided it into several cards and stashed a large amount of cash into the ring as well.

The vegetable seeds infused with spiritual water grew rapidly, flourishing within a few days. Ethan tasted them and smiled. The flavor was rich and satisfying, confirming that the spiritual water did its job. Finally at ease, he set out on his journey.

On the day of his departure, Ethan bid farewell to everyone. Driving his flashy new car — complete with the ridiculous 66666 license plate that Don had insisted on — he hit the road with Blackie, now grown into a massive dog, sitting proudly in the passenger seat.

As expected, the car turned heads wherever he went. Pedestrians stared in awe, some envious, others wary. Ethan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. It had been years since he returned home, and if he showed up with a car like this, the villagers might think he was showing off. Worse, they could start gossiping.

After some thought, he decided to be low-key. Once he got off the highway, he drove onto a quiet side road. Checking that no one was around, he stored the car back into his ring space and continued on foot with Blackie by his side.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the county town. The place had changed. Towering buildings lined the streets, and the occasional Land Rover or BMW whizzed past. Ethan raised an eyebrow. The county's developed quite a bit. Still, he knew the village wouldn't have changed much. Over there, if a family owned even a tractor, they were considered wealthy.

As he walked, his phone rang. It was Zoe.

"Hey, where are you?" she asked, her tone playful as always.

"Just reached the county. Place looks pretty different now," Ethan replied.

They chatted as Ethan strolled along the sidewalk, taking in the sights. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw an old man collapse by the side of the road. Passersby glanced his way but hurried on, pretending not to see. No one dared to help.

Ethan sighed. Things weren't like this when I was younger. People used to be kinder… more willing to help.

He hesitated. Should I help him? These days, stories of good Samaritans being blackmailed after helping made people wary. Still, Ethan's conscience nagged at him. After all, everyone gets old someday. Wouldn't he want someone to help him if he were in that situation?

Before Ethan could make up his mind, Blackie acted. The big dog padded over to the fallen man, carefully lowering its head and using its strong body to nudge him upright.

Ethan blinked, surprised. "Guess you made the decision for me, huh?" he muttered, pocketing his phone. Zoe's voice called out, "Huh? Ethan? What's going on?" But he ended the call, stepping forward to help.

As he crouched beside the old man, Ethan had a feeling that his return to the village was going to be anything but quiet.