Chapter 152: Lost in the East, Gained in the West

Every stage of life is a theater. Every actor dreams of becoming a director.

Yang Bingzhong was utterly dumbfounded by Ren Zhong's overwhelming and monstrous grievance.

It made him somewhat doubtful of his own judgment, so much so that he replayed the video Lin Wang had just sent to his wristwatch from the very beginning.

The opening scene captured precisely the moment when a furious Ren Zhong threw a javelin to kill Bei Lihui.

Yang Bingzhong thought to himself, weren't you the one who violently lashed out and killed someone first? What on earth are you feeling aggrieved about?

He muttered contemplatively, "I have the recording here. Although recordings can be fabricated, given the circumstances, I believe Lin Wang neither had the time nor the necessity to fake this. Your sophistry is completely meaningless."

On the other end, Ren Zhong expressed extreme grievance and said through gritted teeth, "Director Yang, do you still not understand Lin Wang? He is sinister and vicious, yet he holds a high regard for his reputation. The video he sent you is definitely incomplete. The truth is right here on my end!"

If Lin Wang knew how to record videos, Ren Zhong knew even better. He had recorded earlier, prepared more thoroughly, and adopted a more professional perspective.

He was simultaneously an actor, a director, and a screenwriter.

Every single line of dialogue in his conversation with Lin Wang had been meticulously designed.

Before his death, Lin Wang had indeed sent Yang Bingzhong a distress signal and a video, but it was incomplete. Snipped at both ends, it only captured the fragments after the jamming decoy and the motorboat exploded, showing a furious Ren Zhong attacking and killing Bei Lihui, followed by Lin Wang himself issuing threats in Yang Bingzhong's name.

It even omitted Ren Zhong's line about "an irreconcilable feud." The footage started abruptly with Ren Zhong rushing forward like a madman, instantly executing Bei Lihui with a javelin throw.

Had Yang Bingzhong only watched Lin Wang's video, he would have perceived Ren Zhong as a sinister, ferocious, ungrateful, and unreasonable person.

Yet after viewing the "full-length" video from Ren Zhong's perspective, the roles of good and evil were completely reversed.

The video recorded by Ren Zhong's end started much earlier and possessed a far more comprehensive perspective, beginning right from when he reported the death of Sima Wan to Lin Wang.

While Yang Bingzhong was watching, Ren Zhong was providing a synchronous commentary on this end.

"At that time, I watched helplessly as Sima Wan died a tragic death, utterly powerless and deeply traumatized. I originally intended to seek reinforcements from Lin Wang, only to find out their situation was even worse than mine. However, Lin Wang had been deceiving me from that very moment. He actually claimed they were only hanging by a thread and that I just needed to return. Now I understand—he wanted me to go back and act as bait to help him and Bei Lihui escape! How ridiculous that I knew nothing of the sort back then, and was still hesitating and feeling guilty!"

In the recorded video, Ren Zhong was riding closely alongside the mountain range.

Because Ren Zhong's tactical helmet also housed facial recognition and pupil-tracking cameras, Yang Bingzhong could switch to the helmet's perspective, observing the rapidly shifting facial expressions of Ren Zhong as he traveled.

Fear, hesitation, tension, self-blame...

Watching this scene, Yang Bingzhong could not help but sigh in his heart.

Earlier, he had attempted to poach Ren Zhong from Lin Wang, only to be refused.

Ren Zhong's reason had actually been a sense of gratitude for Lin Wang's kindness in lending him money, wishing to repay the favor.

At the time, Yang Bingzhong had felt that Ren Zhong's mind was somewhat rigid, naive, and laughably innocent.

Now it seemed his initial judgment had been spot on.

At that moment, Ren Zhong was truly undergoing a fierce internal battle, carefully weighing whether to offer rescue or not!

Such a personality was a genuine rarity in Spark Town.

Combined with the intelligence report on Ren Zhong previously submitted by Lin Wang, Yang Bingzhong would have bet a hundred million that Ren Zhong must have once been a high-ranking citizen, living in a top-tier prosperous metropolis, well-fed and clothed since childhood, entirely unexposed to the world of scavengers, and growing up in a social circle exclusively composed of privileged youths untainted by the harsh realities of the world.

