I Really Didn't Want to Be Low-Key

Once Huang Sen left, Xu Feng sat down at the workbench and picked up a second-hand communicator.

Seventy thousand credits seemed like a lot, but in reality, it was very little.

If he were to buy Blood Qi Potions, he could only afford four standard versions or seven weakened ones.

Xu Feng had long-term goals; he had to consider not only himself but also Xiao Dan.

The child would definitely need to practice martial arts in the future, which would be a massive expense.

He had already suffered enough, and he didn't want the child to suffer in the future.

Having never been a father before, Xu Feng began to think about the future for the first time in his life.

He might not have had a choice, but Xiao Dan certainly would!

Make money!

Xu Feng took a deep breath and buried his head in dismantling the communicator.

By now, he had gained enough experience in repairing the more expensive Series 6 communicators.

Of course, this was mostly because repairing Series 9 communicators could no longer provide him with sufficient proficiency.

Originally, repairing one Series 9 communicator would increase his proficiency by 1 point.

But ever since his Communicator Repair reached the master level, he had to repair three Series 9 units just to gain a single point.

Therefore, Xu Feng began to focus on Weihua's Series 6 mid-range models to maximize the efficiency of his proficiency growth.

Naturally, he still took on private Series 9 repairs in his spare time; after all, money was money.

"As the population density increases and conflicts become more frequent, business is actually getting better for me. Is this really a case of 'blessings and misfortunes being interdependent'?"

Xu Feng didn't know what word to use to describe this strange phenomenon.

He could only keep his head down and make money.

"I heard that the engineers who repair large military communicators, vehicle-mounted antennas, and base station antennas in the base make even more money. I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to get involved in that."

Xu Feng subconsciously thought of Lu Fei, but he quickly shook his head.

"This girl has already helped me a lot; I can't ask for more. I have to rely on myself."

"Knock, knock, knock—"

It was eight-thirty in the evening.

Xu Feng was lounging on the sofa chatting with Liu Yu and Fatty when he heard a knock at the front door.

"Who is it?" Xu Feng stood up and walked toward the door.

"Hello, Mr. Xu. I am Luo Feng from the Patrol Squad. I wonder if you still remember me?"

Xu Feng opened the door and looked at the visitor in surprise.

Seeing the man's smiling face and the fruit he was carrying, Xu Feng quickly responded with a smile: "Good evening, Mr. Luo. May I ask what brings you here?"

Recalling what Huang Sen had said, he sighed inwardly. Could the Patrol Squad be here to recruit him again?

Luo Feng wasn't wearing his combat uniform today, but rather casual clothes.

Seeing Xu Feng's forced smile, he clearly guessed what Xu Feng was thinking: "Don't worry, Mr. Xu. I am here in a private capacity today, not to recruit you. I just wanted to chat about a few things."

"Oh?" Luo Feng's statement caught Xu Feng slightly off guard. "Then please, come in and talk."

After a brief hesitation, Xu Feng stepped aside to let him in.

He turned to Liu Yu and Fatty and said, "Sorry about this, let's get together again in a couple of days."

The two of them quickly stood up. "Sure, we'll head back now. See you tomorrow."

With that, they hurried away.

Before leaving, Liu Yu glanced at Xu Feng and asked, "Do you need me to watch Xiao Dan for a while?"

Xu Feng waved his hand. "It's fine. Be careful on your way back alone."

"Got it." Liu Yu nodded with a smile and left.

"Please, sit, Mr. Luo." Xu Feng then invited the man to take a seat.

Luo Feng didn't stand on ceremony; he placed the fruit on the floor and sat down at the table.

"Uncle, have some water." Xiao Dan obediently handed a glass of water to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng smiled as he took it. "Thank you, little beauty."

Xiao Dan giggled and ran off to do her homework.

"Mr. Xu, you've raised your child very well. I truly admire that."

Luo Feng nodded with a sense of emotion.

