I'm Really Not Trying to Keep a Low Profile

After Huang Sen left, Xu Feng sat down at the workbench and picked up a secondhand communicator.

Seventy thousand yuan seemed like a lot, but it really wasn't.

If he bought Blood Qi Potions, he could only afford four standard ones or seven diluted ones.

Xu Feng had long-term goals. He had to think not only of himself, but also of Xiao Dan.

His child would definitely need to train in martial arts one day, and that would cost a fortune.

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

Though Xu Feng had never been a father before, for the first time in his life, he began thinking about the future.

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

He had to make money!

Xu Feng took a deep breath and bent over the communicator, beginning to take it apart.

By now, he had plenty of experience repairing the more expensive Series 6 communicators.

Of course, that was mostly because repairing Series 9 communicators no longer gave him enough proficiency.

Originally, repairing one Series 9 communicator increased his proficiency by one point.

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

So Xu Feng had shifted his focus to Weihua's midrange Series 6 models, maximizing the efficiency of his proficiency gains.

Of course, he still took private Series 9 repair jobs when he could. After all, they paid.

"As population density increases and conflicts become more common, business is actually getting better for me. I guess it's true that fortune and misfortune go hand in hand?"

Xu Feng didn't know what to call this strange phenomenon.

All he could do was keep his head down and make money.

"I heard the engineers who repair the base's large military communicators, vehicle-mounted antennas, and base station antennas make even more money. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to work on those."

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

"That girl has already helped me so much. I can't ask her for anything else. I'll 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 someone knocked on the front door.

"Who's there?" Xu Feng stood up and walked toward the door.

"Good evening, Mr. Xu. I'm Luo Feng from the Patrol Squad. I wonder if you remember me?"

Xu Feng opened the door and looked at his unexpected visitor.

The man was smiling and holding a bag of fruit, so Xu Feng quickly returned his smile. "Good evening, Mr. Luo. What brings you here?"

Remembering what Huang Sen had told him, he sighed inwardly. Had the Patrol Squad come to recruit him again?

Luo Feng wasn't wearing his Combat Suit today. He was dressed casually.

Seeing Xu Feng's forced smile, he obviously guessed what was on his mind. "Don't worry, Mr. Xu. I'm here in a personal capacity, not to recruit you. I just wanted to talk about something."

"Oh?" Luo Feng's explanation caught Xu Feng slightly off guard. "Then come on in."

Xu Feng hesitated briefly, then stepped aside to let him in.

He turned to Liu Yu and Fatty. "Sorry, everyone. Let's get together again in a couple of days."

Fatty and Liu Yu quickly got to their feet. "Sure. We'll head back, then. See you tomorrow."

With that, they hurried out.

As Liu Yu was leaving, she glanced at Xu Feng and asked, "Do you want me to take Xiao Dan for a while?"

Xu Feng waved his hand. "It's fine. Just be careful on your way home alone."

"Got it." Liu Yu smiled, nodded, and left.

"Have a seat, Mr. Luo." Xu Feng finally invited him to sit down.

Luo Feng didn't stand on ceremony. He set the fruit on the floor and took a seat at the table.

"Here you go, Uncle." Xiao Dan obediently brought Luo Feng a glass of water.

Luo Feng accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, young lady."

Xiao Dan giggled and ran off to do her homework.

"Mr. Xu has done a wonderful job raising his child. I really admire that."

Luo Feng nodded, visibly impressed.

"Unlike my nephew. He grew up in luxury, lived in a villa, and had a car take him to and from school. But his grades were still terrible, and he was both arrogant and fragile."

Xu Feng sighed and shook his head slightly. "I wish Xiao Dan could live in a villa and have a car take her to and from school, and grow up with all the advantages in life.

"Even if she didn't do well in school or had a bad personality, at least she'd be safe. Isn't that right?"

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

"You didn't come here just to chat about family, did you, Mr. Luo?" Xu Feng asked with a smile, steering the conversation toward the real reason for his visit.

At Xu Feng's words, Luo Feng sat up straight and explained why he'd come.

"That's right. But I really didn't come to recruit you this time. I just wanted to ask you about something."

"What is it?" Xu Feng asked, puzzled.

"Are you a Psychic Master, Mr. Xu?"

Luo Feng looked him straight in the eye as he suddenly asked the question.

"A Mind Master?" Xu Feng was taken aback, then smiled. "I've heard that Psychic Masters are extremely rare and mysterious.

"If I were a Psychic Master, do you think we'd be having this conversation?"

Xu Feng chuckled. "If I really were a Psychic Master, I would've gone straight to the authorities and revealed my identity.

"Then I could enjoy all the perks and benefits and receive secret training. Wouldn't that be better than staying in this godforsaken place, living on scraps and worrying about my safety every day?"

He didn't understand why Luo Feng had gotten that idea.

Luo Feng studied Xu Feng's face for a long while. Xu Feng's attitude and reaction really didn't seem like those of someone hiding a secret.

Besides, Xu Feng didn't have the same mindset as the ambitious Mind Masters.

Only then did Luo Feng shake his head, apparently reassured. "You're right. I guess I was overthinking it. I kept imagining that you might be some reclusive expert who didn't want to make a name for himself, which was why you were so low-key."

Xu Feng smiled candidly. "No, that's where you're wrong. It's not that I don't want to make a name for myself. I just don't have connections or shortcuts.

"So I can only keep my feet on the ground and work hard, one step at a time.

"I do want to make something of myself, but not by taking shortcuts. And I don't want to take unnecessary risks.

"Besides, I really am just an ordinary person. I'm not trying to keep a low profile. I just don't have what it takes to stand out."

"I understand."

Luo Feng smiled and nodded, then stood up with an admiring look.

"To be honest, I really like your personality, Mr. Xu.

"You think the same way I do. You prefer to keep your feet on the ground and get things done.

"Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. Maybe we'll get together again if we have the chance. I'd better get going."

"All right. Take care." Xu Feng walked Luo Feng to the door.

"By the way," Luo Feng said, turning around just before he left. "A lot of factions in the Eagle Alliance have been recruiting people in the Shanty Town lately, and they're offering good terms.

"But be careful. There are plenty of shady dealings and traps involved.

"Some of the recruits are even spies and agents from the Eagle Alliance, looking for informants. They intend to steal intelligence from the base and pursue other unknown schemes.

"If you run into trouble, Mr. Xu, you can call me. If there's anything I can do, I will.

"Not for any other reason, but because we're alike."

With that, Luo Feng gave Xu Feng his communicator number.

"Get some rest, Mr. Xu."

"Goodbye, Mr. Luo."

Thud.

After closing the door, Xu Feng furrowed his brow and fell into thought.

"Luo Feng seems like a decent guy. He speaks honestly, too.

"I just didn't realize things had gotten so complicated in the Shanty Town.

"Sigh. What a pain. If the tickets weren't so expensive, I'd take Xiao Dan back to Earth.

"Even an ordinary blue-collar life in a city would be better than living day to day without knowing whether we'd make it through."

However, the high cost of tickets wasn't the only reason he hadn't chosen to take Xiao Dan back to Earth.

Returning to Earth would bring a whole host of other problems he would have to consider.

There was one more reason: ever since he'd seen a glimmer of hope, something inside him had been unwilling to give up.

He might not even have realized it himself.

Once someone found a way to grow stronger, how could they ever be content with remaining ordinary?