Chapter 76: Night of Harvest, the Master of Mischief, Butterfly Effect

In the past few days, Ren Zhong had been pushing himself to the limit, working day and night until his body and mind were teetering on the edge of exhaustion, yet never quite toppling over. His relentless efforts were richly rewarded.

On the eighth day, his combined income from daytime hunting, stock trading, and nighttime forays to harvest the spoils from the ruins was close to 220 points. From then on, his daily income from both daytime hunts and nighttime exploits stabilized at a steady figure. As his capital, once at a low of 17.78 points, began to accumulate again, his investments in the market snowballed. The short-term stocks he favored were no longer simply those with the highest daily gains; he broadened his scope, seeking not the highest percentages but the greatest absolute profits.

For instance, if he had only 200 points and bought a stock at 150 points per share, even if it doubled, the profit was barely 150 points. But if he bought a stock priced at exactly 200 points, an 80-point rise would yield nearly 160 points—ten more than the former. Ren Zhong strove to ensure every move mobilized all his capital, always playing at the edge, fully leveraged.

For someone who had grasped the secrets of the market, letting his money sit idle was, in a sense, a crime.

Over five consecutive days, Ren Zhong’s net income soared to 1,630 points, with 70 points spent on daily expenses, pushing his peak wealth to 1,739.58 points.

That afternoon, after cashing out, he once again indulged himself, heading to the munitions mall. He asked Ju Qingmeng for another extensive upgrade to his basic exoskeleton—this time with twelve parts replaced or added, at a cost of 800 points. A classic case of the skin being pricier than the hero.

Yet Ju Qingmeng not only took no profit but even supplied materials from her own lab, losing at least a hundred points herself. But she was wealthy and unconcerned.

Ren Zhong also bought a heavy arc-blade for 200 points out of his own pocket. In total, he spent 1,000 points, leaving him with a balance of 739.58.

Before setting out again, he returned to the stock market, going all in on two lots of new shares at 3.55 points each, spending 710.18 points. The next night, after netting a 37.66-point gain, he cashed out 975.19 points, making a profit of 265.01. Once again, his pockets held only 29.4 points.

Back to square one.

The heavy spending on upgrades temporarily suppressed his market income, but he had no regrets—it was worth every point.

Now, his exoskeleton’s peak power output soared to 310 kilowatts, surpassing even the standard limit for a level-two suit. Factoring in his improved combat skills and experience, Ren Zhong’s real combat strength now exceeded his peak during the assault on the Linwang estate.

Tonight, his hunting list was long, filled with names and coordinates. Ten level-two ruin beasts would taste the cruelties of the human world.

At 9:50 p.m., the Thunderbolt rolled out through the town’s main gate.

The night passed without incident.

Dragging his weary body, Ren Zhong arrived punctually at 7:01 a.m. at the Spark Resources plaza.

“Hey, beautiful. Here’s your milk tea.”

He headed straight for the middle of the three platforms, whose supervisor was a strikingly curvy but otherwise unremarkable woman. He handed over a luxury pearl milk tea—just heated in the car’s microwave, worth 2 contribution points.

Ren Zhong, once a scholar untouched by the world, had now become a seasoned figure, navigating the circles of Spark Town with ease.

In this world, influence and relationships mattered more than violence.

The woman rolled her eyes, “Mr. Ren, you just can’t change, can you? Always showing up early in the morning—why can’t you come by after work at eight like everyone else? Won’t let anyone slack off—so annoying. Who wants your milk tea anyway?”

She complained, but her body betrayed her—she happily took the tea, sipping deeply and letting out a contented sigh. Sweet to the point of sorrow, yet utterly addictive.

Mechanical arms on the platform swiftly unloaded the Thunderbolt’s cargo. Since upgrading his vehicle, Ren Zhong no longer wasted animal corpses—much to the dismay of some of the town’s scavengers, who missed the days when corpses would appear out of nowhere, free for the taking. The good times of easy pickings had vanished along with the mysterious benefactor.

From afar, the two other staffers on the neighboring platforms looked on with undisguised scorn at the woman holding milk tea.

Shameful woman! No principles!

Just days ago, she’d joined them in complaining about Ren Zhong’s early-morning intrusions. Now, ever since he’d started bringing the Thunderbolt, a daily milk tea had bought her loyalty. Where was her reserve as a citizen reservist?

Still, what did that high-end milk tea from the supply co-op taste like? They really wanted to try it.

And Ren Zhong—he had to admit—had something about him. Just a lone operator, yet he brought in goods every day. Those two must be an item by now. Pity they were men themselves—no chance there.

After checking the goods and deducting 30 points in taxes, 342 contribution points were credited to his account. As he left, the woman asked curiously, “Mr. Ren, why not join a professional team? That would save you at least 10 points in tax. If you like, I can introduce you to a good semi-professional team. Or with your strength, you could even set up your own dock and then find a team to affiliate with.”

Ren Zhong laughed it off and made a quick getaway. “No rush. Let’s talk about the future when it comes. Thanks for the offer.”

At 7:30, Zheng Tian’s squad would arrive at the parking lot. They had to leave the courtyard fifteen minutes early, so Ren Zhong first went to park the Thunderbolt, then headed by motorcycle to meet up with the group before 7:15.

It was not yet time to reveal the truth about the Thunderbolt’s interception incident. That was for Ou Youning’s sake—the poor guy’s hemorrhoids were already the size of fists; no point embarrassing him further.

—

“Whoa, Ren, those dark circles are terrifying. Don’t tell me you didn’t sleep last night? Actually, you’ve looked this way for days now. This isn’t good! You’ll die! I’m not joking—no one can survive staying up all night.”

At the courtyard gate, Ou Youning greeted him with a mouthful of five-spice synthetic meat, speaking both anxiously and unclearly.

