The First Order

With Yang Xiaojin and the Qing Consortium both here in Stronghold 109, and the Pyro Company audaciously seeking to collect the blood of supernatural beings as well, Ren Xiaosu nearly forgot this stronghold was actually under the control of the Li Consortium. Ren Xiaosu was a little curious about what could have attracted all these people here and the events that might be unfolding soon.

Until now, Ren Xiaosu had only met with the stronghold overseer whose name was Lu Yuan. There was no trace of anyone from the Li Consortium. Could the Li Consortium not know about what was going on in the stronghold? Surely that couldn’t be possible!

So why didn’t the Li Consortium make an appearance to control the situation? With so many different powers gathered here, it felt like some kind of matchmaking session. As the host, why wasn’t there any sign of the Li Consortium?

It was at this moment that a student on the streetcar said, “There’s still half a year until exams. I wonder if we’ll qualify for uni?”

“Haha, I’ve already given up,” said a student dressed more casually than the others. His collared shirt was mostly untucked while his hair was pretty long. As he spoke, he kept brushing his bangs to the side. “My dad already said he wants me to go to his factory and climb the ranks after I graduate from high school.”

“What does your family’s factory produce?” someone asked.

That student laughed and said, “We make clothes. My family’s factory processes 10% of the fabric brought in from the outside. A lot of the clothes we make are even exported to the other strongholds to be sold.”

“That sounds awesome!” the other student exclaimed. “But it hasn’t seemed like it’s very safe outside the stronghold in recent times. Are the clothes your family make still going to get exported?”

“It’s true that it isn’t safe outside the stronghold anymore. My dad says we won’t be exporting anything out in the short term.”

Ren Xiaosu took a look at them. Zhang Jinglin once said that the smokestack industries ¹ were all outside the stronghold, while the industries that did not cause serious pollution were within it. Of course, it wasn’t an absolute.

Sometimes, Ren Xiaosu thought the strongholds seemed to survive on the basis that the refugees had to suffer on the outside. Life outside was an abyss of suffering while everything on the inside was peaceful and prosperous.

The refugees living on the outside were only allowed to get involved with the most basic production of raw materials, while all further processing was to be carried out inside the strongholds. This would mean that whatever items the refugees needed, they would have to buy it with money from the stronghold.

In this way, whatever hard-earned money of the refugees would eventually flow back into the hands of the stronghold. To the big shots of the corporations, this was all but a simple game.

Actually, Ren Xiaosu did not feel that most people in the strongholds had any value at all. So why would the corporations find it necessary to support so many people?

But unlike how Ren Xiaosu had imagined it, those who lived in the strongholds had always lived in one since the strongholds started. However, a consortium was not necessarily a consortium at the beginning.

By the time the corporations started growing and gaining power, the masses in the strongholds had already formed a unique way of life. Even if the corporations wanted to change that, they would find it extremely difficult to do so.

The difference between the majority of a stronghold’s residents and a town’s refugees was none other than that those who were born in the strongholds had won before the race had even started.

The students in front of them looked like they were affluent second generations of the stronghold. Wang Dalong had been an affluent second generation in their previous town. But now, it seemed like Wang Dalong was doing much worse when compared to these people.

At this moment, one of the girls realized Wang Dalong was staring at her with an obsessive gaze. As such, she glared back at Wang Dalong. But even so, Wang Dalong did not look away. He was extremely focused on her.

Then Ren Xiaosu heard the students changing the subject. “Have you heard about the new transfer student in Class 12-2 ¹ ?”

“Are you talking about that girl?” The other boys suddenly became interested in this topic. “I saw her from a distance two days ago. I heard she had transferred over from another high school.”

“But she’s always wearing that cap, so I couldn’t get a clear look at her face.”

A girl who could provoke a group of boys into discussing her would definitely be pretty to a certain extent.

However, when Ren Xiaosu heard this, he got an odd feeling…

At this moment, the driver at the front of the streetcar shouted, “We’ve arrived at 13th High!”

Ren Xiaosu led Yan Liuyuan and Wang Dalong out of the streetcar. As it only took them four stops to get from the shop to the school’s entrance, Ren Xiaosu wondered whether they should walk to school in the future.

Then Yan Liuyuan discovered Ren Xiaosu had abruptly stopped in his tracks. He turned around to where Ren Xiaosu was looking and was surprised to see a cap-wearing girl looking straight back at Ren Xiaosu.

Ren Xiaosu had already made a guess on the streetcar, but he really had not expected to bump into Yang Xiaojin here! Instead of catching up with one another, Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin both reached for their waists, ready to pull out their guns. However, both of them had a sudden, simultaneous realization that they were here to attend school.

In fact, Ren Xiaosu’s gun was not holstered at his waist. He kept it in the storage space in his mental palace.

Yan Liuyuan was confused. Wasn’t this cap-wearing girl the person from before who was with the celebrity called Luo Xinyu? Why did she appear here then? Furthermore, she even caused Ren Xiaosu such panic?

Instantly, Ren Xiaosu got a thought in his mind. He could sense that Yang Xiaojin seemed to be a little surprised and might even be thinking of silencing him.

Ren Xiaosu could guess why Yang Xiaojin would have such a reaction. Clearly, Yang Xiaojin was the transfer student those students had mentioned.

This girl had come straight to Stronghold 109 after getting out of the Jing Mountains. Furthermore, she was even allowed direct entry into the stronghold.

Getting into the stronghold could easily be explained with Luo Xinyu’s superpower. But surely that power wasn’t going to help Yang Xiaojin enroll for school as well, right?! Who could possibly have such an awesome superpower?

As such, her organization must have already infiltrated into this stronghold. By investigating how Yang Xiaojin’s student application was handled, it might be possible to find out who was secretly backing her in Stronghold 109.

Although they were once teammates and had been connected by a temporary alliance, their relationship wasn’t exactly that close, to be honest. So it was normal that Yang Xiaojin would react in such a way to protect herself and her companion in the organization.

Ren Xiaosu felt a little helpless. He hadn’t expected to meet this cap-wearing girl here either. Perhaps this girl might not even know he already had an idea of who had left the note under the door.

The two of them were caught in a deadlock outside the school’s entrance. Quite a few students gave them strange looks as they passed by. Since Ren Xiaosu felt this wasn’t going to lead anywhere, he initiated a reconciliatory action.

He slowly brought his hand out from behind his waist to show he wasn’t holding a gun. Yang Xiaojin looked at him calmly but did not put her hand down. Ren Xiaosu had a look at the pedestrians around them before attempting to talk about something else to ease the situation further. “Return the dagger to me.”

Yang Xiaojin raised an eyebrow. Honestly, she had not expected Ren Xiaosu to talk about this.

At this moment, several students walked over. When they saw Yang Xiaojin, they greeted, “Hey, why are you standing out here?”

Yang Xiaojin calmly pointed at Ren Xiaosu. “He’s trying to rob me.”

Ren Xiaosu reacted, “Huh?!”