–Old Yang, let’s give these bastards hell—they’re exactly the type I need to take down.–
Seeing Yang Zicang’s friend seething with righteous fury, neither Zuo Feixian nor Shiu Siuchuan—no paragons of propriety themselves—could hide the contempt that flickered across their faces.
Zuo Feixian sneered, –Hey, Brother Lo, Mr. Yang hasn’t even said a word yet. Look at you, all worked up—as if you’d even be able to lend a hand.–
–Yo, yo, yo, yo!– Robin Lo hopped high and landed on the floor with a thud.
–Looking down on your grandpa, huh?–
–That’s not what I meant, Brother Robin Lo,– Shiu Siuchuan said. –It’s just a little amusing to hear, that’s all. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.–
Robin Lo, facing the youth, pointed at the duo and said indignantly.
–Ah, me, Yang Zicang, look at these two snobbish underlings you’ve taken in—I even footed the bill for today’s lunch!–
–Cut it out. You guys, get Ning Yang to contact me—I can’t link up with him over here.–
The two were overjoyed at hearing this, and Zuo Feixian quickly contacted Ning Yang. With him stepping in, Penglord, who had been desperately begging everyone to scrape together Chronos, saw a glimmer of hope amid his despair.
{Zuo Shi, Great God Zuo!}
In the sensory image, Ning Yang, his face twisted as if constipated, was bound and thrown onto the bed of a cart, advancing with a bustling crowd towards the front.
{Quit your yapping, Brother Jiazi Term has something to ask.}
{Jiazi Term!}
Ning Yang’s expression tensed instantly.
Throughout the Peng Zone, tales of this scoundrel’s infamy had long since made him grasp Yang Zicang’s ferocity. Over the past few hours, he had fantasized more than once—what if this man were willing to step in, could he be rescued from this mess?
But now, he couldn’t help but lift his head and glance at the seven or eight Cargo Crew members around him. With over two hundred people gathered, even if each tossed one stone, they could beat the so-called expert to a pulp, right?
A voice echoed in his mind, and Ning Yang couldn’t help but look at the youth standing in the room where Zuo Feixian was.
Such a fine room—he hadn’t seen one like it in a long time.
{Ning Penglord, long time no see.}
[Ja, Jiazi Term! Hello, I… I’m sorry about last time, Captain Jia was too impulsive then.]
Ning Yang lowered his head.
{So it was Captain Jia acting on his own authority.}
Ning Yang’s face darkened.
The cart jolted; he reflected, damning the odds of success, at least he had to try. And this was no time to dwell on such matters.
Ning Yang begged inwardly:
–Jiazi Term, please, I beg you to save us. The men of the Wasteland Truck Cargo Crew are merciless killers. I guarded against them in every way, but I still failed to keep them from probing our Peng Zone.–
Ning Yang’s heart was filled with anguish and fury. At this moment, Jiazi Term was nearly his only hope.
How could those bastards in the Peng Zone have mustered up that many Chronos for no reason—forty thousand, no less!
According to Captain Jia, some people had already started fleeing for their lives, fearing that the Wasteland Truck Cargo Crew’s next target would be their own Peng Zone.
And rumor had it, someone was gunning for Aya.
Damn beasts like these, feeding off my stash and liquor in good times, and now, in these desperate straits, they’ve even got eyes on my woman.
After a moment of silence, the young man’s voice came through from the other end.
{How much longer can you people hold out?}
–I…–
Just as Ning Yang began to speak, Zhao Qi shot him a glancing, chill indifference, and he promptly shut his mouth.
–I don’t know. They intend to take down a small settlement twenty-some li away—probably not a second later than when that settlement falls.–
Back in the room, Yang Zicang, through Zuo Feixian’s Syn-Link, had already glimpsed Ning Yang’s situation on the ground below.
Estimating the number of opponents in the field, Yang Zicang remarked, –It’s a pity we don’t know how many Chronos they have in reserve, or how many formidable fighters there are.–
If this were in a city, it would be a real hassle—any slight slip-up and he might cross ten thousand Chronos and vanish.
But this was the Shabin Wastes.
Yang Zicang did the math—despite the enemy’s numbers, it still seemed possible.
Ning Yang immediately chimed in, noting that a few captain-grade members of the Cargo Crew likely had higher Chronos, while also informing Yang Zicang of the situation with the two who had been emitting red light earlier.
After speaking, Ning Yang felt as if all his breath had drained away.
No matter how powerful Jiazi Term was, they couldn’t possibly take on two or three hundred people alone, and he was barely any help stationed nearly two hundred kilometers away in the Wuyou Cargo-Trading Zone.
His eyes stared blankly at the sky.
–Ning Yang, you’re done for.–
He murmured to himself.
……
After cutting the connection, Yang Zicang remarked that it was a shame Liang Xi wasn’t around—otherwise, he could train his skills.
Zuo Feixian immediately widened his eyes: –So, that Liang Xi is one of your experts, too?–
Robin Lo gave a cough, closed his eyes and puffed out his chest: –Barely counts as an expert, almost comparable to me.–
Yang Zicang nodded: –Yeah, with you here, we two should be able to finish quicker. The only question is whether Ning Yang can hold out that long.–
–This is his tribulation—whether he lives or dies is up to fate.–
It was still only three in the afternoon—plenty of time before eleven.
He left the room, and the Moxel on his chest connected with Morris in Hubville.