Only such an environment could mold such a "good person."

Fast-forwarding slightly, the video reached the segment where Ren Zhong confessed to accepting Sima Wan's money while failing to save her life.

Yang Bingzhong clicked pause and asked, "Did Sima Wan really die?"

Ren Zhong answered, "Director Yang... this..."

"Tell me the truth."

Ren Zhong sighed. "She did indeed die. It's my fault too; at the time, I was afraid and hesitant, wanting to find an excuse to refuse her. But she mistakenly thought I wanted money, and she actually transferred money to me. After taking her money, by the time I made up my mind to save her, it was a step too late. Sigh."

Yang Bingzhong asked, "Did she say anything else before she died? Do you have a recording?"

Ren Zhong shook his head across the connection. "The incident happened too suddenly, so I didn't have combat recording enabled. She did say one sentence, though."

"What was it?"

"While transferring money to me, she said she happened to be holding a secret belonging to you, Director Yang, worth a million."

Yang Bingzhong wondered, "Oh? Did she finish telling you what it was?"

"I had no desire to hear Director Yang's secrets. Besides, by then I had already decided to save her and was hurrying toward her location, so she didn't elaborate further. It's just a pity I couldn't save her in time; I could only watch with my own eyes as she was torn to shreds by void beasts."

Yang Bingzhong pondered for a moment and sighed. "That is indeed regrettable."

Ren Zhong sighed along with him. "Sigh. Indeed."

Yang Bingzhong acknowledged, "Mm."

Without further ado, Yang Bingzhong clicked to resume playback of the video, while inwardly analyzing Ren Zhong's state of mind at the time with considerable accuracy.

Ren Zhong must have been weighed down by the self-reproach caused by Sima Wan's death, slowly overcoming his fear and ultimately choosing to go save them.

The video footage continued to advance.

Bei Lihui figured out that Ren Zhong's motorboat was still functional.

This honest fellow Ren Zhong proactively admitted that his motorboat was indeed intact and had even been modified.

Bei Lihui and Lin Wang each said, "You can come back now, right?"

Struck by a thought, Yang Bingzhong clicked pause once more.

He checked Lin Wang's professional team account through the corporate financial management system and discovered that Lin Wang had indeed transferred the two million stored inside at that exact instant.

Yang Bingzhong asked, "Did Lin Wang and Bei Lihui transfer money to you as well?"

Ren Zhong flatly denied it on the other end. "At the time, the two of them did want to transfer funds to me. But since I had previously accepted Sima Wan's money yet failed to offer any help, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to deliver again and didn't check or accept their money right away."

Yang Bingzhong frowned, continued playing the video, and promptly heard Ren Zhong's next line of dialogue.

"...Talking about money is being overly polite... Captain, you've treated me so well... I absolutely cannot accept your money... I'm coming right now!"

After saying these words, Ren Zhong dove downward without the slightest hesitation.

Yang Bingzhong was momentarily speechless.

Fine, based on his understanding of Lin Wang and Bei Lihui, if Ren Zhong hadn't accepted the payment immediately and saw that he was already on the move, these two bastards would definitely have canceled the transfer at lightning speed.

To Yang Bingzhong, a mere two million wasn't much, but it wasn't a small sum either.

Thinking of how at least two million contribution points had vanished into thin air due to the private accounts being canceled upon the deaths of those two troublemakers, Lin Wang and Bei Lihui, Director Yang felt a trace of regret.

The video continued.

Ren Zhong narrated, "I saved Lin Wang first, but unexpectedly fell off the vehicle myself. At the time, I begged him to come back and pick me up. But he treated me like that."

Yang Bingzhong nodded slightly. "Truly vicious."

"Sigh!" Ren Zhong sighed, then ground his teeth. "I risked my life to save them, never expecting that he would still covet the little money I had on me! Simply..."

Yang Bingzhong remarked, "You had more than just a little. You got fifty thousand from finding the ore source, and another thirty thousand from Sima Wan. You had at least eighty thousand in your hands."

