My Apologies

"You really ate it?"

Li Le's vision went black, and a surge of anger rose within him. But looking at Tao Yu's smile and recalling his performance in the team, he forcefully suppressed the rage in his heart.

His family had been forced to leave the Inner City in disgrace, and now he was also a country bumpkin in the Outer City. He couldn't be as willful and reckless as the disciples of the Inner City.

Anger wouldn't solve anything, nor would it bring any benefits.

If he were just some trash nobody, it would be one thing. But with B-rank [Dynamic Vision] and having eaten so many Blood Orchids, his physical fitness probably wasn't weak either. He was a ready-made, quickly trained combatant.

This would be a considerable force during the pioneering period.

He hadn't treated Tao Yu well in the team, not even giving Tao Hu's face any consideration. But that was mainly because Winuo disliked Tao Yu.

Now that Yosef was dead and Winuo was seriously injured, this guy wasn't entirely without value!

This made Li Le force out a smile.

"Alright, investing in your own strength isn't a loss. You have good talent."

Saying this while suppressing his anger made Li Le feel incredibly stifled, yet he had to say it.

"Really? I think so too. You've got a good eye."

Tao Yu's casual remark almost made Li Le lose his composure. After giving him a moment to recover, Li Le put on a falsely cheerful expression and said, "Your talent is good enough, you should be able to claim two skills for free. What is this you're carrying? It's packed full."

He was still unwilling to give up, but the rules here made it impossible for him to openly snatch anything in broad daylight.

If he had started by enthusiastically taking the bag and accidentally tearing it, he would have had an excuse. But now, there was truly nothing he could do.

No matter how dark things were here, the overt rules still had to be followed, at least by Li Le, who was also from the Outer City.

As long as Tao Yu didn't make the first move, he couldn't do anything now.

To avoid others constantly coveting it, Tao Yu pulled the bag open slightly, letting the other person glimpse inside.

"Serpent fangs, a whole set of skills."

The harvest of this set of skills was indeed significant, a resource that Inner City disciples would specifically go to acquire. However, it wasn't too conspicuous. It was much better than a bag of Blood Orchids. With Uncle Hu and Tao Yu's own talent, it was enough to suppress this level of wealth.

"You went back?"

It was just a casual question, but upon seeing the serpent fangs, Li Le's eyes widened.

Holy crap, the Inner City people are all dead, and you're actually that bold!

"Why wouldn't I go back? You're not thinking of robbing me, are you?"

"How could I? Starfall City is a place with rules."

Li Le felt speechless. What an unsophisticated bumpkin. If it had been that bag of Blood Orchids, he might have considered scheming in secret afterward. But ordinary skills worth about three thousand Wish Power units? That wasn't worth it.

"Um, actually, I went back afterward too, but I was a step too late."

Zhang Wei, carrying a large bag of Serpent Meat, also came over.

With his D+ rank [Stamina] talent and now a gun, this kid had luckily survived in the end.

If they had truly encountered Aliens, Li Le would have been finished. Both he and Zhang Wei could be considered lucky survivors, just like the group of people who had survived in the plaza.

After Winuo had shown his suppression of Tao Yu, Zhang Wei had changed his attitude. Tao Yu didn't have any particular opinion about him. Everyone had their own stance and interests; that was understandable.

However, while their stance was understandable, it didn't mean it had to be accepted.

Their relationship was merely that of casual acquaintances who would nod to each other. They could team up temporarily, but there was no need for a deep friendship.

Oh, and given the difference in strength, there was no need for temporary teaming either. The possibility of future interaction was low.

Of course, there wouldn't be any harsh words or anything like that. Why offend someone without reason?

Sometimes, even insignificant people had plenty of disgusting methods.

"This is truly rare. For members of our team to meet again! If there are opportunities in the new settlement, we can cooperate more."

Tao Yu said these polite words with a smile, but neither Zhang Wei nor Li Le felt anything was amiss.

Looking around again, among the Outer City people from their previous team, only the three of them, who had combat talent and weapons, had survived. The casualties on this Awakening Day were indeed heavy...

"B-rank [Dynamic Vision]? Good kid! Haha, I knew you had it in you. Your body has also gotten much stronger, much more pleasing to the eye than before."

Uncle Hu, who was waiting with Tao Yu's parents, had his eyes light up after Tao Yu came over to meet him and answer his questions.

Looking at Tao Yu's sturdy body and increased height, he felt the kid had gained a good harvest.

He hadn't expected his talent to be B-rank.

[Dynamic Vision] was a very common combat talent, but it was still a combat talent!

With B-rank, with effort, he even had a chance to enter the Inner City.

The key was that this coincided with the pioneering of the new settlement. This was both a risk and an opportunity!

"Although Space-Time Anomalies are troublesome, they are also your opportunity. The higher your talent, the better. The higher your talent, the more valuable you are, and the easier it is to gain appreciation. They are in great need of people right now. Perhaps after your talent is reported, you'll even be registered with Young Master Sun and Miss Sun!"

