Chapter 104: Tearing Through the Veil of Bloodlust, Wandering Between Calm and Madness

Ren Zhong drifted through the crowd, his body swaying as if trying to dissolve into this mire. Yet, his gaze remained cold and detached. He would not draw his blade and initiate a reset simply because of that girl's tragic death.

The timeline for his resurrection had already shifted. Thus far, he had no clue about the underlying principles of this phenomenon, merely clinging to the hypothesis of a Poincaré recurrence to prop up his crumbling scientific worldview. He could not be certain what unpredictable changes might occur if he were to commit suicide repeatedly to probe the timeline. He had many conjectures, but he would not test them unless absolutely necessary. The unknown was almost always fraught with risk. Ren Zhong could not afford to be reckless, at least not by resetting on the spot.

He pondered. This young girl's death must have occurred in the previous timeline as well. It was just too trivial—a mere speck of blood splashing in a vast sea, so insignificant that he hadn't even noticed.

He also wondered: If I truly fail to survive for forty-five days this time and return to this moment, what will I do? I could save her once, twice, but can I save her for a lifetime? Perhaps I could, keeping her by my side like a canary in a cage. But what would be the point? To satisfy my own conscience? And then what? It is never just one specific person who needs saving. There are so many in this world who need help; am I to keep them all? Is that even possible? And does she even truly need it?

It was a philosophical dilemma, one that rarely yielded an answer.

After a long while, Ren Zhong shook his head and made his final decision. He would treat this matter with more detachment, much like he had with Yu Jin’s mother. If he were to suffer an unfortunate reset, he might temporarily turn his own misfortune into someone else's luck, helping her one more time by giving her some money. But Ren Zhong knew clearly that it was futile. For someone like her, even with money, another tragedy would only be waiting around the corner. He could not change the world, nor could he change the human heart; he could save no one.

Just as before, she had been thoroughly swindled by that burly man surnamed Huang. What had driven her to seek justice wasn't a sense of resentment, but simply the fact that her father was still alive. Yet, her resolve had been shattered by a few hollow words; she had actually believed that if she satisfied the man, he would show mercy and give her real medicine. How foolish and pathetic!

Ren Zhong did not hold high hopes for her. Unlike Yu Jin, she was naive, ignorant, and lacked even a shred of grit. There was not a glimmer of hope to be found in her.

Forget it. If everything goes smoothly and I make it past the forty-five days, then so be it. Death is indeed her best release. Let us just say she was born into the wrong world. I must move forward; I must move forward without looking back. I cannot keep turning around, or I will be consumed by endless self-reproach and rage.

"Hey, Brother Ren, how come you're here?"

Amidst the noise and clamor, a shrill voice filled with surprise rang out from behind. Ren Zhong turned to look. Ou Youning, with his sharp face and narrow eyes, was flushed, his arms wrapped around two buxom women. The three of them swayed to the rhythm of the music like seaweed. Unlike Ren Zhong, Ou Youning was perfectly integrated into this environment, smooth and natural.

Ren Zhong ceased his slightly stiff movements and waved a hand. "Nothing much. Just came to see what the fuss was about." Dancing in a public bar floor didn't fit his "persona," but as long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was everyone else who would be.

"Oh, oh, oh! Shall I get you a couple of girls, Brother Ren?" Ou Youning asked with great enthusiasm.

Ren Zhong shook his head. "No thanks. I'm heading back."

Stepping out of the "Long Sleep" nightclub, Ren Zhong witnessed a scene. Two cleaners stood aside, their faces full of helplessness. A woman, her face streaked with tears, was crawling on the ground, cradling the girl's corpse. She was carefully trying to piece the skull back onto the girl's head, like a child playing with building blocks. Her hands were trembling violently. The woman was the girl's mother.

A tall man stood beneath the bar's steps with his hands behind his back, looking down at the scene. Ren Zhong recognized him—he had seen him more than once. His name was Xing Ming, one of the six members of Lin Wang’s team, a Level 4 heavy-duty armored combatant.

The woman tried many times, though it was unclear whether it was her trembling hands or the slipperiness of the blood that caused the bone to slide off, again and again, until the bar’s madam emerged and handed the old woman a roll of waterproof tape. Only then did the task conclude.

Once the body was patched together, the woman cast a complex, inscrutable glance at the tall man, then hunched her back to hoist the girl’s body and prepared to leave without a word.

The glamorous madam stepped forward, blocking her path, and said with a fawning smile, "What happened today was an accident. I hope you can be understanding."

