On the way back to the hibernation space, the two briefly chatted about matters concerning the Professionals.
Ren Zhong was a bit regretful, he lost money.
The professional assessment is held once a month, conducted in the hibernation space.
At that time, the rented wrist watch will activate the advanced network functions that were previously blocked, establishing a virtual body for the Professionals in the hibernation space that is almost identical to their physical form, and based on this, initiate a combat power assessment that is almost indistinguishable from real combat experience.
There are eight days until the next combat power assessment.
Ren Zhong had heard about the professional assessment before.
He thought it was merely an honor-based real combat capability certification, similar to a Level Eight craftsman in the 21st century.
He didn’t expect that, after passing the professional assessment, you could receive a fixed amount of Contribution Points in the wrist watch.
A First Level Professional can receive 0.5 points per day, another steady income for professional Scavengers.
For Scavengers who don’t have an official wrist watch, it’s even more significant than using a rented wrist watch to sleep.
That’s why official Professionals like Zheng Tian who pass the assessment have a better, higher status, and faster progress than other freelance Scavengers.
This world’s pyramid is everywhere.
Ren Zhong calculated with his fingers, he would lose 4 bucks.
Heartache.
Can’t breathe.
Upon reaching the hibernation space, the others were either reading or studying the map, still not asleep.
As expected, Zheng Tian once again proposed going to Rat Cliff Mountain.
This wasn’t necessarily because of some mischief by the timeline convergence.
Counting within a radius of three hundred kilometers from Starfire Town, Rat Cliff Mountain, where there are indeed more beasts and fewer people, is most suitable for Zheng Tian’s team, equipped with a Thunderbolt Car, to go begging.
Yesterday, Zheng Tian listened to Ren Zhong’s request and didn’t go, feeling quite regretful, and now he’s bringing it up again, showing his mind is made up.
Ren Zhong indeed didn’t stop him again.
After all, he tried yesterday, and changing places would still result in being fleeced by professional teams, so it’s better to honestly mine rich resources.
Even if half gets taken, the income is still more than today when calculated carefully.
Moreover, the low-level First Level ruined beasts are just right for him as a newcomer to practice.
"Alright, but I have a suggestion."
Ren Zhong said with a smile.
"Ren ge, go ahead."
"Zheng Tian, you’ve never been to Rat Cliff Mountain before, right?"
Zheng Tian nodded, "No, I haven’t. But Rat Cliff Mountain itself is not dangerous, as long as you get through the Second Level ruined beast blockade, it’s easy. Ever since we came back, I have been studying the map."
Ren Zhong shook his head, "That map wasn’t officially made, it’s very crude and not very valuable. I have been to Rat Cliff Mountain once before, so why don’t I lead the way tomorrow?"
Zheng Tian was stunned, "Huh?"
Although Ren Zhong’s "census officer" request was odd, Zheng Tian eventually agreed.
It was another night of sound sleep and busyness, with Ren Zhong still immersing himself in the ocean of knowledge.
...
"Ren ge, something’s wrong! This is not what I’ve heard! Everyone says Rat Cliff Mountain is a treasure, but we’ve been wandering for almost two hours and only hit two rats, that’s not logical!"
As she drove, Zheng Tian stared closely at the sensor, voicing her doubts.
Though the squad had already been convinced of Ren Zhong’s strategic abilities after dealing with the Blade Mantis, the income falling so far short of expectations after almost two hours was still very disheartening.
Sitting in the middle of the back row, Ren Zhong placed his hands on the driver’s seat and front passenger seat backrests, leaning forward to closely study the electronic map and occasionally looking at the road ahead.
Calculating the time and location, he calmly said, "No problem, early wealth isn’t a blessing, accumulating wealth later is the blessing. Don’t rush."
In the previous near-death experience, the team drove the Thunderbolt Car around Rat Cliff Mountain for nearly eight hours.
The area is only six square kilometers in total, and they’ve almost fully explored every corner.
As a 23-year-old genius PhD, most of Ren Zhong’s abilities came from his extraordinary memory.
That was his bread and butter.
He deliberately led them astray based on memory, going wherever there wasn’t any loot.
Encountering two of them was his error.
"Well, okay, I believe you, Ren ge." Zheng Tian said helplessly.
Ren Zhong suddenly raised his voice, "Stop! Let’s halt here. Ou Youning, take the corpse of the oil rat we caught earlier and disassemble it to make incendiary bombs with the asphalt inside."
Another three hundred meters forward, the Crystal Armor Longtail Giant Rat would enter the car’s sensor scanning range.
At that point, the fierce professional hunting dog Bei Lihui should arrive soon too.
Blast Master Ou Youning asked in confusion, "Huh? How come?"