The First Order

Chapter 308 Encountering Luo Lan again

When Yang Xiaojin heard that Ren Xiaosu wanted to make arrangements for Wang Yuchi and the other students to attend university, she thought for a moment and said, “Even I can’t directly approve their admission into school. However, I can arrange for them to take the entrance exams in three months’ time.”

“That’s fine too,” Ren Xiaosu said.

Wang Yuchi asked, “Monitor, aren’t you also going to attend university?”

Ren Xiaosu hesitated for a moment before saying, “You guys can attend first.”

Although he was very eager to learn, he knew what he was capable of. Even if he studied with all his might for the three remaining months until the exams, it would be impossible for him to qualify for university!

Unless he grinded his quests every day after getting into the stronghold and got his hands on more Basic Skill Duplication Scrolls, he would not be able to copy Yang Xiaojin’s knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

When Ren Xiaosu thought of those messed-up skills that Yang Xiaojin had, he felt that it would definitely be a tedious process.

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu noticed a gold shop on the side of the street in the stronghold and wondered if the Li and Qing currencies had also depreciated here. If that were the case, he could do that thing again.

Even though he could not spend it outside, he could still keep it and use it to pay for items from the palace in the future.

Along the way, Ren Xiaosu heard the clacking of mahjong tiles being shuffled coming from the buildings next to the street. He was stunned. “What’s that sound?”

Yang Xiaojin replied, “Oh, they’re playing mahjong.”

“There’s that many people playing mahjong?” Ren Xiaosu was surprised.

When they arrived at the place Yang Xiaojin had prepared for them, she excused herself as she had a lot of matters to deal with after being away from the stronghold for so long.

Before she left, Yang Xiaojin said, “Please bear with this place for the time being. I’ll help you get another residence as soon as possible.”

Ren Xiaosu was quite satisfied when he saw the house came with a yard. “It’s fine. I find it pretty nice here.”

As soon as Ren Xiaosu and the others entered the yard, they saw Luo Lan’s large head peeking out over the wall and observing them secretly. Ren Xiaosu was tickled. “What are you doing?”

Luo Lan exclaimed when he realized it was Ren Xiaosu, “You all got arrested too?”

Ren Xiaosu said calmly, “You’ve misunderstood. We aren’t in the same situation as you.”

Someone was even whispering behind the wall, “Boss, who did you see? Can we also take a look?”

Luo Lan snapped, “What’s there to look at? Keep holding me up!”

“Boss, you’re really too heavy….”

Ren Xiaosu’s eyes twitched a little. So Luo Lan was able to lean over the wall because he had someone holding him up.

However, it seemed that Luo Lan and his men were still in quite a good state of mind. Ren Xiaosu asked, “Aren’t you being confined right now? But you don’t look depressed at all.”

Luo Lan said without a care, “The Yang Consortium won’t do anything to me. A fatty that’s alive is worth more than a dead one. Besides, I’m used to being confined because of Stronghold 111.”

“You sound rather optimistic.” Ren Xiaosu curled his lips. “Have you heard about it yet? Qing Zhen has successfully taken control of the Qing Consortium. Congratulations.”

Luo Lan nearly burst into tears at the words. “Fuck, I’m fucking done for this time. The Yang Consortium will definitely not let me go anymore.”

In an instant, Luo Lan understood his value. As the elder brother of the Qing Consortium’s CEO, he would probably be worth more than a stronghold. Thinking of this, Luo Lan even started feeling a little excited for some reason. Had he really become this valuable?

“Come, come, lift me up a little higher.” Luo Lan said to the people below him, “Let me go to the yard next door to catch up with Brother Xiaosu.”

Ren Xiaosu pressed Luo Lan’s head down and refused to let him come over. “As a prisoner, don’t you run over here like that. What if you implicate us?”

Luo Lan said unhappily, “Look, I’m already addressing you as brother. As the saying goes, ‘slap not an apologetic, smiling face.’ How can you treat me like this!”

Ren Xiaosu gave him a glance. “But I’m allowed to slap someone with a fake smile.”

“I have money!” Luo Lan shouted.

It was only then that Ren Xiaosu let go of his hand. “It’s not about the money. I just wanted to invite you over.”

Then Ren Xiaosu watched Luo Lan climb over the wall in the yard clumsily. If he didn’t catch him from below, Luo Lan would have probably crashed to the ground.

Ren Xiaosu asked, “Since you can freely come into the yard next door, why didn’t you just make your escape from there?”

“The people who originally stayed here at your place were plainclothes cops instructed to keep watch on me.” Luo Lan dusted off the dirt on his backside and said, “I didn’t know why they left this morning, so I leaned over the wall to have a look. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t keeping watch on me anymore. The entire street is filled with the Yang Consortium’s plainclothes cops. If I take a step out of here, I’ll probably get turned into Swiss cheese!”

“Eh?” Ren Xiaosu was stunned. So that was what happened.

“In the morning, someone even specially came over to clean the house for you all,” Luo Lan said as he paced around the yard. When he saw the female students standing behind Jiang Wu, he couldn’t take his eyes off them. “Beautiful ladies, let me introduce myself. My name is Luo Lan, and I’m the elder brother of the Qing Consortium’s current CEO!”

But at this moment, no one really wanted to bother with him. Ren Xiaosu was also considering their current situation. Since the entire street was under the Yang Consortium’s surveillance, why did Yang Xiaojin bring them here? Was it because she was left with no other choice, or did she want to place them under surveillance as well? Did Yang Xiaojin know about this?

Wait a minute. It was no wonder Yang Xiaojin told them to bear with this place for the time being before she left. She must have known about this matter as well, but it was just that she could not do anything about it.

It seemed that the conflict between the Saboteurs and the Yang Consortium had already affected Yang Xiaojin’s status in the Yang Consortium.

Yan Liuyuan whispered next to him, “An organization’s attitude will not be changed just because of Big Sister Xiaojin alone. So, Bro, have you thought about what we’ll be facing next?”

Ren Xiaosu patted his head and said with a smile, “It’ll be fine. When I recover, the Yang Consortium won’t be able to stop us. When the time comes, we’ll head to the north to become bandits. I heard that the area between the Yang Consortium, the Zong Consortium, and Stronghold 178 is an unincorporated zone.”

Ren Xiaosu was right about that. Even Xu Xianchu had encountered the bandits that tried to attack him when he was on his way to Stronghold 178.

The bandits had ties with the Zong Consortium when free trade was still active some years ago. Some of them were even the Zong Consortium’s own regular troops in disguise, all so they could plunder and steal goods.

But over the years, the Zong Consortium had raised a tiger that brought them calamity. Many of the bandits got out of control and lived their carefree and comfortable lives in the unincorporated zone.

Ren Xiaosu thought that living in a place without rules could actually be quite good, and that he should be able to gain a foothold there with his skills.

Therefore, he would stay in the stronghold for the next few days to recuperate and observe the situation. If they realize that Stronghold 88 was really not a viable place to live in, they could just head north and become kings in the mountains.

But at this moment, someone knocked on the door. Wang Fugui went to open it and was surprised to find a group of people waiting outside with some food.

A middle-aged man at the door said with a smile, “Hello, everyone, I have instructions from the higher-ups to send you all some food.”

Luo Lan gasped. Why was the difference in treatment so great?