Chapter 107: Wanting Good Luck -2

Yang Zicang stared deeply at the man across from him.
“Since you know that, why bring it up?”
“Well, why? Maybe it’s the Mercury retrograde.”
“Just to improve your own luck?”
Yang Zicang fixed his gaze on him, interrogating word by word.
“Or perhaps it’s for the sake of fairness, or maybe because the people there aren’t fools. Do you really think they can’t see through or sense your schemes? After all, everyone here is from Hub Town; they’re not easily fooled single-celled organisms. I’m just trying to keep you from realizing too late that you’ve been seen through all along—all in vain.”
The man placed his hands on the table, bracing himself as he spoke:
“Think about it. It’s like a bunch of thieves disguised as security guards working in a bank headquarters, doing mundane tasks day in and day out, just to find a chance to steal the vault keys—only to realize they were already marked as suspicious from the very interview stage. Isn’t that just a waste of effort?”
“Hah, that’s certainly true.”
Yang Zicang put on an angry expression.
“But none of this was any of your business. You’ve gone and sabotaged our plans. Even if I don’t come after you, the controllers of Hub Town will make sure you learn the consequences of speaking without thinking.”
“Whatever. I’m not scared just because you say so.”
Yang Zicang stood up and asked his final question.
“Do you know what’s up with Shiqian?”
“No. This land’s crawling with too many similar types. All I know is they keep calling themselves Shiqian and going around doing petty stuff—stealing and sneaking around.”
“Farewell.”
Yang Zicang flicked his collar, stepped forward, twisted the door handle, and walked out.
The subtle breeze and chirping of insects, the whisper of air, even the vitality and bustle imprinted in the buildings—all returned to him, as if he had come back from another world.
The sense of oppression and tranquility both dissipated.
He couldn’t help but wonder what a truly peaceful place would be like. Could such a thing, or such a space, exist?
Was there any place beyond the reach of anyone’s gaze?
“Whoa, damn, what the fuck?!
Luo Bin ran over, jumped, and slapped Yang Zicang on the head, hissing hoarsely.
“Do you want to die?”
In a bad mood, Yang Zicang shook off Luo Bin’s hand.
“This is it, man, this is it! The real deal! Take me with you, bro!”
When Luo Bin heard that the man had unrelentingly exposed the ultimate purpose of Yang Zicang’s visit, he was completely stunned.
How could anyone set their sights on improving the clarity of model lines, and even target the original creation stage of that very thing!
What was the difference between that and stealing the mold directly from the mint?
Yang Zicang sneered angrily, “You can’t talk about it. Once it’s said out loud, this spacetime will know, and our plan will be ruined.”
“Huh?”
Luo Bin was instantly dumbfounded.
“Wh-what? That’s it? Game over?”
The next moment, Luo Bin’s skin reddened instantly. Yang Zicang could viscerally feel the anger radiating from him.
At that moment, the guy was itching to charge into the room down the hall, to beat the living daylights out of the person inside—relentlessly, from head to toe, from ass to chest—until he cried for his mom and dad, and it still wouldn’t feel satisfying enough.
“So what do we do now?” Luo Bin turned his head.
Yang Zicang let out an impatient sigh.
“What a complete bastard.”
The two of them went back to briefly get reacquainted with Zuo Feixian and Xu Xiuchuan. After that, Yang ZiCang offered to take him back, but Luo Bin shook his head violently and refused to leave.
“Fine then, stay here for a while if you insist.”
Yang ZiCang had no choice but to lead him back to his own room. He tossed Luo Bin a polyester-cotton sheet and told him to sleep on the floor.
Even though the sheet was rather unbreathable, Luo Bin still felt quite satisfied with it.
“It’s been so damn long since I’ve slept in a house. What a luxury. Even sleeping on the floor feels good. Damn it all, curse their ancestors,” he muttered.
He was still fuming over the tenant in room 33 downstairs.
Yang ZiCang lay on his bed saying: “Okay, let’s get some rest. I still have to go on collecting Those That have Lost And Forgot the mold tomorrow.”
“Hmm. Oh, by the way, are we still gathering intelligence on this traffic incident?”
“No need anymore.”
“Alright then.” Luo Bin closed his eyes and soon began to snore loudly.
After tossing and turning for a long time, Yang ZiCang suddenly sat up straight and gave the fat man still on the floor a look. Resigning, letting its train manifest, he first sent back the Those That have Lost And Forgot the mold he had retrieved that day, and ordered the ones staying there to stabilize terrain with value which would easily lose its condition — that rivers, for an instance it means.
Under a midnight sky that was dark but allowed you to still make out the line of the horizon, a visibly melting Yang ZiCang, working to completion finishing their hours there undone… stood now at the base of the white-white pile of water ice field calling real name ‘gray still mount’ but running liquid partial just around some forty sticks broad.
“The operations shack is ready to operate with. Ah, right. Brother… Are you stepping into footings yourself to clamp the tap base with hookups, same your cut past fits?”
