Meeting

The powerful figures on both sides of the long conference table exchanged subtle, knowing glances.

A bald man with a skull tattoo covering his entire face chuckled:

"Boss, you know me. At night, I'm either with women or fighting, or sometimes both at the same time. Where would I find the leisure for something like that? Stargazing? Did that even happen yesterday?"

The bald man had a nose ring, and his earlobes were stretched and hung with a string of bone pendants. His spiked leather jacket bore a red skull emblem, and he looked both gaunt and punk.

Others chimed in, some claiming they had seen it, others laughing it off vaguely; none seemed to take it very seriously.

Long Zhibin adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said:

"Mayor, I noticed it the moment it happened yesterday. It's been a long time since our Settlement 97 has seen such a bright sky."

Zhou Hao looked at him and nodded:

"Indeed. It was very bright. Even our town was completely illuminated, revealing darkness we usually can't see. Did you notice anything peculiar?"

Long Zhibin pondered for a moment and shook his head:

"Not really."

Zhou Hao chatted with the others one by one about the starry sky, the environment, and the climate, then said:

"I truly hope we can always see a sky like that here. Now, let's get down to business."

He led the group in discussing several town affairs: population flow, food distribution, jurisdiction security, and so on.

Although these were routine matters, the big shots present would argue from time to time; after all, many daily issues involved core interests, and there were few law-abiding people here.

However, under Zhou Hao's mediation, everyone at least maintained a facade of peace, and he expressed his satisfaction with that.

As the morning drew to a close, Zhou Hao turned to Long Zhibin:

"Zhibin, I heard your supply convoy was attacked again yesterday?"

Long Zhibin fell silent for a moment.

The convoy had been attacked just yesterday, and today—no, it seemed Zhou Hao had known before dawn.

There was perhaps nothing in this town that he didn't know.

He adjusted his glasses and said:

"Mayor, that is the case. Things haven't been peaceful around the town lately."

The tattooed bald man leaned back in his chair, propping his mud-caked boots directly onto the long table:

"Exactly. There are always dogs barking at their masters."

Zhou Hao said calmly:

"Many refugees have nothing to eat in winter, so they might be taking desperate risks. But spring is almost here; such things cannot happen again."

Long Zhibin nodded:

"I think so too."

Zhou Hao turned his head to the other side, looking at the large feet on the table.

The bald man raised an eyebrow, pulled his feet down, and sat up straight:

"Once spring starts, they can go dig for food in the fields. Surely no one will be fighting over dog bones then."

Zhou Hao nodded, then looked at Long Zhibin again:

"What about your Hunting Grounds? Everything peaceful there lately? Those were divided up by everyone; by the rules, we don't interfere with each other."

Long Zhibin said:

"Occasionally, stray dogs from other places sneak in, but I've chased them all off. There's no problem."

Zhou Hao looked at him for a moment and nodded:

"That's good."

The bald man looked Long Zhibin up and down with some surprise, then let out a scoff.

Zhou Hao kept everyone for a luncheon, where all sorts of rare ingredients were served in succession, rivaling the top-tier clubs in the city.

These rulers of the town lived luxurious lives in the Wasteland, but many things could only be found here at Zhou Hao's place.

They didn't stand on ceremony; although it wasn't their first time, each instance was a rare indulgence. However, they knew in their hearts that this was a display of Zhou Hao's strength.

In the afternoon, the group departed one after another. The executive director of the magic food company and the bald man with the skull tattoo happened to have their vehicles parked next to each other. The two men exchanged a glance by their cars, and the pot-bellied middle-aged man clutching a cigar suddenly said:

"Boss Gu, Mayor Zhou was specifically telling you not to target Long Zhibin today."

The skull-headed man sneered:

"You actually believe that?"

"Why not? Hasn't he always wanted to mediate between you two?"

The fat director, whose hair was combed with meticulous precision, smiled.

The skull-headed man spat:

"Give it a rest. Who here hasn't realized that Zhou Hao just wants to ask about those stars from last night? If anyone didn't see that, speak up, and you might as well hand over your money and subordinates to me, you pathetic losers."

Two members of the town committee approached, but neither said a word.

The director of Magic Food grinned:

"Boss Gu truly has eyes like torches. Come to think of it, the weather last night was indeed strange. Did Boss Gu discover anything?"

Gu Jian nodded:

"I did discover something."

The cigar in the middle-aged man's hand paused, a flash of sharp light passing through his eyes:

"What did you discover?"

"I discovered that your mother had an affair with your grandfather."

Gu Jian mocked him abruptly:

"You're always trying to fish for information from me. Do you think I'm your father?"

The middle-aged man's expression shifted instantly, his temperament transforming from an amiable, chubby boss into an incredibly gloomy warlord:

"Gu Jian, you've got some nerve."

"Nerve or not, what can you, Cao Yunlong, actually do to me? If I don't go out to shoulder the Thunder Dragon, you can do it yourself! You keep probing like a prick; I've been at war with that kid Long Zhibin for so long, how could we possibly reconcile? What the hell are you probing for! You want me to do the work but won't pay up—be careful, or I might just quit, and then let's see if Zhou Hao and his bastard son don't devour your food factory whole!"

Gu Jian, leader of the Skull Gang, spat on the ground, pulled open the door of his red sports car with the modified chassis, and climbed in, slamming the door shut with a heavy bang. He floored the gas pedal, and the sports car let out a deafening roar, speeding away like a bolt of lightning.

After the two men beside him also bid farewell to Cao Yunlong with ambiguous expressions and left, Cao Yunlong's dark face instantly turned calm. He sat in his Rolls-brand sedan, lost in thought in the quiet, steady backseat:

"Why is the weather change from last night worth so much attention from Zhou Hao? And what could cause such a change?"

"Could it be... an expert from the Second Domain Limit?"

Cao Yunlong wore an expression of disbelief as he instructed his secretary in the front seat:

"Keep an eye out for any strange people in town lately."

"Pay attention to whether any strange things have been happening in the company lately."

In another black Benma-brand luxury sedan, Long Zhibin said to Brother Leopard, who had been waiting in the car.

He told Brother Leopard about what happened at the meeting, and Brother Leopard hissed:

"What exactly is going on that even Mayor Zhou takes it so seriously?"

Long Zhibin shook his head:

"I don't know, so we need to be careful. Besides, the supply convoy should be fine."

"That's good. But Boss, why didn't you let Mayor Zhou handle the matter of the Hunting Grounds as well?"

Brother Leopard scratched his head.

Long Zhibin rested his head on his hand, looking out the car window:

"It wouldn't be good if it were handled; I have my own arrangements."

Two days had passed since Chen Chong attained his second form, and he remained in a state of wholehearted fist training, undisturbed by anyone.

However, without entering that state, progress at this stage was minimal, serving only to hone his technique; yet to enter that state, Chen Chong would need an unknown amount of grinding effort.

He was confident that with his ability, as long as he ate enough Nutrient Paste every day, he would enter that state sooner or later. But the timeline was uncertain; he had no experience, and it might take ten days, half a month, or even longer.

He had expected not to see Pei Li for quite some time, but just as he was practicing his punches that day, Pei Li suddenly knocked on his door.

"Get ready, we're leaving tomorrow."