Ren Zhong replied, "Th-this shouldn't have been a reason for them to betray me, though."

Yang Bingzhong nodded. "Indeed."

The video continued.

The information-flow jamming decoy exploded, severely compromising the camera's performance and blurring the visuals slightly, though the audio remained clear.

The video provided by Lin Wang exhibited the exact same phenomenon, albeit to a slightly lesser degree.

Yang Bingzhong asked, "Why was there an information-flow jamming decoy on your motorboat? And why was all your ammunition stored on the vehicle?"

Ren Zhong answered truthfully, "Manager Ju suggested I purchase the decoy. On the day I found the ore source, I barely managed to escape from muddy cave leeches. She said that while the decoy had limited lethality against void beasts, it could restrict their movements in a short time. It's effective even against level-five void beasts, so she told me to buy one from the equipment mall in Morning Glow Mining Area. At the time, I placed it in the motorboat's storage compartment, originally intending to throw the bomb backward after rendezvousing with the two of them and detonating it remotely so we could all escape safely. Later... later I was driven mad with anger, so I simply detonated it."

Yang Bingzhong nodded. "I see. And what about the sympathetic detonation of the ammunition?"

"Because I knew my own limited strength and couldn't bring out the full effectiveness of that ammunition. Seeing that Lin Wang and Bei Lihui were running out of supplies, I planned to let them take what they needed once we briefly broke away from danger. I had been transferring the ammunition during the journey, but the camera didn't have a rear-facing view, so it didn't capture it." Ren Zhong let out another long sigh. "Of course, man proposes, heaven disposes. I never expected those supplies would end up being used to blow up the two of them."

Yang Bingzhong remained silent for a brief moment before turning to comfort Ren Zhong instead. "You can't be blamed. Those two brought it entirely upon themselves. But I'm not surprised at all. Remember when I asked you to break away from Lin Wang and sign a Level 2 professional contract with me?"

Ren Zhong answered, "I remember."

"Back then, I knew that while Lin Wang possessed some talent and appeared benevolent on the surface, he was actually ruthless, extremely envious, and deeply selfish. Whenever he encountered a young prodigy in town, the first thing he did was nip potential threats in the bud."

"Your smooth entry into his team had a lot to do with Xing Ming's accidental death. It was your luck, but not necessarily good luck. When I asked you to leave him, my original intention was to protect you."

"If this incident hadn't happened today, once you truly grew at a rapid pace, you might have threatened his position. I bet he would have quietly gotten rid of you. In a way, this blessing in disguise has pulled you out of real peril."

Ren Zhong muttered, "Ah, well..."

"Anyway. Lin Wang and the others are dead, so be it. You don't need to take it to heart."

Ren Zhong asked cautiously, "Then... Director Yang, can I come back?"

"Hahaha! Of course! Not only can you come back, but I will also transfer Lin Wang's professional team contract to you. It's a pity Lin Wang just transferred the reserve funds out of it, so you'll have to start from scratch. But you're barely considered a minor wealthy person now, and since you're only Level 2, you don't need that much money anyway. By the way, what about the equipment belonging to Lin Wang, Bei Lihui, and Sima Wan?"

"Right after I killed the two of them, the void beast regained its mobility. My armor's energy index kept blaring warnings, so I didn't dare pick them up and flew out on my own."

"I see." Yang Bingzhong sounded somewhat regretful. "Forget it, it's not that important anyway. I was going to say since you and Lin Wang are of similar build, you could take and use his equipment. Since it's lost, let it be."

"Mm."

"Have you figured out how to return? Do you need me to send someone to pick you up?"

"No need, a wandering merchant I happen to know is nearby, so I've asked him to pick me up."

"Alright, stay safe."

"Thank you, Director Yang."

Ending the communication, Yang Bingzhong wore a smile of absolute control.

He harbored no doubts about the truthfulness of Ren Zhong's words.

This was the only thing that made logical sense.

Ren Zhong possessed only Level 2 strength; that was unquestionable.

Although Lin Wang and Bei Lihui had suffered successive blows and were at the end of their ropes, they were still seasoned Level 4 professionals, yet they had suffered a miserable defeat.

