Translator: AnubisTL
"A yacht party with over 40 fatalities, including many children of Ash City entrepreneurs and the yacht's crew."
"According to news reports, chaos erupted during the search when numerous bottles filled with jewelry suddenly surfaced in the river, drawing countless onlookers into the water to scramble for the loot."
"As of now, the Ash City Enforcement Bureau is still conducting its search. Some have suggested the suspect may have already fled the scene among the crowd forced ashore."
"And..."
"Tsk."
Chen Jiang didn't immediately check the news. Instead, he skimmed the forum posts first, then couldn't help but remark, "Such a crude method? Did they really gamble that the Law Enforcement Bureau wouldn't search under the yacht immediately?"
"It looks like the work of a complete novice, someone with absolutely no experience."
"Indeed."
Scar Dog nodded in agreement, chuckling. "It does seem rather clumsy, but the fact that they managed to escape is the most absurd part. Doesn't the Law Enforcement Bureau know to turn the crime scene upside down right away?"
"I don't know. Maybe they thought no suspect could be hiding beneath a yacht engulfed in flames. But none of that matters now."
Chen Jiang casually closed the forum post and opened a message from the Wasteland Rose Gang. "Let's see what these kids have to say. Luck is part of skill, after all. Their success proves they've got good luck."
"Sometimes, someone with strong luck can bring more surprises than someone with sheer strength."
"Strength has its limits, but luck has no ceiling."
"Oh?"
He raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. "This gang seems to have made quite a haul this time. They're transferring 10 million star coins to us, calling it a 'gratitude fee.' They promise to triple the venture capital we provided in a year."
"Whoa."
Scar Dog paused, then chuckled, clicking his tongue. "These guys think big, huh? For a bunch of poor bastards who've never seen six figures in their lives, throwing away 10 million star coins like it's nothing takes serious guts."
"A promising young man," Chen Jiang remarked. "Someone with a sense of gratitude. People like that tend to make a good impression."
"Hmm..."
Li Hao, who had been eavesdropping, chimed in, "Could it be they're just trying to deepen their ties with Jiang Cheng Company? Maybe they'll ask for favors later. It might not be genuine gratitude."
"Duh," Scar Dog retorted, rolling his eyes. "What else do you think people mean when they say 'thank you'? It's just a way to pretend to be grateful without offering anything real."
"Judge actions, not intentions. Judge intentions, and you'll find no saints. Ever heard that?"
"The fact they even made this gesture is good enough."
Chen Jiang casually returned the 10 million star coins and replied with a light chuckle, "Keep the star coins. I don't need them."
"Keep working hard. Buy more items—this time was a bit sloppy. Use items to support your actions."
"Aim for a big score."
He tossed the tablet into Scar Dog's lap. "You can keep watching. I'm going to rest for a bit. Still, it's interesting how Jiang Cheng Company's name still resonates outside the Ten Thousand Races Arena."
"The attention we've garnered is still a bit lacking."
"Consider it a warm-up. The real show begins when Jiang Cheng Company officially arrives in the galactic federation."
The global event was still ongoing.
But it was likely nearing its end.
At most, another seven or eight hours. For a million-player battlefield, reducing one side to just 5% survival takes time, especially when both sides refrain from attacking and focus on building fortifications in place.
The most expensive structure in this global event was the Nuclear Missile Silo, costing 500,000 units of soil resource.
Soil resources couldn't be traded between players.
In other words, constructing a Nuclear Missile Silo required a player to risk their life, wielding a pickaxe to mine soil under the protection of others. This player also needed relevant buff-enhancing items or innate abilities.
He couldn't interfere with the specifics.
All he could do now was wait for the global event to end, then carefully consider how to spend his nearly 50 million Blood War Points in the Blood War Points Shop.
"Mom."
Hu Biao, freshly shaved and dressed in clean clothes, strode into the damp, dimly lit rented room. His eyes reddened as he gazed at his elderly mother lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He rushed to her side, gently lifting her upper body and wiping her down with a warm towel. Suppressing his tears, he asked in a trembling voice, "Mom, didn't I buy you a projection TV? Why aren't you watching it?"
"I don't want to watch anymore," the old woman murmured weakly, her withered hand clutching Hu Biao's and kneading it feebly. "It hurts my eyes. I can't see well enough anymore. I just don't want to."
