Chapter 126: Others Can Do It, But I Cannot

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Another ordinary night of diligent study and hard training.

After more or less finalizing the equipment modification plan, Ren Zhong’s performance in virtual-reality training not only failed to improve, but actually declined.

The performance of the new simulated equipment far exceeded his current parameters, while the modeling data read by the virtual-reality system remained at his present level. It was like having a pony pull a heavy cart—of course it would struggle.

Ma Xiaoling was both annoyed and amused by his stubborn, thickheaded determination.

Speaking as someone who had been through it herself, she advised him, “Ren Zhong, your idea isn’t wrong. There’s nothing bad about adapting to the new equipment in advance. The set of gear you and Manager Ju designed really is excellent. But you’re aiming far too high, and the leap in parameters is simply too great. You’ll need at least another year before you can control it, won’t you? What’s the point of adapting to it this early?”

Ren Zhong did not waste his breath arguing. He merely said, “Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Ma, but I have my own plans.”

Ma Xiaoling asked, “What plans?”

Ren Zhong rolled his eyes inwardly. He wanted to say, Why are you asking so many questions? Can’t you just be a proper teaching tool?

But since she was, at the very least, his combat instructor, he restrained himself and said only, “Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed. You’ll know after some time, Teacher Ma.”

Ma Xiaoling shrugged. “How boring. Why all the mystery? Don’t tell me you’re planning to give yourself a Star-Origin injection.”

Ren Zhong: “Uh…”

“Stop dreaming. That stuff is far too precious. I’ve only heard of it myself. I’ve never even seen one.”

Ren Zhong: “Uh…”

Ma Xiaoling found another fault with him. “And another thing—I’ve never seen anyone design equipment like you do. Every single added component, from head to toe, is offensive in nature. Why make it so extreme? Are you planning to trade your life for a Ruin Beast? Is it worth it? Staying alive is the most important thing. Only the living have hope.”

Ren Zhong truly had no answer to that.

Ju Qingmeng, standing nearby, stepped forward to take the blame. “It was my suggestion. I believe the most extreme offense is the strongest defense.”

Ma Xiaoling glared at her unhappily. “What kind of terrible advice is that? What if he meets an opponent capable of defending against his attacks? You’ll get him killed sooner or later.”

Ju Qingmeng immediately wilted.

She felt terribly wronged.

In truth, she was only a craftswoman. Ren Zhong was the real designer.

Ren Zhong himself had determined the armor’s style. She had merely mentioned the idea in passing, and Ren Zhong had persuaded her with the line that the strongest spear was also the strongest shield.

It had sounded quite convincing, so she had believed him. She had not expected an experienced expert like Ma Xiaoling to expose the flaw with a single sentence.

Ren Zhong hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. “Teacher Ma, let’s make the most of our time. I’m about to start again.”

Ma Xiaoling curled her lips. “Fine, go ahead. Let’s see how long you can survive among that swarm of Ruin Beasts this time. If you last more than five minutes, I’ll take your surname.”

Five minutes and thirty seconds later.

Ren Zhong asked, “Teacher Ren, care to give me your assessment?”

Ma Xiaoling flew into a rage. “You have absolutely no sense of humor!”

Ren Zhong had successfully diverted attention from the suspiciously enormous gap between his current equipment and its intended parameters.

Ju Qingmeng, standing nearby, was actually somewhat puzzled as well.

But she was far more blindly trusting and did not bring herself to ask.

She had already wagered everything on Ren Zhong. There was no turning back once the bow had been drawn.

She believed in Ren Zhong’s intelligence and did her best to restrain herself from questioning his decisions. Doing so would only create unnecessary trouble.

After a full night of training and an hour-long private lesson from the Stock God, Ren Zhong finally confessed the truth about the Star-Origin injection to Ju Qingmeng over breakfast at six thirty-five in the morning.

Ju Qingmeng covered her mouth in shock. “An injection refined from an entire Level-One Mineral Source Stone? You intend to use it alone?”

Ren Zhong nodded. “Yes.”