Seeing she could not leave, the woman slowly set the body down, her breathing growing rapid. "Tell me, how should I be understanding?"

"Your daughter came to work at 'Long Sleep' voluntarily. This counts as a workplace injury; there's no need to make such a fuss. Brother Xing is a professional scavenger, a Level 4 combatant. Even if you were to bash your head in at the entrance of the Town Government, Brother Xing wouldn't be banished—at most, he'd get a warning. You should understand this logic. Brother Xing can offer you 80 credits in compensation, only because he happens to be a shareholder of 'Long Sleep.' That's all; otherwise, you wouldn't get a single penny. If you take the money, you can live a decent life. It's better than getting nothing and offending someone, right?"

In the end, the old woman handed the body over to the cleaners and walked away, stumbling with every step. The moment she accepted the money, the matter was settled. Just like the elderly who boarded the suicide shuttles of the Mengdu Group at the end of their lives, every scavenger in Spark Town had their life priced from the moment they were born.

Having finished, Xing Ming turned around and spotted Ren Zhong. He also recognized this new recruit whom his captain had recently come to favor highly. Rumor had it that the captain had even given him 5,000 credits in startup funds. Xing Ming felt a mixture of envy, jealousy, and wariness, never expecting to run into him here.

Ren Zhong offered a faint smile and greeted him. "Brother Xing, what's going on?"

Seeing him initiate the conversation, Xing Ming grew interested. "Hey, don't even ask. Bad luck."

After listening to him, Ren Zhong understood the sequence of events. When he had first saved the girl, he had actually thought about taking her to Sun Miao to buy a bottle of healing medicine, as it wasn't expensive. But later, seeing her father dead and her mother rushing her away, the thought had faded. Over the following days, the situation had shifted. With her scavenger father dead, the family lost their primary breadwinner, and failing to heal her father had left them in debt. The mother and daughter's lives had steadily collapsed. Although they could still scrape by on the credits earned from sleeping with their wrist-computers, they were about to lose their home. She hesitated, then decided to sell herself at "Long Sleep" for a good price. Xing Ming happened to run into her, brought along his two lackeys for a taste, and the ending was what it was.

"Dammit, it was a fresh experience, but her frame couldn't take the abuse. Spent 40 credits and didn't even get my fill, and now I have to pay compensation. Damn, so annoying," Xing Ming complained.

Ren Zhong laughed heartily. "Brother Xing, you sure know how to have a good time. Live and learn, I suppose."

"Forget it, it's not like it's a big deal. Anyway, Ren Zhong, are you done for the night? If not, want me to get you a couple of girls?"

Ren Zhong shook his head with a smile. "No need, thanks. I have friends waiting inside; I just came out for some air because it was too noisy."

"Alright then, I won't keep you. I'm going in to blow off some steam. You enjoy yourself."

"Sure, see you around."

Five minutes after Xing Ming went inside, Ren Zhong turned back and headed straight for Wang Zhaofu’s private room. He had decided to kill.

Fatty Wang, who was busy in the middle of a "battle," was dragged off the sofa by Ren Zhong. Though slightly aggrieved, seeing Ren Zhong’s serious demeanor, he didn't ruin the mood. He threw on a coat, shooed the others out, and then scratched his messy hair, panting, "You really caught me off guard, Brother Ren, you're going to give me a heart attack. Tell me, what's up?"

"Brother Wang, I've changed my mind. The order I placed two days ago—I want to move the delivery date up to seven days from now. Also, I want to add one more item."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I want the heavy stuff. The real heavy stuff."

"Contraband?"

"Contraband. Can you get it?"

"That depends on the severity. But since you asked, brother, I have to find a way. Speak."

"Good!"

...

Ten minutes later, Ren Zhong walked out of "Long Sleep." He hadn't expected to run into Ou Youning on his way out. Ou Youning’s face was dark, only brightening slightly when he saw Ren Zhong. He managed a forced smile. "Didn't you say you were heading back, Brother Ren?"

Ren Zhong replied, "I went back to use the restroom, to relieve myself."

As the two walked side by side, they chatted idly. Ou Youning sighed. "Man, I just heard about something. A girl died in the bar today."

"Yeah, I know."

Ou Youning continued, "Xing Ming, that son of a bitch! What a piece of human trash. I really want to kill him. Damn it!"

Ren Zhong patted Ou Youning on the shoulder. "Keep it down, it's not good to be overheard."

Ou Youning sighed again. "Man, such a young kid, she hadn't even grown up yet! How could he..."

"Stop talking about it."

"Yeah, okay."

...