When Uncle Hu mentioned the two from the Floating City, a look of instinctive reverence appeared on his face.

Tao Yu's parents were overjoyed, tears streaming down their faces, their eyes red.

"My Tao family has produced a B-rank combat talent!"

Once their status improved, they would rise with him, and their points in the Cannon Fodder Sequence would also increase.

It was a great thing in every aspect!

As for the dangers of pioneering...

What in this damned world wasn't dangerous?

Four of their eight children had already been lost!

Compared to that, having an opportunity and a channel to enter the Inner City was better than anything!

Recalling what the Security Team captain had said earlier, Tao Long gritted his teeth, his voice slightly hoarse, and said, "Seventh, go all out. We'll sell everything we have to equip you. You must learn the half-price skills."

Then, he added with a hint of pleading to Uncle Hu, "Tiger, our family only knows you. You must help us out with this. Give your big nephew a hand."

"Haha, you don't need to say it. Of course, I'll help him. A B-rank combat talent can't be wasted."

Uncle Hu's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he readily agreed.

Tao Yu's talent was also a very good investment return for him.

In the past, Tao Long had helped him when he was down, but favors diminished with use. As he installed his mechanical arm, the status gap between their families widened again!

However, Tao Yu's timely appearance of a B-rank combat talent resolved all problems.

With mutual exchanges, their relationship would only be further solidified!

"Let's go back and plan the child's future properly. First, let's test his talent. A'Yu, you can't fool your Uncle Hu about your talent, okay?"

Uncle Hu said jokingly.

Although the Security Team captain Zechuan had babbled on, there was no talent registration or testing done on the spot.

This kind of thing was something individuals knew for themselves; you couldn't just say anything.

When formal testing was required, it was usually when someone actively applied for a job somewhere. Based on years of accumulated experience, different tests and classifications would be made according to different talents.

Therefore, talent levels self-proclaimed by outsiders usually had various degrees of exaggeration, some true, some false...

"Hehe, only stronger, never weaker. Please rest assured, Uncle Hu."

And so, Tao Hu, with a mechanical arm, took the three of them back to his home.

Before Tao Hu was injured, his status was already good. His home was in a much better location than Tao Yu's, closer to the Inner City walls, within the protective range of the firepower on the ramparts.

This was also a benefit for Security Team members – close to their workplace and safe.

Tao Hu, who had been injured in the line of duty, could not be driven away while he was recovering.

There were many residences nearby, most of them patched together from scrap. The amount of things they could bring back from each trip to the Abyss was limited, so they had to make do. Almost everyone outside had developed this habit, and no one found it strange.

In terms of living environment alone, these "family plots" in the Security Team's "family quarters" were much better than those in the Outer City strongholds.

"Perfect, I'll deal with these two good legs. Today, I'll let my wife show you her skills."

Arriving at the residence, which resembled a tin house, Tao Hu took the wolf legs Tao Yu was carrying and, upon entering, loudly instructed his wife to prepare dinner.

Tao Hu himself was dark-skinned and stout, but his wife's appearance was quite good by Outer City standards.

Having been exposed to various internet beauties in his past life, Tao Yu would rate her a 6. She was bare-faced, tall, and pretty, though her skin was a bit rough from housework and sun exposure.

At the very least, judging by appearance alone, she was a stark contrast to Tao Hu, making one subconsciously think of Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian.

But in terms of actual status, Tao Hu, due to his identity and position, even during his lowest point when he was crippled, his wife, Aunt Hu, who was only good-looking but lacked talent, was absolutely subservient to him.

Just the fact that he was exempted from the cannon fodder quota due to an injury sustained in the line of duty was enough to make many women envious.

Uncle Hu still had two sons and a daughter alive, but they were not home today.

While Aunt Hu busily prepared the ingredients in the kitchen, Uncle Hu and the others sat on the genuine leather sofa in the living room.

Genuine leather!

It looked like three brown bear hides sewn together, and inside, besides the frame, they didn't know what was used as stuffing.

Tao Yu, covered in dirt, clearly left several indentations after sitting down, but people in the Outer City weren't too particular about such things.

"Regarding the specific standards for B-rank [Dynamic Vision], I only know the general outline, as I don't handle the testing. Let's do a rough estimate first."

He got straight to the point as soon as they sat down. This was something that needed to be clarified. It was fine to brag in front of relatives, but if they were caught deceiving during the formal test, it would be over.

As he spoke, Tao Hu rubbed his mechanical arm, seemingly adjusting the speed with his eyes closed. The next moment, he flashed past Tao Yu.

"Uh, sorry, I think I sped it up just now."

"Punch, three, two, punch, four."

Tao Yu's voice spoke out in sync with Tao Hu's, and then both fell silent, a thought flashing through their minds simultaneously.

Are you messing with me?