Ju Qingmeng thought for a long time before finally asking, “Since Sun Miao said the mortality rate is as high as ninety percent, why not dilute the medicine into several doses and give it to some of the others? Don’t you trust Zheng Tian, Chen Hanyu, and Yu Jin?”

Ren Zhong shook his head. “That’s not it. Lin Wang’s combat style and equipment both pursue extreme balance. It’s practically the ultimate art of crushing the weak. Against professionals one level below him in overall strength, he has an overwhelming advantage. Even if I raised all of us to Level Three, I’m afraid we still wouldn’t be able to deal with him at full strength.”

“My carrying capacity cannot possibly catch up with his in the short term. So I’ll take the opposite path. He pursues balance, while I pursue extremity. Whether in combat style or advancement in strength, I’ll pursue the utmost extreme. First, I’ll forge myself into a sharp spear of overwhelming force. It’s better to sever one finger than injure all ten. I’ll break through the immediate crisis at a single point, and worry about the rest afterward.”

Ju Qingmeng thought seriously for a long time this time. “It seems there really isn’t a better option.”

After breakfast, Ren Zhong once again walked out of the villa. He was heading to Lin Wang’s estate to report for duty.

Lin Wang had ordered three more hover motorcycles yesterday. They had arrived today.

As Ren Zhong walked through the villa district within the white walls, he casually surveyed his surroundings.

Blue trees lined the road like lush green carpets. Dewdrops hung from the emerald-blue meadows, and the air was exceptionally fresh.

Fountains sprayed sparkling droplets into the air.

The faint rays of the morning sun slanted down, forming a seven-colored rainbow beside one of the fountains.

Several young citizens in casual clothes leisurely rode hover motorcycles along the winding paths, which were neatly paved with square stones.

They traveled slowly, chatting all the while, their laughter warm and carefree. The men were handsome, the women beautiful, and an air of ease and comfort surrounded them.

Ren Zhong watched their backs, the disdain and disgust in his eyes refusing to fade.

He began to feel uncomfortable all over.

By now, he knew that, apart from Ma Xiaoling, her father, and Ju Qingmeng, practically every citizen in the town was evil.

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These were the very people who, the moment the census ended, would casually cast the votes that determined the fate of more than twenty thousand wastelanders.

It was not until he passed through the white walls and entered the slums that the discomfort in Ren Zhong’s body eased somewhat.

He had spent so long speeding through the streets on his motorcycle that he had not slowed down to truly feel the atmosphere of the town in quite some time.

A tide of people poured out from the centralized sleeping quarters, splitting into countless trickling streams that flowed toward every corner of the slums.

On the surface, little had changed since Ren Zhong had first arrived a month and a half ago.

The bottom-level wastelanders who spent their days doing nothing, living from one meal to the next, still wore numb expressions.

Only a small number of scavengers, shopkeepers, and other wastelanders lucky enough to find work wore worry plainly across their faces.

Ren Zhong knew what they were worried about. They were counting the days remaining until the census.

They were filled with confusion about the future.

But Ren Zhong was different. It was as though he could see an enormous countdown clock suspended above every person’s head.

The number displayed was forty-four.

It was as if he had acquired a supernatural ability that let him see, at a glance, how many days of life another person had left.

Forty-four days.

They had forty-four days left to live.

Ren Zhong silently lowered his head and quickened his pace.

He had not told Ma Dafu about the true plans of Purple Crystal Mining, the Mengdu Group, and Yang Bingzhong.

At least this time, he intended to keep Ma Dafu in the dark.

As long as the truth remained unspoken for one more day, the flame of hope Old Ma had placed in him would not be extinguished.

Old Ma could keep going.

But once he learned the truth, then, judging from what Ren Zhong knew of Ma Dafu’s character, he would probably give up on Sparkfire Town immediately and demand that Ren Zhong lead people away at once. At the same time, he would tell the other wastelanders to leave their fate to heaven, saving as many lives as they could.

But first, Ren Zhong himself had nowhere to go.

Second, if these wastelanders entered the wilderness, no matter which direction they took, fewer than one in ten would ultimately survive.

