Competition?


    Tao Yu was not surprised at all upon hearing this.


    Why did he form an alliance with Panda?


    Aside from the fact that Panda, as an Inner City resident, had greater influence and a higher profile, the main reason was that the job as a porter had too low a barrier to entry and was highly replicable.


    In Las Vegas, zombies were sparse, and it was safer than Henderson.


    Getting the first batch of goods was the most important, so it was best to expand the carrying capacity as quickly as possible.


    As long as one could grab the earliest batch of valuable goods, one would seed—and Panda''s promise was to drop the amount directly to fifty thousand in the second month.


    However, being singled out by Judy and being informed about other Hermit teams suffering heavy casualties suggested some conflict had erupted outside.


    "Is Panda there? Let him speak."


    "Yes, I''ll call him."


    It wasn''t long before the walkie-talkie crackled to life again.


    "Tao, brother, you''re back, huh? Did it go smoothly?"


    "I''m okay. What''s the situation like now?"


    Tao Yu cut to the chase.


    "No big deal, rest assured, the minimum guarantee I promised you will be honored. However, it was supposed to be a bit more, but now it''s likely that I can only divide about eleven or twelve thousand for you in the first month."


    Panda seemed a bit frustrated and then continued on his own


    "Two more Inner City guys turned up, and well, I was thinking we should all sit down and talk it out, right? Make money together without the need to fight among ourselves.


    "But those two acted strangely, splitting into two groups. So, it''s not easy for me to cooperate with one of them, and now everyone is just doing their own thing..."


    After hearing Panda''s exnation, Tao Yu found himself shaking his head a bit.


    So far, from Tao Yu''s interactions—Panda was different from the likes of Henderson and Wino; he was more mercenary.


    But this wasn''t necessarily a bad trait. To each their own, and at least with such a character, negotiations tended to go smoothly.


    So when new people arrived, sitting down together to think through making things bigger and stronger for a joint benefit wasn''t uneptable.


    Dividing the profits ording to each one''s capabilities and efforts seemed reasonable.


    Or the various teams could divide the territories and work on their own!


    After all, there was only so much total profit, and once it was dug up, it''d be gone.


    Yet such frustrating incidents had urred.


    What happened next became clearer: the Inner City Pioneers valued their reputation and didn''t resort to direct confrontation, but the outside porter teams suffered the consequences.


    Besides showing some respect for Panda, some Hermits too were caught in the crossfire.


    "They haven''t attacked us, have they?"


    "Not yet..."


    When Panda reached this point, his voice took on a more solemn tone, and Tao Yu heard it.


    "You mean, they might attack us?"


    "They''re a bit enraged. It wasn''t much really, but I don''t know how they''ve made it into such a mess. The young Sun master is quite annoyed too, but it''s not possible for him to take care of every little detail."


    Sun Shiyu and Sun Shiqing were the pirs of the base, but they didn''t have the Clone Technique and indeed could not manage every detail personally. They had to delegate authority.


    Anyway, those two groups were well-behaved in the assembly area, but they caused all sorts of trouble where they couldn''t be controlled.


    "There are mines on the streets now. Be careful out there, man."


    "Mines?"


    Tao Yu also felt frustrated. This was like biting the hand that feeds.


    "Got it. Stay safe."


    "Yeah, you too. Some Inner City heirs can have very nasty characters."


    Panda gently reminded Tao Yu.


    He himself was shrewd, weighing pros and cons, but not all Inner City people were like him.


    Having some rtionship with the Suns might, in some eyes, invite jealousy...


    "I know some people can be very nasty."


    Nasty Inner City people?


    José, who set a trap for him upon meeting; the more straightforward Wino; the Li-Lin who lusted after his beauty; and those who didn''t care about the lives of others, just to feed the Aliens.


    In Tao Yu''s view, Panda was actually a rare breed.


    "I hope some of you would have even nastier characters..."


    Tao Yu set the walkie-talkie back on the folding table and muttered as if to himself.


    "But Sun Shiqing seems to have a bit of a headache now, mainly due to ack of people."


    Tao Yu had heard Sun Shiqing''s broadcast, which was clearly vexed. Yet, as a Floating City heir, she did not deal with the situation directly out of personal preference, considering the bigger picture more.


    Now that there was a shortage of people, indeed more Inner City people were needed to build the makeshift structure of the base.


    "For now, the registration of goods and such relies on the native inhabitants originally at the base, but ultimately, some authority should be handed over to the Pioneers."


    Tao Yu knew little about the ways of bnce and leadership.


    But anyone who has studied history knows that an Emperor needs means to bnce the court to sit securely on the throne.


    Those trusted natives were like the eunuchs and court factions, with all their power derived from the Suns, sticking with them to handle logistics, internal affairs, and the like.


    But for external exploration, Pioneers must take the lead, and those with generally outstanding abilities, especially the Inner City Pioneers who demonstrated strength from the start, could bear some important tasks.


    Just as the Outsider Pioneers were not yet given expendable tasks, being too authoritarian towards Inner City Pioneers might discourage them from choosing the new Development Zone in the future.


    "Even if personal power is concentered in one''s own hands, possessing unchallenged authority, in the end, humans are the ones getting things done..."


    As a white-cor worker in his previous life, Tao Yu clearly understood that if his subordinates were united, they could easily resist or even sideline their leader.


    The Suns siblings had the power to physically solve problems, but sometimes they still had to consider public opinion.


    Being too dominant might force those who originally didn''t band together to do so actively, or they might simply leave.


    "However, I don''t have such concerns. What do I care, as long as I get paid..."


    Tao Yu took a deep breath with closed eyes, but still chose not to rush out overnight.


    ```


    God knows where they are now, and it hasn''t gotten to that stage yet; better to digest my own gains first.