Yang Zicang looked at Qian Zhongsheng and said, “You do it. Everyone should participate. As long as you’re willing, this place will be your permanent home from now on. I’ll go back to the trade zone later.”
Meanwhile, in the darkness of the wilderness.
An old, dark-red Harley-Davidson motorcycle sped across the vast, gravel-covered surface. The man with a pouch at his waist leaned his body forward, letting the rapidly flowing air glide along his back and pass behind him.
A mask with exposed eyes was strapped horizontally across his face.
A faint ray of light refracted somewhere.
Sensing the other person, the rider cracked a smirk and said, “You already told him?”
{After this, I’m leaving. The trajectory indicated a place reserved for me—and there’s a share for you too.}
The one who lived by the name Zorro in this place shut his mouth. A dozen seconds later, he spoke, “Master Xuchen, good luck.”
{Thanks.}
In that moment, the two decided on their respective future paths.
One chose to keep moving forward; the other resolved to stay behind.
[I am an ally of justice, an indefatigable little red horse, experiencing the joy of the ride!]
The nightmare motorcycle’s speed suddenly surged, nearly becoming a dark-red streak in the shadows.
……
The next day at noon, when Yang Zicang came out of his room, the five people in the next room were already chatting comfortably, eating fruit and laughing together.
“Besides items like water, drinks, and tea, paper and ceramics have always been indispensable in daily life.”
“Some items can be made right in the various shelter zones themselves, no need to bring them in from Hub Town, but anything a bit more complex just won’t cut it—stuff involving petrochemical materials has to be replicated using a Lost Mind Engine.”
Luo Bin found this quite novel: “Can the shelter zones produce all the basic stuff?”
“The goods manufactured in each Zhu-Huang shelter settlement differ—it depends on what materials the stable terrain nearby can offer.”
“What about electronics? Pfft, you can guess it’s a no-go.”
“Dry-cell battery stuff might still work, like flashlights and the like. Small bulbs and such pretty much need a blueprint to make. Hey, Brother Jia’s awake.”
Yang Zicang walked in, picked a small apple from the cloth bag, and took a crisp, crunchy bite that was quite delicious.
“Shed Master Wuyou just contacted me and asked me to come over. You two can have lunch on your own, and take good care of my friend here.”
“Got it!”
Xu Xiuchuan and Zuo Feixian both puffed out their chests, brimming with confidence.
The two of them were the ones with the most time here, and they had already declared themselves the protectors of the group.
Shed Master Wuyou invited Yang Zicang to join his trade zone, but once again, he was unsuccessful.
At the luncheon, the Shed Master invited the heads of several nearby medium-to-large shed areas and made introductions with a few top-quality engine builders from the auction. They raised their glasses and got to know one another.
Although Yang Zicang had crafted high-quality wells, his brilliance was not the most dazzling compared to those present who had created clothing, locks, and daily life and production tools. It was only the shed bosses yearning for a better life that showed interest in him, inviting him to join their settlements.
After being rejected, they also expressed willingness to trade resources for the well engines. Yang Zicang did not refuse this. By the end of the meal, there were already as many as fifteen orders.
“It’s only hard on those fellows over there—but then again, can they even still get out?”
The mere thought of Lü Bu’s methods made Yang Zicang feel utterly powerless.
For himself, having an attack range exceeding twenty meters where he could still apply temporal interference was already rare and precious. Expecting those at headquarters, whose combat strength was severely diminished, to go deal with the nightmare satellites in the sky was as difficult as sending Benborba off alone to tie up and bring back Tang San.
……
Inside the solemn conference hall, a dull murmur of low discussions echoed back and forth.
“Still, we haven’t come up with any solution this time.”
“I think we should pool our wisdom and listen more to the suggestions from new comrades.”
On one side of the oval table, the man let out a heavy breath and said, “Everyone, come up with some suggestions. Also, if any of you know any capable new recruits by reputation or hearing, feel free to recommend a few. It’s possible that the key to breaking the threat of ‘Fang Tian’ may lie with these newcomers.”
Listening to what the others said, Chen Yu, seated in a wooden chair by the side of the round table, interlaced his fingers and placed them on his stomach. Turning to a young man behind him, he asked, “Li Mi, do you have any suggestions for dealing with that guy?”
This mild-eyed young man nodded at Chen Yu: “There is one, but it’s hard to say.”
Hearing this, Chen Yu perked up.
“What’s so hard about saying it?”
This young man was a rising newcomer, recently distinguished in his communications with Yang Zicang.
He handles tasks meticulously, making things much easier for me. Now, the contact with Yang Zicang has been transferred from the initial lucky person to being under his charge.
But this time, Li Mi merely shook his head and refused to utter another word.
Chen Yu found it a bit strange; Li Mi almost never refused tasks assigned to him, yet now he only hinted at having a plan without elaborating.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yu said, “Come to my room later for a detailed discussion.”
“Alright.”