Morris and Bobori, who were at a concert, widened their eyes and then let out a sly chuckle.
For them, earning Chronos was the only thing that mattered, and now, as expected, Yang Zicang had brought them a new opportunity to acquire Chronos.
Although killing someone in the Video Land wouldn’t net you their lifespan, it didn’t mean you couldn’t make an active transfer.
–How impressive, daring to set sights on an organization of over two hundred people.–
What could be more satisfying than having a powerhouse among your crew?
……
The Desert Wagon Cargo Crew.
Zhao Qilai approached the man in a gray-white trench coat.
–Brother Ali, I don’t think those fish of mine have much left to squeeze.–
–Too bad the well engine was jacked—that thing was worth at least five or six thousand Chronos.–
As the group marched on, another man in red rode up on a beast.
–Shi Shuangbing, after this job, I wanna leave for a while, head over to Gaoyuan Greenhouses for some R&R,– Ali said in a low voice to the smirking figure.
Shi Shuangbing snickered, –Go ahead. Without you, I’m second-in-command. Take yer time—don’t matter if you never come back; I’ll just have some fun with your treasure.–
–Hahaha!–
The sky grew darker by the minute. Six or seven hours later, a settlement of dozens of scattered wooden cabins appeared on the horizon, some high, some low, sprawling in disarray.
At this moment, over a hundred ragged people had already gathered outside the settlement, gripping weapons tightly, bracing themselves for an imminent threat.
Staring across at the approaching caravan wagons careening in like a torrent, Song Zilin’s gaze was heavy with gravity.
–Lord Song, th—they…–
–Could it be… the Blank Wagon Great Cargo Crew?!–
A wave of unrest swept through the crowd. Many trembled, legs quaking uncontrollably.
The incoming wagons halted. A man at the front roared, –Hand over 50,000 Chronos, or else—every last one of you dies!–
Gasps erupted. The crowd was struck with dread.
11:00 PM.
[Wooo—]
In the house, Yang Zicang opened his eyes.
Surrounding him, several people had already gathered their belongings and entered the room—among them, Professor Chen and another, who still couldn’t figure out why they weren’t allowed to sleep.
A gust of wind swirled through the room as the train door materialized on the wall.
Yang Zicang stepped through first. The rest flung their meager luggage aboard. Shiu Siuchuan jabbed Professor Chen with his elbow.
–What are you staring at? Get on the train—go earn your Chronos!–
–Huh? Oh… wha—?–
Before he could ask anything more, Robin Lo had already hoisted him up by the scruff and tossed him onto the train. To the rail-thin Robin, a fellow as skinny as twigs was light as a feather on one arm.
The train shot rapidly into the air and vanished from sight.
On the top floor of the tallest brick-and-stone building in the Carefree Trade District.
A graceful young girl in a gray long dress stood quietly by the window, gazing in the direction Yang Zicang had left.
{He’s gone now.}
On the cabinet beside her, a light red plush toy, only as tall as an arm, shook its two long ears, bared its mouth wide, and shouted loudly.
{Hahaha, your plan failed again, heeheehee.}
Suddenly, it shut its mouth.
The door was pushed open, and the fat figure of Carefree Penglord appeared. He licked his lips, smiled at the graceful silhouette before the window, and said, –Jirou, still awake? Waiting for me, are you?–
A trace of pain flickered across the young girl’s face, but as she turned around, a smile had already blossomed on her lips.
–Yes, how could I sleep without you? It’s rare for you to come see me today.–
–Heh heh, poor baby, you’ve suffered.–
Carefree stepped forward, took her pale but ice-cold hand, and led her toward the wide, soft bed.
……
When Zuo Feixian and Ning Yang made contact again, the man had already become somewhat neurotic, his spirit teetering on the brink of collapse.
The scene within the sensory display was a hellscape; not every member of the notorious Waste Wagon Cargo Crew was an elite, and when facing those who resisted to the death, it turned into a meat grinder.
Within an hour, dozens had been killed or injured here, and those who extorted Chronos were immediately ordered to invest it in their Cargo Crew’s captain. If the captain’s Chronos was too high, they would invest in the vice-captain, and so on down the chain.
Newcomers were always at the very bottom, unless fresh new arrivals came under their own command.
Through the sensory display, Yang Zicang took note of the captains of these seven Cargo Crews, along with those who were receiving the Chronos.
On the vehicle, once the novelty wore off, Professor Chen asked, –Jiazi Term, where exactly are we headed?–
–To save people.–
……
Ning Yang trembled as he watched the battle ahead, the low-level members of these Cargo Crews being driven by their captains to fight like chaff.
The Peng Zone across from him, established only about a year ago, had already developed to have more people and buildings than his own side.
Was it because of their Penglord?
He looked toward the man fighting tirelessly on the other side.
That Penglord had single-handedly killed over a dozen of their men, yet the leaders of the Waste Wagon seemed completely indifferent to their own people’s deaths; nearly an hour and a half had passed and they still hadn’t made a move.
Song Penglord on the opposite side radiated a golden light. Thanks to the low-level Chronos war weapon in his hand, his Chronos hadn’t been neutralized much. In just a few minutes, he had taken down two more thugs from the big Cargo Crew, showing decent skill.
–Come on, everyone! They’re not invincible—we can win!–
The crowd frantically channeled their Moxel and abilities. But most of them were people whose abilities weren’t particularly outstanding; otherwise, why would they have ended up here in the Shibin Wastes?
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