Sometimes, withholding information was the same as preserving hope.

When he arrived at the estate, he casually chose one of the new hover motorcycles.

Lin Wang issued the arrangements. “Although we’ve lost our demolitions expert and our implant-armored warrior, Bei Lihui and I can still hunt inside the abandoned mines. Ren Zhong is somewhat weaker, but he can deal with Level-Three Ruin Beasts. So, our plan for the next while is as follows: hunt in the abandoned mines in the morning, then split up in the afternoon to collect chips from the scavenger teams. We must be especially aggressive between four and six-thirty in the afternoon.”

Lin Wang had adjusted the schedule.

It might have seemed like nothing more than switching the morning and afternoon activities, but there was a great deal of cunning behind it.

Collecting an “encounter tax” in the morning was certainly not as profitable as doing so in the afternoon.

Ren Zhong raised his hand and asked a question appropriate to his public persona. “Captain, what if someone has already been charged by another professional team? Do I still collect from them?”

Without hesitation, Lin Wang replied, “Of course you do!”

Ren Zhong said, “Understood.”

…

Deep in the lower levels of the abandoned mine.

Lin Wang walked in front, with Bei Lihui close behind him. Sima Wan came third, while Ren Zhong was responsible for bringing up the rear.

When Xing Ming was still alive, he had been the one to lead the way.

Now Lin Wang had apparently found it in his heart to show mercy and was finally willing to put himself in harm’s way.

Before entering the mine, Lin Wang repeatedly reminded Ren Zhong, “Although bringing up the rear is less dangerous than leading the way, the tunnels are still full of hidden dangers. Be careful, and keep an eye on every direction. Some particularly insidious Ruin Beasts may burst out of the ground.”

Ren Zhong replied humbly, “Thank you for the reminder, Captain.”

“And one more thing. We don’t have anything as good as a Ghost Communicator, so electromagnetic communications may fail inside the mine. Don’t fall behind. If you run into danger, we may not reach you in time.”

“Understood.”

Lin Wang nodded and raised his hand, projecting a three-dimensional map from his wristwatch.

The map was covered in a dense mass of red dots.

Ren Zhong glanced at it.

Well, this was impressive. It covered nearly eighty percent of the magnetic-line nodes.

Lin Wang turned around and said with a trace of pride, “This is the Ruin Beast distribution map dreamed of by every scavenger team in Sparkfire Town. I spent three years building on the original foundation and doubled the number of marked locations.”

Then he shook his head regretfully. “A great deal of my blood and sweat went into this map. What a pity that it will soon become useless.”

Ren Zhong offered a compliment. “There’s no need for regret, Captain. The old must make way for the new.”

Bei Lihui burst out laughing. “Ren Zhong, you really were a citizen once. Anything you say can sound cultured.”

“You flatter me, Brother Hui.”

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Bei Lihui said, “See? There you go again.”

The morning’s hunt passed without incident. They harvested a total of five Level-Four Ruin Beasts and more than twenty Level-Three Ruin Beasts.

Converted into points, the total value came to roughly thirteen thousand.

After doing the calculations, Lin Wang credited Ren Zhong with fifteen hundred points.

At noon, just before they split up, Lin Wang took out another map of the terrain outside the town. He marked several routes on it and told Ren Zhong to patrol along them while shaking people down in the afternoon.

If he was lucky, he could intercept a scavenger team or a lone scavenger every few minutes on average. Since each shake-down yielded roughly twenty points, he could earn four hundred points an hour. Over the course of a six-hour afternoon, he should be able to make at least two thousand.

Ren Zhong listened with an open mind.

At five in the afternoon, deep within Ironworm Forest, Ren Zhong met up with Zheng Tian’s group of five and Yu Jin.

Following his instructions, they had traveled all over the place and collected a considerable number of chips.

Ren Zhong himself had no energy to run around like a mad dog shaking down everyone he encountered.

Instead, he had used his memories to locate several Level-Three Ruin Beasts, picked fights with them, and passed the spoils on to the others by a different method.