Ren Zhong could feel his genuine concern. After all, he was like their cheat code.

He waved him off. “Eat your breakfast and mind your own business. I slept last night—just a bit late, that’s all.”

In the squad, Ren Zhong was now a dominant presence and expected his bluster to suffice. Unexpectedly, the next moment Wen Lei also came over, squinting at Ren Zhong’s bloodshot eyes and dark circles.

Wen Lei shook his head firmly. “No, Mr. Ren, you’re lying. You definitely didn’t sleep last night! I can tell—you’re exhausted, just like someone who’s been on night watch.”

“It’s not meddling—everyone knows the dangers of staying up. I’m serious; no one dares take night watch for days. Sudden death is as inevitable as old age and sickness.”

“With your skills, why do night watch? No need! So please, don’t go hunting today—just rest. We can’t do without you.”

Zheng Tian nodded vigorously. “That’s right, Mr. Ren, don’t worry. You’ll still get your share of today’s profits. Just rest.”

Ren Zhong hadn’t expected Wen Lei to throw such a wrench in his plans. Usually so adept at talking his way out of things, he was at a loss.

How could he explain? That he’d been out all night slaughtering level-two “cattle”?

He could only mumble, “I wasn’t on night watch yesterday.”

At this, Zheng Tian suddenly stepped up, scrutinizing him. “Since you weren’t in the sleep pod last night, nor on night watch, and we didn’t see you at Dr. Sun’s clinic, where were you? What did you do?”

Bai Feng, the quietest, delivered the killer blow with the fewest words: “Someone saw Manager Ju holding Mr. Ren’s arm at the mall the other day.”

Case closed.

No one pressed further. Ou Youning dropped his five-spice meat on the ground, his eyes burning with envy and resentment.

Zheng Tian, only slightly sour, said, “Well, that’s fine then. You did sleep last night.”

Wen Lei added, “Yeah, Mr. Ren, just get more rest in the car today. We’ll call you if we need you.”

Even Chen Hanyu gently patted his shoulder. “You… you must take care of yourself. The risk of sudden death may be lower this way, but it’s still real. And Manager Ju isn’t a professional—she can’t handle it physically. You should be responsible for her health.”

Ren Zhong’s eyes went wide as saucers.

I’m not! I didn’t! Don’t make things up!

Yet, no matter how unjust it felt, he couldn’t clear his name now. He glared at Ou Youning—damn loudmouth! Useless, always causing trouble. Poison! One day he’d kick him out.

Frustrated, Ren Zhong couldn’t sleep at first when he lay down in the car, but fatigue won out, and he drifted off before departure, not waking until after noon.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw were two towering peaks.

He wasn’t alarmed—this had happened every day lately. With Chen Hanyu to his left and the ever-annoying Ou Youning to his right, even in exhaustion, he’d instinctively lean left, drawn by the basic forces of nature.

Ren Zhong shifted upright from Chen Hanyu’s lap, rubbing his eyes. “How are things going?”

At the wheel, Zheng Tian grinned. “Pretty good! We’ve made over 190 points since morning. The cargo hold is full. Unless we find a small ruin beast or stumble on a level-two, we’re just taking chips now, not full carcasses. See how low our vehicle is flying compared to usual?”

Ren Zhong frowned. “How’d you get so much? That’s odd.”

Last time, after resurrection, Zheng Tian’s squad had two vehicles and only filled up like this in late afternoon, after besting the other five affiliated teams in fierce competition. This time, he’d been napping all morning, so their earnings should have been average, yet they were already full by midday.

Clearly, something had changed—something outside his predictions.

Zheng Tian scratched her head. “Yeah, we don’t know what happened either. The pro teams went all-out today—super aggressive. They’re feasting, and we’re getting our fill from their leftovers.”

Ren Zhong pondered, then asked, “Did you see any level-three ruin beasts?”

Zheng Tian replied, “One. Since you were exhausted, we didn’t wake you. We teamed up with two other squads and took it down. Hanyu took the chip, so we kept it and paid the other teams twenty points total as compensation.”

Ren Zhong nodded. “Alright.”

At that, Wen Lei suggested, “Since we’re already full, should we head back?”

Ren Zhong hesitated. He’d intended to push deeper into White Bone Valley. The squad’s progress was already close to last time’s record, and now he was wide awake. The unexplored territory ahead tempted him.

But Wen Lei’s suggestion had merit, and he couldn’t object outright.

Just then, Zheng Tian shook her head. “No way! Today’s a rare windfall—we can’t pass up the chance. We might find another level-three ruin beast! And now that you’re up, Mr. Ren, we can go all out! We can swap out all the level-one carcasses for level-twos!”

Ou Youning chimed in, “Captain’s right! Get rich! Ren’s awesome!”

Ren Zhong, for his part, didn’t feel awesome. Instead, he was conflicted. He disliked situations outside his control, but curiosity about the depths of White Bone Valley tugged at him.

In the end, the decision fell to him.

He gritted his teeth. “If the others aren’t leaving, then neither will we. But we won’t stick our necks out—next, I’ll hold back some strength, just staying ahead of the curve. No point risking being marked for slaughter by Lin Wang for a few hundred points in profit. If we meet another level-three, we’ll cooperate with the other teams as before.”

Zheng Tian had no objections. “Alright.”

“And Zheng Tian, unlock the cargo hold’s safety latches now.”

Zheng Tian blinked in surprise. “Huh?”

Ren Zhong took a deep breath. “Always plan for the worst. From here on, we have to be careful. If things go south, jettison the cargo and run. Money’s no good if you’re dead.”

“Understood. You’re as thorough as always, Mr. Ren. We’ll follow your lead.”