Not long after.
Yang Fan found a hotel nearby and booked two rooms.
He settled the twin girls into One room.
Then he took the boy into the other.
The hotel environment was excellent.
There were soft beds, private bathrooms, and even an automatic temperature-control system.
At the very least, it was countless times better than the shabby old apartment Yang Fan had rented in Yang County.
In fact, Xiling Star's infrastructure was not poor at all. It even far surpassed Yang County's.
Yet the people living here were impoverished to such an extent.
The door closed.
Yang Fan sat in a chair and asked directly,
"Where is your father?"
The boy fell silent for several seconds before slowly speaking. "Dead."
His voice was calm, but the suppressed fury nearly forced its way out through clenched teeth.
Yang Fan looked at him and got straight to the point.
"I am not from Xiling Star."
"Tell me, what exactly happened to this planet?"
Ning Bailian was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Two years ago... it wasn't like this."
"Back then, everyone had work, food to eat, and hope."
"We weren't wealthy, but at least we could survive."
"Until the Rao Family began raising taxes without end."
At this point, Ning Bailian's voice gradually turned cold.
"At first, it was a war tax."
"Later, it became a head tax."
"Housing tax."
"City maintenance tax."
"Environmental protection tax."
"Even breathing required an air usage fee."
"Without connections or a background, the taxes only grew heavier and heavier."
"Earn 100 Faith Points, and you had to hand over 80."
By the end, Ning Bailian was nearly gritting his teeth, his eyes filled with fury.
Yang Fan's mouth twitched as he listened.
Having come from the bottom himself, he had always thought Yang