Day 60, early morning, five fifty.
After almost four months of extensive preparation, everything is finally ready, and the moment of truth has arrived.
After being busy for nearly two hours, Ren Zhong and six others slowly drove the Qingfeng Heavy Truck into the small town.
Ren Zhong sat in the front passenger seat, with his eyes closed, resting, while his right hand fingers tapped lightly on his thigh to a certain extraordinary rhythm.
This rhythm came from a song that Dr. Ren, who never went to karaoke for the first half of his life, sang the most and remembered the best. Whenever he silently recited the first two lines, the entire song would immediately pop into his mind.
This song ran through the first half of his life.
As a child, he just followed his teachers and classmates, shouting the song in class and on the playground with a loud and childish voice as if he were reciting a text.
He never understood the song’s meaning, only knowing that the louder he sang, the more the teacher liked it.
In his youth, engulfed in studies, he gradually became tired of the monotonous melody.
When others were singing it out loud, he only hummed through his nose, his lips moving impatiently while his mind was busy deriving equations.
Intriguingly, even so, the shape of his lips remained perfect when making the sounds. Even when miming, he was never caught by a teacher.
It turns out the song had quietly seeped into his blood, etched into his soul.
When he reached adulthood, he no longer sang the song.
Even when it would occasionally come to mind, letting it emerge from his mouth felt awkward and out of place.
There was no longer anyone forcing him into a crowd to belt the song with a booming voice.
Whenever he felt pressed for time, he even regretted the meaningless rituals of his childhood, thinking of how much more he could have learned had all those recess times not been wasted.
What was the point of it all?
It wasn’t until he came to Source Star that Ren Zhong suddenly understood the song’s meaning.
A seemingly simple melody that carried boundless resolve.
Sadly, he could sing it no more.
Even in solitude, he dared not utter it aloud.
At half-past seven in the morning, Lin Wang, Bei Lihui, Si Mawan, and Ren Zhong once again rode the Floating Motorboats out of the town, heading directly for the abandoned mine pit.
Along the way, Lin Wang laughed, "In five days, we’ll be leaving Starfire Town. Today, let’s slightly increase our hunting intensity, dive deeper, and aim to take all the goods recently cultivated at the hunting point within the abandoned mine pit."
Ren Zhong nodded slightly.
Element coordination, +1.
Bei Lihui also chuckled, "Finally, we’re leaving. This godforsaken place; I once thought it was paradise when I first came as a kid. Thinking about it now, I find myself laughably foolish."
Ren Zhong laughed and asked, "Brother Hui. Speaking of which, since Pu Cha didn’t pass, are we taking along those teams we’ve aligned with? The women’s team you’ve supported?"
Bei Lihui dismissively waved his hand, "Nah, what for. Each one is useless; all they’re good for is in bed. I’m already tired of those chicks, and when we reach the new town, all I have to do is call out from a high place and shout ’come on, girls!’ Won’t there be plenty?"
Ren Zhong praised, "Brother Hui, you’re truly carefree. I can’t learn that."
Nearby, Lin Wang mused for a moment and said, "Ren Zhong, you’re thinking of taking Zheng Tian and the others, aren’t you?"
Ren Zhong sheepishly nodded, "Yes. I hope the captain will grant my wish."
Lin Wang thought for a moment, "Actually, all aligned teams were to be abandoned in my original plan. But since you, Ren Zhong, are so sentimental and reluctant, I allow you to take Zheng Tian and Hanyu. As for the other three useless ones, just leave them."
Ren Zhong rejoiced greatly, "Thank you, Captain!"
Nearby, Bei Lihui also got excited, "That’s good, that’s good. You know, it’s a shame to let those two girls die without trying them out. Ren Zhong, we’ve agreed, once you’ve had your fill, be sure to let me have a taste."
Ren Zhong protested, "Brother Hui..."
"Hahaha, just joking, don’t get so worked up. Do I look like the kind of person who enjoys snatching others’ fondness? You’re my lifesaver, after all."
Ren Zhong pondered seriously for a moment, "Not at all."
"There you go. Recently, I’ve learned a lot from you about how citizens should conduct themselves. Love! It’s wonderful!"
"Yes, thank you for understanding, Brother Hui."
Even so, Ren Zhong actually knew all too well that a leopard cannot change its spots, and Bei Lihui’s true intentions were never at rest.
If he genuinely cared about the ’life-saving grace,’ he would never have joked this way.
This was merely another instinctive test by Bei Lihui.