"Brother Niu has grand ambitions,bined with Level S talent and the patronage of noble benefactors, his future achievements are boundless."


    By this time, Zhang Lei had already be chummy with Niu Changchun, hispliments flowing like they were free of charge.


    "Oh, please, don''t bring up the support of the nobility so casually, that''s not appropriate."


    Niu Changchun was all humility, but as soon as he brought up the subject, Zhang Lei deftly changed the topic, saying,


    "Speaking of which, I heard that a ''Mid-level Partner'' from our new Development Zone has emerged, quite impressive. I wonder which big shot it is, having already umted enough points."


    "Are you sure they''re from our new Development Zone? That doesn''t seem likely. It''s only been a little over four months. Even if the Inner City young masters have enough strength, they couldn''t have gathered that many points, right?"


    "For real?"


    With Zhang Lei''s words, quite a few people perked up with interest, while everyone else, except Tao Yu who was still boasting, looked genuinely surprised.


    Only Lin Chao nced at Tao Yu without showing any sign.


    He was among those who knew Tao Yu the best, relying on the "Chosen One" mission and the tasks of pioneering the new world; with what he had umted over this period, it should have been enough.


    As for his strength, let''s not even talk about it. He had personally overwhelmed two teams led by Inner City Pioneers, and that nerve-racking experience still gave him nightmares to this day.


    Before returning, Lin Chao had also heard that there had been an incident at the mission hall, where one of the Inner City young masters had been directly killed by Miss Sun Shiqing when he tried to intercept her ns. His body was hung at the base''s entrance as a warning to others.


    Lin Chao thought this might be rted to Tao Yu. Considering the potential troubles it could bring to Tao Yu, he naturally didn''t reveal anything.


    "It should be true."


    At this moment, Niu Changchun also spoke up, then adding,


    "While I was learning the Meditation Technique from Master Wang, I heard a senior brother mention it casually. Well, it''s been over four months now, and with the many opportunities in the Development Zone and the bonus rewards for umting points, it''s understandable."


    Niu Changchun himself possessed Level S talent and had received considerable angel investment, thus his strength had improved rapidly.


    He felt that once his points were enough and he had fully digested what he had already earned, he could try to challenge himself! Master Wang had told him that with his Level S talent and steady progress, even an Outsider without much background could aspire to be a Senior Partner!


    Even among the Inner City Pioneers, there were few whose talents surpassed his own!


    Not to mention in the new Development Zone!


    Niu Changchun had that confidence.


    "Nheless, being a ''Partner'' is ultimately not the proper path. It''s just something to pay attention to in passing. Even ''Senior Partners'' are no match for having one''s own industry. We should still seek shortcuts to corporate promotion or even start our ownpanies to acquire production resources..."


    Niu Changchun then shared his thoughts.


    But Zhang Lei, who had been ttering him, justughed it off at this point,


    "Well, the new Development Zone is still recovering. It''s a bit premature to talk about setting uppanies and factories. We can discuss thatter."


    ttering words cost nothing, but formingpanies and such, how would the benefits be divided? Who would take orders from whom?


    Better to join an existingpany; the recently established Dada Transportation Company by some of the Inner City young masters is quite good.


    "No, listen to me, as far as I know, that Dada Transportation Company has already made a pretty penny, and I''ve got word that they seem to be nning a trip to the new fragments to work on machine tools. We could totally follow suit."


    Niu Changchun, a former Outsider with an average family background, wasn''t as knowledgeable as Zhang Lei and Zhao Yan, so it was somewhat bewildering for him to think of ways to make money.


    But with a sessful example before him, why not just imitate it!


    "Eh? Brother Niu, with you saying this, we could really do it too. Let''s start our own transportation business, go to the new fragments for those machine tools. Moreover, the Zombie World might also have these machine tools avable, we could find a way to transport some. With Brother Niu''s clout, they probably wouldn''t mind."


    The other thin male Pioneer also joined the conversation, lending his support.


    He spoke far less frequently than Zhang Lei, but this time his support was substantial, far more effective than Zhang Lei''s idle talk.


    Tao Yu also felt a bit speechless hearing this, discussing how to copycat his ownpany right in front of him. This didn''t seem quite right...


    As Panda began to recruit more people as partners, his shares were quickly diluting. If it continued like this, Tao Yu would soon be thergest shareholder.


    And by the way, that short guy spoke, he seemed to have had a simr idea a long time ago, but was concerned that he couldn''t withstand retaliation from Inner City people, so he hadn''t acted on it.