While taking stock, Ou Youning said with some reluctance, “Brother Ren, you really don’t have to do this. Didn’t Yang Bingzhong and Lin Wang give us special privileges? If we simply demanded the chips, no one would dare say a word. Everyone’s already used to living this way.”

Ren Zhong replied, “That isn’t a good habit.”

Ou Youning said, “But what sense does it make for you to pay out of your own pocket to buy the chips, then make people say they were robbed, while threatening to really rob them in the future if they let anything slip? Besides, even if we don’t rob them, won’t the other professional teams do it anyway?”

Ren Zhong shook his head. “Other people are other people. I am myself. I have my own rules.”

At that moment, Zheng Tian saw that Ou Youning was about to keep digging his own grave. She smacked him hard on the back of the head.

“That’s precisely what makes Brother Ren different from everyone else!”

Ou Youning immediately understood. “Exactly! Brother Ren is truly noble!”

Ren Zhong rolled his eyes inwardly.

That fool had instantly lowered the minimum standard for nobility to a level that was almost shocking.

Ren Zhong opened Yu Jin’s storage case. “Huh? Quite a lot of Level-Two chips? More than twenty of them, even. Have Sparkfire Town’s independent scavengers become this capable?”

Yu Jin, who looked somewhat bedraggled, scratched his head awkwardly. “Half of them were hunted by me. I hired a disassembler to follow me. I figured that saving a little was better than saving nothing.”

Ren Zhong suddenly understood. No wonder Yu Jin, who carried two guns, looked somewhat more battered than the others, with his ammunition belts completely empty.

And this was only the forty-sixth day.

On the previous timeline, Yu Jin had fired four spectacular shots with his Fang Heavy Sniper Rifle yesterday.

In this timeline, Yu Jin had indeed grown much faster.

He was now a skilled fighter capable of hunting Level-Two Ruin Beasts alone with a Level-Two heavy sniper rifle.

But Ren Zhong immediately frowned. “The combat suit you’re wearing is Level One, and your parameters are only Level One. How are you using a Level-Two heavy sniper rifle? Don’t tell me you’ve been firing every shot under overload conditions.”

Yu Jin shook the long rifle down from his back. “Mr. Ren, I asked Manager Ju to modify the rifle for me and install a recoil-free module. It’s still somewhat strenuous, and it affects the rate of fire, but it hasn’t affected my shooting accuracy.”

Ren Zhong grinned and patted Yu Jin on the shoulder. “Well done.”

He could not help imagining that, if Yu Jin could break free from the professional system and be given a sniper combat vehicle—if a Level-Four heavy sniper rifle were mounted on it, with machinery bearing the recoil—then the boy’s combat power might suddenly rise to an entirely new level.

The professional system certainly offered great convenience. It elevated individual combat strength to new heights and provided enormous tactical flexibility. Yet in a certain sense, it was also far too unimaginative.

Unfortunately, the ambush site he had chosen this time was inside the abandoned mine, so he could not use that underhanded trick.

Once the tally was complete, everyone handed him nearly eighty Level-Two chips and nearly two hundred Level-One chips, worth a total of eighteen hundred points.

It was not quite two thousand, but it was acceptable.

Adding the six Level-Three Ruin Beasts he himself had cut down, along with the chips—some good, some bad—that he had painstakingly salvaged from them, the total value reached two thousand points.

That was what he had earned from “shaking people down” today.

Lin Wang wanted to accelerate Ren Zhong’s assimilation by letting him enjoy the thrill of gaining something without working for it.

That was wishful thinking.

Although this was a minor matter involving very little money, Ren Zhong was using his own methods and convictions to resist the world’s corrosion.

As Ou Youning had said, the bottom-level wastelanders were already accustomed to being robbed.

But Ren Zhong wanted to change that habit.

Other people might do such things, but he would not—even if the practice appeared capable of bringing considerable short-term profit.

That was the fundamental difference between a revolutionary and a new exploiter.

Take not so much as a needle or a thread from the people.

Of course, Brother Sun was an exception.

Brother Sun had made an outstanding contribution to the great revolutionary cause in its early stages with his bone club.

History would remember him.

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