The First Order

“That drug dealer”—this was often a label that came up during discussions surrounding questionable behavior.

Ren Xiaosu couldn’t accept this. How could a young and promising supernatural being like him be labeled with such an unworthy title?

Just as he had said before, his social standing would plummet if he became known as “the drug dealer.”

At this moment, a man walked in and said, “Doctor, can you take a look at what’s wrong with me? My stomach constantly hurts.”

Without even thinking, Ren Xiaosu rejected him. “We won’t be treating any more patients from now on.”

However, the man became unhappy. He said, “You’re running a clinic, so how can you refuse to treat patients? Do you know who I am?”

Ren Xiaosu was also getting unhappy. What was with the residents’ behavior in this stronghold? Why did they all like to boast so much about who they were the moment they opened their mouths? It was as though they were living based on their social statuses. He stared at that man. “And who are you?”

“I’m Yan Linfeng from the Western District! Just go around and ask who I am!” the man said disdainfully.

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu heard the long-awaited voice from the palace say, “Quest: Treat a patient.”

Ren Xiaosu looked at Yan Linfeng with a broad grin. “Come, come, tell me about your symptoms.”

Yan Linfeng was stupefied. Was his name really that effective? He had only wanted to throw a tantrum to vent his anger but that quickly subsided. “My stomach doesn’t feel good. It hurts a little.”

“Old Wang, prescribe three antibiotic pills for this patient.” Ren Xiaosu said nicely, “You have gastritis, but you’ll be fine after taking some medicine.”

“Really?” Yan Linfeng said skeptically.

“Yes!” Ren Xiaosu said firmly. ‘Like I care whether it’s real. Completing the quest is more important.’

The palace had not assigned him any quests for a dozen days. This was a good start to the day.

The moment that man took the medicine from him, the voice from the palace said, “Quest complete. Awarded Basic Skill Duplication Scroll!”

Ren Xiaosu’s eyes lit up. The quest was complete!

When Yan Linfeng took the medicine and paid for it, he asked, “Is there any food I should avoid?”

“Don’t eat bitter melon,” Ren Xiaosu said absentmindedly as he started thinking about the scroll in the palace.

“Why shouldn’t I eat bitter melon?” Yan Linfeng was taken aback.

Ren Xiaosu replied, “Because it doesn’t taste good.”

Yan Linfeng was confused.

Wang Fugui sent Yan Linfeng away. Ren Xiaosu looked up and asked, “Did we only get two customers today?”

“Well, not really, but we don’t know how to treat patients, so we just asked them to leave,” Wang Fugui said with a smile. Then he slid out a piece of red paper from underneath the counter. “By the way, someone sent us a pamphlet. Have a look.”

“What is it?” Ren Xiaosu was uncertain as he took it from him. But he was stunned when he saw it, because the logo of the Pyro Company was printed at the top of the pamphlet.

The Pyro Company’s logo was that of a small flame which seemed to represent the survival of civilization as it passed on from generation to generation.

Ren Xiaosu turned serious. Did the Pyro Company have business here in Stronghold 109 as well? Ever since he got out of the Jing Mountains, the Pyro Company was one of the organizations Ren Xiaosu was most curious about.

Until now, he could only speculate on the company based on a few words Yang Xiaojin had said. For some reason, Ren Xiaosu kept a constant wariness for the company.

Maybe it was because Yang Xiaojin had a hostile attitude when she was describing the Pyro Company, and he got influenced.

“Effective from today, supernatural beings can drop by our company and get paid for donating your blood. Your blood will be used for our company’s future research and also contribute to humanity’s progress. Furthermore, you will receive 1,000,000 yuan in exchange for just 200 mL of your blood. Our company will keep your personal information confidential and offer you protection. For further information, please contact…”

There was a series of numbers at the bottom.

According to Yang Xiaojin, the Pyro Company controlled a place similar to the Jing Mountains. Furthermore, there were no volcanoes there, and it was preserved in pristine condition.

Currently, all of the strongholds held a mostly hostile view of supernatural beings. However, not only had the Pyro Company started purchasing the blood of supernatural beings, they even openly offered them protection!

Wang Fugui looked at Ren Xiaosu and said with a smile, “Well, do you want to give it a try?”

Yan Liuyuan walked next to them and glanced at the pamphlet. “Uncle Fugui, something is off about this company. My brother must not go there.”

“True.” Wang Fugui immediately understood. They had witnessed the tragic cases of Zhang Baogen and Chen Wudi for themselves. Who could guarantee that this Pyro Company was acting with good intentions?

Even if the Pyro Company meant well, who could guarantee they could keep the information confidential? So they would rather not earn this money if it meant Ren Xiaosu had to risk his life for it.

However, Wang Fugui realized from this just how aware Yan Liuyuan was of his surroundings.

Holding the pamphlet in his hand, Ren Xiaosu tried to figure out what other tricks the company might be playing. In reality, Wang Fugui and Yan Liuyuan still did not understand this world well enough.

Just citing those terrifying Experimentals as an example, did those subjects all willingly become Experimentals? Probably not.

If the Pyro Company were trying to obtain the blood samples of supernatural beings, they were definitely thinking of obtaining the genetic information. This company was so ambitious that it actually sought to collect the blood of all supernatural beings in the world for research.

But Ren Xiaosu did not think this was a good thing. He called Chen Wudi over and instructed him not to use his superpowers without his permission. For this reason, Ren Xiaosu even had to threaten Chen Wudi with the headache spell before Chen Wudi was willing to promise he would not do so.

“I never expected that the headache spell would be that useful,” Ren Xiaosu lamented.

Wang Fugui said with some regret, “But it’s quite a pity to give up on such a huge reward.”

Making money was a lifetime business to him. It was really difficult not to feel tempted when faced with the promise of so much money for the first time. Of course, he knew his priorities.

All of a sudden, Yan Liuyuan’s eyes lit up. “Since this Pyro Company is so rich, why don’t we pull a heist on them!”

Ren Xiaosu kicked Yan Liuyuan’s buttocks. “Get lost. Pack up and get ready to go with me to school tomorrow!”

“OK…” Yan Liuyuan responded.

Ren Xiaosu glanced at Yan Liuyuan. As this kid had grown up in an environment as harsh as the town, someone would have to teach him from time to time about right and wrong.

Ren Xiaosu noticed the series of numbers at the bottom of the pamphlet. “What do these numbers represent? Is it a code?”

“That should be a telephone number.” Wang Fugui smiled and said, “I’ve heard before that every stronghold has a telephone network. A person can chat with another person even though they’re dozens of kilometers away from each other. We have a landline in our shop too, but we haven’t figured out how to use it yet.”

After this group of refugees arrived, they had to explore everything by themselves. Ren Xiaosu was wondering if he should ask Jiang Wu to come over to give them a lesson about living in the stronghold so they would all get a better understanding of how things worked here.

“Why don’t we try using the phone?” Yan Liuyuan said excitedly. He was at an age where he was interested in all kinds of new things.