Ren Zhong had displayed astonishing combat prowess.

Even the well-traveled Yang Bingzhong was filled with admiration, feeling it was nothing short of miraculous.

Yang Bingzhong had always considered Lin Wang a talent.

Yet having witnessed firsthand the divine miracle of a Level 2 killing a Level 4, Director Yang felt slightly ashamed of his former narrow-mindedness.

One had to remember that Ren Zhong had only begun his path as a mecha warrior after entering Spark Town.

Counting it all up, it had only been a month and a half until today!

Director Yang was well aware of the transaction records of Ren Zhong secretly selling those void beasts using a solo account on Spark Resources.

He had watched with his own eyes as Ren Zhong progressed from initially only being able to handle level-one and level-two void beasts, to level-three later on, and then leading Zheng Tian and the others to take down a level-four void beast 19 days ago.

While this growth rate was exaggerated, it followed a discernible trajectory.

Ren Zhong could certainly not be some external expert hiding his power to stir up trouble here.

He was a genuine combat prodigy!

Under normal circumstances, if such a terrifying genius professional appeared within his jurisdiction, Yang Bingzhong would feel both pleasantly surprised and anxious.

Yet Director Yang, having witnessed Ren Zhong's "naive" side with his own eyes, felt only one emotion at the moment.

Heaven is helping me!

Moving to Chromium Carbon Town was a settled fact, and his own soaring rise had become unstoppable.

He had been worrying about having no capable people to use once he got over there, never imagining that the death of a Lin Wang would immediately lead to the rediscovery of a treasure trove like Ren Zhong, who possessed both talent and innocence.

"Ren Zhong is simply an enhanced, male version of Ma Xiaoling! Hahahahaha! That Madefu is utterly useless, with only a daughter who's somewhat capable. Now that I have a competent general under my command, I fear it won't take two or three years for Ren Zhong to reach at least Level 5. As the saying goes, when fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength!"

Yang Bingzhong subconsciously hummed a tune under his breath.

He rose to his full height from his chair, stepped before the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the ignorant bottom-tier scavengers who were surrounding the entrance of Spark Resources three layers deep.

The stifling gloom in his heart had unknowingly eased considerably, as if none of this mattered anymore.

Ren Zhong squatted halfway up the mountain.

Down below, a massive and imposing armed convoy was rapidly sweeping past.

He had considered whether to proactively make contact with them.

However, after careful weighing, he decided to conceal his tracks.

Although that prominent figure who controlled military enterprises in Chongyi County was also merely a Level 4 citizen, his backing and background far exceeded Yang Bingzhong's, and he was not someone to be easily provoked.

By keeping that person's informants away from the people of Spark Town, at least until the census arrived, he would not be reminded of Ju Qingmeng, whom he had left behind in Spark Town.

On Source Star, where the class system was rigid and the social pyramid solidified to the extreme, even a glance from a prominent figure could abruptly warp the destiny of those at the bottom.

Two minutes after the convoy drove past, Wang Zhaofu arrived as agreed.

The armed transport vehicle screeched to a halt halfway up the mountain, and the fat man leaped out with a bewildered expression. "Didn't you say you'd wait for us near the valley entrance, Brother Ren? Why change locations? Huh, where are the others?"

Ren Zhong grinned. "They're all dead."

The fat man sucked in a breath of cold air. "How did they die?"

Ren Zhong smiled again. "I killed them."

The fat man widened his eyes and his jaw dropped.

He was thoroughly dumbfounded.

Hesitating for a long while, the fat man gritted his teeth and said, "Though I don't know what you've done, I have to warn you: Lin Wang was Yang Bingzhong's confidant. Forget it, let's not talk about it now. Get in the car, I'll take you to hide in the Qishan Scavenger Tribe. We'll talk after Spark Resources relocates and this storm passes over."

Ren Zhong shook his head. "No need, Brother Wang, I am now Director Yang's confidant."

"Huh?"

Fatty Wang was completely baffled.

He was utterly confused.

This situation was entirely off the script the two of them had agreed upon beforehand!