"She’s not here."


    Tao Yu looked at his watch, feeling a bit disappointed. The young heiress must have returned to the Abyss.No?v(el)B\\jnn


    It’s strange, but he actually found himself missing her after such a long time apart.


    The cleanliness around his home was truly remarkable, obviously well-maintained, just like the roads leading towards the Inner City. Tao Yu promptly donned his partner’s outfit.


    Guess I’ll head to the mission hall first...


    "Hmm?"


    Tao Yu was somewhat surprised to see an increase in the number of security team members nearby, wondering whether Ze Chuan had arranged this intentionally, but it was a good thing...


    "Something’s not right."


    Tao Yu frowned slightly, suspecting that this was not merely because Ze Chuan wanted to improve the local security. With that, he approached three of the security team members nearby.


    The trio, who had already noticed Tao Yu in his partner’s cloak, could recognize what it symbolized given the average knowledge level of the security team.


    They appeared somewhat reserved when Tao Yu approached, and as soon as they confirmed he was coming towards them, they straightened up considerably.


    "May I know what brings the partner sir here?"


    The leader among them took the initiative to ask.


    "Has something happened around here? Why are there so many of you in this area?"


    Tao Yu scanned the surroundings, spotting not only these three plainly visible members but also some undercover ones, and he vaguely saw more in the neighboring street.


    "Er, sir, have you been away for a long time?"


    One of the security team members cautiously countered with a question.


    "Yes, just got back."


    Tao Yu didn’t deny it, suggesting that something indeed had occurred recently.


    "Well, the Chaoyang Society has been quite active lately, but they haven’t done anything illegal, so we can only keep a closer eye on things to prevent any problems..."


    The security team member frankly outlined the situation without probing why a mid-tier partner like Tao Yu had just returned from the Outer City.


    This revelation took Tao Yu by surprise.


    The Chaoyang Society was always measured in their actions and indeed inclined to help people, regardless of any underlying thoughts or objectives they might have. Their reputation was quite good.


    Many desperate Outsiders often sought help from them, and they would lend a hand where they could.


    The Chaoyang Society didn’t simply dole out charity; they wouldn’t give away Yuan Force directly, instead spreading their philosophy and leading by example.


    Moreover, the president of the Chaoyang Society had made it to the Inner City and possessed considerable strength, reportedly a rare talent, which also contributed to their fame in the Outer City.


    In fact, the Chaoyang Society’s recent activities hadn’t deviated from their usual approach; they merely expanded somewhat due to the extraordinary deeds of their leader who had entered the Inner City.


    "He challenged the head of the Longxi Clan and won, securing an agreement to restrict the family members’ conduct..."


    After thanking the security members, Tao Yu continued towards the Inner City, mulling over the events they had mentioned.


    The president of the Chaoyang Society was a peculiar guy, always peddling inspirational quotes.


    Lin Chao, that kid, really admired their president, and so did Tao Shi, although Tao Yu had never met him.


    All he knew was that the man had gained some renown in the Inner City.


    But surprisingly, he had managed to defeat a clan leader within the Inner City, which signified an impressive level of strength.


    "Thank you."


    After importing the messages, Tao Yu found a corner of the hall to check them.


    Three messages from Jack and four from Panda, almost one per month.


    ’Kid, you’re really a hands-off manager, huh? But nothing much has happened recently, your company has been doing really well. Park Ji-hyun has great ability, her Crow Squad is quite skilled, and Xiao Jian’s group has also started to band together. A lot of survivors have come from the neighboring world, and they’ve even cut a path through the Rainforest.


    I heard they’re preparing to lay down a simple road so it might be reachable by vehicles in the future...’


    ’Tommy and Judy are in love now, bless them, it’s not bad that they can drive trucks together. Your company has started producing some consumables, but the quality is a little poor. Bullet manufacturing requires high craftsmanship, but I reckon there’ll be money to be made once all the stock is used up.’


    ’More people from the Floating City have arrived, and the base’s atmosphere feels a bit oppressive. Aside from the Suns siblings sitting back and reaping the benefits, the others seem to be forming factions, and some of them have even approached me actively. But I’ve stayed neutral all along, only accountable to the Suns siblings, haha~’


    Jack’s messages were just casual chat, with not much to report. However, the part about people from the Floating City beginning to form factions within the base caught Tao Yu’s attention.


    There was no doubt about the Suns siblings’ unique standing, not only possessing talent but also so many advantages from their head start.


    Now that the newcomers have begun to choose sides, the Inner City Pioneers in the base would probably have quite a headache.


    Remaining neutral often requires strength!


    Panda’s messages were of a similar vein, roughly discussing the factory’s progress and some sales conditions; Tai Yu estimated that without doing anything for six months, his dividends had already accumulated over two hundred thousand.


    Though Tao Yu had made some initial investments such as obtaining information about the Monster World and hiring An Zhijie the pilot, he had indeed been a hands-off manager afterward. Thanks to Sun Shiqing’s occasional help, his dividends were quite stable!


    Steady returns were coming in, and moreover, they were expected to increase!


    According to Panda’s words, if it wasn’t for Sun Shiqing’s support, he would have probably been forced to pick a side and even give up a lot of shares to avoid trouble.


    "This world really does respect strength, not all those from the Floating City are easy to talk to like the little rich ladies..."


    Tao Yu sighed, and then left a message himself, asking them to help him find the Suns siblings if they had the chance, just to say he wanted to get in touch with them.


    He remembered what Sun Shiqing said last time, so he didn’t leave a message directly to the little rich ladies but rather took a more circuitous approach.


    It was like a more attentive subordinate making a report, so as to avoid unnecessary speculation.


    The confidentiality of messages in this task hall might be reliable, but that depended on who you were dealing with.


    When it came to people from the Floating City, clearly there wasn’t much secrecy to be had.


    "One must always be cautious for now."


    However, just as Tao Yu had finished leaving his message, his watch received a transmission on a radio frequency.


    "Tao Brother, you’re back?"


    Upon hearing it, Tao Yu recognized it as Panda’s voice. It seemed Panda was also currently in this world. Perhaps having left a message caused the task hall to have a feedback mechanism, which informed him that someone had left a message.


    Then he tried to make contact through the radio frequency they commonly used.


    "Just happened to run into you, that’s quite a coincidence..."


    Tao Yu also felt somewhat emotional; it had been half a year since he last saw Panda. In the ten months since the new Development Zone was established, they’d only exchanged simple communications, yet that was enough to maintain a stable relationship.


    At the end of the day, a relationship based on mutual interests was the most reliable.


    "Ha ha, that’s quite timely; I haven’t given you your dividend yet. Let’s have a meal together, I know a fun place."


    "Sure, you’re the host; you make the arrangements."


    Jack could pass messages too, but the little rich ladies probably wouldn’t be back so soon.


    Having been on edge for so long, it wasn’t bad to relax a bit...


    ————