After learning about the trap hidden in the letter from Rongcheng, Shen Feng knew he couldn't trust anyone easily. A guy who seemed decent at first glance might be plotting against him behind his back.
After the discussion concluded, Shen Feng could only sigh helplessly and say, "It seems the next few years won't be easy. We'll have to focus on farming. Only after all the mutated beasts are eliminated will there be peace in the world."
"Easier said than done," Dan Zhengming shook his head and said, "While I don't understand much science, I've read some articles. As long as the meteorites in the sea aren't salvaged, the animals on Earth won't stop mutating. Mutated beasts will continuously emerge from the mountains and waters, and the doomsday will continue."
Didn't Shen Feng know this? Only by salvaging the meteorites could there be a chance to create a peaceful world. However, the meteorites were currently in the hands of giant sea beasts, and the ocean was entirely the domain of sea beasts. The more than two hundred ability users who fought at sea previously were utterly defeated. Which ability user in the world now dared to go into the sea to salvage meteorites?
"Meteorites, meteorites! Why did they suddenly fall to Earth? And where did these meteorites come from?" Shen Feng couldn't help but ask.
"Who knows? Do humans understand even one percent of Yuzhou?" Feng Shicheng grumbled.
The discussion came to a halt here. Shen Feng no longer intended to contact Rongcheng. As long as his parents were taken care of in Rongcheng, that was enough.
Shen Feng also believed that Rongcheng wouldn't dare to harm his parents. As long as he was safe in Yuzhou, his parents would definitely be secure.
However, at this moment, Shen Feng suddenly asked, "Hey, Old Feng, you used to be a writer, and I heard you wrote web novels. Tell me, how can one write a million-character review... novel!"
Shen Feng almost slipped up and quickly changed his question, asking only about writing novels.
Feng Shicheng was silent for a moment, thought carefully, and finally said, "In my opinion, it's not too difficult. If you write twenty thousand characters a day and pad the novel heavily, you can write a million characters in fifty days. Of course, I'm talking about the best-case scenario. Professional web novel authors can reach this level. As for ordinary people wanting to write a million-character novel, it's impossible without two years."
Upon hearing this answer, Shen Feng felt a headache coming on. He thought, "This is bad. If I had to write the review myself, it would take me a year. It seems I can only keep my relationship with Du Xinshi a secret for now. Let her become the general manager of the Fengshen Palace first. We'll talk about the future later!"
Feng Shicheng, being a professional web novel author, saw Shen Feng's sudden interest and began to talk about the current state of novel writing. "City Lord, if you want to read novels, just tell me. I'll find a couple of writers to write them directly. Whatever you want to read, they'll write it. I have the connections."
In Feng Shicheng's view, Shen Feng's questions about novel writing usually meant he wanted to read novels. The web novel market used to be very prosperous, but now it was in decline. Who had the time to read novels when everyone was struggling to make ends meet?
Therefore, not many people were writing novels now, as they couldn't even support themselves. If Shen Feng was willing, he could hire a few writers and have them write whatever content he desired. If he was in a good mood, he could even publish them.
Shen Feng hesitated for a moment and said, "Then help me keep an eye on these novel writers, especially those who write quickly. They don't need to appear now, but we need to be prepared in advance!"
Shen Feng had also thought of Du Xinshi's previous suggestion. If he had to write a million-character review himself, it was clearly impossible. Therefore, if the truth came out, he would have to find a ghostwriter.
...
When Yu Zhijing returned to his family's hotel, he found it deserted. Most of the former employees had fled. Except for a few loyal subordinates, there was no one left in the hotel. His sister was curled up in a corner, looking distressed, as if she had thought of something bad.
Upon seeing her brother return, Yu Zhiling immediately rushed forward, crying and saying aggrievedly, "Brother, people from the mercenary group came earlier, saying they hadn't received their wages for this month, so they wanted to take things as payment. They took all the meat from our cold storage. I couldn't stop them!"
Hearing his sister's words, Yu Zhijing could only shake his head helplessly. He had read about many people kicking someone when they were down in books before, and he had thought those behaviors were isolated incidents. But now, experiencing it firsthand, he realized how many sycophants there were in this world.
Originally, the meat from mutated beasts hunted by the mercenary group was supposed to be handed over. Yu Muhe calculated expenses based on each person's performance and paid wages at the end of the month. Additionally, the hotel had a specially built cold storage to store this mutated beast meat.
Now, it wasn't even payday, and a group from the mercenary group had rushed in and looted everything. It was obvious that they were taking advantage of Yu Muhe's arrest to profit, preying on the young Yu Zhijing and his sister.
"Reeds on a wall, heavy head and shallow roots; Bamboo shoots in the mountains, sharp mouth and thin skin, hollow inside. Seeing that we have no power, they are ready to snatch our family's assets. If Father were still here, it wouldn't be like this!" Yu Zhijing could only say helplessly.
Yu Zhiling looked at her brother and asked, "What should we do now? Aunt Wu said today that we should run far away while Father hasn't been sentenced yet. Once Father is dead, we won't be able to run!"