    Now, seeing Niu Changchun, the Level S talent Pioneer, wanting to take the lead, he was just giving a nudge from behind.


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea."


    While Tao Yu was still thinking, Lin Chao was the first to speak up.


    ```


    "Oh? Brother Lin, what insights do you have?"


    Niu Changchun valued Lin Chao quite highly, as thetter''s talent was second only to his own, and crucially, he was quite popr—albeit a bit conservative at times.


    "I know you all don''t like being preached to, nor do you enjoy listening to me talk about morality, but if we talk purely in terms of practical interests, who among us can withstand the retaliation of the Inner City Pioneers? The base can''t deal with us, but what about in the wild?"


    At this point, Lin Chao paused for a moment, then continued,


    "Brother Niu came a few dayster than the rest of us. After arrival, you mainly focused on leaving the secr world behind to assimte your gains, so you might not be fully aware of the bloodshed that marked the establishment of the base.


    "Back then, the number of people killed by the Pioneers wasn''t any less than those killed by the Aliens, and now, top talents from the Inner City like Taff are missing, with no news of life or death..."


    Taff was quite famous when he first arrived at the base, with high talent and a strong family background. He even received a special summons from Sun Shiqing and was assigned important tasks.


    Then one day, he suddenly disappeared and has not been seen since.


    At first, nobody thought much of his absence; it was possible he went to explore other fragments.


    With Taff''s strength, spending two or three more months in the Abyss wasn''t a significant matter.


    However, as time passed and there was still no word from him, not even a message to report his status, the likelihood of an ident, given past experiences, greatly increased.


    To this day, most people have already concluded that Taff is dead.


    There are quite a few other Inner City Pioneers who are also missing.


    It''s different from the time of the first awakening; back then, they would inevitably return every fifteen days, so it was clear who was alive or dead.


    The current disappearances are judged as probable idents based on past experience, with a very slim possibility of a miracle.


    But since it''s a miracle, that means it can be deemed negligible.


    Lin Chao''s words indeed dissuaded Niu Changchun from some of his thoughts.


    As a Level S talent owner, he was also keen on preserving his reputation, after all, he believed that his greatest strength was his potential.


    "This... Brother Lin''s words are not without merit. It seems I was somewhat inconsiderate."


    Having grown up in the Outsider, and seen the dark side of the world, Niu Changchun wasn''t annoyed by Lin Chao''s persuasion.


    This caused the other Pioneer, who had also wanted to push forward, to feel somewhat disappointed, but he didn''t say much.


    Having Niu Changchun take the lead, and even if he took the lion''s share, didn''t matter much; one''s safety was the minimum guaranteed. But if he didn''t lead, then definitely neither would they.


    "s, I still haven''t truly caught the eye of the influential people, otherwise, things wouldn''t havee to this."


    Niu Changchun sighed ruefully and then said to Tao Yu,


    "Brother Tao, you''re a few days older than me and have better talent. Perhaps your strength now is not inferior to mine, and you have your confidence, but what''s fake will always be fake. It will be toote when it''s exposed and can''t be covered up anymore, and the influential ones might take notice and be displeased..."


    "You''re right, let''s eat, let''s eat."


    Tao Yu had no intention of arguing.


    However, just then, his wristwatch suddenly vibrated, causing Tao Yu''s expression to freeze. He had only one contact—it couldn''t be that she was back...


    This vibration also caught Niu Changchun''s attention, who then rolled up his own sleeve and proudly showed off his wristwatch, saying,


    "Oh, you have a mission bracelet too? What a coincidence, I have one as well, given to me by Young Master Sun."


    "Uh..."


    "Is someone contacting you? Did you get amunication chip especially made? They''re quite expensive; I couldn''t bear to get one."


    Niu Changchun remarked as he watched Tao Yu''s bracelet vibrate.


    "Yes."


    "Why aren''t you checking it? It''s a message, isn''t it?"


    "Alright."


    Tao Yu felt that it wasn''t nice to outright refuse to check the message in front of someone, especially if word got to her, it could be troublesome.


    So he put the bracelet to his ear, ready to hear what the young missus, who had returned, wanted to say.


    "Not bad, you''ve passed as an intermediate partner? You haven''t disgraced me..."


    Tao Yu didn''t have earphones, and even though the speakerphone next to his ear wasn''t loud, everyone present had at least an A- in talent and were quite capable; this didn''t prevent them from hearing the contents inside...


    ```