"Unlike my nephew, who has lived a life of luxury since he was young—living in a villa and being driven to and from school—yet his studies are a complete mess, and his personality is even more arrogant and fragile."

Xu Feng sighed and shook his head slightly. "I actually wish Xiao Dan could live in a villa, be driven to and from school, and have a privileged life from a young age. Even if she didn't do well in school or had a difficult personality, at least she would be safe, wouldn't she?"

"I understand what you mean, Mr. Xu." Luo Feng nodded.

"Mr. Luo, you didn't come here just to chat about family life, did you?" Xu Feng smiled and steered the conversation toward the main topic.

Hearing Xu Feng's words, Luo Feng sat up straight and stated his purpose: "That's right. However, I didn't come here to recruit you this time; I just wanted to ask you a question."

"What question?" Xu Feng asked, puzzled.

"Are you a Psychic Master, Mr. Xu?" Luo Feng stared at him intently as he suddenly asked.

"A Psychic Master?" Xu Feng was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "I've heard that Psychic Masters are extremely rare and mysterious figures. If I were a Psychic Master, would we even be having this conversation today?"

Xu Feng chuckled. "If I really were a Psychic Master, I would have gone to the authorities to reveal my identity long ago. I'd be enjoying all the benefits and perks, receiving secret training. Wouldn't that be better than staying in this hellhole, scraping by and living in constant fear every day?"

He didn't understand how the other man could have such an idea.

Luo Feng frowned and watched Xu Feng for a long time. Xu Feng's attitude and reactions certainly didn't look like someone hiding a secret. Moreover, Xu Feng's mindset was different from those ambitious Psychic Masters. He shook his head, feeling relieved. "You're right. I suppose I overthought it. I kept thinking that you might be some kind of hermit expert who didn't want to stand out, which is why you were so low-key."

Xu Feng smiled with a candid expression. "No, you're wrong about that. It's not that I don't want to, but rather that I have no path and no shortcuts. So, I can only work hard and progress step by step, keeping my feet on the ground. I want to get ahead too, but definitely not through some shortcut, and I don't want to take excessive risks. Besides, I really am just an ordinary person. I'm not being low-key; I just don't have the ability to be high-profile."

"I understand." Luo Feng smiled, nodded, and stood up with an expression of admiration. "To be honest, I really like your temperament, Mr. Xu. Your way of thinking is the same as mine; I also prefer doing things in a down-to-earth manner. Thank you for giving me the chance to chat. If there's an opportunity in the future, let's meet again. I'll be going now."

"Alright, take care." Xu Feng walked Luo Feng to the door.

"Oh, right," Luo Feng said, suddenly turning back before leaving. "Recently, many factions within the Eagle Alliance have been poaching people in the Shanty Town, offering very good terms. But you must be careful; there are many shady dealings and traps involved. There are even Eagle Alliance spies mixed in, recruiting informants with the intention of stealing intelligence from the base and harboring unknown motives. If you run into trouble, you can call me. If I can help, I certainly will. Not for any other reason, just because we are the same kind of people." With that, Luo Feng gave his contact number to Xu Feng.

"Get some rest, Mr. Xu."

"Goodbye, Mr. Luo."

Bang.

Closing the door, Xu Feng furrowed his brows and fell into deep thought. This Luo Feng is a decent person, and he speaks quite candidly. It's just unexpected that the situation in this Shanty Town has become so complicated. Phew, it's so annoying. If the airfare wasn't so expensive, I would have taken Xiao Dan back to Earth. Being an ordinary blue-collar worker in the city would be better than living day-to-day in constant uncertainty here.

However, the reason he hadn't chosen to take Xiao Dan back to Earth wasn't entirely due to the cost of airfare. Returning to Earth would bring even more troublesome matters for him to consider. Another point was that ever since he had seen a glimmer of hope, the thought of giving up had vanished from his mind. Perhaps he hadn't even realized it himself. Once a person has a way to become stronger, how could they ever be content with being an ordinary person again?

(End of chapter)