"When you're near death, you lose the will to do anything. It's better to go quietly like this."
"After I'm gone, don't waste too much money on the funeral. We don't have many relatives, and no one cares about appearances anyway. Don't..."
Before she could finish, Hu Biao interrupted urgently, his eyes bloodshot, "Mom, what are you saying? You're not going to die! Your son has money now. I'll take you to the hospital for treatment right away."
"You have money? Where did you get it? You didn't do anything illegal, did you?"
"No, Mom. Remember the pension I paid for you? The federal government finally released the funds—hundreds of thousands of credits! It's more than enough."
"That much?"
"That's right! Have you forgotten the highest pension tier I enrolled you in?"
"I don't quite remember. It seems the federal government does take care of us common folk after all. But forget it—it's such a rare windfall, and it'll all go to waste on medical bills."
"Mother, what are you saying? This money is your pension, meant to save your life. That's exactly what it's for. Enough talk now—the ambulance is here. Just follow my instructions."
At that moment—
Four men in white uniforms carefully carried a fur-lined stretcher, along with oxygen tanks and a jumble of medical equipment, and gently transferred the old woman onto it. They then carried her out of the house toward the magnetic levitation ambulance waiting outside.
The ambulance service wasn't free; it came with a fee.
The fees were tiered into three levels, each offering different levels of care and amenities.
Hu Biao had chosen the second tier. He didn't dare opt for the highest tier, fearing it would draw unwanted attention and envy from the neighbors.
Everyone lived in these dark, damp buildings. When someone suddenly struck it rich, the first reaction was almost always to report them. We've all been struggling for so long—why should you suddenly be doing better?
Only when the reporting proved futile did the polite inquiries and requests for loans begin.
At that moment—
A young woman carrying a handbag entered the room, her eyes widening in surprise at the scene before her. She rushed to Hu Biao. "Brother, do we have enough money for Mother's treatment now?"
"Yeah," Hu Biao replied, looking down at the girl who was a head shorter than him. A warm smile spread across his face as he gently patted her head. "Our family has money now. Mother's pension finally came through."
This was his sister.
Not his biological sister, but an abandoned infant he'd found in their neighborhood when he was thirteen.
The neighborhood consisted of four buildings, each around seven or eight stories tall, with no elevators—only stairs.
It remained perpetually dark, never seeing sunlight.
The neighborhood was surrounded by towering skyscrapers, each hundreds of stories tall, that completely blocked out the sunlight. It felt like a forgotten corner of the city, abandoned in the relentless march of progress.
There was no property management, and this area wasn't included in the public sanitation services.
A foul-smelling sewer ran perpetually beneath the residential buildings, and the stairwells reeked of decay and rot. The entire neighborhood seemed shrouded in a perpetual gloom, devoid of any vitality.
This was a neighborhood abandoned by the times, and its residents were people abandoned by the times.
At that moment, an abandoned infant appeared in the neighborhood. Lying beside the fetid sewer for a full day and night, the baby's cries gradually faded into silence. It was impossible to tell whether the child was dead or merely asleep.
Countless residents passed by the abandoned infant as they entered and exited the neighborhood.
But no one was willing to take on such a burden.
The fleeting glances they cast as they hurried past were the only pity the child received. They might have been willing to take in the abandoned infant, but who would take in them?
In the end, his mother took in the abandoned infant. Too young to understand much at the time, he only felt resentful that another person would be sharing their family's meager resources.
His mother constantly tried to reason with him, explaining that kindness and good deeds accumulate good fortune. When fortune arrives, wealth follows.
The baby girl gradually grew up under his mother's care. Later, when his mother grew too old to work, the burden of supporting the family fell on his shoulders. He took on all of Hu Yue's middle school and high school tuition and living expenses.
They named her Hu Yue, meaning "daily joy" for her future life.
"Our family will have money soon," Hu Biao said, gently stroking the girl's head with affection. "You've always wanted that new outfit displayed in the UR store window on your way to school, right?"
"Your brother has to take Mom to the hospital. I'll transfer the money to you. Why don't you go buy it yourself?"
"Really?" A flicker of surprise and disbelief flashed in Hu Yue's eyes. "Brother, does the pension really have that much? That dress costs 8,000 star coins—enough for several months of our family's living expenses!"
(End of the Chapter)
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