Chapter 32: I Wish to Ride the Winds Straight to the Ninth Heaven, Letting the World Taste Suffering

Ren Zhong glanced at the time. Ten minutes remained before six o’clock.

At last, he was willing to shift his gaze back to the panel at the top of the software interface, and, almost involuntarily, he clicked on the finance section.

Curiosity stirred within him.

In a world where people at the bottom could barely see any hope, what would financial news even look like?

When he opened the page, he was stunned.

He hadn’t expected to see such a vibrant, flourishing market.

A dazzling array of new companies being listed, products launching to explosive sales and soaring stock prices, executive shake-ups sending share values plummeting, announcements of acquisitions at specific prices for precise percentages of another company’s shares, financial influencers touting their faith in certain enterprises and sparking a scramble for newly issued stocks…

Watching these scenes, Ren Zhong felt as if time had slipped backward.

Financial activities were so lively!

It seemed both reasonable and unreasonable.

Even as the alarm clock rang at six in the sleep space and Ren Zhong sprang from his bed, his mind was still echoing, “What on earth?”

The “prosperity” online twisted and tangled with the desolation of Xinghuo Town in his mind, forming a deeply skewed worldview.

Those bustling companies in the finance channel weren’t among the Nine Major Groups, but upon opening their profiles, Ren Zhong found that every single one was a wholly owned subsidiary of a major group.

Some were direct subsidiaries, others were second, third, even fourth or fifth-tier subsidiaries under their parent companies.

Some operated within niche sectors controlled by the Nine Groups, others were regionally divided.

The Xinghuo Resource Recycling Company in the town was one of countless lower-level subsidiaries of the Tanggu Group.

Thousands upon thousands of subsidiaries bloomed, competing fiercely within a vast stock market system.

Capital surged through society at a pace similar to twenty-first-century Earth, but even more extreme and rapid.

What Ren Zhong couldn’t accept was that while the destitute in Xinghuo Town struggled to “sleep peacefully” for tomorrow’s meal, with their survival needs pared down to the bare minimum, so many people in cyberspace tossed fortunes around, maneuvering capital and riding the tides of the era.

Most of the deprived in Xinghuo Town, from birth to death, would never even imagine that there were people who never worried about food or clothing, who could use their surplus money to make more through investments.

In fact, those who could live in Xinghuo Town were already the lucky ones.

Many didn’t even qualify or have the chance to settle here.

Even after moving in, some would be forced out by the annual census.

Having witnessed the dangers outside, Ren Zhong knew that others lived even more wretched lives beyond.

Time was tight. Before logging off, he managed only to return to the internet desktop and download the Source Star Wealth client for a quick glance.

It was the same familiar yet unfamiliar black background, streaked with red and green.

Tens of thousands of company names leapt like bullfrogs, flashing red and green.

“Ren, what’s wrong?” Across the room, Zheng Tian noticed his vacant expression upon waking and came over to check.

Ren Zhong waved her off, “Nothing.”

The group headed to the cafeteria for breakfast and bought meals for the rest of the day.

Since Wen Lei had yet to recover, the whole team would stay in town today and tomorrow to rest, not going out to hunt.

Fortunately, yesterday’s victory over the Bladeworm had yielded generous returns, so no one objected.

After breakfast, Zheng Tian led the other four out, saying they needed to test the new vehicle.

Wen Lei accompanied Ren Zhong straight to the Mecha Warrior training ground.

Ren Zhong’s curiosity about the stock market lingered, but there were too many things he wanted to understand. He wasn’t in a hurry; strengthening himself was most urgent, and training couldn’t stop.

The high-absorption nutrition meal really made a difference. Last night, he’d still felt lingering exhaustion, but after a night’s sleep, he awoke refreshed, full of energy, and brimming with strength.

Before entering the training ground, Ren Zhong clenched his fists and looked at the faintly reemerging contours of his biceps.

He felt a surge of emotion—this was the most tangible result of his physical index rising from five to six.

It was a new era, with fundamentally different technological underpinnings.

In the twenty-first century, even recovering from cancer, getting back to this level of health would’ve required months of training.

“Ren, are we using the intermediate zone again this morning?” Wen Lei asked.

Ren Zhong nodded, “Of course!”

After a good night’s sleep, his account balance had risen again, now at 82.52. Even if he spent ten points at once, it was well within his means.

Wen Lei pressed, “Are you training like yesterday?”

Ren Zhong nodded again, “Absolutely!”

Wen Lei grimaced, “Don’t! If you go that hard, I’ll get chewed out by the captain again.”

Ren Zhong grinned, “It’s fine. I’ll explain. Besides, I’m stronger today than yesterday—I might not end up too exhausted…”

…

At eleven sharp, Wen Lei once more carried Ren Zhong out of the training ground, muttering, “Ren, your stamina’s improved, but you trained even harder!”

Ren Zhong laughed, “If you don’t work hard when you’re young, you’ll regret it when you’re old.”

“What?”

“Never mind if you don’t get it.”

Ren Zhong’s load capacity had increased to 3.8 kilowatts.

His brain response index had officially surpassed twenty, surging by 5.5 points to 24.5.

