Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 679 - 24 Absolute Reputation

Chapter 679: Chapter 24 Absolute Reputation

After offing Agent Smith, the Queen’s offensive weakened significantly. There were no more machines or police dispatched to chase them, yet their faces remained solemn and cheerless. They understood that the Queen was preparing her soldiers - the next round of pursuers would be even stronger than the Black Night Agent.

As the sun rose, they sat in the stolen floating bus, their gazes fixed on the reddening horizon. They basked in the warmth of the rising sun, and Tang Zheng sighed heavily, resting against the chair. After fighting fiercely for most of the night and fleeing all the way here, the Conquerors were exhausted enough.

"Uncle, we need to rest and keep ourselves in the best condition. Otherwise, if we encounter the enemy, it will be disadvantageous," Lu Fan noted the increased traffic and pedestrians in the Future City, suggesting worriedly, "There are too many natives. We must disguise ourselves. I assume our wanted posters are spread all over the city by now."

"It’s too dangerous. We should persist and meet with Dantai and the others as soon as possible. That will be safer," Mei Jueye emotionlessly countered, his mouth and face still swollen from Tang Zheng’s kick.

The newbies eyed Tang Zheng, sharing the sentiment but not daring to voice it.

"Heh, a bunch of cowards who just know how to run and don’t contribute? You certainly mustn’t be tired. We, on the other hand, fought all night," From the moment the newbies decided to bail on Tang Zheng, Lu Fan had despised them. Considering he had only given them the cold shoulder instead of punching them, he was already showing mercy.

The newbies fell silent, their heads lowered, maintaining a silence.

"Although we encountered some resistance, our operation went smoothly. I reckon that Dantai and his team will take at least another day to get to the Dome Garden. Instead of rushing there in a panic, we better rest for a bit," Li Xinlan voiced her reservation.

Dantai is very cautious and won’t rush the journey," Pang Meiqin also shared her opinion. She didn’t care about being right or wrong, what mattered was her status as a key team member.

"I second the motion!" Chen Hong looked smug, glancing at the rookies, then at Yu Manli and the hostess who’d said nothing. This, she thought, was the advantage of hitching your wagon to the right star.

"Rest up," Tang Zheng saw his prestige in the team was unparalleled, he was the absolute despot.

Finding a place to rest wasn’t difficult. As a group of outlaws, breaking and entering was not a problem. They found a villa in a residential area and forced their way in.

"Hey Boss, how did you know there’s nobody here?" A strange-looking teenager asked, confused after racing around the villa in a matter of minutes.

"Look at the traces on the door and the lawn. Besides the dust, the grass is too dry." Tang Zheng didn’t intentionally look for an empty house. If there were people, it wouldn’t matter. Worst case scenario, they kidnap them.

"You guys should rest. Tang Lu, list down the tools needed for hacking the Central Computer. I’ll go get them." Tang Zheng couldn’t sit idle, there was still a lot to be done.

"Uncle, you must be really tired," Lu Fan pouted, grabbing Tang Zheng’s hand and glaring at the newbies, "Let them do it."

"I’ll go instead." Qin Yan offered, feeling secure around Tang Zheng. Everything was systematic with him, others just had to do as told without worrying about strategizing.

"I’ll come too!" Yu Manli volunteered, hoping to regain favor.

"Hey, aren’t you going to ask for my opinion?" Tang Lu complained, plopping down onto the sofa and throwing a tantrum. "Even with a list, there is no guarantee you’ll bring back authentic products. Counterfeits in this city are of high quality."

Only when her protest attracted everyone’s attention did the girl sigh in satisfaction. "I cannot afford to go to war with the Central Computer using substandard equipment. That would be risking my life, so I must go."

"Are you planning to run away?" Qin Yan sharply questioned Tang Lu’s intentions, "Don’t bother. If you leave us, you’ll die instantly. You won’t be free until the Queen is killed."

"Damn it, there’s no such thing as a Resistance. You’re chasing a ghost. Why must you involve me? Can’t you see the cruelty of the law? If I don’t snitch and atone for my sins, the lower half of my body will be wrecked." Tang Lu shot back, losing her temper.

After venting, Tang Lu finally realized she had let slip more than she should have. She scratched her head awkwardly, "Haha, you didn’t hear anything just now. I didn’t say anything."

The newbies chattered, clamoring to volunteer. They knew Tang Zheng would never entrust such an important task to them. Feeling reassured, they tried their best to impress him, hoping to switch sides.

"Alright then, you three go." Tang Zheng pointed at Wang Jian Xing, Red Sister, and the driver, ready to find a room to get some sleep.

The designated trio was taken aback. They glanced at Tang Zheng uncertainly, hesitated a bit, but realizing the severity of the issue, they gathered their courage to voice out.

"But, what should we do?"

"You’re all adults. Don’t tell me I need to teach you how to do this?" With a frown, Tang Zheng turned his back to them and left.

"But, but..." Red Sister tried to say something, but could not continue. The faces of the three of them were quite unsightly. They looked at the other newbies, but everyone avoided their gaze, clearly not intending to help.