    "Shouldn''t be too much trouble to get an advance on some Yuan Force from Panda..."


    After drinking a bottle of icy nerd water taken out from the RV fridge, Tao Yu let out a burp...


    ...


    Three dayster...


    At a crossroads, seven trucks, powerful and dominant, upied the entire street.


    Next to them, a gang of bikers were continuously patrolling.


    In addition to this, armed figures stood on the roof of each truck, keeping watch.


    All nearby zombies had been cleared away, and the air was filled with the stench of decay.


    At this moment, apanied by the roar of an engine, a cross-country motorcycle appeared from around the corner and headed straight for the convoy.


    The neer drew the attention of many, with some of the armed personnel on the roofs even readying their guns.


    "Don''t fidget with the guns; this is your second boss."


    The scolding voice of Panda reached them, arousing curiosity among the new team members who turned to look at Tao Yu riding the motorcycle.


    This second boss was reportedly on good terms with Young Master Sun and, as an Outsider, held the secondrgest share in thepany.


    "Is this the Tao you mentioned?"


    Next to Panda''s motorcycle, the shadow on a simrly punk-styled bike turned to nce at Tao Yu.


    With a mechanical whir in their eyes, their pupils seemed to lock onto something.


    "At first nce, he seems quite capable, muscr and well-proportioned. Isn''t this Grade A ''Dynamic Vision''?"


    "I already told you he has a good rapport with Young Master Sun and even passed on some skills to him, so don''t mess around, okay?"


    With his towering height of over two meters, Panda patted hispanion''s mechanical head with his unusuallyrge hand.


    "Tch, I just wanted to see why he has a bigger share than me when I''m the one hustling every day for the convoy."


    There was a metallic nk as the head was patted, but it didn''t seem to bother the recipient.


    "Isn''t it because Young Master Sun personally came over to request leave for him? Is that enough for you?"


    Panda shot him a look before dismounting and stepping forward, while Tao Yu also slowed down and stopped next to Panda.


    Tao Yu was now over one meter eighty tall, but still seemed inconspicuous next to Panda and his motorcycle.


    Panda then took out a Yuan Force card, started infusing Yuan Force into it, and said to Tao Yu,


    "Fifty thousand should be enough, right? I don''t have much ''Flowing Water'' on me; I''ve been stockpiling some supplies too, some of which can still be slowly transported to the real world and sold for even more."


    "That''s enough, thanks."


    It hadn''t been ten days since they had started working together, yet Panda was already willing to advance fifty thousand Yuan Force. Tao Yu was very satisfied.


    Now, with nutritional supplementation and having entered a stable period of enhancement, Tao Yu also chose a more cost-effective mode of Yuan Force consumption, which was sufficient for the time being.


    If he could collect another wave of it, he estimated he might attempt a second ''Deification'' of the ''Stealth'' ability.


    Although the cost-effectiveness of a second ''Deification'' had decreased significantly, ''Stealth'' was the skill generating the most Shadow Force for him at present, and the price was still eptable, so Tao Yu had already queued it for upgrade.


    If there was enough Yuan Force, he could also consider working on ''Stance Skill'', continue building the foundation, and enhance all three dimensions.


    "Here''s this too; Miss Sun has already brought back a terminal from the real world, and I''vepleted thepany registration. This is your authentication chip. Don''t lose it; it''s a hassle to rece."


    Panda handed over a chip resembling a SIM card that could be directly inserted into Tao Yu''s watch, and Tao Yu unhesitatingly took it and inserted it into his watch,


    "Oh, Miss Sun is back, huh?"


    Tao Yu casually asked.


    "She''s back. This our third shareholder, Qimen; now that those two gangs have merged, I fear I can''t cover for them alone."


    Panda then introduced the third shareholder to Tao Yu.


    Tao Yu, weing of anyone who could bring him ie, nodded with a broad smile at the mechanized figure.


    Qimen, however, didn''t disy the same stern demeanor as when talking with Panda; instead, he greeted Tao Yu with a smile,


    "I''ve only heard of your name. I heard you''re working for Young Master Sun. Don''t forget to pull us up when you''ve made it big."


    "Not at all, you tter me too much."


    No sooner had Tao Yu finished speaking than his watch vibrated, which surprised him.


    Abyss was only covered by broadcast signals at the moment, weren''t they? They didn''t havemunication signals.


    Upon opening the message, he heard Sun Shiyu''s voice,


    "Where are you? Why is it just your bug here?"


    Well, did she ride her motorboat here looking for me? Perhaps her motorboat had short-rangemunication capabilities.


    Tao Yu could only politely apologize to the stunned pair,


    "Sorry, something''se up – I have to go."


    As he spoke, he also replied with a voice message,


    "I was just with the convoy; I''ll head back now."


    With those words, he revved his motorbike, turned around, and roared off into the distance.


    Qimen, with his jaw hanging open, couldn''t help but swallow and say,


    "Was that Miss Sun''s voice just now? Didn''t you say he''s on good terms with Young Master Sun?"


    "Ah, well, Young Master Sun was the one who took leavest time. Maybe he''s on good terms with both of them..."


    Panda was somewhat at a loss for words; an Outsider, and theye to him directly?


    Shouldn''t he be scampering back as soon as he''s summoned?


    Indeed, bringing him into the partnership was a wise move!


    Qimen, too, touched the non-existent sweat on his mechanical head.


    If it were just him, he really had nned to spout some bravado, just to give Panda some face!


    Luckily, he hadn''t spoken out of turn; their first meeting had gone quite smoothly.


    "Maybe I should learn to hold my tongue..."


    Having gone through this incident, Qimen began to reflect on himself. Many people only change after being faced with an upheaval and hitting a wall...


    ```