Starting from this night, Ren Zhong adjusted his strategy for night hunting. He was no longer satisfied with dealing with Level 1, 2, and 3 ruins-beasts in the low-level hunting zones; he entered the abandoned mine pits ahead of schedule. After a comprehensive exploration in the previous timeline, he had perfected his magnetic field network model through the vast amount of data he had collected. His knowledge of the abandoned mine pits far exceeded that of a normal person.

After this resurrection, he had begun restoring the model on his tablet early on, and by now, it was mostly complete. His predictive accuracy for the distribution of Level 4 ruins-beasts in the upper regions of the mine pits exceeded 90%, and for the middle regions, it was over 80%. Even in the lower regions, where he had never stepped foot, the theoretical accuracy was as high as 80%. Although there were risks, they were within a manageable range.

The next morning, Chen Hanyu and Yu Jin saw Ren Zhong, covered in dust and grime, outside the town. Both asked him what had happened, but Ren Zhong merely waved a hand, indicating it was nothing. His solo hunt the previous night had yielded almost nothing, as his primary activity zone had been the lower reaches of the mine pits. The lower reaches were also the main activity area for professional teams, which was extremely dangerous. He hadn't dared to linger anywhere, spending the entire time in a frantic dash.

There were three professional teams in the town, with Lin Wang’s being the strongest, and the other two slightly inferior. Ren Zhong surmised that to ensure hunting efficiency and prevent conflicts, these three teams likely had an unspoken agreement regarding their respective zones. His reason for venturing deep was to attempt to locate the activity zone of Lin Wang’s team, as well as the level and types of ruins-beasts nearby, by scouting the combat traces within the pits. His ultimate goal was to calculate the routine patrol and hunting route of Lin Wang’s team.

After a busy night, he had utilized his knowledge of the performance of Lin Wang’s silver short-spear to analyze and determine the general activity range of their team. Unfortunately, the density of Level 4 ruins-beasts in the lower pits was too high, their perception too acute, and with a 20% prediction error rate, he had nearly lost his life several times.

Throughout the entire day of hunting, Ren Zhong was pondering one question: How could he avoid the massive energy-detection range of the Level 4 ruins-beasts?

That evening, he got his answer while repairing his equipment at the military supplies store. Indeed, specialized tasks required specialized people. Ju Qingmeng provided him with a complete solution. Ren Zhong remodeled his gear once more, installing a Level 4 exoskeleton-exclusive accessory: an energy-shielding lining. Once activated, the lining utilized high-speed current circuits to form a powerful electromagnetic field, masking the heat and energy vibrations inside the armor. This accessory was not intended for Level 2 combatants, as a single unit required 300 kilowatts of power. Because of its high price, even Level 3 combatants, unless they were well-off, wouldn't easily invest in such a thing. But Ren Zhong did.

Not only that, Ju Qingmeng displayed the true talent that had once made her the top student in the ordnance management program at Chongyi County High School. She performed at her peak, customizing and upgrading this Level 4 equipment, pushing its power to 450 kilowatts. This made its efficacy far superior to a standard shielding lining, allowing him to evade the vast majority of Level 4 ruins-beasts from ten meters away, with only the most extremely sensitive ones potentially detecting him at that distance.

Including the cost of the modification, the total expense reached a staggering 17,000 credits. The expenditure was so high, and the source of funds so questionable, that before the formal modification, Ren Zhong had to confess to Ju Qingmeng that he had borrowed money from Sun Miao to trade stocks, and had made a small profit over the past two days. Ju Qingmeng was startled and lectured him thoroughly, saying he was being too reckless. However, after seeing his trade history and listening to a sophisticated analysis from the "contemporary stock god," she felt a new sense of regret. "It's a pity I really have no more money to lend you. Sigh."

Ren Zhong waved his hands repeatedly. "You've already helped me a lot. It's fine; it won't be long before I can start hunting Level 4 ruins-beasts, and my finances will be much more comfortable then."

"Mm."

...

Because this was delicate work, it took Ju Qingmeng four hours in total. By the time she was finished, it was already 11:00 PM. She invited Ren Zhong to sleep in her room again, but this time, Ren Zhong declined, saying he had things to do at night. Ju Qingmeng didn't press him. After leaving, Ren Zhong, armed with special authorization from Madafu, rushed out of town again, driving his "Thunder-Runner" vehicle straight toward the abandoned mine pits.

This time, the Level 4 ruins-beasts in the lower pits would no longer be able to block his path. In the coming days, he would turn this prime burial ground upside down.

...

On the twenty-fourth day, Far Horizon Heavy Industries began to close the net.