After eating, Ren Zhong walked out of the villa again; he was headed to report at Lin Wang’s estate.
Yesterday, Lin Wang reordered three Floating Motorboats, which were to arrive today.
Ren Zhong walked through the villa district inside the White Wall, casually looking around.
Blue trees lined the path, and dew hung on the blue-green meadows, making the air especially fresh.
Water droplets splashed from the fountain.
The early morning sunshine slanted down, creating a hint of a rainbow beside the fountain.
Several young Citizens in casual wear leisurely rode their Floating Motorcycles slowly along the neatly stacked stone path.
These people moved slowly, chatting all the way, laughing and joyful, handsome men and beautiful women, exuding a sense of leisure and ease.
Ren Zhong watched their backs with an unmistakable disdain and disgust in his eyes.
He began to feel uncomfortable all over.
Now he knew, besides the Ma family father and daughter and Ju Qingmeng, everyone in the town was a complete villain.
It was these people who would casually cast the vote deciding the fate of over twenty thousand outcasts once the census was over.
Only after walking out of the White Wall and into the slums did Ren Zhong’s discomfort slightly ease.
Biking through the streets daily, Ren Zhong hadn’t slowed down to carefully feel the atmosphere of the town for a long time.
A tide of people flowed from the concentrated sleeping pods, turning into thousands of streams into every corner of the slums.
Compared to a month and a half ago when Ren Zhong first arrived, there was no apparent change on the surface.
The faces of the low-level outcasts who idly lived their days waiting for death were still numb.
Only a small portion of Scavengers, small shop owners, or other outcasts lucky enough to have jobs had faces full of worry.
Ren Zhong knew what these people were worried about; they were calculating how many days until the census.
They were filled with confusion about the future.
But Ren Zhong was different; he seemed to see a virtual countdown clock hanging above everyone’s head.
He seemed to have gained a special ability, able to see at a glance how many days of life others had left.
They had 44 days left to live.
Ren Zhong silently lowered his head and quickened his pace.
He didn’t tell Ma Dafu the real plans of Purple Crystal Mining, the Mengdu Group, and Yang Bingzhong.
At least this time, he wanted to keep it from Ma Dafu.
If he didn’t reveal it, the hope that Old Ma placed in him wouldn’t extinguish.
Old Ma could still hold on.
But once he knew the truth, understanding Ma Dafu’s character, he would probably immediately abandon Starfire Town, telling Ren Zhong to take people and leave, while letting the numerous outcasts go their own way, hoping only to survive as much as possible.
But firstly, Ren Zhong actually had nowhere to go.
Secondly, if these outcasts entered the wilderness, no matter where they went, in the end, barely one in ten would survive.
Sometimes withholding information is equivalent to preserving hope.
Upon reaching the estate, he casually selected a new Floating Motorcycle.
Lin Wang made arrangements, "Although we’ve lost the Blast Master and Armored Soldier, Bei Lihui and I still have the ability to hunt inside the abandoned mines, and Ren Zhong can also handle a Third Level Ruined Beast. So, our next plan is as follows: Hunt in the morning in the abandoned mines, scatter in the afternoon, and collect the Scavenger Team’s Crystal Chips. Particularly, between 4:00 to 6:30 in the afternoon, we need to intensify our efforts."
Lin Wang adjusted the timing.
Just looking at the swap of morning and afternoon might seem simple, but there was a trick to it.
Collecting encounter taxes in the morning was definitely not as aggressive as in the afternoon.
Ren Zhong raised his hand, posing a question fitting his persona, "Captain, if I encounter someone already taxed by another professional team, should I still collect?"
Lin Wang answered without a second thought, "Of course, collect!"
Ren Zhong replied, "Got it."
In the depths of the lower abandoned mines.
Lin Wang walked at the front, Bei Lihui followed closely, Si Mawan was third, and Ren Zhong brought up the rear.
Back when Xing Ming was alive, he was the one leading and opening the path.
Now, Lin Wang was surprisingly kind, actually willing to lead by example.
Also, before entering the cave, Lin Wang repeatedly reminded Ren Zhong.
He said, "Though bringing up the rear is less dangerous than leading, the cave is still full of crises, be careful, pay attention in all directions. Some particularly insidious Ruined Beasts will burst from the ground."
Ren Zhong humbly replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Captain."
"Also, we don’t have good things like Ghost Communicators, so inside the mine, there might be electromagnetic communication failures. Don’t get separated. Otherwise, if you encounter danger, we may not be able to rescue you in time."