Ren Zhong checked the time; there were still ten minutes left until six o'clock.
He finally managed to turn his gaze back to the panels at the top of the software and, against his better judgment, clicked on the financial section.
Ren Zhong was a bit curious.
In this world where the people at the bottom saw no hope, what would financial news look like?
After opening it, he was shocked.
He didn't expect to see such a vibrant and prosperous market.
New companies were listed and thriving, certain companies' products launched with booming sales and soaring stock prices, executives' scandals led to plummeting shares, companies' merger announcements at certain prices for certain percentages of stocks, and financial gurus predicting promising futures for firms resulting in a scramble for increased share issues...
Watching these scenes, for a brief moment, Ren Zhong felt as though time had rewound.
Financial activities were so lively!
This seemed both reasonable and unreasonable.
Until six o'clock in the morning, when the alarm in the hibernation space went off, and Ren Zhong sprang from his bed, his mind kept repeating, "What the hell."
The "prosperity" online twisted and entangled with the desolation of Starfire Town in his mind, forming an extremely disjointed worldview.
The companies active in the financial channel weren't part of the Nine Major Groups, but after clicking in, Ren Zhong could see these companies were all subsidiaries of the Nine Major Groups.
Some were direct subsidiaries, while others were second-level, third-level, or even fourth- or fifth-level subsidiaries.
Some of these subsidiaries operated in specific sub-industries under the control of the Nine Major Groups, while others had operations divided by region.
The Starfire Resource Recycling Company in the town was a subsidiary of unknown rank under the Tanggu Group.
Thousands of vibrant subsidiaries competed fiercely within the same colossal stock market system.
The capital in society was surging with a similar but more extreme and rapid pace compared to 21st-century Earth.
What Ren Zhong couldn't accept was that while the destitute in Starfire Town were trying to "slept soundly" for tomorrow's meal, their survival needs cut to the bare minimum, there were so many people in the internet space splashing money around, engaging in capital maneuvers, becoming the rising stars of the era.
Perhaps the vast majority of the destitute in Starfire Town, throughout their entire lives and imaginations, couldn't fathom people existing who don't worry about food or clothing, and who even use leftover money to make more money through investments.
In fact, those living in the town were actually the lucky ones.
Many others didn't even have the qualification or opportunity to live peacefully in the town.
Even those who managed to move in might get pushed out by the annual checks.
Having witnessed the dangers outside, Ren Zhong knew that others must be living even more miserable lives out there.
Unfortunately, time was short. Before logging out, he only had time to return to the internet window's desktop to download the Source Star Wealth client and take a quick glance.
The black background with red and green hues was still both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
The names of tens of thousands of companies hopped around like bullfrogs, occasionally turning red or green.
"Ren bro, what's wrong with you?"
Zheng Tian from the bed opposite saw him wake up with a blank stare and approached with concern.
Ren Zhong waved his hand, "Nothing."
The group went to the cafeteria for breakfast and took the opportunity to buy the whole day's meals.
Since Wen Lei hadn't recovered yet, the entire team would stay in the town today and tomorrow to rest, foregoing hunting trips.
Luckily, they gained quite a bit from taking down the blade mantis yesterday, so the others didn't mind much.
After breakfast, Zheng Tian took three others from the team and temporarily left, saying they needed to practice the feel of the new car.
Wen Lei accompanied Ren Zhong straight to the Mechanical Warrior training ground.
Though Ren Zhong was still curious about the stock market, there were too many things he wanted to know, but this wasn't urgent; what's most important is strengthening one's own capabilities, and training can't be stopped.
High-absorption nutritional meals indeed made a difference. The lingering fatigue from the night before had vanished when Ren Zhong woke up, feeling refreshed and full of energy, with strength to spare.
Before entering the training ground, Ren Zhong clenched his fist and looked at the slightly redefined contour of his biceps on his arm.
He felt a sense of awe; this was the most direct manifestation of his Physical Index rising from 5 to 6.
It's a new era, and the technology background is different.
If it were the 21st century, even if one recovered from cancer, reaching this level of fitness without several months of training would be almost impossible.