His overall physical index had risen from six to seven and a half. His recovery speed was accelerating, likely because the aberrant cell devourer was about to finish its job and his cancer was nearly cured.

“At this rate, Ren, it won’t be long before the team hunts without me. Am I about to get replaced by the captain?”

Wen Lei, the simple-minded one, was finally feeling some urgency.

Ren Zhong, riding on his back, replied decisively, “Relax, I’ve got your back. I’m not the type to burn bridges. Besides, we’re different types—you’re a heavy warrior, I’m balanced. Having two mecha warriors in a team is a reasonable setup.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You’ve got the right ideas, unlike me, always overthinking.”

Wen Lei immediately relaxed and fell silent.

He knew Ren Zhong was actually very tired, and even talking was strenuous.

Instead of returning to the team’s quarters, they headed to the parking lot.

Zheng Tian and the other four were practicing with the Thunderbolt Car.

Most scavenger teams were out risking their lives, so the parking lot was empty—perfect for practice.

When they arrived, the Thunderbolt Car was tearing wildly around the vast lot, darting up and down, swerving crazily, kicking up clouds of dust, leaving only a gray blur flickering through the haze.

The Thunderbolt Car’s performance was worlds apart from the heavy van—unparalleled.

As if sensing their arrival, the wild car executed a V-shaped turn, charging straight at them, then screeched to a stop at their side.

Ren Zhong and Wen Lei felt the gust of wind and rolling dust.

Ren Zhong quickly raised a hand to cover his mouth, but Wen Lei, carrying him, choked on the dust.

Up close, Ren Zhong heard the thunderous beat of music blasting from the vehicle, pounding his skull—a true street-racing vibe.

This car was impressive.

It could go from top speed to a dead stop in just two seconds, with a braking distance less than twenty meters.

Ren Zhong turned to study the car.

Eight meters long, shaped like a bullet, with gray armor covering the body, exuding sophistication and power.

Even more remarkable, even at a full stop, the car hovered a meter above the ground—unlike the van, which slammed down and dug into the dirt.

With a clang, Zheng Tian opened the door and jumped out, showing off, “So, Ren, what do you think? Isn’t the Thunderbolt Car awesome?”

Ren Zhong gave her a thumbs-up, “It’s excellent. Turn off the speakers, though—my ears are aching.”

Just then, a deep rumble echoed overhead.

The roar was immense, but the frequency was low, like infrasound, making everyone tense, as if their throats were squeezed and breathing became labored.

Following the sound, Ren Zhong turned to see a massive black shadow crossing the sky, trailing a long white tail.

The shadow resembled a missile, but its size rivaled a hundred-thousand-ton aircraft carrier.

It swept over Xinghuo Town.

When it reached the town’s center, the people below could barely breathe under its oppressive roar.

Suddenly, a giant avian creature swooped at it.

A ghostly light flickered from the shadow’s wing, some unknown cannon firing.

The fierce bird shrieked and fell limp, dropping like a stone toward the shadow.

The shadow slowed slightly, and from its side a huge mechanical arm shot out like a gantry crane, catching the bird and pulling it in.

Moments later, the shadow was gone, leaving only a rapidly dissipating white trail in the sky.

Ren Zhong was speechless, dumbfounded.

An aircraft carrier-sized vehicle!

Zero-mass propulsion!

Mach cloud!

What manner of monstrous conveyance was that?

Zheng Tian’s disgruntled grumbling sounded in his ear.

“Damn it, those heartless bastards—just because they were born lucky and get to be some damn executive at Deep Signal Group? Every time they fly over the town, they make everyone anxious. So annoying. Bah!”

She claimed to be annoyed, but her eyes betrayed envy and resentment.

Ren Zhong, however, had found his answer.

He made a new decision.

I’m going to play the stock market!

No matter what, he would use his resurrection ability for trading.

Back in the twenty-first century, he’d never touched stocks.

It wasn’t that he feared investing, nor that he couldn’t analyze them—he simply had no need.

He only had to focus on research to secure a comfortable life and generous income.

He wasn’t especially greedy; as long as he had enough to spend, he was content.

He’d always treated money as dirt, until cancer struck him down and he watched his parents’ lives nearly collapse as a result.

Then, he regretted it.

If only he’d earned more before finishing his PhD, taken a few corporate projects…

But it was too late.

When he first awoke and saw his parents’ bloody struggle, he realized, despite their light words, the endless toil for money must have been unimaginable.

Ren Zhong’s attitude toward money had changed invisibly.

Now, the aircraft carrier-like executive transport delivered the final blow.

In the social system built by the Nine Major Enterprises, there were too many shackles binding the destitute.

The disparity in resources between classes was so vast as to inspire despair, virtually eliminating the possibility of upward mobility through conventional means.

Even for combat professions, the age-old truth remained: the rich thrive, the poor struggle. Just look at how hard Wen Lei had to work to assemble a full set of basic equipment.

Without initial capital, you don’t even qualify to risk your life.

Ren Zhong had to break the blockade, reverse the fate of the lowly, confront and judge those historical criminals face-to-face, and change the era—he had to maximize the value of each of his deaths.

He would make the world feel pain. The simplest way was to use his “cheat” to join the zero-sum game, and first make those untouchable investors in the stock market feel it.