Yu Zhiling was terrified and didn't know what to do.
Yu Zhijing didn't believe what Aunt Wu said at all. If they ran now, they could temporarily avoid disaster. However, without strength, they still wouldn't be able to survive in this world. He himself had a lot of knowledge but lacked power. It would be difficult to survive in the wilderness with his sister.
"Follow me, sister. Brother will teach you something to do, and I'll be able to change the current situation immediately!" Yu Zhijing said to his sister.
Then, Yu Zhijing took his sister to a secret room. After closing the door, he whispered, "I think I know what Father did wrong. He illegally collected protection fees with his men, which directly challenged the authority of the City Lord's mansion. You must know that collecting protection fees is a form of taxation, which is like poking a hornet's nest!"
Yu Zhijing hadn't expected his father to be so daring. Just a year ago, the City Lord had killed thousands of people for collecting protection fees. Yet, now his father hadn't learned his lesson and started collecting protection fees. Did he think he was that powerful?
However, that wasn't the main point. Since falling into a state of incomplete evolution, Yu Zhijing had begun to observe Shen Feng's behavioral logic. Generally speaking, as long as someone wasn't crazy, their actions had a certain logic. In Yu Zhijing's opinion, every action Shen Feng took had a strong purpose: to maintain stable rule.
Therefore, all of Shen Feng's methods were aimed at solidifying his position. This was also the choice of many people. After finding a place to settle down, they wanted to maintain it forever.
Having understood Shen Feng's behavioral logic, Yu Zhijing knew how to respond. Although his father had committed an unforgivable offense by collecting protection fees, as long as it was handled properly, he could be forgiven, especially if he could offer a more attractive condition!
"What do you want me to do?" Yu Zhiling asked, completely clueless about how to face the current situation. After all, she was only a seven-year-old child whose mind was not yet mature, and she couldn't possibly make a decision at a critical moment.
Yu Zhijing slowly said, "I have a ninety percent chance of convincing the City Lord, but the problem is that I can't see him. What you need to do is help me see the City Lord! I've found out that the City Lord's wife's brother has someone he likes in the orphanage, a few years older than you. I'll give you some money, and then you'll use that money to carry out my plan!"
Yu Zhijing had already figured out how to convince Shen Feng. He had previously learned that Shen Feng would be leaving the city to see off a distant guest and planned to meet Shen Feng at that time. However, he was blocked by bodyguards. After finally resorting to a monetary approach, Shen Feng flew away.
After much thought, Yu Zhijing could only find other means to meet Shen Feng. The method was to approach people around Shen Feng. Those close to him were impossible to meet casually, as they held noble positions and didn't know him, so they wouldn't introduce him.
The only person he could try to approach was Chang Haojie. Chang Haojie himself flew freely in the sky, unhindered by anyone in or outside Yuzhou City, and impossible to hinder. He was often seen outside the city with a young girl, and this was the opportunity Yu Zhijing aimed for.
"But I don't know how to do it either. What if I mess things up?" Yu Zhiling was afraid to carry out her brother's plan. She was still a child and naturally lacked the courage to act easily at this time.
Seeing his sister like this, Yu Zhijing's tone immediately became stern. "Right now, only you and I, brother and sister, can rely on each other. No one else is trustworthy. Even though there are still several people left in the hotel, who knows if they are waiting for an opportunity to seize more benefits? I can't go into the city now; I have to guard outside the city. Only you can do this!"
Hearing her brother's reprimand, Yu Zhiling's eyes immediately filled with tears, as if she could cry at any moment. Looking at her pitiful appearance, Yu Zhijing's heart wavered. This was his dear sister, and she was still young. She hadn't read many books and was naturally timid. It was indeed excessive to ask such a young girl to do such a dangerous thing.
However, thinking of the current crisis, Yu Zhijing could only grit his teeth and harden his heart, saying, "It's no use pretending to be pitiful now. Let me tell you, you must do this!"
Yu Zhiling could only wipe away her tears and say pitifully, "I don't know what to say!"
Yu Zhijing thought for a moment. His sister not knowing how to persuade the other party was indeed a serious problem, but it wasn't entirely unsolvable. "This is simple. I'll tell you what to say later, and you can memorize it. Tomorrow, I'll send you into the city, and you'll go straight to the orphanage. Once you find that person, do as I've planned."
Yu Zhiling could only nod, preparing to follow her brother's instructions. Her family was about to fall apart, and she could only rely on her brother. Yet, her brother was frail and had nothing but his knowledge. At this time, she could only execute her brother's plan, hoping to bring her father back safely.
Yu Zhijing glanced at the situation outside the door and saw several dark figures flash in the distance. This indicated that the people left in the restaurant were not to be trifled with.
"Still peeking and eavesdropping! You scoundrels! When Father comes back, you'll be the first ones I deal with!" Yu Zhijing muttered. He felt powerless at the moment. It had only been a few days since his father was arrested, and things had already escalated to this point. The family's cold storage had been divided, and the remaining people were still trying to gain more benefits. Was this what they called "when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter"?