Red Sister’s subordinates fell silent. The D cup woman with the leg injury was afraid of causing more trouble and quickly closed her mouth, even managing to suppress her pained whimpers.

It was at this moment that the newbies realized that without Tang Zheng, they were helpless. Instinctively, they looked towards Mei Jueye, who was the loudest and most jubilant. But the high schooler was climbing up the stairs with a grim face, looking for a room to rest.

"Pah, he’s a coward from the first glance."

"Useless. What a disappointment to my expectations."

"Let it be. We just need to remember it. We should have known that he is useless. He appears haughty and crazy, but in reality, he’s nothing. As soon as he starts working, he gets bewildered."

The driver and the engineer whispered to each other, badmouthing Mei Jueye. The female employees nodded in agreement. The scene infuriated Mei Jueye, who was climbing the stairs, almost to the point of bursting. He realized that he was now completely screwed and isolated once again.

"Why, why is this happening? Don’t I have the talent to be the group leader? Can’t I lead them to survival?" Mei Jueye also planned to use the newbies as cannon fodder, but when they supported Tang Zheng and treated him like trash, he felt his self-esteem gravely wounded.

Thud. Mei Jueye puked blood out of anger and desperation. Because of his bitter past, he valued his self-esteem highly after gaining power. At this moment, he decided that he would murder those people using a ploy, no matter what.

"No, Tang Zheng left me alone. There must be a hidden catch. I must be careful." Mei Jueye’s mind was a mess, and he was in a state of panic. Deep down, he didn’t think he could beat Tang Zheng. Although he didn’t want to admit it, a seed of cowardice sprouted in his heart.

"Wake me up after an hour. Also, Qin Yan, don’t separate from Tang Lu." Tang Zheng walked into a bedroom, lay down in his clothes, and prepared to sleep.

Tang Lu wasn’t sleepy. She sat on the sofa in the room, made a list, and stared at Tang Zheng, lost in thought. The events of yesterday were still clear in her mind. Thinking about Tang Zheng’s strength, she could not help but marvel.

"Is this what they call a tough guy?" Tang Lu slapped her cheek to snap out of her daze and started planning the next moves.

Lu Fan was planning to go out and buy supplies on his own, allowing his uncle to sleep longer. However, Li Xinlan stopped him. The young woman acted like a responsible caretaker, taking care of everything in the team and ensuring that Tang Zheng didn’t have to worry about anything.

An hour passed quickly. Tang Zheng didn’t need anyone to wake him up; his biological clock did the job. He got up, took the list that had fallen on the floor, and woke up Tang Lu who was asleep on the sofa.

"Did you miss anything?"

"No." Tang Lu shook her head. Suddenly, her eyes brightened, and she asked, "I feel like you guys aren’t familiar with this city. And that outdated mobile phone, I’ve never seen it before. Ha ha, stop hiding, let’s hear your secret."

Young people are always curious, and this girl was no exception. However, she was a bit crafty, "You have to protect me, you should at least tell me where you’re from, right?"

"Knowing will not do you any good." Tang Zheng refused. He glanced at Qin Yan, who was sitting next to him, closing her eyes to rest, and then confidently walked out of the room.

"Hey, it seems like you guys don’t have money. So how are you going to buy these things? They’re quite expensive." Tang Lu got up, about to chase Tang Zheng out, but was stopped by Qin Yan grabbing her arm, "From now on, don’t go three meters away from me."

"Just rob a bank then." Tang Zheng said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which scared Tang Lu.

"That’s a serious crime, punishable by death." Tang Lu was about to persuade him to abandon the idea, but Tang Zheng had already left the house.

"Madmen, you’re all madmen." The girl vented, then suddenly started laughing heartlessly, running to the door and shouting at Tang Zheng’s departing figure, "Make sure to record your bank robbery. I’ll post it online, it’s guaranteed to get a billion views, and we’ll make a small fortune."

"Where’s Mei Jueye? Someone call him down." Tang Zheng walked into the living room, scanned the area, and seeing no sign of the high schooler, frowned.

"Boss, I’ll go!" A young boy volunteered eagerly, but Wang Jianxing, who had a grudge against Mei Jueye, ran faster. Once he reached the second floor, there were sounds of cursing and screaming, and it was apparent that Wang Jianxing got beaten up.

As expected, a few seconds later, Wang Jianxing emerged from the room with a bruised face and a beaten-up look. Just as he was about to make a fuss, Mei Jueye followed with a flying kick to his face. Wang Jianxing rolled down instantly, but Mei Jueye was not satisfied. He kept kicking him, even aiming for his throat, until he saw Wang Jianxing roll down the stairs. Only then did a smile appear on his face.

Tang Zheng frowned but said nothing. He sat down on the sofa. Yu Manli brought him a cup of hot coffee, but he didn’t drink.

"He’s too arrogant." Standing in front of Tang Zheng, Mei Jueye felt the need to explain. However, before he could finish his sentence, a foot kicked his abdomen. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it. Your support is my biggest motivation.)